"Even if you make up for it, you still have a pig's brain." Victor Smith anxiously watched the approaching car, getting closer and closer. Chad Bennett suddenly remembered that Dan Brooks was still setting nets on the other side of the mountain, and hurriedly fumbled for the walkie-talkie. There was no cell signal in this place at all, so they could only rely on the shortwave radio provided by Chad Bennett's dad. Just as he was about to speak, Victor Smith quietly pressed his hand down, signaling him to keep quiet.

Closer... even closer. The two, feeling guilty as thieves, held their breath, terrified that their hiding spot would be discovered.

※※※

Twenty or thirty meters away, two cars slowly stopped. The people fishing all recognized the first car—it was the one in charge of enforcing the local policy of confiscating rods and issuing fines. At this moment, it was parked not far from where the two were hiding. Both of their hearts were in their throats, not daring to make a sound.

But on a second look, their anxiety eased. The two people just waited by the car, as if they weren't here to enforce the law today. In the blink of an eye, the door of the second car opened. Victor Smith and Chad Bennett stared unblinkingly, and suddenly both gasped at the same time. Their eyes widened... a beautifully shaped high heel stretched out, the shoe's decoration glinting in the light, followed by one, then two, elegant long legs slowly appearing in their line of sight. As the person leaned out, a splash of red appeared among the lush green, especially eye-catching.

A beauty—an actual beauty in red had gotten out.

Hiding together, Victor Smith and Chad Bennett turned to look at each other. A beauty, in this godforsaken place? If there weren't so many people around, she could almost be mistaken for a mermaid emerging from the water. Chad Bennett couldn't hide his surprise and was about to whisper, but luckily Victor Smith knew his nature and quickly covered his mouth.

But both of their eyes were fixed on the same point. Now, they didn't care about the reservoir patrol catching fish thieves; they just stared straight at the woman getting out of the car. A red jacket, long jet-black hair fluttering gently in the breeze, making her seem almost ethereal. Facing the rippling spring water, the woman, apparently stiff from the car ride, stretched her chest, her slender figure's curves on full display.

In that instant, the scenery in their eyes gained a new sense of movement and poetry because of this beautiful silhouette.

Beautiful!? Alluring!? Stunningly gorgeous? Even Victor Smith felt that the words in his mind were insufficient to describe what he was seeing. As he glanced around, the woman casually swept her hair and, unintentionally, turned toward their hiding spot. In the sunlight, her gentle and soft facial features looked like a lady from a fine brush painting set against green mountains and clear waters, making the two hiding in the grass feel utterly dazzled.

"So beautiful," Victor Smith silently praised, seeing from afar the woman's radiant face. For a moment, it seemed as if the surrounding mountains and waters were just a backdrop for this breathtaking image. Turning to look at Chad Bennett, he saw that Chad Bennett was already dumbstruck, with a shiny trail of drool on his parted lips.

He smiled, not teasing Brother Chad, and watched as the woman turned back, seemingly calling out joyfully. Then she opened the passenger door and helped out an elderly man with a head full of silver hair. At this point, eight or nine people had gotten out of the three cars. Besides the reservoir staff, the newcomers were all of high status, including several pot-bellied middle-aged men. The group headed straight up the low hill.

A fleeting glimpse, still some distance from their hiding spot, but Victor Smith and Chad Bennett's eyes were drawn to that graceful figure, watching the group until they disappeared from view. For a long moment, Victor Smith's gaze was dreamy, as if his soul had been carried away by the woman's silhouette.

Chad Bennett was different. He thought she was pretty, but after a bit of drooling, he'd soon forget. As soon as he did, Victor Smith let out a wistful sigh and said with emotion, "Graceful as a startled swan, elegant as a swimming dragon. Radiant as autumn chrysanthemums, flourishing as spring pines. Dazzling as a lotus emerging from clear waves... Now I understand how Cao Zhi felt when he wrote 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River.' It's the beauty you long for but cannot reach, a masterpiece born of intense yearning. Truly beautiful."

The literary youth was waxing poetic, but Chad Bennett, who was more concerned about the two bags of fish, couldn't take it anymore. He curled his lip, raised his middle finger, and muttered, "You're something else. Other people get horny when they see a beauty, you get all pretentious."

Victor Smith shook his head solemnly and said, "You don't know how to appreciate beauty, so don't make random comments."

"Cut it out. Isn't that the 'Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River' that Teacher Ren talked about? The woman in it was Yuan Shao's daughter-in-law, got snatched by Cao Cao, and later became Cao Pi's wife. Maybe both father and son had her, heh. I actually like how messy relationships were in ancient times—whoever was stronger got the woman." Chad Bennett finally had his moment. This was a side note from Teacher Reed's ancient literature class. He didn't really understand the ode, but he remembered the gossip about the relationships. This comment made Victor Smith furious, and he snapped, pinching Chad Bennett as he scolded, "That just shows heaven is jealous of beauty, and beautiful women have short lives—how tragic... How did it become an incest story in your mouth?"

"Getting passed around by so many men, how could she not have a short life?" Chad Bennett retorted disdainfully. Seeing Victor Smith choked up, he went even further: "You're not as good as Boss Brooks. Boss Brooks put it best: women are all the same, two 'Nipple Mountains' on the chest, and between the legs a 'Water Curtain Cave.' The bigger the mountains, the better the view; the deeper the cave, the more mysterious. Since ancient times, one cave and two mountains have buried countless heroes... Enough nonsense, hurry up and grab our stuff. We can't stay here any longer."