After becoming a widow, I became the apple of a rough man's eye.

The instant the rock broke off, Qin Lie exerted force with his arm, the brute force nearly crushing Lin Qingqing's wrist.

Using his last bit of leverage, he suddenly tightened his waist and abdomen, forcefully twisting half a circle in mid-air, pulling Lin Qingqing tightly into his arms, and using his broad back to face the falling rubble.

"boom!"

The boulder, the size of a washbasin, crashed down on the spot where they had just been standing, sending shards of rock flying like countless tiny blades.

The two lost their support and huddled together, rolling down the muddy, steep slope.

The heavens and earth are spinning.

Lin Qingqing felt dizzy, with the howling wind and the pounding rain in her ears, and her nostrils filled with the smell of mud and the strong odor of sweat from men.

She instinctively wanted to scream, but a rough, large hand pressed down hard on the back of her head, burying her face in his hard, hot chest.

Once, twice.

His body kept crashing against the bushes and protruding tree roots on the ground.

With each impact, she could hear a muffled groan from the man holding her, but his arms around her waist remained firmly in place, as if welded shut.

Their tumbling only came to an abrupt halt when they crashed into a fallen, withered tree.

The immense impact displaced Lin Qingqing's internal organs. She lay on top of Qin Lie, her head buzzing, unable to recover for a long time.

The rain was still falling, even heavier than before, as if it were about to engulf the entire world.

The man beneath her remained motionless.

"Big...Big Brother?" Lin Qingqing's voice trembled as she reached out to push his shoulder.

The area beneath my palm was wet and sticky.

Qin Lie coughed violently, his chest heaving, then exhaled a long breath. He opened his eyes, rainwater streaming down his strong brow bone and into his eye sockets, but his eyes shone with a frightening light, carrying a fierce glint of someone who had survived a near-death experience.

"Are you hurt?" His voice was hoarse, as if he had sand in his mouth.

Lin Qingqing shook her head, tears mingling with the rain as they streamed down her face: "I'm fine, you...you're bleeding..."

When she rolled down, she clearly felt some warm liquid splash onto her neck.

Qin Lie ignored her sobs, propped himself up with one hand and sat up. The movement aggravated the wound on his back, causing his brow to twitch violently, and he cursed under his breath.

"Stop crying, I'm not dead yet."

He wiped the mud off his face and looked up at the sky. The rain was too heavy; if he stayed any longer, the hillside could collapse at any moment.

"Get up and walk."

Qin Lie stood up, his body swayed slightly, but then he became as steady as a mountain.

He bent down to pick up the machete that had fallen to the side, tucked it back into his waistband, and then, without giving Lin Qingqing a chance to react, stepped forward, bent down, and slipped his arm under her knees and back.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Qingqing had been lifted up in his arms.

"Hold on tight."

Qin Lie let out a low shout and strode off into the mud.

Lin Qingqing was so frightened that she quickly clung tightly to his neck, hanging on him like a koala.

The rain quickly soaked them to the bone.

Qin Lie's shirt was already soaked through, clinging tightly to his body and outlining the contours of his muscles, which looked like they were sculpted from granite. As he ran, those muscles tensed and relaxed, containing explosive power.

Lin Qingqing was standing too close.

Through the two layers of soaked fabric, she could clearly feel the man's burning body temperature, like a furnace, trying to evaporate any remaining coolness from her.

His heart was beating fast, heavy and powerful, right beside her ear, "thump, thump, thump," each beat like a blow to her heart.

This pose is so embarrassing.

Her face was buried in the crook of his neck, and with his movements, his rough stubble would occasionally brush against her delicate cheeks, stinging painfully yet carrying a tingling sensation that made her legs weak.

Qin Lie ran very fast, and his breathing became heavier and heavier.

The heavy breathing was right next to her ear, carrying a masculine restlessness, mixed with the dampness of the rain, drilling straight into her ears.

Lin Qingqing felt as if she had been scalded, her whole body was burning up.

"arrive."

Qin Lie suddenly stopped.

Before him was a dense wall of vines, almost blending into the mountainside. If Qin Lie hadn't been familiar with the area, he would never have noticed that there was a cave hidden inside.

He didn't put Lin Qingqing down, but instead kicked away the tangled vines.

"Lower your head."

He gave her a word of advice, then picked her up and crawled inside.

The entrance to the cave is very narrow, allowing only one person to pass through at a time.

Qin Lie was tall and strong. When he squeezed Lin Qingqing inside, their bodies were inevitably pressed together by the cave walls.

In that instant, Lin Qingqing felt as if she had been embedded into his body.

Chest to chest, thighs to waist and abdomen.

The intense pressure and friction caused Lin Qingqing to let out a soft whimper.

Qin Lie paused, his arms tightening around her, making it hard for her to breathe. In the darkness, his breathing became erratic, heavy and rapid.

Once inside the cave, the space became slightly more spacious, but it was still cramped.

The sound of rain outside suddenly became muffled and distant, and the cave was eerily quiet, with only the slightly rapid breathing of the two people echoing inside.

Qin Lie didn't rush to put her down.

He just held her like that, standing in the darkness, lost in thought.

Lin Qingqing could feel that the muscles in his arms were as hard as iron, and the heat emanating from his damp clothes made her feel flustered.

"Big...Big Brother?" she whispered, her voice soft and alluring in the darkness.

Qin Lie's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, as if he had finally come to his senses.

He bent down and placed her on a relatively flat stone with less than gentle movements.

"Stay put and don't move."

Qin Lie left those words behind and turned to grope around in the darkness for a while.

"Click."

The lighter's flame shot up, dispelling the small patch of darkness.

With an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth, Qin Lie used the firelight to gather the dry branches and leaves on the ground. Soon, a campfire was lit.

The flickering firelight illuminated the narrow cave.

It was only about seven or eight square meters in size, with some dry grass on the ground and some firewood piled up in the corner. Although it was simple, it was at least a place that could shelter us from the wind and rain.

Lin Qingqing sat on the rock, hugging her knees with both hands, her whole body still trembling uncontrollably.

First, I was cold; second, I was frightened.

She secretly glanced at Qin Lie.

The man was standing by the fire with his back to her, wringing the water off his clothes.

His shirt was torn to shreds, and the back was in particularly bad shape.

The fabric was ripped open, revealing a gruesome bloodstain across the shoulder blade on the exposed bronze skin. The flesh was torn open, and blood was still seeping out, flowing down the back groove into the waistband of the pants.

Those were from being cut by pebbles while protecting her.

Lin Qingqing felt as if something had clenched her heart tightly, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Big brother, you're injured..."

She stood up, intending to go and take a look.

"Sit back down."

Qin Lie didn't turn his head, his voice cold and hard, "You won't die."

He casually tossed his wrung-out shirt onto a rock beside the fire and turned away shirtless.

The firelight illuminated his body, making his muscular physique appear almost oiled, exuding a wild, masculine energy. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, clearly defined abs, and V-lines bulging from his soaked trousers, all conveying a blush-inducing, sensual aura.

But that face was frighteningly dark.

His gaze fell on Lin Qingqing, and his eyes instantly became incredibly deep.

Lin Qingqing was wearing a dark blue coarse cloth dress today. Although it was thick, it couldn't withstand being soaked for so long. Now the dress was completely wet and clung tightly to her body, revealing her exquisite curves.

Especially the chest area.

Because of the cold, it stood out particularly clearly.

Plus, she had just rolled around in the mud, with mud splattered all over her face and neck, and her hair was a mess sticking to her cheeks. Her disheveled and pitiful appearance was simply testing the limits of a man's patience.

Qin Lie felt a surge of lustful fire rising in his lower abdomen, making his throat dry.

He scratched his head in frustration, spat out the cigarette from his mouth, and stomped it out.

"Come here." He beckoned to Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing sniffed and obediently moved over.

"Where's the medicine?" Qin Lie asked.

"It's...it's in the pack." Lin Qingqing pointed to the army pack that had been thrown in the corner.

Qin Lie walked over, picked up the bundle, unzipped it, and pulled out a first-aid kit.

He took out a bottle of alcohol and a roll of gauze from inside and stuffed them into Lin Qingqing's arms.

"Apply me the medicine."

After saying that, he sat down directly by the fire, with his back to Lin Qingqing.

Lin Qingqing held the alcohol bottle, her hands trembling violently.

She looked at the still-bleeding wound, and tears streamed down her face.

"Stop crying, I haven't even made you cry yet." Qin Lie felt inexplicably irritated by the sobbing behind him, and his tone became even more aggressive. "Hurry up, stop dawdling."

Lin Qingqing dared not delay any longer, so she quickly unscrewed the bottle cap, dipped a cotton ball in alcohol, and carefully brought it closer.

"It might hurt a little, just bear with it..."

The moment the cotton ball touched the wound, Qin Lie's back muscles tensed up, but he didn't utter a sound. He just gritted his teeth, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.

Lin Qingqing's movements were as gentle as if she were wiping a fragile piece of porcelain.

Her fingers were icy cold, and occasionally, when they accidentally touched his burning hot skin, the alternating sensation of hot and cold made the hairs on Qin Lie's body stand on end.

This isn't applying medicine; it's torture.

He could smell the sweet fragrance emanating from her, a scent mixed with the smell of rain and earth, a unique milky fragrance that belonged to a woman.

Right behind him.

Breath sprayed onto his back.

Qin Lie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to suppress the raging beast within him.

Finally, the wound was bandaged up.

Lin Qingqing tied a knot and breathed a sigh of relief: "All done."

She was about to back away when her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Qin Lie turned around, his eyes shining brightly in the firelight, churning with an emotion that made Lin Qingqing's heart pound.

His gaze swept over her, finally settling on the hem of her still-dripping clothes.

"Are you cold?" he asked, his voice low and hoarse.

Lin Qingqing nodded, her teeth chattering: "Cold..."

The temperature was frighteningly low on this rainy night in the mountains. She was soaked to the bone, and the chill had long since seeped into her bones.

Qin Lie stared at her for a few seconds, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

He released his hand, pointed to a patch of dry grass beside the fire, and his tone became authoritative, carrying a commanding air.

"Take off your clothes."

Lin Qingqing was stunned, staring at him with wide eyes, wondering if she had misheard.

"Wh...what?"

"Take it off." Qin Lie looked at her, his gaze direct and undisguised, as if he wanted to burn through her wet clothes. "It's very humid in these mountains. If you wear these wet clothes, they won't dry, and you'll get a fever tomorrow. Then I'll have to carry you out of the mountains."