164. Defy fate and change destiny
Yu Chuanbei said, "Not tomorrow. I have the final recording for this project tomorrow. I have to dive to a depth of 200 meters to assist in filming a documentary on marine environmental protection. It's already been scheduled and cannot be changed." Ling Ling felt an ominous premonition in her heart, and complained, "What you said sounds like a common plot in the movies, where the male protagonist says that he wants to complete one last thing, and then he and the female protagonist will be together forever. But as long as the male protagonist says this line, he usually gets his lunch box." Yu Chuanbei laughed heartily after hearing this, "You are really imaginative! If this routine really works, the world's population will drop to an astronomical level!" Ling Ling, however, wrapped her arm around him willfully and said, "I don't care. I don't know how much the world's population has dropped, but you can't let it drop. I'm a very tough person. My parents, my cousin and Sheng Nan are all gone. If this happened in the evil old society, I would probably be regarded as a disaster and be hit by rocks." Yu Chuanbei stroked her head and said: "Don't worry, I have done deep diving so many times without any problem, and I will be fine this time too. It is not possible for me to get into trouble as soon as you come. Just wait for me to come back safely tomorrow. If nothing happens to me, just think of it as helping you change your fate, okay?" "I don't want to!" Ling Ling hugged his arm tighter, "It costs too much to change my fate with your safety." "But we must always keep our promises. We can't let others go back on their word at the last minute. That will also be a punishment from heaven, right? Do you know? There are so many magical landscapes in the Vava'u Islands. When I saw them, I kept thinking of you in my heart, and I especially hoped to have the opportunity to take you to appreciate them. Now you are finally by my side. After I complete the mission tomorrow, I will take you to the Heart-Shaped Cave to watch whales and to the top of the Swallow Cave to watch the stars. Okay?" Ling Ling agreed, but she still felt a little uneasy in her heart. Perhaps exhausted from the long journey, she fell asleep in his arms, feeling a vague sense of unease. Yu Chuanbei kissed her hair, pulled the quilt over her, and clung to her as she slept soundly. Her body gave him an incomparably satisfying sense of security. After years of wandering, holding her soft, fragrant body felt like the end of the most arduous journey, finally reaching shore. Ling Ling's restless heart became a nightmare in her dreams. She watched Yu Chuanbei sink deeper and deeper into the sea, the color of the ocean slowly fading from withered green and emerald to indigo and blue. He closed his eyes tightly, his whole body drooping limply, like a discarded marionette. She screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to...
Yu Chuanbei said, "Tomorrow I can't. I have one final recording for this project tomorrow. I have to dive 200 meters underwater to help shoot a documentary about marine environmental protection. It's already been scheduled and can't be changed."
Ling Ling felt a sense of foreboding and complained, "What you said sounds like a common plot in movies, where the hero says he wants to complete one last thing before he and the heroine stay together forever. But whenever the hero says that line, he usually gets his lunch box."
Yu Chuanbei laughed heartily after hearing this: "You're quite imaginative! If this trick really worked, the world's population would have to drop drastically!"
Ling Ling stubbornly entangled her arms around him and said, "I don't care. I don't know how much the world's population has drastically decreased, but you can't let it decrease. I'm a very strong person. My parents, my cousin, and Sheng Nan are all gone. If this happened in the evil old society, I would probably be cast as a disaster and pelted to death by rocks."
Yu Chuanbei stroked her head and said, "Don't worry. I've done deep dives so many times without any problems, and I'll be fine this time too. It's not even possible for me to get into trouble the moment you arrive. Just wait patiently for my safe return tomorrow. If nothing happens to me, consider it a blessing in disguise, okay?"
"I don't want it!" Ling Ling hugged his arm tighter, "Sacrificing your peace to change my fate is too costly."
"But we have to keep our word. We can't promise people something and then have them go back on their word at the last minute. That would be a punishment from heaven, right? You know what? The Vava'u Islands have so many amazing sights. When I saw them, I kept thinking of you, and I really wanted the chance to take you to see them together. Now that you're finally by my side, after I finish my mission tomorrow, I'll take you to watch whales at Heart-Shaped Cave and to stargaze at the top of Swallow Cave. Okay?"
Ling Ling agreed, but a faint sense of unease still lingered in her heart. Perhaps she was too tired from the long journey, but with this lingering feeling, she fell asleep in his arms. Yu Chuanbei kissed her hair, pulled the quilt over her, and clung to her as she slept soundly, falling into a deep sleep together.
Her body gave him an incomparable sense of satisfaction and stability. After years of wandering, holding her soft and fragrant body, it was like the end of the most difficult journey and finally reaching the shore leisurely.
Ling Ling's uneasy mood turned into a nightmare in her dream.
Ling Ling watched Yu Chuanbei sink deeper and deeper into the ocean, the color of the sea slowly shifting from withered green and emerald green to indigo and blue. He closed his eyes tightly, his entire body drooping limply, like a discarded marionette. She screamed with all her might, trying to wake him. But a transparent wall always separated them, as if he were trapped within its airtight confines. As he had said before, the seabed was his confessional. Ling Ling watched him from outside the wall, distraught, calling out for help, but to no avail.
She woke up scratching desperately at the air. Before she could wipe the cold sweat from her forehead, she found that Yu Chuanbei was no longer by her pillow.
Ling Ling gasped, jumped out of bed, and searched every corner of the room, calling Yu Chuanbei's name but getting no response. He'd only said yesterday that he had a deep-diving filming assignment today, and she'd forgotten to ask the specific time. Could he already be there now? She rushed to the beach in her slip dress and flip-flops, disregarding any thought.
She rushed to the beachside crew, about to loudly inquire about Yu Chuanbei's whereabouts, but found everyone on edge. Some were staring at the rapidly fluctuating parameters of the computer system, some were repeatedly calling on pagers, some were checking the status of the transmission ropes, and locals were explaining things to them in their native language. The translator in the middle seemed a little anxious. The scene was tense and busy, but fortunately, it had not yet descended into chaos.
"Is Yu Chuanbei underwater?" she asked in English a black man she had met yesterday.
The other party nodded and said, "Yes, but now we have lost contact with him. The last picture in the camera was that he was attacked by some large fish. His current condition is unknown." When he said this, his eyes were wandering and he didn't dare to look her in the eye.
Ling Ling's heart sank to the bottom. She collapsed onto the rocks, exhausted. The rough edges of the gravel scraped her ankle, but she no longer had the energy to care. The azure sea, the blue sky, the waves lapping at the shore with white foam—a scene so romantic, but in her eyes, it became a devouring giant eye. Its blue eyelids, its white lashes, blinking, seemed to sever the distance between life and death. After the chill set in, she sank into a general numbness. She took a deep breath, trying to stop her body from shaking with collapse.
She was really afraid that the situation she feared most would happen. She didn't know if she could bear the pain of losing him again. But now was not the time to collapse. She had to try to stay calm. What if she needed to make some important decisions? So she clutched her collar tightly and forced herself to calm down.
The person who had just spoken to him saw that she looked pale and asked her with concern if she was okay. Ling Ling quickly responded that she was fine and asked him to concentrate on getting back in touch with Yu Chuanbei.
A few quick exclamations were heard among the team, and the images from the front-end camera flashed on the computer screen again. Although the signal was very unstable, they saw Yu Chuanbei, who was wearing a heavy diving suit, giving a thumbs-up gesture, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
The observer began to monitor the distance he rose. Ling Ling stood up, clenched her fists tightly, and prayed to countless gods she could name in her heart, just hoping that he could reach the shore safely.
The dark blue diving equipment finally appeared on the calm sea surface. The staff hurried forward to help him unload the heavy equipment. Ling Ling waded through the sea water and rushed towards him, hugged her neck tightly, and cried with joy, "Thank God, you are finally back safely! You can't be in trouble! Yu Chuanbei, you can't do such dangerous things again!"
Yu Chuanbei held her face, wiped away her tears, and said with a smile, "Now I understand why saying 'wait for me' always ends badly. It's because I was really distracted. I was thinking about you and was attacked by the black sea bream. But it was also because of the belief that 'you'd wait for me' that I persevered and returned after repairing the equipment."
Ling Ling punched him on the chest and scolded him, "It's already this late, and you're still joking like this! I've just thought about all the bad consequences in my mind, and I can't bear it at all! I even thought about getting a rope and tying you tightly to my side. Even if you have to go to the sky or into the sea, I will accompany you."
She leaned on his chest and sobbed. He hugged her tightly and murmured to her, "Silly girl."
He suddenly wanted to propose, to promise her eternity, to stay together forever. But he also felt that this was a special situation, and their intimacy at this moment was driven by this sense of urgency. He was afraid that the promise he made would make her feel that it was just a spur of the moment.
"The sea water is too cold. Look, you've soaked your clothes. You can't handle it." Yu Chuanbei looked at her wet body with concern. He thought about how she hadn't been able to rest properly since the surgery. She had traveled a long distance for him before, and now she had to worry about him again. He rubbed her cold hands distressedly and said, "Go back to your room, take a hot shower and rest. I'll check the details of this trip with them and then go back. The last mission has been successfully completed. I won't make you worry so much anymore. Let's go back home together."
Ling Ling's eyes were filled with tears of joy. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips again and again. Her heart finally felt at ease, a sense of security that she could stay with this man forever.
After returning to her room and showering, Ling Ling wrapped herself in a towel and stood on the platform outside the door, drying her hair. The scorching sun was blocked by the blue shed, while the gentle sea breeze caressed her body, blowing away her fatigue and melancholy.
Yu Chuanbei returned with two sets of fast food. Seeing Ling Ling standing on the platform facing the wind, she looked as beautiful as a vivid painting. He slowly walked over, took the towel from her hand, and gently wiped her hair.
Ling Ling hadn't expected Yu Chuanbei to return so soon. After not seeing him for so long, she wasn't yet comfortable being naked in front of him. She shyly tightened the towel around her chest, but in her haste, she neglected to cover her back, letting it slip down to her waist. She awkwardly leaned back, only to find herself leaning into his embrace. Their skin brushed against the thin fabric of their summer dress.
Yu Chuanbei swallowed nervously, wanting to hug her regardless of anything, but he was a little afraid.
"I, I'll go back to the bathroom to tidy up." Ling Ling said stutteringly.
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