I've seen this episode.

"A sheep?"

Lin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this outcome.

To nearly end up in a fatal car crash just to avoid hitting a sheep—seriously?

Ever heard of "brake, don’t swerve"?

Lin Yu couldn’t be bothered to criticize Qing Mo’s amateur driving. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen, only to find the signal bars completely empty.

Just as Qing Mo had said, there was no reception here.

After attempting—and failing—to call emergency services, Lin Yu gave up and stuffed his phone back into his down jacket pocket.

Though the situation was a minor hassle, Lin Yu wasn’t too worried.

This place might be desolate, with no signal, but the presence of a road meant vehicles would eventually pass by.

And if vehicles came, all their problems would be solved.

All they had to do now was wait patiently for a car, flag it down, and hitch a ride.

Reassured that their predicament wasn’t life-threatening, Lin Yu relaxed slightly and let his mind wander.

His brow furrowed as he stared at the primeval forest blanketed in thick snow beneath them.

Weird.

Really weird.

Why would a sheep suddenly appear on the road?

Turning his head, Lin Yu looked back at the sharp bend in the highway, not far from the crash site. His confusion only deepened.

And of all places, the sheep had appeared right after that bend.

If it hadn’t shown up out of nowhere, Qing Mo would’ve had time to react, and they wouldn’t have crashed into the mountainside.

The sheep’s appearance…

What a coincidence.

Or was it?

Lin Yu narrowed his eyes skeptically at the sky.

Didn’t seem like it!

If this wasn’t just bad luck, then what was the purpose of stranding him and Qing Mo in this isolated, signal-dead zone? What was fate trying to pull?

Lin Yu shifted his gaze forward, scanning the endless expanse of snowy wilderness ahead.

If fate’s goal was to "correct the plot"—to force him down the same path as the original story’s scumbag protagonist…

Then wouldn’t the person who eventually rescued them be one of the four female leads?

At this thought, Lin Yu smirked, a mix of confidence and mockery twisting his lips.

A damsel-in-distress scenario?

Pfft.

How cliché.

Did fate really think something this cheap could make him fall for someone else and recreate that messed-up harem ending from the original story?

Dream on!

His heart was already set on Tang Manman!

Even if someone saved him from a situation a hundred—no, a million—times worse than this, he wouldn’t change his feelings.

And as for two-timing—

No!

Four-timing?

Not a chance!

Convinced he’d seen through fate’s scheme, Lin Yu let out a cold chuckle. Leaning against the roadside guardrail, he struck a cool pose and stared at the bend in the road, waiting for whichever female lead was about to make her grand entrance.

So, who would play the role of the heroine rescuing the damsel (or in this case, the idiot) today?

Tang Manman?

No way. She had no reason to be here, nor the means. She didn’t even own a car.

Xia Muzhu?

Unlikely. She should still be in City H, cozy at home with Xia Yueshan, waiting for him to pick up last night’s New Year’s Eve leftovers.

That left only one possibility.

If his guess was right, the one showing up soon would definitely be the fourth female lead.

Su Yuyao!

Having psychoanalyzed the situation, Lin Yu grew even more confident, certain he’d glimpsed the future.

Meanwhile, Qing Mo was anything but calm.

Her anxiety had deepened as she watched Lin Yu’s eerie, self-satisfied smirk. She was seriously starting to wonder if he’d hit his head too hard in the crash.

Why else would he be grinning like that?

And so creepily, too.

Like some kind of villain…

…

Well, maybe it wasn’t all bad.

If he’d lost his mind, dealing with those troublesome women would be much easier.

Then she could finally—

…

Wait.

Qing Mo suddenly tensed.

Did brain damage also come with violent tendencies?

…

The bleeding slowed after saturating the fourth tissue, clotting factors and platelets finally sealing the wound.

Without fresh blood to replenish it, the flow couldn’t soak through any more layers.

But in those few short minutes, the blood loss had been alarming.

Some of the earlier spillage, before the tissues could staunch it, had streaked down Lin Yu’s face and stained his white winter coat, a stark and gruesome contrast.

The blood-soaked tissues still dripped occasionally, each drop landing heavily on the pristine snow.

Lin Yu couldn’t care less.

Come on.

He’d been in a crash without a seatbelt.

No blackout, no broken bones.

Just a gash on his head—nothing life-threatening.

That was lucky, wasn’t it?

Lin Yu might not care, but someone did.

Qing Mo fretted helplessly beside him, eyes glued to his bloodied face. She wanted to help but had no idea how.

The only thing that could’ve been useful—more tissues—was still inside the wrecked car.

And she wasn’t about to risk an explosion to retrieve them.

The guilt over causing the crash gnawed at her even harder.

But Qing Mo wasn’t the only one watching Lin Yu.

Other creatures had taken notice too.

His blood.

The scent lingering in the air.

To them, it was the smell of food.

Of salvation in this merciless winter.

…

Around noon, the sun should’ve burned off the morning chill by now.

But today was different.

The sky hung heavy with layers of gray clouds, blocking even the faintest warmth.

A biting wind howled through the trees, relentless.

Lin Yu rubbed his stiff, frozen cheeks.

After a while in this wind, he’d given up on smiling.

No wonder people in freezing climates never grinned.

It really did freeze your teeth!

Zipping his coat up to his chin, Lin Yu shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the guardrail, waiting for Su Yuyao’s grand entrance.

Then—something light tapped his face.

Before he could react, a cold sensation spread across his skin.

Lin Yu reached up, fingers brushing dampness.

He paused, then looked up in realization.

Tiny snowflakes drifted down from the sky.

Unstoppable.