Chapter 4: The Bride is Mine

Startled by his sudden opening of eyes, Xia Li instinctively stepped back.

He’s still alive… that’s good.

However, the man’s gaze was strange.

It was as if he was in extreme vigilance, his eyes cold and sharp, lacking any warmth.

Like a tiger or leopard, his presence was chilling, honestly scaring her a bit.

What kind of serious person could he be?

Then how did he end up hiding under this large tree outside a small village, looking so ragged, like he had been on the run for many days?

Xia Li started to feel tense.

The man continued to stare at her, slowly furrowing his brows, and his gaze changed.

The two stared at each other.

Xia Li, unsure of what to do, took a few steps back, just about to speak when she suddenly heard a sound directed at her.

“Xi…”

“…Xi Hu.”

The man struggled to prop himself on the stone, half sitting up, and pointed at her with his dirty sleeve, looking stunned.

His voice was hoarse, scraping against her ears like a knife on sandpaper.

Xia Li didn’t quite catch what he said, her eyes widened in alarm as she took another step back, resembling a startled and wary deer.

“Who are you? I don’t care where you fell from; I could pretend not to see. I advise you not to move recklessly, as I’m quite sensible.”

As Xia Li spoke, she looked for her fish spear, at least it could help her defend herself.

Glancing over, she noticed it was sinking in the water, about to float away!

Great, she hadn’t caught a single fish and had encountered a wild man falling from the sky.

The man seemed to understand her words; he furrowed his brow in confusion and followed her gaze.

He spotted her fish spear lying across the water’s surface, and his eyes instantly lit up.

He suddenly sprang up; the frail figure from moments ago moved like a nimble beast, and he jumped straight into the water.

Xia Li stared in disbelief.

Then, maintaining her stunned expression, she watched as he swiftly grabbed the spear, moving with an almost cold intensity and deftly poking in the water several times.

A strange smile appeared on his stubbled face.

Then he raised the long spear from the water toward her, and amidst the splashing of droplets, Xia Li heard his hoarse voice sound again:

“Wife…”

Xia Li was shocked.

In fact, before her shock, she had swallowed hard.

The fish spear was stuck with three lively fish, and the water droplets wildly splashing from their tails landed all over her face.

This man must be a professional at this, right?!

Wow!

He’s really something!!

But what had he just called her? It seemed like…

“Wife.”

Seeing her staring wide-eyed at the fish on the spear, the man pursed his lips and revealed a somewhat proud yet shy smile.

He came up from the shallow water, where it was over his knees, and shoved the fish spear into her arms, hoarsely and softly calling out:

“Beautiful. Wife.”

Xia Li nearly got smacked by the thrashing tails of the fish and quickly wiped the water off her face, placing the spear into the nearby wooden bucket.

She looked at him with a face full of doubt.

“Don’t say nonsense; I’m not your wife.”

Is this guy dumb? Did he mistake her for someone else?

The man, seeing her denial and defensive expression, stood there soaked, tall and ragged, as if he were stunned.

His eyes were filled with unease. “Wife, you are.”

“Wife, mine… really.”

Seemingly afraid she wouldn’t believe him, he slowly repeated it several times.

Xia Li: “…”

There was no doubt this guy was an idiot.

Xia Li glanced over him and noticed that despite his tattered clothes, he had a strong and well-built body, with long legs and a particularly upright posture. She could even see the muscular definition in his legs now that the pants were wet.

It was evident he had a robust and resilient physique.

Is he really a fool?

Or is there something about him that’s right?

Xia Li silently picked up the wooden bucket filled with fish.

In any case, he did have some skill; he had jumped into the water to catch fish smoothly and efficiently, as if it was a natural instinct embedded in his bones.

Looking back, the man was still standing there, watching her with anticipation.

His face was dirty, but his eyes sparkled with a bright light.

Xia Li: ……