Upon hearing this, a sad expression appeared on Lu Jia's face.
"What's wrong? Lu Jia, what's wrong?" Shen Zhi Qiu suddenly realized something was wrong and nervously tried to hug Lu Jia, but she missed.
Shen Zhi Qiu stared blankly at her empty hands...
"Autumn is here!"
"Autumn is here!"
Shen Zhi Qiu suddenly woke up with a start. She stared blankly at Lu Wei in front of her and asked in a daze, "How did I end up in the car? Wasn't I waiting for Lu Jia at the beach?"
After saying that, she grabbed Lu Wei's arm anxiously, "I just saw Lu Jia. He's back, you know? He was rescued. I went to the beach to pick him up. He was still wearing the jacket we pulled out of the water, and it was still dry, you understand?"
I was just curious and asked him how he did it, but then... he just disappeared. Lu Wei, he's disappeared!
As she spoke, Shen Zhi Qiu burst into tears.
"Zhiqiu, you're dreaming." Lu Wei's eyes also reddened, and she gently hugged Shen Zhiqiu.
Shen Zhi Qiu's emotions gradually calmed down in Lu Wei's arms, and her breathing became steady. Lu Wei gently comforted her, "Zhi Qiu, it's alright, it was just a dream. Lu Jia will be fine, we will find him."
Shen Zhi Qiu gripped Lu Wei's sleeve tightly, as if seeking a sense of security. "Lu Wei, I'm so scared. I dreamt that he disappeared. I'm afraid all of this is fake."
Lu Wei tenderly stroked Shen Zhi Qiu's hair, "No, Zhi Qiu, everything will be alright. Lu Jia will definitely come back safely. Let's go to the beach and wait for him now, okay?"
Shen Zhi Qiu nodded, her eyes filled with anticipation and unease. Lu Wei helped her out of the car.
As soon as Shen Zhi Qiu and Lu Wei got out of the car, they saw Rong Mo's concerned face and Wei Qiao's busy figure.
Wei Qiao set up a simple dining table next to the car, on which were placed fragrant coffee and various kinds of bread.
"Thank you, Wei Qiao," Shen Zhi Qiu said softly. Although her heart was heavy, she was still touched by Wei Qiao's thoughtfulness.
"Miss, please have some. These are all your favorite flavors," Wei Qiao said, handing Shen Zhi Qiu a steaming cup of coffee.
Shen Zhi Qiu took the coffee, took a small sip, and the bitter taste spread in her mouth, seemingly echoing her current state of mind. She put down the coffee and looked at the distant sea, where there was still no one.
Lu Wei sat quietly beside her. She knew Shen Zhi Qiu's feelings and knew that any words would seem pale and powerless at this moment. All she could do was stay by Shen Zhi Qiu's side.
The morning sun shone through the clouds onto the sea, the shimmering surface meeting the distant horizon to create a beautiful scene. However, this beautiful view brought no comfort to Shen Zhi Qiu; her heart was filled only with endless worry and longing.
Time ticked by, the sun rose higher, but Lu Jia still hadn't appeared. Shen Zhi Qiu's eyes welled with tears; she tried hard to control her emotions, not letting them fall. However, her tears eventually streamed down her cheeks and dripped onto the sand.
Lu Wei couldn't help but shed tears as well. She gently put her arm around Shen Zhi Qiu's shoulder and said, "Zhi Qiu, don't cry. The search and rescue team hasn't returned yet, so we still have hope."
“President Rong,” Wei Qiao hesitated before calling Rong Mo aside and whispered, “Captain Liu said that today is the last day of the search and rescue operation. If no one is found, the team will call it a day.”
"Actually, even if we found it now, it would only be..." Wei Qiao said with some reluctance, "and it's very likely it would be eaten by sharks in the sea..."
Rong Mo frowned and raised his hand to stop Wei Qiao from continuing. "Here's what we'll do: after the search and rescue team finishes, I'll try to persuade them to go home and wait for news. You find someone to take over the search and rescue work and continue for another week."
Shen Zhi Qiu and Lu Wei sat motionless by the sea. They had been exchanging words and encouraging each other in the morning, but gradually, they both grew more and more desperate, and stopped talking, just staring blankly at the sea.
As night fell, everyone in the search and rescue team returned.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Rong, we did our best." The team leader stepped forward and said apologetically.
"Thank you for your hard work!" Rong Mo nodded gratefully, then turned and instructed, "Wei Qiao, see them off."
Watching the rescue team pack up all their equipment, Shen Zhi Qiu's heart shattered completely.
She stumbled to her feet, as if her soul had been ripped away.
Lu Wei remained sitting there, looking lost and bewildered.
Rong Mo sighed, stepped forward and hugged Shen Zhi Qiu, whispering, "Zhi Qiu, let's go home together, okay?"
"Brother," Shen Zhi Qiu sobbed uncontrollably, "Brother! They've called back, does that mean Lu Jia is really gone?!"
Tears welled up in Lu Wei's eyes. She could no longer control her grief and numbly stood up and walked towards the sea.
"Lu Wei!" Rong Mo realized something was wrong and reached out to grab Lu Wei.
But in her extreme grief, Lu Wei forcefully broke free from his hand and rushed towards the sea.
"Stop her! Quickly!" Rong Mo shouted.
At that moment, two bodyguards rushed out, and another figure flashed past at the same time.
Just as Lu Wei was about to plunge into the sea, Jiang Bei arrived and pulled her back.
"Don't do anything foolish, don't make Lu Jia worry about you." Jiang Bei sighed, feeling very sad as well.
"Lu Jia!" Lu Wei cried out to the sea, "Lu Jia! You bastard! You promised me when we were little that you would protect me! You bastard! You, a grown man, broke your promise!!! Lu Jia! Lu Jia! Lu Jia!"
Perhaps overwhelmed with grief, Lu Wei fainted.
Jiang Bei grabbed her immediately and scooped her up in his arms...
A few hours later.
As the car slowly drove into the Rong family villa, Shen Zhi Qiu stared blankly as Rong Mo carried her out of the car.
Lu Wei had regained consciousness, but Jiang Bei stayed by her side without leaving for a moment.
The door suddenly opened, and everyone inside came out.
Seeing the dejected look on Shen Zhi Qiu and the others' faces, everyone present showed a sad expression.
The outcome is already decided.
"Zhi Qiu!" Zhou Xiaoran was the first to rush out, looking at the heartbroken Shen Zhi Qiu with great concern.
"Xiao Ran, could you please take care of Zhi Qiu and Lu Wei for a while?" Rong Mo said softly.
"Mmm," Zhou Xiaoran nodded repeatedly, desperately holding back her tears, and quickly walked to Lu Wei's side to help Jiang Bei support her as they walked inside.
After taking a shower, Shen Zhi Qiu lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
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