【3】Secretary Liang Wakes Up
Xiao Sun and the others weren’t far away, but the path was difficult. After about half an hour, Liang Youyun found the landslide site.
Of course, this was also thanks to Xiao Sun continuously blowing the rescue whistle. The sound guided the way, making the direction easier to identify.
But rescuing them was the hard part. Waiting for the rescue team would take time. The five people in the pit weren’t the burly type; climbing out would be exhausting, and they didn’t dare act rashly for fear of causing further collapse.
Liang Youyun was very grateful that the helper she had brought along was truly invaluable.
After securing the rope, the man descended into the pit and, using the same method he had used to rescue Liang Youyun, sent the people below up one by one.
He turned himself into a makeshift, liftable ladder. His broad back became the foundation bearing the weight. The rope tightened around his waist, and his rescue pace quickened. Just as all five people had reached solid ground, a loud whoosh sounded. A section of earth in front of him collapsed, instantly burying him!
Everyone quickly pulled on the rope together. Youyun watched as gravel, sand, and mud uncontrollably pelted the man. Her heart sank, thinking it was all over. He must hold on! It would be such a waste if he died! After all, what does this have to do with him? How could he be so unlucky to run into Liang Youyun! He can’t die, or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!
The man knew exactly how to protect himself. He shielded his head with his arms and ran along the side of the landslide, emerging from the chaos. Following his direction, the others pulled the rope toward him. Soon, he climbed up from the relatively stable side slope.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Exhausted, the man sat on the ground, breathing heavily.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
Youyun ran over and checked his head, finding no signs of bleeding. Of course, in this situation, it was hard to tell. The man, already covered in mud, was now coated with another layer of dirt.
He coughed violently. Youyun handed him her water bottle. He drank, still careful not to let his lips touch the bottle’s mouth. Youyun helped steady the bottle so he could drink normally.
“At a time like this, and you’re still worried about hygiene?”
“Thank you,” the man said after drinking, coughing twice more. “This is your personal water bottle. I was afraid I might be unclean.”
“As if I’m any cleaner than you!”
Youyun smiled bitterly. Wasn’t she also covered in mud?
“Thank you for saving all of us. I don’t even know how to thank you properly. I’ll treat you to a meal later!”
Coincidentally, the rescue team and police officers arrived, assessed the situation, and fortunately, no one was injured. Everyone supported each other as they made their way out of the rainforest.
At this moment, words felt futile. Language seemed pale in the face of nature. Only when they reached the village, back to where people lived, would there be time for criticism or praise. For now, everyone walked forward in silence. Night had fallen, stars gathered, tree shadows intertwined, and humans felt as insignificant as ants.
Youyun fell to the back of the group. Her ankle was sprained—an accident from when she fell into the pit earlier. At first, she could bear it, but after walking more and with darkness setting in, she was struggling to keep up.
A hand reached out to support her.
“There’s still a way to go. Let me carry you on my back,” the man said.
“I’m fine…” Youyun looked up. It was him. Unprepared, she met his gaze. In such a dark night, under such sparkling stars, she was momentarily speechless.
He glanced at her right foot. “Walking like this will worsen the injury. If a blood vessel ruptures and causes a hematoma, it’ll be troublesome.”
It sounded quite frightening. Youyun hesitated, but he had already turned around, bent down, and was waiting for her to climb onto his back.
“I’m sorry to trouble you… thank you!” She wasn’t one to bother others, but at this moment, she couldn’t refuse.
Her arms wrapped around the man’s neck, not daring to hold too tightly, afraid he might think she was taking advantage.
“Are you a tourist? You don’t look like a local,” she asked.
The man didn’t answer right away, waiting a moment before saying, “I just came from Jinghong.”
“Oh. You must be here to see the rainforest. Be careful in the future—don’t come when it’s raining. It’s too dangerous.”
She stumbled over her words, unsure what else to talk about.
“Am I heavy?”
“Not heavy.”
“But you’re sweating!” Youyun saw beads of sweat on his temples sliding down his cheeks, washing away a small trail of mud.
“…It’s a bit hot.”
“Maybe I should get down. I can walk slowly.”
“You’d better sleep for a while.”
Youyun didn’t insist further and obediently rested against him.
Before long, she began to feel drowsy, and her vision filled with all sorts of vibrant, colorful scenes.
How strange! She hadn’t eaten any wild mushrooms recently. Why was she feeling so dizzy?
Her chest pressed against his back. The path was rough, and the man tried his best to maintain balance and avoid jostling, but this inadvertently increased the friction between their bodies.
Youyun’s gratitude turned into a sense of shame, feeling as though the softness of her chest was being rubbed against his back, causing an itch.
She even felt the swelling sensation that comes before her period, followed by some indescribable images.
She quickly stopped herself: What on earth is this? What’s wrong with me? Am I craving a man? Of course not! This lady is in her thirties, long past the age of acting on emotions. She’s dated enough exes to form a basketball team, honing her sharp eyes and ability to spot scumbags just by their voices. What’s going on today? How could she lose her head just from being carried by a stranger? It must be related to her ovulation cycle! No, no—what did ovulation ever do to deserve this? It happens every month, year after year. Could it be that it feels wasted and is now urging her body into heat?…
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Unable to find a reason, her face flushed red, her body grew hot, and her face pressed completely against his shoulder. Her vision grew increasingly blurry…
In her dazed state, she caught a glimpse of faint lights nearby. They must be nearing the village entrance.
The delicate fragrance of papaya flowers drifted in with the night breeze, along with the spiky, flickering “cacti” in the light—Uncle Kanyong’s dragon fruit orchard…
When she opened her eyes again, Liang Youyun saw the triangular red-tiled rooftops of Dai-style architecture. The multi-eaved, hip-and-gable buildings belonged to the Dai Buddhist temple near the Nanla River. Beyond that, there was only the starry, swirling night sky.
Someone waved a hand in front of her face and exclaimed excitedly, “Secretary Liang is awake!”
Immediately, there was a commotion. Some came to check her blood pressure, others to listen to her heartbeat. Youyun instinctively tried to sit up but was gently pushed back down. Only then did she realize she was on a stretcher, surrounded by medical team members examining her.
Youyun had no idea how she had fallen asleep, and so soundly at that. She dreamed of her childhood, playing wildly with friends in the village, back when her parents hadn’t divorced, when her mother was still alive… She remembered feeling incredibly happy, so happy she cried.
At that moment, it suddenly occurred to her that she always cried when she was sick or had a fever. So this feeling was right—she must be running a fever.
She heard a familiar yet strange voice: “The swelling in the right foot is severe, likely causing a high fever due to inflammation.”
It was him. The man who had carried her on his back.
Youyun couldn’t hold back, struggling to get up, only to be pressed back down. The swaying IV drip above her head restricted her movements.
“This bottle is almost finished. Hang in there, Secretary Liang! Everything’s fine, don’t worry!”
It was Yu Xiang’s voice—the propaganda committee member of the branch, a young and beautiful Dai girl, also Youyun’s closest sister and most “capable” assistant.
Yu Xiang hadn’t intended to disturb Youyun’s rest, but she couldn’t help herself. She loved to talk, laugh, and gossip. While Youyun was receiving the IV, she recounted almost everything that had just happened.
The gist was: Liang Youyun had followed the team out of the rainforest, but midway, she developed a fever and was carried back by a stranger. Everyone else was fine, especially the three college students, who were bouncing around energetically. They had reunited with the teacher sent by their university, informed their families they were safe, completed their medical check-ups, and were now preparing to spend the night at a village homestay.
“So I’m the only one who got sick?”
Liang Youyun gradually regained consciousness, her fever slowly subsiding. She was drenched in sweat. “Looks like I’m really getting old. How did I suddenly get a fever?”
Supported by Yu Xiang, she sat up. A media reporter approached for an interview, firing off a series of questions: How were the college students found? Were you worried or scared along the way? Why does the village still have unofficial paths leading into the rainforest? Are there plans to install safety measures in the future?…
Once again, Youyun felt dizzy and overwhelmed. But she was experienced in dealing with reporters, so she chose her words carefully—only saying what sounded good and left no room for criticism.
She talked about how the hiking routes were all planned in advance, how even the “unofficial paths” had signage, how the village always warned tourists not to enter the rainforest during heavy rain, and how everyone knew that their Manle Village had always prioritized ecological protection. The famous Nanla River Resort was their signature tourism project. In the future, they would work closely with higher authorities to strengthen supervision and ensure safe travel as a top priority…
As for today’s incident, the three college students had admitted their mistake. They were sincere, and after this ordeal, they understood the preciousness of life even more…
Oh, right! Liang Youyun suddenly realized the reporter had been saying she was the one who rescued them. She had to clarify this.
“Those three kids weren’t saved by me. I almost didn’t make it back myself. If it weren’t for meeting…” She quickly looked around, but in her line of sight, there was no sign of that man. Anxious, she said, “It was the person who carried me back—he saved us!”
The reporter asked, “Do you know his name?”
“His name is…”
Only then did Liang Youyun realize she didn’t even know his name. “I’m sorry, I forgot to ask.”
“Then what does he look like?” the reporter pressed. “Could you describe him? It would help with our interview records.”
“He’s very tall, um… very strong. He must be very strong.” Youyun hesitated. Anyone who could climb a three- to four-meter steep slope in one go had to be in excellent physical shape.
“Can you find him? I must interview this hero!” the reporter insisted.
“Uh… well…” Liang Youyun was at a loss. All she remembered was his face covered in mud, disheveled and unkempt, making it hard to see his features clearly.
Instinctively, she searched again, scanning the bustling crowd under the temple lights for that familiar figure.
Just as she was about to give up after a long search, someone stood up from beside the well under the bodhi tree not far away.
Her eyes lit up—it was him!
With those broad shoulders and long legs, he must have been washing his face by the well just now? He was still holding a white towel, wiping his face.
Youyun craned her neck, her gaze fixed on him. As if sensing it, the man suddenly turned around and looked in her direction.
Perhaps it was the angle of the slanting light, but his silhouette—both his body and face—was gilded with a layer of gold. He exuded a delicate, gentle beauty, no longer a dark, grimy figure covered in mud, but a golden lotus washed clean of the filth.
From a distance, Liang Youyun couldn’t make out the details of his features, but she vaguely sensed he was a man of steady temperament.
Where he stood, the surroundings seemed to grow still.
That was the feeling.
She watched him, forgetting to point him out to the reporter.
And soon, he turned away, tucked the towel away, left the well, and disappeared into the shadows of the trees.