29

The next morning, when Ji Shengsheng got up, he suddenly felt disoriented, wondering if he was in Lucheng or Taoyuan.

It took her a while to realize that she was in her home in Taoyuan after sitting up and reacting.

She and Xu Yu didn't discuss anything last night. In the end, Xu Yu simply drove her home in silence.

Seeing the messages in the surrounding discussion groups, Xu Yu was going to attend a game launch event today and had probably already returned to Lucheng.

Ji Shengsheng nestled in her room, hugging a pillow.

It all seems to be happening again.

This time she came back. Their hasty "reconciliation" inexplicably overlapped with the trajectory of their "reunion" three years ago.

She took the initiative to approach him, trying very hard to have a relationship with Xu Yu. Xu Yu also seemed to be trying to accept her, but it ended abruptly.

She thought that this misunderstanding would be resolved and that by carefully avoiding the mistakes of last time, a good outcome could be achieved, but that didn't happen.

There's always something wrong with it.

Unable to concentrate on painting, Ji Shengsheng casually scrolled through social media.

For some reason, her homepage was filled with topics related to relationships.

Many of the circumstances match up between her and Xu Yu, and the conclusions all point to the fact that Xu Yu doesn't like her that much.

...I don't like her that much, which seems reasonable.

Ji Shengsheng shut down all software to stop wasting time on this matter.

She still has several drafts that she needs to finish drawing today.

Xu Yu continued to write to her every day, even instilling in her the habit of checking her mailbox daily.

Sometimes when she reads the contents of the letter, she wants to send a message to Xu Yu, but each time she doesn't know how to express herself and can only give up in the end.

With blizzard warnings becoming more and more frequent, Ji Shengsheng began to feel the reality as his neighbors started stocking up on supplies for the Lunar New Year.

News reports say this kind of weather is a once-in-a-century event, and various warning signals are being issued very frequently, with panic spreading among family groups, neighborhood groups, and relatives and friends.

However, after the emotional impact of the previous blizzard warnings that sounded like "the wolf is coming," people gradually stopped paying attention.

It was only after Ji Shengsheng's persuasion that the parents decided to stock up on more emergency food and water.

Before the day they were supposed to go to the large supermarket in the suburbs together arrived, Ji Shengsheng began receiving various express deliveries one after another.

These are all daily necessities, enough for them to survive more than half a month of extreme conditions.

Later, Cheng Yu led a team to deliver several boxes of fruit and vegetables. They came in a hurry and seemed to be in a rush to go elsewhere, so Ji Shengsheng didn't have time to say a few words to Cheng Yu.

Ji's father assumed that Ji Shengsheng had bought them, and even prepared a storage room specifically to store these things.

Ji Shengsheng knew that these supplies came from Xu Yu.

After sending a message to Xu Yu to express her gratitude, Xu Yu was only concerned about whether her mood had improved.

He seemed to be apologizing for his sudden appearance last time, which had affected her mood.

Ji Shengsheng didn't know how to answer. She hadn't intended to "bully" or torment Xu Yu. She hadn't wanted things to come to this.

The blizzard started a week before the Lunar New Year.

Ji Shengsheng looked out the second-floor window. The snowflakes, thick and plump like goose feathers, fell in layers, and the sky was a hazy gray. In just one night, the distant trees disappeared, replaced by fluffy snow-capped mountains.

It is indeed a once-in-a-century event.

The mountainous areas on the outskirts of the city were severely affected, with snow accumulation causing houses to collapse and icy roads leading to traffic accidents. In urban areas, heavy snow also caused injuries as trees were uprooted.

The news is full of bad news every day.

Many friends inquired about Ji Shengsheng's situation on WeChat. After reporting that she was safe, Ji Shengsheng saw the message sent by Cheng Yu.

Cheng Yu said that they moved part of the project center to Taoyuan last year. This snow disaster has forced many colleagues to live at the company, and supplies are extremely scarce.

Ji Shengsheng asked for the address, intending to help deliver some things, but Cheng Yu refused.

"Our company has established a foundation and will donate 10 million yuan worth of supplies to Taoyuan. Our leaders will lead the team to deliver the supplies, which will also take care of the branch offices."

Upon hearing the word "leader," Ji Shengsheng's eyelids twitched.

Cheng Yu rarely uses the word "leader".

"Are you thinking that this person might be Xu Yu?" Cheng Yu asked helplessly. "It is him."

Cheng Yu was shocked when she learned that Xu Yu had this intention.

They have dedicated staff to handle the foundation's work, as well as a transportation team, so Xu Yu doesn't need to do it personally.

He tried to persuade him, but Xu Yu did not listen to his advice.

Cheng Yu could guess that Xu Yu was probably taking the lead because his colleagues at the foundation had never seen anything like this before and he was worried about them encountering unexpected situations.

But he didn't believe that Ji Shengsheng was not in Taoyuan.

"Aren't you afraid something might happen?" Cheng Yu asked anxiously. "To put it bluntly, what if you die there..."

"Then die there."

He died in Peach Blossom Spring.

He died a worthy death.

Upon learning this news, Ji Shengsheng called Xu Yu almost immediately.

But Xu Yu didn't answer. Later, Cheng Yu told her that Xu Yu had already set off with the main force.

Go to the mountainous areas most severely affected by the disaster.

"Don't worry, all of our team members, including Xu Yu, have been trained and have certificates. They undergo internal assessments every year."

She couldn't help but worry.

From that day on, Xu Yu almost completely disappeared. Ji Shengsheng had never experienced a moment where she couldn't find solace in painting.

Nearly a week later, as the snow gradually subsided, Cheng Yu brought some good news.

Xu Yu's team was only responsible for delivering the supplies. As they were not professionals, they would not stay or participate in the rescue. Their job was to deliver the supplies, allocate some manpower for distribution, and then quickly evacuate.

"They should already be on their way back."

"The reason he didn't reply to my messages might be because..." Cheng Yu was a little embarrassed, "He left his phone with me on the day he left, and I forgot to put it in his bag for him..."

"I'm sorry for making you worry, Sheng Sheng."

"It's okay, it's alright."

It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back safely. Chengyu has been very busy lately, and it's only natural that she might have overlooked something in the rush.

In the early hours of the tenth day, Ji Shengsheng finally received a call from Xu Yu.

As if none of the recent events had occurred, Xu Yu's voice was gentle and soothing: "Sheng Sheng, Cheng Yu told me that you sent me a lot of messages."

It wasn't Xu Yu's number. After confirming several times that it was indeed Xu Yu's voice, Ji Shengsheng quickly sat up: "Are you alright? Is everything alright?"

"Very good. Everything went smoothly." Xu Yu's voice seemed to shift between near and far, as if he had switched hands. "Sheng Sheng, it was my fault. Are you feeling better now? Would you like to talk to me?"

...What time is it?

Why would she still care about those things?

"I don't mean I don't want to talk to you. I'm just glad you're safe and sound. I'm just glad you're back safe and sound."

Watching Xu Yu hang up the phone, Cheng Yu looked at his bloodied and mangled hands.

On the way back, the heavy snow caused vehicles to skid, and several car accidents made the road conditions even more difficult.

At the foot of the mountain, several buildings in the children's welfare home and nursing home collapsed due to the heavy snow, preventing rescue convoys from getting in, and lives were being lost.

Cheng Yu put himself in Xu Yu's shoes and thought about it. He might also impulsively help with the rescue, but he wouldn't go to such lengths as Xu Yu.

It takes a lot of courage and physical strength to dig a person out of the snow with your bare hands.

"You..." Cheng Yu watched the rescue team pull people away one by one, and then looked at Xu Yu's swollen hands, not knowing what to do. "You don't really want to die here, do you?"

"...Then don't die like this, I can't bear it." Cheng Yu was about to cry.

Xu Yu ignored him.

He didn't want to die.

Ji Shengsheng wanted him to return safely. He had to return safely.

His decision to rescue people wasn't out of any heroism.

He had taken avalanche rescue courses and had acquired some basic rescue skills.

When disaster strikes, he recalls that the golden window for rescue after being buried in an avalanche is very short, perhaps only five to ten minutes. The situation could be even more dire if a building collapses and buries someone in that situation.

Given the traffic situation at the scene, it would take at least half an hour for a professional rescue team to arrive, by which time there might be no survivors.

Therefore, after careful consideration, he made this decision.

Despite evacuating as many people as possible as quickly as possible, the nursing home director said that two disabled elderly people could not be moved.

After helping his teammates evacuate the elderly, he went to the children's welfare home to help search for several children who had been buried.

Without proper tools, digging snow by hand is quite challenging, but fortunately, he had persevered for several hours during his training.

After assessing his own capabilities, Xu Yu quickly joined the rescue team.

When the last child was rescued, Xu Yu felt somewhat exhausted.

"Brother, snow is blue." The little girl looked at him and whispered, "Brother, you're bleeding, blood is red."

His gloves were soaked and frozen, so he had already taken them off. Only now did he notice the bloodstains on his fingers.

“But you are safe,” Xu Yu reassured the other person.

When Cheng Yu led his team to find Xu Yu, the basic rescue efforts here had already been largely completed.

"Fortunately, there were many of us who came and helped push and dig the car along the way. Now the traffic there is finally clear."

Only after Xu Yu got into the ambulance did Cheng Yu breathe a sigh of relief and report the rest of the situation to Xu Yu.

"Send a message to Ji Shengsheng for me." Xu Yu raised his hand. "My hand hurts, I can't send it."

Cheng Yu nodded: "I've already sent you the message that your hand hurts so much you can't send it."

Xu Yu: "?"

"withdraw."

Cheng Yu quickly withdrew.

"Send what?"

"Send..." Xu Yu turned her head away, not looking at Cheng Yu, "Ask her if she wants to see me."

"That's so cheesy." Cheng Yu shivered twice, definitely because the blizzard was too cold.

The message had barely been sent when Ji Shengsheng called in a video call.

"Should we answer?" Cheng Yu asked worriedly. "If he sees you like this, he might feel even more sorry for you."

"No need." Xu Yu stared at Cheng Yu. "Hang up."

Cheng Yu suddenly realized: "...I've become part of your two's game."