Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

The fact that she can still move is the greatest hope.

"Yu Zhe, hang in there! I... Phew, I'll take you back right now! How are you feeling?!"

"Hmm... I guess I'm having trouble standing up..."

Yu Zhe pretended to be in great pain. He squinted and nodded. Through his narrow field of vision, he could see that a tear was welling up in Xiao Meng's eye.

Is it fear, anxiety, or worry about Yu Zhe?

It could be all of those. Each one made Yu Zhe not want to continue acting. He just wanted to comfort her as soon as possible and tell her that it was all a joke, a test, or even a prank.

But he can't.

Putting everything else aside, there's something my mother said on the phone that I have to admit is true.

"Don't be so naive, Yu Zhe. If you were an ordinary person, the girl you like would be happy to be with you. But no matter how unwilling you are, you are still the young master of the Su family. The girl who is with you must have one quality: a stable and strong mind. According to what you told me about Qin Ruoke's situation and experiences, she should be fine... But I don't have confidence in Luo Xiaomeng. She grew up under the care of her parents, from an ordinary family, with an ordinary life. Once she follows you and integrates into the rhythm of the Su family, if her mind is not firm, she may become depressed and lose her original happiness. So Yu Zhe, when it's time to be ruthless, you have to make a decision. Remember, you're not bullying her, you're doing this for her own good, and you're letting her make the final decision herself."

It must be said that although my mother has a lot of quirky tastes, she is very insightful. She is not concerned about the present, but about the future.

Yu Zhe agreed to her plan precisely because he recognized this point.

Let's return to the present.

Xiao Meng's hands were trembling from the cold, but she gritted her teeth and tried to carry Yu Zhe on her back.

One arm... two arms, and then... a sudden burst of strength!

"ah!!"

thump.

Xiao Meng also fell to the ground in the snow.

It's true that Yu Zhe was moved onto her back, but how could this little girl, who was about 1.5 meters tall, carry Yu Zhe, who was about 1.7 meters tall?

Xiao Meng was already exhausted, and the sudden weight pressed her down, so Yu Zhe took the opportunity to press down on her.

Xiaomeng grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, sobbed twice, and tried again to lift Yuzhe up, but she was pressed down on the snow. Even if she tried, she could only carry Yuzhe a few small steps forward. If she went a little further, she would be pressed back down to the ground. Yuzhe could feel her trying hard, but it was still the same.

She's really too weak; she probably can't even open a bottle cap.

After several attempts, Xiaomeng lay on the ground, panting heavily, motionless. She stretched her sleeve to her cheek, seemingly wiping away the snow or tears, it was unclear.

Yu Zhe couldn't possibly bear to put all his weight on her small frame, even if he was very light. So Yu Zhe quietly used his limbs to support himself on the ground, relieving a lot of pressure on Xiao Meng.

But judging from the current situation, Xiaomeng, are you going to... give up?

not at all.

Xiao Meng, her face turned towards the snow, spoke to Yu Zhe on her back with an unreadable expression.

"Hang in there... I'll get you out of here, I promise... You have to believe me..."

"..."

...Silly girl, if you're already crying, don't say such brave things...

At this point, Xiaomeng's performance had already exceeded Yu Zhe's expectations, and probably long surpassed Yang Qiuyun's expectations as well.

She's very strong, but if I had to pinpoint a minor flaw... it's that she has a cute, slightly silly side that's uniquely characteristic of young girls.

Even if she wasn't naive and cute, she might have been so anxious that she didn't think of it, so Yu Zhe leaned close to her ear to remind her.

"Xiao Meng...go to a higher point and look around. Is there anywhere...where we can take shelter from the snow? Maybe there are wooden huts left behind by migrating people from the ice plains, or even just a small hill...Going back directly is impossible; we can only wait for them to come looking for us..."

"!"

A word to awaken the dreamer.

Despair can cloud judgment and basic human faculties.

Out of her rationality, Xiaomeng was just thinking that she would risk her life to bring Yuzhe back.

Not to mention that she didn't have the knowledge to survive in such extreme environments.

It's clear that what Yu Zhe just said is correct.

"Okay...okay! Yuzhe, wait for me, I'm coming right now!"

In any case, having a clear direction for action suddenly gave Xiaomeng a renewed sense of hope.

With her petite frame, she crawled out from under Yu Zhe and carefully supported his head with both hands, allowing him to lie down steadily.

Without wasting a moment, she quickly looked around and searched for the highest point of the surrounding terrain within sight.

She quickly focused her gaze on the steep slope a dozen meters away, thinking that she could see further from there.

Braving the wind and snow, she dragged her tired body and ran over, her speed probably exceeding her previous 200-meter running speed at school sports meets.

Standing on the hillside, Xiaomeng reached out and pressed down her long hair, which was swaying in the wind, so that it wouldn't block her view.

Then...

She soon saw a complete and utter hope.

Looking down from the hillside, there really was a small wooden house just a few dozen meters away!

This house was probably built by cutting down trees from the snowy forest we just passed by.

This scene moved her deeply, the kind of feeling of finding a glimmer of light in the midst of despair... no, a whole beam of light!

Uh... coming back to the point...

Isn't it a bit strange? Why would there be a small wooden cabin in the middle of nowhere? Yu Zhe just said it was left behind by migrating people from the ice plains, but what a coincidence that there's one here...?

But none of that matters now!

Yu Zhe is dying!

Xiao Meng turned around sharply and saw that Yu Zhe was still lying in the snow!

His silver hair blended almost seamlessly with the snow, making him resemble Sleeping Beauty...

But Sleeping Beauty sleeps in a bed, not in the snow!

"Yu Zhe! Yu Zhe! I'll carry you across! I've found a place to shelter from the snow!"

From where Yu Zhe was lying, he could see Xiao Meng stumbling back.

Ugh... This is truly a plan that hurts the little girl 800 while damaging itself 1000. Yu Zhe really feels like he's freezing to death!

Do you think I have a very good constitution?

"No need... I feel like I can walk a little. Xiaomeng, help me... Let's go to the sheltered spot you found."

"it is good!"

This distance of nearly 100 meters is neither far nor close.

Although Xiaomeng seems genuinely determined to carry Yuzhe across, for Yuzhe...

Those few blows were enough; Yu Zhe couldn't bear to torture her any further.

...............

Lu Ling held a large, extra wooden board in her hand and set down her binoculars from a distance.

"Phew... I'm exhausted, sis. You were paddling when we were driving the train, and you're paddling when we're building the cabin! You're the one who has to do all the work after this, understand?"

"I just... came back from cutting down trees..."

"No complaining allowed!"

"Ugh... Aya...she's so fierce..."

32. A sense of security?

The wind and snow did not subside; in fact, they seemed to be intensifying.

Will it turn into the worst possible blizzard...? Xiaomeng doesn't know, and she can't control the whims of the heavens.

All she could do was pray that the cabin, which served as her "safe haven," wouldn't be blown down by the wind and snow; it was the last line of defense.

A few minutes ago, Xiaomeng helped Yuzhe walk with difficulty to the front of the wooden house. As was her habit, Xiaomeng had initially intended to politely knock on the door, but then she thought...

What's with the hammer?

Given Yu Zhe's current state, who cares if there's anyone inside? He'll just push the door open first!

Fortunately, no one was inside the cabin.

Even more fortunately, not only was there no one inside, but the wooden house, with an area of ​​about five square meters, was visibly sturdy and airtight.

In other words, after closing the door, not only could the snow not blow in, but the sound of the wind also decreased by more than half.

Xiao Meng breathed a brief sigh of relief as she helped Yu Zhe sit steadily on the wooden floor, leaning against the edge of the cabin.

"Phew... Yu Zhe, are you alright? It's really a stroke of luck amidst misfortune... I wonder who left a wooden hut here, it's been a huge help."

"Hmm...it's alright. I'm sorry, Xiaomeng, I had to drag you here..."

"Don't say such things. The fact that you can still answer me like this is the greatest fortune. If you feel unwell, just sleep for a while. Zixiao and the others will definitely come to rescue us when they realize we've been missing for so long."

Good guy.

So, loli (young girls) can bring such a sense of security?

Yu Zhe thanked Xiao Meng in his heart without saying anything, but gently stroked Xiao Meng's face with his trembling hand as she squatted in front of him.

Xiao Meng's face was already red from the cold, and she immediately bristled!

"Huh?! Yu...Yu Zhe?!"

"You chose me... I chose you, it wasn't a mistake after all?"

"Of course it's not a mistake! Ah, how come you still have the leisure to talk about this! You need to try to talk less right now, Yu Zhe, you know so much, can you try to figure out what state you're in so I can help you alleviate it!"

Ah, this...

If I say I'm perfectly healthy and have no problems at all, wouldn't you jump up and hit me on the knee?

Since the acting had progressed this far, Yu Zhe could only answer her questions accordingly.

"I think... cough cough, it's probably a rather acute cold. My constitution isn't very tolerant of the cold, I guess it's because the temperature suddenly dropped... cough, I'm not used to it, so I... suddenly collapsed. It's okay... I'll be fine in a bit."

"how

"It's probably nothing! You've been coughing the whole time! A cold...a cold? Shouldn't you keep warm if you have a cold?"