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墨書 Inktalez
"I confessed to Gu Ze!"
The speaker was Deng Yinyin, and the time was just as night fell over the land.
She and Xu Nuan were responsible for gathering firewood, while Gu Ze and a few other men set up the tent. The nights in the Gobi were much like those in the desert, with significant temperature differences between day and night. They all agreed that sleeping in a tent would be safer.
While picking up firewood, Xu Nuan paused at these words, looking up at Deng Yinyin with an unreadable expression, saying nothing.
What Deng Yinyin hated most was Xu Nuan's calm, almost indifferent gaze. It seemed as if she didn't care about anything around her, but when she lost control, she could be deadly. Yet it was precisely this kind of person who always attracted the attention of others. Her deceased close friend, Tang Jingshu, admired Xu Nuan even before they had officially met. Her future brother-in-law, Xu Hang, who often argued with Xu Nuan at first due to their differing opinions, now got along well with her. Most importantly, the man she liked always revolved around Xu Nuan and frequently lost his temper because of her.
All her frustrations stemmed from Xu Nuan.
She was furious at Xu Nuan's silence.
"What do you mean by not saying anything?"
Xu Nuan, who had intended to look away, raised her head again and looked seriously at Deng Yinyin, shaking her head.
"It means nothing. Confessing to someone you like is your own business; it has nothing to do with me."
"Are you implying that Gu Ze has definitely rejected me?"
Deng Yinyin's face turned pale, but her words relieved Xu Nuan.
From what she knew of Deng Yinyin, such a statement indicated that Gu Ze had indeed rejected her. As for why this thought made her feel lighter, she dared not ponder further.
"He rejected me, but he didn't reject my body."
Seeing Xu Nuan's stunned expression, Deng Yinyin unceremoniously reached out and rolled up her sleeves, revealing faint marks on her fair arms.
Upon seeing those marks, Xu Nuan was completely taken aback. The shock from Qin Yaojie's words earlier surged through her again, causing her heart to tremble. Two complex emotions intertwined within her, making it hard for Xu Nuan to steady herself. She thought she must have shown a strange expression; otherwise, Deng Yinyin standing across from her wouldn't look so smug.
"You know what this means. You can guess what would happen when I was with Gu Ze during the last round. You should understand that all men are the same. No matter how outstanding Gu Ze is, he is still an ordinary man. If you keep ignoring him, he won't cling to you and will accept other women."
As a woman herself, Deng Yinyin knew that dealing with emotions was often easier from a woman's perspective than from a man's. Although Gu Ze had once firmly rejected her, that didn't mean she couldn't disturb Xu Nuan's heart and drive a wedge between them, making Xu Nuan distance herself from Gu Ze. If such tactics failed, she could simply make Xu Nuan disappear from Gu Ze's sight.
A dangerous thought flashed through her mind as Deng Yinyin continued to smile triumphantly.
"If you truly still have feelings for your ex-boyfriend, then hold onto those feelings without wavering. Don't eat from one bowl while looking at another pot; if you're thinking about that man but refuse to let go of Gu Ze, then just be straightforward and reject him if you don't like him. Don't give him any hopes that might delay him."
This time, with the upper hand, Deng Yinyin spoke smoothly, her words flowing in long strings that sounded quite reasonable.
"We've been through so much together; we've faced both dangers and safe situations. If you really consider Gu Ze as a companion or teammate, then give him a chance. Don't let him hang on to someone who has feelings for other men; isn't that unfair to him?"
Deng Yinyin's calculations were spot on. After spending some time together, she felt she understood Xu Nuan quite well. Xu Nuan only showed emotional fluctuations because of her ex-boyfriend and remained unmoved by Gu Ze's pursuit. It was clear that Xu Nuan liked her ex-boyfriend more. Moreover, Xu Nuan had great self-control; when she turned cold, no one could stand it. As long as Xu Nuan ignored Gu Ze unilaterally, Deng Yinyin would have the opportunity to act.
Her words were sharp; any woman hearing them would likely make a suitable choice for the sake of their pride.
Yet despite her lengthy tirade, Xu Nuan simply stared at her calmly without saying a word.
"Are you mute? Speak up!"
Deng Yinyin was becoming increasingly impatient, dropping several pieces of firewood without even noticing.
Xu Nuan, greatly impacted by these words, had a fluctuating expression, even forgetting her previous claims about having the right to friendship with Deng Yinyin. It took her a while before she managed to speak in a hoarse voice.
"I... have nothing to say."
"Then you admit what I said is true. I hope you can follow my lead from now on; if that's the case, we can still be companions."
With that, Deng Yinyin smugly picked up a few more pieces of firewood and walked back.
Xu Nuan's gaze remained fixed on Deng Yinyin's fair arms, where the marks were glaringly obvious.
Suddenly, she dropped all the twigs she was holding and covered her chest with her hand, a look of pain flashing in her eyes.
She hadn't anticipated this situation. No, more accurately, she seemed to have underestimated Gu Ze's significance in her heart. Even when she knew Qin Yaojie was in trouble and that she needed to either progress quickly in the game or leave to uncover the truth behind her parents' deaths, she still found herself preoccupied with defining her relationship with Gu Ze.
Did Gu Ze really do such things?
Xu Nuan closed her eyes, feeling a mix of anger, unwillingness, and confusion within her.
Deng Yinyin wasn't entirely wrong; Gu Ze was a man. So regardless of what Gu Ze had done, did she really have the right to blame him? After all, she had rejected him, and he had other pursuits as well.
However, Xu Nuan clutched her clothes at her chest, her expression extremely grim. Why was she feeling this way? This matter shouldn't have anything to do with her, right? With her usual calm demeanor, she should have returned to the Campsite nonchalantly, started a fire, had a meal, rested, and then woken up the next day to continue her challenges. She would find Qin Yaojie to inquire about the truth while continuing to pursue the answers she sought.
But now, she had no desire to return to the Campsite; in fact, she wanted to leave this place altogether.
The promises of men were truly fragile.
After a bitter smile, she scoffed coldly, recalling her conversation with Gu Ze about promises outside the Supply Station before this challenge. She felt like a joke back then.
After the scoff, her expression darkened again as she squatted down and covered her face with her hands. She was alone; ultimately, she would always be alone.
Xu Nuan arrived at the Campsite long after Deng Yinyin had returned.
When she got there, Gu Ze was busy preparing dinner while Deng Yinyin sat beside him, adding firewood and whispering something. The night was hazy, and the light from the fire blurred Gu Ze's features. From her angle, Gu Ze looked gentle.
A sudden sharp pain pierced her heart like a needle, overwhelming and nearly causing her to faint. She had never imagined that Gu Ze's situation would affect her so deeply.
She had never thought she would feel sad because of Gu Ze.
"What's wrong with you?"
While Xu Nuan stood there in a daze, Xu Hang approached her and casually took the dry wood from her hands.
"Nothing."
Xu Nuan withdrew her gaze, shook her head, and smiled at Xu Hang before stepping into the tent designated for the girls.
"I'm feeling a bit unwell; I need to rest for a while."
With that, Xu Nuan avoided looking at Xu Hang's expression and pretended not to hear Gu Ze calling from beside the fire. She hurried into the tent, and as she pulled down the flap, she thought she heard Deng Yinyin praising Gu Ze for his excellent skills.
Curling herself up in the blanket, Xu Nuan tightly closed her eyes. However, Deng Yinyin's pale arms and the marks on them kept flashing before her eyes. After a moment, the mark left by Qin Yaojie resurfaced in her mind, occasionally replaced by the bloody remnants of limbs from the Gobi.
She felt groggy and realized that after a whole day, her spirit was somewhat drained, and her heart felt heavy.
Did she really have to follow Deng Yinyin's advice and distance herself from Gu Ze, treating him as just a simple companion? But there was no way to avoid it; after all, Gu Ze and Deng Yinyin already had that kind of relationship. She had to respect Gu Ze's choice, didn't she?
Yet, she and Gu Ze were still allies; they had agreed to uncover the secrets of this game together. Gu Ze had promised to help her find the murderer of her parents, and she had agreed to assist him in dismantling this game.
Xu Nuan recalled that Gu Ze was no longer her ally but had become her pursuer. Now that Gu Ze was no longer her pursuer, their agreement had fallen apart.
Suddenly, she realized that Gu Ze had been deceiving her; that gentle face concealed his ill intentions. A man's promises were unreliable; more accurately, one should never trust a man.
Dazed, Xu Nuan turned over and reached up to touch her face, only to find her palm damp.
"I... cried?"
Xu Nuan murmured in disbelief, unable to comprehend that she would shed tears over such matters.
"It must be an illusion."
She hurriedly wiped away the tears on her face, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed. In the end, Xu Nuan helplessly buried her face in the blanket and cried softly.
She dared not cry too loudly, fearing it would attract the attention of those outside. She especially did not want to see Deng Yinyin's smug expression or Gu Ze's feigned concern.
"What should I do?"
"What do I really want?"
Xu Nuan even began to doubt her reasons for continuing to push through. As her heart ached, her mind also started to throb. The back of her head and the area near her temples pulsed with pain. That kind of pain made her want to smash her head open, to stop thinking altogether.
Just as she was engulfed in despair, she heard screams from outside the tent.
"Ah, there are so many vultures!"
"It's dangerous! Hurry and get inside the tent!"
Xu Nuan hastily wiped her face and, holding her head, stood up to see what was happening when the tent she was in was suddenly flung open with great force.
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