Chapter 69 The earthquake struck. He was always very patient with her…
Yu Kui glanced sideways and met Xie Xingzhi's eyes as he stared at her.
He seemed curious as well about whose image was on her mind.
“No,” Yu Kui said without changing her expression, “I’ve thought of a lot of people, but the person you mentioned hasn’t appeared.”
Xu Siyue looked slightly surprised. "Really? I don't believe it."
Yu Kui raised her eyes and smiled, "Of course it's true."
“Looks like you’re a real peony,” Zhang Jing said with a smile, “I couldn’t trick you out of this.”
Yu Kui lowered her eyelashes, thinking to herself that if it were the old her, she would definitely have spoken the truth without hesitation, but now, she couldn't say it at all.
What good will it do to say it? Will I fall into another whirlpool?
After the truth or dare game ended, no one played any other games; instead, they started packing up to prepare for the barbecue.
Yu Kui and Xu Siyue were assigned the job of washing vegetables by the river.
The afternoon sun shone brightly, and the river water shimmered with dazzling light, clear and clean.
"Is there really no answer to the question I asked you earlier?" Xu Siyue asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up.
"Mmm." Yu Kui didn't even blink.
Xu Siyue was silent for a moment, then said softly, "This is good too, at least we don't have to suffer the pain of love."
Yu Kui was amused by her tone, "Aren't you two quite happy in your relationship?"
"That's only because it looks good to you. In reality, there will be conflicts and disputes. Only after arguing a lot will you gradually get along."
"If you can work things out, it means you can go the distance."
"I hope so," Xu Siyue said with a smile. "When it comes to dating, you don't have to hang yourself on one person. If things don't work out later, you can just find someone else."
She has a carefree personality and doesn't care whether she can stay with her boyfriend in the end; she just enjoys the process.
"It's fine." Yu Kui smiled and didn't continue the topic.
After washing the vegetables, the two returned to the tent and helped cut the fruit.
The men set up the stove and began grilling the meat.
"Delicious," Shu Jia said, popping a slice of watermelon into her mouth. The icy texture made her sigh repeatedly. "No wonder it's made with spring water."
"Haha," Xu Siyue laughed, looking at her, "Doesn't food from the refrigerator taste good?"
"Don't spoil the fun," Shu Jia glared at her, "Don't believe me? Try it yourself!"
The group sat on folding chairs and ate watermelon for a while. The barbecue was almost ready, so Yu Kui got up to help clear the table so Xie Xingzhi could put the food on it.
"Try this," Xie Xingzhi said, handing her a skewer of chicken wings. "I grilled them myself."
Yu Kui took a bite and immediately gave a thumbs up, "Delicious."
Xie Xingzhi's eyes flickered slightly. "What else would you like to eat? I'll grill it for you."
Yu Kui looked at them and said, "Bring some more eggplant and green beans."
Xie Xingzhi didn't waste any words and turned around to grill some of her favorite dishes, including eggplant, green beans, and peeled shrimp.
He placed the skewers in front of Yu Kui, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "If it's not enough, I'll grill more."
"That's enough," Yu Kui waved her hand at him, "You should sit down now."
Sun Lin and Qiao Yan brought over the remaining barbecue and found that Xie Xingzhi had already reserved seats for them, while he himself sat down next to Yu Kui.
He casually opened a bottle of coconut water, placed it beside Yu Kui, and continued peeling shrimp for her while looking down, showing more consideration than those of them who had girlfriends.
Shu Jia and Sun Lin exchanged a glance, and the former pouted and said, "What are you looking at? I want to eat shrimp too."
"Okay." Sun Lin smiled and peeled a skewer of shrimp for her.
Seeing this, Qiao Yan, not wanting Xu Siyue to be outdone, also volunteered to peel the fruit for her.
Zhang Jing rolled her eyes. "You couples who love each other so much are bullying me while my boyfriend isn't here, aren't you? I don't care, I want to eat shrimp too."
Yu Kui blinked and peeled a few for her herself, saying, "Eat quickly."
Zhang Jing nodded in satisfaction, "Kui Kui is still the best."
"..."
As dusk approached, Sun Lin took out the cake, bent down and placed twenty-one candles on it. As the candles lit up, he looked at Shu Jia across from him and said with a smile, "Happy birthday."
Her close friends sent her gifts and blessings, wishing her a bright future and good health.
Shu Jia smiled and accepted the gift. As the birthday song played, she closed her eyes and silently made several wishes.
Yu Kui stood in the corner, watching her cheeks flushed slightly by the candlelight, a faint emotion welling up in his eyes.
"Do you like celebrating your birthday like this?" Xie Xingzhi asked softly.
Yu Kui turned and glanced at him. The man looked at her intently, his narrow eyes seeming to see only her. "Then I'll bring you over on your birthday."
Yu Kui thought about her birthday, which was only a few days after Shu Jia's, and shook her head, saying, "Forget it, I'll just treat you to a meal."
Xie Xingzhi took a step toward her, "I won't let you prepare, I'll prepare it myself."
"Too much trouble."
"I don't mind the trouble."
Looking at his extremely handsome face, Yu Kui felt as if he would pluck the stars from the sky for her if she wanted them.
“Really, no need,” she said, turning her head away. “I’ve been quite busy with work lately, and I’d rather stay inside and rest.”
“Then I’ll arrange the meal,” Xie Xingzhi said. “What would you like to eat? I’ll find a suitable restaurant.”
Yu Kui lowered her eyelashes. "I haven't decided yet."
"Then let me know when you've thought it through."
After a few seconds of silence, Yu Kui said in a very soft voice, "Xie Xingzhi, why are you so good to me?"
His attentiveness and patience left her unsure how to respond.
Xie Xingzhi's eyes darkened, and he chuckled lightly, saying, "I'm your good friend. If I'm not good to you, who will I be good to?"
Yu Kui's eyelashes trembled slightly, but she did not reply.
She wondered, is this how you should treat a good friend? Even Sun Shuya wasn't as considerate as him.
But she couldn't bring herself to ask the questions that were on her mind, as if asking them would completely change the nature of their relationship.
She wasn't ready.
"What are you two doing?" Shu Jia looked up and said, "Come and eat some cake!"
Yu Kui stepped forward, took the cake from her hand, and said again, "Happy birthday to you."
"Okay," Shu Jia winked at her, "Thank you for coming with me, I'm really happy today."
After eating the cake, the group sat on the grass and looked at the stars. They had originally planned to set off fireworks to celebrate, but considering the potential safety hazards in the suburbs, they gave up on the activity.
It wasn't until late at night that the group packed up their things and prepared to go back to rest.
Xie Xingzhi put the tent in the trunk, turned around to take the things Yu Kui was carrying, and seeing her listless expression, he knew she was sleepy. "Get in the car and sit down first."
Yu Kui opened the passenger door, leaned back in her seat to rest, her biological clock was quite punctual, and her eyelids were already starting to droop.
Xie Xingzhi returned to the driver's seat and saw her with her eyelashes lightly closed, looking extremely sleepy. A slight smile appeared in his eyes as he covered her with the coat he had placed on the back seat.
It was past midnight when they returned to their rented room.
Hearing the knocking on the car window, Yu Kui slowly opened her eyes and realized that she had slept the whole way.
"I..." She rubbed her eyes and looked at Xie Xingzhi in the driver's seat, "Why didn't you wake me up?"
Xie Xingzhi remained expressionless. "You were sleeping so soundly, no one else would have the heart to wake you."
Yu Kui glanced at her friends standing outside and couldn't help but laugh. "I'm going up first."
"Be careful on your journey," she couldn't help but remind him. "Let me know when you arrive safely."
"good."
Yu Kui opened the car door, and Zhang Jing and Xu Siyue winked at her, "If we hadn't come to wake you, were you going to sleep in the car until dawn?"
"Let's go," Yu Kui touched the tip of her nose, feigning composure, "Didn't I wake up?"
“Looks like Xie is a decent driver,” Zhang Jing said. “The road back was so bumpy, but he didn’t wake you up.”
Yu Kui: "..."
She turned back and waved to Xie Xingzhi, "Go back now."
Upon hearing this, Xie Xingzhi did not linger and quickly drove away from the residential area.
"Let's go, let's go," Xu Siyue said, taking Yu Kui's hand. "We have to get up early tomorrow."
The group took the elevator upstairs, and after washing up, they finally went to sleep around midnight.
In the dead of night, the entire city fell into silence.
Suddenly, the chandelier in the living room began to sway slightly. At first, the movement was so slight that it was almost imperceptible unless you looked closely. But as time went on, the chandelier began to sway violently, and the lights collided with each other, making a shattering sound.
Then, the vase on the TV cabinet crashed to the ground, shattering the murals on the wall, the plants on the windowsill, and the water glass on the coffee table... The sound of things breaking was so loud it almost made the whole building tremble.
The next second, a piercing scream came from outside—
"Earthquake! Earthquake!"
The loud voice instantly shattered the silence of the neighborhood, and lights quickly turned on one after another, with shouts growing louder and louder.
"Get up! Everyone get up! Earthquake! Earthquake!"
Yu Kui was awakened by the sound of the bedside lamp falling to the floor. She groggily opened her eyes and realized that the whole bed was shaking. She immediately reacted and rushed out to knock on other people's doors, shouting, "Get up! Get up quickly! Earthquake!"
After knocking on Shu Jia's door, she went to call Zhang Jing and Xu Siyue.
The four rushed to the living room, only to find it in complete disarray, the violent shaking making it almost impossible for them to stand.
"Get downstairs quickly!" Shu Jia exclaimed, her face pale with fright. "We need to get to an open space!"
The four put on their coats and strode outside. They quickly went down the stairs and found that a lot of people were already standing outside, shouting at the neighbors who hadn't yet reacted.
"That was terrifying," Zhang Jing said, patting her chest with lingering fear as she looked at the flowerpots, clothes, shoes, and small pieces of furniture that had fallen from the balcony. "This earthquake came so suddenly."
Yu Kui opened her phone and saw news reports that a magnitude 5 earthquake had occurred in a county town near City B, and the strong tremors had reached the city center.
Rescue teams have been dispatched to the area, and residents are advised to seek shelter in open spaces and return to their homes once the aftershocks subside.
After reading the report, Yu Kui only hoped that there were no casualties.
Just then, she received a call from Xie Xingzhi. He seemed to have just come out of the house, and his voice sounded somewhat urgent, "How are you doing? Are you hurt?"
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