Chapter 36
At this time, 72 hours had passed since the Yunjin earthquake.
The central government's response speed was also very fast, and various relief supplies were transported to the rescue points through various channels.
After emergency repairs by the army, electricity and communications returned to normal.
Xia Ruirui's phone was also connected to the Internet. Looking at the 99+ missed calls and text messages, it would be a lie to say that she was not moved.
There were calls from Xia's father and mother, video calls from Shen Qingli and Gu Zijin, and even some friends who hadn't seen each other for many years sent their condolences.
The next second, she received a call from Xia's mother.
Seeing the call from Xia's mother on the screen, Xia Ruirui thought about it and decided to answer it.
As soon as the phone was connected, she heard Xia's mother sobbing.
It seemed a little hard to believe. After so many calls, this time the call was answered. Mother Xia's voice was filled with disbelief: "Is it Ruirui?"
Xia Ruirui's throat seemed to be blocked and she remained speechless for a long time.
Xia's mother on the other end heard no sound and couldn't figure out what was going on so she just kept crying, but the phone was snatched away by someone.
"Ruirui, I'm your Uncle Wu. Your mother heard there was an earthquake there and is very worried about you. Ruirui, are you okay?"
It was her stepfather's voice. Xia Ruirui had only met him once, at their wedding, but she could roughly guess it was him based on her impression.
Hearing his unfamiliar but still worried voice, Xia Ruirui came back to her senses and said briefly to her mother and stepfather on the other end of the phone:
"I'm fine. I'm at the rescue point now. I'll be back with the main group soon."
It was not known whether it was because she heard her voice or because she heard her say that she was fine, but Xia's mother burst into tears again.
She cried for a long time before she calmed down, and she kept repeating "It's okay, it's okay."
On the other end of the phone, Xia's five-year-old half brother also clapped and repeated with Mother Xia, "I'm glad you're okay."
Before the call with Xia's mother was over, calls from Xia's father, Shen Qingli and Gu Zijin came one after another.
After explaining the situation to Xia's mother, she hung up the phone.
After the call was hung up, Xia Ruirui couldn't tell what her mood was, but it was always a bit complicated.
Not long after Xia's mother hung up the phone, she received another call from Xia's father.
Because of his work as a diplomat, Xia's father has been staying abroad for the past two years, but because of his daughter, he always pays attention to the news and information in China.
After learning that an earthquake had occurred in Yunjin, where Xia Ruirui went, he wanted to return home immediately, but several colleagues stopped him because they were afraid that something might happen to him.
Listening to Father Xia's hoarse voice on the other end of the phone, Xia Ruirui smiled and patiently told him that she was fine.
After hearing her say that she was fine, Xia's father was still a little worried, until Xia Ruirui took a video to tell him, proving that she really only had a minor fracture, he finally felt relieved a little.
The screen of the remote video call was turned around, and seeing Shen Yuqing next to Xia Ruirui, Xia's father raised an eyebrow.
Xia Ruirui calmly turned the camera around so that her father could only see herself.
But what she didn't know was that Father Xia had already seen Shen Yuqing, and had met him a long time ago, and knew about the past between him and his daughter in high school.
The two were silent for a while, and Father Xia also recognized Shen Yuqing as the boy who had come to his house before.
But he didn't question his daughter right away. After a long silence, he finally said, "Since you're dating, find a suitable time and bring the boy to meet daddy."
“…”
Xia Ruirui wanted to deny it, but looking at her father's cloudy eyes, she compromised and agreed: "I understand."
After finishing the call with Xia's father, Xia Ruirui received a video call from her good friend Shen Qingli.
Because her parents are divorced, Shen Qingli is as close to a friend as a sibling to Xia Ruirui.
Just as she was about to press the answer button, Shen Qingli's video call was automatically hung up. She didn't delay any further and called back immediately.
It wasn't until the call was connected and Xia Ruirui heard Shen Qingli's unique loud voice on the other end that she chuckled.
"Old Xia, are you okay?"
Hearing Shen Qingli's strong nasal tone from the opposite side, Xia Ruirui couldn't help but choke up.
Thinking about the thrilling events of the past few days, she is still a little frightened.
But because she didn't want to worry her friends too much, she didn't tell them about her broken bones and just said, "I'm fine."
Hearing her say that she was fine, Shen Qingli's expression was obviously relieved: "I knew you were fine."
Gu Zijin was not as thick-skinned as Shen Qingli, and was somewhat skeptical when he heard this.
It wasn't until he saw on the other end of the video that Xia Ruirui seemed to be fine that he completely believed it.
He looked at Xia Ruirui and asked tentatively: "Is Chen Yuqing with you?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingli also looked at Xia Ruirui with a somewhat nervous look in her eyes.
Since Shen Yuqing arrived in Yunjin, except for the call on the first day, they have not heard from him since then.
The two were worried about Shen Yuqing, but his phone was always unreachable, so they guessed that Shen Yuqing might have already arrived in the Yunjin disaster area.
After learning that Xia Ruirui was fine, the two were worried about Shen Yuqing, and they were also worried that if the two were not together, Xia Ruirui would be frightened as well.
Fortunately, they were together. Seeing the two people safe and sound in the video, Gu Zijin and Shen Qingli finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The four of them greeted each other through the camera.
"We will arrive in Yunjin tomorrow and will see you soon."
Xia Ruirui felt a little guilty when she learned that her two good friends were also there.
But she also knew Shen Qingli's personality very well, and did not ask her not to come over. She just told them to be careful on the road.
Xia Ruirui's battery was running low, so although Shen Qingli was reluctant, she had to hang up the phone.
After hanging up the phone with Xia Ruirui, Gu Zijin in the car looked at Shen Qingli who was laughing with amusement.
"Xia Ruirui is fine, you can rest assured now."
Hearing this, Shen Qingli didn't get angry. She hugged Gu Zijin's arm and rubbed it: "I knew Ruirui would be fine, I knew it."
She was clearly lying. Just now, Gu Zijin was comforting her, saying that Xia Ruirui would be fine, but Shen Qingli was hysterical.
"What if, what if something happens?"
"What if something goes wrong?"
Now she was the one who said, "If I had known Xia Ruirui would be fine."
But Gu Zijin did not expose her inconsistency. He just hugged her and kissed her forehead devoutly.
Gu Zijin was also frightened by his friend's experience with the earthquake.
He didn't dare to think, if it was Shen Qingli who experienced the earthquake this time, would he be as calm as Shen Yuqing, or would he have already lost his composure?
He didn't dare to think about it, and was afraid to think about this hypothesis.
*
On the other side, inside the rescue point tent.
Assistant Zhang Xiaotiao was holding the phone, looking for Brother Chen in a hurry.
He walked up to Xia Ruirui, handed the phone to Shen Yuqing beside her, and whispered, “It’s Sister Juan’s call.”
As soon as the power and communications were restored, Zhang Xiaotiao took a look at the hot news and saw the negative news about Brother Chen.
In addition to the hot searches about the earthquake in Yunjin, the third hot search these days is the scandal in the e-sports circle -
[Esports blogger Chen Yuqing, who has millions of followers, suddenly acted like a big shot and arbitrarily forfeited during a live broadcast of a competition...]
Moreover, among the missed calls, there were over 99 from Li Juan alone. Zhang Xiaotiao did not dare to delay and called Sister Juan back immediately.
Li Juan talked to him on the phone, repeatedly confirmed that Shen Yuqing was with him, and ordered him to bring Shen Yuqing back quickly.
It is said that things are in chaos in Beiyi City. Not only the organizer, but also the brands and sponsors have objections, demanding that the studio pay liquidated damages and terminate the contract with Shen Yuqing.
The matter was too big for Zhang Xiaotiao to make the decision alone, so he handed the phone to Shen Yuqing.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yuqing said after hearing this: "I can't go back. Even the airport is in ruins here. There are constant aftershocks and the railway is blocked."
Although it is difficult to go back, they can obviously go back if they want to.
Zhang Xiaotiao quickly realized that Brother Chen was not unable to leave, but did not want to leave.
He looked at Xia Ruirui beside him and guessed that Brother Chen didn't want to leave, perhaps because of Sister Ruirui.
Meeting Brother Chen's gaze, Zhang Xiaotiao nodded at him, indicating that he would not say anything.
After hanging up the phone with Li Juan, Shen Yuqing returned the phone to Zhang Xiaotiao.
Xia Ruirui had already left when they were talking about work. She went outside the tent to look for the boy who lost both parents in the earthquake.
The child's name was Xu An. He was a very well-behaved child and never cried or made a fuss.
These days, Xia Ruirui and the aunt in the other bed have been taking turns to look after him.
Xia Ruirui had no brothers or sisters, and the child was very close to her, so she paid special attention to him.
After she left, Zhang Xiaotiao looked at Shen Yuqing beside him and found that he was looking at Xia Ruirui's back, wondering what he was thinking.
Seeing Brother Chen looking a little distracted, Zhang Xiaotiao asked, "Brother Chen, what about the brand's issue?"
Hearing this, Shen Yuqing finally stopped looking at Xia Ruirui. He turned to look at the assistant, his attitude just as carefree as when he was talking to Li Juan just now: "Then pay the money."
In recent years, Shen Yuqing has also participated in many e-sports competitions and won considerable prize money.
Of course Zhang Xiaotiao knew that the liquidated damages were nothing to the studio.
But what he was worried about was whether this incident would have an impact on Brother Shen’s subsequent career?
After all, reputation and fame are extremely important for an e-sports player.
He knew that Shen Yuqing didn't go back because of Sister Ruirui, but he didn't understand why Sister Ruirui didn't want to go back.
He looked at Shen Yuqing, and before he asked, he heard Brother Shen’s explanation: “When Xia Ruirui returns to Xijing City, her leg is broken, and I still have to take care of her.”
“…”
Zhang Xiaotiao was completely dumbfounded when he heard this. Sister Ruirui didn't seem to have said that she needed Brother Chen's care, right?
Zhang Xiaotiao had always thought that Brother Shen was a career-oriented person.
After all, he has never been in a relationship over the years, nor has his career been affected by personal reasons.
Unexpectedly, ever since Sister Ruirui appeared, Brother Chen has changed from a career-minded person to a complete love-minded person.
There isn't even any transition in between.
But Brother Shen didn't say anything. As Brother Shen's assistant, he naturally couldn't say anything, so he kept silent.
"By the way." After a long time, Shen Yuqing looked at him and said, "Wait, you can check the channels for donating to the disaster area, and then donate 100,000 yuan to Yunjin."
There were rumors that Shen Yuqing had 'withdrew from the competition on his own accord', although they all knew it was not true.
But if we want to respond directly, Sister Ruirui will inevitably be implicated.
Brother Chen cares so much about Sister Ruirui that he must not want her to be in the spotlight, so naturally he will not clarify the matter.
But if Brother Chen donates money to the Yunjin disaster area in his personal name, not only will the rumors be refuted, but Brother Chen's image will also become more positive.
This is a very good public relations direction. The little assistant's eyes lit up when he heard it, and he couldn't help but secretly admire Brother Shen in his heart.
He looked at Shen Yuqing: “Brother Shen, is the donation in the name of the studio? Or in your personal name?”
In fact, any name would be fine, Zhang Xiaotiao was just confirming it with him.
Unexpectedly, Brother Chen gave an unexpected answer.
“No, anonymous donation.”
Hearing Brother Shen talking about making an anonymous donation, Zhang Xiaotiao was stunned for a moment and wanted to persuade him again, but Shen Yuqing's attitude was very firm.
He was also asked to warn Li Juan not to use this matter for publicity.
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaotiao opened his mouth, feeling a mixture of emotions, but in the end he just said, "I understand, Brother Chen."
After the two finished their discussion, they fell silent. Just then, Xia Ruirui came in.
She opened the tent and came in, looking at the two people sitting in the corner and asked, "Have you seen Xu An?"
Zhang Xiaotiao knew she was talking about the child who had lost both parents, so he shook his head and said he hadn't seen her.
Shen Yuqing on the side asked: "What's wrong?"
Xia Ruirui looked at him, her tone a little anxious: "An An is missing. I looked for him in many places but couldn't find him."
After she finished speaking, she was about to go out and continue looking. Shen Yuqing beside her also picked up her coat, caught up with her, and wanted to go out to look with her.
Zhang Xiaotiao also wanted to go, but was stopped by Shen Yuqing: "It's enough for the two of us to go find the child, you go and check what I just said."
Knowing that Brother Chen was talking about donations, Zhang Xiaotiao nodded at him and did not follow him.
Outside the rescue point, Xia Ruirui and Shen Yuqing searched many places but couldn't find Xu An.
It was the military doctor at the support point who told them that the child might be at the place where the stretcher team found his mother's body.
"That child might be missing his mother, so he always goes there."
“…”
The topic was a bit heavy, and Xia Ruirui didn't know how to respond except to remain silent.
The two rushed over and saw little Xu An there.
Looking at the small figure curled up in front of the ruins, both of them were moved.
Especially Shen Yuqing, Xu An at this time reminded him of himself when he lost his parents.
But perhaps because men tend to express their emotions in a more reserved way, he did not go forward to comfort the child.
Instead, he watched Xia Ruirui walk over and gently hug the child.
Realizing that someone was approaching, Xu An turned around and looked in the direction of Xia Ruirui.
Looking at the sister who had taken care of her for many days, Xu An finally couldn't hold back her tears.
He hugged her tightly, his voice filled with confusion and a hint of ignorance: "Sister, where will my mother go after she dies?"
He was still young at that time and didn't know what death meant. He only knew that his mother had gone to a very far place.
But often the most cruel questions are those asked by children who are innocent.
Xia Ruirui held back her tears and patiently explained death to him.
She tried to describe it in simple terms, but she didn't lie to the child just to comfort him.
"Your mother went to a place called heaven."
"Will Mom be happy there?"
"I don't know, but it shouldn't be painful."
"That's good."
“…”
Shen Yuqing did not interrupt their warm moment, but stood behind them, watching them silently.
He wanted to walk further away, but he felt the ground beneath his feet shake, just like the shaking from the last aftershock.
Realizing something, he quickly stepped forward, pushed Xu An away, and then went forward to hug Xia Ruirui...
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