She thrust the tin box into Tuesday’s hands, never expecting the fool to lift the lid and take a sniff.
“Are you out of your mind?” Mu Xi’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
“Sorry, old habits,” Tuesday said, scratching his head.
“Back when I drove bulldozers, I’d sniff the engine oil to diagnose problems.”
“That’s no excuse to sniff this!”
“Oh, by the way, what’d you use to… you know?” He glanced at her, a teasing glint in his eye.
“We didn’t bring any paper.”
Mu Xi, fuming, held up a pair of pink panties.
“What do you think?”
“So, you’re saying right now, down there…”
“Shut up!” Mu Xi snapped, her cheeks burning with fury.
“One more word, and I’ll throw you out of this car.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll drive.” Tuesday stifled a laugh and pressed down on the gas pedal.
The car rattled along the mountain road, jolting with every bump.
Mu Xi pulled her skirt tight around her, silently praying they’d find a safe place to rest soon.
Dawn broke, but the mountain seemed endless, its winding paths fading in and out of the morning mist.
Mu Xi huddled in the car, watching as Tuesday stepped out to scavenge for food.
Her stomach growled, and she rubbed it, her thoughts drifting to the creamy cakes she’d savored daily at the manor.
Now, even a crust of bread felt like a distant dream.
Hours later, Tuesday returned empty-handed.
He brushed the dust off his clothes.
“This godforsaken place doesn’t even have a rabbit.”
They had no choice but to keep moving.
Mu Xi stared out the window, the blur of passing trees lulling her into yawns.
Tuesday stole a glance at her.
“Why don’t you take a nap?”
“No way. I’ve got to keep an eye on you,” Mu Xi said, rubbing her eyes.
“What if you fall asleep?”
“Don’t worry. I used to pull all-nighters driving that bulldozer.”
Night fell again.
The last boxed meal was gone, and Mu Xi scraped the container clean with her chopsticks.
“Tomorrow, we’re starving.”
“How about we find a place to stop?” Tuesday suggested.
“We’ve come far enough. They won’t catch up anytime soon.”
“Fine. We can’t just starve on the road.” Mu Xi nodded, her strength sapped.
“I can barely walk as it is.”
Just then, a dilapidated wooden cabin appeared by the roadside.
Its roof sagged at one corner, vines snaking over the walls, giving it the look of a place long abandoned.
“Salvation!” Tuesday’s eyes lit up.
He pulled the car up beside the cabin.
“Stay here. I’ll check it out.”
“Be careful,” Mu Xi said, grabbing his sleeve.
“What if there’s something… unclean in there?”
“Scared? I’ve handled bulldozers, you know.” Tuesday thumped his chest.
“Besides, you’ve got me.”
Mu Xi stayed in the car, watching him approach the cabin.
Under the moonlight, the cabin’s shadow stretched long and eerie, its vine-covered walls resembling a giant spider’s web.
The weathered door hung precariously, with slivers of rotted wood dangling from the frame.
Through the collapsed roof, a void of darkness gaped, as if it could swallow everything whole.
Mu Xi shivered.
This place felt more sinister than the manor’s dungeon.
“You okay?” Tuesday’s voice echoed from inside.
“Just be careful!” Mu Xi clutched the hem of her skirt.
Tuesday groped along the walls, each step coaxing a creak from the wooden floor that made Mu Xi’s heart lurch.
She kept her eyes glued to the doorway, half-expecting something to leap out.
“All clear!” Tuesday poked his head out.
“There’s a bed in here. It’s old, but better than the car.”
Mu Xi exhaled in relief and followed him inside.
To her surprise, the cabin wasn’t cold.
A faint warmth lingered from a stove in the corner.
She ran her fingers over the bed’s quilt, dusty but free of mildew.
“I’ll go look for food. You rest,” Tuesday said, heading for the door.
“Wait.” Mu Xi stopped him.
She studied his back, a nagging unease stirring within her.
This man, a miner turned driver, had obeyed her every word on this journey.
Now he was off to find food alone.
Was he really just a simple miner?
“What’s wrong?” Tuesday turned, his expression unreadable.
“Nothing.” Mu Xi shook her head, suppressing her doubts.
In their current predicament, trusting him was her only option.
“I’ll be back soon,” Tuesday said with a grin, stepping out.
Mu Xi lay on the bed, the sound of the wind outside filling the silence.
Her mind wandered to the plush beds of the manor, to the sweet cakes she’d once taken for granted.
But at least now, she was free.
With that thought, she let her eyes drift shut.
Yet sleep eluded her.
Mu Xi tossed and turned, her unease growing.
Tuesday was out there foraging alone while she lay here resting.
It didn’t sit right.
Even if she couldn’t help, she shouldn’t be sleeping.
Maybe she should keep watch instead.
She crept to the door, her hand on the knob, when Tuesday’s voice stopped her cold.
“I got everything you prepared—two rabbits, five wild fruits, and a bottle of water. Enough for a few meals.”
Mu Xi froze.
Through a crack in the door, she saw Tuesday standing by the car, phone in one hand, gesturing with the other.
Moonlight illuminated a pile of food at his feet.
“But seriously, Boss Ye playing games with her little pet and dragging us into this charade?” Tuesday chuckled.
“Babysitting that kid is exhausting.”
The world spun.
Mu Xi gripped the doorframe to keep from collapsing.
Her mind flashed to their first meeting at the gold mine—his goofy smile, his kind words.
All an act.
She remembered clinging to him as her savior, his staged execution at the manor, his unwavering loyalty on this journey.
Now it was clear: from the start, he’d been Ye Lan’s spy.
“You bastard!” Mu Xi flung the door open, trembling with rage.
Tuesday jumped, nearly dropping his phone.
“Y-You’re awake?”
“Just in time!” Mu Xi charged, delivering a vicious kick to his groin.
“Argh!” Tuesday crumpled, howling like a wounded animal.
“Pretending to be good! Lying to me!” Mu Xi kicked again, her voice shaking.
“I thought you cared about me, but it was all Ye Lan’s scheme!”
“Wait, I can explain…” Tuesday curled into a ball, his voice a pained squeak.
“Explain nothing!” Mu Xi grabbed a wild fruit and hurled it at him.
“I was blind to trust a liar like you!”
“And your ‘castration’ was fake too, wasn’t it?” Mu Xi spat, recalling how he’d claimed Ye Lan had mutilated him.
She’d believed him then, pitied him.
Now it felt like a sick joke.
“I’m going to see for myself if you’re really a eunuch!” Fueled by fury, Mu Xi yanked down his pants.
“No, don’t!” Tuesday tried to stop her, but the pain kept him grounded.
In the moonlight, Mu Xi saw the truth and froze.
He hadn’t lied about that.
Still, a kick there was no small punishment.
“I really was castrated…” Tuesday whimpered, curled up on the ground.
“I didn’t lie about that.”
“Pah! That’s the only truth you’ve told.” Mu Xi spat.
“You’re vile, using even that to trick me into pitying you.”
She turned and sprinted to the jeep, the keys still in the ignition.