Chapter 62: Is He Here to Kill Me, or to Flirt with Me?
In his muddled state, Fu Yue felt at times like a piece of burning charcoal, and at other times like he was floating in icy seawater.
His consciousness cleared briefly, then blurred again.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
A faint sound of footsteps came from a distance, getting closer bit by bit.
Who?
Fu Yue’s nerves jumped.
Did the killer find him?
He wanted to move his body, but the pain from his left leg robbed him of even a shred of strength. He could only manage to crack his eyes open, his eyelids feeling as heavy as lead.
He was in a state where he was at someone’s mercy.
Fear, like a tide, instantly enveloped him.
A dark shadow appeared at the cave entrance, blocking the faint light from outside.
The person walked in, their footsteps light, carrying a damp chill from the rain.
Closer and closer…
Until a pleasant scent of lemongrass drifted into Fu Yue’s nose.
It was Jiang Ying!
However, there was no noise from a search and rescue team.
Based on the footsteps, there was only one person.
What did acting alone mean?
Fu Yue’s brain buzzed.
It really was him; he was here to kill me!
“Fu Yue?”
A flashlight beam lit up the cave.
A slightly husky voice rang out.
Fu Yue had no strength to move and could only let the person approach.
He felt a somewhat cold hand, damp with rain, gently touch his forehead.
Is he checking to see if I’m dead?
You should check the artery, dummy!
Fu Yue felt like he was about to die—not from being killed, but from being scared to death.
He only felt Jiang Ying’s hands moving over his body.
Carrying the chill of the rain.
When pressed against his burning body, it was exceptionally comfortable.
His fingertips held an extremely slight tremor.
His palm slid down from the neck, slowly covering his wildly heaving chest.
“You…” Fu Yue barely managed to squeeze out one word.
As if checking something, the hand passed over his waist.
Fu Yue trembled all over.
In his muddled brain, an absurd thought bubbled up uncontrollably:
Is he… is he going to… take liberties with me first?!
Fu Yue panicked.
He began to imagine.
Jiang Ying might, like dissecting prey, undo his buttons one by one, carefully examining every inch of his tensed muscles.
Then, he would sigh “Are you cold?” into his ear while pressing a dagger against his warm carotid artery.
The more beautiful a person was, the more terrifying they were.
Just as Fu Yue thought a scene of “forceful revenge” was about to take place in this desolate mountain cave—
The hand that had been resting on his knee merely pressed down gently with a fingertip before being withdrawn.
“You’re so tense,” Jiang Ying’s voice was cool. “Are you afraid I’ll kill you… or afraid I’ll do something else to you?”
Fu Yue was both shocked and angry. What he thought was: I’m afraid you’ll do something else first, and THEN kill me.
Fu Yue wanted to run, and he wanted to shout for help.
But the high fever had made his throat incredibly hoarse, and the pain and weakness left him without the strength to even move.
He could only stare with eyes shrouded in mist, glaring fiercely at the figure before him.
Suddenly, his back was propped up.
He fell into a cool embrace.
Jiang Ying supported his upper body, letting him lean against his chest.
“Drink some water.”
A cool water bottle was pressed against Fu Yue’s lips.
Fu Yue was parched, instinctively opening his mouth to receive it.
The cool liquid slid into his dry throat, offering immense comfort.
He drank too fast, some water overflowing from the corners of his mouth and snaking down toward his neck.
The next second, a cool thumb covered his lips, gently wiping away that trail of water.
Perhaps because he was too thirsty, Fu Yue unconsciously stuck out the tip of his tongue, wanting to lick the remaining droplets on his lips.
Hitting a sensation that wasn’t the mouth of the bottle, Fu Yue realized what he had just licked.
It was Jiang Ying’s fingertip.
The body holding him stiffened visibly.
Silence fell inside the cave.
After a long while, Jiang Ying’s voice, suppressed with unidentifiable emotions, rang out again: “…Are you a dog?”
It was that familiar tone, tinged with a hint of disdain.
Being scolded, Fu Yue suddenly remembered the historical chat records between the two that he had seen.
The teenage Jiang Ying in those records would speak to him in this tone.
Between teenagers, smilingly cursing each other back and forth.
But the Jiang Ying before him, in the few impressions from their recent meetings, was always cold and distant. The contrast with the person who said this sentence was massive.
“Save me…”
Having drunk some water, Fu Yue could finally squeeze out a few syllables from his throat to test him.
Jiang Ying, however, ignored him.
He laid Fu Yue flat on the ground again, then turned and walked out of the cave without a word.
Fu Yue’s heart instantly sank.
What was he doing?
Was he so angry at being licked that he was abandoning me?
Or was he going out to call for help?
Or was he planning to set a fire at the entrance to destroy the evidence?
Just as the small theater in Fu Yue’s mind had progressed to him being burned into a charred corpse, Jiang Ying returned.
The metal clasp of a medical kit popped open.
Fu Yue smelled the scent of iodine.
A disinfectant cotton swab pressed against his wrist; the sharp pain made him groan.
Fu Yue’s heart eased slightly, thinking that Jiang Ying probably really wasn’t here to kill him.
But then, hearing Jiang Ying let out a cold laugh, Fu Yue’s heart grew anxious again.
Jiang Ying’s figure was backlit, holding a piece of cloth.
He silently rolled up his own sleeves, revealing a well-defined forearm.
Then, under Fu Yue’s suspicious gaze, Jiang Ying reached out and moved toward his shirt buttons.
“Don’t…” Fu Yue used all his strength to voice a protest and tried to grab that hand.
But his resistance was weak, and his hand was easily caught in a reverse grip by Jiang Ying and pressed to his side.
Jiang Ying leaned down, his fresh breath spraying against Fu Yue’s ear: “Don’t move. Do you want to die here?”
A lethal threat, very effective.
Fu Yue gave up resisting, allowing Jiang Ying to undo his buttons one by one.
The only thing that gave Fu Yue comfort was that his hands were ice-cold; brushing against his body felt quite nice.
Fu Yue thought self-deprecatingly: Could this be finding joy in sorrow?
Since he was already “broken,” he would let him do as he pleased.
The hand that had just been “taking liberties” now placed a cold cloth over Fu Yue’s chest.
It was a soft towel carrying a chill and the scent of lemongrass.
Fu Yue let out a satisfied sigh in his heart.
The heat from the high temperature was instantly dispelled a bit; physical instinct overrode logical resistance.
He simply closed his eyes and let him be.
The cool towel, after finishing his chest, moved to his burning waist.
Fu Yue’s body instinctively shrank; it was an indescribable sensation—both cool and tingling.
He wanted to dodge, but was gently held down by Jiang Ying’s other hand, unable to move.
Next, that chill arrived at his thighs.
He repeatedly wiped with patience and force, performing physical cooling for him.
Jiang Ying’s hand was steady now, carefully avoiding all sensitive areas.
But it was no use; every time he wiped, it brought a series of uncontrollable tremors.
Fu Yue felt like he was going crazy.
Was this torture, or some kind of bizarre “benefit”?
Suddenly, Fu Yue felt Jiang Ying’s arm wrap around his waist, flipping him over with a steady force.
The moment his back was exposed to the air, a hidden sense of tension rose.
Jiang Ying felt Fu Yue’s resistance and stopped.
“…Is there an injury on the back?” his voice was a few shades lower than before.
“There shouldn’t be.” Fu Yue tensed his body.
Jiang Ying was silent for a moment before withdrawing his hand.
“Since you’re unwilling, I won’t wipe it.”
The next second, Jiang Ying pulled him back and sat him upright.
This posture caused Fu Yue’s back to once again press against his chest. The cool body temperature passed through the fabric, enveloping him in both comfort and a sense of security.
Fu Yue couldn’t stand this ambiguous state.
Leaning in Jiang Ying’s embrace, he used all the strength in his body to ask the question circling in his heart:
“Jiang Ying… are you really here to save me? Or are you here to…”
Jiang Ying was slightly irritated by the words, his brow twitching as he prepared to speak.
Rustle, rustle, rustle…
Outside the cave, the sound of footsteps on wet, fallen leaves rang out. It was especially clear in the quiet night.
Someone was coming!
It was a rescue!
Fu Yue reflexively wanted to call for help, but Jiang Ying’s reaction was faster than his thought.
A hand clamped over Fu Yue’s mouth like lightning, stifling all the sound he was about to make.
Simultaneously, with a soft click.
The only light source in the cave—the waterproof flashlight—was decisively switched off by Jiang Ying’s other hand.
The cave instantly plunged back into darkness.
Fu Yue began to struggle instinctively, making “mmph” sounds in his throat.
He didn’t understand—if Jiang Ying wasn’t here to kill him, why was he stopping him from calling for help?
Jiang Ying was originally larger than him, not to mention Fu Yue was now powerless.
The bit of struggle was useless.
Jiang Ying used his body to pin him down completely.
Fu Yue was entirely imprisoned, without a shred of room left.
“The people outside are of unknown origin. If you want to live, shut up!”
Jiang Ying’s voice was pressed extremely low, as if sliding against his eardrum.
After saying this, he pinched Fu Yue’s chest as a warning.
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