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墨書 Inktalez
The two of them stared at each other seriously for more than ten seconds, the scorched earth and the disheveled bushes nearby failing to affect them. At that moment, they had forgotten what was most important.
Xu Nuan couldn't endure such a gaze for even a minute. With a heart full of thoughts, she spoke first, repeating her question.
"What is it?"
Those details she could have ignored began to surface in her mind. She pondered what Gu Ze had noticed and which points he deemed particularly important to bring up at this time. Just not long ago, Gu Ze had thrown a fit because Xu Hang had been hurt; how was it that after the explosion, Gu Ze seemed even more composed?
"I want to discuss something with you," Gu Ze deliberately paused, watching as Xu Nuan's brows instinctively lifted and the corners of her eyes twitched. He slowly curved his lips and spoke deliberately, "About how you address me."
Xu Nuan was taken aback, feeling as if cold water had been splashed on her. The tension that had built up within her deflated like a punctured balloon.
Seizing the moment while Xu Nuan was stunned, Gu Ze quickly explained.
"Think about our relationship; you either call me by my full name or don’t address me at all. I've long since called you Nuan; it's time for you to come up with a better way to address me."
Seeing Xu Nuan's face darkening slowly, Gu Ze opted to replace the word 'intimate' with 'better.'
"Are you my kindergarten friend?"
Coming back to her senses, Xu Nuan glared at Gu Ze.
"What you call someone isn't important."
With that, Xu Nuan held her breath and walked ahead quickly, seemingly unwilling to acknowledge Gu Ze any longer.
Gu Ze shrugged; he knew Xu Nuan wouldn't fall for that. He hurried after her.
"I was just joking! I saw you were really tense earlier and thought a little humor might lighten the mood."
"Sorry, but I don't think humor is one of your traits."
After being tense for so long and firmly believing that Gu Ze was intentionally changing the subject, Xu Nuan walked ahead without looking back. After walking for a while and realizing Gu Ze hadn't caught up, she felt even more frustrated and quickened her pace.
"Warm."
As she walked faster, Gu Ze called out to her.
"Another joke?"
Xu Nuan paused, confused, and turned to look at Gu Ze. At that moment, he was bathed in sunlight, a gentle glow casting a golden hue over him, making him appear soft yet resolute, a stark contrast to his previous fierce demeanor.
Because the sun was behind him, she couldn't see Gu Ze's expression clearly, but she could hear a hint of joy in his rising tone.
"You took the wrong path."
In that instant, Xu Nuan's heart fluttered. Although she had felt this way long ago, this time it was stronger and came without warning or reason.
After all, feelings often have no reason.
Xu Nuan tried to maintain her composure as she slowly walked back to Gu Ze's side. It was only when he started walking that she lowered her head and followed behind him.
They gradually moved away from the area affected by the explosion, and the scenery began to show some bleak greenery—low shrubs and resilient herbs sprawled on the ground, along with an increase in moss. Xu Nuan noticed they were distancing themselves from the Special Tree, and when she looked back, she realized they had come quite far.
Xu Hang and the others had managed to cover such distance in a short time. Calculating the time, it meant that as soon as she and Gu Ze left, they had begun their actions.
What an astonishing coincidence!
Xu Nuan suppressed her inner doubts and turned her gaze towards the man beside her. Thinking about how they would soon encounter their companions, she hesitated for a moment before tugging at Gu Ze's shirt.
"What’s wrong?"
Gu Ze obediently stopped and looked down at her. Xu Nuan then realized that as long as she didn’t argue with Gu Ze, he would always treat her with this kind of indulgent attitude. Of course, during their arguments, it was usually him who backed down.
Although she knew very well that she had been unreasonable for a long time, it was only now that she reflected on her own coldness and felt a twinge of guilt. The thoughts in her mind eventually turned into a soft murmur.
"Ze."
The voice was almost inaudible, but she was sure Gu Ze heard it, as he suddenly reached out, pressing his hand on her shoulder and leaning in closer. The breath that met her made her face flush; no matter how many times this happened, she could only pretend to be calm on the surface while feeling nervous and flustered inside.
Naturally, she felt a mix of anticipation, shyness, and an indescribable unease. However, neither she nor Gu Ze managed to fulfill that anticipation. A sudden sound made Xu Nuan step back abruptly, only to be pulled back by Gu Ze, who wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
Such polite yet stiff words could only come from Xu Hang.
Xu Nuan looked up and saw Xu Hang staring at them with an expressionless face. Only upon closer inspection could she detect the embarrassment and teasing in his eyes.
Her face grew even hotter for some reason. Xu Nuan wanted to reach out and check her temperature but raised her hand halfway before quickly putting it down.
"I knew you wouldn't go down that easily."
Gu Ze tightened his hold around her waist, and Xu Nuan sensed his displeasure. However, that displeasure was fleeting. After all, at this moment, the safety of Xu Hang and the others was the priority, which is why Gu Ze merely responded with a light retort.
Beneath his outwardly gentle demeanor, he was actually cunning and domineering, sometimes even quite awkward. Xu Nuan sighed inwardly and looked seriously at Xu Hang.
"It's great that you guys are okay. But how did you know there would be an explosion?"
Then Xu Nuan voiced her own speculation.
"Was it those mechanical mice that exploded?"
The fleeting surprise on Xu Hang's face confirmed Xu Nuan's guess while deepening her suspicion about Liu Minghong, whom she hadn't seen since they parted ways. Suspicion aside, she would have to encounter him later to verify those doubts one by one.
"Indeed, those little guys exploded; you saw the power of it."
Xu Hang shifted slightly to indicate for Xu Nuan and Gu Ze to follow him.
"After you left, two people arrived. Thanks to their reminders, we managed to escape a disaster. However, you two were quite slow in getting here," Xu Hang said, seemingly recalling something. "You should have confirmed each other's safety before... trying to be alone as much as possible."
Xu Nuan, who was always praised for her intelligence, took a moment to process his words, while Gu Ze, who had already understood, remained calm.
"The hints you left were so inconspicuous that I didn't notice them at first."
Xu Nuan blinked, feeling a bit dizzy. Wasn't Gu Ze certain that Xu Hang and the others were safe because he had discovered the marks left by He Min and Yu Yu? Also, did Xu Hang leave any special marks?
She felt anxious about how she had become less attentive than before, missing these details. But she quickly became intrigued by what she had unconsciously blurted out.
"Did Chi Xiaoming and Yu Yu remind you?"
The number of people, the marks between He Min and Yu Yu, and the fact that they hadn't found Fan Beibei's body—all these were clues explaining the identities of the two who had arrived.
"That's right, those two."
Xu Hang didn't bother to criticize Gu Ze at that moment; instead, he led the way while explaining to them.
"As soon as you left, Chi Xiaoming and Yu Yu came looking for us. They warned us that the 'dead' Lemmings had bombs inside them that would detonate after a certain period. Since we couldn't determine how much time had passed, we left immediately."
"The blast radius of the bombs was too wide. To avoid collateral damage, we took a longer route to reach a safe distance and then waited for you to find us."
Xu Hang succinctly explained the sequence of events in his usual straightforward manner.
Now that everything was clear and they knew not to touch those mechanical mice with deadly traps, it was time to address other matters.
Listening to Xu Hang's explanation, they realized that the place they chose was both remote and safe. Moreover, there was a shortcut leading to the Special Tree, so it would take some time to get there.
Xu Nuan made good use of this time to inquire about what she wanted to know.
"What is Chi Xiaoming's attitude towards Fan Beibei?"
Xu Nuan believed in the saying that there are no coincidences in this world, only countless random events that form a necessity. Each person's choices ultimately converge to shape the outcome of a situation. The departure of Chi Xiaoming and Yu Yu was certainly not a coincidence.
This was not only Xu Nuan's confusion but also Gu Ze's, and naturally, it was a question that Xu Hang, as the captain, would ponder seriously. He had been observing closely at the time.
"It's quite urgent. According to Yu Yu's explanation, Fan Beibei has been in a state of alternating clarity and madness since that Survival Game incident. They couldn't find a relevant doctor, so they had to take Fan Beibei with them. Although Fan Beibei caused some trouble along the way, they managed to resolve everything well. Throughout this phase, Fan Beibei hasn't been clear-headed for several instances and eventually even ran off."
"So, they didn't explain Fan Beibei's attack on you?"
Taking a mad person on the road is no easy task. Knowing Chi Xiaoming's attitude, Xu Nuan believed he wouldn't do such a thing. So was it out of kindness from the gentle Yu Yu?
Xu Nuan had always thought of Yu Yu as someone with heavy ulterior motives; that smiling face was merely a facade, and those polite words were just to lower people's guard. She was someone skilled at disguise yet could avoid leaving any incriminating evidence.
Xu Hang curled his lips slightly, his appreciative gaze landing on Gu Ze, who accepted it quite calmly.
"When Deng Yinyin didn't raise an issue about this matter, Yu Yu hurriedly reminded us that Fan Beibei tends to attack those around her when she's out of her mind. However, judging by Chi Xiaoming's expression, it doesn't seem to be the case. Yet Chi Xiaoming didn't refute Yu Yu and didn't seem to care much about Fan Beibei."
"I see."
Xu Nuan blinked; she realized she needed to pay serious attention to this smiling tiger, Yu Yu. Someone capable of handling matters so flawlessly might have motives beyond just the Billion Dollar Prize.
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