Because I Cannot Hurt You

On the other side of the forest, Xinyi failed to wake up despite numerous attempts by Zhiyuan. He bent and checked her breathing. It was faint but slowing down. He had already stopped the bleeding from her wound on her temple.

Zhiyuan concluded that she was unconscious because of the bruise because he had already coughed out all the water from her lungs. The more time passed, the more anxious he got.

"Xinyi…" he rubbed her palm. A tear slid down from his eyes to her cheek. The roaring sound of the waterfall was drowning away his cry. There was no means of contact. His phone was already damaged and lost in the lake. It was getting dark too.

I have to find the way back to the camp at any cost!

He picked her in his arms and was about to head out when he heard some shuffling of the leaves and twigs. He narrowed his eyes. "Who is there?"

Two figures slowly stepped out of the trees and were shocked to see them. Zhiyuan blinked his eyes. It was an elderly man who came with a young girl in her teens. They held some buckets and fishing equipment in their hands.

The elder asked, "Who are you two?" As he took a look at their condition, he was stunned. "Oh dear. You two seem in trouble."

The young girl widened her eyes. "That woman is hurt!"

Carrying Xinyi, he quickly walked up to them and said, his voice laced in urgency and fear, "You are right. We are in trouble. Especially my wife," he panicked, "sh-she fell into the lake and she doesn't know how to swim. I brought her out, but she is not waking up at all. I coughed out the water. She is injured too. I-I-"

"Calm down young man," the elder said, "Don't panic. I understand you are afraid after seeing your wife hurt. Rest assured, she seems fine. Just unconscious. Why don't you come with us? We live in a small village just up ahead. You can rest there and our doctor will take a look at her."

Zhiyuan felt as if a huge burden was lifted. "There is a doctor? So-so Xinyi will be all fine right? She will wake up right?"

The girl nodded. "En! He is the best doctor in our village!" She proudly said.

Zhiyuan said, "Then let's not waste time! Please show me the way."

---

In the camp, Liang was pacing back and forth as the rescue team was still yet to arrive. 

"What the hell is wrong?"

He called. "Where is your team! Don't you know that our friends are in danger? We are losing precious time!"

The commander of the rescue ops team said, "Mr. Xu, we understand your situation. But we are being careful of the storm approaching."

"Huh? Storm? Wait. Isn't that two days later?"

"It was supposed to be, yes. But the weather data that we have now says that a sudden cyclone somewhere is preponing the storm to arrive two days earlier."

He froze.

"What!?" Now that he paid attention, he felt the winds were growing stronger and stronger every minute.

"Yes Mr. Xu. Even as we speak, heavy winds are blocking our way. We are doing our best to reach there on time."

"Don't just try! I want you right here. If the storm hits the forest, the threat will just increase to a thousand folds! It will become impossible to find them!"

The locals also came running at that time. "Storm! The storm will be here soon! We have to hurry and find your friends."

Liang pressed the space between his brows. "Listen Commander. I don't care how many units you deploy. Deploy them as much as you have but come here at any cost! I want my friends back in one piece, that's all I know!"

---

Caihong looked at Xiaosi, stunned. "What are you doing? Let me down!"

Xiaosi grimaced. "You think you can walk in this state?"

"I-I…"

"Alright," he put her down and started walking away.

Caihong was stunned. "Where are you going?"

He snickered. "Clearly, it seems that you enjoy being here. So be my guest. If we move with the pace you are walking, we should forget about the city life and settle here itself. What do you say?"

She gritted her teeth in annoyance. "You! I am hurt here and this is what you have to say to me!"

Xiaosi shrugged. "I don't wanna be stuck here for the rest of my life. Bye."

"You...you…" She pointed her finger at him tremblingly.

Xiaosi paused in his steps. "Oh by the way. If those goons wake up again, you are on your own. I am not gonna come and save you again. I am not a prince who saves a damsel in distress all the time."

"Damsel in distress?" She was dumbfounded. "I am your wife for God's sake! What is wrong with saving your wife!"

Xiaosi froze. He slowly turned and stared at her. He felt hazy, not because of the wound on his head but because of those words that she said.

This was the first time that she acknowledged herself as his wife. First time in seven years that he heard it from her. She hated his sight, she hated even his mention but the thing she hated the most was when people addressed her as Mrs. Zhu, Xiaosi's wife.

Caihong stiffened as she quickly realized it too and honestly, she was shocked by her own words. They came out of her mouth before she could realize it. 

What did I just say?

In a trance, the past memories came flashing in his mind. Those young college days, the happiness of that time when realized that he fell in love with Caihong and the pain of understanding how fruitless and one-sided his love was the very next moment.

Xiaosi felt disoriented for a moment before he forced himself not to think anymore of it. He walked up to her. She unconsciously straightened up.

"Your choice. Be stuck here or let me pick you up."