ebookland Chapter 304
Chapter 304
The water level continued to rise.Over twenty boys were on the verge of an emotional breakdown, angrily pointing fingers at Duan Fei.
"It is all your fault for insisting we take this route!"
"My phone was washed away, and my backpack is gone too."
"Rong Yu already said this was a danger zone, but you still insisted on leading us here. You are going to get us killed!"
"..."
Duan Fei sat on a rock, looking utterly wretched. He had broken his leg while fleeing for his life and was in agonizing pain, but he could not care less about that right now because they could die here at any moment.
He snapped back, "I did not force you to take this path. You followed me voluntarily, and now you are blaming me? Stop pointing fingers at a time like this and think of a way out!"
They were a group of top students, highly accomplished academically, but their practical survival experience was practically zero. They had no idea what to do.
"Look! Who is that?"
"It is Rong Yu. Why is she..."
Everyone looked up toward the riverbank. Rong Yu, dressed in her military training uniform, was tying a rope, securing it firmly to a large tree on the bank.
She raised her voice, "Hold hands so you do not get washed away by the flood! I am coming over right now!"
The boys wore complicated expressions.
They never expected that the person coming to save them would be the girl they considered the most timid.
In such a dangerous situation, she had actually come alone.
Was she not afraid?
In Rong Yu's mind, there was no concept of fear.
After tying the rope, just as she was about to step into the floodwaters.
Suddenly.
Her arm was grabbed.
She thought it was that disobedient kid Sheng Ciyuan following her, but when she looked up, she froze.
"Sheng Qingyan?"
Was he not at the No. 4 Base Military District? Why would he suddenly appear in the mountain forest during the freshmen's weighted cross-country march?
Her eyes sparkled.
Causing Sheng Qingyan's ears to quickly turn bright red.
He looked down and untied the rope from her waist. "The flash flood water is too cold. Girls should not wade in it. Leave it to me."
He fastened the rope around his own waist. With steady steps, he waded directly into the water, fighting the strong current as he made his way toward the large rock.
The current was quite fast. Even though he was a soldier, the force of the water made him stumble slightly, but he did not stop. He pushed forward and finally stepped onto the large rock.
"Count off first, then come over one by one. Hold tightly to the rope!" Sheng Qingyan's voice was cold and commanding. "Groups of three, move quickly!"
Duan Fei, pale-faced, endured the pain and said, "Instructor, my leg is broken. I cannot walk. Could you please carry me over on your back?"
Sheng Qingyan crouched down and examined him. "It is a dislocated bone, nothing serious. I will splint it for you."
He casually fished two branches out of the water and swiftly and neatly fashioned a splint for Duan Fei.
Two boys helped Duan Fei stand up.
As soon as Duan Fei stood straight, he trembled in pain. He stammered, "Instructor, I..."
He wanted someone to carry him.
"A person must pay the price for their actions," Sheng Qingyan said mildly. "You walk back the same way you walked here."
The group slowly but systematically crossed the rapids.
Sheng Qingyan stood in the most dangerous part of the river's center, like an unshakeable reef, steadying the rope for every student who passed.
Rong Yu assisted from the bank, pulling the mud-covered students ashore one by one.
The boys said sincerely, "Thank you, Rong Yu."
Even Duan Fei muttered a word of thanks.
After the last student arrived safely, Sheng Qingyan finally untied the rope from his waist. He walked toward the shore against the light, the water parting around his legs. His camouflage pants clung to his muscular lines, and every step carried the distinct crispness of a soldier.
He stopped in front of Rong Yu and suddenly frowned. "Your hand."
Rong Yu was startled. "What is wrong?"
Sheng Qingyan took a band-aid from his shirt pocket and placed it on the back of her hand.
Only then did she notice that the back of her hand had somehow been scratched by a rock. The skin was slightly broken and bleeding a tiny bit, but it was nothing serious.
However, seeing him act so carefully, she did not pull her hand back.
In the distance, the rescue team arrived.
Huaqing University's freshman weighted cross-country march had to be terminated early because the flash flood cut off the roads. Everyone gathered on the main road and took trucks back to the campus.
The vehicles parked at the campus gate. After a day of suffering, the exhausted students trudged toward their dormitories.
Rong Yu was not in a hurry to leave.
She stood at the gate and waited for a while.
A head popped over. It was Sheng Ciyuan. "Rong Yu, are you waiting for my older brother?"
Rong Yu flicked him on the head. "You know, yet you still ask."
Sheng Ciyuan whispered, "My brother got off early to change clothes. Rong Yu, do you want to go change too?"
Rong Yu looked down.
She was still wearing her military training uniform. Her upper body was fine, but below the knees, she was covered in mud. Her shoes, in particular, were completely unrecognizable from their original color.
She said, "Then wait here for me for a bit. I will go change."
She turned around and ran toward the dormitory building.
Just as she left, Sheng Qingyan arrived.
Sheng Ciyuan looked at the approaching man and almost did not recognize him.
Was this really his older brother?
Stripped of his military uniform, he wore a simple, crisp white shirt. His shoulders were broad, filling out the fabric perfectly, faintly revealing the outline of his back muscles. His waist was trim, and the black casual pants tucked at his waist made his legs look even longer.
Sheng Qingyan coughed slightly. "What is wrong? Is there a problem?"
Sheng Ciyuan gave a thumbs up. "No problem at all. You look super handsome, bro, leagues ahead of Huaqing's campus heartthrob. Rong Yu definitely will not be able to take her eyes off you."
He had thought his brother had stumbled through his twenties without a clue on how to pursue a girl.
It seemed he had worried too much.
He looked into the distance and saw Rong Yu approaching.
"Good luck, bro."
Sheng Ciyuan turned and left.
Sheng Qingyan turned his head and looked at the approaching girl.
She had changed into a white dress, her hair tied in a high ponytail, radiating youthful energy. The closer she got, the redder his face became.
She was truly too beautiful.
Rong Yu originally wanted to tease him.
But seeing him like this, he could not handle being teased at all. Never mind.
She asked, "Why did you come to the capital?"
Sheng Qingyan walked beside her and replied, "I returned to the capital to handle some file-related matters, and took the opportunity to serve as the military martial arts instructor for Huaqing University's freshman camp for a day. I am leaving tomorrow night."
"That is perfect. Let us grab a bite first, then go watch a movie." Rong Yu took two movie tickets out of her bag. "It is the big star Yan Ting's new movie. I have not seen it in the cinema yet. Are you interested?"
Sheng Qingyan said, "I have never actually been to the movies before. I am very interested."
Rong Yu could not help but laugh.
The two grabbed a casual meal near the school and then entered the cinema.
Ji Yanting's movie was a crime-solving thriller with a very minimal amount of romance. Even though the romantic subplot was sparse, it jumped straight into explicit scenes.
The male and female leads were passionately making out in the shower.
Rong Yu: "..."
Are movie scales all this big nowadays?
That kid A-Yan looked so honest and well-behaved, she never expected him to be so fierce in kissing scenes... This was not something an elder like her should be watching!
She turned her head away.
Only to meet Sheng Qingyan's gaze.
He actually swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Rong Yu thought of her past life...