Before Ye Zhinan could finish her words, she suddenly felt a sense of emptiness beneath her feet and fell headlong.
At the same moment, Qin Yihuai reached out and grabbed her. The two rolled together, tumbling over gravel and branches before finally landing in a pitch - black hole.
Ye Zhinan's head was buzzing. Fortunately, Qin Yihuai had cushioned her fall. Apart from a torn dress and a scraped leg, she felt no other discomfort.
Qin Yihuai had taken the brunt of the fall?
Only then did she notice the person beneath her and quickly jumped off.
"Inspector Qin, are you okay?"
No response.
"Inspector Qin, wake up!"
Still no answer.
How can he be so fragile?
Ye Zhinan felt really bad and silently vowed to lose weight in the future.
Then she took out a stethoscope from her spatial inventory and began to examine him.
His brain was fine, his internal organs were okay, there were only minor abrasions, his arm wasn't broken, but his leg... seemed to be broken! And it was a gruesome sight.
Ye Zhinan's heart skipped a few beats, feeling a strange ache. She didn't know if it was guilt or something else, but she had never felt this way before.
Qin Yihuai's leg had both new and old injuries, and it was all because of her. It would probably take a long time to recover.
The more she thought about it, the guiltier she felt. Just then, the man beneath her let out a soft groan.
Oh no! He can't wake up now!
Without hesitation, Ye Zhinan injected Qin Yihuai with an anesthetic. After making sure he was sound asleep, she began the treatment.
Thankfully, she had her space. Even though it was pitch - black all around and she couldn't see her hand in front of her face, with everything available in the space, the operation went smoothly.
She packed up all the things, made a comfortable bed with some straw, and then waited for him to wake up.
After an unknown amount of time, she felt something moving on her head. Looking up, she saw a pair of deep - set eyes staring at her, and a large hand hovering above.
"My arm is a bit sore." Qin Yihuai pointed at his pinned - down arm, his eyes flickering slightly.
"Sorry, I fell asleep. How do you feel?"
It felt soft and smooth. The touch was quite nice.
Thinking of the feeling when he had touched her head just now, a blush crept onto Qin Yihuai's face. Fortunately, it was so dark in the cave that no one could see, or he would have wanted to find a hole to hide in.
Seeing no response, Ye Zhinan was afraid that the anesthetic had worn off and the pain in his leg would make him pass out again. In a hurry, she groped around blindly.
"Hey, don't faint!"
"Stop groping around!"
Qin Yihuai was almost flustered by her touches and managed to move his body half an inch away.
"I'm fine."
"Doesn't your leg hurt?"
Ye Zhinan marveled at the effectiveness of the anesthetic from the space. "It's good that you're okay. I'll go outside to find something to eat."
"Is there food here?"
"Let me look around!"
Watching Ye Zhinan leave, Qin Yihuai looked around in confusion.
How could there be food in this dark cave? But he still hoped she could bring back something to eat.
As soon as Ye Zhinan left, she entered the space. She grabbed something to eat casually to fill her stomach first, for only with a full stomach could she think of a way out.
She took out a fire starter and walked around the cave. All she saw were stone walls and more stone walls. There was nothing else.
She returned dejectedly and threw a few malt candies to him.
"Have these to fill your stomach for now!"
"Fortunately, you always carry candies with you!"
Qin Yihuai suppressed his doubts and popped the candies into his mouth.
Ye Zhinan turned her head away in embarrassment. She felt guilty for not being able to provide him with a proper meal.
"I found a water source over there, but I can't guarantee it's clean. Wait for me to filter it before you take your medicine."
If only she could hide a bottle of water in her sleeve, she would have given him a bottle of mineral water right away.
She avoided Qin Yihuai's gaze, poured some mineral water onto a handkerchief, wet it, and then took the handkerchief back.
Although Qin Yihuai looked a bit surprised, he still ate what she gave him. After a few times, he finally felt full from drinking water.
"How did you treat my injury?"
While she was looking for food, Qin Yihuai had carefully examined his wound and found it had been treated extremely well.
Ye Zhinan really regretted not giving him a sleeping pill. If he had been knocked out, he wouldn't have asked so many questions.
But it was too late now. She was too lazy to explain and just made up an excuse.
"Isn't my skill good? It's all thanks to my master's good teaching."
Seeing that he couldn't get an answer, Qin Yihuai stopped asking. "Is there an exit here?"
"There's some light over there. We should be able to get out."
"Take me over there to have a look."
Qin Yihuai tried to sit up, but the next second he was pushed back down.
"You can't move. Don't hurt your leg again!"
Ye Zhinan had already thought of a way to get out, but it required the use of the space, so she absolutely couldn't let Qin Yihuai interfere.
Qin Yihuai was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect her to care so much about him. He was deeply touched, but on the surface, he remained calm.
"If Chen Zhenhai doesn't see me return for a long time, he will surely come looking for me. So you don't have to force yourself."
Ye Zhinan nodded with a smile, feeling extremely grateful.
I won't force myself. Just don't cause any trouble!
After deciding on how to get out, the next thing to consider was the reason they had fallen in.
Before Ye Zhinan fell, she had noticed a dark figure. She confirmed it with Qin Yihuai and found that he had noticed it too.
So they both agreed that someone was up to no good!
Who was the target of that person?
Ye Zhinan thought it was her, while Qin Yihuai didn't dare to admit it was him.
"Do you think the person who harmed us is the same one who harmed my father and brother?"
"I can't be sure, but at least we know your family has been under surveillance, and they also want to slow down the mining speed."
As Qin Yihuai spoke, a glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Whoever the target was, they were his enemy.
"Do you think it's the Wei family?"
Ye Zhinan was feeling really frustrated and eager to break the silence. Her almond - shaped eyes showed a longing for an answer.
The Wei family was already an open enemy, but Ye Shenyan still held out a glimmer of hope.
After all, they were old family friends, but they had chosen different paths in life.
Qin Yihuai remained silent.
Was it an admission or was he suspecting someone else?
Ye Zhinan couldn't figure out what was on his mind, and she felt even more frustrated.
The darkness all around added to her sense of melancholy.
Why was her father suddenly exiled? Who had repeatedly harmed the Ye family? What secrets was Qin Yihuai hiding in his heart?
All these unsolved mysteries were like heavy stones pressing on her heart.
Ye Zhinan tossed and turned. Noticing that the breathing of the person beside her had become steady, her eyelids also began to droop.
No matter what, getting enough rest was the top priority.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Zhinan was suddenly woken up by a nudge.
"Chen Zhenhai is here. Go back with him first."
He was afraid that if they returned together, it would cause rumors about Ye Zhinan.
Ye Zhinan obediently returned to the village first. She was in a gloomy mood all the way, leaving Chen Zhenhai at a loss as to what to do.
"Miss Ye, the boss will surely help you find the culprit, so don't worry too much."
"You also think someone deliberately harmed us?"
Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Chen Zhenhai quickly changed the subject. "Judging from the injuries, it seems like an accident."
"How many accidents have there been in the mine so far, and how many times has our Ye family been involved? Forget it. If you don't want to talk, I'll investigate on my own!"
Ye Zhinan was furious and stopped talking. As soon as she got home, she closed the door tightly and happened to bump into Han Xiangmei, who was about to go to the authorities to report the matter.