Still Frame Chapter 2
byChapter 2 A Runaway Romance (2)
So hot…
A burning sensation enveloped him. The phantom pain in his legs seemed to surge back, and his breathing grew rapid. Zhang Liuxin struggled to open his eyes, only to be stung by the blast of heat that hit his face, making the corners of his eyes ache.
The last thing he remembered was looking at Wen Jin’s profile as he drifted off to sleep. Now, waking up again, the neat and comfortable first-class cabin had turned into an inverted hell. Flames erupted from the cockpit, scattered mulberries lay on the floor, and the book Wen Jin had been reading was crushed in a corner, its hardcover violently bent.
“Professor?” Zhang Liuxin instinctively raised his hand to rub his throbbing temple, only to find his wrists bound. Even his already inconvenient legs were mercilessly tied down.
“Wen Jin, Wen Jin, wake up!” He managed to prop himself up, moving awkwardly toward the sofa, where Wen Jin lay with his eyes closed, his head resting quietly to one side.
When he clearly saw the dark patch on Wen Jin’s chest and realized it was blood, Zhang Liuxin’s breath hitched. He almost instinctively closed his eyes, then trembled as he opened them again, his voice becoming cautious as he called out once more: “Wen Jin?”
Still no response. Wave after wave of heat assaulted him. Sweat beaded along his forehead and slid down to his jaw. Zhang Liuxin could barely distinguish whether the fear creeping up from his heart was due to the approaching flames or the man in front of him.
He raised his hand, his trembling fingertips brushing beneath Wen Jin’s nose. After a long moment, he finally felt a faint breath, and he let out a sigh of relief.
Zhang Liuxin pushed Wen Jin’s shoulder and then patted his face. “Wen Jin, wake up quickly!”
“Cough, cough, cough…” The man finally opened his eyes slowly, followed by a fit of violent coughing. His voice was hoarse, like an old, rusty bell. “Liuxin.”
Zhang Liuxin paused slightly, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He nodded. “Are you alright?”
He had never seen Wen Jin look so disheveled. His usually neatly styled dark hair was messy and dusted with ash, his expensive cashmere sweater was crumpled, and his body was covered in bloodstains and bruises. The hands that habitually wore white gloves were now marked by a shocking, raw cut. He looked downcast, like a night-blooming cereus about to wither the next second.
“I’m fine.”
Wen Jin remained taciturn, his gaze falling upon Zhang Liuxin’s legs. It was strange; usually such a cold person, his eyes held a certain warmth now.
However, Zhang Liuxin quickly realized this wasn’t warmth at all, but the fire drawing closer. If they didn’t escape soon, they might be burned alive here.
Wen Jin took a deep breath, turned to Zhang Liuxin, and said, “There’s a blade in the side pocket of my jacket.”
Zhang Liuxin wasn’t surprised that Wen Jin carried a hidden weapon. He reached over, his hand momentarily scalded by Wen Jin’s excessively high body temperature.
“It’s not here.”
Zhang Liuxin searched for a long time but found nothing, feeling Wen Jin’s muscles tighten beneath his palm.
“It might have been taken.”
Wen Jin gasped for air, moved to a nearby storage cabinet, kicked the door open, and then reached inside to feel along the top of the cabinet, letting out a sigh of relief.
“Why would this be…” Zhang Liuxin stopped himself, remembering this was the Wen family’s private jet. No one would know better than Wen Jin where hidden weapons were stored.
Wen Jin jutted his chin toward him. “Your hands.”
Zhang Liuxin extended his hands. Wen Jin swiftly cut the ropes, then handed him the blade, holding it between his fingers.
The fire grew larger. Unconsciously, Zhang Liuxin was drenched in sweat. His eyelashes were wet from the sweat running down his forehead, making it hard to see. He accidentally scraped Wen Jin’s wrist.
A bead of bright red blood immediately seeped out. Zhang Liuxin’s hand trembled. “I’m sorry.”
He looked up at Wen Jin’s expression. Wen Jin merely leaned his head back against the cabinet, his expression placid.
The silver lining was that the cabin door hadn’t been completely destroyed. After freeing himself, Wen Jin reached out his hand to him.
Zhang Liuxin looked back at the cabin. “Where is Carter?”
Wen Jin’s expression was cold, his brows furrowed with impatience. Zhang Liuxin was familiar with this look, but he truly couldn’t ignore his assistant’s life.
Unexpectedly, the cabin door was tightly sealed and wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he tried. He knocked on the door, shouting loudly, “Carter? Can you hear me?”
The thick smoke was choking. Zhang Liuxin’s eyes watered. He covered his mouth and nose, coughing twice, then shouted again, “Carter, are you in there?”
“Stop shouting,” Wen Jin reappeared behind him, pressing down on his shoulder. “We need to get out now.”
“But…”
“Zhang Liuxin,” Wen Jin grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the exit. “Do you want to die here?”
The brief, weak “Liuxin” from earlier felt like a delusion. Wen Jin’s grip was strong, and Zhang Liuxin’s arm ached faintly.
Once they escaped the plane, Wen Jin didn’t say a word, just pulled him forward and ran.
“Wait, wait,” a flash of pain crossed Zhang Liuxin’s eyes. “My exoskeleton, it’s malfunctioning.”
Wen Jin finally stopped. Zhang Liuxin looked back. Thick smoke billowed from the plane. Due to the wind, the surrounding tree trunks were also catching fire.
Zhang Liuxin sighed inwardly. “You go on ahead.”
Wen Jin looked at him, puzzled, his sharp eyebrows slightly knitted. His calm, dark eyes reflected Zhang Liuxin’s slightly hunched posture.
Finally, he crouched down in front of Zhang Liuxin and said concisely, “Get on.”
Wen Jin at this angle was a rare sight. Zhang Liuxin’s mind went blank for a moment, and he froze.
Wen Jin seemed to have reached his limit of patience. “I said get on. I’ll carry you.”
“You’re injured.”
“I won’t say it a third time.”
No one dared to argue when Wen Jin spoke in that tone. Zhang Liuxin still draped his arms over his neck and shoulders, his chest pressed against Wen Jin’s back.
Despite his injuries, Wen Jin carried him steadily, his pace undiminished. Still, Zhang Liuxin worried and unconsciously adjusted his position.
“Zhang Liuxin,” Wen Jin’s voice carried a hint of anger, lower than usual. Unable to see his expression, Zhang Liuxin guessed his face must be cold enough to drop icicles. “Stop moving.”
“Oh, alright.”
He didn’t know which rainforest they were in. All around were towering trees and unknown exotic flora. Initially, Zhang Liuxin worried the plane would explode, but as they walked, he gradually pushed that fear aside.
In the forest, where only insects chirped and birds called, the only sound was Wen Jin’s footfalls on the fallen leaves.
“Where is this?”
Because he had been unconscious, Zhang Liuxin couldn’t know when the accident happened or where the plane had crash-landed, only that it definitely wasn’t Yin Province, where they lived.
Wen Jin didn’t reply. The atmosphere was a little awkward. Zhang Liuxin rubbed the tip of his nose, then quickly remembered Wen Jin telling him not to move. He stiffened his body and obediently put his hands back in place.
Then, a voice suddenly came. “It looks like Bourne Forest.”
Zhang Liuxin was startled. He repeated, “Bourne State?”
Wen Jin stopped.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s going to rain,” Wen Jin looked around, then said, “Hold tight.”
Zhang Liuxin looked up and indeed saw layers of dark clouds.
Wen Jin freed one hand to grip a thick branch for leverage, pushed off a large rock with his foot, and leaped up. The view ahead opened up considerably. Zhang Liuxin then noticed a cave nestled among the gnarled tree roots, concealed behind layers of vines.
“Um… you can put me down now.”
Wen Jin seemed to let out a cold chuckle, a very faint sound. Zhang Liuxin wondered if he had misheard, because when he looked, the tired face was still handsomely aloof, devoid of any expression.
Zhang Liuxin checked his exoskeleton. Fortunately, the malfunction seemed to have been temporary due to the high temperature. It was now back to normal mode, allowing him to act like a normal person and not drag Wen Jin down at this crucial moment.
The cave was small, barely enough room for both of them to sit, but the stone walls were covered in moss and unknown animal droppings. Wen Jin, who was already forced to stoop due to his height in the cramped space, stared at the dirty mess for a long time without moving.
“Professor Wen,” Zhang Liuxin took off his jacket to use as a cushion beside him, internally grumbling about how fastidious he was even now. But the man had just carried him for so long, so he spoke gently, “Please sit.”
Wen Jin glanced at him again, finally picking up the jacket and tossing it onto Zhang Liuxin. He went outside the cave, gathered a few leaves to cushion the ground, and sat down.
Zhang Liuxin remembered the injury on his chest. After walking for so long, the wound had likely reopened, and the dark red stain on his shirt had spread significantly.
“Let me see your wound. Does it hurt?”
Driven by urgency, Zhang Liuxin reached out to unbutton his shirt. His fingertips had just brushed the collar when his hand was pressed down.
Wen Jin’s fingers were long and pale, now stained with dirt and dried blood. The fresh cut on his wrist, though no longer bleeding, was a glaring dark red mark.
Only the ring on his ring finger still shimmered faintly, the edge of the band surprisingly spotless, like a stubborn, indelible trace.
Wen Jin unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt, revealing a small patch of his chest. Because he worked indoors year-round, his skin was very pale, which made the wound look even more gruesome.
“The wound is infected.” Unconsciously, Zhang Liuxin frowned and leaned closer, only to be pushed away by Wen Jin’s knuckle pressed against his forehead.
“Are you running a fever?” He had felt Wen Jin’s body temperature was off earlier.
Wen Jin seemed completely unconcerned about the wound. After confirming it wasn’t bleeding further, he buttoned his shirt back up.
At that moment, a clap of thunder struck, and the sky instantly darkened. A dense drumming sound came from the tree canopy outside the cave.
They looked out to see countless silver beads falling from the sky. The smell of damp earth mixed with the scent of vegetation exploded. The entire world outside the cave was distorted and warped in the rain curtain.
Wen Jin had been right. Zhang Liuxin withdrew his gaze, unsurprised to find the man beside him watching intently. A subtle excitement colored his calm, dark eyes, and his long eyelashes fluttered involuntarily. His slightly pale, thin lips were tightly pressed.
Not only was it pouring rain, but the wind was also blowing, driving the rain into the cave. Zhang Liuxin shivered unexpectedly and scooted further inside until he pressed against something scorching hot.
“Don’t move.” Wen Jin’s voice was lower than usual, carrying a hint of hoarseness.
There was no longer any space between them; their shoulders were intimately pressed together.
“What should we do? We don’t have phones to contact anyone. When will this rain stop?”
Wen Jin closed his eyes again, his breathing becoming steady. “At least an hour.”
“Your wound is already infected. We need to quickly…”
“Quiet. I won’t die.”
Wen Jin’s ringed hand pressed firmly on his shoulder. Through two layers of clothing, Zhang Liuxin could feel a very subtle hardness.
“We were hijacked. Was there a problem with the crew or…”
Zhang Liuxin’s voice trailed off. Outside, the wind still howled. Rain occasionally blew in, dampening a small corner of his clothes. A throbbing wet pain radiated from his left leg. Meanwhile, Wen Jin leaned lightly against him, their foreheads touching, the proximity excessively close.
“Don’t fall asleep, Wen Jin.”
Zhang Liuxin whispered, softening his breathing.