Shen Qingzhu leaned against the mountain wall, using the few uneven protrusions above him as shelter from the rain. Even so, the wind blew the rain sideways, wetting his sleeves. In such cold weather, he couldn’t help but shiver a little.

When he first noticed the change in the weather, Shen Qingzhu had intended to descend the mountain. But after chasing a rabbit too far, he lost his way. Before he could find a way down, the rain began pouring down on him. He had no choice but to find a spot against the cliff wall to wait out the rain, hoping it would ease up enough for him to make his way down.

He was also worried that Aunt Wu, out of concern, might brave the rain to look for him. This made him even more anxious. Just then, he heard someone call his name— a voice he recognized immediately.

Zhou Song came striding over, stopping in front of him, panting heavily as he looked him over from head to toe. Only when he saw that Shen Qingzhu was safe did he finally relax a little.

As Zhou Song observed Shen Qingzhu, Shen Qingzhu was also studying him. Although Zhou Song was holding an umbrella, his clothes were soaked with both rain and sweat. He looked more bedraggled than Shen Qingzhu, suggesting he’d been searching for him for quite some time. Shen Qingzhu’s heart softened slightly. “Why are you here? Did Aunt Wu send you to find me?”

Zhou Song shook his head and extended the oil-paper umbrella over Kun Ze, exposing himself to the rain without a second thought. “I was on my way back from the village head’s place when I heard you hadn’t come down from the mountain yet, so I came up to look for you.”

In just that brief moment, Zhou Song’s hair was already soaked. Without paying much attention to his words, Shen Qingzhu lifted his hand, trying to push the umbrella back a bit.

This time, however, Zhou Song was unyielding. Even though his arm tensed at Shen Qingzhu’s touch, he didn’t budge, keeping the umbrella firmly over Kun Ze.

Shen Qingzhu was taken aback, showing a hint of helplessness in his gaze. After a slight pause, he decided to take a different approach and grasped Zhou Song’s hand, pulling him closer.

Caught off guard, Zhou Song stepped forward, and now both of them were under the umbrella. They were standing so close that their bodies nearly touched, and the faint fragrance of orchids drifted into his nose.

Suddenly, his whole body went rigid like a stone, and a flush spread across his face. He stood there in a daze, not daring to blink.

Seeing this, Shen Qingzhu’s lips curved in a smile. “This way, both of us can stay out of the rain.”

Zhou Song, however, was still speechless, the close proximity leaving him red-faced and flustered, his eyes fixed unblinkingly ahead.

A sudden thunderclap boomed across the sky, the brief flash of light illuminating Kun Ze’s face, snapping Zhou Song back to his senses. Right now, the priority was to find a safer place to take shelter, not to stand here and get drenched and risk catching a cold.

Suppressing his errant thoughts, Zhou Song spoke gently, “The rain’s only getting heavier. We probably can’t make it down the mountain right now. There’s a nearby cave. How about we go there to wait out the rain?”

Out here in the mountains, Zhou Song had more experience, and Shen Qingzhu had no objections, nodding in agreement.

Shen Qingzhu shivered slightly, feeling his hands and feet turn cold while an unusual warmth spread inside him. This was starting to feel like the onset of an illness—he definitely couldn’t stay here much longer.

Zhou Song took the bow and arrows from Shen Qingzhu’s back, slinging them over his own shoulder. He turned to stand beside Kun Ze, helping to hold the umbrella for him. Realizing they were still too close, with his shoulder practically brushing against Shen Qingzhu’s, Zhou Song instinctively tried to take a step away. But just as he was about to move, he felt a light tug on his sleeve, and he froze.

Shen Qingzhu looked at him and said, “Don’t go too far; the umbrella won’t cover us both.”

After all Zhou Song’s trouble coming up here to find him, Shen Qingzhu couldn’t possibly let him get soaked. As for etiquette, under these circumstances, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t the type to be overly rigid about such things.

The pull on Zhou Song’s sleeve was light; he could easily have pulled away, but he didn’t. He didn’t want to. In such a moment, he felt like it wouldn’t hurt to be a little reckless.

Each harboring their own thoughts, they continued forward, sharing an umbrella and heading for shelter.

The umbrella was just large enough to barely cover two adults, and couldn’t completely shield them from the rain. Occasionally, Zhou Song would shift the umbrella toward Kun Ze’s side, willingly exposing his own shoulder to the rain, caring only that Kun Ze stayed dry.

The ground was slick with mud, and to avoid slipping, Shen Qingzhu held onto Qian Yuan’s arm, absorbing a bit of warmth from his chilled hand. Somehow, he felt even warmer inside, and his face, which had turned pale from the cold, now held a slight flush. He furrowed his brows, sensing that something wasn’t quite right.

With night fully upon them and the rain obscuring their view, Zhou Song had difficulty finding the way. His face was set, his eyes narrowed as he struggled to make out the path. Unable to see clearly, Shen Qingzhu’s foot slipped, but he held onto Zhou Song’s arm, and Zhou Song caught him steadily.

“Are you alright?” Zhou Song stopped, concern in his voice. The rain was so loud that he had to raise his voice. In the dim light, even though they were close, Zhou Song’s face was barely visible.

Shen Qingzhu shook his head and raised his voice too, “I’m fine; let’s keep going.”

Hearing his steady tone, Zhou Song relaxed a little. As he backed away, however, he caught the scent of orchids again, stronger this time, and it stirred something within him.

He paused, wondering if Shen Qingzhu’s body temperature had dropped so much that he couldn’t control his scent anymore.

His concern deepened, but he maintained his pace, not wanting to rush Kun Ze.

Shen Qingzhu’s hands felt icy, though his body was radiating an increasing warmth. Frowning, he discreetly touched the back of his neck, noticing a faint scent escaping him.

His heart grew heavier.

Glancing at Qian Yuan beside him, Shen Qingzhu could barely make out his expression in the darkness. But from his frequent glances, he knew Zhou Song was earnestly searching for the way.

Silently, Shen Qingzhu followed.

Zhou Song brushed aside branches in front of them, carefully guiding Kun Ze. After some time, he spotted the opening of a cave.

Both men sighed in relief. On such a rainy night, it was reassuring to have a place to rest.

“Wait here while I check inside.” Zhou Song handed the umbrella to Kun Ze.

Though he had previously rested here, Zhou Song wanted to be sure no animals had taken shelter inside. He made some noise as he entered, ready to ward off any critters.

Satisfied that it was safe, he returned to Kun Ze at the entrance but didn’t lead him in too far, stopping just past where the rain couldn’t reach. “It’s dark and cold inside. I’ll go gather some dry wood; stay here and don’t go too far in.”

He handed Shen Qingzhu the bow and arrows, urging him to keep them for protection. Though the hills weren’t home to large animals, it was better to be safe. After all, just recently, a lone wolf had wandered into a neighboring village.

“In this heavy rain, where will you find dry wood? Why not make do? At most, we’ll be here till morning, rain or shine.” Shen Qingzhu glanced at the rain outside and frowned slightly.

“There’s always some place that’s out of the rain,” Zhou Song reassured him. “I’ll be back soon. Just don’t wander.”

Seeing no other choice, Shen Qingzhu waited patiently. He pressed a cool hand to his flushed face, which felt hot despite the damp chill.

Eventually, Zhou Song returned with some dry wood, carefully shielding it under the umbrella. He spotted Shen Qingzhu sitting on the ground, looking a bit unsteady, and hurried over to check. Seeing that he was only resting, Zhou Song relaxed, though he chastised himself for not finding something soft for him to sit on; the ground was cold.

Working quickly, Zhou Song arranged the wood and lit a fire, bringing a much-needed warmth and light to the cave.

Settling some dry grass by the fire, Zhou Song motioned for Kun Ze to sit closer. “Warm yourself up by the fire.”

Watching Zhou Song moving briskly, Shen Qingzhu, lacking any knowledge of starting a fire, could only offer some dry grass. Sitting down beside the fire, he felt more comfortable and scooted over to make room. “Come, sit here too.”

Though tempted, Zhou Song shook his head. “I still need to fetch more wood; this won’t last long.”

It was clear the rain wouldn’t let up any time soon. They’d likely have to spend the night here, and Zhou Song was determined to keep the fire going.

Shen Qingzhu hesitated. “Shall I come with you? I’d hate to just sit here while you do everything.”

Zhou Song shook his head firmly, tossing a branch into the fire. “Rest well; that way I can be at ease.”

Then he turned and left, leaving Shen Qingzhu staring after him. After a moment, Shen Qingzhu pressed a hand to his chest and lowered his gaze.

To someone like Zhou Song, surviving here wasn’t difficult. On his final trip, he even returned with a bedraggled wild rabbit, drenched from the rain.

As Zhou Song cleaned the rabbit near the entrance, Shen Qingzhu sat by the fire and glanced over at him, feeling grateful. Having someone as reliable as Zhou Song by his side felt… nice.

Were it not for Zhou Song, he’d be spending this rainy night shivering on the hillside.

With his strength of will, Shen Qingzhu had always considered himself tough. But now, he realized that many things people like Zhou Song did without thought seemed challenging to him.