Chapter 55 I Love You
Yu Bai slept soundly. Half-asleep, a ray of sunlight shone on her face. She opened her sleepy eyes and saw Chi Qinghe's warm and strong arms. She stared blankly at him. Just then, Chi Qinghe also opened his eyes. Their eyes met. His eyes were full of deep tenderness. He hugged Yu Bai even tighter. Yu Bai nestled in his arms, relying on him. Both of them were silent, yet the room was filled with a peaceful and serene atmosphere.
After cuddling for a while, Yu Bai checked her watch and it was already eight o'clock. Wen Qin sent her a message urging her to come downstairs. Yu Bai was startled to realize that she still had an interview to attend, so she struggled to get up.
"I have to go to work. You must be tired from the journey, so please rest first."
Upon hearing this, Chi Qinghe frowned, reached out to stop Yu Bai's movement, and said gently, "You're injured, please take leave and don't go to work."
Yu Bai was also conflicted. This interview was very important, and she didn't want to give up halfway. The injury on her foot wasn't serious, and it didn't hurt much anymore, so she could still continue working. So she looked steadily at Chi Qinghe and gave him a reassuring look, "It's okay, the injury isn't serious, I'm almost fully recovered."
Chi Qinghe didn't lower his hand, and gently persuaded her, "Bai Bai, I know work is important, but health comes first. Can you continue working after your foot injury heals?"
Yu Bai insisted, removing his hand, "It's alright."
Chi Qinghe knew Yu Bai's stubbornness, so he stopped trying to stop her and took a step back, "Okay, then I'll go with you and protect you from the side."
Yu Bai smiled and said, "No need, it's alright."
"No, you have to promise me that I won't bother you." Chi Qinghe looked aggrieved. Yu Bai rarely saw him like this and knew that he was really worried about him, so he nodded and agreed to Chi Qinghe's request to go with him.
So Yu Bai sent a message to Wen Qin, telling them to go first, and that Chi Qinghe would take a taxi with her to meet up in Qingxi Town.
Wenqin received the message, paused for a moment, replied, and then cautiously looked at Jiang Jizhou, who, despite his efforts to stay upright, still revealed a sense of dejection and listlessness. "President Jiang, Yu Bai told us to leave first; she'll take a taxi."
Jiang Jizhou's eyelids drooped, making his emotions unreadable, but after hearing Wenqin's words, his fingertips trembled, and he coldly said, "Drive."
Wenqin and Yueming felt as if they were in a snow-capped mountain the whole way, feeling the cold, low pressure emanating from Jiang Jizhou, like a thousand-year-old ice, and dared not utter a sound.
When Jiang Jizhou and his group arrived at the village chief's house in Qingxi, they saw that Yu Bai had already arrived. Beside her was a man, tall and elegant, seemingly unaware of their arrival. His gaze was fixed on Yu Bai's every move, filled with deep affection.
Yu Bai looked up and saw Jiang Jizhou and the others. He only smiled at Wen Qin and Yue Ming, without giving Jiang Jizhou a second glance. His eyes darkened as he barely suppressed the anger that had been building up in his heart all night.
He spoke up first, "Why did you come if you're injured?"
Yu Bai then looked at him, her expression cold and distant, "It's nothing."
Upon hearing this, Wenqin immediately looked Yu Bai up and down and asked her with concern, "Bai Bai, are you injured?"
Yu Bai smiled and said, "I just twisted my ankle by accident, but it's much better now and nothing serious."
Wenqin turned her gaze to Jiang Jizhou, who lowered his eyes, his dark circles forming a hazy mist, looking dejected and forlorn. After a long silence, he looked up and stared at Chi Qinghe, "She's injured, and you still let her work?"
Chi Qinghe looked at Bai Bai with the same gaze he would give a helpless, furious, and defeated dog, and said in a low voice, "I respect Bai Bai's opinion and will do my best to help her share the burden."
Jiang Jizhou's lips curled into a cold smile, "Where were you when she was injured?"
Chi Qinghe was taken aback, and Yu Bai immediately stopped Jiang Jizhou, "President Jiang, that's enough. This is between me and my boyfriend, and it has nothing to do with you."
Her voice was extremely cold and harsh, and Jiang Jizhou looked even more dejected. The atmosphere fell into a stiff silence. One second, two seconds, three seconds passed... Finally, the village chief's arrival broke the extremely awkward atmosphere.
"President Jiang! You've arrived so early." He greeted Jiang Jizhou with the same enthusiasm as always, bowing slightly.
Jiang Jizhou was, after all, an investor in the village's tourism development, so he naturally had to appease him. Seeing that Jiang Jizhou was indifferent and unresponsive, he quickly asked, "Mr. Jiang, I noticed you didn't sleep well. Was there something I did wrong in my hospitality?"
Jiang Jizhou frowned. "We're doing our work. Unrelated personnel, please leave."
Following Jiang Jizhou's gaze, the village chief saw the man beside Yu Bai, tall, handsome, and gentle as jade.
"Who is this?" he asked instinctively.
Before Chi Qinghe could speak, Yu Bai immediately said firmly, "Village Chief, this is my boyfriend. I was injured, and he is taking care of me."
"Oh, I see."
The village chief said this, but his eyes swept between them, and he could clearly sense that Jiang Jizhou's mood had become even colder.
Anyone with eyes could see that President Jiang liked Yu Bai. Being a shrewd person, he naturally noticed it on the first day. However, he hadn't expected Chi Qinghe to be involved, who was definitely on Jiang Jizhou's side. So, he immediately smiled and said to Yu Bai, "The location we're filming at today is still undeveloped. We usually don't allow outsiders there. This is a special arrangement for your work. Letting this gentleman go is a bit inappropriate..."
Yu Bai was taken aback, her brows furrowed slightly, and she stared at Jiang Jizhou with a stiff and cold gaze. Although Jiang Jizhou had been looked at like this many times, his heart still felt a stinging pain for the umpteenth time.
The village chief immediately took responsibility, "Xiao Yu, this is the rule of our village. It's not that your boyfriend can't come along, it's that it's against the rules. I'm in a difficult position too. If you were filming somewhere else, I wouldn't say anything no matter how much he followed you."
Yu Bai's temper softened, and Chi Qinghe, who was standing next to her, held her hand and said with a smile, "I checked the information about Qingxi Village before I came here, and I didn't see any place where you can't enter. I wonder whose rules the village chief is referring to?"
The village chief replied respectfully, "You don't know this, but today they went to film our Fairy Mountain, where our village's deity is enshrined. Outsiders are not usually allowed in, but they were allowed in just this once for filming."
The village chief spoke respectfully, but his attitude was firm and left no room for argument.
"Then this mountain is undeveloped and very dangerous. If I can't go, Bai Bai, should you not go either?"
Chi Qinghe hesitated for a long time before looking at Yu Bai tenderly.
Yu Bai clenched his fists, feeling conflicted, but finally said to Chi Qinghe, "I want to go."
“Alright.” A hurt look flashed in Chi Qinghe’s eyes, then he turned to Wenqin. “Then please take good care of Bai Bai.”
"Of course, don't worry."
Wenqin, who was eating melon seeds, was called upon and readily agreed.
"There's no signal on the mountain, so take care of yourself, stay close to your colleagues, and do what you can. You haven't fully recovered yet, so if you feel you can't go on, come down the mountain immediately. Contact me when you get a signal, and I'll be waiting for you at the foot of the mountain."
Chi Qinghe knew he couldn't dissuade Yu Bai, so he could only solemnly tell her to be careful. Yu Bai obediently agreed, telling Chi Qinghe not to worry too much about her.
Watching Yu Bai and Chi Qinghe being all lovey-dovey, Jiang Jizhou's expression grew colder and colder. He looked annoyed but helpless. However, the thought that Chi Qinghe wouldn't be able to go up the mountain with them and could be alone with Yu Bai made him feel much better.
While it was still early, Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou set off for Fairy Mountain, led by several villagers.
Yu Bai's foot is almost healed and he can walk normally, but his ankle still occasionally aches.
Because it is an undeveloped mountain, there is only one narrow path that villagers use to go up the mountain, which is rugged and difficult to traverse.
Wenqin and Yu Bai supported each other as they walked forward, with Jiang Jizhou following closely behind, a step away, his eyes following Yu Bai's slightly unsteady back.
He felt a dull ache in his heart.
The clear sky was unpredictable; in no time, it turned cloudy, and a light drizzle began to fall, accompanied by a damp, chilly mountain wind that lashed against our bodies.
"Why is it suddenly raining!" Wenqin exclaimed in surprise. The weather forecast had clearly indicated that there would be no rain, and the rain quickly intensified, turning into a downpour. The group was soaked to the bone in an instant, but none of them had brought umbrellas.
The villagers in front immediately said, "There are caves nearby, let's go there to avoid the rain."
He quickened his pace, with Yu Bai and the others struggling to keep up. She and Wen Qin were both rather thin, and Yu Bai's foot injury hadn't fully healed. The mountain path was even more muddy after the rain, and she stumbled after a few steps. Jiang Jizhou stepped forward and supported Yu Bai's shoulder, his warm and strong hand supporting her. The heat of his palm burned through her skin, and she instinctively wanted to struggle, but Jiang Jizhou said softly, "Don't act rashly at a time like this, okay?"
Yu Bai was taken aback. Not wanting to trouble Wen Qin with her injured leg, she was stunned when Jiang Jizhou squatted down and carried her on his back. Her weak hands loosely wrapped around his neck, and her wet hair clung to the back of his neck. Jiang Jizhou's eyes darkened, and he was filled with mixed feelings.
Yue Ming and Wen Qin supported each other, while Jiang Jizhou carried Yu Bai on his back. The group followed the villagers toward the cave.
Yu Bai buried her face in Jiang Jizhou's broad back, feeling somewhat ashamed. She clearly wanted to keep her distance from him, but they were always entangled by the threads of fate.
Jiang Jizhou was in excellent physical condition; carrying Yu Bai, he walked even faster than Yue Ming and Wen Qin, leaving the two behind.
Feeling the warmth of being close to Yu Bai, Jiang Jizhou was somewhat dazed. The rain was so heavy that it felt like the two of them were the only two people left in the world. He still couldn't help but ask that question.
Is he really better than me?
Amidst the pattering rain, Jiang Jizhou's voice sounded weak and pale.
Yu Bai was taken aback. She wanted to nod and say that he was much better than her, but for some reason, she couldn't speak. She just clenched her fists silently and felt a little hot on her face. She thought it might be because Jiang Jizhou's body temperature was too high.
The sound of rain drowned out the rapid beatings of their hearts. Jiang Jizhou didn't press them any further and just walked forward silently.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu Bai finally answered.
"Whether he's alright or not, we can't be any better off."
Her voice was thin and sharp, like a slender sword piercing Jiang Jizhou's heart.
"Yu Bai, I'm sorry."
Despite the pain in his heart, Jiang Jizhou spoke to her very gently.
Yu Bai's eyes immediately welled up with tears. She felt her head getting hotter and hotter, and her whole body was getting hot too. Her mind was spinning, as if she had returned to that rainy day many years ago when they embraced in front of Jiang Jizhou's mother's grave. The young boy and girl had decided to rely on each other for life, but things had changed.
Time is truly cruel.
"General Jiang, a mudslide is coming!"
A frightened, urgent voice interrupted their thoughts.
"Run! Mudslide!"
The villagers scattered almost immediately, running down the hillsides on both sides and shouting to Yu Bai and the others, "Run to higher ground!"
The moment his voice fell, a mudslide mixed with yellow sand and stones poured towards them, terrifyingly powerful, like a ferocious beast in the rainy night, roaring to devour everyone.
Jiang Jizhou immediately grabbed Yu Bai's leg and ran quickly towards the higher ground to the side. However, the rain caused a landslide, and with Yu Bai on his back, he couldn't climb to a higher place in time. With time running out, Jiang Jizhou asked a nearby villager to grab Yu Bai's hand, and he pushed Yu Bai to the higher ground with all his might, shouting, "Take her away!"
Yu Bai turned to look at Jiang Jizhou, wanting to return to his side, but the villagers pulled her away. She cried out, "What about Jiang Jizhou?"
Jiang Jizhou looked at the oncoming mudslide, glanced at Yu Bai one last time, and silently said, "I love you."
She ran desperately toward him, but the villagers and Wenqin pulled her away. Yu Bai watched helplessly as Jiang Jizhou was swept away by the mudslide.
In an instant, the rain submerged the entire world, and Yu Bai, with a splitting headache, fainted.
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