141. Bai Jinyan, I like you.

"Ah!!!!"

The moment she was pushed off, Chen Ruowen let out a reflex scream, but it lasted only two seconds before it was cut short.

It wasn't that she was no longer afraid; rather, the sudden sensation of weightlessness magnified her fear infinitely. She felt as though she had suddenly lost all support, and the blood rushed to her head, leaving her mind a complete blank—so blank she couldn't even manage a sound.

Just as she reached the lowest point, before she could even react, the bungee cord snapped her back up, pulling her from the depths toward the sky.

At that moment, breathing became a struggle.

A sense of suffocation gripped her nose and mouth, preventing her from gasping or making a sound. The hands that had been tightly clutching Bai Jinyan grew weak and limp. Even the chain fastened around her ankles felt as if it had ceased to exist.

She felt like a bird falling into outer space, stripped of gravity’s tether, drifting bit by bit into an unknown cosmic void.

Yet, she wasn't entirely untethered. At least there was still a hand on her waist and another behind her head, holding her firmly, offering her the tiny shred of security one feels when clutching at a straw.

As she reached the peak, the cord around her ankles suddenly regained its presence, tugging her back down once more. But why did it feel like the rope might slip off her ankles at any moment?

Chen Ruowen couldn't help but tense her toes, subconsciously trying to prevent it from sliding off. But as her ankles kept slipping, she couldn't help but scream again.

The large hands behind her pulled her closer, and Bai Jinyan’s gentle, soothing voice sounded in her ear.

"Don't be afraid, hold on to me."

Chen Ruowen wanted to say, "I'm not afraid!" but the words turned into another scream as they reached her lips.

She kept her eyes tightly shut, not daring to look at the legendary, breathtaking scenery of the "Nameless Cliff."

Bungee jumping is truly terrifying, boo-hoo! I never want to bungee jump ever again, boo-hoo-hoo!

The cord bounced two or three times before the speed finally began to slow. Chen Ruowen didn't know how long she had spent rising and falling in mid-air; she only knew that her forehead was drenched in cold sweat, her head was throbbing painfully, and she felt completely drained, as if she had collapsed.

Only then did she regain a shred of her senses. Pale-faced, she glanced down at the cliff, then looked up to meet Bai Jinyan’s eyes—they were also somewhat pale, yet still filled with concerned focus.

Chen Ruowen suddenly smiled.

"Bai Jinyan."

She spoke softly, listening to the whistling mountain wind rush past her ears and feeling the strong, steady heartbeat of the man in front of her. Her voice still trembled.

"I like you."

Bai Jinyan gazed at her deeply and offered a faint smile in return.

"I know."

He didn't say much else; the situation didn't allow for it. He knew he would remember this day forever—the day his beloved girl brought him on her first bungee jump on her eighteenth birthday, and in the weightless mid-air, while crying and laughing, she clumsily yet firmly told him, "I like you."

By the time they landed on the bamboo raft, Chen Ruowen’s legs were still shaking. The strangest part was that she wasn't even afraid anymore, but her legs refused to stop trembling. They shook so violently that Bai Jinyan had to peel off the chain and the adhesive tape from her body bit by bit. Chen Ruowen could only lie on the raft, utterly uncomposed, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

Bai Jinyan climbed to the other end of the raft and, with a chuckle, lifted Chen Ruowen up, settling her into a comfortable and graceful position on his lap.

"Still want to go skydiving?"

Chen Ruowen shook her head weakly. "No."

She was too exhausted to even string together a long sentence.

When the raft reached the shore and the staff urged them to get off, Chen Ruowen hadn't yet recovered. After Bai Jinyan pulled her to her feet, she took only a single step before her legs gave way.

"My legs are weak..." Chen Ruowen looked at Bai Jinyan with misty eyes.

Her eyes were exceptionally beautiful. Her peach-blossom eyes, taken on their own, were naturally tender and enchanting, though Chen Ruowen’s usual sharp and proud temperament often masked this. But once she shed that aggressive exterior and acted with the vulnerability of a woman, the impact was something no one could resist.

Unfortunately, she only showed this side to Bai Jinyan and her family; no one else ever saw it.

Without a word, Bai Jinyan crouched down and carried her on his back.

The stairs leading up from the water were long and steep, poorly designed and grueling. Bai Jinyan carried her all the way to the service center to collect their bungee photos, the video, and two "Braveheart" certificates.

Chen Ruowen excitedly opened the video, but as soon as she saw herself screaming in such a disheveled state in mid-air, she couldn't help but cover her eyes.

"I look so ugly!"

Bai Jinyan chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Who says? You don't look ugly at all."

"I do look ugly..." Chen Ruowen muttered, though she let go of her eyes.

Further down the video, they reached the moment they locked eyes, with two tear tracks still drying on her face as she smiled like a fool.

"Bai Jinyan, I like you."

Chen Ruowen shrieked, her face turning crimson as she snatched the phone from Bai Jinyan’s hand.

"Stop watching, stop watching! Delete this video!"

What on earth! Why was her confession recorded? Her voice had been so quiet, so why was it so clear in the video? It was too embarrassing!

Bai Jinyan was faster; he locked the screen, tucked the phone into his pocket, and grabbed Chen Ruowen’s hand.

"I'm not deleting it."

Not only would he keep it, but he would treasure it as a memento forever.

Bai Jinyan suddenly felt that this bungee jump had been worth every bit of effort, and the video package he’d impulsively bought when purchasing the tickets was the best decision he had ever made.

Chen Ruowen stayed sulky with Bai Jinyan because of the video, though it wasn't true anger. After she pleaded and pestered him a few times and he still refused to hand over the footage, she eventually put it to the back of her mind.

"You haven't given me my birthday gift yet!" Chen Ruowen held out her fair, clean palm in front of him.

Bai Jinyan simply took her hand.

"I gave it to you yesterday. That... Little White is your gift."

"That was yesterday. Yesterday wasn't my birthday, so it doesn't count," Chen Ruowen argued playfully.

Bai Jinyan had known she would say that. He chuckled without responding, and it wasn't until they returned to the hotel that he took a box from the safe.

"Close your eyes."

Chen Ruowen obediently closed her eyes.

Bai Jinyan opened the box and took out a necklace with a single ruby pendant. This necklace couldn't be found in any jewelry store; he had designed and crafted it himself, even polishing the ruby, which he had accidentally discovered during a trip.

As he fastened the necklace around her neck, he paused, then leaned in to brush his lips against hers with such delicate care that Chen Ruowen only thought his fingers had brushed against her while he was putting on the necklace.

"Happy birthday."