Chapter 53 Dawa
◎So this is what her undisguised affection looks like. ◎
Friday morning.
The thirteen members of the Hundred Schools Alliance who participated in the volunteer activities in Hoh Xil arrived on time at the president's office floor of JING Capital.
Lin Yujing arrived the earliest.
She hadn't seen Chen Jingshu since returning to school the day before yesterday, so she wanted to see him before leaving.
However, she went to Chen Jingshu's office several times during that time, but the room was empty.
Out of desperation, she went to Chu Yan and Ren Moyin's offices, but both of them said they didn't know anything about Chen Jingshu's schedule.
The receptionist, however, took the initiative to gossip with her, saying, "President Chen hasn't come to the company for two days. I heard he went to talk to President Jin Yi about something, but everyone knows they're sworn enemies, so this news isn't necessarily true."
Lin Yujing returned to her office and could only send two WeChat messages to Chen Jingshu.
He was told that he would be leaving Beijing soon for Hoh Xil.
Just then, Qi Woxue announced that the bus had arrived, and everyone began to busy themselves with moving their respective groups' luggage.
Lin Yujing only brought three or four sets of clothes to change into, and carried her computer and camera in a separate bag.
She quickly put her luggage away. When she boarded the train, the carriage was still empty. Outside the window, Zhang Jiale called out to her, "Senior, can you save me a seat next to you?"
Lin Yujing sat in the middle or back row, put on her headphones, and prepared to take a nap after the train departed.
Then she stared blankly at the chat box with Chen Jingshu, sighed and said, "Men have two faces, one in bed and one out of bed."
Although her voice was full of complaints, the thought of leaving for more than half a month made her feel even more lonely and homesick.
"So, Jingjing, which face do you prefer?" A familiar, slightly roguish voice came from above her. Lin Yujing looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment. "How is it you?"
Chen Jingshu took off his bag and sat down next to her. "Why can't it be me?"
"Are you also going on a business trip out of town and hitching a ride on our shuttle bus?" She simply couldn't believe that the pampered young master was planning to go to Hoh Xil with them.
"It's kind of a business trip." Chen Jingshu patted his backpack. "I invested in a charity project a while ago, and I went along to check on the progress."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yujing was more worried than happy. "The environment in Hoh Xil is very harsh. It's a high-altitude and frigid area. Your heart might not be able to handle it. So don't go there for my sake."
“Knowing the environment is harsh, you still want to go. Besides, if I wanted to follow you, I would have just found a way to keep you in Yijing.” Chen Jingshu raised his eyebrows, with a hint of domineering: “I’m going, naturally for my own sake.”
Lin Yujing nodded slightly, still worried, and said, "Kekexili is a forbidden zone for life, so it's best to maintain some respect for it. Besides, there will be no class distinctions there. You're just a volunteer, and no one will take care of you individually."
Chen Jingshu's expression changed slightly, and his smile faded a bit. "Are you worried about me, or do you think I'm a burden to you?"
"Chen Jingshu, is that what I meant?" Even Lin Yujing's good temper was provoked by him. "I just think you should prioritize your own health."
Located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Hoh Xil is the highest place in the world and is known as the "Roof of the World".
In such a high-altitude, cold place where oxygen is scarce, volunteering is not as fun and exciting as many people imagine.
They braved the cold snow and frost because they went there with their faith.
Lin Yujing didn't want Chen Jingshu to go, firstly because she was afraid people would misunderstand that they were just using work as a cover for their relationship, and secondly because she was genuinely worried about Chen Jingshu's heart condition.
"Then your worries are unnecessary. As long as you don't upset me, my heart is fine." Chen Jingshu's tone was much calmer. "Don't worry, I'm really okay."
Lin Yujing bit her lip and whispered, "We're going to work; doing that would have a very bad influence."
Chen Jingshu tilted his head and looked at the awkward expression on her face, then reached out and pinched the tip of her nose. "What are you thinking about all day long?"
"..."
"Huaren Group established the charitable foundation to gain a good reputation. As the main person in charge, I will go and inspect whether Huaren invests in animal protection or schools in impoverished mountainous areas."
Lin Yujing was skeptical, but she still explained to Chen Jingshu, "Many members of the team know about what happened before. I don't want others to misunderstand anything, and I don't want you to risk your heart condition."
“Jingjing, our relationship is indeed not entirely innocent. You may not want to acknowledge me, but you must acknowledge the existence of this relationship.” Chen Jingshu’s voice remained calm and unhurried. “Besides, I’m really going there for work, and I promise it won’t affect your work.”
Lin Yujing bit her lip and remained silent. She admitted that she had selfish motives, which she could even call vanity.
However, as the investor, Chen Jingshu was indeed qualified to accompany him.
After a while, Lin Yujing sighed, not wanting to recall the past anymore. "If you have any heart problems, remember to tell me anytime."
Chen Jingshu nodded, "Okay."
"Why did you come along too?" Zhang Jiale was in charge of biological recording and other work, so he carried a lot of small instruments. When he finally put down his luggage and got on the bus, he saw that the seat next to Lin Yujing was occupied and Chen Jingshu was sitting there.
"I'm an investor, so of course it's just a normal inspection." Looking at Zhang Jiale's aggrieved expression, Chen Jingshu said with a smile, "Moreover, I passed Teacher Qi's assessment and came to be a member of the publicity team led by Team Leader Lin."
Lin Yujing said she knew nothing about this, "How come I didn't hear my senior sister mention it?"
"Just kidding. I have company business to discuss over there." Chen Jingshu patted the bag in his arms. "But this is for you."
Zhang Jiale felt he had been teased and was quite angry. Feeling it wasn't appropriate to stand in the aisle, he chose to sit in front of Lin Yujing.
"What's that?" Lin Yujing then noticed the black bag that Chen Jingshu was holding.
"I promised you a long time ago that I would get you a new professional camera once I had the money." Chen Jingshu smiled as he opened his camera bag and took out a telephoto camera.
Lin Yujing's thoughts were suddenly pulled away, drifting aimlessly, as if she had returned to that late autumn seaside of her youth.
At that time, Chen Jingshu was still a teenager who relied on scholarships for pocket money. Even though he had spent all his money to buy her a second-hand camera, he still felt indebted.
He promised that when he had money, he would definitely buy her the best new camera.
And what about her? In order to complete the mission, she cruelly turned that camera into a prop to mock Chen Jingshu.
Lin Yujing pursed her lips, not immediately taking the camera, but only touching the camera bag on her chest and saying, "No need, I have one."
“You can have it or not, that’s a promise I’m keeping.” Chen Jingshu forcefully shoved the camera into her hand. “I specifically consulted someone in the industry who knows about photography, and they said this telephoto lens is best for shooting animals. Try it out, see if you like it or not.”
Lin Yujing looked at the brand logo on the camera. It was a camera worth over 100,000 yuan, and the lens was almost 20,000 yuan. I doubt anyone would say they didn't like it.
"Too expensive."
"This is already very cheap."
He loves giving her gifts, starting in high school, and now it's even more outrageous.
Those gifts, whether ordinary or precious, all seemed to be a record spanning her life.
The complicated and tangled relationship between the two is certainly not just due to a naive love from their teenage years.
Rather, they are bound to each other in a way that is profound enough to deeply touch each other's souls.
"Alright, stop overthinking." Chen Jingshu interrupted her thoughts. "There's a little dog outside the window, try taking a picture."
Lin Yujing turned on the camera, adjusted the mode and lighting settings, and instead of pointing the lens at the dog passing by outside the window, she pointed the lens at Chen Jingshu.
With a "click," Chen Jingshu's slightly narrowed eyes and furrowed brows, his attempt to avoid the camera, were captured on camera.
Lin Yujing smiled and playfully said to Chen Jingshu, "It looks really good."
Chen Jingshu looked at her and sighed helplessly, but his expression was full of affection. "Like a naughty child who hasn't grown up."
Lin Yujing raised an eyebrow, still fiddling with the telephoto lens even after boarding the plane.
It's obvious that she really likes it.
Chen Jingshu also raised the corners of his lips, thinking: So this is what her undisguised affection looks like.
-
After traveling from the international airport to Xining Caojiabao Airport, and then transferring to a bus to reach the Hoh Xil Wildlife Conservation Bureau's outpost, it was already 6 p.m.
Before anyone even got off the bus, they saw four or five staff members holding a banner that read "Warmly welcome the volunteers from Hoh Xil" and waiting to greet them.
The station chief, Gongga Jiebu, stood in front of the car door, shook hands with everyone, and then hung a hada (ceremonial scarf) on each person.
"Welcome back to us. Let me show you around the courtyard that we renovated this year." The place they are at now is the closest outpost to the Hoh Xil Nature Reserve. The courtyard looks very simple, with only a few single-story brick and tile houses.
However, the yard was very clean, the open space was planted with vegetables, and there were dairy goats in the backyard.
“The little Dawa we rescued last year has grown so much.” Everyone looked at the Tibetan antelope that was kept alone in a sheep pen. But Gongga Jiebu’s eyes were full of pride and satisfaction. “You young comrades who come every year, you must still remember it!”
Lin Yujing nodded.
They were patrolling the mountains with the staff when they encountered this little antelope that had been abandoned because of its injured leg on their way back after dark.
It was only a full moon then, and it almost became dinner for wolves or crows after sunset.
Fortunately, his life was saved, but unfortunately, due to the lack of timely treatment, he suffered from continuous inflammation and infection for half a month, and it was necessary to amputate Xiao Dawa's left leg.
This is also why the reserve's station adopted it.
"But I still remember that the first person we rescued at this station, someone of great significance... was Comrade Xiaolin," Gongga Jiebu said proudly.
Lin Yujing froze instantly, her expression turning blank as she looked at Gongga Jiebu.
She also sensed a peculiar gaze fixed on her, filled with doubt.
Qi Woxue, however, reacted quickly and asked, "Uncle Jeb, we've been traveling all day, we're so hungry!"
When he was young, Gongga Jiebu was a diligent and studious Tibetan boy, and he was also the first college student of his generation to be admitted to a university outside the grasslands.
Because I love this land so much, I resolutely returned to my hometown after graduation.
He was very approachable, wearing a faded work uniform, and talked at length about the place.
Furthermore, because Gongga Jiebu and Qiwoxue are both from Tsinghua University School of Medicine, the Hundred Schools Alliance is able to come here every year to do volunteer activities.
She took advantage of her status as the junior sister and used her hunger to divert everyone's attention.
"Come on, come on, we've prepared grassland hot pot, kebabs, dried beef and mutton, and butter tea for you inside."
This interruption caused everyone to rush into the house.
Lin Yujing squeezed next to Qi Woxue and whispered, "Thank you, Senior Sister."
But she could still feel the burning gaze behind her that had not yet dissipated.
A note from the author:
good evening!
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