Chapter 85: Starting to Have Indecent Thoughts, Aren’t You?
While Hong Que was away, Xie Qiang directed Mo Yin to carve out three clean stone beds in the cave and even had him gouge a small hole in her bed to store her Suzaku Spear.
Then she began inspecting the cave’s environment, clearing out all the hidden insects and ants.
In the novel, the villainess had been bitten by these poisonous bugs, resulting in three days of vomiting and diarrhea. Xie Qiang had no desire to suffer like that.
Hong Que was gone for a long time. When he returned, his upper body was bare, and he held a large chunk of fire-red combustible mineral in the crook of his arm. His combat jacket had been removed and tied into a makeshift bag, which was bulging with unknown contents.
He tossed the jacket by Xie Qiang’s legs and sat down further away, breaking the large mineral into smaller pieces to prepare a warming fire.
Xie Qiang bent down to pick up the jacket, her gaze instinctively drifting toward Hong Que.
The red-haired youth was turned to the side, his broad shoulders faintly gleaming with a healthy wheat-colored glow in the dim light of the cave. When he moved his arms, his deltoids tensed into sharp lines, like a drawn bowstring full of power. Every inch of his musculature held an undercurrent of surging strength.
Within the curve of his arm, she could catch glimpses of his prominent chest muscles and his full, bursting abs that were enough to cause a nosebleed. They were as distinct as if they had been meticulously sculpted. This scene reminded her of Sen Ji that night; when she was forced to sit on the man’s chest and lean back, her hands could only frantically press against his firm, hard abdomen to maintain her balance.
She didn’t dare recall anything beyond that.
Xie Qiang lowered her head, her face flushing. She pulled at the tightly tied sleeve of the combat jacket to distract herself from the sudden, frantic thumping in her chest.
As Hong Que broke the mineral, his eyes kept stealing glances toward Xie Qiang’s direction.
Why was her face red?
Could it be that after seeing his superior, sexy physique, she was starting to have indecent thoughts?
Tsk! He knew it! If it weren’t for the fact that he had no bag to hold her food, he never would have taken off his jacket and given her the chance to peek at his body!
Hong Que snorted in his heart. His periphery continued to track the girl. Seeing her about to untie the jacket, he stiffened his frame, focusing all his attention on the movement over there.
To get back at her for acting cute and seducing him, he had tied the jacket especially tight. If she wanted to untie it…
“Mo Yin, can you help me untie this?” the girl asked Mo Yin softly for help.
Crunch— A faint sound of mineral being crushed into powder echoed from a distance.
Mo Yin looked at Hong Que upon hearing the sound.
Hong Que brushed the stone dust from his hands, his eyes shifting pointedly toward the jacket.
Hong Que: Don’t you dare help!
Mo Yin: …
Hong Que: ?
Hong Que rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Strange, had he evolved to the point where he could tell what text Mo Yin was replying just by looking at his expressionless face?
Mo Yin withdrew his gaze and lowered his head to help Xie Qiang loosen the dead knot on the jacket.
He only helped halfway.
Mm, he was truly clever.
Xie Qiang happily continued untying the knot and spread the jacket on the stone bed. Inside, it was stuffed with fluffy leaves, and nestled among the leaves were many fresh fruits, each plump and vibrant, clearly hand-picked.
Xie Qiang hadn’t held much hope for food. After all, in the novel, the food Mo Yin found was all shriveled, tiny sour berries that barely staved off hunger. But she hadn’t expected there to be fresh fruit in the wormhole.
In that case, was the Mo Yin in the book intentionally giving the villainess shriveled berries?
She couldn’t help but look up at the youth in black. “You’re not so dumb after all.”
Mo Yin tilted his head, his dark gold wolf eyes blinking, looking exceptionally innocent.
Xie Qiang picked out the fruit and set it aside, then spread the fluffy leaves on the stone bed to slightly temper the cold, damp temperature and the hard texture of the rock. She sat down and picked a fruit that looked particularly sweet from the pile.
After letting Mo Yin peel it with his sword, she gave it a sniff. Unexpectedly, it smelled fragrant and sweet. She couldn’t wait to take a bite.
Immediately, her cat-like eyes widened. Completely won over by the fruit’s flavor, she handed it to Mo Yin and gave him a thumbs-up.
Try it!
Mo Yin took it and bit down right next to the girl’s tooth mark.
Mo Yin: “…”
Mo Yin looked at the girl.
Xie Qiang signaled with her eyes toward Hong Que in the distance.
Mo Yin: (≖≖)✧
Mo Yin took the fruit and walked toward Hong Que, holding it up to his mouth. “Brother, eat.”
Hong Que looked at Mo Yin in surprise. Seeing the two tooth marks—one large and one small—on the fruit, he looked at Xie Qiang with a mix of disgust and suspicion.
Xie Qiang gave a thumbs-up.
Mo Yin also gave a thumbs-up in a mimicking fashion.
Hong Que looked at the two of them suspiciously. “You two are acting weird. This fruit isn’t sour, is it?”
Seeing his reluctance, Xie Qiang swallowed the fruit in her mouth and waved Mo Yin back, her tone huffy. “Mo Yin, if he won’t eat it, bring it back. The two of us will eat it!”
Receiving the command, Mo Yin immediately reached out to snatch the fruit back.
Seeing this, Hong Que blocked his hand. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat it!”
With a slightly disgusted expression, he turned the fruit away from the tooth marks and bit into the other half.
“Sss—!”
An intense sourness surged straight to his brain. Hong Que instinctively opened his mouth, letting the fruit fall to the ground. The tall, powerful youth was so sour that his whole body spasmed like a vibrating massager, and saliva began to leak out.
“Pfft!”
On the stone bed, Xie Qiang—who had finally been waiting for this moment—slapped her thigh, laughing until she was doubled over. “Hahaha! You fell for it!”
A faint trace of pity appeared in Mo Yin’s wolf eyes. “Brother, so stupid.”
Hong Que: …
Are you two sick in the head?!
Fuming, Hong Que threw the sour fruit into the fire. Turning back to see the girl laughing so happily, his furrowed brow unconsciously relaxed.
What the hell? He thought she would be scared to death after falling into the wormhole, but she seemed to be doing alright?
Watching the girl laugh, Hong Que’s mood couldn’t help but relax as well. He glared at Xie Qiang, his tone intentionally harsh. “Keep laughing. See if I don’t pick only sour fruits for you tomorrow!”
Xie Qiang quickly stifled her laughter, placing her hands obediently on her thighs. She looked at the red-haired youth with innocent, clear eyes. “I’m sorry, don’t be angry.”
She was acting cute again!
Hong Que quickly looked away. Just as he was processing that inexplicable heart-throb, he heard the girl’s clear, sweet voice whisper, “I’ll do it again next time, hehe.”
Hong Que: …
He was definitely picking sour fruits tomorrow! Definitely!
After eating the gathered fruit, Hong Que buried the peels and cores before saying to Mo Yin, “I’ll take the first watch tonight. You take the second.”
Mo Yin nodded.
Hong Que then looked at Xie Qiang. “Go to sleep.”
Xie Qiang didn’t overreach by saying she would help keep watch. She nodded and headed for the stone bed.
Moving away from the fire, the dampness and chill of the cave instantly assailed her. She wrapped her white lab coat tightly around herself and lay down on the stone bed, closing her eyes.
The wormhole was really cold.
She hoped Sen Ji and the others could find her soon.
Translator’s Note: “Xiǎng rù fēi fēi” (想入非非) usually refers to wild fantasies or daydreams, but in this context, Hong Que is definitely thinking of something a bit more… “R-rated.” Also, did you notice Mo Yin’s “Brother, so stupid”? Even the quiet ones have a savage side! And yes, Xie Qiang is totally a little prankster. See you in the next chapter!
