Whose match?
This completely dispelled Kim Hee-ro's idea of escaping. She followed the calico cat, and the cat and she walked through the forest together.
Kim Hee-ro followed the calico cat all the way. When she realized that she seemed to have run out of the sacred mountain and wanted to stop, she found that her feet were completely out of her control and she could not stop.
But when she looked down to seek help from Sanhua, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak.
The red ants that had only existed in her imagination and crawled on her legs had become a reality. Their translucent abdomens shimmered in the sunlight, their brownish-red hard shells glistening, and their glossy flagella brushed against the soles of her legs. The ants' long antennae seemed to be conveying some kind of message to each other, and finally, dozens of pairs of ant eyes as bright as obsidian looked at her at once.
"Shh-"
Kim Hee-ro stopped looking at the ants and looked up. Her breath caught in her throat, and she stared ahead for a long time without blinking. Her eyes gradually lost their luster, and she kept digging her nails into her palms.
She was certain she had never been here before. It turned out that the deepest part of the sacred mountain was not a towering tree, but a calm river covered with green algae. Since there were no big trees around, there was no shade to block the view.
The sunlight shone directly on the river, seemingly weaving a complete circle with air and sunlight, covering the area centered on the green algae river and isolating it from everything outside.
Kim Hee-roo seemed to have become like a rotten apple tree by the roadside, being climbed and sucked by ants, silently watching the white-haired man approach the Green Algae River step by step. The sunlight shone on him, but there was no wind and no shadow.
The sun was shining brightly, and for a moment, its warm light shone through Kim Hee-ro's body.
She looked up, and the half-hidden spring scenery could no longer be hidden. The man she was looking for hadn't gone anywhere; he stood in front of her, having taken off his outer clothes, revealing his smooth upper body. He stepped barefoot into the river water, the temperature of which was unknown. He raised his thin eyelids and gently swept his gaze over the spot where she was hiding, his cold and serious expression unchanged.
The two were locked in an unspoken standoff. After a moment, Jiang Yilin looked away, lowered his eyes, and closed them as if he were starving. His body seemed to float in the water without any foothold, and he gradually sank into the water. When he clenched his fist and surfaced from the water and opened his eyes again, Jin Xilu had a bloody gash in her heart, and nausea rushed to her head.
Because she saw Jiang Yilin, whose face was as pale as paper, stand firmly in the water. His hands were submerged in the murky river water with floating sand. He shook his arms and stirred his wrists, and soon the originally calm river surface was swept by waves.
The shimmering green river water was stained red by what he had just pulled out of the water; the thing was covered in a viscous liquid and had a pungent, fishy smell.
Until he emerged from the water with an unchanging expression, the object was lifted to his chin, and he closed his eyes and decisively opened his mouth to bite down.
Jiang Yilin was eating something, raw, bloody meat.
Such a scene shocked Jin Xilu's mind, immediately reminding her of the time when Jiang Yilin had mysteriously told her about Jiang Lianyin eating flowers and swallowing soil in the stairwell in the middle of the night.
Jiang Yilin, Jiang Lianyin.
Jiang Lianyin, Jiang Yilin.
Father and son stood shoulder to shoulder, their similar phoenix eyes captivating the heart. Only a fleeting glance could distinguish them. Their half-smiling lips created a sense of intimacy, a moment that often stirred the heart and made people's love for them tremble and grow little by little.
But now, her back was soaked with cold sweat, and all she felt in her heart was endless regret and a faint, anxious anticipation.
She still wanted to believe in Jiang Yilin. Even if they were very similar, Jiang Yilin would never become a scumbag like Jiang Lianyin, right?
No one responded to Kim Hee-ro's question.
Is all of this real?
When they stood together, almost everyone praised the resemblance between the father and son, saying that they would surely be able to expand and strengthen the Jiang family business in the future.
However, what everyone thought did not come true. The father and son now warned each other with the hatred of biting each other's necks with venomous fangs, not to come to their territory.
The questions in Jin Xilu's heart were screaming wildly, as if they were about to burst out of her body. She was no longer herself; she had become a madwoman who subconsciously wanted to cover up and defend Jiang Yilin, until she could find an unrealistic reason for his strange behavior to cover up the unease and confusion in her heart.
Can she still be herself?
The sunlight overhead felt incredibly heavy, pressing down on her so much that she couldn't lift her head. Dejected, she crouched in place, afraid to go any closer. She didn't know where to go. That feeling of ants crawling up from the soles of her feet washed over her again. She sensed that someone was watching her.
Just then, she was bitten by an ant and looked up in surprise. Her dark eyes, which had been hidden in the shadows, lit up. Jin Xilu and Jiang Yilin met eyes across the willow trees on the riverbank. It was Jiang Yilin; she hadn't mistaken him. The bloodstains at the corner of his mouth hadn't dried yet, and his white teeth were showing in a greedy smile.
The dizziness and nausea returned to Jin Xilu. She couldn't vomit anything, only Jiang Yilin's cold face kept flashing through her mind. She vaguely felt someone catch her before she lost consciousness.
"You're awake."
When Jin Xilu woke up, it was already dark. Lying in bed, she could only see darkness outside the window. The voices came from behind the pinkish-green glass lamp by the bedside.
She ignored him, so the man had no choice but to stand up and draw the curtains. Jiang Yilin, still dressed in very thin clothes, walked silently. After the curtains were drawn, the room became completely quiet, with only him and her inside.
Jiang Yilin's slender white hands remained firmly on the curtains, his upper body arched, revealing half of his lean waist. His abdomen was taut and still very white, without a single stain. His fingers gripped the dark gray curtains tightly as he turned and stared intently at Jin Xilu, who was somewhat dazed on the bed.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Did you switch careers to cleaning windows?" Kim Hee-ro looked at his still cold face, and felt like she would choke on any more words she said, so she couldn't help but retort.
Hearing this, Jiang Yilin breathed a sigh of relief, gently brushed aside the curtains beside him, and walked closer to her. His steps were small, and his demeanor was impeccable, showing no sign of anything amiss. In fact, there was even more of a smile in his eyes than before. Jin Xilu simply watched his every move. Even though she didn't want to admit it, he was truly too handsome. Such a person could lie without batting an eye, a talent that others could only envy.
"......you."
"You." Their words collided. Jin Xilu shut her mouth and lowered her eyes to stare at the pattern on the quilt. It was the same quilt she had covered him with last night. Under the quilt, she clenched her hands, but she still couldn't ignore the calm-faced man under the lamp. "You go first."
"Okay, are you feeling better now?" Jiang Yilin said as he picked up a water glass from the bedside table and handed it to her. His tone was flat, as if he really just wanted to hear a yes or no.
"You brought me back."
How did you find me?
"Why did you bring me back?" Kim Hee-ro didn't answer his question. Unlike his calm and aloof demeanor, she didn't seem so dignified and elegant. She was anxious and eager for answers to pop out like an information box being opened.
He reached out and pressed his hand, slightly cooler than her body temperature, against her forehead, calming her down as she became agitated. The metallic taste of blood was gone as Jiang Yilin's tongue brushed against his lower teeth. He looked into her clear, innocent eyes and waited until her breathing gradually calmed down before speaking, "Xi Lu, you had a nightmare."
"Heh." Jin Xilu turned her head away from Jiang Yilin's hand that was trying to touch her, but as soon as she dodged one of his hands, Jiang Yilin's other hand climbed onto her shoulder and controlled her body. She had no choice but to sit back up, raise her chin, and look directly at him.
Have you forgotten?
Jin Xilu felt completely unfamiliar with him, but she couldn't move and could only stare at him with her dry, red eyes. She shook her head, hoping in her heart that he wouldn't disappoint her. She didn't want that in this short time since she came back, all they could remember about each other was their arguing faces.
Jiang Yilin briefly withdrew his hand from her forehead, then gently flicked her forehead again, his tone the gentlest he had spoken in the past few days: "How old are you? You can't even eat three meals a day properly and you dared to sneak up the mountain with me. As a result, you were bitten by a poisonous snake, hallucinated, and fainted under a tree. Luckily, I found you in time and brought you back."
Whenever food is mentioned, Kim Hee-ro's mind conjures up the image of Jiang Yi-lin greedily devouring raw meat. She nervously clutches the blanket, shrinks into a corner of the bed, and can't help but feel like vomiting.
"It's alright, it's alright. I already did some emergency treatment when I found you and sucked out the poison. You just need to rest well now, and you'll be back to normal in a few days."
Jiang Yilin held Jin Xilu's shoulders, which were exposed outside the blanket, with both hands. He sighed more than once that he felt sorry for Jin Xilu because she was so thin now. His fingertips lingered on her prominent collarbone, and he couldn't help but only dare to caress her clothes a few times.
Jin Xilu ignored him, her tightly closed eyes revealing her unease. She couldn't erase the image of Jiang Yilin's bloodshot eyes from her mind. They remained in this stalemate for a few minutes. When she sensed that Jiang Yilin showed no intention of leaving, she opened her eyes and saw that he looked dazed.
Jiang Yilin didn't wear any extra accessories, but just by standing there, he was a naturally fragile work of art.
He was only wearing a basic gray long-sleeved shirt, leaning down to look at Kim Hee-ro. His tight breathing pounded against her. His bangs were a little too long, covering his eyebrows. He still had those eyes she loved most, like the brightest moon in the sky. One second they were beautiful and peaceful, but the next moment the scattered clouds gathered, the moonlight disappeared, and an evil and mysterious aura began from the moment he blinked, completely enveloping her without any breathability.
She only had eyes for him; everything else around him seemed superfluous.
"Did you retrieve the bag I was carrying yesterday?" Jin Xilu had had enough of this feeling. He was unwilling to say anything. She wanted to slowly pry open this swollen, burning blister in her heart.
Popping the blisters would definitely hurt a lot, but she had no choice but to do it. She didn't want to watch Jiang Yilin rot away in front of her.
Upon hearing Jin Xilu's voice, Jiang Yilin blinked again, as if trying hard to hear her indistinct voice. Then, she moved out of her somewhat uncomfortable position, raised her chin, nodded, and reluctantly pointed to the side: "Look, I definitely brought your things back for you."
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