Chapter 262: Selective Amnesia

Coincidentally, Xigu entered just then. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but upon noticing the unusually quiet atmosphere between the two, she surprisingly restrained herself, took the items Xiyi had tidied up, and walked away without a word.

Sha Yi was a bit confused, but Xiyi, finding himself with nothing left to do, gently pulled her back to sit down.

Understanding that he indeed had something to say, she obediently waited for him to speak.

Finally, Xiyi opened his mouth: “I wanted to tell you about Saina’s situation.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Seeing his hesitation, Sha Yi also grew puzzled. “Is his injury so severe that he needs a long time to recover?”

“More or less. That’s what Tuge said, and both Xigu and I agreed. Even Jialuo didn’t object.” Nodding, Xiyi still seemed troubled. “But… according to Saina himself, he plans to leave here.”

“Leave?” Sha Yi was shocked. “Where is he going?”

“Probably back to where they originally lived.” Sighing, Xiyi was equally helpless. “Though it’s not far, it still feels like he’s deliberately trying to avoid us.”

“You mean… Saina is intentionally avoiding us?”

“Mhm.” Responding softly, Xiyi gently held her hand. “Actually, ever since we pulled him out of that pit yesterday, I felt like he had made up his mind to die. Of course, I understood that at the time, but afterward, I still sensed something off about his mood. Still, there wasn’t time to dwell on it—his injuries were severe, and Jialuo took over quickly.”

“Today, apart from saying he wants to leave, did he say anything else?” Listening to Xiyi, Sha Yi also found Saina’s thoughts somewhat inscrutable. “Should we ask Tuge? Maybe Saina feels his injuries are too severe and worries about burdening us. It’s not impossible—after all, since he arrived here, we’ve seen him make reckless, life-threatening decisions multiple times.”

Xiyi shook his head, taking a long time before muttering, “Tuge said he seems to have hit his head this time, and the situation doesn’t look good.”

“Hit his head, in bad condition, yet still talking about leaving… Is he doing this on purpose?” Almost reflexively repeating the words, Sha Yi felt a bit baffled, but she quickly shut her mouth.

She seemed to have thought of a possibility.

But judging by the likelihood of such a scenario in ancient times, she wasn’t sure if it could even happen, nor whether Tuge would recognize it. She couldn’t even fathom how Saina might have come up with such an idea.

However, this didn’t rule out another possibility—that Saina himself might have experienced something similar.

From a narrative perspective, hitting one’s head meant injuring the brain, right?

Could Saina… actually be suffering from selective amnesia?

Yet, analyzing the current situation, it seemed more likely that Saina’s memory loss was a pretense, and his real intention was to leave and avoid them.

What exactly was he thinking?

At this moment, their group was practically complete. Shouldn’t Saina have ambitions similar to Yeli’s? So what did this mean now?

Her mind tangled in contradictions, Sha Yi found herself increasingly unable to make sense of it.

In the end, with no answers, Sha Yi had no choice but to give up and turned to look at Xiyi beside her.

There was a trace of worry in his eyes, but he seemed to have thought of something. Opening his mouth slowly, he said, “Perhaps Saina doesn’t want to see us together.”

These words, spoken softly and slowly by Xiyi, weighed heavily on her heart.

From the very beginning, both Xiyi and she had been fully aware of this, yet neither had brought it up, even though it had caused multiple conflicts between him and Saina.

But that was the reality.

That time they got separated from Xigu and the others by the river, only to unexpectedly reunite with Tuge and Jialuo—wasn’t it precisely because of Saina’s mindset?

However, things were different now.

Even if they had faced life and death together, even if they were willing to sacrifice everything for one another, as long as they remained true to their original intentions, their hearts would never die.

Perhaps Saina was in such a state now?

Maybe he also wanted to make amends, to let go of what was never his to begin with, but he couldn’t bring himself to be as carefree as he wished.

Thus, he needed a reason to convince himself, to force himself to forget by leaving.

Otherwise, he might continue to suffer, unable to find peace.

Given that, perhaps it was better to respect Saina’s wishes, giving him a chance to start anew while also paving the way for her and Xiyi’s future happiness.

Having figured this out, she relaxed, leaning her head against his shoulder and asking coyly, “So, do you want to keep Saina, or do you want to keep me?”

Seemingly caught off guard by her question at this moment, and seeing her slightly shy expression, Xiyi burst into laughter. When he finally spoke, the tenderness in his deep brown eyes was almost overflowing: “I’ve never once thought of letting you leave me. At first, I was always worried you wouldn’t want to stay with me. There was even a time when you sneaked away…”

“That’s not true!” Lifting her head from his shoulder, Sha Yi glared at him indignantly. “That time, I just wanted to take a bath! But you couldn’t even wait a second—not only did you come looking for me, but you were so fierce about it!”

Finished speaking, she continued to glare at him, puffing her cheeks in anger.

Xiyi, however, was left dumbfounded by her stare, eventually blushing awkwardly: “I thought you were trying to run away… And at the time, you even returned the fur I gave you, which meant you didn’t want to be with me…”

“Back then, I didn’t fully understand your customs here. Besides, who kidnaps a woman like that?!” Shooting a glance at the red-faced Xiyi, Sha Yi felt inexplicably happy inside. “And you said it yourself—if I didn’t want to be with you, then you…”

Sha Yi didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence.

The muscular man beside her swiftly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. He didn’t even let her speak, directly pressing his lips to hers in a rough and wild kiss.

Just like when he had mistakenly thought she was running away.

She couldn’t help but want to laugh, but with her lips sealed, she could only tremble, nearly shaking herself into internal injuries before Xiyi finally realized and let her go, his face a picture of panic.

Did he think she was crying again?

At this thought, a mischievous urge suddenly rose in her. Unexpectedly, he seemed to already know what she was thinking. With a slight tug, he pulled her back into his arms, and the next second, he kissed her forehead again: “Whether you’re willing or not, you’re stuck with me now. I’ll never let you go. From the moment you accepted the fur I gave you, I decided—no matter what, you’re not leaving me.”

Sha Yi was both amused and exasperated: “Does that mean when you thought I was running away, you were originally going to give up on me, but then suddenly changed your mind and insisted on taking me with you—all because of the fur?”

Xiyi, however, narrowed his eyes slightly, refusing to answer her question directly. Instead, he slid his hand to her waist: “Then you have to tell me first—if you’d already accepted my fur, how could you possibly give it back?”

“Who knows if you only approached me because there are so few women here!” Deliberately huffing, Sha Yi glanced at him from the corner of her eye, only to see the smile on his lips grow even wider.

He clearly knew she was teasing him, so he didn’t take the bait. Instead, she had overestimated herself—before she knew it, he had pinned her down on the animal hide.

Perhaps because he hadn’t been this intimate with her in a long time—even the day before in the hot springs, he had held back out of concern for her—this time, he seemed to have cast aside all worries, boldly reaching to undo the animal hide covering her chest.

Sha Yi was startled, her mind flashing to an indelicate idiom—*indulging in carnal pleasures in broad daylight*!

But her brain wasn’t as quick as Xiyi’s wolf-like movements. In that split second, he nearly succeeded. Fortunately, she reacted just in time, pressing down on his mischievous hands to avoid being completely devoured.

Xiyi, however, was visibly displeased. Unwilling to let go, he stubbornly tugged at the hide while even attempting to tickle her into submission.

Sha Yi actually understood Xiyi’s impatience quite well.

After all, he was a vigorous young man who had only recently discovered such pleasures. It was no wonder he couldn’t hold back. If not for his terrible luck—first encountering her during her period, then accidentally succeeding in impregnating her on the first try, and finally getting tangled up in Yeli’s mess—he probably wouldn’t have been so frustrated!

But this ordeal had certainly been tough on him.

Even so, she wasn’t about to relent. She had to be more cautious.

Sha Yi wasn’t sure how pregnancy was viewed in ancient times, but at the very least, she wanted to ensure the first five months were as safe as they would be in modern times. She was only two or three months along now, and with it being her first pregnancy, she didn’t dare take risks.

Moreover, her physical strength and build were far inferior to Xiyi and the others. Carrying and delivering his child might pose significant challenges. Thus, the most crucial thing now was protecting and nurturing the pregnancy—not indulging in Xiyi’s foolishness, completely oblivious to these critical details.

With that in mind, she pushed against the man looming over her and snapped, “If you don’t get up now, what if you hurt the baby?”

Xiyi’s face immediately fell, full of reluctance and disbelief: “Would it hurt the baby?”

Faced with Xiyi’s selective lack of common sense, Sha Yi was utterly exasperated but helpless.

Honestly, it wasn’t his fault.

Raised by Xigu and Ximang, surrounded mostly by men, and with Xigu—his only sister—being even rougher than him, who could she possibly expect to enlighten him?