Nobody said that teachers at elite academies have to be heartthrobs.

The world spun around.

In view was a rapidly rolling gray-white sky, withered yellow grass stems, and exposed brown soil.

His body scraped and collided violently with the ground, pebbles, and broken branches, a dull pain shooting through him from all sides. Yu Fuli tried to grab onto something to steady himself, but only managed to grasp a handful of cold grass.

Xiao Chi held onto Yu Fuli tightly as they rolled, trying to protect his injured leg, but this only made the fall more out of control.

After tumbling for an unknown amount of time, the downward momentum was finally slowed down.

"Crash... Bang!"

My back slammed into some kind of elastic yet dense obstacle, and a large amount of cold, wet stuff with the scent of pine resin rained down on me.

The world suddenly plunged into darkness and silence, with only my heavy breathing and the pounding of my heart.

Yu Fuli was thrown around so hard he was dizzy and disoriented, his vision blurred, and his nostrils were filled with the strong smell of pine resin and earth.

He struggled to open his eyes, and through his blurry vision and the gaps in the drooping leaves, he saw a completely different scene—

They fell into a dense cedar forest.

The tall, straight cedar trees have layers upon layers of canopies that block out the sun, with only a few sparse, pale rays of sunlight struggling to penetrate through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting mottled shadows on the snow-covered forest floor.

The surrounding area was covered with thick, untouched snow. The force of their fall was caught by the dense branches of a huge cedar tree and the deep snow beneath it.

The air was icy cold, carrying the damp and decaying scent unique to the forest, a stark contrast to the sun-drenched grass smell of the grassland just moments before.

Apart from their heavy breathing and the soft patter of falling snow, there was utter silence. Even the gunshot that had caused the accident seemed to have been completely absorbed by the dense forest, leaving no trace.

Yu Fuli moved slightly, feeling as if all the bones in her body were falling apart, but there seemed to be no serious fractures.

He struggled to his feet, pushed aside the snow-covered pine branches that were pressing down on him, and immediately looked behind him.

Xiao Chi lay on his back in the snow, his face paler than the snow itself. The wound on his forehead had reopened, and the blood stood out starkly against his pale skin. His eyes were tightly closed, his brows furrowed, and his left leg was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly a new injury to an old one.

Both times Yu Fuli fell from her horse, she was spared from injury thanks to Xiao Chi's protection.

"Xiao Chi!" Yu Fuli's heart tightened. Ignoring her own pain and disheveled state, she immediately crawled over. "How are you? Can you hear me?"

He reached out and patted Xiao Chi's cheek, his hand feeling its icy touch.

A few seconds later, Xiao Chi's eyelashes fluttered a few times, and he slowly opened his eyes. Those eyes, which were always deep and indifferent, now reflected the dim light from the top of the pine forest, carrying the bewilderment of his fall and the lingering pain, and slowly focused on Yu Fuli's anxious face.

He opened his mouth, his voice terribly hoarse: "...Don't move, I think my ribs are broken."

Yu Fuli quickly checked his condition.

The wound on his forehead needs treatment, and his left leg is swollen terribly, possibly indicating a severe sprain or even a fracture.

In this freezing, remote forest, they were carrying a wounded soldier with limited mobility...

He looked up and gazed at the gray sky through the gaps in the dense canopy of trees.

Was that gunshot from a hunt? Or an accident? Will someone come looking for us?

The cold wind swept through the pine forest, whistling like a mournful cry, and whipped up fine snowflakes that pelted the two of them.

Yu Fuli is now completely speechless.

Just moments ago I was marveling at how extravagantly the academy had acquired land, but now I just feel that this wealth and power is incredibly troublesome. In order to create an absolutely natural and wild environment, they actually set up the horse farm in such a remote place, backed by continuous grasslands and connected to undeveloped deep forests.

The terrain rises steadily, and the climate changes dramatically.

It's November now, and while the college is still enjoying the crisp autumn air, the mountain has already seen snowfall and is bitterly cold.

He and Xiao Chi tumbled down the slope, the world spinning around them. They found themselves deep in this tall, dense pine forest, surrounded by white snow and silent, dark green trees. They couldn't tell which way to go, nor did they know how far or how deep they had rolled.

The only good news is that the academy is worried that dangerous creatures might inhabit this primeval forest and disturb the precious young masters and ladies if they wander down there, so they regularly send people to clean it up and drive them away.

Therefore, at least there is no need to worry about encountering direct life-threatening situations such as jackals, tigers, and leopards.

Yu Fuli exhaled a breath of white air, which condensed into a mist in the cold air. He looked around, and apart from the faint sound of snow falling on the branches, there was only deathly silence.

The absence of wild animals does not mean the absence of danger.

Low temperature, injuries, disorientation, and the uncertainty of when rescue will arrive—each of these could be fatal.

He turned his gaze to Xiao Chi beside him, whose face was pale and whose injured leg was in serious condition.

The situation remains far from optimistic.

Yu Fuli took off his coat, which was covered in grass clippings and dust but was still quite thick, and covered Xiao Chi with it to shield him from the wind and snow as much as possible.

He looked around and saw no trace of civilization except for the white snow and the silent cedar trees.

"Save your energy, don't talk." Yu Fuli's voice was exceptionally clear and calm in the silent snow forest. "We need to find a way to keep warm, and then wait for someone to come and rescue us, or we can get out on our own."

Xiao Chi lay on the cold snow, watching Yu Fuli's cheeks scratched by branches and his hair covered in snowflakes. He watched him calmly assess the situation and arrange the action. In those eyes that were always gentle and smiling, there was only sharpness and tenacity in his focused attention.

Cold, pain, isolation, and the person so close at hand.

Xiao Chi slowly closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing as he forcefully suppressed a surge of emotions deep within his heart.

This time, it's really troublesome.

Yu Fuli frowned, and amidst the cool, pine resin and crisp, icy scent filling his nostrils, he caught a very faint smell of blood.

He immediately looked at Xiao Chi, his gaze sharp: "Do you have any other injuries?"

"No." Xiao Chi leaned against the tree trunk, his eyes closed, and answered quickly, but his voice was weak due to pain and the low temperature.

Yu Fuli did not send a letter.

He knew all too well that when people are under great stress or experiencing a surge in adrenaline, they often become less sensitive to pain and may even ignore potentially fatal wounds.

In this environment, any blood loss or undetected wound could have serious consequences.

He didn't ask any more questions, but went straight up and reached out to unbutton Xiao Chi's riding jacket.

"What are you doing?!" Xiao Chi suddenly opened his eyes and raised his hand to block, but the movement aggravated the wound on his chest, causing him to gasp in pain and slow his movements.

Yu Fuli's hands didn't stop; she deftly unbuttoned his snow- and cement-stained coat and explained, "I smelled blood. People tend to overlook injuries when they're under stress, so I have to check carefully."

As he spoke, he had already peeled open Xiao Chi's heavy coat and the shirt underneath, pulling them to the sides.

The icy air instantly assaulted Xiao Chi's exposed skin, causing him to shiver.

Yu Fuli's gaze swept over his waist, abdomen, chest, and arms like a searchlight... Apart from the old wound on his forehead and his twisted left leg, there were some abrasions and bruises on his skin, but no fresh, bleeding wounds.

No?

But he could clearly smell blood, and as he moved, the rusty smell not only did not dissipate, but became even more distinct and intense in the cold air.

The problem doesn't lie with Xiao Chi.

Yu Fuli paused, its nostrils twitching slightly as it keenly turned towards the direction from which the smell of blood was coming, behind the large cedar tree where Xiao Chi was leaning.

Just then, a very faint rustling sound of clothes rubbing against the snow came from behind the tree, accompanied by a short, painful gasp that was tried to be suppressed but still leaked out.

Yu Fuli's eyes sharpened, and without hesitation, she leaned out and circled around the tree trunk—

The next second, he met the gaze of a person who staggered over, clutching his waist and abdomen with one hand, and glaring blood seeping from between his fingers.

The man's face was ashen, his hair was soaked with cold sweat and stuck to his smooth forehead, and he was still tightly clutching a gun in his other hand.

His signature long black hair and handsome features that couldn't be hidden even in pain...

It is Yunbai.

Yu Fuli: "???"

His mind went blank for a moment.

no……

Dude?

Where did you come from?!