Jiang Yue's wrist was a little sore from his grip.

The man seemed very tense, gripping her so tightly that she felt slightly suffocated. Every word he uttered sounded like it was being forced out, tinged with lingering fear.

Jiang Yue opened her mouth, intending to explain that she really wasn't trying to kill herself, but the word that came out was "pain."

She said softly, then emphasized again, "My hand hurts."

Zhou Ji maintained his cold expression, his fingers gripping hers seemed to tremble slightly. He took a deep breath, his heart pounding in his throat when he saw her rushing forward recklessly, before finally settling down heavily.

Even so, it was still like surviving a catastrophe.

His breathing paused for a beat.

He hadn't been thinking about anything; all he wanted was to pull the person into his arms.

Zhou Ji lifted her hand and looked at it. There were faint bruises on her wrist. He lowered his eyes and massaged her wrist without saying a word. He used very light force so as not to hurt her anymore.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Jiang Yue pursed her lips. "It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore."

When they returned, Zhou Ji refused to let her ride a horse again.

The journey was long, and Jiang Yue couldn't imagine that he would be so heartless and unreasonable. It would take at least half an hour to walk from the woods back to the main house of the manor.

"It's too far, I don't want to go."

"There are no horses to ride."

"We clearly have two horses."

"They'll be gone soon."

After Zhou Ji finished speaking, he cut off her escape route. He raised his whip and struck the horse's back, causing the horse to fly away in pain.

Jiang Yue had a lot to say about his barbaric behavior, but she was so angry that she was speechless and didn't know what to say.

Zhou Ji suddenly squatted down in front of her. "Get on, I'll carry you back."

Jiang Yue wasn't the kind of spoiled young lady who couldn't walk at all, but since Zhou Ji was the one who started this whole thing, she climbed onto his back without any guilt.

She was very light, and Zhou Ji didn't feel any burden when he carried her on his back.

Jiang Yue lay on his back, and could see his face clearly when she turned her head. He walked forward without saying a word, letting her look at him with unrestrained gaze.

Emerging from the woods, one finds oneself in a vast meadow.

Jiang Yue noticed the scratches on his neck from the tree branch, the bloody wounds exposed to the air. She gently touched them with her fingertips. "You must be in pain too."

The branches are sharp.

It's as sharp as a knife when scraping thin skin.

Zhou Ji paused for a moment, then continued walking forward as if nothing had happened: "It's alright, I didn't feel anything."

Jiang Yue knew that this was the scratch he had gotten while saving her. She didn't feel guilty, but rather a strange, inappropriate sense of satisfaction.

It's like this person is willing to do things for me, or because I'm hurt.

These appear to be some practical proof of love.

It's much more real than those empty promises.

Jiang Yue gently wrapped her arms around his neck, and suddenly kissed his cheek. There was no reason why; she just did it because she felt like it.

She said, "I'll apply the medicine for you when we get back."

Zhou Ji's voice was hoarse: "Okay."

Jiang Yue became more talkative: "Don't you feel tired?"

Zhou Ji said, "No."

The road ahead is long, and it's unknown when it will end.

Jiang Yue continued, preparing for the worst, "Even if you're tired, I won't get off. You drove my horse away, so now you're my horse."

Aside from his slightly off-key mood just now, Zhou Ji remained calm and composed throughout. He said, "It's up to you."

Jiang Yue gently buried her face in his hands. The closer she got to him, the more clearly she could smell his scent.

A cool, refreshing fragrance, like that of plants.

Feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Her face was still warm. She clenched her hands and curled them up. After a while, she gently pursed her lips. "Does everything have to be decided by me?"

Zhou Ji's profile was calm and collected. He hummed in agreement, "It's up to you."

Jiang Yue blinked. "Is it also an unreasonable request?"

Zhou Ji smiled and said, "Everything, all of it."

As long as she doesn't act like she did before.

He ran forward recklessly, and for a moment Zhou Ji felt that he was about to lose her.

She ran too fast, too fast.

Like a gust of wind that never turns back, an unrestrained wind, only concerned with moving forward, never looking back.

When Zhou Jigang grabbed her, he could barely breathe; he was afraid of losing her.

"I don't believe you, you're lying to me again."

"Tell me, what have I ever lied to you about?"

"You lied to me about the three-month cooling-off period for divorce."

Besides that, Jiang Yue really couldn't think of anything else.

Zhou Ji paused for a moment, realizing that this was indeed difficult to refute. "But you can't say anything else, can you?"

He said, "I'd be a dog if I'd lied to you about what I just said."

Jiang Yue lightly bit him, "You call yourself a puppy? You're clearly a wolfhound."

Zhou Ji thought about it carefully and said, "That works too."

Wolfhounds will hold their prey tightly in their jaws.

She was both the prey and the master.