If it weren't for her remembering that her feet were hurt right now, Li Caiyi probably would kick the big hairy things in front of her due to shock. Her heart felt like it was stopped for a moment before thumping wildly in her broken ribcage.
Upon second look, the big hairy thing in front of her wasn't a wild animal or anything. It was a person's head!
"Caiyi?"
The tension in her slowly relaxed when she saw the person standing in front of him. Li Caiyi stared at him in disbelief because he was the last person she expected to be there.
Dai Zhiqiang's relief gaze nailed on her as he hurriedly invaded the cave and reached out to her. She was embraced in a tight and wet hug before she could process the whole situation and form a coherent thought.
"Thank goodness you are here."
Li Caiyi doubted her vision at first because she had just prayed that Dai Zhiqiang would magically appear on this mountain to pick her up. But after sensing his familiar touch and hearing his deep and trembling voice, there was no doubt it was him.
Dai Zhiqiang was here for her. Only God knew how relieved and happy she was right then.
"Oh, sorry," Dai Zhiqiang quickly retreated when he noticed he was hugging her while wearing wet and dirty clothes. Still, due to the narrow space, he couldn't move back that far before colliding with the cave wall.
However, the surprise of having his head bumped onto the ceiling was pale compared to what happened next. Without minding the space and his messy state, Li Caiyi 'tackled' him and hugged him tightly, like she wouldn't let him go again.
"Zhiqiang, Zhiqiang, Zhiqiang…"
His name kept coming out of her mouth like a chant. Her warm and small body was shivering. Looking down at her, she looked like she could break anytime. It tugged on the boy's heartstring.
Dai Zhiqiang couldn't care less about his dirty and wet state anymore and pulled her closer to her. He could hear her heartbeat resonating with his, and it soothed his tense nerves.
After spending hours searching for her high and low, worrying about her safety, this sound was like heaven's song for him.
"Shush, you are fine now. Don't cry." Dai Zhiqiang whispered slowly while caressing her head, which was full of dirt and some dry leaves stuck on the hair.
Li Caiyi bit her lips and swallowed back her tears before saying, "Ugh, I thought no one would come. You…why? How?"
"I arrived at K city in the morning and went to this mountain immediately. I'm sorry it took so long for me to arrive."
"No, but where have you been all this time? You didn't reply to my message and call. Is it regarding your work again?"
There was a brief pause before Dai Zhiqiang replied, "Yeah. I'm sorry."
"Can't you be crueller? We promised we would enjoy the trip together, but you ditched me without telling me anything. I was worried sick that those debt collectors came to bother you again."
"No, those people won't come to bother me anymore."
Li Caiyi raised her head, puzzled, "What do you mean? Have you paid all the debts you owe them?"
Dai Zhiqiang was hesitant before replying, "My current boss took care of it for me. He also helped me with my father's medical bill for now. I must work for him diligently to pay off all that."
Li Caiyi gasped in surprise. However, she couldn't help but feel uneasy about it. "He did all of that for you? At the cost of having you work for him? Even if that means using all of your time?"
"Yeah. I owed a lot to him. He is the one who gave me a helping hand at the time when I needed it the most. So I want to be helpful to him."
Li Caiyi stared at Dai Zhiqiang's apologetic face and smiled wryly. Droplets of water dripped from his wet hair to his face, and Li Caiyi used her hand to wipe it gently.
"I understand. But I hope you can inform me first when you suddenly need to leave. I'm worried about you."
Dai Zhiqiang clasped her hand before pressing it against her cheek. The way he nuzzled her hand was endearing; it warmed her heart.
"Yeah. I thought I could take care of it fast, but it took longer than I expected. If only I was with you today, you probably wouldn't have to suffer this too."
Li Caiyi shook her head. "Not at all. This is all because of my carelessness."
Speaking of the topic, it reminded Li Caiyi about something. "Oh yeah! Have you seen my sister on the way here? Is she okay?"
Dai Zhiqiang looked down at her in bewilderment. "You mean Li Chunhua? I met her before climbing the mountain, but she seems fine to me?"
"What? That can't be. I heard from someone that she had her episodes again. That's why I climbed down the mountain in a hurry."
Dai Zhiqiang didn't say anything and only stared at her. Looking at his expression, Li Caiyi suddenly realized the core of the problem she had missed before.
"Don't tell me…." Her words trailed off.
"Who is this person who told you that?"
"He said his name is Hu Jian from 3-B. He suddenly came to me and informed me that Xiaohua was sick, and she kept calling out to me. Then he suggested taking a shortcut, eventually leading us to a cliff."
Dai Zhiqiang's eyes narrowed down dangerously. His complexion darkened as he grabbed her by the shoulder. "Did that bastard push you down?"
Li Caiyi couldn't answer immediately because she wasn't sure anymore.
At first, she thought it was just an accident. Hu Jian slipped and unintentionally pushed her back. But when she thought about it again, all of his actions seemed suspicious.
"I don't know. It looked like it was just an accident, but now I wasn't so sure anymore."
Dai Zhiqiang grimaced before parting her bang slightly. "You are hurt here. The bleeding has stopped, but I hope it won't leave a scar on you. Where did you get hurt? Show me."
"Huh?!"
Li Caiyi was flustered because Dai Zhiqiang suddenly unzipped her jersey and took it off in one swift movement, revealing her white shirt. Then, he examined her body closely by touching her arm, making her awkward.
"Zhiqiang, you don't have to search me like this. I will show you!" Li Caiyi said quickly before Dai Zhiqiang began to check on the other part of her body. Her face felt hot, and she scooted away from him just to be safe.
This cave was too small for both of them. Li Caiyi couldn't decide if it was good or bad news.
"I think some ribcages are broken, and I twisted my right ankle." Li Caiyi said while pulling her pants, showing the swollen part on her feet. It had a dark red color before, but the color changed into bluish purple now.
Dai Zhiqiang gently touched her right foot before giving it a light caress. "This isn't just swollen; I think you fractured your leg. Does it hurt very much?"
Li Caiyi was about to nod when she realized she didn't need to put up a front in front of this person.
"Yes, it hurts. Even when I only move slightly, it hurts."
Dai Zhiqiang quickly opened his bag and took out a sports towel. He stretched his hand outside to let the rain drench the towel before wringing it up. Then he wrapped the towel around her leg gently.
"It would be more effective if we had some ice, but please bear with this for a while. I will carry you down the mountain after the rain subsides."
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