When morning came, Ruhan was the first to wake.
Xiao Zhi was lying in his arms, her breathing faint and uneven. Her face had lost all color, her lips pale, her skin cold to the touch. Panic flickered in Ruhan's eyes as he imagined the worst. He gently shook her, hoping to wake her up.
"Princess," he called softly at first, then louder, urgency breaking through his usual calm. "Lian Zhi!"
The sound of his voice jolted Duran awake. "My lord," he said, instantly alert. "Is something wrong?"
Ruhan ignored him, tapping Xiao Zhi's cheek, brushing away the sand clinging to her skin. Finally, a weak sound escaped her lips, and her eyelids fluttered open. Relief crashed through him. His shoulders dropped, and the tightness in his chest eased.
He lifted her carefully, helping her to sit upright. "You scared me," he murmured, his voice low.
There were only a few drops left in the water pouch, but he handed it to her anyway.
"Here. Drink this."
Xiao Zhi drank until she realized the pouch was empty. "The water… It's gone?" she whispered, guilt clouding her face of the thought that she had finished all the water they only have.
Ruhan smiled faintly. "It's alright. We'll survive."
"B-but—"
"No buts," he said firmly, though his voice remained gentle. "We will."
He took the water pouch from her hand and put it aside. "We have to." He stood up and brushed the sand from his clothes.
Xiao Zhi tried to stand too, but stumbled. Ruhan caught her instantly, steadying her by the shoulders.
"Can you walk?" he asked softly.
"Do I have a choice?" she muttered dryly.
Ruhan didn't answer. Instead, he guided her hand onto his shoulder. "Here. Lean on me."
The height difference didn't help. If anything, it made walking awkward. Xiao Zhi sighed. "It's fine. I'll manage on my own."
"Are you sure?" he asked, unconvinced.
"Unless you want to walk like a hunchback all the way to Tughril, I think I'd better walk myself."
Ruhan gave a faint, amused smile. "You're snapping again. I'll take that as a good sign."
They began their journey again into the endless desert.
"We should reach the Tughril border by tomorrow," Ruhan said as they walked. "We just have to survive the heat for one more day."
"Right… easy," she muttered under her breath.
Duran led them silently, scanning the horizon with steady, tireless eyes. Ruhan stayed close to Xiao Zhi, always ready to catch her if she faltered.
"I didn't even go to the gym back home," she mumbled bitterly. "And now I'm walking hundreds of kilometers under a burning sun. What did I do to deserve this? Lin Rui, if I ever get back to the real world, you're going to pay." she cursed silently.
Ruhan glanced at her, unable to hear everything she said clearly. "You were saying something?"
"Nothing," she said quickly. "Just… enjoying how nice this journey is." She looked up and smiled bitterly, obviously filled with sarcasm. Ruhan sighed, and for a brief moment, she caught a flicker of worry in his eyes. A really rare sight, considering all those cunning smiles he had been wearing around her since the first time they met.
Her sarcasm soon faded as the sun climbed higher. The heat grew unbearable. Each step was even heavier than the last. Her vision wavered. If this were a video game, her energy bar would be flashing red.
They had no more water left. She had finished the last of it, and guilt gnawed at her. Even though she knew she was probably the only one who truly needed it, she couldn't shake the feeling that everyone around her was real. That this world, no matter how fake it was supposed to be, felt painfully alive.
Xiao Zhi watched Duran as he marched ahead, steady and unyielding, like a cactus thriving in the harsh desert.
Then her gaze shifted to the man beside her. Ruhan, whose normally flawless and striking features could make anyone stop in their tracks, now looked drawn and sunburned. His lips were cracked from the relentless heat, and thin strands of hair had escaped from his once-perfect bun. Yet even in this haggard state, he remained undeniably handsome. Still shining through his exhaustion.
Xiao Zhi found herself staring, torn between worry and admiration, wondering what kind of character Lin Rui had based him on. How could someone be written to be both clever and irresistibly magnetic at the same time? Even half-dragging her through the scorching sand, he still seemed like the center of any story, real or imagined, and she could not help but feel that the world, fake as it might be, was somehow richer because he was in it.
She stumbled again. Ruhan caught her around the waist.
"Careful," he murmured, adjusting his grip. "You're not falling again."
"I… I can't," she breathed, her voice trembling. "I won't make it."
Ruhan stopped, kneeling beside her. "Yes, you will," he said firmly. His gaze locked on hers. There was no fear in his eyes, only resolve. "You're stronger than you think."
But Ruhan's motivational speech did not work. Xiao Zhi's vision blurred. Her whole life flashed before her eyes. The messy apartment, the endless manuscript, the pile of dirty dishes on her sink, her plump cat. She thought of everything she'd managed in this cursed story, saving her mother, avoiding the palace massacre. For what? To die here, in the middle of nowhere?
Her body trembled. She collapsed against Ruhan's chest. "This… this is it," she thought bitterly. "I'm going to die here."
Ruhan's arms tightened around her. "No," he said quietly, voice gentle as ever. "Not yet. Not now. I won't let you."
She tasted blood on her cracked lips. The air scorched her lungs.
Fragments of the novel surfaced in her fading thoughts. Scenes she had skimmed, dismissed as unimportant. Every cliché she had laughed at now felt real, merciless. If only I had read every word, she thought weakly. Maybe then… I could have survived this better.
The heat pressed down like a weight. Her body screamed for rest. Her thoughts began to dissolve into darkness.
She tried with every bit of her remaining will to open her eyes. Ruhan's face in front of her started to fade. She could hear his gentle voice calling her name, "Lian Zhi, open your eyes." His arm wrapped around her back. They felt so comforting, and kept her from falling apart. "Don't give up yet."
But her strength slipped away. Her vision dimmed. Her body gave in.
And everything went dark.