Chapter 48 Ripples in the Heart

Hong Yue was momentarily stunned, quickly realizing what had happened, and hurried over to the front desk to pay the bill.

"I am so sorry. We agreed that I would treat you, but you ended up paying. How much is it? I will pay you back as soon as I get my salary next month," Qin Feng said apologetically as they walked out of the restaurant.

"It is nothing. I ate as well, and besides, I should have been the one treating you. You lent all your money to him and now you are completely broke. What are you going to do?" Hong Yue asked curiously.

"Me? I will be fine. I usually eat at the cafeteria, so I do not spend any money. Do I not get paid next month anyway?" Qin Feng replied nonchalantly.

The two got into the van, and Hong Yue secretly glanced at Qin Feng, gaining a new appreciation for him.

They drove back toward Bishan. The journey was quite long, taking over an hour. Unlike the silence during their trip to town, they chatted the entire way back, talking about their family situations and work.

The van kept moving until a little past nine in the evening, when it suddenly stalled and came to a stop on the roadside.

"What is wrong?" Hong Yue asked.

"I am not sure. Let me go take a look," Qin Feng shook his head, as he did not know much about cars.

"I will hold the flashlight for you," Hong Yue said, following him out and using her phone to illuminate the area for Qin Feng.

Qin Feng opened the van's hood and stared inside for a long time.

"What is the matter? Where is the problem?" Hong Yue asked.

"I have no idea. I do not understand cars very well; I only know how to drive them. This van has seen better days, so something must have broken down," Qin Feng scratched his head.

"Then... what should we do?" Hong Yue asked, looking around the pitch-black and desolate countryside.

"Let me check again and figure out if there is a way to get it started." Qin Feng began tinkering here and there. After half an hour of effort, he was covered in sweat, but the engine still refused to turn over.

"This car probably will not start; it definitely needs to go to a repair shop," Qin Feng concluded at last.

"What do we do now?" Hong Yue began to feel nervous.

"I have no choice but to call your brother and see if there are any vehicles left in the township to come pick us up. Otherwise, the two of us will have to spend the night out here." As he spoke, Qin Feng took out his phone to call Hong Haifeng.

Upon hearing that the van had broken down on the road, Hong Haifeng was stunned for a moment before a cunning smile appeared on his face. He said to Qin Feng, "Well, there is truly nothing we can do right now. Secretary Xu and Mayor Wang are both away, and all the vehicles are out. It is so late that there is no way I can find a car to pick you up."

"You two will just have to stay in the van for the night. I will arrange a car to pick you up first thing in the morning," Hong Haifeng concluded.

"What did my brother say?" Hong Yue asked anxiously.

"There are no cars in the township. Your brother told us to stay here for the night, and he will send a vehicle to pick us up tomorrow morning."

"Ah... This..."

At this time of night, a vehicle passed by only once every half hour, and the chances of flagging down a ride back to Bishan were practically zero.

"It seems there really is no other way. We just have to stay here for the night," Qin Feng sighed.

Qin Feng got back into the van, folded down all the rear seats after some effort, and improvised a simple "bed" for Hong Yue.

"You should go to sleep. It will be fine; just sleep through the night, and we can leave tomorrow morning."

"What about you? Where will you sleep?" Hong Yue asked.

"I will keep watch outside for you. Do not worry, I am not tired," Qin Feng replied.

"That will not do. Why don't you... sleep in the front?" Hong Yue pointed to the passenger seat.

"If I sleep in there, would you be able to sleep peacefully?" Qin Feng asked with a smile.

Hong Yue understood what he meant, and her face flushed instantly. Indeed, she could not possibly feel at ease with a strange man sleeping right next to her.

"It is fine, you go to sleep first. I will be outside, and if I get tired later, I can just sit in the front and catch a nap," Qin Feng indicated the driver's seat.

Afterwards, Qin Feng closed the door for Hong Yue, stood outside smoking a cigarette, and acted as her "guard."

Hong Yue lay down on the seat, trying to sleep, but she could not doze off no matter what. Her eyes kept wandering toward Qin Feng standing outside.

As the night dragged on past midnight, the wind picked up, and it suddenly became very cold. Qin Feng was shivering slightly as the chilly wind buffeted him outside.

Qin Feng thought for a moment, then quietly pulled open the back door.

Hong Yue was not asleep. Hearing the door open, her entire body tightened instantly, and she wondered to herself what Qin Feng was about to do.

Seeing Qin Feng climb in through the open door, Hong Yue hurriedly closed her eyes and pretended to be fast asleep.

Qin Feng sneaked in and crawled upward. Although Hong Yue's eyes were shut, her body trembled with tension. Out here in the wilderness, with only the two of them, she would not even have a chance to resist if Qin Feng really wanted to do something to her.

Qin Feng got into the vehicle, glanced at the "fast asleep" Hong Yue, and began to take off his outer jacket.

Seeing him prepare to take off his clothes, Hong Yue was so nervous she almost cried out, but she managed to endure it and kept her whole body rigid.

Qin Feng took off his jacket—not stripping down any further—and gently draped it over Hong Yue's body. Then he quietly climbed back out of the van and closed the door.

Only after seeing him get out did Hong Yue open her eyes and let out a long breath. She was so nervous that sweat was pouring down.

She realized she had misunderstood Qin Feng just now. He harbored no malicious intentions toward her; he merely noticed she was cold and took off his own clothes to cover her.

Wrapped in Qin Feng's jacket, inhaling the scent of tobacco and his natural body odor mixed together, she did not find it unpleasant at all. Instead, it smelled rather nice, and her heart felt warm.

Hong Yue secretly watched Qin Feng outside the vehicle. Without his jacket, he was shivering in the wind, holding his arms tightly around himself.

Just as Hong Yue was about to get out and return the jacket to him, Qin Feng had already squatted down by the ground, gathered some twigs, and started a fire.

Actually, there was room inside the van for Qin Feng to lean against, but he chose not to enter because he was afraid his presence inside would make her tense and unable to sleep, preferring to endure the wind outside instead.

Hong Yue understood this, and the gesture—especially him sneaking in to cover her with his jacket—moved her deeply, sending ripples through her heart.

From that moment on, Hong Yue's gaze could no longer look away from Qin Feng.