The Eldest Lady always wants to have a double O Relationship with her old enemy - Chapter 30

On the first day of the New Year, countless people flocked to the temple to pray. The air was thick with incense. Shen Jianxi and Tang Yanzhao drew two red strings, wrote down the same wish they had once made toward the sun on a wooden plaque, and paid their respects to every deity in turn.

Tang Yanzhao did not believe in gods or buddhas—but she believed in Shen Jianxi.

The days spent in the temple were filled with vegetarian meals and chanting. With Shen Jianxi’s personality, most people would assume she had no patience for this. After all, the eldest daughter of the Shen family was famous for being pampered and spoiled. How could she endure such hardship?

But Shen Jianxi had nothing to prove. She could rise at four in the morning, follow the Zen rule of “no work, no food”, sweeping fallen leaves and polishing Buddha statues, or practice meditation and sutra copying to quiet her mind.

For three whole days, Shen Jianxi did just that, and naturally, Tang Yanzhao accompanied her.

On the fourth day, as they prepared to leave, they finally changed back into their own clothes and retrieved their belongings, ready to descend the mountain.

But a heavy snowfall blocked the path. The road ahead was buried, and their return was delayed.

Shen Jianxi sat on the stone steps at the entrance, leaning lightly against Tang Yanzhao’s shoulder.
“There’s no signal here. Mama must be worried again,” she murmured.

Tang Yanzhao immediately picked up on the slip of the tongue. That single word—again—made her frown ever so slightly. She thought perhaps something similar had happened in the past, and that was why Shen Jianxi had said it.

“I heard the rescue team is already on their way up. It shouldn’t be long before we can go down.”

Shen Jianxi closed her eyes and nodded quietly without speaking further.

Tang Yanzhao simply sat there motionless beside her. Her heart grew still, and even the snowflakes drifting before her eyes seemed to slow down.

Suddenly, Shen Jianxi shot up, exclaiming, “No—something’s wrong!”

Tang Yanzhao was caught off guard. “What is it?”

A memory rushed back to Shen Jianxi. In her previous life, the accident had happened because a family of three, returning from making offerings, had fallen into a deep pit. The snow was slippery; they couldn’t climb out. Just after completing her three-day retreat, Shen Jianxi had heard their cries for help while descending the mountain and had rushed to save them.

But after she got them out, she herself was utterly spent. Her strength gave way, her foot slipped, and she rolled down the slope, crashing hard against the trunk of a centuries-old tree.

That incident left her hospitalized for an entire month, steeped in the stench of disinfectant. The memory was so unpleasant her mind had blocked it out. And these past few days, devoted to “discarding stray thoughts” in meditation, had only buried it further.

But in her past life, her retreat had started on New Year’s Day itself. This time, they had begun a day later. Which meant that family had already been trapped for a full extra day.

Shen Jianxi abruptly rose to her feet, her face grave. Tang Yanzhao noticed it too.

“We’re going down. Now,” Shen Jianxi said without hesitation.

“The road isn’t cleared—it’s dangerous.”

Shen Jianxi shook her head, her cold hand gripping Tang Yanzhao’s as she pulled her forward.
“Someone’s trapped. We have to hurry.”

Her pace was so urgent Tang Yanzhao had no chance to question further. But once again, the seed of doubt had been planted—waiting only to take root, sprout, and one day lay bare the truth.

The path was even harder than in her past life. Tang Yanzhao grasped Shen Jianxi’s hand firmly the whole way, afraid that even a single misstep would send her into danger.

But Shen Jianxi’s mind was wholly consumed with worry for that family. Guilt surged in her chest.

If something truly had happened to them this time—was she to blame? By the original path of fate, they would have been rescued. Even if she had been the one to lend a hand, that was supposed to be part of their story.

But this time, because of her oversight, the story had been altered. If they had not been saved in time, or worse, had perished in the storm—how much of that responsibility was hers?

She didn’t dare to dwell on it. All she could do was walk faster and faster. The snow-covered road was treacherous, her shoes offering little grip. She slipped more than once, nearly falling, but each time Tang Yanzhao’s firm hold pulled her back from the brink.

When they finally reached the spot, the snow covering the pit was even deeper than in her past life. A chilling dread pressed heavier on Shen Jianxi’s heart.

Her eyes were bloodshot, her lashes frosted white as she bent down, clawing at the snow with her bare hands.

Luckily, the fresh snow was still loose, making it easier to dig. But within moments her pale hands turned red with cold. Tears stung her eyes, froze at her lashes, and hardened into icy beads.

Seeing this, Tang Yanzhao grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Enough.”

Shen Jianxi’s voice was thick with suppressed sobs. “Zhao Zhao, help me save them.”

“Save who?” Tang Yanzhao frowned, not understanding.

Shen Jianxi sniffled. “There are people down there.”

Tang Yanzhao lowered her gaze to the spot Shen Jianxi had cleared, where broken branches protruded from beneath the snow. Her eyes narrowed. “Are you certain?”

Shen Jianxi nodded furiously, choking back her tears. “I’m sure. Really.”

Tang Yanzhao steadied herself, then said calmly, “All right.” She crouched and began digging. Soon, they uncovered a broken branch as thick as an arm, lying across the pit’s opening. It had shielded the hole from being completely buried, forming a natural shelter beneath.

The dim daylight seeped in as the snow was cleared. From the pit came a faint, weak cry for help—clearly a man’s voice.

Tang Yanzhao’s hand trembled on the branch.

There really were people inside.

Instinctively, she glanced at Shen Jianxi, who was already tugging at the other end of the branch. With no choice but to press her doubts down for now, Tang Yanzhao helped clear the exit.

Their movements stirred hope below. The voices that had been fading into despair now rose with renewed strength.

Panting, Shen Jianxi leaned over the edge, calling into the dimness, “Are you all right down there?”

“No—we’re not. My child has already lost consciousness. Please, I beg you, save us!”

Shen Jianxi immediately lay flat on the ground, stretching her hand into the pit just as she had in her past life, offering it to them as leverage to climb.

But this time, the method that had once worked proved useless. Even grasping her hand gave them no way to climb out.

How could this be?

Even if she had come a day later, the terrain shouldn’t have changed so drastically.

She stood, scanning their surroundings for another solution—only to see Tang Yanzhao suddenly leap down into the pit without hesitation.

The sight froze Shen Jianxi’s blood. “Zhao Zhao!” she cried in alarm.

“I’m fine,” came Tang Yanzhao’s muffled voice from below.

Shen Jianxi’s fear was so sharp she nearly burst into tears on the spot. But Tang Yanzhao’s voice rose again, steady and commanding:
“Jianxi, get ready.”

At once, Shen Jianxi obeyed. When the man below reached up, she grasped his hand with all her strength. Bracing herself with her arms and legs, she hauled with every ounce of energy she had until finally his head emerged above the rim. He seized a nearby ledge and pulled himself out.

Just saving one person left Shen Jianxi’s arms trembling with exhaustion, her body collapsing onto the snow-soaked ground, uncaring that her clothes were now drenched.

But the man’s limbs were longer and stronger than hers. Following the same method, he managed to pull his wife and daughter up as well.

The only one left in the pit was Tang Yanzhao.

Shen Jianxi noticed that the black down jacket Tang Yanzhao had been wearing was now wrapped around the mother and daughter instead.

Which meant Tang Yanzhao, clad only in a thin sweater, remained alone in that dark, freezing pit.

Support The Eldest Lady always wants to have a double O Relationship with her old enemy