After the Maniacal Alpha Settled Down, She Had a Wife and Daughter - Chapter 13

The weather forecast for today said there would be light rain, but it was mostly just overcast and didn’t actually rain. The various groups occasionally ran into each other or walked together for a while in the first half of the journey. After the halfway point, it was rare to see people from other groups.

Yu Sui and her group weren’t panicked about this. They knew before they started that they were allowed to take shortcuts in the second half as long as they reached the finish line safely. So many groups with good physical strength and a strong desire to win chose a steeper but faster route. Not many groups were as leisurely as Yu Sui’s.

Chu Jiayun didn’t question their speed or their choice of route. Her role today was to supervise and care for them. How they reached the finish line was something the group members had to discuss among themselves, and she didn’t interfere.

Along the way, Yu Sui kept Sheng Nanxi close to her, and they “tacitly” kept their distance from the other two. Chu Jiayun noticed that Chen Yinian was very quiet and seemed to be in low spirits.

Afraid that he was uncomfortable but was just pushing through it, she took the initiative to ask, “Are you tired?”

Chen Yinian turned his head blankly to look at her: “I’m not tired.”

Chu Jiayun had a gut feeling that his reaction was a little strange, but she couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong with it. After answering her question, Chen Yinian obviously sped up and rushed forward a few steps, trying to create distance between them. He was very reluctant to continue talking to her.

Chu Jiayun watched his back and speculated on various possibilities. During the climb, she observed the state of each student. Sheng Nanxi was in poor physical condition and was focused on climbing. Chen Yinian was silent, but his physical strength seemed to be declining as well. As for Yu Sui, she was still carrying two backpacks and occasionally had to pull Sheng Nanxi along.

But she also saw that Yu Sui wasn’t moving effortlessly. She was keeping a similar pace to Sheng Nanxi, so she was probably just trying to keep up. At their current pace, there was no hope of getting in the top three, but they had a good chance of being in the bottom three.

Chen Yinian huffed and puffed as he caught up to Yu Sui and the others. When he suddenly appeared next to them, Yu Sui was startled and blurted out, “What are you doing?”

Chen Yinian’s eyes were still blank, with a hint of bewilderment: “We need to hurry, or our score will be terrible.”

Sheng Nanxi didn’t have much strength left to talk, but she immediately frowned when she heard that. She knew that the reason Yu Sui was walking so slowly was to accommodate her, and now the entire group’s score was being dragged down by her.

Yu Sui, however, didn’t think so: “Safety comes first. It’s easy to have an accident if you take a shortcut on a wild mountain when you don’t have enough physical strength.”

She looked Chen Yinian up and down and said, “Besides, you don’t have much energy left either. Isn’t it better for us to just climb to the finish line safely?”

Chen Yinian was visibly agitated: “But we can’t give up on fighting for a better score!”

“We have to see if we have the ability to do so first.”

Seeing that the two were about to argue, Sheng Nanxi quickly grabbed Yu Sui’s sleeve, signaling her to calm down. Just then, Chu Jiayun also caught up. She had heard their conversation very clearly.

She had not offered her opinion on their group’s discussion until now, but she agreed with Yu Sui’s point of view: “At this stage, you really need to consider your group members’ physical condition, because that’s the number one priority for safety. Chen Yinian, the score is just a comprehensive evaluation of the qualities everyone displayed during the training. It’s not the only thing you should pursue over safety.”

Chu Jiayun’s tone became even more gentle: “I understand how you feel. You want everyone to seize this last opportunity and try harder. But we also have to respect the facts and ensure our safety, okay?”

Chen Yinian hung his head and didn’t say anything. Chu Jiayun wanted to continue to understand his situation, but Yu Sui interrupted.

“We should keep going. It’ll be a hassle if it starts to rain and we’ve waited too long.”

Chen Yinian was suddenly wound up again. He rushed forward, muttering something under his breath. He ran so fast that the others only heard the last few words: “You can do it.”

Yu Sui glanced at Chu Jiayun. Her gaze had just been withdrawn from Chen Yinian and met Yu Sui’s. Yu Sui was startled. She felt like it would be rude to look away, so she awkwardly found a topic to talk about: “Instructor Chu, are you tired? If you are, you can give me your backpack.”

Chu Jiayun was a little tired, probably because the strong inhibitors were preventing some of her bodily functions from working properly.

She looked at Yu Sui, who was covered in sweat, and declined her offer: “You’re already working hard enough. I can manage. Just take care of yourselves.”

Chen Yinian charged ahead with a ruthless force, but physical strength isn’t something that can be sustained by a sheer force of will. He slowly fell behind again. When he saw Yu Sui’s footsteps pass him, a wave of anger inexplicably surged up.

“Chen Yinian, you need to rest. Can I stay with you and we’ll continue after you’ve recovered?”

The sound of Chu Jiayun’s concerned question reached his ears, but Chen Yinian didn’t feel any warmth. He only felt that this was an indirect form of denial and the biggest questioning of his ability.

Yu Sui had hinted to Chu Jiayun not to get too close to Chen Yinian, but she was now paying even more attention to the madman. Yu Sui heard their conversation from behind. She didn’t want to get involved, but she was worried that something would happen if Chen Yinian truly went mad.

Sheng Nanxi saw the solemn look on her face and thought she was feeling unwell, too: “A Sui, how about you give me back my backpack? I can do it myself.”

“I’m just worried about Chen Yinian.”

Sheng Nanxi looked back at him. Chen Yinian’s expression was strange. She suddenly remembered seeing him at the school doctor’s office: “Is there something really wrong with him?”

Yu Sui was about to say something when she suddenly heard Chu Jiayun’s gasp, followed by Sheng Nanxi’s scream.

Chen Yinian was indeed crazy. While Chu Jiayun was asking him about his condition, he pushed her towards the mountain pit on the side. The ground was already covered with dead leaves and weeds, making it difficult to find a footing. With that forceful push, even Bai Jiling might not have been able to resist it.

Yu Sui threw off her backpack and kicked Chen Yinian. The kick was so hard that it made him fall to his knees. She didn’t bother to get into a fight with him. She rushed to the edge of the mountain where Chu Jiayun had fallen. She saw a pair of fair hands stained with blood, gripping a dead tree branch.

Yu Sui leaned over and looked around. It was a big pit below. She wouldn’t fall all the way to the bottom, but she would still be seriously injured from the fall. She didn’t have time to think. She grabbed Chu Jiayun’s hands: “Instructor Chu, I’ll pull you up!”

Without any leverage, Chu Jiayun was sliding down. Yu Sui used her feet to brace herself against a nearby tree, but she still felt strained. Sheng Nanxi was stunned by the sudden situation. She finally came to her senses and ran over to help.

But Yu Sui told her to go: “Use the rope in your bag to tie that madman up. At least tie his hands and feet so he doesn’t go crazy again.”

Sheng Nanxi was already flustered. She immediately followed Yu Sui’s instructions. Chu Jiayun’s hands were getting weaker. Yu Sui pulled hard and grabbed her hand tightly again.

“Yu Sui, if you can’t hold on, just let me try to slide down slowly. Don’t let both of us get hurt.”

Chu Jiayun tried to remain calm, but at a time like this, no one could truly be calm. She had been flustered when she was suddenly pushed. But now, she was able to weigh which option was more “cost-effective.”

“You… you’re… looking down on me, aren’t you?” Yu Sui said while panting, holding onto her tightly. She didn’t even consider her suggestion.

“I believe in you, but you also have to think about your own safety. Don’t put yourself in danger for me. I’m the instructor. I have a responsibility to protect you all.”

Yu Sui wanted to ask her why she wanted to dig out someone’s gland, but at a time like this, she couldn’t say anything. She had only one thought: to pull Instructor Chu up first.

Chu Jiayun had torn the back of Yu Sui’s hand. The communication device on her body had already fallen to the bottom of the pit with her backpack, but Yu Sui didn’t give up for a second.

“Let’s try again!”

After failing three times, Yu Sui finally used all her strength and pulled Chu Jiayun up. As she held her in her arms, Yu Sui was so exhausted that she fell to the ground.

Chu Jiayun was carried forward by inertia and was almost face-to-face with Yu Sui. Then she felt a tight embrace from behind. She was completely trapped. Only when Yu Sui fell did she feel liberated.

Managing to steady herself, Chu Jiayun moved away from Yu Sui. She had wanted to check if she was injured, but her cheeks felt hot, her heart was racing, and her breathing became irregular.