She wanted to get off the bed as she called out Bai Muchuan’s name.
She was shocked when she uncovered the quilt.
The clothes she was wearing… who does it belong to?
The old-fashioned big floral patterns on the clothes were a strange combination against her fair skin…
Why was she here? Who changed her clothes?
The unsettling feeling made her face pale.
Squeak—!
The door opened at that moment.
As the cold winds got in through the door, Xiang Wan quivered under the sudden change of temperature.
A man walked into the house.
He had an expressionless face, but he had that familiar concerned tone in him. “You’ve awakened?”
“Captain Cheng?” Xiang Wan looked puzzled.
She sat on the bed as she slowly scrutinized Cheng Zheng’s face.
“Why am I here? Where’s Bai Muchuan?”
Cheng Zheng’s face turned a little cold.
He kept quiet for about half a minute before answering her. “Besides worrying about him, is there nothing else?”
… What’s wrong with worrying about him?
Xiang Wan looked at Cheng Zheng. For a moment, she did not know how to answer him.
The cold wind was blowing in through the wide-opened door.
Xiang Wan started to feel her scalp going numb.
She suddenly had a bad feeling.
Looking at Cheng Zheng’s poker face. “Did something… happen to Bai Muchuan?”
“Mm.” Cheng Zheng asked a question instead. “If that’s the case, what would you do?”
If that’s the case…?
That meant nothing had happened to him.
Xiang Wan’s way of thinking was different from most people.
She totally did not follow what Cheng Zheng was saying as she tried to understand the situation.
In fact, she felt relieved when she heard Cheng Zheng’s question.
“If that’s the case, I’ll follow him, no matter where he is!” She replied earnestly and did not look like she was joking… that tone was exactly the same as the time when he asked her the same question while they were deep within the forest.
This time, Cheng Zheng not only felt cold in his face but also his heart as well. He was disheartened.
He walked towards her without uttering a word and took out a thermometer where he gestured for her to place under her armpit. “Don’t worry,” he said emotionlessly, “he’s as tough as a cockroach! Even if everyone died, he will still be alive and kicking.”
“…”
Did he have to say it like this?
The suave Little Bai was referred to as a cockroach?
Xiang Wan pursed her lips and chose not to look at his complicated gaze. She obediently placed the thermometer under her armpit. “I didn’t know Captain Cheng has this kind of special fetish…”
“Mm?” Cheng Zheng did not understand.
Xiang Wan observed his expression. The corners of her lips slowly lifted upwards. “That you love the company of cockroaches!”
Since he had described Bai Muchuan as a cockroach, wouldn’t that indirectly imply that he was a cockroach as well?
Cheng Zheng was dumbfounded.
He didn’t expect that she would jump to Bai Muchuan’s defense.
He didn’t expect that she would be so particular over such a simple remark.
If it was him, would she do the same? An unexplainable bitter feeling started to form in Cheng Zheng’s heart.
It was an emotion that was alien to him. Even to the extent that he had thought he would never experience such a bitter feeling. This emotion started to cloud his ability to reason, and it made him feel uncomfortable…
Hmm, was it because seeing Bai Muchuan and Xiang Wan behaving too lovey-dovey wavered his mental-state?
The more he analyzed his own feelings, the more unhappy he was. He decided to change the topic.
“Does your leg still hurt?”
Xiang Wan nodded her head and thought for a moment before shaking her head. “Where’s Bai Muchuan?”
Her insistence in finding Bai Muchuan’s whereabouts made Cheng Zheng feel like going against her wishes.
The more she asked about him, the more he did not feel like answering.
“I’m a doctor and I’m trying to find out about your condition. Please cooperate.”
“I’m not your patient and I feel that my body is doing fine now.” Xiang Wan rebuked with a smile on her face. After all, she still needed to show respect… to the doctor who had helped her. “Where did Bai Muchuan go? Why are you not telling me?”
“…” Cheng Zheng remained silent.
Was he trying to help Bai Muchuan keep a secret?
Or he simply didn’t want to let her know?
Xiang Wan took a deep breath. “If you don’t tell me, I will not cooperate with your treatment.”
Her little threat… should be okay, right? Xiang Wan thought.
“Is there a problem with you?” Cheng Zheng asked coldly.
Uh! Xiang Wan was stunned for a second then puffed a sigh. “I’m really fine now. I’m just a little worried about Bai Muchuan…”
“Why didn’t you show some concern for me?” Before Cheng Zheng knew it, those words had already come out of his mouth.
It was so fast that he didn’t even have time to think before he spoke.
By the time he could react, it was already too late.
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
“I mean…” Cheng Zheng softened his tone, trying to get away from this embarrassing moment. “I’m also injured, but nobody showed any concern for me.”
It was a perfectly normal statement. However, somehow, when it came out of the mouth of this cold-hearted man, this was a bizarre, yet adorable feeling…
Xiang Wan was taken aback.
She gulped. She could not refute him.
“Where are you hurt?”
“… Everywhere.” Cheng Zheng replied softly.
“Ah?” Xiang Wan didn’t understand. She looked at him from head to toe and tried recalling those moments where they escaped from the mountains and lake. “I don’t remember you getting hurt?”
“Not everybody will make a big fuss when they’re hurt.”
Cheng Zheng reached out his hand to get the thermometer back. Under the dimly lit house, it took him a while to read the temperature on the thermometer before turning his head to look at him. “Low fever, 37.2 degrees… you better rest more.”
“…”
Xiang Wan looked puzzled.
Why did this guy simply refuse to answer her question?
He refused to tell her where Bai Muchuan was.
He also refused to tell her where he was hurt.
What was the meaning of that?!
She pondered for a moment and took a glance at him. “I’m hurt and my wound got soaked in the lake water. I think I’m lucky as I’m running a slight fever—I thought I would be running a high fever instead. I guess this proves that my constitution is not that bad after all.”
“Mm.” Cheng Zheng returned a plain glance. “You have been running a high fever for hours. Do you want your high fever to come back?”
“…” She was running a high fever for several hours already?
Xiang Wan felt her forehead and looked at the clothes she was wearing.
“Who changed my clothes?”
This question was a little awkward.
She believed that it would not be Cheng Zheng. However, if Bai Muchuan was the one who changed it for her… That did not make sense too.
Cheng Zheng observed her expression and raised an eyebrow. “Who do you wish it was?”
Xiang Wan was speechless. “…”
Wish? What was there to wish for?
She felt like she was about to go crazy! Xiang Wan suddenly noticed that Cheng Zheng’s gaze felt a little weird…
It felt as though… she was not wearing anything.
Cheng Zheng glanced at her and turned away when he noticed that her ears were red. “Which do you prefer to know? Who changed the clothes for you? Or Bai Muchuan’s whereabouts?”
“…”
Why did she have to choose between the two questions?
Xiang Wan was speechless. “Where exactly is Bai Muchuan?”
Her tone sounded aggressive. She was annoyed.
Cheng Zheng sighed helplessly and had a serious look on his face. “He told me not to tell you.”
“… Where is he?”
“… I can’t tell you.”
D*rn! Xiang Wan rolled her eyes. “You have already sold him away. What else is there to hide from me?”
That analogy was too awesome.
Cheng Zheng looked a little down. “He didn’t want you to act recklessly.”
That meant that Bai Muchuan had gone to a place fraught with danger.
Xiang Wan’s heart was in turmoil, but her tone was still soft. She raised a hand into the air. “I promise, I won’t be rash!”
…
It was only then, did Xiang Wan know how many hours she had slept.
When Xiang Wan woke up, it was morning.
They had left that dreadful forest—Vulture’s Mouth and were now in this small village.
The name of the village was called the Wuming[Unknown] Village.
The village was just like its name—remote, deserted, backward, and uneducated. Just like the village Brother Steel had come from, there was hardly anyone living there now.
Those who were able had left the village to work in the big cities. Those who stayed behind were the elderly. However, there was a difference. When the police asked the villagers about Vulture’s Mouth, all of them said they knew nothing about it.
It appeared that no one knew about the forest since the mountain was the infamous “forbidden place”…
Half an hour ago, Cheng Zheng received a piece of news.
Those injured and seriously ill teammates had arrived at Nanmu hospital.
As Tang Yuanchu’s injuries were too serious, the Nanmu Hospital, in turn, sent him to a major hospital in Xi City…
“What about the rest?” Xiang Wan asked, “I mean, the rest of the healthy teammates… where did they go?”
Cheng Zheng hesitated.
Xiang Wan looked at him. “They’ve gone back to Vulture’s Mouth, right?”
Sigh! Cheng Zheng nodded his head.
Xiang Wan was an extremely sensitive person.
Even if he refused to tell her. She would have her own means of finding out the truth—
“Tu Liang disappeared, Fang Yuanyuan’s still missing, Brother Steel’s still at large—in this fight against them, we have been very passive… Whether it’s Bai Muchuan or Quan Shaoteng, they will definitely refuse to back down and leave things be.” Xiang Wan analyzed the situation and swept a glance at Cheng Zheng. “In fact, when I woke up and found myself still here, I’m very puzzled as well.”
“Mm?” Cheng Zheng did not understand what she meant.
“By right, shouldn’t he send me back to Nanmu? He actually let me stay here?”
“…”
Of course, Cheng Zheng would definitely not want to relay that corny sentence Bai Muchuan had said.
After deliberating for a moment, he spoke in a serious tone. “This is because I feel that your injury is not as serious and the medical care at Nanmu hospital is also limited… Moreover, based on your character, if you were sent to Nanmu, there is no guarantee that you wouldn’t come back here. So, it’s safer for you to stay here.”
Xiang Wan paused for a moment. “So I should be thanking you?”
Cheng Zheng flinched. “You don’t have to.”
Xiang Wan laughed. “You’ve already described me as an unstable factor; it won’t be nice if I don’t thank you for it!”
Cheng Zheng grunted. “…”
She wanted to get off the bed as she called out Bai Muchuan’s name.
She was shocked when she uncovered the quilt.
The clothes she was wearing… who does it belong to?
The old-fashioned big floral patterns on the clothes were a strange combination against her fair skin…
Why was she here? Who changed her clothes?
The unsettling feeling made her face pale.
Squeak—!
The door opened at that moment.
As the cold winds got in through the door, Xiang Wan quivered under the sudden change of temperature.
A man walked into the house.
He had an expressionless face, but he had that familiar concerned tone in him. “You’ve awakened?”
“Captain Cheng?” Xiang Wan looked puzzled.
She sat on the bed as she slowly scrutinized Cheng Zheng’s face.
“Why am I here? Where’s Bai Muchuan?”
Cheng Zheng’s face turned a little cold.
He kept quiet for about half a minute before answering her. “Besides worrying about him, is there nothing else?”
… What’s wrong with worrying about him?
Xiang Wan looked at Cheng Zheng. For a moment, she did not know how to answer him.
The cold wind was blowing in through the wide-opened door.
Xiang Wan started to feel her scalp going numb.
She suddenly had a bad feeling.
Looking at Cheng Zheng’s poker face. “Did something… happen to Bai Muchuan?”
“Mm.” Cheng Zheng asked a question instead. “If that’s the case, what would you do?”
If that’s the case…?
That meant nothing had happened to him.
Xiang Wan’s way of thinking was different from most people.
She totally did not follow what Cheng Zheng was saying as she tried to understand the situation.
In fact, she felt relieved when she heard Cheng Zheng’s question.
“If that’s the case, I’ll follow him, no matter where he is!” She replied earnestly and did not look like she was joking… that tone was exactly the same as the time when he asked her the same question while they were deep within the forest.
This time, Cheng Zheng not only felt cold in his face but also his heart as well. He was disheartened.
He walked towards her without uttering a word and took out a thermometer where he gestured for her to place under her armpit. “Don’t worry,” he said emotionlessly, “he’s as tough as a cockroach! Even if everyone died, he will still be alive and kicking.”
“…”
Did he have to say it like this?
The suave Little Bai was referred to as a cockroach?
Xiang Wan pursed her lips and chose not to look at his complicated gaze. She obediently placed the thermometer under her armpit. “I didn’t know Captain Cheng has this kind of special fetish…”
“Mm?” Cheng Zheng did not understand.
Xiang Wan observed his expression. The corners of her lips slowly lifted upwards. “That you love the company of cockroaches!”
Since he had described Bai Muchuan as a cockroach, wouldn’t that indirectly imply that he was a cockroach as well?
Cheng Zheng was dumbfounded.
He didn’t expect that she would jump to Bai Muchuan’s defense.
He didn’t expect that she would be so particular over such a simple remark.
If it was him, would she do the same? An unexplainable bitter feeling started to form in Cheng Zheng’s heart.
It was an emotion that was alien to him. Even to the extent that he had thought he would never experience such a bitter feeling. This emotion started to cloud his ability to reason, and it made him feel uncomfortable…
Hmm, was it because seeing Bai Muchuan and Xiang Wan behaving too lovey-dovey wavered his mental-state?
The more he analyzed his own feelings, the more unhappy he was. He decided to change the topic.
“Does your leg still hurt?”
Xiang Wan nodded her head and thought for a moment before shaking her head. “Where’s Bai Muchuan?”
Her insistence in finding Bai Muchuan’s whereabouts made Cheng Zheng feel like going against her wishes.
The more she asked about him, the more he did not feel like answering.
“I’m a doctor and I’m trying to find out about your condition. Please cooperate.”
“I’m not your patient and I feel that my body is doing fine now.” Xiang Wan rebuked with a smile on her face. After all, she still needed to show respect… to the doctor who had helped her. “Where did Bai Muchuan go? Why are you not telling me?”
“…” Cheng Zheng remained silent.
Was he trying to help Bai Muchuan keep a secret?
Or he simply didn’t want to let her know?
Xiang Wan took a deep breath. “If you don’t tell me, I will not cooperate with your treatment.”
Her little threat… should be okay, right? Xiang Wan thought.
“Is there a problem with you?” Cheng Zheng asked coldly.
Uh! Xiang Wan was stunned for a second then puffed a sigh. “I’m really fine now. I’m just a little worried about Bai Muchuan…”
“Why didn’t you show some concern for me?” Before Cheng Zheng knew it, those words had already come out of his mouth.
It was so fast that he didn’t even have time to think before he spoke.
By the time he could react, it was already too late.
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward.
“I mean…” Cheng Zheng softened his tone, trying to get away from this embarrassing moment. “I’m also injured, but nobody showed any concern for me.”
It was a perfectly normal statement. However, somehow, when it came out of the mouth of this cold-hearted man, this was a bizarre, yet adorable feeling…
Xiang Wan was taken aback.
She gulped. She could not refute him.
“Where are you hurt?”
“… Everywhere.” Cheng Zheng replied softly.
“Ah?” Xiang Wan didn’t understand. She looked at him from head to toe and tried recalling those moments where they escaped from the mountains and lake. “I don’t remember you getting hurt?”
“Not everybody will make a big fuss when they’re hurt.”
Cheng Zheng reached out his hand to get the thermometer back. Under the dimly lit house, it took him a while to read the temperature on the thermometer before turning his head to look at him. “Low fever, 37.2 degrees… you better rest more.”
“…”
Xiang Wan looked puzzled.
Why did this guy simply refuse to answer her question?
He refused to tell her where Bai Muchuan was.
He also refused to tell her where he was hurt.
What was the meaning of that?!
She pondered for a moment and took a glance at him. “I’m hurt and my wound got soaked in the lake water. I think I’m lucky as I’m running a slight fever—I thought I would be running a high fever instead. I guess this proves that my constitution is not that bad after all.”
“Mm.” Cheng Zheng returned a plain glance. “You have been running a high fever for hours. Do you want your high fever to come back?”
“…” She was running a high fever for several hours already?
Xiang Wan felt her forehead and looked at the clothes she was wearing.
“Who changed my clothes?”
This question was a little awkward.
She believed that it would not be Cheng Zheng. However, if Bai Muchuan was the one who changed it for her… That did not make sense too.
Cheng Zheng observed her expression and raised an eyebrow. “Who do you wish it was?”
Xiang Wan was speechless. “…”
Wish? What was there to wish for?
She felt like she was about to go crazy! Xiang Wan suddenly noticed that Cheng Zheng’s gaze felt a little weird…
It felt as though… she was not wearing anything.
Cheng Zheng glanced at her and turned away when he noticed that her ears were red. “Which do you prefer to know? Who changed the clothes for you? Or Bai Muchuan’s whereabouts?”
“…”
Why did she have to choose between the two questions?
Xiang Wan was speechless. “Where exactly is Bai Muchuan?”
Her tone sounded aggressive. She was annoyed.
Cheng Zheng sighed helplessly and had a serious look on his face. “He told me not to tell you.”
“… Where is he?”
“… I can’t tell you.”
D*rn! Xiang Wan rolled her eyes. “You have already sold him away. What else is there to hide from me?”
That analogy was too awesome.
Cheng Zheng looked a little down. “He didn’t want you to act recklessly.”
That meant that Bai Muchuan had gone to a place fraught with danger.
Xiang Wan’s heart was in turmoil, but her tone was still soft. She raised a hand into the air. “I promise, I won’t be rash!”
…
It was only then, did Xiang Wan know how many hours she had slept.
When Xiang Wan woke up, it was morning.
They had left that dreadful forest—Vulture’s Mouth and were now in this small village.
The name of the village was called the Wuming[Unknown] Village.
The village was just like its name—remote, deserted, backward, and uneducated. Just like the village Brother Steel had come from, there was hardly anyone living there now.
Those who were able had left the village to work in the big cities. Those who stayed behind were the elderly. However, there was a difference. When the police asked the villagers about Vulture’s Mouth, all of them said they knew nothing about it.
It appeared that no one knew about the forest since the mountain was the infamous “forbidden place”…
Half an hour ago, Cheng Zheng received a piece of news.
Those injured and seriously ill teammates had arrived at Nanmu hospital.
As Tang Yuanchu’s injuries were too serious, the Nanmu Hospital, in turn, sent him to a major hospital in Xi City…
“What about the rest?” Xiang Wan asked, “I mean, the rest of the healthy teammates… where did they go?”
Cheng Zheng hesitated.
Xiang Wan looked at him. “They’ve gone back to Vulture’s Mouth, right?”
Sigh! Cheng Zheng nodded his head.
Xiang Wan was an extremely sensitive person.
Even if he refused to tell her. She would have her own means of finding out the truth—
“Tu Liang disappeared, Fang Yuanyuan’s still missing, Brother Steel’s still at large—in this fight against them, we have been very passive… Whether it’s Bai Muchuan or Quan Shaoteng, they will definitely refuse to back down and leave things be.” Xiang Wan analyzed the situation and swept a glance at Cheng Zheng. “In fact, when I woke up and found myself still here, I’m very puzzled as well.”
“Mm?” Cheng Zheng did not understand what she meant.
“By right, shouldn’t he send me back to Nanmu? He actually let me stay here?”
“…”
Of course, Cheng Zheng would definitely not want to relay that corny sentence Bai Muchuan had said.
After deliberating for a moment, he spoke in a serious tone. “This is because I feel that your injury is not as serious and the medical care at Nanmu hospital is also limited… Moreover, based on your character, if you were sent to Nanmu, there is no guarantee that you wouldn’t come back here. So, it’s safer for you to stay here.”
Xiang Wan paused for a moment. “So I should be thanking you?”
Cheng Zheng flinched. “You don’t have to.”
Xiang Wan laughed. “You’ve already described me as an unstable factor; it won’t be nice if I don’t thank you for it!”
Cheng Zheng grunted. “…”
