It was all the masked man's fault that she ended up in this state.
To say she didn't hate him would be a lie.
But to say she held no grudges would also be untrue.
Even though the masked man had left the dagger and lighter with Meng Jingwei, allowing Qing Muye to find her through the smoke she set, she knew her current predicament was entirely orchestrated by him.
The masked man's thigh was injured, preventing him from walking. He leaned against a tree, resting on the ground.
Qing Muye said nothing, continuing to roast the meat.
Meng Jingwei sat beside him, watching the fat bubble and sizzle from the meat, the aroma wafting over. She was so hungry her mouth watered uncontrollably.
"By the way, how are the children at school?"
Meng Jingwei was deeply concerned about the children's well-being.
"Teacher Li was injured, and the traditional Chinese medicine doctor is treating them. The villagers of Guolou Village have been evacuated. Shortly after their evacuation, a landslide occurred there. Fortunately, no one was injured, which is the best outcome."
Qing Muye explained the situation to Meng Jingwei.
Meng Jingwei's anxious heart finally settled. "It's good that everyone is safe. Otherwise… wait a minute."
She suddenly remembered something and grabbed Qing Muye's arm. "What about my forty thousand yuan?"
She had given the teacher forty thousand yuan on the mountain that day, and then this incident happened. Meng Jingwei was worried her forty thousand yuan had gone to waste.
Seeing her pained and guilty expression, Qing Muye slowly lowered his gaze. "It was found, just a bit dirty."
The house had collapsed, and her forty thousand yuan was buried inside. The possibility of finding it was slim.
Even so, Qing Muye would not tell Meng Jingwei the truth.
For a woman who cherished money, her recently donated forty thousand yuan being buried by a natural disaster would surely distress her.
"Really? That's great. It was worth it for me to give them forty thousand yuan."
Meng Jingwei chuckled, her mood lifting.
Seeing her happy, Qing Muye felt relieved.
Heaven knew how much manpower and resources he had spent searching for Meng Jingwei after learning of her disappearance.
He had also gotten separated from the search party and then saw the smoke from this area, which led him to her.
"These villagers are truly struggling, Qing Muye. You have so much money, can you help them? If they could get internet access, they could have phones. If communication were developed, such things wouldn't happen."
Meng Jingwei sincerely pleaded with Qing Muye, hoping he would help the children and villagers.
She was well aware that although Qing Muye was wealthy, her request was somewhat manipulative.
"Well… I was just saying, just saying."
This seemingly simple matter was anything but simple, requiring a considerable investment.
Qing Muye cast a deep gaze at Meng Jingwei, a slight curve forming on his thin lips, before looking at her injured arm. "Does your arm still hurt?"
Seeing her face grow paler, Qing Muye couldn't help but feel worried.
Meng Jingwei looked at her wounded right arm and gasped. "Are you stating the obvious?"
Of course, it hurt, and it hurt badly.
Qing Muye lowered his long, phoenix-like eyes, gazing at the roasted meat in his hands, and said nothing further.
After a while, the meat was cooked. He handed a skewer to Meng Jingwei. She took it, blew on it, and then eagerly took a bite, burning her mouth. "Ouch, it's so hot."
She was desperate to eat the roasted meat, as she was incredibly hungry.
"Slow down, it's very hot."
Seeing her eager demeanor, Qing Muye could only imagine how she had endured the past few days.
A surge of anger washed over him. He glanced sideways, his sharp gaze falling on the masked man not far away.
Since he had learned of Meng Jingwei's disappearance, Xiao Meiyan had mentioned that Meng Jingwei had left with the masked man. Later, he learned from a villager that Meng Jingwei's collapse on the mountain was also related to this masked man, which made him suspect this individual.
Qing Muye had sent people to contact a helicopter and then led Chen Kui and others to search for Meng Jingwei, but they had eventually gotten separated.
Fortunately, he had found Meng Jingwei, and that was enough.
When Meng Jingwei looked up, she noticed Qing Muye looking at the masked man. She followed his gaze and saw the masked man leaning against the tree trunk, looking weak and famished as he eyed the roasted meat in their hands.
At that moment, a soft spot in her heart was touched. Meng Jingwei looked down at the roasted meat in her hands, hesitated for a moment, and then got up.
Qing Muye grabbed her wrist. "What are you doing?"
"Giving him some food," Meng Jingwei replied truthfully.
"Have you forgotten why you're here?"
"In a time of peace, I can't bear to see someone starve to death."
Meng Jingwei pushed Qing Muye's hand away. Since she used her injured right hand, Qing Muye dared not hold on, for fear of aggravating her wound.
She carried a skewer of roasted meat and walked slowly towards the masked man.
It was then she noticed that the masked man's thigh was bleeding profusely, the soil beside his leg already stained red.
However, he had no dagger to remove the bullet and could only wrap it with a piece of cloth.
"Here."
She handed the skewer of roasted meat to the masked man, saying coldly.
Meng Jingwei's action surprised the masked man. He looked up, gazing at her in disbelief, then at the roasted meat, and remained unresponsive for a long time.
"Are you going to eat it or not?" she asked impatiently.
"Why… are you saving me?"
In reality, the masked man had rushed over at this time because he had seen the smoke in the jungle.
Smoke was a signal for help.
He thought Meng Jingwei was in danger. Although he had tried to ignore it multiple times, he had inexplicably turned back.
And then he witnessed the scene before him.
"I just want to know, who is your backer?"
Even if it meant letting the masked man die, she wanted to know the identity of the person behind him. Although she suspected the Li family, Meng Jingwei found it unlikely.
After all, her arrival in Liangchuan County coincided with the masked man's appearance, which made no sense.
Beneath the bronze mask, the man's eyes slightly darkened. "I'm sorry, I cannot disclose that."
"I…"
Meng Jingwei's hands clenched the meat tightly in anger. Gritting her teeth, she glared at him with sharp, cold eyes, and then couldn't help but kick his shoulder fiercely. "Go to hell!"
She swore!
Caught off guard by the kick, the masked man did not retaliate and fell to the ground.
"Serves you right for starving!"
She tossed the skewer of meat and turned away.
The masked man lay on the ground, propping himself up with his hands, and sat upright, leaning against the tree trunk without a word.
However, Meng Jingwei, who had only walked a few steps, suddenly turned back and threw a skewer of meat at him. It landed precisely beside him. "Consider it feeding a dog."
She was filled with anger and hatred.
But Meng Jingwei knew clearly that the masked man had been with her for a considerable time. Whether it was last time on the mountain or after falling into the river this time, he had countless opportunities to kill her.