Chapter 2895: Small Town Infrastructure Construction Proceeds Happily 15

Yan Gengu, facing Huo Zhaoye's questioning gaze, still repeated the situation then, which was largely the same as the description of the survivors of Southern Town.

He was abducted by a dark shadow outside the town, and when he woke up he was already in a cave.

After Yan Gengu finished speaking, Jin Chen nodded at Huo Zhaoye in agreement, saying, "That's how it was."

His face still had dust on it, and in the leaping firelight he looked dirty, covered in ash.

Huo Zhaoye looked at his disheveled state, which should have been embarrassing, yet for some reason he inexplicably chuckled.

He used his sleeve to wipe the dust off Jin Chen's face.

"Dirty."

Jin Chen let him wipe, and after he pulled his hand back, Jin Chen leaned back against Huo Zhaoye's shoulder.

Huo Zhaoye's body tensed slightly, "It's already fine."

Jin Chen leaned on his shoulder, eyes half-closed, and upon hearing that, he asked back.

"If it's fine, am I not allowed to lean on you?"

"……Yes."

"Of course."

After saying that, Huo Zhaoye couldn't help but turn his head, tongue pressing against his cheek, a hidden joy surging in his chest.

Night fell, the thunder rumbled farther away, but the rain did not cease, pattering softly.

Everyone began to arrange for spending the night.

Two small tents were unfolded and set up in a relatively flat, dry spot, while the tarpaulin was used to shelter the wounded and those physically weak.

Keeping watch was necessary; in this wild forest, no one dared to be careless.

The two chieftains quickly worked out a shift, pairing up and rotating every few hours.

As for Jin Chen and Yan Gengu, everyone tacitly agreed they did not need to take watch.

One was a frail teacher frightened out of his wits, the other a freshly injured, bleeding agriculturalist; both needed rest.

Huo Zhaoye crouched on the ground, deftly handling the tent poles and tarpaulin, while Jin Chen lazily followed behind, his gaze occasionally drifting elsewhere.

Over there, Lu Jun proactively invited Yan Gengu to share a tent; Yan Gengu nodded and did not refuse.

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, calculating in his mind.

He wondered whether Lu Jun still had any spare points.

If not, he could exchange heavenly materials and earthly treasures or rare resources.

As he thought, Lu Jun, bending over nearby to tidy the tent, suddenly felt a chilling sensation rise from behind him for no reason.

He instinctively turned his head, meeting Jin Chen's gaze directed at him.

In the flickering firelight, Jin Chen gave him the faintest twitch of the corner of his mouth.

Lu Jun: "??"

He touched the back of his neck, then turned his head back, puzzled.

"This Teacher Jin, why is his gaze so strange when he looks at people?"

""Teacher Jin." Huo Zhaoye's voice came, tone stiff."

He had finished setting up the tent, lifted a corner, and turned his head to look at Jin Chen.

"How did I miss him looking away, and now Jin Chen is exchanging glances with someone else? What's there to see in that brat Lu Jun?"

""Oh." Jin Chen responded, walked to the tent edge, bent over, and slipped inside."

Inside the tent the space was cramped, a moisture-proof mat laid down; Jin Chen sat on the inner side, and Huo Zhaoye followed him in, lowering the flap.

The two sat side by side, very close together.

Huo Zhaoye said nothing, his brows slightly furrowed, still preoccupied with that glance earlier, also blaming himself for failing to protect Jin Chen.

Jin Chen turned his head, his fingertips lightly brushing Huo Zhaoye's furrowed brow, the motion very gentle.

"What's wrong?"

Huo Zhaoye lifted his eyes to look at him, meeting the gaze that appeared especially tender in the dim light.

In those pupils reflected a small lamp glow, and also his own somewhat disheveled silhouette.

""It's my fault for not protecting you well." Huo Zhaoye said softly."

He had always believed that as long as he was present, he could safeguard those he wanted to protect, but this time Jin Chen had an incident right under his nose.

Jin Chen's palm followed his browbone, slowly stroking to his cheek.

As skin touched skin, Huo Zhaoye's breath caught for a moment.

Jin Chen then rubbed his knuckles against his cheek, clearly an offhand intimacy, yet his gaze was gentle enough to drown someone.

Huo Zhaoye stared back at him, somewhat dazed.

His usual wild, reckless ferocity was gradually tamed by that gaze; he lowered his eyes and pressed his cheek against Jin Chen's palm.

Outside the tent wind and rain raged; inside it was silent, their breathing and heartbeats intertwining.

After a long while, Jin Chen softly answered his earlier question.

""You came quickly, you did protect me well."

Jin Chen's fingertip slid down, pressing against Huo Zhaoye's lip corner.

That was a somewhat intimate, even flirtatious small gesture.

Huo Zhaoye's whole body went numb from the gesture; he lowered his head and adjusted his expression.

""But… next time, it's better not to be apart." Jin Chen glanced down at him, touched his lips with his fingertip, rubbed them lightly, speaking in a very soft, hollow, gentle voice."

Huo Zhaoye's heart turned soft and mushy, his wildness melting into a brief meekness: "I feel the same."

""Still, it's better to keep you under my eyelids, watching you."

Jin Chen gave an almost inaudible hum, withdrew his hand, leaned back a little, and lay down to prepare for rest.

Huo Zhaoye was still sitting beside him, seeing Jin Chen's sleeping face, and in a dazed moment he again recalled that sultry night.

On the loft, Jin Chen lay with his hand as a pillow, sinking into deep sleep.

How could this be?

Huo Zhaoye felt somewhat confused in his heart.

His unspoken thoughts also grew obscure and tangled in the tent's strange atmosphere.

He turned his head, gave an extremely soft cough, to calm the unfamiliar surging emotion in his chest, then slowly lay down beside Jin Chen.

The blanket was small, so the two inevitably drew closer; Huo Zhaoye hesitated, then slipped his arm around Jin Chen's waist and gently pulled him in.

Huo Zhaoye stroked the soft bangs above Jin Chen's forehead, his fingertips brushing over his half-closed eyes, his knuckles tensing and curling.

Then he held his breath and placed a kiss amidst Jin Chen's strands of hair.

Such a hair‑kiss is hard to notice, light as a butterfly's wing; only those who wish to know can feel the sentiment it conveys.

Huo Zhaoye brought his face closer, inhaling that faint hair fragrance, and closed his eyes.

—

In the early morning hours, the rain gradually eased.

From outside the tent came a sound—two short, one long—the agreed-upon shift-change signal.

Huo Zhaoye instantly opened his eyes, a habit honed over years in dangerous environments.

He shifted, trying to pull his arm out from under Jin Chen's head to sit up.

However, Jin Chen, still asleep, seemed to sense it and clung even tighter.

Huo Zhaoye's body tensed, and he dared not move again.

He maintained that awkward posture, waited a few seconds, felt Jin Chen's breathing return to normal, then slowly slipped out of Jin Chen's embrace and tucked Jin Chen's hand back under the blanket.

After doing all that, he actually felt more exhausted than after a fight.

Finally managing to free his hand, Huo Zhaoye half-propped himself up, and, compelled by some inexplicable urge, leaned in again—this time his kiss landed on Jin Chen's forehead.

Huo Zhaoye lifted the tent flap, slipped out, and carefully closed the flap behind him.

Outside the tent, the damp, chilly air rushed in, refreshing the spirit.

Houzi, who was on watch with Huo Zhaoye, yawned, saw him emerge, and mumbled a greeting, "Boss."

Huo Zhaoye nodded, walked over to the fire, sat down, and added a few sticks of wood.

Houzi also sat down, hugging his knees, looking at Huo Zhaoye's somewhat gloomy profile in the firelight, and couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? You look worried sick about Teacher Jin—he's fine, isn't he?"

"Or are you worried the road will be rough at dawn?"

Huo Zhaoye stared at the dancing flame, saying nothing.

After a while, he finally seemed to make up his mind, turned his head, and said, "Houzi, you… used to like Ajuan—how did you pursue her?"

Houzi: "??"

His sleep‑fuddled brain couldn't catch up at once; he blinked, staring blankly at his own boss.

In the middle of the night, on watch, why suddenly ask about this?

Houzi glanced toward the tent behind Huo Zhaoye, not daring to make it too obvious, and scratched his head.

"Nothing special, really… just… notice what she likes, try to get it, hang around her more, help her out with chores, say nice things…"

Houzi strained to recall his meager love experience, saying, "But, Brother Huo, seriously, if I didn't really like her, I wouldn't bother with all that trouble—it's a pain."

Huo Zhaoye fell into thought, his fingers twisting the burnt stick.

Seeing Huo Zhaoye silent, Houzi assumed he was tired, stopped asking, crossed his arms, and his head soon drooped as he dozed off again.

Huo Zhaoye alone kept watch over that faint light, listening to the rain outside the cave gradually pattering, and kept watch through the latter half of the night.