Emily closed her eyes, but the past and present tangled together, keeping her awake for a long time.
She could feel Su Wei's breathing beside her growing long and even. He seemed to have fallen asleep.
But was he really asleep?
Here in this wilderness fraught with danger, the person sleeping beside her was a childhood friend who felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
Emily opened her eyes and stared at the roof of the tent.
She didn't know how much time passed before sleepiness finally overcame her jumbled thoughts.
Her eyelids grew heavier, and her consciousness gradually blurred.
Just before she fell completely asleep, she thought she heard the faintest sigh beside her.
Then the whole world fell silent.
Chapter 28: The Journey Back, Toward the Cabin
Su Wei opened his eyes.
Dawn had yet to break, and the inside of the tent was bathed in a dim orange glow.
Cold was seeping up in thin tendrils through the sleeping pad beneath him.
The blanket wrapped around him had long since been warmed by his body, but he could still feel waves of cold creeping into his back and the joints of his limbs.
He hadn't actually slept well that night.
Even with a blanket and thick clothes, the wilderness, where temperatures were dozens of degrees below zero, had still woken him with its cold from time to time.
Su Wei turned his head.
In the dim light, he could make out only Emily's indistinct silhouette, curled up in her sleeping bag and fast asleep.
She had zipped the sleeping bag all the way up, leaving only a small tuft of blond hair visible in the shadows.
Suddenly, he felt a light, furry touch against his chest.
Su Wei looked down and met a pair of blue eyes glowing in the darkness.
At some point, Cotton Candy had defected from Emily's side and curled up on his chest, treating him like a human furnace.
Seeing that he was awake, the little one gently swished her tail in the cramped space and let out a contented purr.
Su Wei reached out a finger and scratched the little fox under the chin.
The sleeping bag beside him stirred.
Emily had woken up too. She groggily propped herself up, and the sleeping bag slipped from her shoulders.
"Morning."
Her voice was still hoarse with sleep.
The next second, her gaze froze.
The sight of Cotton Candy lying on Su Wei's chest with a look of utter contentment woke her up in an instant.
Emily scooped the little white creature into her arms.
"You little traitor."
She buried her face in Cotton Candy's soft fur and rubbed against it vigorously.
"I even fed you jerky last night."
Cotton Candy let out an unhappy whimper as Emily rubbed her, but her paws honestly found a more comfortable position in Emily's arms.
Su Wei sat up and loosened his stiff neck and shoulders.
The faint cracking of his joints sounded especially clear in the quiet tent.
"How's your foot?" he asked, already starting to gather his things, as though asking casually.
Emily carefully moved her injured left ankle, her brows drawing together almost imperceptibly.
"It still hurts a lot, but the swelling seems to have gone down a little. It's not as bad as yesterday."
"That's good."
Su Wei nodded and asked no more.
He unzipped the tent, and a gust of cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed in.
Emily instinctively hunched her shoulders and wrapped the sleeping bag more tightly around herself.
The sky was gray-white, and it wasn't fully light yet. The outlines of the distant wooded mountains were indistinct, and all that remained of last night's campfire was a pile of ashes that still held a little warmth.
Su Wei finished dressing and went straight out of the tent.
Emily watched his retreating figure, her gaze fixed.
He had slept in the same clothes he had worn since yesterday.
Meanwhile, she was wearing his spare fleece top and pants, dry and warm.
She had slept in his only sleeping bag.
And what about him?
He had spent the night lying on the icy sleeping pad, wrapped in that thin blanket.
Even with her clothes, dried halfway by the fire, helping to cover him,
they still couldn't keep him very warm at such a low temperature.
At the thought,
Emily felt a tightness in her chest, and for a moment she could hardly breathe.
Her arms tightened around Cotton Candy without her realizing it.
Outside the tent, Su Wei's movements didn't pause for a moment.
He skillfully rekindled the fire with dry birch bark and thin kindling. Flames rose, their orange-yellow light driving away the surrounding chill.
He first warmed himself by the fire, letting some of the cold leave his body and raising his temperature.
Then he set the frying pan over the fire, tossed in a large chunk of snow, and started heating water.
He split wood, heated water, and cut a piece of venison from the sled and sliced it.
The whole series of movements was smooth and quick.
Emily sat at the entrance to the tent, quietly watching him work in the morning light.
This man had fully adapted to the wilderness.
Or perhaps the wilderness had shaped him into what he was now.
Before long, the sizzle of bursting fat and a powerful aroma of meat rose from the frying pan.
Su Wei finished frying the venison, made instant coffee with the hot water, and carried the food and drink back to the tent.
He had brought the coffee sachets especially, originally intending to use them in case he couldn't stay alert during the day.
Now they had come in handy.
"Eat," he said, handing Emily a portion of venison and a thermos lid full of coffee. "We'll leave as soon as we're done. The forecast says it'll snow again at noon."
Emily took the scalding cup and held it in her hands, feeling its searing warmth.
"About last night... thank you," she said softly.
Su Wei paused in surprise and glanced at her. He didn't respond to that, saying only, "Eat up. It won't taste good once it gets cold."
His simple, practical answer made Emily swallow the words on the tip of her tongue.
Emily said no more and quietly ate her breakfast.
The fried venison was crisp on the outside and tender within. The coffee was cheap, but on that cold morning, the scalding liquid slid into her stomach and brought her immense satisfaction.
After breakfast, Su Wei immediately began packing up camp.
Emily wanted to help, but her limited mobility left her able only to sit on the sleeping pad and watch him pack everything by himself.
The tent was quickly taken down and rolled into a sturdy cylinder.
He sorted and packed the sleeping bag, cookware, and miscellaneous supplies, securing them tightly with nylon rope.
Finally, Su Wei went over to the snowmobile.
Rather than rush to start it, he bent down and checked the places he had repaired yesterday once again.
The steering handlebar he had forcibly bent straight.
The wires he had reconnected.
And the fuel tank's connection.
He checked them carefully, running his fingers over the cold metal one part at a time to make sure each one was secure and reliable.
Out here, even the smallest oversight could have fatal consequences.
Especially when behind him were not only spoils worth nearly ten thousand dollars, but also someone he needed to protect.
He couldn't afford to lose.