Fu Chen had indeed wanted to abandon Jian Yi. With so many people outside, he would have had a chance to escape if he fled alone. Bringing a little burden with him would more than double the difficulty.
"If you don't take me, I'll call for help right away!" Jian Yi glared at him, feigning a threat. She was small, but not foolish.
Fu Chen: "..."
He hadn't expected this little girl to be so cunning.
He bent down, picked Jian Yi up, and walked to the window. He cautiously pushed it open and, seeing no one behind him, first tossed Jian Yi out. Jian Yi landed on the ground but didn't dare to make a sound. She quickly covered her mouth and scrambled to her feet. Fu Chen landed moments later. He had intended to ignore the burden, but then he thought it was indeed not right to do so. He picked Jian Yi up and ran quickly into the woods.
"We only have half an hour to escape. Let's run as far as we can." Jian Yi calculated. Those people patrolled every half hour. The next patrol would surely discover two people missing.
After all, Fu Chen was so tall, it would be too easy to be found.
"I know." Fu Chen replied. He knew the girl was smart, but he hadn't expected her to be so smart and thoughtful.
Jian Yi stopped talking, urging him to focus on running. Fu Chen wasn't seriously injured, but he had been drugged for too long and hadn't eaten all day, making his limbs weak. Running alone was slow enough, and now he was carrying someone, so it was extremely strenuous.
Jian Yi watched the sweat bead on his forehead and raised her sleeve to wipe it away.
Fu Chen felt the child's actions, and a warm current surged through him. He unconsciously held Jian Yi tighter.
Jian Yi also knew she was a burden, but she didn't want to be left here. She just wanted to go home to her parents. She hadn't listened to her mother and had gone with that wicked aunt. Her mother must be frantic.
"Brother, if we keep running like this, we won't get far. It's best to find a hiding place and stay for the night, then find some food to recover our strength. If we're caught, they might kill us," Jian Yi said calmly.
Fu Chen had already considered this. Let alone carrying a child, even he, with his current stamina, might not be able to escape.
"Okay, let's look for a hiding place." Fu Chen nodded in agreement.
Seeing that he was willing to listen to her, Jian Yi breathed a sigh of relief. She was now certain that this brother wouldn't abandon her.
Fu Chen carried Jian Yi for a while longer, then his foot suddenly slipped. Fu Chen lost his balance, and Jian Yi screamed. They both rolled down a slope. Jian Yi felt like her bones were about to break. After a dizzying tumble, when she stopped, she felt as if her bones were shattered.
But she quickly got up and looked for Fu Chen. "Brother, brother, are you okay?"
Fu Chen also felt like he had been thrown half to death, but his hand suddenly touched a hole. He quickly got up to look. There was indeed a small hole here.
"Here, come over." Fu Chen called Jian Yi over and pointed to the small hole.
"Let's hide in here first!" Jian Yi exclaimed excitedly, as if seeing a glimmer of hope.
Fu Chen agreed, but he was afraid of danger inside. He said, "I'll go in and check first. I'll call you if it's safe, then you come in."
Jian Yi immediately nodded.
The entrance to the hole was very small. If one wasn't careful, they wouldn't find it. Fu Chen had to crawl in. But after crawling inside, he discovered it was another world within, a surprisingly large cave. It was dark, so he couldn't see anything and could only rely on his hearing. After confirming there was no danger, he called Jian Yi in.