He went over and gently pinched her cheek. The bit of healthy weight he’d worked so hard to help her gain was now gone in an instant.
A strange sense of lancholy washed over him, as if all his efforts had been for naught.
Half-asleep, An Jin felt soone poking her. She let out a small grumble, rolled over to turn her back to Ling Hong, and her long, dark hair cascaded over her slender shoulders.
"Tired... materials..."
she mumbled unconsciously.
Ling Hong tilted his head and looked at the weeds, jars, and bottles scattered on the ground nearby, along with a half-used stone mortar and pestle.
It was the hot season. The evenings in the Beast World were humid and sultry, and it was almost unbearably sweltering inside the semi-enclosed stone house.
So, at An Jin’s suggestion, Ling Hong had fashioned a large hammock for her out of vines between two large trees. She could rest there when she was tired, catching the rare breeze that drifted through the woods during the hot season.
As a result, she would spend the first half of every night lazing about in the hammock. The temperature difference between day and night was huge during the hot season, so she would only run back to her wooden hut in the latter half of the night when it beca unbearably cold.
Unexpectedly, she was so exhausted today that she’d completely passed out.
In the second half of the night, a sudden forest wind sprang up, chilling to the bone. Ling Hong couldn’t wake the deeply sleeping An Jin no matter how hard he tried, so he simply scooped her up, carried her inside, and placed her on the soft hay pile. He had even thoughtfully laid several layers of short-furred animal pelts underneath.
He closed the window and door, but cold drafts still snuck in through the cracks.
As the warmth built up under the covers, she couldn’t help but burrow deeper and deeper, until the large animal hide bulged into a lump and she disappeared from sight completely.
Ling Hong ruthlessly pulled the hide down a bit, revealing her small, rosy face, flushed from the stuffy warmth.
He tiptoed out.
He shut the door tightly before he left.
Despite the intense hunting of the past few days, Ling Hong didn’t rest that night. Instead, he transford into a sleek and powerful Silver Wolf and darted straight into the pitch-black forest.
Ling Hong knew that An Jin had been neglecting sleep and als to gather materials. He had offered to help, but he’d forgotten how fiercely independent she was—completely different from any female he had ever known. She insisted on doing everything herself.
After she refused his offer, he never brought it up again.
An Jin thought he had given up, but in truth, he had secretly morized all the ingredients for her recipes.
Although he didn’t know their nas, he had lived in the forest for twenty years. The materials were all quite common, and by spending the entire night searching half the forest, he finally managed to gather every last one.
When An Jin woke up in the morning, she yawned, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and pushed open the door to wash up.
...only to find several waist-high piles of raw materials stacked by her door. Not a single one was missing.
An Jin was stunned. She spun around and pushed open the door to Ling Hong’s house, only to see the Silver Wolf—who was normally up late and awake early—fast asleep on his hay pile with his forepaws tucked under him.
A powerful wave of emotion—gratitude—washed over her.
’Ling Hong really is a man full of contradictions.’
’He’s handso and powerful, but he’s just too cold, aloof, and ill-tempered. Even Shana, the most arrogant girl in the tribe, is too scared to say a word to him.’
’Never mind the other females.’
’It’s no wonder he’s still single.’
’Honestly, I have to admit, Ling Hong is exactly the type of guy girls don’t go for. His good looks and strength can’t save him from that.’
’If he were as cheerful and enthusiastic as the other males in the tribe, he wouldn’t still be single. Heck, even I might find myself getting swept off my feet.’
’But no, this wolf just had to be the type who’s cold on the outside and warm on the inside. He might not know how to whisper sweet nothings, but when it cos to working hard and taking care of soone, he’s more dependable than anyone.’
Feeling both touched and fondly exasperated, An Jin crouched down. She stroked the wolf’s fur a couple of tis, gave his ear a gentle squeeze, and whispered, "Go on and sleep. You’ve worked hard. Thank you..."
The fine hairs on the wolf’s ear twitched, but the Silver Wolf’s eyes remained tightly shut.
Yet, the tips of his ears had quietly flushed red.
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