With the danger gone, Leo withdrew his gaze from the night sky and focused on the person in his arms. The soft warmth of Coral’s body and the faint scent of perfume between her breaths were constantly stimulating Leo’s nerves.
Feeling Leo’s heartbeat, breathing, and strange body movements, Coral moved slightly in his arms but did not break free. She just gently reminded him, “Being together with someone just feels warm. Don’t overthink it.”
Leo quickly stabilized his thoughts at her words.
“Coral, why don’t we go back to the car? It’s not a good idea to stay here all night. There is still a long time until dawn,” suggested Leo.
Coral shook her head lightly, “I’m feeling uncomfortable and my feet hurt. I’m afraid I can’t walk anymore. Why don’t you go find help first and then come back for me?”
How could he leave a woman alone in the wilderness? Leo dismissed the idea of going back and, inexplicably, a thought crossed his mind-could this woman want to stay here with him for a little longer?
After all, he could continue walking with her on his back.
This fleeting thought passed through Leo’s mind, and then he faintly heard two strange “gugu” sounds, the source of which seemed very close to him.
Curious, as the sound reoccurred, Leo could now confirm that it was coming from Coral.
Leo looked at her, “Your stomach seems to be growling.”
Coral gave him an annoyed look while pouting, “I’m hungry! Can you blame me?”
Leo felt helpless; there wasn’t any food around them in this place.
Suddenly Coral’s voice became gentle as she asked, “Can you tell me a joke?”
Leo nodded and began telling a joke: A boy had been secretly admiring a girl for some time. One day during class they were both attending self-study sessions when he passed her a note which read “Actually I’ve been watching you for quite some time.” Not long after that she passed him another note which made him excitedly open it up only to see written inside “Please don’t tell on me – I promise never again will eat sunflower seeds during class.”
Coral smiled heartily after hearing this one saying playfully with slight coquettishness, “Tell another one please!”
The tone and expression on Coral’s face were something Leo had never seen before since he met her, which left him stunned.
Looking at her gentle eyes and beautiful face, Leo was completely captivated. He even felt the urge to kiss her, but he managed to resist it in the end.
Deep down inside him, a voice echoed, “I must not do anything that would hurt Sophia!”
Time passed by second by second. Leo couldn’t remember how many jokes he had told until his idea ran out and he couldn’t come up with any more jokes.
Coral just leaned against him quietly listening. Regardless of whether his jokes were funny or vulgar, she always smiled at them with a faint smile that looked so delicate as if she was genuinely interested in what Leo said.
Leo thought she would fall asleep slowly but surprisingly enough, even though he felt sleepy himself, Coral remained wide awake throughout the night.
After a brief moment of silence passed between them, Coral spoke softly, “Leo, thank you. I haven’t relaxed like this for a long time. Tonight I feel like I’ve been my true self.”
Their heads slowly leaned together into this warm little nook they created for themselves while Leo’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
When he opened his eyes again it was already daylight outside. Looking over at Coral who was sleeping soundly on his lap made him realize they had slept there all night long!
He gently nudged her shoulder calling out her name causing Coral to stir from her sleep with a soft whimper.
Rubbing her eyes and seeing the sky above them now fully lit up she exclaimed, “We slept here all night!”
“Yeah… in this dirt pit,” replied Leo with an impish grin on his face.
Coral rolled her eyes at him then rubbed the foot that got injured saying, “Let’s go.”
“Can your foot handle walking?” asked Leo concernedly.
Coral tested it out; although she could stand up fine there was still some pain present.
Leo used acupuncture to treat her, then lifted her up directly.
The place they were in was indeed desolate, but fortunately, it wasn’t far from the Riville highway. Leo, carrying Coral on his back and relying on memory, retraced their steps.
While climbing the slope, Leo found his cellphone, but it was damaged and couldn’t be turned on. He placed the broken phone in his pocket and continued carrying Coral up.
Upon reaching the hilltop, Leo saw his Audi A8 parked intact on the emergency lane.
Leo set Coral down, and she was able to walk slowly.
After getting into the car, Leo started the engine and left the area.
Leo first dropped Coral off at home, then went to buy a new phone. After inserting the SIM card into the new phone and turning it on, numerous text messages bombarded him.
There were messages from Sophia, Karen, Bob, and even Amaya…
Leo quickly called Sophia.
The call connected quickly, and Sophia’s anxious voice came through the receiver, “Leo, where were you last night? Your phone has been off the entire time.”
“Something came up, can’t explain over the phone. Are you at the office? I’ll come find you there,” Leo said with a wry smile.
“I’m here, come over,” Sophia replied.
After hanging up, Leo drove to Ginger Building.
Leo had already thought of an excuse, claiming that he had rushed to a village in the outskirts for an emergency yesterday afternoon. Due to the severity of the patient’s condition, he ended up staying overnight. Additionally, his phone suddenly malfunctioned, which was why it was off.
Although Leo hadn’t done anything to betray Sophia’s trust, he couldn’t tell her the truth about spending the entire night with another woman. After all, once a woman’s jealousy is aroused, it can be a terrifying thing. Therefore, he could only fabricate a well-intentioned lie.
…
On the back mountain of the Seven Stars Sword Sect, near the Spirit Crocodile Cliff, three Orientian women stood beneath a lush tree.
These three Orientian women were Maniwa Koken, Sakai Kina, and Yuriko Yamaguchi.
Sakai looked into the distance and sighed, “Maniwa, the scenery here is not inferior to the Serenity Isle Shrine.”
“Not just not inferior, but even surpassing it,” Yuriko gently shook her head, correcting her.
Sakai looked at Yuriko in confusion, “Yuriko, why would you say that?”
After all, the beauty of the Serenity Isle Shrine was among the best not only in Orientia but also in the entire Eastland. Sakai couldn’t understand why Yuriko preferred this place.