Chapter 23: Mina's Love

"Mina? Mina? Wake up!" Steve gently patted Mina's face. It was smooth and delicate, but he wasn't in the mood to appreciate it right now.

Seeing Mina unconscious, Steve began to worry. Could she have been bitten by the snake?

It was possible. Although he hadn't seen it, the snake could have bitten her when it fell.

Thinking of this, he quickly picked her up and carefully checked her neck and head but found no bite marks.

Just when Steve was about to ask if the cameras could be turned off so Chris could check if Mina had been bitten, Mina's eyelashes fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing her wake up, Steve let out a relieved sigh. "Mina, are you okay? Did the snake bite you?"

The mention of the snake made Mina's pupils contract. She hugged Steve tightly, her body trembling with fear.

With the warm, soft beauty in his arms, Steve swallowed nervously. But now was not the time to think about that.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I've already caught and killed the snake. It won't hurt you anymore." Steve gently comforted her, knowing that she was frightened. He embraced her tighter.

Mina, in a state of extreme fear, saw Steve's arms as the safest place and clung to him, unwilling to let go.

At that moment, Sister Bird, who had been out exploring, returned. She froze when she saw the two of them hugging. Chris and Jarvis were standing by, looking helpless.

"What's going on? What happened?" Sister Bird asked, her confusion evident. "I was gone for just 10 minutes, not 10 years! What's going on here?"

Chris hurried forward and explained what had happened. After hearing the details, Sister Bird looked worried and quickly approached Mina, asking, "Mina, are you okay? Did you get bitten?"

Mina, still holding onto Steve, nodded slowly, as if reassuring herself. She whispered, "I'm fine, Sister Bird."

Sister Bird breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you're okay. You should rest. I'll get you a coconut."

Mina wiped her tears away, feeling comforted by the others' concern.

Meanwhile, Chen Chichi, curious, found a stick and began poking the dead snake.

After making sure it was lifeless, she used the stick to lift it and asked, "Sister Bird, do you know what kind of snake this is?"

The sight of the snake again startled Mina, who immediately buried her face in Steve's chest, like an ostrich hiding from danger.

Steve, without hesitation, held her tighter, comforting her: "It's alright, it's alright. The snake's gone. Don't worry. You're safe now."

Meanwhile, the scene of Steve holding Mina was broadcasted live, and Mina's fans began reacting angrily.

"Let go of our Mina, you jerk!"

"How could she let another man hold her?"

"Steve is so disgusting. He's taking advantage of our Mina! He deserves to be kicked out."

"Unbelievable, I can't believe she's letting him hug her!"

"Some of you fans need to use your brains. Steve saved her life! And you're still criticizing him?"

"Sick of people who live in fantasies about idols. What's wrong with YY idols?"

"Yikes, calm down. Your idol fantasies are showing."

Sister Bird swiftly chopped open a coconut and handed it to Mina before walking over to examine the snake.

After a brief inspection, Sister Bird spoke seriously: "This is a venomous snake known as the Green Mamba. I'm sure you've heard of the Black Mamba—this is its cousin. It's not as aggressive or venomous, but still very dangerous. We were lucky nobody got bitten."

Everyone shuddered at Sister Bird's words.

Mina clung tighter to Steve's arm. She couldn't even imagine what would have happened if she had been bitten.

Bai Xiaolu sighed in relief, slapping his chest. "That was so scary. Thank goodness Steve knew how to handle snakes, or it could have been bad."

Steve's face turned pale as he heard Bai Xiaolu's praise. He quickly shook his head. "No, I don't know how to handle snakes. I just had to catch it to save Mina. I didn't think twice. If I had, I wouldn't even want to touch that thing."

Sister Bird was taken aback. "You don't know how to catch snakes?"

Steve smiled bitterly. "How could I? I grew up in the city. I've never dealt with a snake outside of a zoo."

Sister Bird couldn't help but admire Steve. "You're amazing. You just went for it without hesitation, and it was a venomous snake, too. You could have been in serious danger."

The others looked at Steve with admiration.

If they had been in his shoes, they knew they wouldn't have been as brave. It was easy to say they would save someone, but facing that danger themselves was another story.

Steve shrugged casually. "There was no other choice. If I didn't catch it, the snake might have bitten Mina. I didn't have time to think. I just did what had to be done."

Mina, still not letting go of him, looked up at Steve. At that moment, she felt that Steve was the most handsome man in the world, without a doubt.

Her heart was completely taken by him.

It was at that very instant that Steve's name was imprinted in her heart forever.

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