Chapter 186: I’ll Stay Here

Chapter 186: Chapter 186: I’ll Stay Here

"Mister, you have to look down from here to see it."

Gu Nuan Nuan wasn’t in the mood to guess what kind of manager this "Manager Shao" was. She certainly wasn’t going to let on that she already knew his "manager" identity was a cover, so she just pretended she didn’t know anything.

Seeing his skepticism, she tugged on his arm and led him to the spot where she had pointed out the rear of the bus to her uncle.

"There really is a bus hanging there," the young driver exclaimed.

"Little girl, how long has your uncle been down there? Why didn’t he go to a nearby village to call the police instead of risking it and climbing down himself?" Shao Qingyang’s brows furrowed as he stared at the back of the bus hanging on the cliff, his expression growing more and more solemn.

Gu Nuan Nuan blinked, speaking clearly, "My uncle is amazing! He’s practiced martial arts, so he’s much more capable than ordinary rescue personnel. He said saving people is as urgent as putting out a fire, so he went down to take a look.

He even came back up a moment ago. He said the people in the bus are very lucky. The bus is caught on a tree, and for now, no one has died or been seriously injured. And even luckier, there’s a small ledge on the cliff face below.

Look, when he came up, we used these vines to weave ropes. My uncle said he needs them to quickly move the people from the bus to that little ledge. Otherwise, he’s afraid the tree won’t be able to support the bus’s weight for much longer, and it could fall at any moment."

"Are you sure? Really no casualties?"

At Gu Nuan Nuan’s words, Shao Qingyang’s eyes lit up, and a great weight lifted from his heart. His expression turned stern as he stared at her and pressed the question again. After he asked, he saw her confused look and immediately realized the person before him was just a little girl, not one of his subordinates. A hint of embarrassment flashed across his face. He coughed awkwardly. "...Ahem, it’s good that there are no casualties."

Gu Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Shao Qingyang uncomfortably turned his head, his gaze falling once more to the bottom of the cliff. His brows knitted together again, his face filled with worry. "But can your uncle really move everyone to the ledge by himself?"

"Of course he can. My uncle is amazing," Gu Nuan Nuan said, looking at the man with some dissatisfaction. However, she could also see that his concern for the people in the bus was genuine, so she quickly decided not to hold his doubt against her uncle.

Shao Qingyang looked at the proud little girl. "..."

He paced back and forth a couple of times before turning to the young driver beside him. "Xiao Li, report the situation immediately. Tell them to send people here for the rescue as fast as possible. And just in case, have them call for an ambulance too. It’s better to be safe."

"Yes, sir." Xiao Li nodded quickly and started jogging toward their car. Halfway there, he turned back and hesitated. "But, sir..."

"Just go. I’ll stay here. After you make the call, don’t come back. Go pick up the Old Man and Little Heng, then come here together. Be safe on the road," Shao Qingyang said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, sir. Don’t worry." Xiao Li immediately agreed. He quickly slipped into the driver’s seat, and the car soon disappeared from sight.

"Mister, you have to go pick people up? Then why didn’t you go with him? I don’t think you’re much use staying here." Gu Nuan Nuan’s tone was tinged with disdain. ’Well, since he hasn’t revealed his identity, there’s no harm in being a little blunt, right? Ignorance is bliss, after all.’

After saying that, Gu Nuan Nuan found herself a little amused. She was, by nature, a rather introverted person who didn’t like making small talk with strangers. It felt quite awkward to have this man just standing there with nothing to talk about. This was especially true since she knew perfectly well that this "stranger" was someone of extraordinary status. The moment she thought about how she had to carefully consider her attitude toward him, a single word popped into her head: ’trouble’.

Shao Qingyang froze. ’Did I hear that right? Am I being... looked down on?’

The feeling was surprisingly novel. He looked at the little girl, who was only slightly older than his own nephew, and thought about how they were both just as impishly clever. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he squatted down. "You and your uncle can stay and help, so why can’t I?"

"My uncle can go down there and save people. Can you?" Gu Nuan Nuan rolled her eyes, taking a petty jab at him.

"Little girl, you’ve got quite a sharp tongue. You don’t pull any punches when you’re putting someone down, do you? Hmm, I admit I don’t have your uncle’s skills to go down there and rescue people myself. But I can at least stay here and protect you. You’re so cute, who knows what would happen? I’d worry that some bad person might pass by, see a little girl all by herself, and get the bright idea to just snatch you away."

Shao Qingyang coughed again, a little embarrassed. It had been years since someone had been so blunt with him to his face. Strangely, he wasn’t the least bit angry. He just found this little girl more and more interesting. Forgetting himself for a moment, he let out a soft laugh. Although he immediately remembered himself, wiped the smile away, and put his usual serious, unsmiling mask back on, that fleeting smile had left Gu Nuan Nuan staring, her mouth agape.

’How can someone be so handsome when they smile?’

His face was fair as if powdered, his lips red as if rouged. His gaze was full of emotion, his voice held a constant hint of laughter. A natural charm was concentrated in his brows, and a lifetime of unspoken passions pooled in the corners of his eyes.

A description of Jia Baoyu’s appearance from *Dream of the Red Chamber* unexpectedly surfaced in Gu Nuan Nuan’s mind, leaving her dazed for a long moment.

"You’re drooling," Shao Qingyang said with a sigh. ’I guess I really shouldn’t smile.’

Hearing this, Gu Nuan Nuan instinctively raised her hand to wipe her mouth.

"Master, you’re not drooling at all. He’s tricking you," Cao Cao’s disgruntled voice chimed in just in time, stopping Gu Nuan Nuan from making a fool of herself.

"Hmph! You’re the one who’s drooling," Gu Nuan Nuan snapped, flying into a rage out of embarrassment now that Cao Cao had alerted her. She shot the man a glare that seemed to say, ’How can you be so narcissistic?’ before stomping back to her spot, sitting down, and grabbing the vines to continue weaving her rope.

’Could it be that I was just being narcissistic and misread her? Did this little girl not look at me with fascination at all? Then again, she’s so young, what would she know? Hah, those obsessed women in Beijing and the city have really made me paranoid, to the point where I’m getting suspicious even of a little girl like this. If my buddies ever found out about this, I wonder how they’d make fun of me.’

Shao Qingyang blushed and gave an embarrassed, dry laugh. He scooted closer, deigning to help Gu Nuan Nuan sort the vines while trying to probe for the information he wanted. "Ahem... You’re really capable for such a little girl, even knowing how to weave ropes from vines. Can you tell me your name, and your uncle’s name? Where are you two headed...?"