'Am I really going to freeze to death like this?'
Wen Rou curled up in the corner of the bed, shivering all over, yet unable to speak and remind Mu Jinyu to call for emergency services. She thought somewhat despairingly.
"Chatter chatter chatter…"
"Hm?!"
In his slumber, Mu Jinyu heard the sound of Wen Rou's teeth chattering incessantly. Half-awake, he didn't pay it much attention at first, thinking it was a rat scavenging for food.
But then, he suddenly remembered that he was not in the bamboo house on Yinlong Mountain, but at Wen Rou's residence. He jolted fully awake immediately.
Sitting up, Mu Jinyu activated his Profound Skill and focused it in his eyes, making the dark room instantly bright before his eyes.
There was no rat to be seen.
Mu Jinyu saw Wen Rou huddled into a ball in the corner of the bed, quivering with a pale, deathly white face—it was the picture of someone who, after falling into an icy lake in winter and being rescued, still couldn't shake off the penetrating cold.
She urgently needed warmth to drive away the chill.
"Damn it, didn't I remind her not to apply too much?"
Seeing this, Mu Jinyu raised a hand to his forehead, dumbfounded.
But saving her was a priority. Without further ado, for any further delay could lead to Wen Rou being frozen alive.
Mu Jinyu got up from where he lay on the floor, leapt onto the bed, and pulled Wen Rou, whose face was already turning a bit purplish from the cold, into his arms.
Then, he began to operate his Profound Skill, causing his body to heat up and help drive away Wen Rou's cold.
With her consciousness already in a haze, Wen Rou, pulled into Mu Jinyu's arms, suddenly felt he was like a furnace—so warm, so comforting.
It made the icy chill in her body dissipate considerably, and she instinctively tightened her grip, unwilling to let go afterward.
While holding Wen Rou tightly with one hand, Mu Jinyu rapidly pressed acupoints on her body with his other hand to dispel the excess chill that had accumulated inside her.
Wen Rou had applied too much Cooling Ointment, and it took a good while before her condition somewhat improved.
Mu Jinyu silently rejoiced. It was a stroke of luck that he had gobbled down a piece of Thousand-year Ginseng that evening. Although it hadn't filled his stomach, the potency it provided was robust, allowing him to continuously emit medicinal power, transforming it into True Qi, to help rid Wen Rou of the cold.
About fifteen minutes passed.
Wen Rou's body, previously frozen stiff, gradually returned to a normal temperature, and she had long since fallen asleep leaning on Mu Jinyu's shoulder, clinging to him like a sloth to a tree.
Exhausted, Mu Jinyu intends to extricate himself from Wen Rou's hold and return to sleep on the floor, but she held on tightly, making it difficult to pull away. Overcome by sleepiness, he too fell into a deep sleep, still holding Wen Rou in his arms.
...
The next day.
Feeling slightly warm, Wen Rou murmured and opened her eyes.
As soon as she opened them, she realized that Mu Jinyu's handsome face was astonishingly close.
Wen Rou nearly screamed in fright.
But seeing Mu Jinyu deep in sleep, his brows furrowed with fatigue, she suddenly recalled some vague memories. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand to keep herself from screaming and waking him.
Wen Rou quietly lay in Mu Jinyu's arms, reflecting on the events of the previous night.
She had carelessly applied too much Cooling Ointment, almost resulting in her being frozen alive in the middle of the night.
Then, as her consciousness blurred, she felt vaguely as if she had been embraced by something like a huge furnace that drove away her cold, allowing her gradually to catch her breath again.
Seeing the scene this morning, Wen Rou didn't need to guess to know that yesterday, Jinyu must have realized something was wrong with her, then held her in his arms, using his body heat to warm her up and chase away her cold.
Jinyu, who held her, likely wasn't free from the chill either, but still, he didn't dare to let go, fearing that she might be harmed by the cold, which is why he was so exhausted.
As Wen Rou speculated, her eyes, watching Jinyu's clean and handsome face, unconsciously began to soften.
At that moment, Wen Rou suddenly felt as if she had found a support; her entire being became relaxed, and it seemed as if all her worries could be cast aside.
She also wanted to just quietly watch him like this, waiting for him to wake up…
But Jinyu was somewhat restless in his sleep, his hand moving slightly in response to his mumbles.
Wen Rou felt a bit uncomfortable, her face blushing as she hastily pushed Jinyu, who was still deep in his exhausted sleep, and whispered, "Little Mu, Little Mu, wake up now..."
"Hmm..."
Jinyu opened his eyes groggily, and the first thing he saw was Wen Rou's face, radiant like the twilight sky, and after being stunned for a moment, he murmured softly, "Wen Rou, what's up? Let me sleep a bit more, I'm so tired..."
"Little Mu, can you let go of me first?" Wen Rou's voice was soft and sweet as she held his arm, her words carrying a hint of pleading.
"Huh?!" Upon hearing this, Jinyu finally woke up fully, his eyes widening as he looked at the blushing cheeks before him.
He immediately released Wen Rou and jumped off the bed, saying repeatedly, "I'm sorry, Wen Rou. Last night you used too much medicinal paste and nearly froze to death. After I helped you dispel the cold, I didn't have much strength left and was too sleepy, so that happened..."
"It's okay." Wen Rou, pulling a thin blanket over her body, bowed her head slightly and shook it a bit, then said, "You go out and wash up first, and I'll change my clothes."
"Oh, alright."
Jinyu, pursing his lips and not daring to look at Wen Rou, immediately took the toothpaste, toothbrush, and cup she had bought for him yesterday and ran out.
After Jinyu finished washing up, he walked to the door and knocked gently, saying, "Wen Rou, have you changed yet?"
"Almost done," Wen Rou called out from inside the room.
At this time, several aunties living in the other rooms were also getting up to wash up, and seeing Jinyu standing in front of Wen Rou's door, they were first taken aback, then smiled and asked, "Is that Xiaorou's boyfriend?"
"Ah?!" Jinyu turned around to look at them, at a loss for words.
However, he was somewhat relieved inside, fortunate that they hadn't seen him come out earlier, or they might have caused some trouble for Wen Rou.
Seeing Jinyu's reaction, the aunties took it as his affirmation and were quite happy.
After all, Wen Rou had indeed led a very difficult life over the years, burdened with debts, and even though she was attractive, not many men dared to approach her, fearing they'd be dragged down.
Now that she finally had someone to rely on, they were naturally happy for her and cheerfully said, "Xiaorou finally has someone to rely on. You have to treat her well in the future, or the aunties won't let you off easily!"
"Err, I understand..." Jinyu replied helplessly.
"Clang!"
At that moment, Wen Rou also opened the door, and seeing Jinyu chatting with the aunties, her pretty face couldn't help but blush again. However, for some reason, she did not refute them and instead greeted them before going to wash up.
The aunties weren't that idle either and soon scattered, going off to work.
After Wen Rou finished washing up and returned to the room, she said to Jinyu, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, "Let's go; we'll eat breakfast."
"Mm," Jinyu looked up at Wen Rou and answered softly.
Wen Rou was wearing a loose white short-sleeve shirt today, a pair of washed-out jeans, and a slightly worn pair of canvas shoes.
She still didn't wear any makeup, her natural beauty showing, enchanting even without adornment. Her figure, hidden beneath the loose shirt, seemed unremarkable and ordinary.
But Jinyu knew, what lay beneath those simple clothes, was a treasure far beyond imagination.