Everyone on the brightly-lit Maple Mountain lounge fidgeted in their seat and waited anxiously.
"Sophia! Sophia!" Upon seeing her, Ryan rushed to her frantically. "Have they found Fiona? Where is she?"
"Ryan!" She began to break down as she saw him. "Mr. Cheng went down to save her, but they haven’t come up yet."
Ryan went pale. He was glad that someone had come to rescue Fiona, but part of him felt unhappy. He raised his hand and patted Sophia’s head. In a hoarse voice, he said, "She’ll be fine. Don’t worry, okay?"
"Yes... I hope she will be." Sophia nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder as she cried her eyes out. Ryan sighed. Looking up, he saw Leona standing in the shadows. She looked like she was about to cry, which angered him.
And then suddenly, a loud bang came from above.
Ryan decided to deal with her later and turned his head. For now, ensuring Fiona’s safety was more important.
Several helicopters circled in the sky above the lounge, with the gust blowing against people’s clothes. Hanging from one helicopter was a soft ladder on which a doctor climbed down, a medical kit slung on his back. As he planted his feet on the ground, he waved and all the helicopters left.
"Where’s Fiona?" Sophia ran hurriedly towards the doctor. "Why aren’t she and Mr. Cheng here?"
"They’re still below but will be up shortly. Don’t you worry, both of them are fine," the doctor answered kindly, though Sophia detected a tinge of hesitation.
"Really?"
"Of course!" The doctor then glanced at everyone else. "It’s getting late. Today was exhausting, so I suggest you all go rest!"
With a sigh of relief, Ryan gazed at Sophia worriedly. "You’ve been frantic the whole day. You should go to bed. I’ll wait here."
"No, let’s both wait for her." She shook her head firmly.
"Alright then."
She noticed the fine beads of sweat on his forehead. "You must be very worried, aren’t you?"
"I’m glad she’s fine." He gave her a wry smile. "Just got here a little late. When I finally did, the foot of Maple Mountain was already strictly guarded. I had trouble hiking up. Fortunately, Mr. Cheng came just in time."
Sophia’s heart clenched. She knew how much Ryan cared about Fiona, but she couldn’t bear to tell him that she was already married to Spencer. She resolved to honor Fiona’s request to not tell anyone.
Meanwhile, the couple was still at the valley.
"Let me carry you up." Spencer bent down towards Fiona, patting himself on the shoulder. "Come on!"
"But you hurt your arm." She shook her head. "I can do it myself." As she shifted her weight, pain emanated from the ankle she sprained. "Ouch..."
"What’s wrong?" He saw Fiona try to cover her lower leg just as he turned around. Without a second thought, he crouched down to take a closer look at her ankle, which indeed turned out to be swollen. Spencer gently put a hand on it, and in a concerned tone said, "Why’s it swollen like this?"
She couldn’t look back directly into his eyes, so she instead focused on his hair, which was soaking with sweat. With a stifled sob, she mumbled, "I fell."
He then slowly put a hand under her knees while the other caressed her shoulders. In one swift motion, he stood up as he took her in his arms.
"Spencer..."
"Shhh! Listen..."
He interrupted her, his expression turning serious. Fiona swallowed hard. She was cold, trembling, and exhausted. She wouldn’t be able to take it if some other trouble came. To ease herself of worries, she too listened for any unusual sounds.
A faint smile spread across Spencer’s face as he walked down, still carrying her.
Upon reaching the bottom of the valley, they could hear nothing else but leaves rustling and the soft sounds of two people breathing. Fiona held onto his clothes tightly and then looked up. Spencer looked strong and timeless, with twinkling eyes and a sharp jaw. She could hear his heart breathing over the fabric, and for some reason, she felt relieved.
Only after a while did she realize that he had been walking with her in his arms for quite some time. "What did you shush me for earlier? Is there nothing around?"
"Don’t worry. There’s nothing else." Spencer smiled. "Hold on to me tight, we’re going up."
Fiona frowned in confusion.
With his hands holding her tightly, he started to hike.
"Your wound..."
"It’s nothing." He gave her another smile. "I used to suffer more serious injuries when I was out. These flesh wounds are not even worth mentioning."
Fiona seemed to consider his answer for a while before finally nodding and asking, "Are you tired?"
"No." He strode up the stairs.
"Spencer!"
"Yes?"
She shook her head, as if surprised that he paid attention to her. "Nothing..."
Spencer chuckled. "Are you scared? You don’t have to worry. You’ll be fine as long as I’m here."
Fiona felt embarrassed being hugged by him in public. She wanted to hide herself. "I want to talk to Ryan. After that, I’ll go see a doctor."
"Talk about it tomorrow!" He replied in an authoritative tone, then gazed towards Ryan, smiling faintly. "You think she should deal with the wound first too, right?"
Ryan nodded his head. He put his arms behind his back so no one could see him clench his fists. "Go get checked and then rest, Fiona. It can wait until tomorrow."
Spencer turned, still holding Fiona. The doctor followed closely behind.
"Spencer!" She fidgeted, looking annoyed. "I told you to put me down first! I still haven’t talked to Sophia!"
He suddenly winced. "Stop, you’re hurting my arm!"
She froze, looking sheepish. "Put me down first, then."
Spencer groaned. "It won’t hurt anymore if you stop talking."
Ryan and Sophia stood quietly beside each other,
watching the two argue from a distance.
Andrew came over and asked, "It’s late. Are we going downhill or staying here?"
"We’re staying," he replied without hesitation. He hadn’t dealt with Leona yet. There was no way he could leave. Speaking of, he hadn’t seen her since earlier.
"Ryan, what are you still looking for? You should go rest."
"Okay." Ryan came back to his senses, reluctantly following Sophia.
Spencer placed Fiona down on the bed gently. "Please check if she has any injuries other than the one on her foot."
The doctor sat on the edge of the bed and opened the medicine box. "Okay, let me deal with your wound, Mrs. Cheng. Would you kindly take off your clothes so I can check for any additional wounds?"
It seemed the doctor already knew she was his wife.
She blushed hard.
"Take off her clothes?" Spencer said indignantly. "What the hell do you need to do that for? Just pay attention to her foot, then get out!"
"Yes, of course," the doctor stammered as he nodded profusely.
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