Chapter 64 - 2#
Many people didn’t even have time to grab their belongings, only taking essential water and food.
“I left my phone with the GPS chip in my bag and couldn’t get it, but luckily we reacted in time—”
The moment everyone entered the cave, the mountain disaster erupted all at once, and mudslides blocked most of the entrance.
“The signal in the mountains completely cut out. None of us could make calls. I didn’t sleep all night, afraid you’d worry if you heard the news.”
Chi Gui frowned. “The village chief told everyone not to act rashly, that we had to wait until dawn and the rain stopped before deciding what to do.”
The mountain folk’s experience was always more reliable, so everyone followed the instructions. Chi Gui had no choice but to suppress his anxiety and wait until daybreak.
After a night, the cave entrance was heavily blocked, leaving only a small gap at the top. Everyone worked together to dig through the rocks and mud. Seeing that the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, they hurried to evacuate down the mountain.
“We followed the village chief on a detour down the mountain.”
Chi Gui took out his phone from his pocket—it was already powered off. “I planned to let you know I was safe once we reached secure ground, but we ran into you halfway.”
Chi Gui explained everything from start to finish, then added, “I’m fine. Not even a scratch.”
Jing Shun, still trembling with fear, couldn’t force a smile. The blood in his veins felt frozen, moving sluggishly.
Chen Yiming noticed rescue workers using simple tools to boil water, went over to ask for two cups, and returned. “Sir.”
Chi Gui took one cup and handed it to Jing Shun. “Here. By the way, was the disaster severe?”
He had been “out of contact” for most of the day and didn’t know much about the outside situation.
Chen Yiming nodded. “Chuan City activated disaster warnings overnight. Major news outlets have been covering it, and it’s even trending on Weibo.”
“On the way here, we heard that a village in the mountains had been buried. Yixian Elementary School had no news of you, so Mr. Jing was so worried he insisted on following the rescue team into the mountains to find you.”
“…”
Jing Shun held his cup, silent.
A flicker of pain passed through Chi Gui’s eyes, but he still asked about business. “Has the group been notified?”
Chen Yiming nodded. “I called Wei Di early in the morning and told him to stabilize headquarters. If any related news mentions you, he’s to suppress it immediately with money.”
At the very least, they couldn’t let those with ulterior motives take advantage of the situation.
Chen Yiming was reliable. “Once I have a signal again, I’ll contact Wei Di.”
Trusting the efficiency and methods of his two assistants, Chi Gui gave a slight nod and gestured for Chen Yiming to leave.
Once his assistant was far enough away, Chi Gui leaned closer to Jing Shun. “Shunshun, are you feeling better? Hmm?”
Jing Shun stared at him without blinking. “Chi Gui, I’m still shaken even now.”
Though he had a thousand words to say, at this moment, he couldn’t bring himself to ask a single one.
Whether it was Chi Gui or Song Yu—
Jing Shun only wanted the person in front of him to be safe, far from all disaster and pain.
Chi Gui touched the back of his lover’s cold neck. “I scared you, didn’t I? Sorry, it’s my fault.”
“Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong. The most important thing is that you’re okay.”
Jing Shun grabbed Chi Gui’s wrist and silently leaned into his lover’s arms. He sniffled slightly, his nose stuffy, and finally relaxed his nerves completely.
“I’m so tired. I want to sleep for a while.”
Chi Gui held him close, giving the most reassuring response. “Alright, I’m here. Rest easy.”
…
Chi Gui didn’t continue with the main group to Yixian. Instead, after the road obstacles were cleared, he took Jing Shun and the others back to Chuan City by car.
Jing Shun curled up in Chi Gui’s arms and slept the whole way. He felt alternately hot and cold, and before they even returned to the hotel, he suddenly came down with a high fever.
His consciousness grew hazy.
Reality and illusory dreams intertwined, flooding over him like a tide. He saw countless familiar faces—
People who had brought him painful memories, like Guan Jinghai, Xu Jia, and Chi Sheng, as well as friends willing to lend a hand, like Yu Xiuzhu, Fu Changting, and Yu Zhen.
Gradually, Jing Shun heard someone calling him—
“Jing Shun.”
“Mr. Jing.”
“Teacher Jing.”
“Shunshun.”
“Baby.”
Each address carried a unique intimacy.
Who?
Who was calling him?
Jing Shun sank into a blank void, his body feeling light as if floating. But no matter how he tried to part the surrounding mist, new mist always closed in.
“…”
Was it Chi Gui?
Chi Gui, save me!
That name was stuck in his throat, unable to come out. Jing Shun struggled silently for a long time, until a voice seemed to guide him in the darkness:
“Baby, I’m here.”
“Don’t be afraid.”
“…”
Don’t be afraid?
Jing Shun looked around in confusion, then down at his own palms.
In the blink of an eye, the surroundings shifted again. He was back in that snowy night, in that lifeless home that had always trapped him.
But this time, unlike his usual nightmares—
Jing Shun pushed away the wheelchair that had once been as heavy as a boulder, freeing himself from the restraints. The suffocating pressure slowly dissipated, and the blood in his body began to flow again.
This time, Jing Shun stood up on his own.
“Hello?”
“Jing Shun?”
A familiar voice came from the phone on the floor. Jing Shun bent down to pick it up, and on the screen labeled “Song Yu,” he saw a face he knew all too well.
It was his lover.
“…”
Jing Shun slowly opened his eyes. For some reason, tears slipped down first. He instinctively wiped them away and realized there was a needle in the back of his hand.
The blackout curtains were tightly drawn, leaving only a dim bedside lamp on.
He looked around and found himself lying in the original hotel suite. The medical equipment piled by the bed seemed to have been set up temporarily.
Not seeing Chi Gui, he panicked slightly and sat up. Just as he was about to grab the nearly empty IV bag and get out of bed to look for him—
The next second, a soft bzz—
The closed bedroom door opened, and Chi Gui walked in with medical staff.
Their eyes met.
Chi Gui immediately saw what Jing Shun was trying to do and hurried over. “What are you doing? You’re sick—you should be resting!”
He had only stepped out for five minutes; how did his lover wake up right then?
Jing Shun sat dumbfounded on the bed, watching Chi Gui hang the IV bag back up. He tilted his head up; his eyes, still red from the fever, looked very obedient.
“The IV is almost done. Where did you go?”
“I didn’t want to wake you, so I stepped out to take a call.”
Chi Gui gestured for the medical staff to come over. “I called them back to remove your needle.”
The last of the IV finished.
The nurse swiftly removed the needle, and Chi Gui pressed the spot, asking her to take Jing Shun’s temperature.
“37.4°C. The fever has mostly gone down, but avoid getting chilled again.”
“Mm, thank you.”
The medical staff packed up quickly and left the room.
Jing Shun waited until he heard the door close before asking, “How long have we been back? I don’t remember a thing.”
Chi Gui said, “It’s already 2 AM.”
They had started back around 3 PM, and the drive to downtown Chuan City took over six hours.
Chi Gui was both frustrated and helpless. “Why didn’t you tell me your shoes were wet? Why didn’t you say you were cold? Your fever nearly hit 40°C.”
Jing Shun’s fever wouldn’t go down, and no matter how much they called, he wouldn’t wake up.
Chi Gui had no choice but to take him to the hospital, but the central hospital was overcrowded, and general fever patients weren’t admitted for treatment.
Wanting his lover to sleep comfortably, after confirming Jing Shun’s condition wasn’t serious, Chi Gui took the liberty of bringing him back to the hotel and used connections to arrange for a private nurse to administer the IV at the bedside.
Chi Gui reproached himself. “When it comes down to it, it’s my fault for not being careful enough.”
Jing Shun’s nose was still stuffy, making his voice soft. “At the time, I was completely focused on you. I didn’t even notice myself.”
Chi Gui’s heart softened completely. “Is your head still dizzy? Want to lie down a bit more?”
Jing Shun shook his head and asked instead, “I can’t take a shower, right?”
Chi Gui immediately guessed what he wanted. “Feeling uncomfortable from sweating? Let me get you a warm towel for a quick wipe, okay?”
Jing Shun nodded.
Chi Gui kissed his lover’s forehead, then got up and went into the bathroom. Soon, he returned with several warm towels.
“Wipe yourself down? I’ll massage your feet and knees.” Chi Gui bent down and used the warm towel to relax his lover’s leg muscles. “Does it hurt?”
“I called Professor Song. He said that since you suddenly overexerted yourself, your muscles will probably be sore for the next few days.”
“…”
Jing Shun looked at Chi Gui, so close, and felt a lingering fear that he could have lost him in this disaster, but also relief that he was still safe and in front of him.
He remembered the dream not long ago, and that last call he answered. Whether before or after his rebirth, the person before him had always been the first to pull him out of the abyss and help him find himself.
Jing Shun couldn’t hold back any longer. He spoke first. “…I know everything.”
Chi Gui didn’t catch on at first. He looked up. “Know what?”
Jing Shun traced the features of the person before him with his eyes, trying to recall an earlier meeting in his memory.
“The Chi family’s recognition banquet, my eighteenth birthday—that wasn’t our first meeting, was it?”
“…”
“The day Chi Sheng pretended to confess to me—that wasn’t really our reunion after all those years, was it?”
“…”
The more the person before him stayed silent, the more Jing Shun was certain:
From his perspective, they had met and crossed paths more than once before!
“Chi Gui? Is that what I should call you?”
Jing Shun met those familiar dark eyes and asked, word by word, “Or should I call you Song Yu?”