Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi felt her cheeks warm up and she shut her mouth.
Neither of them spoke, just taking in the moment.
In the darkness, the silence was broken only by their heavy breathing, clearly audible.
After a little while, Zhao Yi, finding the silence unbearable, blurted out, "Um... what's your name?"
What the hell!
Turns out she hadn't even cared enough to remember his name.
Feeling aggrieved, Li Zhongnan irritably replied, "My name is Li Zhongnan! Sister, you better remember it this time!"
"Mm, I will remember."
Zhao Yi felt embarrassed and didn't know how to explain herself. She had been too busy with work, and when she had replied to his WeChat message that day, she had been in a meeting.
This time, she silently repeated his name several times, firmly imprinting it in her mind.
"Xiao Li?"
Just as Zhao Yi spoke, he slapped her hand away.
Li Zhongnan glared at her as he grumbled, "Don't call me Xiao—Li!"
He was often called "Xiao Li Zi" when he was in school, which left a sour taste in his mouth.
"You... how can you be this way!" Zhao Yi wanted to hit him, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't even know how to scold him, she was so taken aback.
After all, he had just saved her, and her way of addressing him did make her sound like a eunuch.
Moreover, she didn't really feel angry, just a bit embarrassed.
Li Zhongnan ignored her with a snort.
"Are you mad?"
Zhao Yi asked tentatively, "Are you really this petty? Fine, I apologize. From now on, I will call you by your name, OK?"
"Good!"
Li Zhongnan smiled innocently, now that's more like it.
Zhao Yi looked at him, intrigued, "Zhongnan, what kind of person are you?"
Over their brief encounters, he had left her in awe. He had seamlessly repaired a broken pen, and single-handedly defeated a gang of thugs.
He was truly incredible.
An unimaginable existence.
Yet now, he was acting like a small child: a bit mischievous, somewhat petty, and slightly lecherous.
Without hesitation, Li Zhongnan playfully answered, "Well, my father is a scrap collector, and so is my older brother. So, I'm also a scrap collector."
Then, he asked her, "How about you, what do you do?"
Copying his tone, Zhao Yi laughed and replied, "Well, my father is a public servant, and so is my older brother. So, I'm also a public servant."
At this, the pair broke into shared laughter.
By dawn, Zhao Yi woke up to see Li Zhongnan looking slightly exhausted.
Feeling guilty about him likely having stayed awake all night to keep watch, she said, "Zhongnan, I was really tired and fell asleep while we were talking. I'm sorry."
At this point, she was holding him, her arms wrapped around his neck, her head resting on his body—
Li Zhongnan smiled goofily and replied, "No problem, I was glad to!"
This made Zhao Yi blush.
She was taken aback with the idea that she had spent a whole night in the water, huddled together with a boy.
It was inconceivable. And this little rascal—
Zhao Yi tried to get angry, but found that she simply couldn't. Instead, she pushed him slightly and, with a hint of embarrassment, instructed, "It's dawn. You need to go and find someone to get me out of here."
With a cheeky grin, Li Zhongnan responded, "Alright! Wait for me!"
He left a mark on the location, then went to Bandale Village. He borrowed a motorcycle and some thick, long ropes, then returned to the well. He tied one end of the rope to a large tree, and threw the other end into the well.
He went down the well.
Then Li Zhongnan bent over, and Zhao Yi gave him a small smile, "Thank you, Zhongnan."
With that, she boldly sat on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Sis, hold on tight." Li Zhongnan grabbed the rope and started to climb.
Having spent the entire night awake and now carrying a person on his back, it was indeed a bit of a challenge.
Fortunately, he had taken the Genetic Potion yesterday and his physical capabilities had significantly improved. It was tough, but he managed to climb out.
After letting her down and catching his breath, Li Zhongnan chuckled, "Sis, let's go. We've been here all night, people must be going crazy looking for you."
When Zhao Yi didn't react, he looked at her—
At this sight, he almost lost his senses!
At this point, Zhao Yi's clothes were almost completely torn. It was a hot summer day and she hadn't been wearing much to begin with. After running aimlessly around the sugarcane field all night, she was practically bursting out of her clothes—
He could see!
Zhao Yi didn't hide anything, she just urged him, "Stop staring and go buy me some clothes."
"Alright, wait here." Li Zhongnan chuckled as he turned to leave.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back with a goofy grin and asked, "Uh, sis, how big are you?"
Zhao Yi flicked her hair back and retorted smugly, "Thirty-six—D!"
Li Zhongnan looked at her, shook his head and replied, "I couldn't tell!"
Zhao Yi managed to laugh and explained, "That's because I had just come back from work yesterday."
He headed into County Town.
He arrived at a clothing store but couldn't bring himself to go in, as he'd never bought women's clothes before.
It wasn't about feeling embarrassed. County Town was so small; what if he ran into someone he knew?
After thinking it over, he called Han Xue.
The beautiful class president came as soon as he called. She arrived on an electric scooter, with a weary expression and a jovial tone, "Li Zhongnan, what do you need so early in the morning? If you want to ask me out on a date, you could at least wait until evening!"
Li Zhongnan explained the situation.
With a doubtful look in her eyes, Han Xue took a glance at him, but didn't ask any more questions, and parked her scooter before heading into the store.
Once Han Xue had made her purchase, Li Zhongnan sighed in relief, "Thanks, class president. How much was it?"
He reached for his wallet.
After rummaging around for a while, he realized he didn't have any money and felt humiliated.
Han Xue laughed and dismissed it, saying, "It's just a few bucks."
Feeling grateful, Li Zhongnan praised Han Xue effusively, almost comparing her to a goddess descended to earth to save him.
Han Xue couldn't bear to listen to him and had to interrupt. "Actually, I have a favor to ask you. My cousin just finished her college entrance exams. She didn't do well and won't be getting into college, so she wants to go work in the Pearl River Delta, but her family is against it. Do you need help at your shop?"
"No problem."
With the determination of someone who feels obligated to help, Li Zhongnan readily agreed, "The class president's cousin is my cousin as well. I have to take her in, regardless!"
At the moment, he really did need an extra set of hands.
He had been so busy collecting textbooks the past few days that he hadn't been able to open his shop, which resulted in a considerable loss. Plus, he had made over two thousand gold coins recently. The business was certainly going to expand, and with the added responsibility of earning gold coins, he knew he couldn't handle it all on his own.
Once back in the sugarcane field, after Zhao Yi had changed into her new clothes, he escorted her back to County Town.
However, they had barely hit the main road when they were stopped by a group of people!
Interestingly, the one leading the group was the same middle-aged man he'd run into at the antique shop!
As the man quickly approached Zhao Yi, he grabbed her hands anxiously and asked, "Xiao Yi, are you okay?"
Damn, could Zhao Yi actually be his woman?
Thinking about what had happened the previous night while she was asleep—
Li Zhongnan immediately felt a prickling sensation on his scalp.