Chapter 242: Far Away from the World, You and Me (3)
By the time Liora returned from the river, her skin was flushed from the cold water, and her damp hair clung to her cheeks like ribbons of dark silk. She wore the borrowed clothes—a soft shirt and loose trousers that hung slightly over her frame. The fabric smelled faintly of pine and smoke... and something else, his scent.
She walked barefoot through the grass, cheeks still pink from the bath, her presence glowing beneath the golden sunlight. And for a moment, Xu Kai—who had been silently organizing tools near the tent looked up.
His gaze caught on her like a spark to dry wood.
For the briefest second, the man known for his unshakable calm stood frozen. His cold, indifferent eyes flickered—not with anger, but something far deeper. It was possessive and primal.
He stared at her like she was the only thing in existence, like he had spent a lifetime in shadow just to see her lit by the sun.
And then—just as quickly—he looked away.
His gaze was so hot that made Liora glanced over, but by the time she looked up, all she saw was Xu Kai crouched near the firepit, calmly cleaning cooking tools and folding cloths into precise stacks. His face was unreadable, his focus seemingly locked on the task in front of him.
Had she imagined it?
She blinked, her chest warming with a flutter of confusion and something softer. When he didn’t even glance her way, she let out a quiet laugh under her breath, brushing it off. Maybe it was just the sun getting to her head. She skipped toward him, her steps light, her smile playful.
"Xu Kai," she said, flopping down beside him without warning. "When are we going back to the base?" Afterall only he could take her, because she did not know where they are currently and her teleportation ball is sill in the space.
His hands stilled for a moment—too long to be casual. Then they resumed.
"Eventually," he replied.