Chapter 49

"Why are you here?" William looked at Christina with a probing gaze.

"I should be asking you that," Christina replied with a forced smile.

It was clear that they couldn't agree on this issue, so they decided to drop it.

William gave her a cold glance. "Don't cause trouble."

Christina didn't respond. What did he mean by 'don't cause trouble'? When had she ever caused trouble?

But she couldn't be bothered to argue.

William, seemingly unable to stand the mud on him and seeing that she was out of danger, left directly.

Christina watched his back.

"Ridiculous."

She was about to leave when she heard Kaitlyn struggling.

Turning around, she saw that the mud pit was extremely unstable, and Kaitlyn was stuck up to her thighs, struggling to get out.

After thinking for a moment, Christina picked up the long stick Kaitlyn had used to poke the wasp nest and extended it from the shore.

Kaitlyn was stunned when she saw the stick.

This was the stick she had used to poke the wasp nest to harm Christina, and now Christina was using it to save her!

She hesitated for a moment, not immediately reaching out.

Christina didn't expect Kaitlyn to be so stubborn and proud. She laughed and said, "There might be leeches in this mud pit. If you don't get out soon, they'll suck you dry."

Kaitlyn shuddered and quickly grabbed the stick.

With the support, she climbed out effortlessly.

By the time she got out, she was panting heavily. She glanced at Christina beside her.

"Why did you help me?"

"Did you expect me to watch you drown here?" Christina retorted.

"But I just..." Kaitlyn trailed off.

Seeing her guilty expression, Christina asked deliberately, "Do you realize you were wrong? How old are you, still playing childish pranks!"

"I wasn't playing a prank. Who told you to get so close to my Stanley?" Kaitlyn lifted her chin.

Christina shook her head speechlessly. "I just met him today as a colleague. You don't have to see me as an enemy. That's not how you like someone."

"Do you have a lot of experience?" Kaitlyn asked eagerly.

Experience? Not really, but she could probably fool Kaitlyn.

After thinking for a moment, Christina said, "I don't know much about him, but he probably loves architecture. He takes on all kinds of dirty and tiring work. If you like someone, you should support what they love."

"But I don't like it," Kaitlyn sighed, hugging her knees sadly. "He's always running off, and Grandpa won't tell me where he goes."

"Then try to keep up with him and don't cause trouble," Christina said, standing up and extending her hand. "Otherwise, you'll just push him further away."

"Really?" Kaitlyn looked at her with wide eyes.

"Really!" Christina nodded firmly.

Kaitlyn seemed to take it in, looking thoughtful. Suddenly, she asked, "You won't blame me, will you?"

"No, everyone makes mistakes," Christina said, seeing that Kaitlyn was genuinely remorseful. It wasn't a big deal, and being too serious about it wouldn't help. Kaitlyn just used the wrong method to express her feelings.

Kaitlyn propped her chin and sighed.

Christina stood up and dusted herself off. "Alright, let's go back. You're all wet. Be careful not to catch a cold."

Kaitlyn quickly got up. "Wait for me."

The tension between them had been palpable to the whole group, but now Kaitlyn was sticking close to Christina.

"Christina," Kaitlyn said, having changed into a new outfit. "Do you think this looks good for the scenery?"

Christina nodded. "It looks good."

"It's too conspicuous. It won't look good in the sunlight," came a voice from behind. It was Jennifer.

"Who are you?" Kaitlyn asked rudely.

Jennifer's gaze shifted between the two of them before she smiled faintly. "I guess I'm a friend of Christina's. Right, Christina?"

"I don't remember having a friend like you," Christina said bluntly.

After all, they would part ways soon.

Jennifer's eyebrow twitched, and she looked displeased.

But the more you want something, the harder it is to get it.

Just then, the person in charge came over, smiling. "Everyone rested? Let's head out. These people are going the same way, so you can keep each other company."

The people he referred to seemed to include William.

It seemed the more you wanted to avoid someone, the more likely you were to run into them.

But Christina didn't ask much. Along the way, Kaitlyn chattered like a bird.

Now that they were sitting together, Stanley looked quite surprised.

An hour later, they reached their destination. It was indeed desolate. If not for the ancient buildings waiting to be restored, it would have felt like entering a no-man's land.

The person in charge was about to take them to their rooms when Kaitlyn suddenly looked unwell and collapsed.

Christina, standing next to her, quickly caught her, preventing her from hitting the ground face-first.

Everyone panicked, but the person in charge remained calm.

"Call the medic."

The medic arrived quickly and did a simple check but couldn't find the cause.

"What's going on? It's not low blood sugar."

Even pressing the acupressure point didn't work; there was no response.

"Take her to her room and let the doctor take care of her," the person in charge said.

A whole day passed, and Kaitlyn still hadn't woken up.

Jennifer, aware of the situation and Kaitlyn's identity, hatched a plan.

"Is she still unconscious?" she asked one of the team members.

"Yes," the team member nodded.

Jennifer lowered her voice. "I saw that girl accidentally poke a wasp nest the other day, almost getting Christina stung. I can't believe they're so close now."

The team member was puzzled. "I know, right? Kaitlyn was so sarcastic to Christina the whole way. How did they become friends so quickly? It's really strange."

Jennifer squinted. "I know Christina well. She's sneaky. She might act indifferent, but who knows what she did to make Kaitlyn unconscious."

The team member suddenly understood. "That makes sense."