"What? She carried me here!"
Qi Rong's expression froze. His black eyes stared intently at Yun Xi in his arms.
He gently lifted the quilt and saw the cloth strips tied around Yun Xi's knees. Looking at the small and large cuts on her hands and face, his heart tightened.
His chest ached badly!
Noticing the pain in Qi Rong's eyes, the woman couldn't help but sigh:
"Exactly! Looking at your wife's delicate appearance, she must have been living in comfort and has little strength on normal days."
"Even I, a mountain woman who is used to doing physical work, find it very strenuous to carry my husband on my back. It's hard to imagine what kind of strength she relied on to make such a difficult journey all the way here!"
Seeing Qi Rong's solemn expression, the woman then smiled and changed the topic:
"Because of the heavy snow blocking the mountain outside, we couldn't find a doctor. My husband bandaged the wounds on your body. We thought you would have a fever for a few more days, but unexpectedly, you recovered so quickly."
"I think your wife must be just exhausted. If she knows you're saved, she'll surely be very happy!"
Qi Rong hardly listened to what the woman said later. His eyes were always fixed on Yun Xi, full of heartache and gratitude.
He placed his fingers on Yun Xi's wrist, feeling her weak but steady pulse, and said to the woman:
"Thank you for saving us. Now I'd like to be alone for a while."
Realizing she had talked too much, the woman blushed with embarrassment and quickly said:
"Yes, yes, yes. You've just woken up and need more rest. I'll go out now. Call me if you need anything."
"Okay. Thank you."
Qi Rong, rarely showing humility, nodded to the woman.
After the woman left, the dim room returned to complete silence.
Qi Rong gently stroked Yun Xi's cheek, slowly pulled her into his arms, kissed her forehead, and murmured softly:
"Why are you so silly?"
In his life, he had experienced more than one such life - and - death test. In fact, each time was even more perilous than this. Even if he was left in the cave unattended, he wouldn't die. He would wake up in at most three days.
However, she was so silly that she exhausted herself for him.
What she didn't know was that he would rather be stabbed ten more times himself than see her suffer so much!
He hugged Yun Xi tightly, almost wanting to embed her into his own flesh and blood. His heart was in a complete mess, and there was even a trace of pain in his eyes.
He kept questioning himself:
"What should I do with you?"
Qi Rong had complex feelings for Yun Xi. When she was close, he worried; when she was far away, he feared.
Sometimes, he even wondered if it was right or wrong to keep her at the center of his heart and by his side.
In his current situation, he was always walking on thin ice. Only by suppressing his feelings for her could he truly protect her.
Through this robbery, he became more aware of this fact.
Those who could hurt him were not ordinary people. They were completely different from the first group of bandits. They were well - trained, highly skilled, and most importantly, they were all targeting him!
In the past, he was very calm in such situations because he had no distractions and didn't care about life or death. But this time, he was a little scared.
It was only because Yun Xi was by his side.
He was afraid that Yun Xi would get hurt. He was afraid that just when he finally fell in love with someone and wanted to have a family, everything would be ruined!
He didn't know if he could still hold on if that happened!
Could he only protect her and be worthy of loving her when he stood at the peak of power?
Could he only openly declare to the world without hesitation that neither Qi Yu nor anyone else could covet her! Because Yun Xi was his woman!
Qi Rong's heart was filled with mixed emotions. Yun Xi was still sleeping, but as if sensing something, she nestled into his arms.
Seeing her action, Qi Rong hesitated for a moment, and then hugged her even tighter.
Qi Rong kissed the top of her hair, his eyes firm:
In this life, even if he died, he would never let her go! Even if she hated him!
Three days later, Yun Xi finally woke up. The first person she saw was Qi Rong, looking at her affectionately.
"You're awake. Did you sleep well?"
His voice was hoarse but gentle and pleasant. Her reflection was in his deep, dark eyes, as if she was the only one in his sight.
"You're not dead?"
Memories instantly flooded back. Yun Xi curled up her lips, but as she smiled, tears welled up in her eyes.
All the grievances and fears in her heart rushed out at this moment, making her cry even more uncontrollably.
"You were bleeding so much. I thought you were going to die... I heard the howls of wolves. I felt they were nearby. I desperately tried to speed up, but I just couldn't walk faster. There was no one around..."
That feeling of helplessness was even more crushing to her will than the pain on her body!
Qi Rong patiently listened to her pour out her fears in silence, hugged her in his arms, and constantly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Finally, when she was tired from crying, Qi Rong gently held her face, kissed her forehead, and asked in a low voice:
"Are you hungry? I'll go and bring you a bowl of porridge."
It was a tenderness he had never shown before, as if he was coaxing a child.
Only then did Yun Xi realize that she was still nestled in Qi Rong's arms. She felt a little shy. Just as she was about to move away, her face suddenly changed, and she gasped.
"What's wrong?"
Seeing Yun Xi's sudden change of expression, Qi Rong immediately became nervous and even a little at a loss. He didn't know where to put his hands.
"I can't move."
Yun Xi wanted to cry. That moment of pain felt as if all the bones in her body had shifted.
She had actually felt this kind of pain since that night when she carried Qi Rong to seek help, but she could still walk because she had become numb to the pain later.
Because she knew that if she stopped, the only outcome for both of them would be death!
Even if Qi Rong didn't bleed to death, they would be covered by the heavy snow and freeze to death! Or even become food for wild beasts!
Looking at Yun Xi's pale face, Qi Rong felt a pang of heartache and patiently told her:
"Don't move around. Your knees are injured. If you're hungry, I'll bring you food. If you're thirsty, I'll bring you water. If you need to use the toilet, I'll carry you there."
"Anyway, just leave everything to me."
Yun Xi had never seen Qi Rong be so gentle before. At first, she was touched by his words. However, when she heard the word "toilet", she immediately blushed to the roots of her ears.
"That won't do! We're not that close!"
Yun Xi wanted to say that they were neither family nor siblings. It was okay for him to bring her water and food, but carrying her to the toilet - just thinking about it made her feel ashamed.
"Who said we're not close?"
Seeing Yun Xi's shy expression as if she wanted to clarify their relationship, Qi Rong suddenly leaned forward. His straight nose pressed against hers. Their eyes met, and Yun Xi had nowhere to hide!
Watching Qi Rong's handsome face suddenly enlarge in front of her, so close that she could almost hear their breathing.
"What are you doing!"
Yun Xi turned her face and reached out to pull Qi Rong's ear. Suddenly, she remembered the kiss that night, and her cheeks burned as if they were on fire!