I'm hungry
Lakeside lights
The bonfire party on the first night of summer camp is scheduled for 7:30 pm.
Music roared in the plaza in front of the main building, and lights swept across the lake, like coating the night with a dazzling layer of phosphorescent powder. Yu Chen changed into her training T-shirt and came out from the end of the corridor—her cell phone had no signal, so she planned to go to the lakeside to find Xiao Wei first, which was the "old spot" they had agreed to meet that evening.
Turning into the wisteria-covered corridor, three boys and two girls blocked our way. They were all classmates, usually forming a "small group" in class. The boy in the lead smiled a little stiffly and only said, "Come with us, we have something to tell you." As he spoke, a black hoodie was pulled over his head.
Yu Chen's first reaction was to retreat, but the five men used both hands and feet to push and shove her towards the bushes on the lakeshore. The hood blocked out all light, and her voice was drowned out by the music, like a gun with its fuse pulled, muffled and unable to break through.
Lakeside, pebble beach.
"Just scare her, don't actually do anything," someone muttered.
The hood was suddenly ripped off, and the night wind rushed into his pupils. Yu Chen squinted—behind him was a steep slope, and his toes were already touching the waterline. Five people formed a semi-circle around him, neither too close nor too far, like referees watching a spectacle from the sidelines outside the ropes.
"I'm warning you, stay away from An Yi!" The girl's voice trembled, but she deliberately raised her voice. "Stop acting so cool all the time. Just because you're a provincial champion doesn't mean you're all that."
Yu Chen didn't reply, but turned to the side, trying to find a way out. Seeing that she wouldn't kneel, the other person lost face, and the boy reached out and pushed her shoulder blade—intending to scare her, but the gravel was slippery, and her shoes instantly lost their balance.
thump--
A cold light flashed across the lake's surface, the water appearing deathly white under the searchlight. The five people froze for two seconds, fear shooting from their feet to their heads.
"Quick, run!" The grass rustled, shadows scattered, and the music continued to roar in the square, drowning out all cries for help.
Underwater.
The coldness felt like countless fine needles, piercing into his veins through his pores. Yu Chen couldn't swim, and instinctively waving his arms, he only grasped at emptiness. His feet couldn't touch the bottom, and his fingers desperately tried to scratch at the rocks by the lake—the surfaces were covered in moss and slippery as if coated with oil.
On her second surface, she finally managed to grab onto a protruding crevice in the rocks, digging her ten fingers in so tightly that her nails instantly cracked, blood spreading in the water, only to be quickly swept away by the undercurrent. Her body temperature plummeted, her breathing became short, labored gasps, as if she had been repeatedly struck in the liver area by an opponent.
"Don't loosen it..."
Consciousness began to fade, and a jumble of sounds filled my ears: the rhythm of a campfire, the ringing of a boxing ring, the rumble of a subway, and Xiao Wei's low, hoarse "Don't be afraid"—all sounds were diluted by the water and drifted further and further away.
Square · 19:42
Each class began taking attendance. The dormitory head of Class 5, Grade 11, scanned the roster and found one student missing.
"Yu Chen? I just saw her getting clothes!"
Tian Ying's expression changed, and she pointed to the lakeside: "She said she was going to look for someone over there!"
The teacher in charge felt a chill and immediately called the security department via walkie-talkie while simultaneously sounding the emergency whistle. Within three minutes, the school's resident ambulance was on its way, its lights flashing as it sped to the asphalt road on the lake shore.
Lakeside · 19:45
As the searchlight swept across, a pale hand was seen clinging to a crevice in the stone, blood seeping from the knuckles, yet the person remained motionless.
"Here!!" the security guard shouted.
Two rescuers jumped into the water, supported Yu Chen under her armpits, and pulled her ashore. Her fingers were so stiff that they couldn't straighten and remained in a claw shape, as if she were trying to break the rock off.
"Low temperature 34℃, shallow and slow breathing, poor capillary filling in the fingertips!"
An oxygen mask was immediately put on, and a hot water bottle and a layer of insulating blankets were used to wrap the child. An intravenous line was established, and warmed saline solution was rapidly infused. While taking the child's blood pressure, the accompanying doctor shouted to the teacher, "Contact the parents—no, contact the nearest guardian first!"
Resort Medical Room · 20:05
Her body temperature rose to 35.8℃, and Yu Chen's eyelids trembled, but she didn't open them for a long time. In her dream, she was still underwater, and a hand lifted her to the surface—the palm pressed against her bone, the tiger's mouth wedged into her ribs—it was Xiao Wei.
In reality, the infirmary door was flung open, a red boxing glove was thrown in first, followed by a cold wind carrying night dew. Xiao Wei's black hair was soaked, water dripping from the ends, and his eyes held a dark undercurrent deeper than a lake.
"How is she?" The voice was frighteningly hoarse.
The doctor looked up: "The hypothermia has been corrected. There is a laceration on the fingertip, which requires cleaning and suturing. Observe overnight; if there are no complications, you can return to camp."
Xiao Wei walked to the bedside and lowered her eyes—Yu Chen's knuckles were wrapped in gauze, yet remained slightly bent, as if trying to grasp something. She reached out and used her fingertips to press against the cold back of that hand, gently straightening the curled fingers before wrapping them in her own palm.
"I'm here," she whispered, her voice muffled by the mist from her oxygen mask. "Open your eyes, okay?"
The knuckles moved in her palm, her eyelashes fluttered twice, and Yu Chen finally opened the door a crack. The light was too bright, and she could only see a blurry outline—a black vest, an old scar on her collarbone, and the hand supporting the back of her head, its calloused base smelling of mint and sweat.
Her throat was dry, but she tried to force a smile and said in a breathy voice:
"...Got you."
Outside the medical clinic, 20:20
The supervising teacher and paramedics were taking statements about the incident. The five students by the lake had been found, their faces pale and unable to speak coherently. In the distance, the music from the bonfire party was still playing, but it sounded like someone had turned down the volume, leaving only the drumbeats tapping softly in the night.
Inside the door, Xiao Wei remained kneeling, her palm holding the hand wrapped in gauze. She lowered her head, pressing her forehead against Yu Chen's, her voice barely a whisper:
"If you can't find me in the future, just stand still and call my name."
"Don't go any further towards the lake—"
I'm running towards you, very fast.
Yu Chen didn't answer, but hooked his little finger around hers, like a fist bump in a boxing ring, or like a drowning person finally grabbing the last piece of driftwood.
Outside the window, the campfire crackled and popped, sending sparks shooting into the sky like a pre-announced bell.
This time, no one let go.
The door to the infirmary was pushed open twice, almost simultaneously.
Sheng Shuo carried a bag of hand warmers and glucose drinks bought from a convenience store, his shoulders still dripping with water—he had run all the way from the bonfire square, his 194cm shoulder line shattering the night wind; An Yi was wearing his usual white shirt, the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, holding a stack of dry towels and a registration form for the school doctor, his glasses fogged up, clearly having come in a hurry.
As soon as they entered, their gazes fell on the hospital bed, then simultaneously on Xiao Wei—she was still kneeling beside the bed, her palm holding Yu Chen's hand, which was wrapped in gauze, her knuckles white from the pressure. The air was filled with the damp smell of disinfectant and lake water, as if someone had turned the volume down, leaving only the slight hissing of the oxygen masks.
Sheng Shuo spoke first, his voice low and urgent: "What did the doctor say?"
"The hypothermia has been corrected, but the fingertip needs three stitches. Observation overnight," Xiao Wei replied succinctly, without turning around, his gaze fixed on Yu Chen's pale face. "What are you doing here?"
“I helped the teacher compile the summer camp roster.” An Yi placed the form on the bedside table, his gaze sweeping over the slightly curled finger on the hospital bed, his brow furrowing into a fine crisscross. “She disappeared for three minutes, and I reported her absence.”
Sheng Shuo handed over the hand warmers, his voice hoarse: "It's windy by the lake, give her the hand warmers to her feet first." He paused, then added, "I had the fire stopped and the music turned off over at the campfire."
Xiao Wei didn't take it, but simply turned aside, making room for a small space on the edge of the bed. Sheng Shuo half-squatted down, tore open a heat patch, and placed it on the soles of Yu Chen's feet—the movement was clumsy yet gentle, like padding a fragile object with cotton. An Yi unfolded a dry towel and covered Yu Chen's shoulders, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of Xiao Wei's hand. Both of them paused simultaneously, their eyes meeting briefly in the air—
Silent, yet sparks flew everywhere.
Yu Chen slightly opened her eyes at this moment, her eyelashes still damp with the mist from the lake. Her vision gradually focused from the blurry outline—a black vest, a white shirt, gray hand warmers, and the hand supporting the back of her head. Her throat was dry, but she tried to force a smile and said in a breathy voice:
"...They're all here?"
"Here you are." Sheng Shuo nodded, his voice low but steady. "The campfire has been extinguished, and the analysis has been brought along. We'll wait for you to finish writing it."
An Yi took off his glasses, wiped them with the corner of a towel, and put them back on. His voice was soft and clear: "I've optimized the steps of the third solution. You'll see it when you wake up."
Xiao Wei didn't speak, but instead tightened her grip on Yu Chen's fingers, as if putting a final layer of shock-absorbing cotton on a penis. She lowered her head, pressing her forehead against Yu Chen's, her voice so low it was barely a whisper:
"They brought analysis and warm-up posts, I brought myself."
"You choose."
Yu Chen didn't answer. Her gaze swept over Sheng Shuo and An Yi, her eyes welling up with a warm, moist moisture, yet she stubbornly raised the corners of her mouth:
"...Let's go back to camp together, I'm hungry."
Outside the medical room, the bonfire music had stopped, leaving only embers flickering in the night, like a pre-announced bell—this time, no one let go.
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