"Hold on tight!" Zou Xiaoxiao called out, reminding Zhao Hengyu not to let go.
This thing was definitely not simple.
Zhao Hengyu nodded. He felt the uneven object in the pocket, his eyes filled with caution. "Be careful."
"Give it back to me!" The old man's voice rose, and he tightened his grip.
The sudden surge of strength made Zou Xiaoxiao and Zhao Hengyu stumble.
"Is it something so shameful?" Huo Rou asked, confused.
A trace of embarrassment flickered across the old man's face. "I, I..."
"Who are you trying to harm now?"
The old man retorted, "I'm not."
"Then why won't you let anyone see it?" Zou Xiaoxiao asked, tugging hard at the pocket.
The old man couldn't explain, but he was stubbornly determined that they shouldn't know what was in his pocket.
"Xiao You, I don't intend to harm anyone. Can you ask them to let go?" He looked at Huo Rou almost pleadingly.
Huo Rou cast a cold glance at the pocket. "I don't believe you."
Her refusal was firm.
Although she had been worried since the strawberry base that Qin Ningyi would be disgusted if he saw her lose control, when she was actually in such a state, she couldn't afford to worry about that.
She dared not turn her head to look at Qin Ningyi's expression, afraid of seeing disappointment and surprise in his eyes.
The moment she saw this person's face, she knew she couldn't control herself.
As long as it involved this matter, she couldn't control herself.
"Also, we're not that close," she said, frowning unhappily. "My name is Huo Rou."
She spoke each word meaningfully: "Huo from Captain Huo."
As soon as she said this, tears welled up in the old man's eyes.
Sensing his grip weakening, Zou Xiaoxiao and Zhao Hengyu pulled the pocket forward sharply.
The old man snapped back to reality and pulled hard at the same time.
The pocket, already of poor quality, tore under the simultaneous force from three sides.
"Rip—"
Everyone's eyes fell on the pocket at once.
"Careful!" Zhao Hengyu felt the contents of the pocket sliding down the tear. He lunged towards Zou Xiaoxiao.
Zou Xiaoxiao found herself suddenly shielded by him. She looked up and could only see the fair curve of Zhao Hengyu's jaw.
He was still quite thin, just like when he saved her last time. When he blocked for her, it felt a bit rough.
In a flash, she seemed to hear Zhao Hengyu's heartbeat, "thump, thump, thump," a comforting sound.
A clatter and clang followed.
Zhao Hengyu's embrace tightened considerably.
He trembled and whispered in her ear, "Don't be afraid. If we die, I'll die first."
Zou Xiaoxiao could feel the heat on her face.
At this moment, she felt she should be moved.
But through Zhao Hengyu's side, she saw the scattered bottles and cans on the ground, colorful and varied. There were plastic bottles and aluminum cans, all crushed, indicating the skill of the person who collected them.
The old man's gaze, following the tear in the pocket, fell on the two of them.
Zou Xiaoxiao could see the surprise and incomprehension in the old man's eyes.
Her face burned even hotter.
This time, it wasn't from being moved, but from embarrassment.
What was all this?
"Get up quickly!" she mumbled, her voice muffled.
Zhao Hengyu, however, continued to babble, "Don't move, don't move. It's going to explode, don't move, if someone has to die, it'll be me first..."
Zou Xiaoxiao took a deep breath and couldn't resist breaking the life-and-death atmosphere. She pushed hard against Zhao Hengyu, who was pressing down on her. "Explode my foot!"
Zhao Hengyu's strength was considerable at the moment, making it a struggle. As they wrestled, she seemed to glimpse the eyes of Huo Rou and Qin Ningyi...
To avoid being treated like an idiot, she had no choice but to use all her strength.
When Zhao Hengyu was pushed away, he was still confused. "Did it explode? Was it a bomb?"
He had personally witnessed them defusing a bomb the last time he delivered something to Qin Ningyi. Was this not a bomb this time?
Qin Ningyi felt a sense of shame for the first time. He reached out and gently covered Huo Rou's eyes.
Zou Xiaoxiao's face flushed red. "Open your eyes and see, what bomb?!"
Only then did Zhao Hengyu turn his head and see the scattered bottles and cans on the ground.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Seemingly unfazed and regaining his roguish demeanor, he said, "Oh, I was just teasing you. Didn't you feel my charm just now?"
"Look at your blushing face!" Zhao Hengyu raised his eyebrows. "It seems I can use this trick to save young ladies next time!"
He smiled sweetly, seemingly lost in the fantasy of demonstrating his charm in this manner.
Zou Xiaoxiao frowned as she listened to his nonsensical chatter.
She had heard such words from him often before and wouldn't have paid them any mind. But this time, she found them rather jarring. With a stern face, she retorted, "If you pushed the girl away, she would have had a much better chance of surviving!"