Jian Suying's knees buckled, and he knelt before him, reaching out to touch his face. It was still warm. He exhaled a long sigh.
"Li Yu..."
"You came?" Li Yu whispered.
Jian Suiying gave a soft "Mm," wiping muddy water from his face. "You can still talk. You can't be dead, you." Li Yu lifted his chin to look at him, murmuring, "You really came..."
Jian Suiying thought he might have hit his head, so she quickly used her phone as a flashlight and pulled the first-aid kit out of the bag.
It took him a while to pry open the first-aid kit, where he found a small flashlight. He switched it on—though its beam was narrow, it was surprisingly bright.
For the two of them, trapped in the darkness, it was a welcome relief.
He had known Jian Suiying for over a year, yet he had never seen this man look so disheveled.
He was always polished and radiant, full of vigor, his hair immaculate, his pants without a single crease. If he felt his outfit wasn't
reasonably.
The man before him now—face caked in mud, appearance utterly dejected, clothes filthier and more tattered than a rag—was someone he truly couldn't believe was
Jian Suiying.
Braving the fierce typhoon and torrential rain, overcoming unimaginable danger, he had truly come to his side, as he had promised. With icy-cold
hand to touch his face.
In that instant, that hand felt unbearably warm.
Li Yu didn't speak, just shook his head.
Li Yu wasn't prepared and yelped in pain, jerking his head back.
Jian Suiying jumped in surprise. "Oh, it hurts, huh... Just bear it. No one can do this for you..." He said, then gave it a couple more swipes.
Applying alcohol directly to such a long, bloody gash would be abnormal if it didn't hurt. Li Yu gritted his teeth in pain.
Jian Suiying couldn't help but hesitate, so she teased him a bit, "Can't a guy be less of a wimp? It's just a little pain.
It's just a little pain. Who told you not to be careful?"
Li Yu leaned forward, slowly resting his limp head against his shoulder.
In all the time Jian Suiying had known Li Yu, he had never seen such a tender gesture. This truly
stunned, leaving him frozen for a moment.
They say illness makes people especially vulnerable and compliant—it was true. Li Yu leaning her head onto his shoulder wasn't like her at all.
smash a hole in it, right?
Jian Suiying's demeanor softened unconsciously as well. He stroked her back and murmured soothingly: "There, there. Bear with it a little longer.
. If we don't disinfect the wound, it'll get infected. You'll be better soon."
Li Yu didn't respond, leaning motionless against him.
Jian Suiying swiftly and thoroughly wiped the area around the wound. Most of the blood had already clotted, so he couldn't do much beyond cleaning it. Satisfied it was mostly clean, he bandaged it up.
After bandaging it, he plopped down on the ground, catching his breath for a long while. Then he pulled out food and drink from his bag. "Here,
drink some water, then eat something."
Li Yu was indeed both thirsty and hungry, swallowing obediently.
While he ate, Jian Suiying pulled out a change of clothes and held them out. "Put these on." Li Yu's clothes were damp and clinging to him—he'd catch a cold wearing them like this.
As he bent over to remove his pants, Li Yu's flashlight flickered, revealing blood trickling down his arm. Li Yu grabbed his arm. "What happened?"
Jian Suiying froze, glanced at his arm, then moved it casually. "Damn... it hurts a bit..." He
He turned his head to look at his back, but couldn't see anything.
Li Yu had him turn around. Two deep gashes ran from his back to his arm—not deep, but exceptionally
long, covering more than half his back. It was unclear what had caused them. Li Yu's breath caught. "Your back is bleeding."
"When I was getting hit, I felt a lot of stuff coming at me, but honestly, I didn't feel any pain until you mentioned it. If you hadn't said anything,
wake me up. Ouch... it hurts now."
Jian Suiying shrugged, puzzled why he hadn't felt a thing earlier.
Perhaps the wet, sticky, filthy clothes clinging to his skin had already made him so uncomfortable that any additional discomfort simply went unnoticed.
noticed.
Li Yu's fingers trembled slightly as he touched the skin around the wound. "Give me the first-aid kit." Jian Suiying turned his back to him and pushed the kit over.
The moment Li Yu began applying alcohol to the wound, Jian Suiying regretted mocking others earlier. The pain was excruciating, like his skin was burning.
But he could endure it. Gritting his teeth, he let Li Yu finish cleaning the wound without a sound, then watched as he applied the bandage.
After bandaging him, Li Yu urged Jian Suiying to put on his clothes, but Jian Suiying refused. "You wear them. Your injuries are worse.
I won't fight you for it."
Li Yu couldn't persuade Jian Suiying any further and had no choice but to change into the only dry set of clothes. Jian Suiying pulled out the quilt from the bag—over two meters long.
That sturdy plastic bag was remarkably durable—it hadn't torn even after being dragged and pulled inside. Thankfully it held, for without this quilt, the coming hours would have been unbearably harsh.
Jian Suiying spread the quilt on the dry spot beside Li Yu, then motioned for him to climb up. "Come lie down here. Warm..."
"And a little warmth."
Li Yu slowly lay down on the quilt, suddenly feeling that having a slightly warmer place to be at this moment was an immense pleasure.
Jian Suiying lay down beside him, stroking his head. "Get some sleep. We'll call an ambulance tomorrow when the wind dies down."
"
Li Yu placed the flashlight above their heads. The light dimmed into a hazy glow, yet they could still make out each other's features and expressions.
Li Yu hesitated, opening his mouth before finally saying, "I never expected you to come." Jian Suiying chuckled, "If you hadn't annoyed me, I might have come even sooner."
Li Yu pressed his lips together, saying nothing, simply staring at him without moving.
As if drawn by some gravitational pull, Jian Suiying found himself moving closer to Li Yu, then slowly pressed his lips against Li Yu's.
Li Yu neither flinched nor pulled away, their warm breath mingling across each other's faces. Jian Suiying gave him a light peck, then gazed silently at him.
Li Yu shifted slightly, suddenly taking control as he captured Jian Suiying's lips in a gentle, lingering kiss.
Though it was a gentle kiss, neither felt their hearts had ever been so close.
That feeling of mutual dependence, relying solely on each other's warmth in the cold, surpassed any frenzied lovemaking, giving him
a spiritual tremor they had never known before.
Li Yu pulled the quilt over them both, holding Jian Suiying's naked body close. Jian Suiying wrapped his arms around Li Yu's waist in return.
They fell asleep with their necks entwined. Despite the harsh conditions and the pain their bodies endured, they slept with surprising peace and depth.