CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: SOMEONE CLIMBS INTO BED AT MIDNIGHT

Nan slightly tilted her face upward, gently tightening her grip around Wen Shu’s hand.

The cool edge of her ear brushed across her palm. Wen Shu curled her fingers slightly, looking into his earnest gaze. He felt fragile and cold, like a piece of white porcelain that could shatter with the slightest touch.

So Nan had been abandoned before, no wonder he was so sensitive.

However, given his current situation, she couldn’t just leave him alone.

As for his promise to stay by her side forever...

Perhaps he thought she was his sole beacon of hope amidst despair, leading to this illusion of wanting to stay with her.

She couldn’t bring herself to respond...

She opened her mouth to refuse, but as she lowered her head slightly and met those glistening eyes, she couldn’t voice the cold, harsh words.

Seeing her silence, Nan nervously tightened his grip, deep disappointment showing in his eyes.

But it seemed he didn’t want to make Wen Shu uncomfortable, so he lowered his gaze to hide his expression, pulled a forced smile, and tried to say something. Yet tears silently welled up at the corners of his eyes, "Female—"

His voice was hoarse, choked up into silence just as he started.

Wen Shu’s breath hitched, feeling as though her heartstrings were being pulled by invisible threads. Instinctively, she returned the warmth of his hand, sighing softly, "Alright, if after I heal your face, you’re still willing, then stay by my side."

Once spoken, the entire cave fell silent for a few seconds.

Nan’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief, "Really? Ashu, did you really agree?"

"Mm." Wen Shu replied softly, but Nan’s eyes reddened further, and tears that were about to fall now streamed down, wetting the pure white robe.

He suddenly stood up, hugging Wen Shu tightly in excitement, his arms trembling slightly, "Thank you for accepting me, Ashu..."

His damp breath brushed her ear, his voice low and gentle. Yet, in his warm, clean embrace, Wen Shu was momentarily stunned, her thoughts a bit scattered.

Wait.

Accept Nan?

She had a faint feeling that something was off, but since she had agreed to Nan always being by her side, did that mean she intended to accept him?

After thinking it over repeatedly, Wen Shu confused herself. By the time she gathered her thoughts again, she had already finished eating dinner under Nan’s gentle gaze.

Nan had made two whole bowls of meat, one beautifully grilled on a stone slab and the other a perfectly spiced boiled venison—so delicious it nearly made her bite her tongue off.

Finishing the last sip of hot broth, Wen Shu patted her round belly, leaned against the stone wall, feeling as full as she’d been since arriving in this book.

Seeing her satisfied expression, Nan couldn’t help but smile and, fearing she hadn’t had enough, handed her another few skewers of meat, "Would you like more?"

With more food in the stone bowl, Wen Shu immediately sat up straight. Nan’s cooking was so unbelievably good she was truly tempted, but she really couldn’t fit more!

"I want to," she glanced longingly, yet regretfully pushed it back, "but I can’t eat anymore."

She turned her head away, not wanting to look, and this demeanor seemed rather pitiful in Nan’s eyes.

His heart felt like it was struck by a soft arrow, and he stared blankly at Wen Shu, forgetting even to chew his food.

Noticing him eating slower and slower, Wen Shu stood up first. She had many tasks to complete; most importantly, she needed to increase her strength and prepare food for winter.

They had brought back a lot of venison yesterday, but if they didn’t preserve it quickly, it would spoil soon.

With that in mind, Wen Shu went to the kitchen, only to find it now packed with meat on the stone hooks. She tasted it and found that Nan had already seasoned everything.

It seems the Beastmen’s food preservation skills weren’t as backward as she thought, saving her a great deal of work.

With food no longer a pressing concern, she returned to the main cave to meditate, attempting to increase her spiritual power through superpower training.

To her surprise, it worked, albeit slowly, and pushing the spiritual limits easily led to fatigue.

She hadn’t been meditating long before she was so drowsy her eyes were blurry. She barely managed to cover herself with a blanket before falling into a deep sleep.

Without any zombie disturbances, she slept sweetly, but in her sleep, she suddenly felt someone murmuring by her ear.

The person was sorrowfully confiding, his rich, hoarse voice quite familiar.

Wen Shu didn’t sense any danger. Her tired brain was too lazy to think, so she turned over and plunged into sleep again.

But that voice annoyingly pursued her, sticking close to her ear, leaving a trail of hot breath.

Agitated, she covered her face, swatting at it as if it were a mosquito, but her wrist was suddenly clamped by a searing hot iron grip, firmly pinned above her head.

Soon after, a large hand encircled her waist, pulling her entirely into a hard male embrace, lips imprinting softly and salty against her mouth.

Wen Shu finally sensed something was wrong.

Her eyes flew open to find herself gazing into a pair of tear-streaked golden eyes. As she awoke, the male’s eyes quivered, and instead of releasing her, he kissed her even more fervently.

Wu Xuan’s chaotic kisses almost took her breath away. Annoyed, she pushed hard against him, but he only tightened his hold.

"Mmm—"

Biting, biting, even her lips were chapped!

Wen Shu wanted to stop him, but there was no opportunity. The anger bubbling within her made her bite back fiercely.

The taste of blood spread instantly. Wu Xuan winced at the pain, and Wen Shu took the chance to try to move away, only to see his golden eyes turning ever darker.

Before she could react, his hand clasped her nape, firmly settling her onto his lap, pressing her closer against him.

Barely catching her balance, her breath was stolen again. Wen Shu, now seated in Wu Xuan’s embrace, was utterly flustered, thinking of what she had just landed on!

Reacting faster than she could think, she drove her knee against Wu Xuan, while arching backward to prop herself up with an elbow, then kicked him off the bed with a solid blow to his shoulder.

"Huff—huff—"

Wen Shu panted heavily, grabbing a nearby flat, round stone pillar as a makeshift weapon, warily eyeing the male on the floor.

Wu Xuan was stunned from the kick. As he looked up, seeing Wen Shu armed and watching him with caution, he felt a sharp pain stab through his heart.

"Female..."

He clung to the bed edge, getting back up, his eyes misty with tears. Like possessed, he started removing the beast skin clothing on him,

Wen Shu was baffled by his actions, hurriedly grabbed his hands, bewildered and questioning, "Wu Xuan, you, what are you doing?"

Touched by her gentle hands, Wu Xuan’s eyelashes fluttered, a resolute gleam crossing his eyes, "Wen Shu, my female."

He tightened his grip around her hand, pressing it against his firm chest and slowly sliding it down, voice taut and trembling, "Female, would you try me?"

Feeling the rising heat beneath her palm, Wen Shu’s eyes widened in shock as she looked at Wu Xuan, seeing tears pooling in his reddened eyes, "Wu Xuan?"

Before she could understand what was going on, Wu Xuan’s broken voice resonated heavily, "If you really don’t like it, you can throw me away!"