Chapter 37 The Mountain Rain Strikes Gu Qingyan had already bent down without saying a word…
On the morning of the third day, the inspection team continued with their planned itinerary. After the unpleasant incident the previous night, the atmosphere among the three became even more subtle and difficult to describe.
Gu Qingyan remained calm and professional as always, but when he occasionally glanced at Lin Yuwei, his gaze held a more intense and probing intensity than usual. Zhou Xubai, on the other hand, was even more attentive, constantly monitoring Lin Yuwei's condition and needs, and preventing her from being alone with Gu Qingyan.
In the afternoon, the village officials enthusiastically suggested, "There's a natural spring on the back mountain with sweet water, and the view from the mountain is also expansive. Would you like to go and take a look? Maybe it could add a highlight to the cultural corridor." However, after two days of intensive travel, most of the delegation members looked tired and responded little to the new suggestion. They simply waved their hands, clearly wanting to rest more.
Lin Yuwei's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward to ask, "How far is the spring from here? What is its exact location?" As she spoke, she subconsciously patted her backpack: "I brought some lightweight video recording equipment, which is perfect for recording some firsthand information about the natural scenery."
"It's not far. Just walk east from the village for about 500 or 600 meters, then follow the mountain path uphill. If you young people walk fast, it should take you about an hour to get to the top. However, it's not safe for you to go alone, Miss Lin. It would be best if someone accompanied you." The village chief enthusiastically pointed out the direction.
“That sounds like a good opportunity,” Zhou Xubai’s gentle voice rang out from the side. He naturally took half a step closer to Lin Yuwei, his smile warm. “Yuwei, if you want to go, I’ll go with you. It’s been a while since I’ve climbed a mountain; it’ll be a good chance to stretch my muscles.”
Lin Yuwei was very happy. She nodded and said, "Thank you, Xu Bai."
Just as Lin Yuwei nodded, a deep voice came from a little distance—
Would you mind having one more person?
Gu Qingyan turned around by the window, the sunlight casting a faint shadow on his sharply defined profile. His gaze swept over Lin Yuwei, and finally looked at the village chief, saying calmly, "I am also very interested in the ecology of the water source area, and I hope we can go and investigate together."
Lin Yuwei seemed a little surprised, her eyelashes trembled slightly, but she quickly regained her professional demeanor and nodded: "Of course, Mr. Gu, please go ahead." She had thought that after last night's argument, Gu Qingyan would no longer speak to her.
Zhou Xubai's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze lingered on Gu Qingyan for a moment longer before he said gently to Lin Yuwei, "Then let's set off while it's still early."
The mountain path was rugged and steep. Zhou Xubai walked ahead considerately, occasionally clearing away the overgrown branches to make a safe path for Lin Yuwei. When they reached a relatively flat observation point halfway up the mountain, Lin Yuwei stopped and was about to take out her equipment from her backpack to start filming the mountain spring and the distant view when her expression suddenly changed and she hurriedly started searching.
"Oh no!" she said, her voice trembling with obvious anxiety. "I think I left my power bank and spare mini video camera in the car! Without that dedicated mini video camera, I can't film the details in the steep areas or the close-ups of the springs. So the main purpose of this trip up the mountain is..." Her worries were evident. Without the crucial equipment, the most important task of this expedition—recording images—would be almost impossible to complete.
Zhou Xubai immediately stopped and turned to face her, his tone calm and reliable: "Yuwei, don't worry, I'm fast on my feet. I'll go down the mountain now to get it for you. Just wait for me here and don't go anywhere. This mountain road is unfamiliar and dangerous, so don't go anywhere alone."
As he spoke, he quickly took off his backpack and handed it to Gu Qingyan, who was standing silently to the side. Their eyes met with a hint of entrustment: "Mr. Gu, please take care of Yuwei for the time being and ensure her safety. I will be back as soon as possible."
Zhou Xubai's figure disappeared swiftly and nimbly at the end of the winding and steep mountain road below. The silence in the mountains was amplified in an instant, leaving only the sound of the wind and the occasional birdsong, as well as the almost suffocating awkwardness and silence between the two.
A breeze began to stir in the mountains, a cool mountain wind rustling through the treetops, bringing a touch of chill, but it couldn't dispel the stagnant atmosphere between the two.
“Last night…” Lin Yuwei began, her voice as soft as a feather, carrying a hint of barely perceptible guilt and hesitation, as she tried to break the suffocating silence.
"No need to explain." Gu Qingyan interrupted her coldly, speaking quickly without leaving any room for maneuver. His gaze remained stubbornly fixed on the increasingly gloomy and oppressive mountain range in the distance, his profile taut like a fully drawn bow: "This is your freedom." His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, yet it was like a cold, invisible, suddenly closed gate, abruptly cutting off her unfinished words and isolating her from the outside world.
Lin Yuwei was slightly taken aback, and the words that were about to come out were stuck in her throat. A clear sense of embarrassment and self-defeating rose in her heart. She pursed her lips and ultimately said nothing more.
The two fell into a deeper silence, back to back, as if separated by an invisible chasm. One looked at the misty valley to the east, and the other at the layered sea of trees to the west, each passing the awkward and long time with the monotonous scenery before their eyes.
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened without warning, thick dark clouds quickly swallowed the last ray of light, thunder rumbled across the sky, and large raindrops pelted down with astonishing force, instantly weaving a violent rain curtain, and visibility dropped sharply.
"Oh no!" Gu Qingyan abruptly withdrew her gaze, her brows furrowing, her tone instantly becoming serious and urgent: "This rain came too hard and too fast!"
The path down the mountain became muddy and fraught with danger in an instant due to the torrential rain. Gu Qingyan quickly looked around and made a decisive decision: "We can't stay here any longer, and we can't go down the mountain in the rain! I've inquired and there should be a wooden hut for fruit farmers to store their tools not far ahead. Follow me, quick!" His command was concise and powerful, carrying an unquestionable determination.
Lin Yuwei panicked and tried to catch up with him, but due to the heavy rain, the slippery stones under her feet, and her anxiety, she suddenly stumbled, and a sharp pain shot through her ankle! "Ah—" she cried out in pain, lost her balance, and fell to the side.
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyan immediately turned around, quickly squatted down to examine her rapidly swelling ankle, and his expression became even more somber: "You sprained it, it's serious, you can't walk anymore." His tone was decisive, leaving no room for negotiation: "Get on, I'll carry you."
"No need! I can still walk, ah..." Lin Yuwei endured the excruciating pain and tried to struggle on her own, but before she could finish speaking, Gu Qingyan had already bent down without saying a word, his arms passing under her knees and back, and lifted her up firmly around the waist! Lin Yuwei was caught off guard and exclaimed in surprise, instinctively reaching out to tightly hug his neck to maintain her balance.
The man's embrace was exceptionally warm and firm. Through his completely soaked and icy clothes, she could clearly feel the powerful strength in his arms and the tautness of his chest muscles. The familiar, crisp scent of cedar, now mixed with the fresh yet chilly aroma brought by the mountain rain, lingered forcefully around her nose, making her heart race uncontrollably.
The rain completely soaked through his thin shirt, the fabric clinging tightly to his body, almost transparent, clearly outlining the strong and beautiful muscle lines and the broad contours of his shoulders and back.
Gu Qingyan pursed his lips, his jawline taut, and remained silent as he carried her steadily and quickly through the rain with extremely low visibility. Soon they found the slightly dilapidated but still sturdy wooden house.
He kicked open the half-closed, creaking wooden door, stepped inside, and carefully placed her on the only simple but dry wooden bed in the room. The room was small and filled with a faint smell of firewood and dust, but it had at least kept out the storm. Gu Qingyan put Lin Yuwei down, turned around and closed the old wooden door tightly. After checking that the house was old but still quite sturdy, he felt relieved.
Both of them were already soaked through, with rainwater dripping from their hair and clothes, forming small puddles on the ground. Lin Yuwei's white shirt clung tightly to her skin after being soaked, almost becoming transparent, clearly outlining the contours of her underwear and the graceful curves of her body. She immediately noticed this, and her cheeks instantly burned. She awkwardly hugged her arms, trying to cover herself.
Gu Qingyan's gaze snapped away from her as if he'd been electrocuted, abruptly turning to the mottled wall, but his slightly reddened ears and suddenly heavy breathing were noticeable.
“My backpack is waterproof,” he said, his voice noticeably lower and hoarser than usual. He quickly opened the backpack and said, “There are some clean clothes I have in there. Change into them first. The temperature will drop significantly after it rains in the mountains, so you absolutely mustn’t catch a cold.” He took out one of his own simple white cotton T-shirts and handed it to her.
Lin Yuwei looked at the oversized white T-shirt that clearly belonged to men, hesitated for a moment, but the damp and cold clothes were indeed extremely uncomfortable sticking to her body, and a chill was creeping up her. In the end, she took it and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, "...Thank you, could you...turn around for a moment? I need to change my clothes."
Gu Qingyan immediately turned around as instructed, facing the wooden wall with his back to her. His tall figure appeared unusually stiff. In the cramped wooden house, even though they were trying to avoid suspicion, the two were still quite close. The rustling sounds of changing clothes became exceptionally clear, and the subtle sounds of every fabric rubbing against their skin seemed to be amplified infinitely, assaulting their eardrums. Gu Qingyan stood stiffly with his tall back, his Adam's apple bobbing uncontrollably as he suppressed the turbulent emotions surging within him.
Lin Yuwei quickly changed her clothes. Gu Qingyan was nearly 1.9 meters tall. Although he wasn't the muscular type, his men's T-shirt was too big for her slender frame. The neckline slipped down, revealing one of her delicate collarbones and smooth shoulders. The hem just covered her thighs, revealing a pair of straight, fair legs. Because her soaked undershirt was even more uncomfortable, she gritted her teeth and had no choice but to take it off and put on the thin T-shirt instead.
However, the thin cotton fabric could not cover anything at all. The clothes gently clung to the body, outlining the curves of the body to the greatest extent. With each movement, the fabric fluttered gently, adding a touch of mystery to the attempt to conceal.
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