The Minister: Cold by Day, Hot by Night

But the man on the ground had his eyes squeezed shut, completely motionless.

"Hey, stop playing around and get up." Zhi Wan gave him a light kick.

But the man remained still.

Now, Zhi Wan started to panic.

She quickly crouched down and nudged his arm. "What’s wrong with you? Wake up!"

"Hey, stop sleeping! Get up!"

Seeing no sign of him waking, Zhi Wan switched to patting his face. "Hey, if you don’t wake up, I’m going to leave—"

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."

A sudden coughing fit cut off the rest of Zhi Wan’s sentence.

She looked at him, delighted, and saw him slowly open his eyes.

The man looked dazed at first. Upon seeing Zhi Wan, he seemed surprised. "You... What are you doing here?"

"I don’t know either." Zhi Wan shook her head. "By the way, are you okay? I was just calling you, but you wouldn’t wake up."

"I’m fine." The man’s voice was a little hoarse. He propped himself up on his elbows and slowly sat up on the sand.

Seeing his slow, sluggish movements, Zhi Wan guessed he must be injured. She quickly reached out to help him up, chattering on, "How did you get hurt again? And you even ended up stranded on this beach."

The man paused before explaining, "I didn’t expect them to plant a mine on the ship’s hull. It blew up the ship. I didn’t have time to get away, fell into the water, and was washed up here."

As he spoke, the man turned his head to survey their surroundings.

"A mine? A ship explosion? What exactly do you do?" Zhi Wan watched him curiously.

The man paused, then said flatly, "Take a guess."

"Fine, don’t tell me." Zhi Wan pouted. "I’m not going to guess." With that, she went to let go of him, but he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms.

Zhi Wan froze for a second, then quickly pushed him away. "Your robes are soaking wet. Don’t touch me."

Only then did the man seem to remember, and he let go with a helpless sigh.

Seeing him sitting on the ground, unable to get up after a long moment, Zhi Wan couldn’t help but soften.

She had known him for so long, but she had never seen him in such a sorry state.

Although she couldn’t see his face clearly, his speech, his clothes, and the houses he stayed in every time they met all suggested he came from a wealthy background.

She never thought he’d end up stranded on a beach like this.

Thinking of this, she reached out to help him. "Let me help you over to that rock to sit down. The sand here is uncomfortable."

"Mm," the man replied in a low voice.

Zhi Wan struggled a bit to help him up, complaining, "You’re so heavy."

"Sorry," the man apologized.

But Zhi Wan could clearly hear the laughter in his voice.

"You can still laugh?" she said, annoyed. "You’re stranded in this godforsaken place. If no one finds us, you’ll be stuck here for the rest of your life."

A faint smile touched the man’s lips as he said nonchalantly, "If they can’t find us, they can’t find us. Besides, don’t I have you here to keep me company?"

"In your dreams. I’m not staying with you forever." Zhi Wan scoffed. "I’m leaving in a bit."

She said that, but looking at the pitch-black surroundings, she felt a chill.

’Where on earth am I?’

Besides the sound of the water, everything was silent. The dark jungle in the distance looked just like a slumbering beast.

She couldn’t help but inch closer to the man.

The man placed a hand on her shoulder, careful not to put his full weight on her. He walked slowly, and sensing her fear, he pulled her a little closer into his arms.

"Scared?"

"Who says?" Zhi Wan said stubbornly.

"Good that you’re not scared, then." The man chuckled softly.

Zhi Wan pressed her lips together and said no more. Using the faint moonlight, she helped him to the rock, then wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve and sat down beside him.

GROWL!

A strange noise abruptly broke the silence.

Zhi Wan realized what it was and looked at the man teasingly. "Your stomach is growling?"

"I was blown into the river last night. It’s been a whole day since I’ve eaten," the man said flatly, clearing his throat.

"Then what are we going to do? There’s no food here," Zhi Wan said, at a loss.

"Let me rest for a bit. Later, I’ll go into the water to catch some fish and roast them for you," the man said.

Zhi Wan was doubtful he could catch fish in his current weak state, but she didn’t say anything to discourage him. She just said, "You don’t have to. I’m not hungry. Just worry about yourself."

The man didn’t say anything else, simply resting his head on her shoulder and lightly sniffing the fragrance on her.

"I haven’t seen you in a long time. What have you been busy with?" The man’s long fingers hooked a strand of her hair hanging by her ear and began toying with it.

Zhi Wan had been about to push him away, but his words made her pause. She frowned. "Nothing much." She had been on her way back to the Capital City, spending her days with Ouyang Zhenzhu and her evenings painting in her cabin.

Although the voyage had been smooth, they had been delayed on the road for seven or eight days.

And during that time, the two of them hadn’t met again.

She had thought that their last night at the Lu Family Villa in Yangzhou would be the last time they ever met. She never expected to see him again today.

Thinking of this, she felt conflicted.

’What should I do? It seems I can’t shake this guy off...’

Suddenly, the weight on her shoulder lifted. By the time she realized what was happening, she saw the man walking slowly into the jungle.

"Hey, where are you going?" Zhi Wan jumped in surprise and quickly called out.

"I’ll be right back," the man said over his shoulder.

Zhi Wan sat alone on the rock, staring into the surrounding darkness. She grew uneasy, afraid the man would abandon her. She scrambled to her feet and chased after him in the direction he had gone.

When she found him, he was already holding a pile of dry firewood in his arms.

"What are you gathering all this wood for?"

"Aren’t you afraid of the dark?" the man said.

Zhi Wan froze.

"Let’s go." The man took her hand.

Zhi Wan followed him, feeling a bit passive.

She watched as he picked a spot near the shore, set down the firewood, and then went to find two fist-sized stones.

Zhi Wan saw him crouching there, clutching the stones in both hands and striking them together repeatedly. She couldn’t help but crouch down too, watching him curiously. "What are you doing?"

"Making a fire," the man explained calmly.

Hearing this, Zhi Wan watched him with interest. She had assumed he was just some rich young master, but she never thought he’d have this kind of skill.

After a while, a spark finally flew from the stones in the man’s hands, igniting the dry grass in front of him. Only then did he stop striking the stones. He quickly placed the lit grass onto the firewood.

Watching the firewood catch fire, Zhi Wan was utterly amazed. "It really lit."

The man said nothing. He brought over a relatively flat stone for her to sit on, then rearranged the firewood.

"You watch the fire. I’m going to the water to spear some fish." He picked up a forked branch, gave her the instruction, and then stood up and walked toward the water’s edge.

Watching his figure disappear into the darkness, Zhi Wan couldn’t help but shout, "Be careful!"

"Mm," came the man’s deep voice in reply.