Chapter 18: Rebellion
Shi An’s knot-tying technique was very professional, and he was also quite strong. In the chaos of the argument, it was difficult for Zhong Yan to untie the rope with his bare hands. Watching him rush forward recklessly like a fool…
Shi An had learned Kung Fu for a few years in middle school. Although his master was a fraud, he had picked up some basic skills, but his resistance was futile against Zhong Yan.
The man hooked his arm around Shi An’s waist, pulled him back from the edge of the cliff, and threw him into the snow. Shi An flew out from the force, sliding two or three meters before stopping.
More terrifying than being thrown was Zhong Yan’s fury, echoing in the open space, “I’m warning you, if you act recklessly again, get out!”
“Alright, stop arguing! We’ll go.” The rescue team captain stopped Zhong Yan, “Doctors are here to save lives, if you all go down, who will treat the injured?”
The rescue team members were ready with ropes and equipment, standing in a row, awaiting orders.
“Each to their own role.” The rescue team captain patted his chest, “Don’t worry, Dr. Zhong, I’ll stake my life on this, we’ll definitely bring him back.”
Waiting was the hardest part when the path ahead was unknown.
Four ropes, hundreds of meters long, were lowered, with more than ten people pulling from above.
Shi An huddled in the back of the car, his head bowed low.
He never believed in ghosts and gods before, but being unable to help, he could only silently pray to them.
Praying for no more avalanches, no more bad weather, praying for Director Xu’s safety, praying for this terrible disaster to end quickly, praying…
“We found him!” A shout came from below.
Shi An immediately rushed out, craning his neck to look down.
Among the vast, icy mountains, the people were as small as pixels, and he couldn’t make out anything.
Zhong Yan stood beside him, his voice trembling in the wind, “How is he?”
A few minutes later, a response came, “Multiple external injuries, Dr. Xu seems to have been climbing, his hands are severely injured.”
Another half a minute passed, “Don’t worry, he’s still breathing.”
Zhong Yan stood in the cold wind for nearly an hour. Only after receiving the news of his safety did his legs weaken.
“Thank you for your hard work, we’ll take it from here.”
Xu Baizhang was pulled up with combined efforts, wearing an oxygen mask and thick cotton clothes. His hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes were covered in frost.
Zhong Yan performed first aid, and his condition was currently stable. In such a harsh environment, only he could survive.
Before getting into the car, Zhong Yan tucked in the corners of his clothes, still in shock.
If something really happened to you, how could I explain it to Lao Liang, and how could I face your soon-to-be spouse?
With the two “generals” successfully back, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The rescue work continued, and the medical center was busy and urgent.
As for Shi An, he quietly returned to his post, continuing to look after the children, blowing up glove balloons for them, hiding by the door, and keeping an eye on the rescue progress.
That night, the sky was clear. Shi An put the children to sleep, put on his coat, and sat alone on the steps outside.
On a night without wind or snow, the sky seemed so close, as if he could reach out and touch the stars.
The mountains stretched endlessly, their peaks covered in snow. At the foot of the mountains were towns and villages, lights twinkling in the dark night.
He heard the sound of the curtain being lifted behind him, smelled the familiar scent, and felt a coat being draped over his shoulders.
It was Zhong Yan’s coat. Shi An instinctively tried to take it off, “I’m not cold.”
“Wear it,” Zhong Yan pressed his hand on his shoulder, a clear threat.
Shi An suspected that if he disobeyed, he would be grabbed by the waist and thrown out again.
Shi An obediently wrapped the coat tighter, surrounded by Zhong Yan’s scent. Only someone as particular as him would bring his own shampoo on a rescue mission.
A common mint scent, pleasant.
This was their first conversation since Zhong Yan threw him.
Shi An was very certain that Zhong Yan had been ruthless at the time, showing no mercy. As for himself, he was determined to defy his orders.
It was hard to say who should be angrier.
But for now, Shi An seemed to have the upper hand.
Because someone had made the first move to reconcile.
Zhong Yan looked into the distance, his voice gentle and pleasant, carried by the wind, “Does your hand still hurt?”
During the argument, Shi An had lost a glove. When he was thrown, his palm scraped against the ground for several meters.
Shi An hadn’t felt anything at the time. It was only after returning to the medical center that others noticed the blood.
“It doesn’t hurt,” Shi An said.
Zhong Yan: “Let me see.”
Shi An hid his hand even tighter, “No need.”
“If you don’t show me, I’ll force it open.”
Shi An: “…”
So unreasonable.
Shi An took out his left hand and moved it slightly towards Zhong Yan.
His wrist was quickly grabbed, the grip neither too tight nor too loose, pulling it towards him.
A nurse from another department had treated his hand. She had cleaned it with 1% povidone-iodine. The wound wasn’t deep, and she hadn’t even bandaged it. It had already scabbed over.
Shi An didn’t let Zhong Yan see it at first, not out of resentment or anger, but simply because he felt it was unnecessary.
But Zhong Yan’s actions puzzled him. The injury was clearly visible, why did he have to look at it for so long? As if he was trying to find clues with a magnifying glass.
Shi An’s hand was getting sore. He tried to pull it away twice, but Zhong Yan held on tighter, as if in warning.
After the inspection was complete, Shi An’s hand was slowly raised, and he could feel Zhong Yan’s warmth and breath.
Shi An’s mind raced with countless possibilities, as numerous as the twinkling stars on the mountaintop and the lights in the villages below.
At that moment, his altitude sickness worsened. Shi An felt dizzy, gasping for breath but unable to get enough oxygen.
Even when Zhong Yan’s warm breath blew on his injured hand, Shi An couldn’t calm down.
It felt like a handful of snowflakes melting in his palm, his skin burning, as if the shape of lips was imprinted on it.
Two semi-circles, warm, soft.
Shi An thought, he probably needed a shot of midazolam, 6.5 mg, intravenous injection.
“Your heart is beating so fast.” Zhong Yan stopped blowing, his palm still cupping his hand, “What are you nervous about?”
“Nonsense! Who’s heart is beating fast?” Shi An wanted to get angry, to resist, “Who’s nervous…”
His gripped wrist was a stark reminder. Zhong Yan’s fingertips pressed near his pulse.
Shi An was annoyed by his use of Traditional Chinese Medicine to pry into his condition. He pulled his hand away forcefully, hiding it in his sleeve, “Crazy.”
Shi An wanted to run, but he didn’t want to be a deserter. He had to wait until Zhong Yan left first.
But Zhong Yan just sat there, his gaze moving from his ear to his pocket, “Do you smoke?”
Shi An was taken aback by the sudden question, “No.”
Zhong Yan took out a cigarette and held it between his fingers, “Do you mind?”
“I don’t mind.”
Most of Shi An’s roommates smoked, and this wasn’t a public area. But Zhong Yan smoking was unexpected.
Zhong Yan took out a match from his pocket and struck it against the ground. The flame illuminated the side of his face, becoming the only light in Shi An’s vision.
He had a high nose bridge and thin lips, his expression cold when he wasn’t smiling.
His lips closed around the cigarette, the match lit the tobacco, and the white smoke curled into the air, dissipating slowly.
Zhong Yan turned away from Shi An to exhale, but the wind blew the smoke towards Shi An’s nose. A unique tobacco scent, not unpleasant even though it was secondhand smoke.
The cigarette was flicked, the ash falling into the unmelted snow.
Zhong Yan turned his head, the cigarette still in his mouth, and straightened Shi An’s tilted head, “Your eyes are about to pop out.”
Shi An was a little embarrassed, he hid his face in his coat and mumbled, “I’ve never seen you smoke before.”
A similar feeling to when he was working seriously.
Quite cool.
Zhong Yan took another drag and exhaled slowly, “A villager gave me this, homegrown tobacco, insisted I try it, couldn’t refuse his hospitality.”
Shi An didn’t quite believe him. His movements of striking the match, lighting the cigarette, and exhaling were too smooth, “Like a seasoned smoker.”
“Learned it when I was young.” Zhong Yan put out the cigarette, “Haven’t touched it in years.”
Shi An: “Did you smoke to look cool?”
Shi An had done similar things during puberty, thinking that smoking was a sign of maturity. He took one from a classmate, choked on it, burned a hole in his school uniform, and was scolded severely when he got home.
“No,” Zhong Yan’s voice was like a cup of warm water, “Back then, it was to annoy my parents.”
“Why?” Shi An tilted his head.
“Because they never came home all year round and kept trying to control me.”
“How could they control you if they weren’t even home? By phone?” As far as Shi An was concerned, if he was truly annoyed, he could just not answer the phone.
“They didn’t have time to call,” Zhong Yan said lightly, “But they could give the task to the chatty and nosy nanny and the driver who followed me everywhere.”
Shi An thought that the teenage Zhong Yan was arrogant, intelligent, aloof, and an elite student.
But according to what he said, he sounded more like a rebellious young master who liked to do outrageous things to annoy people?
Shi An was curious, “What else did you do?”
“Anything that would annoy them.”
Shi An rested his chin on his hand, like he was listening to an interesting story, “Give me an example.”
“Drinking, dyeing my hair, skipping class, going to internet cafes,” Zhong Yan reminisced, “Talking back to teachers, getting into fights.”
Zhong Yan held an unlit cigarette, twirling it between his fingers, “And…”
Like hearing the end of a story only to be interrupted, Shi An was impatient, “And what?”
“And, going to nightclubs…” Zhong Yan’s voice slowed, as if casual, “…and having one-night stands.”
Zhong Yan turned his head, catching Shi An’s reaction for a split second, then gazing into his face.
The lingering scent of tobacco hung in the air, drifting from Shi An’s nose to his chest.
Zhong Yan’s tone was playful, like a test, “What’s wrong? Haven’t you ever done it?”
