Chapter 132: I Dare to Marry, Do You Dare to Wed Me?

After resting for a few minutes, Hong Chen slowly sat up. He flexed his limbs one by one: his legs could bend, his arms could extend, and his neck could rotate. He then checked his own pulse and probed his body internally, finding no damage to his vital organs or meridians. Fortunately, despite the heavy, jarring impact of the fall, he hadn't sustained any major injuries.

It is a great taboo for a physician to treat themselves; while setting a dislocated bone is manageable, attempting acupuncture on one's own severe internal injuries is risky and prone to error. As for the superficial wounds and the soreness all over his body, those were of no concern. The human body has its own self-repair mechanisms; he would just have to grit his teeth and endure it for a few days.

After checking himself, Hong Chen turned to look at Mo Fei. She was lying about ten meters away, facing the sky, her beautiful hair spread out. Her eyes were still covered by a strip of cloth, and the fabric that had been gagging her was gone, though he didn't know when it had fallen off. Her rosy, cherry-like lips were slightly parted, revealing white, pearl-like teeth. Her hands were tucked beneath her, presumably still bound. The light purple gauze dress covering her slender body—clearly a costume with a hint of ancient style—had been torn in several places despite Hong Chen’s attempt to protect her during the fall. It fluttered messily in the night breeze.

This scene couldn't help but remind Hong Chen of the moment the Little Dragon Maiden was immobilized by acupressure points in Master Jin’s novels.

Hong Chen didn't mind making a few off-color jokes, but given the uncertainty of Mo Fei’s condition, he wasn't in the mood. He crawled over to her side, his gaze scanning her face. The moonlight was too dim to see clearly, so he reached out two fingers. Just as he touched her delicate neck, her body trembled, and a weak, soft voice came from her lips: "Hong Chen?"

The question in her tone made Hong Chen instinctively pull back. *Damn it,* he thought, *I figured this woman had been knocked out, but she was just pretending.* He coughed twice, responding with some embarrassment, "It's me."

Mo Fei gave a soft "Oh," and that was the end of it.

*What does that mean?* Hong Chen wondered. *Is she expressing absolute trust in me, or is she just letting me do whatever I want?*

Hong Chen chuckled and shook his head. He first removed the blindfold. Beneath it were her bright eyes, wide open. There was a hint of emotion in them, but overall she remained calm; it was clear her mental fortitude was far stronger than the average woman’s.

Hong Chen met her gaze and rubbed his nose. "Since you were awake, why didn't you say anything? Let me tell you, I'm no gentleman—I’m the type to take advantage if I can."

He then quickly pivoted, "Uh, I just wanted to check your injuries. Since your hands are tied, I couldn't check your pulse. Don't misunderstand."

The corners of Mo Fei’s mouth twitched, as if she wanted to smile, but she suddenly gasped in pain. A pained expression crossed her face, and she gritted out a single word: "It hurts!"

Hong Chen didn't hesitate anymore. Ignoring whether she agreed or not, he reached out again and pressed two fingers to the side of her neck. He squinted as he sensed her condition for a minute. After pulling his hand away, he said casually, "No broken ribs, but your spleen and lungs are slightly bruised."

With that, a silver needle appeared between his fingers, and he pricked Mo Fei a few times through her clothing.

Once he finished, he helped her sit up and untied her hands. He checked her wrists and ankles as well—thankfully, there were no fractures, just a slight dislocation in one wrist. Hong Chen gave it a casual tug, and with a "click," it was back in place.

Throughout the entire process, Mo Fei remained as quiet as the air, her beautiful eyes fixed on Hong Chen without blinking, not looking away for a single moment.

"Falling from such a height without sustaining major injuries—you're quite lucky. The soreness is inevitable, so just bear with it. It’ll be better in a day or two." As he spoke, Hong Chen noticed the beads of sweat on Mo Fei’s forehead. He hesitated but decided against giving her an acupuncture treatment for the pain; pain-relief needles were similar to anesthetics and carried side effects.

Mo Fei nodded and suddenly asked, "You know medicine?"

"I've learned a little. Just enough for emergencies—it’s just a third-rate skill."

Whether Hong Chen’s skills were truly "third-rate" was something Mo Fei understood clearly as the one who had just been treated, but she didn't probe further. She turned her beautiful eyes toward the fire in the distance, stared for a moment, and frowned. "Was the car out of control when it went off the cliff? Were the others in the car?"

Hong Chen laughed it off. "Yeah. We were all quite lucky, especially you. You were thrown to the front row first, and since the driver’s side window was open, both of us were thrown out. Before we hit the ground, we landed in a tree, which snapped a lot of branches and absorbed most of the gravitational acceleration. We finally managed to save our lives."

Hong Chen’s expression then turned serious, his tone shifting. "Those three men who kidnapped you—was it for money or something else? Do they have accomplices?"

Mo Fei was turned away from him, so Hong Chen couldn't see her expression, but he heard her sigh faintly. "The ultimate goal was definitely money, but it wasn't just a simple ransom. It has to do with my background. I have a rough idea of who is behind it, but I don't have direct evidence."

She paused, then continued, "They clearly planned tonight out. Someone close to me betrayed me. I was being followed ever since I left the set. They only made their move near the bottom of the mountain. They had many people and even a few martial artists. My driver and two bodyguards were seriously injured and had to split up to draw them away. I used my driver’s phone to call you, but I didn't expect them to have a second group. They caught me just past the halfway point of the mountain, and I... I even dragged you into this."

Hong Chen remained silent. Mo Fei turned to look at him, her eyes shimmering with an unreadable emotion. After a moment of contemplation, she added, "Don't worry. Their operation failed tonight, so they definitely won't dare to strike a second time. I won't let you get dragged into this innocently."

By the end, a cold, sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and her face hardened with determination.

Hong Chen looked at her but still didn't say a word. From the night he brought a drunk Mo Fei home to the next morning when five people climbed over his walls to find her, he had known her background wasn't simple. Tonight’s events only confirmed his judgment. Honestly, he didn't want to get involved at all—after all, there wasn't a deep friendship between them.

It couldn't be denied that this woman was stunningly beautiful, enough to topple kingdoms. Perhaps many men would be willing to sacrifice everything for her, but Hong Chen was definitely not one of them.

Mo Fei suddenly smiled—a playful, teasing smile—and her tone softened. "Sigh, the fact that you came here tonight, were forced to become a hostage, and fell off a hundred-meter cliff—nearly ending up as food for the birds—was all because of me. More importantly, now that I’m safe and free again, you’re my savior. Tell me, how should I repay you?"

Hong Chen’s instinct was to say, "Marry me," though it was mostly a joke. Before he could get the words out, Mo Fei said them for him: "Marry me?"

Seeing her wink at him, he assumed she was just teasing him back, so he didn't mind playing along. "Really? If you’re serious, we’ll go get the marriage license first thing tomorrow morning. Then, once we post the red certificate online, I’ll be famous overnight, basking in the glow of my superstar wife."

Mo Fei’s smile vanished. "I’m serious. If I dare to marry, do you dare to wed?"

Perhaps because of her profession, everything she said had a certain infectious power. Hong Chen found his own smile fading involuntarily. Mo Fei emphasized, "Think carefully before you answer."

Looking at her earnest little face, Hong Chen felt a bit dazed. His gaze flickered, and he remained silent for a long time. Finally, dropping the jokes, he shook his head. "True, you’re a big star; marrying you would make me the public enemy of hundreds of millions of fans. I’d have to wear sunglasses and masks every time I went out—the thought of that life is terrifying. Plus, your background isn't simple. You must have plenty of enemies and rivals. Marrying you would be like holding a hot potato, and my life would be at risk at any moment."

Mo Fei looked at him deeply. "You aren't simple either. A hundred-meter fall, and not only did you survive, but you protected me, and you even know medicine." As she spoke, she looked toward a certain direction. Her gaze stretched out toward the road leading down the mountain, at least seventy or eighty meters away.

Hong Chen didn't respond. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and took a deep drag—breathing out not just smoke, but frustration.

In just one week, his identity as a medical and martial arts practitioner had been exposed to two different women, both times because they were kidnapped and he was dragged in as an innocent bystander.

*Beautiful women are indeed a disaster,* he thought.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"What?"

"If I dare to marry, do you dare to wed?"

Staring into Mo Fei’s persistent gaze, Hong Chen felt a headache coming on. He shook his head decisively: "I don't."

Mo Fei’s expression changed again, her tone mocking. "At least you have some self-awareness. Even if you dared, I wouldn't have you."

Hong Chen choked on his cigarette and started coughing. Mo Fei murmured, "You still owe me an explanation for what happened that night. Let’s call it even."

*Here we go again!*

*That night again!*

*That night, I saw you were dead drunk and kindly brought you home to serve you like a grandmother, and you want an explanation for what?*

*As for that little incident, whether it was my bad deed or your 'time of the month' visiting, don't you know clearly enough yourself?*

Looking at the expression on Hong Chen’s face—as if he’d swallowed a fly—Mo Fei flashed a triumphant smile. She waved her hand lightly. "At the very least, I’ll buy you a BMW later. Two, actually. That’s settled."

Hong Chen felt his teeth itch. He silently recited in his heart: *Women are harder to deal with than petty people.* Feeling that wasn't enough to quell his frustration, he recited: *A good man doesn't fight with women.* Only then did he feel a bit better.

After resting for a while longer, the fire in the distance began to fade. Hong Chen stood up and brushed off his clothes. "Let’s go. I don't want to spend the night in this wilderness."

Mo Fei reached out, and Hong Chen didn't hesitate to pull her up. Once standing, Mo Fei gasped several times, but she tried to take a step, her eyebrows knitting in pain with every movement.

Hong Chen saw this and sighed. He walked over, turned his back to her, and said, "Don't worry, your bones are fine, but you definitely strained your muscles. Come on up. I’ll carry you down the mountain. When we get to my place, I’ll put some safflower oil on you, and you’ll be much better by tomorrow morning."

Mo Fei hesitated for only a moment before climbing onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Hong Chen reached back, supported her thighs, and hoisted her up. Her weight of over a hundred pounds pressed onto his back.

"You... your back..." After Hong Chen had walked a short distance, Mo Fei’s soft exclamation reached his ears. He knew she had finally noticed the torn clothes and the wounds on his back caused by the tree branches. Although they were only superficial, they were certainly bloody.

"It’s fine, my skin is thick. You can rest your head on my shoulder and sleep for a while. It’ll take about half an hour to get to the foot of the mountain."

Hearing Hong Chen’s casual tone, Mo Fei didn't say anything, but waves of emotion surged in her eyes. She stared silently at the back of Hong Chen’s head. After a long while, she rested half her cheek against his shoulder, the corners of her mouth curling into a sweet, soft arc.