Chapter 430 Were these injuries in order to save me?
He saw Cui Xiao's blue life jacket floating not far away. Zhou Mubin was overjoyed and immediately swam in that direction. But when he pulled it up, he found that the life jacket was covered in blood, and there was no one there.
Zhou Mubin's face was wet with rain, and his complexion was deathly pale.
The floodwaters were now raging, the rain was pouring down, and the sounds of collapsing buildings could be heard in the distance.
Firefighters rushed over and advised him, "Sir, the underwater situation is complicated now, with whirlpools and reefs. If you continue like this, you will be in danger."
Zhou Mubin acted as if he hadn't heard, his gaze fixed on the area of water where Cui Xiao had disappeared.
He remembered that Cui Xiao had once said that she was afraid of water and that after falling into a pond when she was a child, she never dared to go near deep water alone again.
The thought of her possibly struggling in the icy floodwaters felt like his heart was being torn apart.
He climbed onto the rescue boat, grabbed the binoculars on board, and scanned the water surface again and again.
But there was never any trace of it.
Zhou Mubin's eyes were bloodshot and menacing, his chin was covered in stubble, and his once impeccably dressed shirt was now stained with mud and blood. He looked as haggard as if he had aged ten years.
He refused the food and water offered by the rescue team, only taking a few sips of mineral water when his mouth was extremely dry. The rest of the time he either drove the rescue boat through the flood or searched barefoot in the muddy ruins after the water receded.
In the evening, the search and rescue team leader found him and said in a heavy voice, "Lawyer Zhou, we have used sonar to scan the waters within a three-kilometer radius and organized a twenty-person team to search the nearby ruins, but we have not found any signs of life. You, still..."
“She’s still alive.” Zhou Mubin’s voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, but his eyes were unusually firm. “She is the all-powerful Cui Xiao. Nothing can stump her. She will definitely be alright. I may not even be able to find her.”
Another day passed, and the rain finally stopped. The floodwaters began to recede slowly, revealing more dilapidated house skeletons.
Someone advised him, "Lawyer Zhou, you haven't rested for two days. If you keep going like this, your health will collapse..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Zhou Mubin's cold gaze.
The man was intimidated by Zhou Mubin's icy gaze and didn't say anything more.
Those firefighters who had previously called him devoted gradually began to think he was too stubborn. If things continued this way, he was bound to get into trouble sooner or later.
Some people privately commented, "It's been so long, even if they were alive they wouldn't be able to endure it, why make things harder for themselves?"
When these words reached Zhou Mubin's ears, he simply clenched his fists, his steps not faltering at all.
He remembered Cui Xiao driving 300 kilometers in a rainstorm to finalize a deal, and how she argued with troublesome clients to protect her employees. She was so resilient; she would never give up until the very last moment.
Late at night, when everyone had retreated to the temporary rescue point to rest, Zhou Mubin rowed alone in a small rubber boat toward an area deep in the industrial zone where the water had not yet completely receded.
The beam of the flashlight swayed in the darkness, illuminating the floating debris and broken steel bars.
Suddenly, he saw a faint reflection flash across the second floor of a half-collapsed warehouse not far away. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately sped up and paddled over.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was the reflection of Cui Xiaoshou's watch under the moonlight.
She was huddled in a corner on the second floor, wrapped in a tattered piece of canvas she had found. The wound on her arm was inflamed and swollen, her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were tightly closed.
Zhou Mubin immediately threw away the oars and climbed the rickety stairs with his bare hands.
He tentatively reached out to check, her faint breaths gently brushing against his fingers. The instant he confirmed she was still alive, his heart clenched with pain, his pupils dilated, and the overwhelming joy of regaining what he had lost filled his entire being.
With red eyes and a trembling voice, Zhou Mubin said, "Thank goodness, thank goodness you're still... alive."
Under the moonlight, Zhou Mubin carried Cui Xiao down the swaying stairs and gently placed her on the rubber boat.
He rowed back, and the person in his arms gradually fell asleep on his shoulder, their breathing weak but incredibly peaceful.
Zhou Mubin looked down at her pale yet still stubborn profile and finally breathed a sigh of relief. The anxiety that had been hanging over him for two days and two nights finally subsided at this moment.
When she woke up again, her nasal cavity was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Cui Xiao struggled to turn her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a familiar yet unfamiliar face.
Zhou Mubin lay by the hospital bed, his stubble thick and coarse, his once bright eyes tightly closed, his undersides dark and heavy.
Her appearance almost made her not recognize Zhou Mubin.
She moved her fingers, trying to wake him, but accidentally touched his arm.
Zhou Mubin woke up instantly. When he opened his eyes and saw that she was awake, his tired eyes lit up instantly, and his voice was hoarse, "You're awake? Is anything bothering you? I'll go call the doctor."
Cui Xiao shook her head gently, her throat dry and sore.
Zhou Mubin didn't notice her embarrassment. He was only focused on pouring her warm water and carefully blowing on it before holding it to her lips. "Drink some water to soothe your throat first."
Seeing her sipping water, he breathed a sigh of relief, then sat down on the chair by the bed and rubbed his sore eyes.
After drinking the water, Cui Xiao felt a little better and then noticed the faint dark marks on his back.
She frowned and asked quickly, "Are you injured?"
Zhou Mubin subconsciously shrank back and mumbled, "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."
Cui Xiao's tone was firm and unwavering, "Turn around and let me see."
Zhou Mubin couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he slowly turned around and lifted the back of his clothes.
What came into Cui Xiao's view was a long wound, with red and swollen skin around it. The wound looked particularly gruesome on the pale skin, and there were also a few scattered abrasions that had not yet scabbed over, clearly a new wound on top of an old one.
Cui Xiao's breath hitched, and her eyes instantly reddened.
She remembered that after she was caught in the whirlpool, Zhou Mubin jumped down to save her. Later, when the crane arm stirred up huge waves, she vaguely saw him shield her with his back.
"These injuries...were inflicted to save me?" Her voice trembled.
Zhou Mubin turned around, not caring much, "I already said it's a minor injury, it'll be fine in a few days. But you, the wound on your arm got infected, and you had a high fever for three days, it really scared me."
He deliberately downplayed it, not wanting her to blame herself.
Cui Xiao turned her face away, her eyes stinging with tears, but she held back her sobs. "Zhou Mubin, you shouldn't have come. I'm just a worthless life; even if I died, no one would care. But you're different; you're the second young master of the Zhou family..."
Zhou Mubin suddenly grabbed her hand, the warmth of his palm seeping through her skin. He looked intently into her eyes and said, word by word, "Who said nobody cares? I care to death."
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