Eve of the Storm

The night seemed exceptionally long.

Mei Shu ran a fever during the latter part of the night, sleeping very restlessly.

Feng Wei dozed off beside her, gradually waking up to find the person next to her feeling unusually hot.

She was startled and quickly shook Jiang Hai awake. "What should we do? We don't have any medicine!"

Jiang Hai frowned, suppressing his sleepiness, testing Mei Shu's temperature. "Take off your jacket and cover her with it. Wet the vest you're wearing and use it to cool her forehead."

"Are you trying to kill me?" Feng Wei retorted quickly.

She realized her mistake only after she spoke, hastily taking off her clothes and following Jiang Hai's instructions. By the time Mei Shu was settled, Feng Wei was drenched in sweat, feeling less cold than before.

She leaned against the fire pit, mustering up the courage to talk to Jiang Hai. "Why didn't you just kill me on the boat? Why did you agree to take me along to escape?"