“Why is it so cold?”
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Jiang Lai had originally planned to wait until Shen Ruxue’s body felt a little better before the two of them set off again, but she was simply too exhausted.
In the end, she could not help leaning against Shen Ruxue’s back and falling asleep.
During her sleep, Jiang Lai had no idea how much time had passed when she suddenly felt a hand gently stroking her.
It started by softly caressing her hair, then slowly slid down and lightly touched her cheek.
At some point, Shen Ruxue had quietly changed their positions.
What had been Jiang Lai hugging Shen Ruxue tightly from behind had now become them facing each other.
Shen Ruxue sat in front of Jiang Lai, wanting to carefully observe the woman before her under the moonlight.
Because the day had been far too busy, there had been no time for this.
Only now, with both of them sitting on the ground, did she finally have the chance to study her closely.
In the past, Shen Ruxue had never thought in this direction, so she had never noticed that the woman in front of her looked almost exactly like her husband when he was young.
Aside from gender, they were nearly identical.
Shen Ruxue felt deep regret.
Why had she not recognized her sooner?
If she had realized earlier, she would have shown much more care, and they would not be in such a dangerous situation now.
Jiang Lai, who had been dozing with her eyes half-closed, could feel Shen Ruxue’s hand continuously stroking her face.
During the caresses, Jiang Lai finally opened her eyes, only to meet Shen Ruxue’s extremely focused gaze.
That look made Jiang Lai’s heart tremble with unease.
Even through the darkness, Jiang Lai could see that Shen Ruxue’s eyes were bright, as if they could see right through her.
‘Why is my daughter’s best friend suddenly looking at me with an expression like she wants to eat me up…’
“What’s wrong?”
After reacting, Jiang Lai naturally took hold of the hand Shen Ruxue had placed on her face.
She noticed that the hand was no longer as cold as ice.
When she held it in her palm, she felt a little warmth, and only then did she relax.
Once her worry disappeared, curiosity took its place about Shen Ruxue’s earlier actions.
Why had she been stroking her face and showing such a direct gaze?
Jiang Lai could not quite describe or explain that look.
She simply felt that the other woman’s eyes contained something she did not understand at all.
At the beginning, the relationship between Jiang Lai and Shen Ruxue had not been good.
Although it had never been openly shown, Jiang Lai could faintly sense the other party’s hostility toward her—more precisely, a sense of jealousy and rivalry.
Especially during that time on the holiday island, this hostility had almost reached its peak.
But now, for some reason, Jiang Lai could not feel any of it.
Instead, she could sense a special emotion coming from the other woman, a slightly entangled feeling.
Jiang Lai’s intuition was sharp.
She could detect this slight change, but that did not mean she understood it.
“Should we take advantage of the fact that the sky is not yet completely dark and the moon is still quite bright to hurry and get closer to the wall?”
Jiang Lai held Shen Ruxue’s hand tightly.
This was only a suggestion.
If Shen Ruxue did not want to, she would not force it.
After all, walking without lights at night was indeed difficult.
But turning on a light would make them too easy to spot…
Moving under the cover of night had both advantages and disadvantages, so whether Shen Ruxue agreed or refused, Jiang Lai could accept it.
“I trust you. You don’t need to tell me what you want to do. Just pull me along.”
Shen Ruxue’s answer was soft and gentle.
Facing Jiang Lai at this moment, there was no trace of hostility—only full of doting affection.
Jiang Lai still clearly remembered Shen Ruxue’s attitude toward her back on the holiday island, so when she heard such a pampering, obedient voice, she was completely stunned.
She had no idea what had happened between her and Shen Ruxue, or why the other woman’s attitude toward her had changed so drastically.
Jiang Lai had never imagined that one day she would see doting affection toward herself in her daughter’s best friend’s eyes.
But this was not the right time to be curious about all of that.
Right now, the most important thing was to get closer to the wall as soon as possible while it was still dark.
Just as Jiang Lai was about to move, Shen Ruxue tightly grabbed her hand.
“You wear my shoes!”
Shen Ruxue’s voice sounded almost like an order.
“During the day you can see the ground clearly, but at night just being able to see the direction ahead is already pretty good. What if you step on something and hurt your bare feet?”
“What are you thinking?”
Even if her feet were injured, Jiang Lai could never take a child’s belongings.
Shen Ruxue was not even as old as her own daughter.
Jiang Lai already felt deeply guilty for failing to protect her—how could she possibly use a child’s things and make her suffer?
Even if she died, Jiang Lai would never do such a thing.
“I’ve already stepped on things anyway. You keep wearing them. It’s fine.”
“No, you can’t!”
“Who knows what you might step on at night? Besides, if you walk in front, anything dangerous will be stepped on by you first.”
This time Shen Ruxue was very domineering.
She pulled Jiang Lai into her arms.
Jiang Lai felt the girl—who was the same age as her daughter—holding her.
Being held like this made her feel that not only had her male dignity been completely shattered, but her dignity as an adult had also turned to ashes.
After all, the person in front of her was a child even younger than her daughter.
Jiang Lai did not dare push hard while being held, because Shen Ruxue’s body was still very weak.
Jiang Lai could not control her own strength right now.
If she accidentally hurt Shen Ruxue by pushing her, it would be the worst possible outcome.
No matter what, Jiang Lai could never wear a child’s shoes.
On this matter, she remained the most firm.
Shen Ruxue saw that she could not persuade Jiang Lai, so she gave up and stepped back on her request.
“Then from now on, you follow behind me. I’ll clear the path for you, okay?”
Jiang Lai thought about it.
This was still much better than taking a child’s shoes, so she nodded in agreement.
After that, Shen Ruxue did not care what Jiang Lai might say.
She simply took her hand and walked forward.
Jiang Lai felt the warmth from the hand holding hers.
When she tried to pull away, she discovered that Shen Ruxue’s grip was surprisingly strong.
Before she could withdraw it, she heard the other woman’s voice full of possessiveness.
“Don’t let go of my hand. It’s too dark right now. What if we get separated? That would only cause more trouble.”
Jiang Lai’s face instantly turned red with embarrassment.
She could only obediently let Shen Ruxue have her way.
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