It felt a little cold, so Su Qi curled up, her hands protectively cradling her stomach.
Brushing against the man's warmth, Su Qi gradually moved closer to him.
By the time she came to her senses, Su Qi was pressed tightly against him.
It seemed the man's body temperature was so high that it made her feel warm.
Huo Tingyun lay down beside Su Qi. Above them was the dark night sky. As it was autumn, there weren't many stars. The moon in the latter half of the night was also obscured by dark clouds, making the entire sky dark, desolate, and monotonous.
Because it was a forest reserve, for hundreds of miles, only the sounds of wild beasts could be heard. Therefore, no other sounds were audible.
The entire world seemed to have become exceptionally quiet.
All she could hear was Su Qi's shallow and deep breaths.
The night breeze blew gently, slightly cool. With the two of them pressed close together, it didn't feel as cold anymore.
The next morning, when Su Qi woke up, she found herself lying in the man's arms.
The early morning sunlight sprinkled over her.
She was still covered by Huo Tingyun's large suit jacket, her head resting on his arm, curled up in his embrace.
Su Qi suddenly jolted awake, thinking last night was a dream. But when she opened her eyes, she was still in the forest.
"Awake?"
The man's magnetic, deep voice.
Still groggy from sleep, with a hint of laziness.
Su Qi sat up, moving away from the man. "Last night..."
"Hmm? Don't remember?"
Even after just waking up, the man was still handsome and captivating.
His sleepy eyes reflected her, as if they could draw her in.
Su Qi's eyes widened. "Last night... what happened?"
"Don't remember? Between us..."
"You! You beast!"
Su Qi hadn't expected that even in the forest, this man wouldn't let her go.
Huo Tingyun let out a low chuckle. "I'm not so much of a beast that I'd do that. With you looking like this, I couldn't bring myself to."
Insulted by the man's sharp tongue, Su Qi got up and walked to the river. She saw her face was dirty, likely from rubbing against him while sleeping, and her hair was disheveled.
Su Qi cupped some clear water to wash her face clean, then tidied her hair, simply pinning it up with her hands and securing it with a twig.
After a simple tidy-up, she wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she looked clean and neat.
"How do we get out?"
Su Qi looked up. It was daytime, but once inside the forest, it was like night. The towering trees, dozens of meters high, formed a dense canopy, blocking out all light.
She couldn't determine their exact location, and even finding a way out seemed impossible.
"Can you walk?" Huo Tingyun lowered his gaze. Su Qi's ankle had improved, no longer as swollen as it was last night.
Su Qi remembered she had twisted her ankle yesterday. After applying the herbal medicine and sleeping through the night, it felt much better, and she could walk without pain.
"Which direction?"
"Follow me."
Huo Tingyun picked up his suit jacket from the ground and started walking in one direction.
Su Qi followed closely behind Huo Tingyun.
The man's back was broad, but his legs were long. Even though Su Qi wasn't short, keeping up with him was strenuous, especially when navigating through the dense jungle.
"Here."
Huo Tingyun stopped and offered Su Qi a hand.
Su Qi glanced at the man's broad palm, pursed her lips, and then placed her hand in his.
The man's hand was very warm. As he took her hand, his strides made it much easier for her than walking alone.
Even during the day, the light in the forest was not very good.
There were rustling sounds all around, and Su Qi's nerves were on edge. Even with Huo Tingyun present, she remained constantly vigilant of her surroundings, fearing another leopard might suddenly appear like yesterday.
After walking for a while, Su Qi stepped on a slippery stone and stumbled, almost falling to the ground.
Fortunately, the man caught her, saving her from a fall.
Su Qi, still shaken, clung to the man.
She had almost hit her head.
"Come on."
Huo Tingyun turned his back to her and crouched down.
Su Qi was stunned, looking at the man's fluffy, short hair. "You... you want to carry me?"
"Do I have to say it again?"
"I can walk myself."
Su Qi felt embarrassed.
Huo Tingyun had saved her yesterday, and now she expected him to carry her.
This path was so long; she didn't know when they would reach their destination, but she could walk.
"Get on."
The man's tone was unquestionable.
He was truly overbearing.
Su Qi gritted her teeth and looked at the path ahead.
It was indeed difficult to walk. If Huo Tingyun were walking alone, it would be fine, but having to pull her along made it more troublesome and significantly slowed their progress. Perhaps carrying her would be easier.
Su Qi consoled herself this way, slowly bent down, and settled onto Huo Tingyun's back.
"Heh..."
The man let out a low chuckle.
His meaning was unclear.
Su Qi's ears burned. She regretted it and wanted to get off Huo Tingyun's back, but the man gave her no chance to react and stood up.
"Huo Tingyun! Put me down!"
Su Qi shouted.
"Shh... if you want to attract wild beasts, you can shout even louder."
Huo Tingyun didn't stop walking and moved forward with Su Qi on his back.
"Huo Tingyun..."
Su Qi clenched her fist and hit the man's back.
It was full of muscle, and she couldn't budge him. Her punch landed like hitting a stone.
"If I'm injured, we won't be able to get out of this forest, and we'll both become food for the animals."
The man said nonchalantly.
Su Qi, however, was terrified.
Her own death wouldn't matter much, but she had an unborn baby. For the sake of the child in her womb, she had to persevere.
Su Qi quickly rubbed the spot on Huo Tingyun's back where she had just hit him.
"It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt. I won't make trouble anymore."
Her tone was like coaxing a child.
Huo Tingyun found it both amusing and exasperating.
Fortunately, Su Qi wasn't heavy.
It's just that...
"Quite soft."
"What?"
"Yours."
"My what?"
Su Qi, only then realizing, exclaimed, "Huo Tingyun!"
This pervert!
Even at a time like this, he hadn't forgotten to be cheeky.
How had she never noticed Huo Tingyun's rogue side before?
She had thought Huo Tingyun was just a cold and ruthless devil.
She hadn't expected him to be so cunning.
Su Qi was furious, looking at the back of Huo Tingyun's head.
Just wait. Once they got out of here, she would definitely punch the back of Huo Tingyun's head twice.
Outside the side gate of the forest protection park.
A dense crowd had gathered.
Ever since Huo Tingyun and Su Qi had both gone missing, even the film crew had stopped shooting. The entire day's filming, which was supposed to take place today, had been halted.
SWAT teams had surrounded the area, and helicopters had been deployed.
Upon hearing that Huo Tingyun had also disappeared in the forest park, his whereabouts unknown, Xu Lin Yun nearly fainted.
Why did Huo Tingyun enter the forest park right after Su Qi went missing!
Was it a coincidence, or did he walk in deliberately!