At this thought, she slowly but firmly withdrew her hand from Sha Yi’s grasp.
Sha Yi immediately became flustered. He had always been helpless in the face of her tears, and now she was crying without warning. Even the soft, delicate hand he had been holding was pulled away, showing just how deeply hurt she was. Yet, he had no idea why…
Standing there awkwardly for a long moment, he reached out to comfort her, but she turned away and walked around him, heading to the other side of the fire.
Sha Yi was momentarily stunned. Only when he dumbly turned to follow her did he suddenly realize she was heading toward the bowl of mushrooms. In an instant, he understood what she intended to do, but it was already too late to stop her.
Sha Yi had already picked up half a mushroom and swiftly eaten it.
If eating that small piece earlier had been a neutral, purely experimental act, then eating it again now was a resolute decision to share life and death with him.
Originally, she had been terrified of death. But if Sha Yi was so fearless, what did she have to fear?
Now, she only wished to live and perish with him. If he were gone, what difference would there be between life and death for her?
She knew well that she was not a particularly kind or trusting person—guarded, stubborn, and often willful. Yet Sha Yi accepted all of her without reservation. His feelings for her remained pure and unchanging, never wavering because of her temperament. Though there had been many misunderstandings as they adjusted to each other, none became an insurmountable divide between them. On the contrary, he only grew more indulgent toward her.
Sha Yi still stood frozen in place, staring at her in shock.
Sha Yi called out to him with a smile, snapping him out of his daze. He quickly walked over, gently pulling her into his arms. When he looked down, his eyes were filled with heartache and reluctance.
Seeing him like this, her own heart ached. She rose onto her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her forehead affectionately against his.
Influenced by her, Sha Yi’s mood seemed to lighten. She could feel his arms around her relax slightly, though his grip tightened—as if he couldn’t bear to let her go.
Sha Yi couldn’t help but laugh. Sha Yi, still somewhat dazed, lifted his head to look at her, confused by her sudden mirth.
She had no intention of explaining. The mushroom had been eaten—whether it was poisonous remained unknown—but her stomach was still empty. If she was going to die, she might as well die full, right?
With that thought, she returned to the fire and picked up the animal meat from the ground, preparing to roast it.
Sha Yi understood her intention and followed, quickly handing her a few thin sticks to skewer the meat. However, her skewering skills were abysmal—after struggling for what felt like ages, she had only managed to pierce halfway through. Sha Yi couldn’t stand to watch any longer and took over, finishing the task in seconds, leaving Sha Yi gaping in amazement.
They roasted the meat together. There were five pieces in total—Sha Yi took two, and Sha Yi took three, all while tending to the fire. When the time was right, he sliced open the spicy fruit from the leaf bundle and sprinkled it over each piece of meat.
Sha Yi ate the largest piece Sha Yi had roasted—his cooking skills far surpassed hers. The meat was perfectly crisp, golden, and fragrant, while the three pieces she had roasted were charred on one side and pale on the other, barely appetizing to look at. Yet Sha Yi didn’t seem to mind at all; in fact, he ate them with visible delight. He really was easy to please.
After finishing the meat and some wild fruit they had gathered the previous night, Sha Yi decided to do nothing else and sat back on the large leaf to rest. But soon, drowsiness overtook her, and she called out to Sha Yi before lying down.
A short while later, Sha Yi joined her, lying down beside her. This time, however, he was unusually restrained—only gently stroking her long hair before pulling the animal hide over her to keep her warm.
Perhaps he was still somewhat worried about the potential toxicity of the mushrooms… It seemed he was deeply concerned about her well-being, even though he had shown no fear when eating them himself. When it came to her, everything became a grave matter.
Unable to bear his worry, Sha Yi turned over, sharing half of the hide with him before proactively wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face against his chest.
Responding almost instantly to her rare initiative, Sha Yi’s strong arms gently pulled her upper body onto his chest. As if afraid she might slip away, his rough hand settled firmly on the small of her back, holding her in place.
His body radiated warmth, his chest and abdomen taut with muscle. Though the position was somewhat uncomfortable—half lying atop him—she loved it and wanted to stay that way. Seeking more stability, she slid her hands up his waist, intending to grip his shoulder.
But Sha Yi intercepted her movement halfway, gripping her hand tightly to stop her, his breathing growing uneven.
Sha Yi thought to herself that if things escalated to where they had been the previous night—before they were interrupted—she would gladly give herself to him. Yet Sha Yi didn’t push further, even though she could feel the unmistakable evidence of his desire pressing against her. Unlike the night before, he maintained his self-control.
Sha Yi wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but when she woke, the sunlight was bright—likely close to noon.
Sha Yi was stirring the stainless steel pot over the fire with a bone knife. The rich aroma of mushroom soup wafted from it, reminding her of their earlier experiment with the mushrooms.
Since they were both unharmed, it seemed the mushrooms were safe after all.
Sha Yi’s hearing was sharp—the moment she sat up, he noticed and turned to her with a smile, all traces of his earlier worry and tension gone.
Sha Yi, too, felt completely at ease.
Having eaten the mushrooms without incident, he must have realized they were safe. That was why he had gathered the remaining ones and cooked them into a pot of soup—likely ready to eat by now.
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