Intimate Posture

Her head was caressed by a hand that wasn't warm, yet it brought an unprecedented warmth and understanding. Bai Lin never expected Chi Qing to call her over just to embrace her. But, no matter where they were now, or what hardships they were about to face, at this moment, Bai Lin only wanted to savor Chi Qing's rare tenderness and refused to let go.

They held this posture for an unknown duration, until Bai Lin's stomach growled from hunger. Only then did Chi Qing pat her shoulder, urging her to stand. By the moonlight, Chi Qing could see Bai Lin's fair arm was slightly red. Thinking of the sound just now, she placed the remaining fruits in front of Bai Lin, not allowing refusal, and directly put them into her hands.

If her calculations weren't wrong, she and Bai Lin had been stranded on this deserted island for a day. During this time, they had no drinking water, and nothing to eat except fruit. Although there was seawater, it wasn't potable and couldn't be used for cooking.

Seawater was incredibly salty; the more one drank, the thirstier one became, providing no relief. Furthermore, it likely contained unseen bacteria. Besides that, they had no tools to filter or distill water, so they were helpless.

Humans could survive seven days without food, but not even three days without water. Bai Lin had spent the entire day today, bringing back only that much fruit. If there had been more, Chi Qing believed she would have brought it. Therefore, in the coming days, the two of them might have nothing to eat until someone came to rescue them.

Facing such a desperate situation, Chi Qing felt no fear. Perhaps in this life, she had experienced life and death too many times, long since losing her fear of death. But... Thinking of this, Chi Qing looked towards Bai Lin, who was eating fruit nearby, and noticed her sunken cheeks. If possible, Chi Qing would willingly trade her life for Bai Lin's safety. She was so young, with so many paths yet untrodden; no matter what, this person should not die here with her.

"Rest tonight, this place should be safe."

Lying on the ground, Chi Qing felt very cold, her head heavy. She looked at Bai Lin, who was tending the fire, and spoke softly. What happened next, Chi Qing couldn't remember, nor could she recall clearly. She only felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, her vision darkening before she fell into a deep sleep, or rather, unconsciousness.

Chi Qing had a high fever, and Bai Lin knew it. Her first reaction was to look at the wound on the other's shoulder. As expected, although the bleeding had slowed, it hadn't stopped completely. Looking at the bloody puncture, Bai Lin could clearly see the skin around the wound puckered by clotted blood.

All signs pointed to Chi Qing's wound festering, most likely a severe infection. In a situation with no water, no medicine, and no food, an infected wound was nothing less than a death sentence for Chi Qing. Thinking that Chi Qing might die, Bai Lin was surprised to find that she felt no fear, no sorrow. This wasn't because she didn't love Chi Qing or was heartless, but because she had long decided that no matter what happened to Chi Qing, she would stay by her side until the very end, whether in peril or in death.

It was because of profound love that one could hate. It was because of abandon that one feared not death. Bai Lin lived for Chi Qing; if Chi Qing died, she would have no reason to continue living. Therefore, if even death could not separate them, what was there to fear?

Having come to this realization, Bai Lin's inner worries about the matter vanished without a trace. She stroked Chi Qing's burning forehead, listening to her constantly complain of cold. Bai Lin lowered her head to look at the only shirt on her body, and could only add more branches to the fire, making it as large as possible.

No matter how close Bai Lin placed Chi Qing to the fire, the latter still curled up miserably, trembling incessantly. Seeing Chi Qing like this, Bai Lin's heart ached. Thinking quickly, she swiftly removed her own and Chi Qing's clothes, leaving only their undergarments. She then piled the clothes together and draped them over both of them.

Two not-so-warm bodies pressed tightly against each other, transferring body heat.

Perhaps sensing the warmth, and smelling Bai Lin's fragrance, Chi Qing, who had been curled up just moments ago, now burrowed into Bai Lin's embrace.

Both were sparsely dressed, and their similar heights meant that their soft body parts pressed against each other. Feeling the pressure against her chest, and watching Chi Qing restlessly shift in her arms, the continuous friction made Bai Lin's earlobes flush red. Chi Qing's rare adorable appearance made her feel an unusual warmth.

Gazing intently at the pale cheeks of the person in her arms, Bai Lin hugged Chi Qing tightly, resting her head on her own neck, and then parted her legs to entwine with the other's. A moment later, both their bodies were no longer as cold as before, and Chi Qing's furrowed brow relaxed. Seeing that she no longer complained of cold, but instead nestled into her arms like a small cat, fast asleep. Bai Lin looked at Chi Qing thoughtfully for a long time, finally placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Qing... sleep deeply, I will be here, guarding you."

That night, the two slept profoundly, arguably the best sleep they'd had in the past two months, waking only when the sun was high in the sky. Looking at Bai Lin's sleeping face, and their naked bodies intertwined, Chi Qing guessed that she must have had a high fever last night, and Bai Lin had used this method to warm her. Seeing their prominent parts, covered only by underwear, pressing against each other, Chi Qing felt her ears flush, and she subtly stirred. Only then did she realize that she was entirely embraced by Bai Lin, and even a slight movement would wake the other.

Her distended bladder made Chi Qing extremely uncomfortable; even without drinking water, she felt the need to relieve herself. Unable to hold it any longer, Chi Qing moved her legs, wanting to pull away, but forgot their current posture. Her raised knee clearly touched Bai Lin's sensitive spot between her legs.

"Mmm..."

The sensitive part of her body was stimulated, and no matter how deeply Bai Lin slept, she couldn't remain undisturbed. She opened her eyes and found Chi Qing burying her face in her chest, while her knee was in *that* position. The discovery made Bai Lin, who had just woken up, incredibly embarrassed. She thought Chi Qing was still asleep, so she carefully moved the other's leg away, then stood up and put on her clothes.

Having done everything, Bai Lin turned around and saw Chi Qing also awake, rubbing her eyes. Bai Lin secretly felt lucky that she had dressed quickly; otherwise, the scene just now would have been witnessed by the other. However, if Bai Lin knew that Chi Qing had actually woken up even earlier than her, this feeling of luck would not exist.

Even after an entire night, the fire had not died out, indicating that Bai Lin had added a lot of firewood before sleeping. Chi Qing propped herself up with her hand, wanting to put on her clothes. But after several attempts, her left arm couldn't be lifted; even forcing it to move a little would touch the wound and cause pain.

She sighed, wanting to stand up and then figure things out. At this moment, Bai Lin gently approached, helping her put on the unfinished shirt on her left side. Throughout the process, her left arm remained still, causing no pain. Glancing at Bai Lin's serious and focused expression, Chi Qing didn't bother to ask why they had slept in each other's arms last night, nor did she say any superfluous words. After all, given their current relationship, there was nothing that was most embarrassing, only more embarrassing.

"I'm going to relieve myself."

Dressed, Chi Qing stood up and immediately felt the world spin, almost collapsing to the ground. Fortunately, she stumbled a few steps and regained her balance, thus avoiding falling flat on her face in front of Bai Lin. It seemed that in her current state, going into the forest alone to relieve herself was utterly impossible.

Seeing Chi Qing's unsteady steps, and her slightly trembling body, Bai Lin said nothing, but directly supported Chi Qing, helping her walk into the bushes. Along the way, the two exchanged no words. Bai Lin led Chi Qing behind a tree, then looked away, not returning, but standing a short distance away, waiting. Gazing intently at her tall, slender figure, Chi Qing suddenly felt a pang of guilt and bitterness. She knew clearly that Bai Lin's coldness at this moment was merely a mask; she still hadn't lost hope in her, nor could she be cruel to her.

Thinking of this, Chi Qing suddenly felt that she had never brought Bai Lin anything good. If she couldn't bring Bai Lin happiness, this almost distant situation would only cause greater harm. Yet, even knowing this, Chi Qing still couldn't control her longing and actions. She missed Bai Lin to the point of madness.

Having relieved herself, Chi Qing was again helped back to the sandy beach by Bai Lin. By now, they had been stranded here for two days and two nights. They had no drinking water, no food, and their physical strength was exhausted after a chaotic night. Looking at Chi Qing leaning against the tree trunk, her face thin, pale, and visibly haggard, her eyes closed as if she wanted to fall asleep.

Bai Lin's heart tightened. She took two windbreakers and draped them over Chi Qing, then picked up a wooden stick nearby and headed into the forest. Bai Lin wasn't afraid of death, nor was she afraid of dying here with Chi Qing, but she disliked sitting idly by and waiting for death.

If they could only choose one, Bai Lin would unhesitatingly choose Chi Qing...