Chapter 57 Crazy Girl
The motorcycle sped along the muddy road in the rainy night, rolling over a hidden pothole, causing the motorcycle to suddenly lurch and jolt violently.
The inertia caused Qu Chen's chest to slam solidly into Ling Wei's back. Through the thin fabric soaked by the rain, he could clearly feel every inch of the contours of her back.
His shoulder blades rose and fell beneath his thin shirt as he moved the handlebars, his spine pressed perfectly against his chest, and the warmth emanating from his skin coursed through his body like an electric current.
Ling Wei was pulled forward by the force, her waist naturally collapsing, outlining a smooth and supple arc that fit perfectly into his abdomen, which was taut as he steadied himself.
It was just a fleeting moment.
The wheels straightened, leaving the dangerous section of road behind. But the brief yet excessively close contact, and the supple touch of the waist beneath his palm, lingered endlessly in Qu Chen's senses.
His gaze fell on her rain-soaked profile, water droplets rolling down her eyelashes, across her jawline, and into her collar. Her profile appeared excessively calm in the rain, as if this life-or-death race was nothing more than a routine practice.
But his heart was pounding so fast it was deafening, pounding against his chest.
As if possessed by its own will, its arms wrapped around her slender waist even tighter, and it even involuntarily buried its burning cheek gently into the lines of her slightly damp back.
"It's too tight." Ling Wei's voice came through the wind. "Are you scared?"
Qu Chen's ears burned, and he gave a muffled "hmm".
It must have been too dangerous for his heart to be pounding so hard.
He smelled the faint scent of shampoo in her hair, mingling with the scent of rain, and the sensation of it against her skin, all of which overwhelmed him.
Then he heard her chuckle: "This is nothing."
She deftly and lightly navigated a bend, and as the car tilted, he had to hold on tighter to keep it steady. "When I used to deliver food, every single customer bought the 'On-Time Delivery Guarantee'."
She hasn't even sped up yet; her ease is astonishing.
Qu Chen suddenly recalled the night they first met. She was like a night butterfly, hanging outside the window, her hair dancing wildly in the night wind. Although she was on the edge of danger, her eyes shone with fearlessness.
He looked up and caught a glimpse of her smiling eyes in the rearview mirror.
Crazy girl.
The motorcycle finally broke through the rain and stopped in front of a somewhat dilapidated reservoir duty room.
The two pushed open the door and entered. The room was pitch black, and the wall switches were not working, indicating that the entire place was without power.
Ling Wei wiped the rain off her face and immediately turned on her phone's flashlight. She quickly scanned the small space. A yellowed duty logbook hung on the wall, and several moldy raincoats were piled in the corner. The most conspicuous thing was a monitoring host on the table with a black screen.
She first unfolded the valve diagram she had brought with her before leaving, carefully compared it under the light, and confirmed the location. Then she made a video call, and the village secretary appeared anxiously on the other end of the screen.
"Secretary, have Uncle Chen check it." Ling Wei pointed the camera at the cast iron valve in the corner. "Is this the right one?"
"Yes, yes! That's it!" Old Chen's voice trailed off in the rain. "But that valve hasn't been touched in a long time; it's probably badly rusted..."
Ling Wei handed her phone to Qu Chen: "Take this photo for me."
She walked quickly to the corner, grasped the rusty wheel with both hands, rust chips falling down, and a pair of hands covered her from behind.
Qu Chen held up his phone as a light in one hand and firmly gripped the roulette wheel in the other.
"one two three--"
Both exerted their strength simultaneously.
The wheel made a piercing "creaking" sound as it slowly turned in the darkness. As the last gap closed, the roar of the floodgate gradually subsided, leaving only the still rapid sound of rain outside the window.
A sigh of relief came from the other end of the video call, but the silence lasted only a moment before it was broken by Grandma Yu's strong voice.
Grandma had clearly snatched the phone from the Party Secretary, and in the background, you could hear Ye Zhen and the others anxiously asking, "You've got guts, haven't you? You dare to run up the mountain in this weather!"
Ling Wei immediately felt guilty and subconsciously moved her phone further away. Fortunately, the village secretary quickly chimed in, "Sister Yu, calm down. It's all thanks to Xiao Ling and the others; they've been a huge help..."
"We're waiting for you to come back!" Grandma switched to her local dialect, her anger palpable even through the phone. In the background, you could hear her asking someone, "Where's the broom? Where did the school put the broom?"
Ling Wei felt a sudden tightness in her bottom and quickly said, "Grandma, to save battery, I'll hang up first..."
"Wait!" the Party Secretary hurriedly interrupted. "The rain is still heavy. You two stay in the duty room and don't go down the mountain now. We just received a notice that there are several landslides on this mountain road. It's too dangerous to come down now!"
"The duty room was built according to disaster prevention standards. The foundation is high and it is backed by solid rock, so mudslides can't reach it. We will organize people to clear the road after it gets light and the rain subsides, and then we will notify you to come down."
The phone call was filled with a chorus of instructions from teammates:
"Captain, be careful!"
"Come back when the rain gets a little lighter!"
"We'll help out here, don't worry!"
Ling Wei responded to each question, and then hung up the phone amidst her grandmother's angry yet worried gaze.
The duty room suddenly fell into true silence. Ling Wei subconsciously looked around this temporary shelter. The space was small and the furnishings were simple: a wooden table, two wobbly old chairs, some rusty iron parts and empty paint buckets piled in the corner, and a folded cot against the wall at the other end of the room.
Their gazes swept back to each other, and they were both soaked from head to toe. Their hair clung to their foreheads and cheeks, their clothes clung tightly to their skin, dripping water constantly, and a small puddle had already formed at their feet.
The mountain rain at night carried a chilling cold. My clothes were soaked, and the cold seeped into my bones through my pores. If I didn't take care of it, I would definitely get sick.
Ling Wei rubbed her cold arms and began searching for anything usable in the cramped duty room. She opened a drawer, which contained only a few greasy hemp ropes and half a sheet of sandpaper. She then walked to the pile of junk in the corner, bent down, and patiently rummaged through it by the light of her phone.
Her fingertips touched the texture of coarse cloth. She pushed aside the clutter and found two sets of old work jackets and trousers at the very bottom of the pile.
Because it was pressed down, it didn't get too dusty. It felt dry to the touch and had a slightly worn fabric smell. There were also unopened tissues next to it.
She took out the clothes, shook them vigorously, and after confirming they were clean, handed a set of clothes and a pack of tissues to Qu Chen.
"Wipe yourself off, then change out of your wet clothes, or you'll catch a cold."
Qu Chen silently took it without saying anything, walked directly to the table, turned his back to her, and began to wipe the rainwater off his face and neck with a tissue.
Ling Wei also walked to the other end of the room, near the cot, with her back to him, and used a tissue to wipe the cold water droplets from her hair and face.
A simple wipe couldn't dispel the sticky chill of the damp clothes. Ling Wei hesitated for a moment, then, with her back to him, reminded him:
"I... need to change my clothes."
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