Chapter 51: Wild Dodder (9)

“Hold onto me tightly.” The youth enveloped Bai Ling within his arms, shielding her from the rain with his own body.

His warmth lingered even amidst the icy downpour, providing some comfort on this cold night.

Without hesitation, Tong Ling wrapped her arms around the youth’s neck and curled up, wishing she could completely bury herself in his warm embrace.

Holding the delicate young lady, the boy found a corner to crouch in. He also grabbed a large leaf from the ground, placing it above Bai Ling’s head as protection. Raindrops pattered against the leaf, offering minimal defense against the chill wind but at least reducing the intensity of falling rain.

“Little Ling?” A few steps away, Fu Jingyan called out the young lady’s name, clearly trying to locate her in the darkness.

The twins’ eyes scanned everywhere as they shouted, “Elder Sister Bai? Are you okay?”

Seeing everyone search for Bai Ling, Xuan Yiqing joined in, calling, “Lingling? Lingling, where are you?”

She understood their urgency stemmed from concern for the young lady’s frail health, fearing something might happen to Bai Ling in such harsh weather conditions.

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, momentarily illuminating the pitch-black forest, revealing Bai Ling’s location to all present.

It was unclear when Zhu Zhan had picked up Bai Ling; her frail body now lay trembling in his arms, both their clothes drenched by the rain. The girl’s white dress clung transparently to her figure, and the intimate way they were huddled together struck everyone present as exceptionally jarring.

“Zhu Zhan, why didn’t you say anything before carrying Lingling away…” Xuan Yiqing inadvertently voiced her frustration aloud.

She hadn’t anticipated such assertiveness from Zhu Zhan, and moreover… his behavior towards Bai Ling seemed far too unusual! Normally, who would tightly protect someone like this under such circumstances? The excessive care he displayed clearly indicated something amiss.

“Does anyone have extra jackets? Bring two over,” Zhu Zhan said, gently touching Bai Ling’s arm with a frown. “Her body is freezing.”

The twins swiftly removed their jackets but, before handing them out, spoke simultaneously: “Zhu Zhan, put Elder Sister Bai down first, let’s all take care of her together.”

This marked the first time since their argument that the twins acted in unison, even echoing each other’s words.

Fu Jingyan approached them directly, extending his hand, “Give me Little Ling, I’ll look after her.”

“I’ve already said her body is too cold; mine can help warm her up,” Zhu Zhan replied firmly, showing no intention of letting go. He addressed the twins, “Are you giving me your jackets or not? If not, stop fussing.”

Seeing that Zhu Zhan was determined not to release his hold and knowing they couldn’t forcibly intervene in this situation, the twins reluctantly handed over their coats, temporarily allowing Zhu Zhan to care for Bai Ling.

Zhu Zhan tightly wrapped the received jackets around the young lady’s body and leaned down to ask, “How are you feeling?”

Tong Ling pressed her face against Zhu Zhan’s chest and responded weakly, “So cold.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhan hugged the young lady even closer.

Fu Jingyan clenched his fists and withdrew his hand, a sense of irritation akin to having something precious taken away chilling his gaze as he looked at Zhu Zhan.

Fu Jingyan was aware of Zhu Zhan’s intentions towards Bai Ling. Previously, considering the need for survival and unity within their team, he had strenuously suppressed his discontent, only keeping a close watch on Zhu Zhan privately without voicing his concerns. But now, Fu Jingyan realized that if things continued along this path, they would inevitably head towards the worst possible outcome.

Just as Bai Ling had said, she was incapable of resisting. With her fragile state, when someone forcefully held onto her, she simply could not break free.

He had to find a way to separate Bai Ling from these individuals.

Numerous chaotic and complex thoughts flashed through Fu Jingyan’s mind, but regardless of what he pondered, their immediate priority was enduring this icy rainstorm night.

Once the fierce wind and torrential downpour subsided slightly, allowing moonlight to penetrate through the clouds, Fu Jingyan began methodically assigning tasks to everyone.

“Take out all empty bottles and metal basins to collect rainwater,” Fu Jingyan said. “After filtering the water with charcoal, sand, and pebbles, we can boil it for safe drinking.” He continued, “Find ways to create more water storage containers and aim to accumulate as much water as possible during this rainy weather.”

In reality, activated carbon is most effective for purifying water quality, but producing activated carbon has high requirements. Until they found freshwater sources, they could only rely on this rudimentary method to obtain drinking water.

Being able to collect rainwater seemed to be the sole advantage of such weather conditions.

Xuan Yiqing, while working under the pouring rain, sneakily glanced at the two people in the corner.

She had witnessed Zhu Zhan’s temper early on during their flight, knowing him as the only one who didn’t particularly defer to Miss Bai Ling. After landing on the deserted island, Xuan Yiqing had been constantly busy exploring the forest, paying little attention to Zhu Zhan. When did his attitude towards Bai Ling change? Had something occurred between them that she wasn’t aware of?

Not only was Xuan Yiqing discreetly observing the figures in the corner, but everyone present couldn’t help but pay attention to Zhu Zhan and Bai Ling.

The relentless rain had left everyone unsettled and anxious. As night fell and the downpour continued unabated, their moods grew even more烦躁不安frustrated.

Zhu Zhan spent the entire night holding Bai Ling close.

His body felt frozen stiff, as if his limbs no longer belonged to him. However, he couldn’t focus on that now; ensuring the young lady’s well-being was far more crucial than his own discomfort.

“Let go, you won’t be able to take care of her properly like this,” Fu Jingyan advised Zhu Zhan to release his grip. He reached out to feel Bai Ling’s forehead, noting, “She has a fever.”

Despite Zhu Zhan’s reluctance, he knew it wasn’t the time to stubbornly persist. Reluctantly, he loosened his hold and carefully laid the young lady down on the grass.

Xuan Yiqing and the twins gathered around, their expressions turning grim upon seeing Bai Ling’s flushed face and labored breathing.

“What should we do?” Xuan Yiqing glanced at the group, “Do we have any fever-reducing medication?”

Fu Jingyan was already searching through the medical kit, feeling a profound sense of relief when he found the tablets.

“I’ll give her the medicine.” Fu Jingyan supported Bai Ling in his arms and instructed the twins, “Bring some water.”

Duan Jiaze handed over Bai Ling’s bottled water.

Without hesitation, just as he administered medication every night, Fu Jingyan placed the pill in the young lady’s mouth and followed it with a sip of water from his own lips to help her swallow.

Xuan Yiqing sharply drew in a breath at Fu Jingyan’s action, her gaze towards the limp and unconscious Bai Ling on the ground now tinged with complexity.

She genuinely couldn’t decide whether she should sympathize with the young lady’s frail health or envy the care she received. In the end, envy outweighed sympathy. Xuan Yiqing harbored strong feelings for Fu Jingyan; she admired men who were organized, mature, and steady. If only she could be cared for like that, she’d willingly take Bai Ling’s place in illness!

The others watched Fu Jingyan’s actions with furrowed brows, but they all understood this wasn’t the time to feel upset. Until the young lady regained consciousness, their discontent remained firmly suppressed within them.

After administering the medicine, Fu Jingyan entrusted Bai Ling to Xuan Yiqing. He found a towel and brought over the basin of water collected the previous night, placing it beside Xuan Yiqing. “Help wipe her down, and today, there’s no need for you both to go outside for tasks.”

Xuan Yiqing nodded. “I’ll take good care of Lingling.”

Fu Jingyan addressed the others, “Let’s figure out how to construct a shelter; we need to find some leaves and branches for protection against the rain. Our goal should be to finish roofing the house today.”

No one objected, and everyone got busy.

With daylight still available, they couldn’t afford to waste time—they had to complete their tasks before nightfall. Otherwise, their situation would only worsen once darkness fell.

Wet branches wouldn’t ignite a fire, and without warmth amidst the pouring rain, it was uncertain what might happen to the young lady…

Everyone felt heavy-hearted, but compelled by concern for her, they mustered all their energy and indeed managed to finish the roof within the day, providing the shelter with protection from both cold and rain.

After taking medication, Tong Ling slept through the entire day and woke up later.

Upon awakening, she found herself weak and unable to exert much strength. Though she personally seemed fine, the sight of everyone else startled her greatly.

Xuan Yiqing had dark circles under her eyes, and the hands holding Tong Ling trembled slightly.

Fu Jingyan, Zhu Zhan, and the twins—all their eyes were bloodshot, their hair limp like withered grass atop their heads, and their gazes vacant as if they’d endured some calamity. It was a stark contrast to just days ago when, despite being hungry, their eyes still sparkled brightly. Only upon seeing that she had woken did smiles finally appear on their faces.

“Wonderful,” Xuan Yiqing exclaimed first. “Lingling, you’re awake!”

Xuan Yiqing remained deeply concerned that something might still happen to the young lady at this critical juncture. With no idea how long they would be stranded on this deserted island, Bai Ling’s knowledge was crucial. Seeing Bai Ling continuously unconscious left Xuan Yiqing unable to ease her worry.

The others, having been overly preoccupied with caring for Bai Ling, now collapsed onto the ground as soon as she woke up, drained of all their energy.

“I’m fine now,” Tong Ling said while embracing the protagonist and, unusually, offering them a grateful smile, “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Upon seeing this smile, Zhu Zhan turned away, admitting inwardly that he had indeed been terrified for the young lady. The mere thought of something happening to her left him utterly unsettled, his mind consumed by uncertainty over what to do.

Zhu Zhan suddenly realized that the moments of ease and happiness he experienced during these days on the deserted island were entirely due to the young lady. Without her presence, the harsh environment alone would have made life here seem utterly devoid of joy.

Similarly, the twins composed themselves, careful not to reveal any unusual emotions to each other.

As Tong Ling recovered, the weather also cleared up.

On the surface, the relationships among the group seemed unchanged. However, whenever recalling that stormy night, they couldn’t help but ponder collectively—aside from Bai Ling herself, weren’t the rest getting too close to her?

It was time to devise a plan to separate the young lady from the others.