Si Yanli wiped the back of Tang Wu's hand with considerable force. Tang Wu's skin was fair and tender, and it quickly turned entirely red under his rough rubbing.
Tang Wu frowned at him, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.
Was it because Huo Zhixu had kissed the back of her hand in a moment of excitement earlier?
Huo Zhixu had lived abroad for years and was perhaps just accustomed to Western etiquette, so she hadn't taken it to heart.
She certainly hadn't expected Si Yanli to care so much.
He was quite the chauvinist!
He didn't like her, yet he couldn't tolerate another man touching her!
"You're hurting me!" Tang Wu forcefully pulled her hand back.
Ignoring Si Yanli, she took the fish they had speared, sliced them open one by one, and washed them clean.
Si Yanli looked at her. Her head was lowered, and a stray lock of hair fell against her fair, delicate profile. Bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, she looked like a beautiful painting.
For some inexplicable reason, his heart skipped a beat.
After washing the fish, Tang Wu cleaned a few sticks and skewered the fish on them.
She walked over to the campfire and began roasting them.
Si Yanli watched her independent and aloof demeanor, complex emotions swirling in his eyes.
This woman didn't seem to be the person he had previously imagined.
The real her was much more charming.
Seeing that Tang Wu was ignoring him, Si Yanli went back to set up the tent.
Once he finished, he sat down beside her. "Do you need my help?"
Tang Wu shook her head, refusing decisively. "No need."
The roasted fish cooked quickly. Tang Wu handed one of the ready fish to Si Yanli. "Try it."
Si Yanli said, "My hands are dirty. Feed me a piece."
Without thinking, Tang Wu tore off a piece of fish and brought it to his thin lips.
Si Yanli opened his mouth. As he ate the fish, he accidentally bit Tang Wu's fingertip.
The warm touch felt like a tiny yet undeniable electric current, shooting instantly from Tang Wu's fingertip through her entire body.
A tingling, numb sensation washed over her.
Tang Wu quickly pulled her finger back.
Her long, butterfly-like eyelashes fluttered as she felt a wave of frustration.
Why did she obediently feed him just because he asked?
She absolutely could not make this kind of mistake again!
Seeing Tang Wu's evasive attitude, Si Yanli's narrow eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses. "What are you afraid of? We are husband and wife."
Tang Wu lifted her eyelashes, looking straight into the man's deep, slender eyes. "We already agreed that night. Our relationship is no different from strangers."
Si Yanli frowned almost imperceptibly.
He seemed displeased to hear her say that.
"Huo Zhixu is a playboy. Abroad, he changes women like clothes. I know he has some charm, but don't let yourself be easily beguiled by him," he reminded her indifferently.
Tang Wu found it both amusing and infuriating. "Mr. Si, which eye of yours saw me getting beguiled? And even if I were, it has nothing to do with you!"
Si Yanli: "..."
Not long after, Huo Zhixu returned from gathering firewood.
Noticing the tense atmosphere between Tang Wu and Si Yanli, a hint of confusion appeared in his peach-blossom eyes. "What's wrong with you two? Why does it look like you just had an argument?"
Si Yanli stood up, his expression cold. "It's nothing."
Tang Wu curved her red lips into a smile. "Mr. Si and I aren't even close. How could we argue?"
Si Yanli: "..."
They had slept together, yet she called that not close?
Huo Zhixu had always been thick-skulled. Hearing Tang Wu say she and Si Yanli weren't close, he assumed they genuinely weren't.
He sat down next to Tang Wu, wiped clean the wild fruits he had picked, and handed them to her. "Beauty Tang, these are wild kiwis. Try one."
Tang Wu tasted one. "Wow, so sweet~"
She handed Huo Zhixu a roasted fish.
The two chatted as they ate, the atmosphere much better than when Tang Wu was alone with Si Yanli earlier.
Si Yanli stood by the stream. His slender eyes swept over the laughing and chatting man and woman, his handsome features seeming to be covered in a layer of frost.
Seeing her talking and laughing with another man made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
This feeling was truly baffling.
After eating, the two men insisted Tang Wu sleep in the tent while they kept watch outside.
After all, they were in a primeval forest, and they had to be wary of wild beasts and venomous insects at night.
Tang Wu originally thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but once she settled into her sleeping bag, her eyelids grew unusually heavy.
She woke up in the latter half of the night.
She planned to call the two men outside to come in and sleep so she could take over the watch, but she accidentally overheard their hushed conversation.
Huo Zhixu: "Lao Yan, didn't you have a flash marriage with someone two years ago? When we get back to the country, you should bring her out so your brother here can meet her."
Huo Zhixu: "You went abroad right after getting married. Is that woman really ugly? Not even a third as pretty as Lin Qianxue?"
Huo Zhixu: "By the way, why did Lin Qianxue dump you back then? I heard she wanted to study abroad, you disagreed, and so she dumped you. Do you still have feelings for her?"
Si Yanli frowned slightly. "Shut up, you're being noisy."
Huo Zhixu yawned. "Doesn't gossiping keep people awake? If you don't want to talk about your stuff, let's talk about mine. If I were to pursue Beauty Tang, what do you think my chances of succeeding would be?"
Si Yanli replied, sparing his words like gold: "Zero."
Huo Zhixu: "Damn, Lao Yan, your mouth is too toxic. I am the magnificent Young Master Huo, boundlessly charming. How could my chances be zero? Besides, Beauty Tang personally taught me how to catch fish this evening and roasted fish for me. I feel like she has a favorable impression of me too—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Si Yanli kicked him aside.
Taking a tumble, Huo Zhixu said, "Lao Yan, you're just jealous and envious that I'm single and can pursue a great beauty, aren't you?"
Inside the tent, Tang Wu rested her hands against her cheek, her delicate eyebrows furrowing unconsciously.
No wonder there was a period during their student days when she felt Si Yanli was very depressed.
So he had been dumped by Lin Qianxue back then.
Was it because Lin Qianxue dumped him, dealing him a severe emotional blow, that he claimed he would be a non-marriage advocate?
Just how much did he love Lin Qianxue!
Tang Wu closed her eyes, her delicate and beautiful face instantly turning exceptionally cold and aloof.
After a good while, Tang Wu finally emerged from the tent.
"You guys go rest for a bit. I'll take the watch for the rest of the night."
Huo Zhixu shook his head immediately. "How can we do that? It's just staying up one night, us two grown men can handle it."
Before Tang Wu could say anything, Si Yanli spoke to her with a cold expression, "We don't need you to keep watch. If you can't sleep, just lie down inside!"
His tone left no room for argument.
Tang Wu had a bit of a rebellious streak. She furrowed her brows and looked at Si Yanli in displeasure. "Mr. Si, I am not close to you. Speaking to me in such a tone doesn't seem very polite."
Si Yanli's face remained cold, and he spoke breezily, "Not close, yet you used binoculars at the camp to watch me bathe?"
Tang Wu choked on her words.
She never in a million years expected that such a noble and ethereal man would say something like that!
Huo Zhixu was also dumbfounded.
All around them, apart from the night breeze, there seemed to be only the varying sounds of their breathing.
The atmosphere instantly froze, becoming utterly stiff and awkward.
