Chapter 53 "Chu Yi, don't hide from me." (Kissing Chapter)
Relying on their amazing willpower and familiarity with the terrain, Li Fu and his two companions trudged through the mountains and forests on a rainy night for several hours. They fell countless times, their bodies were covered in mud, and their strength was almost exhausted. Finally, they returned to Yuntou Village in a miserable state just before dawn.
As soon as they entered the village, they immediately caused a commotion. The already anxious executive director and production crew saw them in this state, but did not see Zhou Ai and Chu Yi, and their hearts suddenly skipped a beat.
"Doctor Li! What happened? Where are Teacher Zhou and Teacher Chu?!" The executive director rushed forward, his voice trembling.
Li Fu was so exhausted he could barely speak. He leaned on his knees, panting heavily, and shook his head with a gloomy expression. Ah Liang, panting beside him, spoke with difficulty, "...the road...the road has completely collapsed...we can't go down...they...they fell too deep...we have no choice...but to return..."
These words were like a bolt from the blue. The executive director's eyes went dark, his legs went weak, and he almost fainted on the ground. Fortunately, he was supported by the staff next to him.
The pressure on the production team instantly reached its peak. If anything happened to either Zhou Ai or Chu Yi, the consequences would be disastrous. The entire production team could be doomed.
The executive director, holding on to his last shred of sanity, called Zhou Song first with trembling hands. When the call was connected, he reported, almost incoherently and tearfully, that Zhou Ai had disappeared during the rescue effort and was currently in critical condition.
Zhou Song on the other end of the phone was silent for more than ten seconds, then he just said, "I understand, keep the communication open," and hung up.
Then, the executive director bravely contacted Cheng Yingzhi. Cheng Yingzhi's reaction was much greater than Zhou Song's. He was extremely shocked and anxious, and immediately expressed his willingness to mobilize all possible forces to assist in the rescue.
However, the reality was that difficulties lay ahead. The unique and complex terrain of Guizhou's mountainous areas, coupled with persistently bad weather and numerous landslides triggered by heavy rain, made the entry of professional rescue teams extremely difficult and slow. Air rescue was also unable to commence immediately due to weather and visibility issues.
Just when the program crew and the local government were urgently discussing the rescue plan and were extremely worried, the news leaked from somewhere.
Entries such as #周艾disappeared while recording a variety show# and #周艾’s life and death unknown# spread like wildfire, instantly igniting the entire Internet and topping the hot search list.
All major social media platforms exploded instantly, with fans panicking and worrying, passersby discussing, the media asking frantically... all kinds of news and speculations that were difficult to distinguish between true and false were flying around, pushing the program team, Zhou Ai, and Chu Yi to the forefront, and the pressure increased exponentially.
[Oh my god! How could he disappear?!]
[Pray for peace! Please be alright!]
What kind of variety show is this? Is it that dangerous?
[I heard that another guest also disappeared? ]
What happened to the production team? What safety measures were taken?!
[Can the Zhou family let the program crew go? ]
[Chu Yi? Is that the amazing doctor Chu Yi? He also...?]
[It’s over, it’s over. I don’t dare to think about the consequences…]
——
At this moment in the mountains, Zhou Ai was carrying Chu Yi on his back, struggling to find a way up on a messy landslide.
Zhou Ai felt that after Chu Yi heard his teasing about the "poor-starred mandarin ducks", he became more stiff and silent, even breathing became lighter. Only the arms tightly wrapped around his neck and the hot cheek pressed against his shoulder proved the other party's existence.
He smiled silently and stopped teasing him. He supported the person on his back more steadily with both hands and said in a deep voice, "Then let's continue climbing."
He paused after saying this, feeling the fingers around his neck curl slightly. He then used one hand to temporarily loosen his legs and gently placed it on the back of Chu Yi's hands, which were folded on his chest. He squeezed the cold fingers soothingly and very briefly, "Hold on tight."
The movement was very light, and soon, Zhou Ai's hands returned to the lifting position, as if it was just a subconscious action to ensure safety.
But Chu Yi's heart skipped a beat because of the warmth and strength that wrapped around his fingers at that moment. It seemed as if his fingertips still retained the rough touch and temperature of the other person's palm.
He pursed his lips and buried his face deeper into Zhou Ai's shoulders and neck, silently tightening his arms.
Zhou Ai took a deep breath and looked upwards sharply, searching for any vegetation or relatively stable soil that might provide support, and began a new and more difficult round of climbing.
Each step was stuck in the soft mud, requiring tremendous core strength and perseverance to pull out, while also being constantly alert for the possibility of another landslide.
They had no idea that the outside world had been turned upside down because of them, nor that rescue was struggling to approach.
Zhou Ai’s only thought was: Chu Yi must get out alive.
Fortunately, the rain that had lasted for almost the entire day finally showed signs of stopping. The rain became sparse, and even a few faint rays of light appeared in the gray sky, indicating that the sun might be about to struggle out.
The two men trekked intermittently for nearly three hours along the extremely difficult mountain road after the landslide.
Chu Yi lay on Zhou Ai's back and could clearly feel the man's increasingly heavy breathing and his gradually slowing but more labored pace. With every step, the muscles in the arms supporting his legs trembled slightly uncontrollably.
Zhou Ai's physical strength had obviously been exhausted to the limit.
"The rain has stopped. Let's rest for a while before we go on. It looks like the sun is about to come out." Chu Yi patted Zhou Ai's sweaty shoulder and stopped him from moving forward.
Zhou Ai panted and looked up at the change in the weather, then he breathed a sigh of relief and finally stopped.
He carefully lowered Chu Yi from his back and let him sit on a relatively dry rock, leaning against his backpack.
Then he took off the backpack on his chest, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He almost collapsed and sat down against Chu Yi, his chest heaving violently, gasping for breath, unable to utter a word.
Chu Yi turned his head to look at Zhou Ai who was leaning against him at the moment. He looked quite embarrassed, but still had an amazing charm like a battle-damaged body.
The black hair on her forehead and temples was completely wet with sweat and drizzle, sticking messily to her face and neck, outlining a clear but not feminine facial contour.
Drops of water rolled down his full forehead and high nose bridge, slid across his lips that were tightly pursed and had lost some blood color due to excessive force, and finally dripped onto his mud-stained jacket.
His cheeks were abnormally flushed due to the continuous high-intensity exercise, and there were tiny drops of water on his long eyelashes, which trembled slightly with his heavy breathing.
The pair of peach blossom eyes that usually always had a lazy smile on their faces were now tightly closed, and his brows were tightly furrowed due to fatigue and endurance, but it showed a kind of tenacious masculinity.
When Chu Yi looked at him like this, his heart felt like it was being tugged at by something, making it feel sore and painful.
He unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and handed the water to Zhou Ai's mouth, his voice unconsciously becoming softer: "Drink slowly, don't rush."
Zhou Ai simply waved his hands wearily, seemingly lacking the strength to even lift them. He continued to pant heavily, his throat rasping with exhaustion. Sweat mixed with lingering raindrops dripped down his sleek jawline.
Chu Yi could fully imagine how terrible this fatigue was.
When he went up the mountain yesterday, he was exhausted just walking alone, not to mention that Zhou Ai was carrying the entire weight of an adult man, plus a heavy backpack filled with supplies, and was walking on a road of death that was completely destroyed by heavy rain and landslides and made the difficulty twice as great.
As if possessed by a demon, Chu Yi stretched out his hand and gently used his fingertips to brush away the strand of silver hair on Zhou Ai's cheek that was soaked with sweat and rain, stuck to his temples and even blocked his vision.
Then, he used the back of his hand to wipe the water droplets that kept sliding down Zhou Ai's cheek in a very natural manner.
When the slightly cool fingertips and the back of the hand touched the hot cheek, Zhou Ai's heavy breathing suddenly stopped and he suddenly opened his eyes.
The pair of peach blossom eyes, which seemed a little hazy due to fatigue, now clearly reflected Chu Yi's face, which was close at hand and full of worry and unconcealed heartache.
Zhou Ai's heart seemed to be hit hard by something, and a long-suppressed emotion mixed with the fear of surviving a disaster suddenly broke through all the dams of rationality.
He suddenly stretched out his hand and grabbed Chu Yi's wrist before he could retract it, squeezing it so hard that it almost hurt him.
"Chu Yi," Zhou Ai's voice was hoarse and unstable after heavy breathing, but his eyes were surprisingly bright and locked onto him tightly, "If—"
Zhou Ai paused while speaking. Chu Yi watched his protruding Adam's apple roll up and down violently, and could even clearly hear the sound of him swallowing his saliva.
After waiting for a few seconds without any further response, Zhou Ai seemed to have made some kind of decision.
But in a second, Zhou Ai's face, which was covered in mud, sweat, and a disheveled yet extremely handsome face, suddenly came close to Chu Yi.
"There are no ifs," Zhou Ai's voice was low and resolute, with a desperate madness, "Just assume that I'm going to die in the next second."
Before he finished speaking, before Chu Yi could fully react, Zhou Aibing's cold and soft lips accurately covered his lips which were slightly opened in surprise.
The kiss came unexpectedly, like a sudden storm, instantly sweeping over all of Chu Yi's senses.
Zhou Ai's lips were as cold as mountain rain, but the moment they touched, they quickly ignited an astonishing heat.
His kiss was disorganized, even a little clumsy and reckless, but full of strength and possessiveness, just like him. Once he made up his mind, there was no turning back and he would conquer the city and the territory.
Chu Yi's mind went blank, as if the sudden attack had paused it.
He could clearly feel Zhou Ai's hot breath on his face, his heart beating wildly due to the intense exercise and tension hitting his chest, and the pair of calloused fingers trembling slightly as they held his wrists.
The expected struggle and pushing away did not happen.
Chu Yi just endured it stiffly, his eyelashes trembling violently, as if he was nailed to the spot.
Perhaps he was frightened by Zhou Ai's resolute look of "ready to die with indifference", or perhaps some emotion deep in his heart that he himself was not aware of was at work, and he actually forgot to resist.
Zhou Ai's kiss became deeper and deeper, as if he wanted to pour out all the temptations, anxieties, desires and fears of surviving the past few days.
It was an almost desperate demand and confirmation, with a desperate madness.
Chu Yi only felt that the air around him was becoming thinner and thinner, the oxygen in his lungs was being squeezed out bit by bit, he felt dizzy, and even his vision began to go black.
He subconsciously made a nasal sound that was almost like a whimper, and his body became slightly limp due to lack of oxygen.
As if sensing his discomfort, Zhou Ai's frantic plundering movements suddenly stopped and then became extremely gentle.
He reluctantly and slowly moved away, finally completely leaving the two lips that were swollen and red from being ravaged by him.
Fresh air rushed in instantly, and Chu Yi subconsciously gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently, his cheeks flushed, his eyes unfocused, still immersed in the almost suffocating kiss just now, and had not come back to his senses.
Zhou Ai wasn't much better off. He pressed his burning forehead against Chu Yi's neck, breathing heavily, his scorching breath spraying onto the sensitive skin of Chu Yi's neck, stirring up a subtle shudder.
The two people's rapid breathing intertwined in the silent mountains, the ambiguity was so unsettling.
After a few seconds of silence, Zhou Ai's low, hoarse voice came from Chu Yi's neck, with an unsettled gasp and a kind of desperate frankness:
"Chu Yi." He called his name, a barely perceptible sob in his voice, "I can't say sorry about this."
He paused, seemingly using up all his strength, before finally squeezing out the rest of his words, intermittently but with incredible clarity. Every word burned into Chu Yi's heart like a branding iron:
"After you get out... you can kill me or chop me up... it's up to you."
"But..." His arms tightened unconsciously, holding the person in his arms even tighter, as if afraid that the person would disappear if he let go. His voice was filled with an almost humble plea, "...but don't hide from me."
"Please."
Zhou Ai's breathing was still unstable, and his words were fragmented due to panting, but Chu Yi heard them clearly. Every syllable hit his eardrums heavily and reached the softest part of his heart, causing a huge wave of pain.
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