Chapter 110: Romantic Feelings

An Lan lifted her head, panting heavily, and then lowered it again to press her lips against Gu Xiao's pale ones.

This was the first time An Lan had ever tasted him.

Her face flushed crimson, but as she moved, her tears broke free, completely out of control. "Gu Xiao! Wake up! I promise I'll never complain about you again! Just wake up!"

"Gu Xiao! Please wake up, I beg you!"

An Lan's emotions had completely spiraled out of control. Her hands tightly gripped the weak, lifeless man on the deck. She shook his body, desperately wanting him to open his eyes and look at her!

"Gu Xiao!"

An Lan took a deep breath and forced it all into the man's mouth.

"Third Brother Mu, what do we do? Gu Xiao, he's... no, Third Brother Mu, I can't let Gu Xiao die! Xiao Ran! How much longer until the cruise ship docks?"

Cupping Gu Xiao's face in her hands, An Lan turned and cried out, unable to control her voice. Kneeling on the deck, her hysterical state made her look as though she had lost the love of her life, consumed by agonizing pain.

"Lanlan, don't panic yet. This kid has the luck of the devil; he'll be fine."

A faint smile touched the corner of Mu Lang's lips. He placed his hand on Gu Xiao's cold wrist. After a moment, he gestured for An Lan to continue CPR.

Gu Xiao's pulse was incredibly weak. He would need to be hospitalized immediately once they got off the ship.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it right now. Gu Xiao!"

In her high-strung state, An Lan didn't notice the pale man's fingers twitching slightly against the deck. But that subtle movement was caught by Mu Ran, Gu Beicheng, and Mu Lang.

The tension in their chests finally began to ease, and they collectively breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The situation just moments ago had been terrifying. If not for An Lan's relentless calls and CPR, Gu Xiao might have truly crossed death's threshold.

"I—"

The man, whose lips were still sealed against An Lan's, suddenly gasped for air. He opened his eyes in bewilderment, weakly raising his hands to rest them on her shoulders.

Sensing the movement beneath her, An Lan quickly pulled back. She cupped his face in her hands and cried out in sheer ecstasy, "Gu Xiao! You're finally awake!"

"Ugh..."

Gu Xiao pressed his thin lips into a line and gently pushed her back, creating a bit of space between them. "You're so heavy..."

"What? Thank goodness, thank goodness. As long as you're okay."

Completely ignoring his resistance, An Lan threw her arms around him as he tried to sit up.

"You—"

Crushed by her tight embrace, Gu Xiao could barely breathe. He feebly patted her back.

"Lanlan, let go of him. You're going to suffocate him."

Mu Lang stood up with a grin, watching the tightly embracing pair on the deck with an amused, playful look in his eyes.

"Oh!" An Lan quickly let go. "Right, right, get some air. You must have been suffocating in the water."

Without her support, his limp, weak body fell back onto the deck with a heavy thud.

"Ow!" the man yelped, his voice sounding surprisingly full of energy.

"Looks like he's fine."

The guilt and concern in Gu Beicheng's deep eyes faded away, hidden once more. The tight grip he had on Mu Ran's shoulder loosened slightly.

Mu Ran said nothing. She reached up, placing her small hand over Gu Beicheng's large palm, gently pulling it down to hold it tightly in her own.

"Ranran? He..."

The man's thick eyelashes cast long shadows under his deep, bottomless eyes.

"Beibei, he should be fine from now on."

When the SY Gala was being organized, Lin Chong had warned her repeatedly not to invite Gu Xiao. Otherwise, he would definitely face a life-threatening disaster. Sure enough, Gu Xiao had just brushed shoulders with the Grim Reaper.

"It's good that he's fine."

Gu Beicheng glanced at the panting man on the deck, his cold expression slowly giving way to a trace of anger. "Gu Xiao, in the future, if Ranran tells you not to do something, don't do it. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Still dazed as he recalled the moment he had stared death in the face, Gu Xiao nodded instinctively. He grinned at the grim-faced Gu Beicheng. "I really am the chosen one. After struggling in the sea for so long, I'm completely fine. Third Brother Mu, help me up."

Gu Xiao reached out to Mu Lang, who was standing nearby, acting proud and arrogant, showing none of the fear or trauma of someone who had just escaped death.

"Gu Xiao, you really are ungrateful. Lanlan was worried sick just now, and she even gave you mouth-to-mouth..."

Mu Lang bent down and slapped Gu Xiao's hand away, looking thoroughly exasperated. The girl from the An family clearly had feelings for this Gu boy. It was all thanks to Lanlan sacrificing her own lips to give him CPR that this brat was even awake. Yet he was completely ignoring her. He really should have been left in the water a bit longer!

"Uh... An Lan, thank you."

Gu Xiao knew very well that An Lan had jumped into the water to save him. But at the thought of their lips touching, a complex mix of emotions swirled in his chest.

"Gu Xiao, do you dislike me?"

The drenched woman wrapped a men's suit jacket tightly around herself. The night air over the sea was bone-chillingly cold. She had jumped into the water wearing nothing but a thin evening gown, swimming with all her might toward a fading Gu Xiao.

An Lan pulled the jacket tighter around herself and walked, shivering, over to the awkward-looking Gu Xiao. Her bright eyes held a stubborn, spirited look. "You don't need to feel pressured. Just now... I was only giving you CPR. There were absolutely no personal feelings involved."

Gu Xiao pushed himself off the deck, standing unsteadily. His tall, slender frame loomed before the wet-haired woman. A strange look flickered in his narrow, fox-like eyes. He brought a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat, then flashed his signature rogue grin. "As expected of a great buddy! An Lan, we've officially gone through life and death together now!"

As he spoke, his eyes met hers, which were bright with a faint, lingering hope.

At his words, the hope in An Lan's eyes vanished, replaced by a calm front. "You big idiot. You should have been more careful near the railing. Falling in served you right. Besides, a grown man like you doesn't even know how to swim? If your future girlfriend falls into the water, are you just going to stand on the shore and watch?"

"Oh, please, I only care about my career right now. What girlfriend? Anyway, An Lan, thank you. Thank you for..."

Gu Xiao's gaze, tinged with a secret shyness, drifted to An Lan's glistening pink lips. His already unsettled heart began to race uncontrollably. He even had the sudden, wild urge to taste them again, right now, while he was fully conscious.

No, no, that was too beastly! How could he have such thoughts about a tomboy like An Lan?

"What are you staring at? You don't need to thank me. I just didn't want anything else going wrong at the SY Gala. If you died, my Xiao Ran wouldn't have a punching bag to vent on when she's in a bad mood!"

An Lan waved her hand dismissively, pretending to be nonchalant, though her face was blushing furiously. She pressed her lips together under his gaze. She knew he was looking at her lips! But did he have to stare at them so blatantly? It was incredibly embarrassing!

"What's this? Did that kiss seal the deal?"

Mu Lang crossed his arms, leaning lazily against the railing behind them. Feeling the gentle sea breeze and watching the drama unfold, he couldn't have been more amused.

Pulled from his thoughts by the teasing tone, Gu Xiao lifted his chin and glared, snapping back coldly, "You'd better watch your step. If you fall in, no one is going to save you."

"Hey, you ungrateful brat! I was just giving you chest com... forget it. Just make sure you remember how good the An family's girl was to you."

Mu Lang's relentless teasing made both An Lan and Gu Xiao blush furiously. The kiss itself wasn't the scary part, nor was the mouth-to-mouth. The scariest part was having someone constantly remind you of it!

"Third Brother Mu, does he need to be hospitalized?"

An Lan looked away and turned around, her eyes still filled with worry and concern.

Mu Lang grew even lazier in his posture. He tilted his chin toward Gu Xiao, his eyes narrowing as his smile widened. "Does he look like he needs a hospital? What would he go for? To get that tiny scratch on his lip treated?"

"Third Brother, stop teasing Lanlan."

Mu Ran leaned against Gu Beicheng's chest, her face pressed to him. A faint smile curved her lips, and her usually cold, indifferent eyes now sparkled with knowing amusement. Knowing An Lan as she did, Mu Ran was certain she had feelings for Gu Xiao. Besides, although An Lan knew how to swim, she had a weakness—whenever she touched cold water, both of her legs would cramp up. Mu Ran was still wondering how An Lan had managed to avoid cramping this time.

"Lanlan, what's with that face?"

Mu Lang noticed that An Lan was struggling to stand. Her body swayed, and her features twisted in pain.

"It's nothing."

An Lan forced a careless smile and began walking slowly toward the cruise ship's interior.

"Mu Ran, who exactly is that bald bodyguard of yours?"

Gu Xiao glanced at An Lan's sluggish pace and quietly fell in behind her. He was worried she might fall; she didn't look well, likely from the cold.

"What? Do you believe me now? I warned you so many times. Well, how did it feel to stare death in the face?"

Mu Ran arched an eyebrow, her tone teasing. She didn't give him a straight answer, mindful of Gu Beicheng. In any case, to the public, Lin Chong was merely her bodyguard. In private, he was her bald strategist and a friend. Mu Ran had reborn, but only five years back. For anything beyond those five years, she relied on Lin Chong's divination and foresight.

"Aren't you just gloating? I... Hey, sister-in-law, when you have time, introduce me to that bald guy. I want him to do a reading for me..."

Gu Xiao sensed Gu Beicheng's dark, icy aura. The cold radiating from the man was even more bone-chilling than the freezing sea water he had just escaped. He instinctively took a step back.

"Lanlan, are you okay?"

Mu Ran arched her brow and snorted at Gu Xiao, then turned to ask softly, her face filled with concern as she watched An Lan walk away.

"I'm fine."

An Lan leaned against the doorframe, planning to return to her room to rest. She was soaked, and the salty seawater was beginning to dry against her skin. Worse, waves of sharp pain shot through her legs; she could barely keep her balance.

"An Lan, do you need some help?"

Out of concern for his savior, Gu Xiao stepped forward and caught her slender, icy wrists. Leaning down, his warm breath brushed against the wet strands of hair framing her face. "Come on, let me help you back to your room."

"No need."

An Lan weakly shook off his hands. She tilted her head back, her usually bright and sharp eyes now clouded with exhaustion. Parting her pale pink lips slightly, she murmured, "I can manage."

She knew he was only doing this out of basic decency, not out of any romantic feelings.

"Manage what? Get on, I'll carry you."