Seeing this, Chu Yuxuan raised his hand, intending to wipe away her tears. However, this icy beauty swatted his hand away and scolded, "Get lost! I'm never speaking to you again!"
Chu Yuxuan shrugged nonchalantly, saying, "I was just tired and lying down to rest for a bit. I never said I was going to die... Nan-nan, you won't believe this, but that kiss of yours was like a miracle pill! Even if I were on Mount Jingyang right now, I'd give that tiger a taste of what love's sweet punch feels like!"
As he spoke, Chu Yuxuan licked his lips and grinned roguishly. "So sweet, just one kiss and I'm totally intoxicated..."
"You... shameless!" Zhao Yanan, fuming, raised her hand to hit him again.
Her first kiss had been stolen by this despicable man in such a ridiculous situation?! Earlier, she had truly believed Chu Yuxuan was going to die, and that too while protecting her. Despite her strong aversion to physical contact with men, she was moved by a mix of gratitude and grief and had fulfilled his last wish. After all, he was her husband in name.
But to her surprise, this scoundrel had been fooling her!
Chu Yuxuan caught her hand mid-slap. Seeing that his wife was genuinely angry, he didn't dare continue his antics and softly said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Nan-nan, don't cry. We need to figure out how to get out of here quickly. This back mountain is an ecological reserve; there are wolves here."
As soon as he finished speaking, distant wolf howls echoed through the night, as if on cue. Zhao Yanan froze, instinctively covering her mouth, afraid her crying would attract the wolves.
"The sound is far away, don't worry," Chu Yuxuan reassured her before turning back to kick at the car door again.
Though she was angry, Zhao Yanan knew now wasn't the time for it. She took out her phone and struggled to swipe through the cracked screen before finally turning on the flashlight.
However, the moment the light fell on Chu Yuxuan's back, the icy beauty shivered, her eyes widening in shock.
There was blood all over the back of Chu Yuxuan's neck, and a small piece of glass was lodged behind his left ear! His suit was slashed in several places across his back, likely from the shattered car window, and the deepest cut, caused by the tree branch that pierced the windshield, was still bleeding profusely!
"Yu-Yuxuan..." Zhao Yanan's voice trembled as she hesitated, wanting to help him remove the glass but too scared to touch it.
Chu Yuxuan kicked the door four or five more times. Although it was starting to loosen, it still wouldn't open. If his third brother were here, he wouldn't need to put in so much effort. Hearing Zhao Yanan call him, he stopped and turned his head. "Hmm?"
Zhao Yanan, panicking, didn't know how to express herself and simply pointed to the back of her own neck.
Chu Yuxuan instinctively raised his hand, only to realize there was a piece of glass stuck behind his left ear. Without hesitation, he pulled it out, merely grimacing before resuming his attempts to kick the door open.
Zhao Yanan was speechless. He treated it like pulling out a tiny thorn, completely unfazed. Was he even human?! The spoiled young actors in her industry would call an ambulance for just a scratch! Although Zhao Yanan found their behavior nauseating, Chu Yuxuan's disregard for pain seemed extreme.
"Bang!" Finally, the car door was kicked open.
Chu Yuxuan sat back down, taking a deep breath.
Zhao Yanan was still examining his wounds. There were multiple cuts on the back of his head, though they seemed to have stopped bleeding, except for the one where he had just pulled out the glass, which was still oozing blood.
But what worried her the most was the wound on his back.
"Yuxuan, don't move. Let me check your injuries."
Trembling, Zhao Yanan lifted Chu Yuxuan's shirt. A ghastly, 15-centimeter-long gash greeted her eyes, with blood soaking the tattoo on his back.
Chu Yuxuan reached around to feel his back and looked at the blood on his fingers. There wasn't much, so he mumbled, "It doesn't seem too deep... It's fine. I'll get it treated later."
Zhao Yanan's breathing hitched. "It's still bleeding, how can it be fine..."
Looking at the wound, Zhao Yanan bit her lip, seemingly making a decision as she began to undress.
Chu Yuxuan heard the rustling behind him and turned to see what was happening. Instantly puzzled, he asked, "Nan-nan, are you trying to leave a lasting impression? Even though I'm injured, I think I can still put up a fight... maybe even a good one."
"You... turn around!" Zhao Yanan was too embarrassed to lift her head, muttering, "My dress is soft; I can use it to bandage your wound."
Chu Yuxuan felt a warmth in his heart and gently said, "Silly girl, are you planning to run around naked?"
"I... you... Chu Yuxuan! Can you stop bullying me? I'm just trying to stop your bleeding! You're so annoying!" Zhao Yanan, already on the verge of breaking down, was pushed over the edge by Chu Yuxuan's constant teasing and burst into tears again.
"Don't cry, don't cry," Chu Yuxuan quickly comforted her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry... Nan-nan, this isn't some martial arts movie where the hero gets bandaged with a strip of cloth... Come on, don't cry. It's okay. My back gets injured all the time; my skin is thick, so the bleeding will probably stop before we even get down the mountain."
As he spoke, Chu Yuxuan reached out to hold Zhao Yanan's hand, but she kept shaking him off.
Indeed, an angry woman is like a wild boar—impossible to handle.
Chu Yuxuan couldn't help but chuckle. After catching his breath and feeling some strength return, he climbed out of the car and bent down, extending a hand to the tearful Zhao Yanan with a smile. "Come on, let's go. If you keep crying, you'll really attract the wolves."
"Get lost! I don't need your help!" Zhao Yanan wiped her tears and snapped angrily.
"Alright, then I'll really leave." Chu Yuxuan pretended to walk away.
"You..." Zhao Yanan glared at him, her chest heaving with anger. "Chu Yuxuan, you're so hateful!"
"Okay, okay, I just didn't want you to be scared, so I was teasing you... Let's figure out how to get home first. You can punish me all you want once we're back."
"Who wants to punish you, you pervert!"
"Hey," Chu Yuxuan glanced around and said in a mock-serious tone, "don't go summoning those things here. It's creepy in the middle of the night."
Zhao Yanan, who loved horror movies, felt a chill down her spine. She wiped the tears from her face, shot Chu Yuxuan a furious glare, and then braced herself against the seat, trying to move her leg out.
But as soon as she moved, a sharp pain shot through her right ankle. "Ah!"