In the deep mountains of the Sino-Vietnamese border in late August.
A girl in a qipao and an old woman stood before a tombstone with no inscription.
The girl, Yu He, was the true daughter of the Ye family in Beishi, swapped at birth in the hospital seventeen years ago.
She had been found by the Ye family a week ago and was being taken back to the city today.
"Let's go down the mountain. The Ye family will be here soon. Once we're in the city, you'll be the Ye family's daughter. Forget everything about the past..." Old Mrs. Yu shifted her gaze from the tombstone to the girl.
"Mm, Grandma, you go down first. I want to stay a while longer," Yu He's lips moved.
Old Mrs. Yu glanced at the tombstone again and sighed, "Don't be late."
Then, she turned and left, leaving Yu He alone, gazing silently at the uncarved stone.
Suddenly, Yu He raised her eyes. A rustling sound came from the woods behind her.
Something was moving through the trees, and it was heading in her direction.
She turned around warily, her curved eyelashes distinct in the sunlight, casting a small shadow that obscured her gaze, giving her an air of melancholy.
A tall figure in dark camouflage emerged from the woods, carrying a strong scent of blood.
The man's face was smeared with camouflage paint, making his features indistinguishable, but Yu He quickly noticed the red national flag on his right arm. The woods behind him rustled.
"Danger, hurry!" The man, seemingly surprised to find someone in this desolate wilderness, grunted.
The grunt seemed to exhaust his remaining strength. His running steps faltered, and he fell in front of Yu He.
He fell motionless onto the ground, the crushed wild grass stained with his blood.
Yu He frowned slightly. Judging by the intensity of the blood smell, she deduced the man had fainted from severe blood loss.
If the bleeding wasn't stopped, he would die from it...
Just then, two men in light camouflage emerged from the rustling woods.
"There's a woman here!" the curly-haired man in front said in English.
"Then we'll take her with us," the crew-cut, thick-lipped man behind looked at Yu He.
Perhaps having not seen a woman for a long time, his eyes turned lecherous upon seeing such a beautiful one.
Yu He's heart pounded. She had lived in this border region for eleven years and knew it was volatile, but this was her first time encountering such a situation.
Amidst her nervousness, she silently congratulated herself for letting her grandmother go down the mountain first.
Her peach blossom eyes subtly assessed their weapons. Using a standard American English accent, she feigned weakness, "Don't hurt me, I'm just a ordinary villager..."
The crew-cut man stepped forward and used his gun to lift Yu He's chin. Seeing her delicate face, not only beautiful but also soft and tender, he imagined she would feel good to the touch...
He licked his thick lips and smiled, "The little girl speaks good English. Come with us from now on, I'll take you all over the place, enjoying the good life."
Yu He looked at the dark muzzle of the gun, her long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly.
She swallowed and said timidly, "Okay, as long as you don't kill me, I'll do anything you ask. I'll pack my things and go with you now."
The girl's timidity instantly amplified the man's desire to bully. He grinned obscenely, "Since you'll do anything, let's start with you!"
As soon as he said this, the curly-haired man also let out a lewd laugh.
Amidst the laughter, the crew-cut man dropped his weapon, grabbed Yu He's slender right hand with one hand, and pulled her into his embrace with force.
The moment she was pulled into the man's chest, Yu He's left hand quickly slid along the side of her qipao. Her delicate fingers twisted lightly, and a silver needle appeared at her fingertip.
The next second, the silver needle pierced the man's Yingxiang acupoint.
"Ugh..." The crew-cut man stiffly lowered his head, meeting a pair of cold eyes. Where was the timidity from before?
The curly-haired man sensed something was wrong, cursed, and raised his gun. However, afraid of harming the crew-cut man, he pointed the black muzzle at Yu He.
Yu He shoved the unconscious crew-cut man away, rolled nimbly on the spot, and tumbled towards the tombstone. She reached into her bamboo basket, grabbed a handful of white powder, and threw it at the curly-haired man.
Simultaneously, the curly-haired man immediately chambered a round in his gun, but he was still a step too late.
The white powder dispersed in the air. After inhaling it, his eyes became hazy, his senses dulled, and then his eyes rolled back, and he too passed out.
This was her homemade anesthetic, prepared to ward off wild beasts. There was no antidote, and he wouldn't wake up for at least an hour.
Yu He got up from the ground and looked down to see her grandmother's newly made qipao stained and torn by rocks.
Her beautiful brows furrowed.
After a moment of heartache, she quickly checked the injuries of the man who had fallen earlier.
He had been shot in the right shoulder blade, and the wound was bleeding profusely.
Yu He unbuttoned his cumbersome camouflage uniform, then, lifting the fabric from the slit of her qipao, revealed a row of silver needles of varying lengths and thicknesses along the hem.
She removed the needles, found the acupoints, and inserted a few needles. The bleeding stopped.
Then, with a "hiss," Yu He tore off a strip of cloth from the torn qipao and loosely bandaged the man's wound.
The environment didn't allow for it, so she couldn't help him remove the bullet.
Qin Beiting slowly regained consciousness. His entire right shoulder felt numb, without pain.
In a daze, he felt two hands searching his chest. A sense of danger jolted him awake.
Yu He had just finished bandaging the wound when her right wrist was suddenly gripped by a large hand.
"Don't be nervous, I'm just tending to your wound," she explained.
Qin Beiting finally got a clear look at the girl's face and was stunned. "You're... Xin Shu?!"
Upon hearing the name, Yu He's cold gaze turned to shock.
The man's face, covered in mud, was reflected in her dark pupils. She then broke free from his hand and stood up, moving away from him.
Only the Qin family knew this name!
This man was from the Qin family?!