After finishing her college entrance exam, Missy got permission from her parents to go on a trip with her three roommates. They bought tickets on a popular app for a rafting trip at a canyon not far from Missy's city, only about two or three hours away by car.
It was the Dragon Boat Festival holiday, a perfect time for travel, and they found a special group ticket discount for tourists. Four tickets for only 198 yuan total, which was a great deal.
They were very excited as they started their journey, laughing and chatting on the way, looking forward to the exciting adventure ahead.
When they arrived at the canyon, they put on life jackets and helmets, ready to face the challenge.
"Missy, you're easily scared. Sit with me," Jilan said.
"Okay, thank you, Jilan!" Missy replied with thanks.
So Missy and Jilan sat together in one inflatable boat, facing the strong rapids in the canyon. Their hearts were beating fast. Jilan was excited, but Missy was scared.
The staff checked one more time to make sure they were ready. Two inflatable boats floated down the river, one behind the other, carried by the fast current.
They focused fully on the experience, enjoying the thrill and fun like never before.
Sometimes they went through narrow parts of the canyon with steep rock walls. Huge rocks stuck out on both sides, making it feel very dangerous. Other times, they crossed wide open water with calm waves. The sunlight shined on the surface, creating sparkling light that felt peaceful and relaxing.
Missy held tightly onto the handles, her heart beating fast. She kept her eyes shut tight, feeling the force of the water and the rhythm of the canyon around her. She was very afraid.
Jilan kept laughing and encouraging her loudly.
"Missy, don't be scared. Try to open your eyes and look at the beautiful view. You'll be amazed!"
Missy tried to be brave and open her eyes. But just at that moment, she heard Jilan shout.
"Ah, Missy!"
The boat had reached a sharp turn with a steep drop. Somehow, Missy's safety strap had come loose. She was thrown out of the boat.
Missy could feel Jilan's panic. Before she could open her eyes, she felt herself fall into the water.
As she fell, she still thought the safety system for this rafting trip should be good enough, so she believed she would be fine.
In the early morning, Bryson walked back from the mountains, happy with the wild animals he had caught. One of them, a red fox, was especially eye-catching.
He brought the rare fox to a shop in the county where he often sold his animals, hoping to get a good price.
After the sale, he also bought some daily supplies at the market and had lunch at a teahouse with some old friends.
By the time he got back to his village, the sun was already setting. Bryson carried a full bag of goods and had walked more than ten miles back from the county.
Even though he was a hunter, he didn't look like one. He was tall and moved gently. It was hard to believe that he fought wild animals for a living.
His clothes were neat and simple. He looked more like a quiet and polite scholar than a rough hunter.
As he walked, he felt very thirsty and stopped to drink some water. Just as he put his bag down, he noticed a piece of blue cloth showing in the grass by the side of the road.
The cloth blended in with the grass and looked like part of the ground.
At first, Bryson thought it was a lost bag. But as he got closer, he saw that it was a child.
Why is there a child here?
Bryson immediately had a thought.
The child in front of him was wearing a long coat made of expensive green fabric, but the tight black pants and strangely styled shoes looked quite unusual.
Bryson brushed the hair away from the child's face, trying to check if she was still breathing.
When he saw her features clearly, he froze.
She was unbelievably beautiful. Her cheeks were like apples, with thin, arched brows, closed eyes framed by long lashes, a small and delicate nose, and soft pink lips like flower petals. Her fair and smooth skin looked like fine porcelain.
Bryson was stunned by her beauty.
This child was even more stunning than the pampered daughters of noble families he had seen.
Such a unique and beautiful child made Bryson confused.
He carefully reached out his hand and placed it near her nose.
Feeling a faint breath, he quietly let out a sigh of relief.
He knew some medical skills. After checking her pulse, he confirmed that she wasn't badly hurt, just...
Bryson frowned and checked again.
This... is actually a girl!
His eyes widened. He quickly grabbed her hands and carefully examined both wrists but found no identity tag.
He even doubted his own eyes and felt along her arm to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
The reason he thought she was a boy at first was because there was no identity tag.
In this world, girls were extremely precious.
In Yu Kingdom, only one out of every hundred newborns was a girl.
Daughters of ordinary families were usually married off to wealthy or powerful people.
Female slaves on the market were far beyond what common folks could afford.
Every girl, from the moment of birth, had a registered identity tag showing who her owner was. That tag was never removed.
But the girl in front of him had no tag.
And she was unbelievably beautiful.
Bryson's hands trembled slightly. He forced himself to calm down, his heart pounding in his chest.
He looked around carefully to make sure no one else was nearby.
He quickly dumped the contents of his bag into a hidden spot, then stuffed the girl into the bag as fast as he could, slung it over his shoulder, and ran down a quiet path toward home.
Once home, he locked the door.
He gently pulled the girl out of the bag and placed her on the bed in his room.
Looking at her beautiful face, he felt like he was floating in the clouds.
He wondered if he was dreaming.
He pinched his own arm hard. The pain reminded him it was all real.
Soon, his eyes were drawn to something else.
It was the oversized coat. He didn't understand why the girl had chosen such clothes.
While carrying her, the coat had slipped off one shoulder, revealing the soft skin of her neck and chest.
Bryson couldn't help but touch it.
The smooth feeling made him sigh without realizing it.
So this was what a girl's body felt like — soft, delicate, almost unreal.
After touching her for a while, he wanted to confirm it once more.
He quickly pulled down her pants completely and reached between her legs to check.
It was soft and flat, without the thing boys had.
It confirmed she really was a girl — and a beautiful one.
Bryson let out a deep breath, the corners of his mouth lifting into a wide smile.
He had truly found a girl this beautiful.