Volume One, Chapter Five: Temporary Lodging

Upon seeing the intensely annoying smile on Zhuang Fan’s face, Zhong Xiaohan crossed her arms over her chest, pouted her delicate little lips, and huffed indignantly, "Hmph! I don’t need your hypocritical concern, you jerk!"

Far from being angered, Zhuang Fan simply raised his eyebrows with a cheerful, teasing look and pressed on, "Oh? You really don’t? Don’t come crying to me when you catch a cold later!"

Zhong Xiaohan, however, was having none of it. She replied with unhesitating, stubborn resolve, "I said I don’t need it, and I mean it! Even if I’m shivering from the cold or covered in welts from these hateful mosquitoes, I will never accept anything from you!"

With that, she crossed her arms tight, stood her small frame as straight as a pole, and struck a pose of absolute defiance.

Zhuang Fan nearly burst out laughing. He couldn't help but think the girl was both delightfully haughty and adorable. Since this silly girl insisted on toughing it out, he saw no point in wasting his breath trying to persuade her. Besides, he hadn't seen enough yet. While Zhong Xiaohan’s figure didn't exactly possess the dramatic curves of a mountain range, it was still quite pleasing to the eye.

Meanwhile, Zhong Xiaohan was becoming incredibly annoyed; the unrestrained gaze of the man in front of her was far too scorching. It felt like two flames, searing her and making her skin crawl with discomfort. Unable to endure it any longer, she shot him a fierce glare and marched toward the forest ahead without looking back.

Zhuang Fan hurriedly called out, "Hey, Miss Zhong, are you planning to spend the night in that forest?"

"The forest at night looks dangerous from every angle; you absolutely shouldn't head in there blindly."

Zhuang Fan’s warning was sincere, but Zhong Xiaohan retorted without mercy, "Shut your mouth! You don't need to worry about me!"

Yet, for some reason, her resolute pace slowed down almost imperceptibly.

"Ahem..." Zhuang Fan cleared his throat, let his eyes wander casually over the dense woods, and remarked offhandedly, "In this other world, there are bound to be all sorts of ferocious beasts and bizarre monsters. Who knows, some of those wretched goblins might even pop up."

"You know the ones, right? The short, ugly creatures with filthy habits."

"A delicate little thing like you would be in real trouble if you were caught by them!"

As he spoke, he surreptitiously observed her expression.

Zhong Xiaohan’s body gave a slight tremble at these words, as images from anime she had seen in the past flashed through her mind—goblins with green skin, pointed ears, and small eyes glinting with cunning and greed. And the things they liked to do to female characters... The mere thought sent a shiver of dread down her spine.

She quickly steadied herself, however, and feigned composure. "Hmph! I’m not afraid of such disgusting things!"

Though she remained tough on the outside, she knew well enough how terrifying the forest was at night; it was only her pride that prevented her from backing down in front of Zhuang Fan. Seeing her stop, despite her protestations, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Zhuang Fan’s mouth. He turned and began walking in a different direction.

Seeing this, Zhong Xiaohan wrinkled her cute nose before "reluctantly" following behind him. Although this man seemed detestable and was always staring at her, after some interaction, he appeared to be all talk and no action, with no real ill intent toward her. Then again, it was possible that the threats she’d made earlier about taking him down with her had actually scared him off.

Trapped in this dangerous, unfamiliar world, even if she was wary of him, she had to rely on him for her own safety for the time being.

And so, the two of them made their way slowly along the edge of the forest, bickering and teasing each other as they went. They needed to find a suitable place to rest before nightfall.

Fortunately, after walking for a while, they discovered a modest, inconspicuous little cave near a mountain range.

"We’ll stay here for the night," Zhuang Fan said, casting a slightly regretful glance at Zhong Xiaohan.

Her delicate form was now covered by a makeshift top. Although it was fashioned from crude materials, it looked surprisingly adorable on her, and the occasional glimpse of her snow-white skin was quite alluring. Sensing his gaze, a blush immediately crept across her fair cheeks. There was no helping it—the way this annoying man’s eyes had intentionally or unintentionally lingered on her all day made her feel incredibly exposed. Finally, unable to bear the awkward, ambiguous atmosphere any longer, she had swallowed her pride and asked him for materials to make a garment.

Zhuang Fan didn’t tease her again. With the sun yet to fully sink below the horizon, he seized the final moments of daylight to carefully inspect every corner of the cave.

Safety was of the utmost importance when spending the night in such a remote place. He had to be particularly careful about hidden, deadly insects or venomous creatures. His efforts were rewarded when he discovered a few small insects hiding in the shadows. He didn't panic, however. Using the "Appraisal" function of his auxiliary system to confirm they were non-toxic, he carried them outside and pinned them under a stone. Small as they were, they contained far more protein than beef! If food became scarce, they would have to consider eating them.

Zhong Xiaohan didn't have the stomach to face the bugs and found an excuse to run outside. Zhuang Fan, however, didn't dare relax. To ensure they wouldn't be ambushed by unknown monsters in their sleep, he scavenged a significant amount of dry branches and cleverly stacked them to tightly block the cave entrance. Fortunately, the opening wasn't large, so the workload was minimal.

By the time they finished, the sun was just about to vanish below the horizon. Zhuang Fan quickly grabbed several large leaves and headed deep into the cave. Zhong Xiaohan had followed his instructions and gathered some dry grass to lay on the ground. Having watched many survival videos, Zhuang Fan remembered the teachings of Bear Grylls and Ed Stafford well: a layer beneath you is better than three layers above you! Given their limited resources, this was the best they could do for now.

Tonight, they would spend their first night in this strange, new world. What would the temperature be like? Would monsters emerge? Were there other dangers? Everything was unknown.

The two of them stood in uneasy silence, preparing to face the encroaching darkness.