“Wasn’t my sarcasm obvious enough for you to pick up on?” Lin Xiao said coldly.
As soon as Ling Xi heard that, she started chasing after him to hit him. But Lin Xiao didn’t move. He stood there quietly, letting her vent her frustration however she liked.
Once Ling Xi had finally calmed down, she looked at Lin Xiao with a hint of awkwardness. She understood why he’d done that, and she was grateful.
“Lin Xiao… thank you,” she said softly.
Upon hearing her words, Lin Xiao turned his gaze away brusquely, as if completely dismissing her gratitude. But Ling Xi knew he’d accepted it, she’d already seen the faint flush creeping up his ears.
Watching all this, Liu Hai felt deeply wronged. He was the one who had driven off that group of women—why was Ling Xi thanking Lin Xiao instead of him?
“Ling Xi, don’t you think this is a bit unfair?” Liu Hai complained. “Wasn’t I the one who chased those women off? Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead?”
Ling Xi turned toward him with a smile, suddenly realizing that everything just now had indeed been thanks to Liu Hai.
“Yes, yes, you’re right! I should really thank you, Liu Hai. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been crushed by that group of women.”
Seeing Ling Xi smile at him like that, Liu Hai felt warmth bloom in his chest. He might not be particularly into her type, but he couldn’t deny that Ling Xi stirred up a strong urge to protect her. She looked like a little sister in need of care—fragile yet tenacious, like a delicate flower grown in a greenhouse, now just learning to weather the storm.
“All right, that’s enough,” Zhang Nu interjected. “Let’s stop talking and get moving.”
With that, the five of them continued their journey.
Soon, they arrived at the foot of a mountain. By now, the sky had already darkened, and it was too late to keep going. They had no choice but to set up camp and spend the night here.
“It’s getting late. We’ll rest here for the night and continue tomorrow,” Zhang Nu said.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Even Zhao Yang had no objections.
“Since no one disagrees, let’s gather some firewood first to keep warm,” Zhang Nu continued.
The team quickly split up to handle their tasks. Ling Xi and Lin Xiao went into the forest to look for food. Liu Hai went to search for a water source, while Zhang Nu and Zhao Yang stayed nearby to gather firewood.
Zhang Nu and Zhao Yang were the first to return and had already lit a fire by the time Liu Hai came back.
Meanwhile, Ling Xi and Lin Xiao were still in the forest, where they’d found a good number of edible fruits. Ling Xi was overjoyed. Ever since they’d left the mountain, she hadn’t had a chance to eat wild fruit like this.
“Lin Xiao, don’t these berries look tasty? They’re so red and shiny. I bet they’re delicious.”
Lin Xiao gave her a blank stare. “If you want to die, go ahead and eat it. I’m sure it tastes great—no one’s ever tried it and lived.” His voice was cold and indifferent, as if he didn’t care one bit whether she lived or died.
Startled by his tone, Ling Xi took two steps back in fright. She hadn’t expected the berry to be that dangerous. “You’re not kidding, are you? Would it really kill me?”
Lin Xiao didn’t bother replying. He’d already warned her. If she chose not to listen, there wasn’t anything he could do.
As they walked together, they soon reached another tree.
Ling Xi spotted some ripe plums hanging from its branches—they looked delicious and safe enough.
“How about these plums? They don’t look poisonous,” she asked.
“If you’re not afraid of dying, then go ahead and try one. I don’t know either,” Lin Xiao replied dryly.
This kind of exchange had become all too common between them. After a while, Ling Xi stopped trying to ask him. It seemed like everything she wanted to eat was “probably poisonous” in Lin Xiao’s eyes.
Seeing her go quiet, Lin Xiao smirked. He knew she’d finally conceded.
He stopped beneath another tree and pointed upward.
Following his gesture, Ling Xi looked up and saw it was full of bright red fruit, all of it plump and tempting.
But this time, she didn’t dare act on her own anymore.