Is This The Right Way To Repay A Favor? Chapter 66

Sleeping Together

The rain gradually stopped, and the sky completely darkened, the heavy twilight swallowing the mountain forest.

Following the direction of the stream, they finally saw a faint, flickering yellow light in a deep mountain hollow.

Leaving the cave, their phone signals returned. Jiang Zhou called Wei Yan to report that they were safe.

The two walked toward the light and found it was a single-story house built against the mountain. A dark-skinned middle-aged man wearing an old army-green jacket stood under the eaves, squinting warily at the two unexpected visitors.

“Who are you?” the man’s voice was loud, carrying a distinct local accent.

Shen Zhiyu stepped forward and briefly explained that they were crew members filming in the mountains, had gotten separated from their team due to the sudden heavy rain, and requested to stay the night.

The man scrutinized them for a few moments, then finally nodded, stepping aside. “Come in. This terrible weather.”

The two entered the house. The man introduced himself as Wang Lin, the forest ranger for this mountain area.

The single-story house was small and the furnishings were extremely simple, even crude. An earthen stove burning firewood occupied one corner of the room, with unburned firewood stacked beside it. There was an old table piled with several buckets of instant noodles and snacks, and four chairs. A bed was placed in the corner against the wall, covered with old, faded cotton quilts.

The space was filled with the mixed smell of firewood smoke and damp wood.

Wang Lin rummaged under the bed and pulled out two sets of clean, old clothes, handing them over. “Change into these first. Wearing wet clothes will make you sick.”

Wang Lin was quite thoughtful; after giving them the clothes, he went out and closed the door.

Shen Zhiyu was unreserved, starting to take off his clothes right in front of Jiang Zhou.

Jiang Zhou caught a glimpse of a well-defined waistline, quickly averted his gaze, and rushed to the opposite corner, turning his back to Shen Zhiyu to change.

Shen Zhiyu looked at his retreating back and couldn’t help but find it amusing, and somehow endearing.

The two quickly changed clothes, and Shen Zhiyu opened the door.

The firewood in the earthen stove crackled, and the water in the pot boiled, bubbling. Wang Lin went to get the instant noodles and asked, “You haven’t eaten dinner, right? There’s nothing good here, how about settling for some instant noodles?”

“That would be great, thank you.” The two thanked him in low, sincere voices.

Wang Lin tore open the instant noodle packaging, poured the noodles and seasoning in, and even added a few braised eggs and sausages.

The noodles quickly softened. Wang Lin brought three steaming bowls of instant noodles to the table.

“They’re ready.”

The three ate noodles while chatting.

During the conversation, the two learned that Brother Wang Lin was a local villager. He had been patrolling the mountain during the day but was caught in the sudden downpour and couldn’t return home immediately, so he was resting at this deep forest outpost.

As they spoke, the sky, which had only been clear for a short while, rumbled again, and heavy rain followed the sound.

Wang Lin walked to the door and looked out. “This rain won’t stop anytime soon. We can’t leave tonight.”

He then pointed to the single bed. “How about this: you two squeeze together tonight, and I’ll make do in the tool shed next door. There’s a camp bed there.”

The doors and windows rattled violently under the sudden storm, and the hanging lamp swayed, its light flickering.

“Thank you very much. We apologize for the trouble.”

Wang Lin extinguished the fire in the earthen stove, quickly put on a thicker military coat, and grabbed a flashlight. “The altitude is high in the mountains, and it gets cold at night. Keep the doors and windows closed when you sleep. I’ll call you when it’s light.”

Before his voice faded, he had already pushed open the door and gone to the tool shed next door.

Jiang Zhou contacted Wei Yan to tell the rescue team to turn back and wait until morning to make further plans.

While he was on the phone, Shen Zhiyu had already sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Get some rest.” Shen Zhiyu lifted the old cotton quilt and naturally lay down on the inner side against the wall, turning his back to Jiang Zhou.

Jiang Zhou didn’t move. He took small sips of the hot water Wang Lin had poured for them before leaving, his eyes fixed on the ripples in the water, but his peripheral vision uncontrollably glanced toward the bed.

Although they had been intimate several times, they had never consciously shared a pillow and blanket.

Such an act was too intimate, a unique sharing reserved for lovers.

And he and Shen Zhiyu were not that.

Jiang Zhou would rather sit there all night than consciously lie in the same bed as Shen Zhiyu.

Time flowed in the silence, and Shen Zhiyu’s breathing gradually stabilized.

Just as Jiang Zhou thought he had fallen asleep, a faint rustling sound came from the bed.

Shen Zhiyu turned over to face outward, his voice heavy with sleep as he murmured, “The light is too bright.”

“I’m sorry, I’ll turn it off right away.” Jiang Zhou got up to look for the light switch.

After searching around, he realized the switch was right on the wall by the head of the bed; Shen Zhiyu could have easily reached out and turned it off himself.

He still walked over and pressed the switch sideways.

The room instantly plunged into darkness.

At the same time, a hand suddenly reached out from the bed, clamped around Jiang Zhou’s waist, and yanked him down.

Jiang Zhou gasped, falling into a warm embrace.

Shen Zhiyu’s palm touched his cold skin, and he frowned, stuffing the person under the quilt.

“Don’t you worry about freezing to death,” Shen Zhiyu’s voice sounded, still wrapped in sleepiness, but the tone was slightly raised, carrying a hint of displeasure.

Shen Zhiyu was very warm, like a ball of fire.

Jiang Zhou shivered, startled by the sudden warmth, and instinctively wanted to retreat, pulling away to a safe distance.

But the moment he moved, the arm wrapped around his waist immediately tightened, pressing him firmly back to his original spot, even embedding him deeper into the other’s embrace.

Shen Zhiyu’s chin was almost resting on the top of his head, and a threatening whisper, carrying warm breath, brushed past his earlobe. “Be good. If you move again, you’ll face the consequences.”

In the darkness, the senses were infinitely magnified. Jiang Zhou could not only hear their intertwined heartbeats but also clearly feel a certain strong reaction from the other person transmitting through the thin layer of clothing.

As if to confirm his words, Shen Zhiyu even rubbed against him maliciously.

A faint electric current instantly shot through Jiang Zhou’s body. He froze abruptly, and all the blood in his body seemed to rush to the spot that was touched.

Shen Zhiyu rolled over, lying flat, and the arm resting on Jiang Zhou’s waist tightened a little more in that position.

“Sleep.” Shen Zhiyu’s voice was low, carrying an undeniable sense of finality.

Jiang Zhou dared not move again, maintaining the posture stiffly.

The rain had stopped at some point, and the mountain wind whistled past the windows of the house, making a whooshing sound.

Jiang Zhou closed his eyes, allowing his consciousness to be submerged by the warmth and scent of the person beside him, and unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

—

Daylight filtered through the window, gradually dispelling the darkness in the room.

Shen Zhiyu was already up. He leaned against the old table, watching Jiang Zhou through the sunlight streaming into the room.

Jiang Zhou was sleeping peacefully, bathed in the sunlight, creating a beautiful and warm scene.

Shen Zhiyu recalled how he felt when he saw Jiang Zhou in the cave yesterday, and Jiang Zhou’s breakdown and crying when he found him and rushed into his arms.

A missing piece deep in his heart was suddenly filled. At this moment, Shen Zhiyu clearly realized that his feelings for Jiang Zhou were no longer limited to physical possession; he wanted more.

The person on the bed turned over, a pale arm reaching out from the quilt, letting out a soft hum.

Like a cute, lazy kitten.

A faint smile unconsciously touched Shen Zhiyu’s eyes and brows.

“Are you awake?”

Jiang Zhou mumbled a response, then belatedly realized he was in the mountains. It was all because he had slept too well last night.

A knock sounded, and Wang Lin came in carrying a kettle. “Are you both awake? I’ll boil some water. Did you sleep well last night?”

Jiang Zhou got out of bed and quickly tidied the bedding. “Very well, thank you, Brother Wang.”

The water quickly boiled, and the three of them had a simple breakfast of biscuits with hot water.

After eating, Wang Lin tidied the firewood and said, “The sun is out today. If you’re in a hurry to leave, you can go now.”

“Brother Wang, aren’t you going down the mountain?”

“I was patrolling this morning and found that a section of the road up the mountain is blocked by a tree struck by lightning. I need to go clear it.”

Hearing this, Shen Zhiyu glanced at Jiang Zhou and said, “We’ll go with you. More hands make light work.”

Jiang Zhou immediately nodded. “Yes, we can help.”

Wang Lin assessed them. He saw that these two city people looked delicate and hadn’t considered asking for their help, so he was surprised they offered. He grinned, revealing teeth slightly yellowed by smoke.

“Alright! If you want to help, I won’t be polite! But do what you can, don’t push yourselves!”

—

The air in the mountain forest was exceptionally fresh in the morning, carrying the fragrance of grass and wood washed by the rain, and the scent of earth.

The two followed Wang Lin along a mountain path and saw a fir tree that had been split in half by lightning. The huge trunk and dense branches lay across the narrow mountain road.

Wang Lin took out an axe, a saw, and other tools from his patrol vehicle.

Shen Zhiyu was given a saw, and Jiang Zhou was given a machete, responsible for sawing off some medium-sized branches.

The branches were twisted and broken, the boughs intertwined, making the work quite strenuous.

Jiang Zhou had done a lot of farm work before, so his movements were not unfamiliar; he cleared the branches quickly, with agility and precision. He occasionally paused, his gaze sweeping over Shen Zhiyu, who was struggling to saw wood.

Shen Zhiyu worked hard, but having been raised in comfort, he soon ran into trouble. When sawing a branch, he didn’t find the right angle, and the saw got stuck.

He pulled hard a few times but couldn’t free it.

A hand with distinct joints reached out from the side, firmly gripping the front of the saw handle, helping him adjust the angle. With a slight pull, the saw was smoothly drawn out.

“Try it like this.” Jiang Zhou released his hand and turned back to clear his own section of branches.

After clearing the branches around him, Shen Zhiyu walked over to help Jiang Zhou.

Before long, the saw got stuck again.

“General Jiang—” Before Jiang Zhou could approach, Shen Zhiyu called out, his voice very low, almost right next to Jiang Zhou’s ear.

Jiang Zhou’s heart skipped several beats due to his sudden proximity. He took a shallow breath and reached for the saw in Shen Zhiyu’s hand.

With a turn of the angle and a forceful lift of the hand, the saw came out instantly.

Jiang Zhou handed the saw back to Shen Zhiyu.

However, Shen Zhiyu didn’t take the handle; instead, he placed his hand directly over Jiang Zhou’s.

His palm was scorching hot, the warmth immediately transferring from the back of Jiang Zhou’s hand.

“General Jiang is truly amazing!” Shen Zhiyu praised in a low voice.

He was very close, his arm almost touching Jiang Zhou’s. His clean scent, mixed with sweat and the smell of wood chips, instantly enveloped Jiang Zhou.

The warmth of his palm passed through the back of Jiang Zhou’s hand, slowly spreading throughout his body.