Chapter 70: Another Story Unfolds - The Little Prince Falls to the Ground...
Yu Kui looked at her three friends standing beside her, then at the anxious crowd around her. Just as she was about to say that everything was alright, a sudden gust of wind blew in, and the shaking ground caused her to fall to the ground.
The phone slipped from my ear, and screams erupted behind me.
"Yu Kui!" Xie Xingzhi called her name anxiously, "How are you? Are you hurt!"
"I'm fine," Yu Kui said, looking at her scraped elbow. Despite the pain, she picked up her phone and pretended to be calm. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine."
"Wait for me, I'm coming to find you right away."
"No," Yu Kui said without thinking, "You live too far away from me, you're not allowed to come over."
“It’s a fast drive,” Xie Xingzhi said. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes at most.”
“Xie Xingzhi,” Yu Kui’s tone became serious, “your most important thing right now is to ensure your own safety, not to come looking for me.”
There was a pause of a few seconds on the other end of the phone before a low "Okay" was said.
“That’s fine,” Yu Kui’s voice softened. “Call me if anything happens.”
"Um."
After hanging up the phone, Yu Kui, Zhang Jing, and the others moved to a more open area to wait for the earthquake to completely subside.
“That guy surnamed Xie is really good to you,” Xu Siyue shrugged and said irritably, “unlike that idiot Qiao Yan, who makes me call him first.”
"I guess they were scared," Shu Jia said worriedly. "They have to go to work tomorrow. When will these aftershocks stop?"
"We'll see," Zhang Jing said, looking around. "If it's still not safe tomorrow, the company will most likely have us work from home."
“I wonder how things are in the county town,” Yu Kui murmured. “I hope there have been no casualties.”
"I just saw on the news that many buildings have developed cracks, but there have been injuries, no deaths."
"That's good." Yu Kui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Judging from this situation, the situation in the city should not be too serious."
The four of them found a chair and sat down, keeping a close watch on the surrounding buildings.
Just then, Yu Kui's phone rang.
It was her parents calling to ask how she was doing and if she was injured.
"I'm fine," Yu Kui said, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "Weren't you all still sleeping? Why did you wake up in the middle of the night?"
"Your Aunt Qin came home from get off work, saw the news online, and came over specifically to remind your dad and me."
Mentioning Qin's mother, Yu Kui's feelings became somewhat complicated. "Is she still working overtime so late?"
"I heard they've been working really hard lately because they want to get promoted."
"I see," Yu Kui said, unsure of what to say, "Then please thank her for her concern."
“We definitely need to thank her,” said Yu’s mother. “We’ll buy her some gifts and send them to her tomorrow.”
At this point, Yu's mother became somewhat uneasy: "You must be careful over there by yourself, and never go to dangerous places."
“I know,” Yu Kui felt a warm glow in her heart. “Don’t worry, Mom, my roommate and I are already in a safe place.”
"That's good." Yu's mother repeatedly reminded him of many precautions to take when dealing with earthquakes before reluctantly hanging up the phone.
Yu Kui put down her phone and was about to go find her three friends when a slender hand reached out from the side and gently touched her shoulder. Yu Kui's heart skipped a beat, and she was about to see who was playing a prank when she met Xie Xingzhi's eyes.
"you--"
Yu Kui's pupils contracted slightly. "Why are you here?"
"I drove here," Xie Xingzhi said with a smile, shaking the supplies he was carrying. "I bought some water and food on the way."
Yu Kui's eyelashes trembled slightly. She hadn't expected him to dare drive to find her during the earthquake. A surge of anger rose within her, and she couldn't help but say, "Are you an idiot? I told you not to come, so why did you come?"
Xie Xingzhi didn't answer but instead asked, "Didn't I arrive safely?"
Yu Kui glared at him coldly.
Xie Xingzhi immediately raised his hands, smiling and begging for forgiveness, "It's my fault, it's my fault, I shouldn't have disobeyed Lady Kui Kui. You can hit me or scold me as you please."
Yu Kui grunted, "If something happens to you on the way, who am I supposed to hold responsible?"
Seeing her with her head down, looking remorseful, Xie Xingzhi walked closer to her, his gaze falling on her trembling eyelashes. "I know what's good for me. I won't die before I see you again. Don't worry."
"You're still talking nonsense!" Yu Kui gritted her teeth and said fiercely, "If you keep doing this, I'll really get angry."
Xie Xingzhi fell silent. Looking at her sullen face, a faint smile seemed to flash in his narrow eyes. After a moment, he said softly, "I know I was wrong. I will definitely listen to you from now on. Don't be angry."
Yu Kui looked up into his eyes, and Xie Xingzhi smiled and said, "Really, I'm not lying to you."
"Hmph." Yu Kui then looked at the reusable bag he was carrying and asked curiously, "What did you buy?"
"There are your favorite jelly and potato chips, as well as pomegranate juice."
"Really?" Yu Kui's eyes lit up, and she immediately reached for the bag. But as soon as she raised her hand, she couldn't help but tear it open.
The next second, Xie Xingzhi grabbed her wrist and frowned, asking, "Are you injured?"
His fingers were long and strong, which made Yu Kui a little uncomfortable. "It's just a scratch."
Xie Xingzhi turned on his flashlight and looked over. The abrasion area was quite large, and blood was already seeping from the swollen and red areas. His brows furrowed even more. "Did you fall while you were on the phone with me?"
Yu Kui blinked. "The ground was shaking, and I lost my balance."
Xie Xingzhi didn't say anything, but pulled her to sit down by the flower bed. He looked down and rummaged through the bag, and surprisingly found iodine and antibiotic ointment.
Yu Kui suddenly opened her eyes wide, "When did you prepare this?"
Xie Xingzhi didn't reply, but looked at her fair face and said irritably, "If I hadn't come, would you have just left the wound unattended?"
"I didn't," Yu Kui said guiltily, "I will definitely go to buy medicine after dawn."
Xie Xingzhi glanced at her, opened the iodine solution to disinfect her wound, and when the cold liquid touched the wound, Yu Kui subconsciously shrank back, but Xie Xingzhi held her hand tightly and said in a deep voice, "Don't move."
Seeing his cold and stern face, Yu Kui pursed her lips and dared not speak.
Xie Xingzhi carefully disinfected the wound, then opened the ointment and patiently applied the medicine to her.
Yu Kui was initially quite guilty, but as time passed, her attention unconsciously fell on Xie Xingzhi's face, noticing his furrowed brows, tightly pursed lips, and the tension constantly revealed in his narrow eyes.
He seems to care a lot about himself.
It shouldn't be said that it seems, but rather that it is particularly so.
The abrasion on Yu Kui's elbow wasn't serious, but he was very worried about her, which made her feel inexplicably warm, yet also a little bittersweet.
Xie Xingzhi is too good.
She didn't know how to face it.
"Xie Xingzhi, don't you find this troublesome?" she said in a very soft voice. "I can't tutor you like I used to, so you don't need to be so nice to me."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Xie Xingzhi raised his head, his gaze falling on her clear black and white eyes. "Do you think I'm nice to you just because you used to tutor me?"
Yu Kui felt even more guilty. "I know, we're friends."
“We’re not just ordinary friends,” Xie Xingzhi corrected her. “You are my most important friend. Without you, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
Yu Kui's breath hitched, and her wrist, which he was holding, stiffened. "I didn't actually do anything."
“It’s a lot to me,” Xie Xingzhi continued applying the ointment. “As long as you need me, I’ll find a way to flatten any mountain of knives in front of me.”
Yu Kui was amused by him, "I don't need you to do that kind of thing."
However, after laughing, an indescribable sadness arose in her heart.
She gazed intently at Xie Xingzhi, watching him carefully tend to her wounds with his eyes lowered. His handsome face showed no impatience, only a barely suppressed heartache and tenderness.
Yu Kui stared for a long time until Xie Xingzhi slowly released her hand and told her not to touch water for the next few days. Only then did she come back to her senses and ask without changing her expression, "Were you scared on your way here?"
Xie Xingzhi didn't expect her to ask such a question. He raised his eyebrows mischievously, "What are you afraid of? I planned the route in advance so that I could see you sooner. There won't be any traffic jams on the way."
Yu Kui reiterated, "You absolutely cannot do this again."
After saying that, she pointed to the drinks in the bag, "Hurry up and open it for me, I'm thirsty after talking to you for so long."
Xie Xingzhi took out pomegranate juice, opened it, and brought it to her lips, saying mischievously, "Princess Kui Kui, please drink."
Yu Kui took two sips from his hand and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "Delicious."
Seeing that she liked it, Xie Xingzhi's lips curled up as well, "Does your hand still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt much." Yu Kui shook her head and asked him to get her some jelly.
The two sat by the flower bed, eating and talking, not feeling bored at all.
When Shu Jia and the others arrived, they found them still stargazing and immediately scolded Yu Kui for being unfair, secretly eating alone with Xie Xingzhi without inviting them.
“He treated my wounds,” Yu Kui retorted, “You didn’t even notice I was injured.”
The three of them immediately fell silent, sat together around her, and reached into the bag to find snacks to eat.
The aftershocks didn't completely subside until dawn, and the neighbors gradually returned home, some yawning as they prepared to go back for a nap.
“It’s too late,” Yu Kui tugged at Xie Xingzhi’s sleeve and suggested, “Why don’t you go stay at the hotel across the street and get some sleep before going to the company?”
“Okay,” Xie Xingzhi readily agreed, “I’ll go there now.”
He gave Yu Kui the iodine and ointment, and repeatedly told her, "Go back and rest early, and don't get the wound wet."
Yu Kui nodded and watched him cross the road to the other side before leaving with her three friends.
Back at the rented apartment, the living room was a mess, with vases, photo frames, and all sorts of odds and ends scattered all over the floor.
The four of them, without bothering to tidy up, returned to their respective bedrooms to check the situation. Items placed on the desks and bookshelves had also fallen over, and the entire bedroom was filled with dust, urgently requiring a thorough cleaning.
However, none of this made Yu Kui feel troubled. She paused, squatted down, and picked up a handmade Little Prince puppet from the ground.
The little prince's rather large body suddenly broke in two, and a delicate little wooden box fell out.
This was a New Year's gift Xie Xingzhi gave her the year they started university.
The two went to a woodworking shop. She made a colorful candy house, while Xie Xingzhi made a Little Prince.
After watching the fireworks and returning to her dorm, Zhang Jing complained that the little prince was too big and his head-to-body ratio wasn't perfect. She also earnestly tried to save face for Xie Xing, saying that he was a novice and not very skilled at handicrafts.
It wasn't until today, when the earthquake knocked the puppet off the bookshelf, that she discovered there was something more to the Little Prince's body.
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