Chapter 22 Softness
An Xinqing didn't see Wen Eryu at the previous gathering place.
She thought Wen Eryu had gone to the hospital, but just as she was leaving, she saw Bai You running out of the entrance in a panic.
An Xinqing frowned, feeling something was wrong. She stopped Bai You and asked, "What happened? Why didn't Wen Eryu come out with you?"
Bai You sighed, his neck buried in his collar, and he could vaguely see tiny scratches. "She got lost on the way home. The rainforest is so big, I'm really worried about her wandering around on her own. If she wanders into the restricted area, it would be terrible."
"What?" An Xinqing exclaimed. "Aren't you the most experienced guide here? Besides, when we reached the rest area, we weren't far from the entrance. How could someone get lost?"
Wen Eryu getting lost in the rainforest was just an excuse Bai You made up. He and Wen Eryu had an argument in the restricted area. Who knew that this little girl played tricks on him and snatched the map from him.
But Wen Eryu was injured and there was no way he could outrun him.
Seeing that his blackmail attempt failed, Bai You became interested in the necklace around her neck. After he snatched it away, he left Wen Eryu alone there.
"I don't know either." Bai You spread his hands. "As soon as I turned around, he disappeared."
An Xinqing was very angry. Instead of arguing with Bai You, she chose to call the police.
When Zhang Fan got out of the police car, he saw an old acquaintance.
He frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Officer Zhang, it's not me this time." An Xinqing smiled awkwardly, and then described what happened to him.
There was no time to lose, saving lives was the most important thing. Zhang Fan contacted the staff of the scenic area and immediately formed a rescue team.
After Wen Liang heard the news, he hurried over from the meeting room.
When he got out of the car, he was helped down by someone.
"My precious daughter," Wen Liang said in a trembling voice, looking at Zhang Fan, "Comrade police officer, you must do your best. You will definitely be rewarded afterwards."
Zhang Fan waved his hand. "No need, no need. The team has a rule that we don't accept a single needle or thread from the public. Don't worry, we will do our best to rescue your daughter."
Wen Liang nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work."
Bai You, who was standing by, originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to escape, but after seeing Wen Liang, he started to make plans in his mind.
After a while, when the rescuers had gone in, Bai You walked up to Wen Liang and whispered, "You must be President Wen."
Wen Liang looked up at him from his chair and snorted coldly, "You are the guide, right? If anything happens to my daughter, you will be the first one who cannot escape responsibility."
Bai You chuckled, his eyes full of flattery: "Yes, yes, it's my negligence. I grew up here since I was a child, and I am very familiar with the terrain in the rainforest. Look--"
He didn't say the rest, but quietly observed Wen Liang's expression. He wanted to take a gamble.
Wen Liang played with the handheld device in his hand, and remained silent for a long time. He suddenly laughed out loud, but his face quickly turned cold: "Are you negotiating terms with me?"
"I dare not, I dare not." Bai You began to back out in his heart.
But the next second, Wen Liang said, "Sure, how much do you want?"
Bai You's narrow eyes lit up instantly. He had to think of a number that Wen Liang could accept.
"Two million?"
“…”
"Then, then one hundred and fifty."
“…”
"One million! It can't be any lower." Bai You gritted his teeth. "You also know how dangerous the rainforest restricted area is."
Wen Liang turned around and gestured to the bodyguard beside him, saying, "Okay."
Bai You: "I want this money now."
"No." Wen Liang refused. He was a businessman and never did business at a loss. "I'll give you 500,000 first. After we find and rescue the person, the remaining 500,000 will be transferred to your account."
Bai You was silent for a while. He knew that this was Wen Liang's bottom line, so he could only agree to it for now. Anyway, whether the person could be found was still a question. If he really found him, he would just deny what he had done to Wen Eryu. There were no cameras in the rainforest anyway, so who would know?
*
When Shen Jize came out of the hospital, he received a call from Li Wei.
The other side seems to be in a hurry.
"Something happened!" Li Wei said in a panic, "Something happened to Wen Eryu."
When Shen Ji Ze heard Wen Eryu's name, his heart instantly tightened.
"What happened to her? Tell me quickly."
Li Wei said, "An Xinqing just told me that Wen Eryu disappeared in the rainforest."
"Who told you that?" Shen Jize asked.
Li Wei said: "An Xinqing."
Shen Ji Ze was puzzled for a moment, but he quickly hung up the phone and returned home.
He found a small cardboard box at the back of the wardrobe in the room, and then took out the passbook at the bottom. He glanced at the numbers on it and booked a flight to City S at the nearest time without thinking.
It is the peak season for Spring Festival travel now, and a plane ticket from H City to S City costs three thousand yuan.
This is not a small amount of money, but Shen Jize doesn't care about the money. At worst, he can earn it later. Now he has to find her.
He went to the hospital again. Xue Fenghua's condition was improving, so he didn't need to worry too much.
"Aunt, I have to go on a long journey."
Xue Fenghua sat up from the bed: "Did something happen?"
Shen Jize didn't tell her about Wen Eryu, because he knew Xue Fenghua would definitely be worried.
"Nothing, just going to meet a friend."
Xue Fenghua smiled and jokingly said, "A man or a woman?"
Shen Jize didn't say anything.
"Okay, go ahead. Don't worry about me here. I'm fine." Xue Fenghua said in a relaxed tone.
"good."
*
A bolt of lightning struck fiercely on the tree behind Wen Eryu.
The next second, a strong wind blew and raindrops as big as beans fell, hitting her head and back and causing severe pain.
The rain was getting heavier, but Wen Eryu still couldn't find a way out. The map she had snatched with great difficulty was torn into pieces by Bai You. Now she was completely trapped here.
Fortunately, there was a small cave not far away with many vines hanging from the top, which just blocked the heavy rain outside.
The space inside was a bit small, so Wen Eryu could only sit on the ground with his back bent and his knees hugged.
It looks like the rain won't stop for a while. There is no signal in the restricted area, so even if she has a cell phone, it's useless. Now she can only hide here and pray that someone will come to rescue her.
The thin jacket had no thermal insulation effect, and the biting cold was like a sharp blade, cutting into her flesh and bones.
The rain outside the cave seemed to be lighter, drizzling. Wen Eryu shuddered. Listening to the sound of the rain, she gradually felt sleepy. Her eyelids kept fighting each other, but finally, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
In her sleep, she seemed to hear someone calling her name.
Until the sound got closer and closer, Wen Eryu suddenly opened her eyes. She didn't know when the rain stopped. She got up with difficulty and crawled out of the cave.
She yelled, "I'm here—!"
However, apart from the birds in the trees responding to her, there was no other sound.
But just as she turned around, there was a noise from the bushes not far away, and the next second, Shen Jize's figure appeared from the dense jungle.
Wen Eryu thought he was hallucinating and quickly twisted his arm.
It hurts so much, it’s not a dream.
When Shen Jize saw her, he obviously quickened his pace and ran in front of her in two or three steps.
His breathing was rapid, beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his voice was trembling: "Finally...finally found you."
Shen Jize hugged Wen Eryu into his arms and refused to let go.
Wen Eryu was stunned. She blinked and gently reached out to pat his back.
"I'm fine."
Suddenly, she felt a drop of warmth on her shoulder, she didn't know whether it was Chen Jize's tears or sweat.
It took him a long while to let go of her hand.
"I'll take you back." Shen Jize's voice was hoarse.
Wen Eryu asked, "This is a restricted area. Do you know the way back?"
"When I came here, I asked the staff for a map of the restricted area, and I already memorized the route."
Wen Eryu sighed, she was indeed a top student. If it were her, she wouldn’t know how to get there even with a map.
But she paused and said, "...My foot is injured."
Shen Jize frowned slightly, but he quickly squatted down: "Come up."
"Oh...oh." Wen Eryu carefully lay on his back, "Actually, I can walk by myself, but it's a little slow."
He said calmly, "You are not heavy, I can carry you."
The rain forest had just rained, and there was more mud on the ground than before, making the road more difficult to walk on. Shen Ji Ze puffed out his cheeks, the veins on his hands bulged, and he stepped heavily in the mud step by step. His shoes were already extremely dirty.
Wen Eryu asked curiously: "How did you know I was trapped here?"
"Li Wei told me."
But the rainforest is so big, how did Shen Ji Ze overcome all those difficulties and obstacles and come in alone to find her?
"Oh." She didn't ask any further.
The sky darkened a little, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and Wen Eryu felt a slight drizzle falling.
Shen Jize seemed to have noticed it as well and quickened his pace. Another 300 meters would be the rescue point where someone would pick them up.
The surrounding leaves rustled in the sea breeze, making a sound like a baby crying, and Wen Eryu's hair stood up instantly.
"Afraid?" Shen Jize asked.
"...No." She said with forced calmness.
Shen Jize's hands silently tightened around the girl on his back.
The rain was getting heavier and both of them could not see the road ahead clearly.
Wen Eryu stretched out her hand and made a small tent, pressing it against Shen Jize's forehead.
Her hands were a little cold, but Shen Jize's heart gradually became hot.
The girl's breath gently fell on his neck, like a kitten's claws constantly scratching his heart.
In an instant, Wen Eryu seemed to have thought of something. She looked down at her empty chest and felt aggrieved.
She choked up and whispered in the boy's ear, "Chen Jize, I lost the necklace you gave me."
But Shen Ji Ze didn't blame her, he just said in a deep voice: "It's lost, it's lost, I will give you a more beautiful one."
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