Strange Fate

Qing Mo nodded, struggling to rise from the ground. Seeing her difficulty, Lin Yu reached out and pulled her up.

With Lin Yu's help, Qing Mo quickly got to her feet, though she staggered unsteadily. Due to her injured foot, she couldn’t put any weight on her left leg and had to rely entirely on her right to support herself.

Seeing how unstable she was, Lin Yu moved to her left side to support her, temporarily acting as her missing leg.

The snow fell heavier now, the wind howling with increasing ferocity.

In such extreme weather, the two instinctively quickened their pace, both eager to reach the road above and flag down a passing car for help.

As they emerged from the snow-covered primeval forest, their faces instantly paled at the sight before them.

A towering slope, angled at over sixty degrees, loomed ahead like an insurmountable chasm.

The steepness and length alone were enough to crush hope, let alone the unknown depth of snow blanketing the incline, making the climb exponentially harder.

For an average healthy person, scaling this slope barehanded would be impossible—let alone for two injured individuals.

"What do we do?"

Qing Mo turned to Lin Yu, already treating him as her anchor.

Lin Yu’s expression darkened as he studied the daunting slope. After a moment’s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and decided to try. He turned to Qing Mo and said,

"I’ll attempt to climb it first. If I make it up, I’ll stop a car and bring help back for you."

"If I can’t, we’ll figure something else out."

Qing Mo nodded obediently, agreeing to his plan.

Unlike her earlier defiance, she was calm now, as if unafraid Lin Yu would abandon her.

Before climbing, Lin Yu handed Qing Mo the bloodstained kitchen knife and instructed,

"Nothing else should happen now."

"The wolves have food—they won’t dare return."

"Keep this for protection. If anything happens, shout for me. I’ll come back down."

Qing Mo took the knife, her voice softer than Lin Yu had ever heard it:

"Be careful."

"I know," Lin Yu replied with a nod.

After his final reminder, Lin Yu faced the slope, took a deep breath, and began his ascent.

After several attempts, he gave up.

This slope was inhuman—not just steep, but hiding who-knew-what beneath the snow.

Each time he stepped on concealed patches of ice, he tumbled back down in dizzying circles.

After another roll downhill, Lin Yu abandoned the plan entirely.

Better to find another way. Climbing would only get them killed faster!

Scanning their surroundings, Lin Yu said to Qing Mo, who sat in the snow,

"Let’s follow the base of the slope for now."

"Maybe we’ll find an easier section to climb."

He pulled out his phone—still no signal.

Another attempt to call emergency services failed.

With a heavy sigh, Lin Yu bent down to help Qing Mo up.

Leaning on each other, they trudged forward along the slope’s edge, battling the wind and snow.

Along the way, whenever they passed a rise or a taller tree, Lin Yu would climb it, holding his phone high to try calling for help.

But every effort was futile—no signal, no connection to emergency services.

As he supported Qing Mo, Lin Yu felt his thoughts growing sluggish, each one requiring immense effort.

It was the effect of blood loss, compounded by cold and hunger.

His mind grew hazier by the minute.

Staring at the unchanging steep slope ahead, Lin Yu hesitated.

What now?

Keep following the base, hoping for a gentler incline to reach the road?

Or change course, retreat into the forest, and find shelter to wait out this red-alert super blizzard?

Lin Yu furrowed his brow, unable to decide.

Both options were terrible, each with its own risks.

There was no guarantee they’d find a scalable slope ahead.

And hiding in the forest?

That brought even more problems.

Could he even find a safe shelter from the storm?

Would it be secure?

What about food? Warmth?

And what after that?

The questions were endless.

Damn it!

So frustrating!

Lin Yu nearly clawed at his hair.

Both choices were high-risk.

How was he supposed to choose?

...Wait.

Lin Yu’s eyebrows shot up.

Choices?

The word triggered memories.

The crossroads before first meeting Xia Muzhu.

The brightly lit nighttime street on that cursed day.

Lin Yu remembered clearly—both times, he’d chosen the path that led him to the female leads.

And there was more.

He’d lived through scenes straight out of an adult comic.

Like when Qing Mo flipped him off through her car window, calling him an idiot.

His conversation with Tang’s mother outside school.

Meeting the fourth female lead, Su Yuyao.

All these were results of his choices.

He’d chosen to buy groceries, so he met Su Yuyao.

He’d picked Qing Mo’s car as a mirror to check his bandage, earning her insults.

He’d agreed to chat with Tang’s mother over food, recreating that familiar scene at the diner.

Every step was his own doing.

Did that mean he always made the "right" choices?

Frowning, Lin Yu’s mind raced to other possibilities.

Today’s ordeal felt too bizarre—likely orchestrated by that unseen, intangible force: fate.

If that were true…

Why trap him and Qing Mo here?

Lin Yu pondered, but blood loss left his thoughts muddled.

Still, one thing was certain.

If fate truly existed…

Whatever it wanted…

It wouldn’t let him die.

It still needed him for that twisted finale from the comic.

Without him as the lead, how could it recreate that scene?

...

Lin Yu’s briefly eased expression tightened again.

Remembering their near-death experiences, his mood soured.

If his theory was correct…

Why would fate put him through such danger?

Hell, he’d been dancing on death’s doorstep earlier!