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墨書 Inktalez
Gu Ze enjoyed the confrontation, while Xu Nuan was seething with anger, wishing she could breathe fire and burn the person in front of her to ashes, followed by a strong wind to blow away every last remnant.
As much as she thought about it, Xu Nuan knew this was reality.
"Let go!"
"I won't let go~"
What was with that teasing tone?
Xu Nuan looked at Gu Ze as if he were an alien. Perhaps her disdain was too obvious, as Gu Ze reluctantly loosened the rope first.
With that bit of banter, Xu Nuan lost her desire to climb the tree and pick bananas; they might as well starve together.
However, Xu Nuan was troubled as she stared at the hook hanging from the tree, wondering how to get that rope down.
"Just forget it."
Gu Ze stood calmly to the side.
"How do you know what I'm thinking?"
Xu Nuan blurted out, then felt frustrated when she realized she had asked the same question to Tang Jingshu. If Gu Ze's answer was the same as Tang Jingshu's, she really should start questioning herself.
"Well," Gu Ze didn't answer directly but rubbed his chin and looked Xu Nuan up and down. Just as he was about to make her lose her temper, he leisurely said, "I guess I have mind-reading abilities."
Xu Nuan fell silent for three seconds before she couldn't hold back any longer and flung the rope in her hand at Gu Ze.
"Don't say such ridiculous things so seriously!"
Xu Nuan, who rarely lost her temper, had completely forgotten what it meant to be angry after meeting Gu Ze. However, she didn't realize that the frustrations she once felt had already dissipated.
The surroundings were now pitch black, and the beam of light from the flashlight in Xu Nuan and Gu Ze's hands was like a droplet falling into the ocean. Gu Ze spoke again.
"Come on, I'll take you to see something interesting first, then we can head back to the camp."
"Is it food?"
Xu Nuan had given up on the rope; with such low visibility, she could hardly see anything anyway. It wasn't worth the effort anymore—she could wait until morning.
"Is that all you think about—food?"
Gu Ze laughed joyfully and extended a hand, as if inviting Xu Nuan to take hold of it.
At that moment, Xu Nuan did need some help. However, seeing Gu Ze's mischievous expression made her feel a bit reluctant. After a moment's thought, she pulled out the short knife from her waist, unsheathed it and then resheathed it before handing the sheath to Gu Ze while holding onto the other end herself.
Gu Ze's astonishment brought delight to Xu Nuan, and she felt in good spirits as they made their way back.
"I don't eat nearly as much as someone else does. Tsk tsk, is it true that men are just bottomless pits?"
Gu Ze was momentarily speechless. After walking a bit further with Xu Nuan, she finally found her retort.
"I really don't know who devoured most of that roast duck last time. You should know that duck was twice the size of an ordinary one."
Xu Nuan certainly remembered which roast duck Gu Ze was referring to. She had just recovered from an illness at that time and had been so hungry that she couldn't resist eating so much, especially since Gu Ze's cooking was truly excellent. Hmph! It was just that men ate more than her!
Xu Nuan's eyes darted around, but she remained unhurried.
"I just don't want to waste food."
"Haha."
Gu Ze's light chuckle turned into a hearty laugh. Xu Nuan, walking behind him, couldn't see his expression but could easily guess it. She immediately began grinding her teeth in frustration, and if Gu Ze had turned around at that moment, he would have seen the look on Xu Nuan's face that suggested she was ready to bite him.
For Gu Ze, whether Xu Nuan biting him was a good thing or a bad thing remained uncertain.
Xu Nuan had no idea how Gu Ze navigated through the darkness, but as they twisted and turned along the path, they eventually arrived at a wide-open area. The sound of the waves growing closer indicated to Xu Nuan that they were nearing the shore.
"Don't tell me that the so-called good thing is just the seaside view under the night sky?"
From Xu Nuan's expression, if Gu Ze nodded—though it was too dark for her to see clearly—if he answered with a 'yes,' she would be ready to rush over and bite him.
Gu Ze's mood had been consistently good; this kind of playful banter was a rare luxury in this game.
"If you want this kind of romance, you can try it later. But with your night vision, can you even see the seaside view?"
Teasing Xu Nuan made his mood even better.
"You really enjoy provoking people, don't you?"
Having reached a point where she was at a loss for words, Xu Nuan chose to take a step back; being wise in handling situations was one of her strengths.
"But I haven't seen you provoke Xu Hang and the others like this before."
In the darkness, a few ambiguous chuckles from Gu Ze echoed, but he showed no intention of elaborating. Xu Nuan attributed it to one of Gu Ze's quirks and chose not to press further.
When Xu Nuan could finally make out the breathtaking sea view, her attention was drawn to a boat lying tightly on the beach.
"What is this?" Xu Nuan loosened her grip on the scabbard and ran a few steps closer to examine the boat.
"Could this be left behind by the previous Player?"
"It should be."
Gu Ze strolled over leisurely, noticing Xu Nuan's eager yet frustrated expression as she struggled to see better in the dim light. He spoke up.
"I checked it during the day; the hull is intact. It can be launched right away, but there’s no fuel or oars."
"That's fine," Xu Nuan's mood brightened instantly as she waved her hand dismissively. "We can just chop down a tree and make our own."
Gu Ze fell silent.
It took a while for the excited Xu Nuan to realize that she had stopped shining her flashlight on the boat and was now awkwardly gazing at the sea surface, which appeared dark and indistinct even to her current vision.
Silence spread between them, with the sound of waves continuously crashing nearby.
After a long pause, Gu Ze finally spoke.
"You seem certain they won't come back."
"That's why your face looked so grim when the decision was made," Gu Ze said quickly.
"It wasn't certainty," He Min explained for the first time, though the words had rolled around in her mind several times.
"It was just a precaution. I trust my companions, but in this game, we often encounter situations that leave us no choice."
No choice. He Min cared so much for Yu Hao, yet she managed to pull herself together. Sometimes Xu Nuan found herself lost in thought, wondering whether it was better for He Min to be immersed in sadness, honoring Yu Hao and their relationship, or to temporarily forget her sorrow and charge forward without hesitation.
More often than not, she feared making a decision that would haunt her for a lifetime.
Despite that, she usually tried hard to refrain from making any decisions.
"I know," Gu Ze's tone became light again. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have chosen to stay."
At this, Xu Nuan merely relaxed her lips into a small smile, not elaborating further. She was just as puzzled about why she chose to stay.
Since she was confused, there was nothing more to say.
"Now that what upset you has been resolved, it's time to head back, right?"
Gu Ze's words carried a sense of helplessness mixed with amusement.
Xu Nuan was taken aback for a moment. Did Gu Ze come out to find her because he thought she was unhappy with the decision made earlier?
Yes and no.
Xu Nuan didn't know how to explain it; she simply walked over to Gu Ze's side, grasped the hilt of the sword again, and followed him back to the Campsite.
When they returned to the campsite, Xu Nuan was met with Tang Jingshu's concerned gaze and Deng Yinyin's dissatisfied look.
Not wanting to explain, Xu Nuan pushed Gu Ze aside; after all, he was quite the smooth talker.
After wandering outside for so long, Xu Nuan didn't feel hungry but rather exhausted, and she quickly fell asleep.
She slept soundly until morning.
When she woke up, Deng Yinyin and Tang Jingshu were still asleep, while Gu Ze was busy roasting Azure Bananas over the fire.
Xu Nuan sat on a tree stump and watched Gu Ze for a moment. Pouting slightly, she thought for a while before slowly reaching for her backpack to take out some bandages and ointment.
After some hesitation, Xu Nuan finally walked over and sat down next to Gu Ze.
"Awake? Do you want to eat something first?"
In the beautiful morning light, Gu Ze's expression was gentle. The distant sound of waves and seagulls felt like music, and even the crackling of the fire was no longer harsh.
"Bandage."
Xu Nuan raised the items in her hand, keeping it brief, though it was hard to ignore the redness in her earlobes.
Gu Ze held a dark banana in his hand, his eyes wide with surprise as he looked at her.
This made Xu Nuan question whether she had been failing at social interactions. She had simply noticed that the other two were still asleep and that the person who usually bandaged him had gone out to sea. Did she really need to explain herself?
"Then I’ll just thank you in advance."
Gu Ze's surprise came quickly and left just as fast.
Throughout the entire bandaging process, Gu Ze wore a smile, looking as if he were basking in the spring breeze.
In contrast, Xu Nuan furrowed her brows the whole time, concerned not only about the gruesome wound on Gu Ze's abdomen but also about the blood that continued to seep out. In just a short while, Gu Ze had already lost an alarming amount of blood, yet he acted as if nothing were wrong.
Xu Nuan felt a surge of indignation towards Gu Ze, but she refrained from expressing it. Her hands moved gently, careful not to hurt him. To make her movements even lighter, she practically nestled herself into Gu Ze's embrace.
Warm breaths brushed against her, and even though her face felt like it was on fire, Xu Nuan adhered to the principle of being kind-hearted and persistently continued to bandage Gu Ze.
The forest seemed to be filled with unfamiliar birds, their varied calls rising and falling like a cheerful melody. A gentle breeze swept through, bringing a refreshing coolness along with a touch of softness.
Gu Ze tilted his head slightly back and broke into a broad smile towards the sky. After a moment, he lowered his gaze to look at the woman who was all talk and no action. When he felt a burning stare upon him, Gu Ze looked up and saw Tang Jingshu, who had just sat up in surprise, staring at them.
Tang Jingshu's expression revealed too much—everything that Gu Ze did not want to see.
He smiled at Tang Jingshu, a smile that held secrets known only to them. Tang Jingshu quickly averted her gaze and lay back down, pretending to sleep as if she hadn’t seen anything.
Meanwhile, Xu Nuan remained oblivious to this exchange; her mind was occupied with silently criticizing Gu Ze while also lamenting the game they were playing.
It was a beautiful morning.
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