WS - Chapter 98
Chapter 98
The sounds outside the tent were somewhat noisy, as if quite a few people were talking and moving around.
The white glare from the flashlight that had first appeared at the tent entrance alongside Ning Chuyang's voice was also gradually replaced by the orange glow of the growing fire outside.
Yu Nianbing lowered her hands, which had been scalded hot by her face, and pricked up her ears, but she still couldn't make out the conversation that seemed to have moved away from the tent.
Where... were they?
What were they talking about?
How... was it outside?
Yu Nianbing stared at the tent zipper right before her eyes and pressed her lips tight.
Speaking of which, a moment ago Song Shiyue had fled the tent in a flustered rush, only to run straight into Ning Chuyang's soul-searching question about her flushed cheeks, and she nearly choked.
Luckily, Guan Yongyi soon came over to call them, saving Song Shiyue from the predicament.
The three of them chatted as they walked toward the fire pit, where Mu Xingzhou was squatting and tossing firewood into it.
In just those few steps, Song Shiyue had already spotted two bats lying on the ground... she didn't know whether they were stunned or dead.
"Are these bats insane?" Ning Chuyang couldn't help but complain when she saw Song Shiyue's gaze land on them. "Good thing my lean-to shelter is fairly sturdy, or they might have knocked it down."
Though it was a complaint, Ning Chuyang at least remembered Song Shiyue's line about "it's a bird." As an onlooker who felt she had caught wind of something fishy, Ning Chuyang still kept her voice down while grumbling, mindful that they weren't far from Yu Nianbing's tent.
After saying a few words, they reached the fire pit.
Ning Chuyang's words drifted fragmentarily into Mu Xingzhou's ears.
Still snapping dry branches in his hands, Mu Xingzhou looked up gloomily at the three approaching, then fixed his gaze on Ning Chuyang and sighed, "I've got it worse. Right now there are still two stuck on top of my shelter — their heads rammed through the gaps in the branches, their bodies still thrashing outside. I can't go on living like this."
"Oh my god, I didn't check my shelter roof when I came out... Could there be some at mine too..." Ning Chuyang shivered involuntarily, feeling utterly unsettled.
Listening to their conversation, Song Shiyue's frown deepened. She couldn't help but glance toward her own tent, yet in the end she turned to ask the three, "Where's Teacher Zhuang?"
"Even with all that commotion just now, Teacher Zhuang somehow didn't wake up. When I went to call him, he finally woke up. He seems to be changing clothes now and said he'd be right over," Guan Yongyi said with a laugh.
"Teacher Zhuang really is laid-back," Ning Chuyang expressed her admiration emphatically, then glanced uneasily at her own shelter.
"I wonder if another wave will come later," Mu Xingzhou said with a face full of gloom.
And indeed, outside they had to worry about another wave arriving, while inside they had to face the two above their heads — living was just too hard.
"Probably not." At least Song Shiyue hadn't heard any more noise. After casually offering that reassurance, she added, "Now we need to search for any bats still in the camp and throw them out."
"Right," Guan Yongyi nodded in agreement. "Bats carry too many bacteria and viruses; they're bad for our health. We have to get them out."
Ning Chuyang and Mu Xingzhou also nodded.
Just then, Zhuang Jiachuan came over.
Having been woken from sleep by Guan Yongyi, Zhuang Jiachuan actually didn't know much about what had happened.
The others took turns recounting the commotion in the camp just now, and he was truly startled.
"So you're saying that on top of Teacher Mu's shelter there are still two live ones stuck there?" Zhuang Jiachuan couldn't help but rub the goosebumps on his arms.
"Yeah, they look huge..." Mu Xingzhou looked utterly dejected.
"No problem, come over and sleep with me. The tent is pretty sturdy; I didn't even feel it earlier," Zhuang Jiachuan consoled.
Guan Yongyi, who had been sleeping in the tent and was rudely awakened by a bat collision, shot Zhuang Jiachuan a glance.
He doesn't look particularly muscular... but seems pretty thick-skinned... didn't feel a thing from the impact.
"How's Teacher Yu? I hope she wasn't too frightened." Zhuang Jiachuan's sleepiness was scared away by the conversation, and once he'd sharpened up a bit, he realized one person was missing.
Everyone's gaze instantly converged on Song Shiyue.
"She's okay." Song Shiyue kept it brief. She took out the small flashlight she'd brought from the tent and switched it on, adding, "I'll go pick up the bats."
"I'll go too." The ever-enthusiastic Zhuang Jiachuan once again followed suit.
The other three did not promptly join this time.
Song Shiyue paid no mind to the others' silence. She turned to Zhuang Jiachuan and said, "Grab two branches. If you spot one, clamp it and toss it outside the camp. Be careful not to get bitten."
"Kill them before tossing, then you won't get bitten," Guan Yongyi said, dusting the ash off his hands and standing up.
"If we kill them and there's blood, the camp gets even dirtier. Just throw them out; toss them toward the woods we passed on our way here. Even if they're not dead, we won't run into them tomorrow on the road." So saying, Song Shiyue picked two relatively straight branches from the firewood pile, used her flashlight to locate the two bats she'd spotted earlier, clamped them with the branches, and started walking outside the camp.
"It's not a big area; we don't need too many people. The rest of you just take care of the fire pit. If anything happens, take shelter in the tent first." Zhuang Jiachuan offered the three a kind smile, then also grabbed branches, switched on a flashlight, and headed to a corner of the camp to start clearing.
Once beyond the firelight's reach, they became two points of light in the darkness.
Guan Yongyi thought for a moment, then reached for some branches too.
One after another, they all pitched in. As the only remaining male guest, Mu Xingzhou naturally couldn't save face by staying out.
"You stay here and watch the fire, don't wander off," Mu Xingzhou instructed Ning Chuyang before leaving.
The four split up in four directions, soon becoming four specks of light in the distant darkness.
By the time the heat faded from Yu Nianbing's face and she mustered the courage to emerge from the tent, all she saw was Ning Chuyang alone before the fire pit.
Although a large flock of bats had passed through, not that many actually collided with things in the camp, and even fewer were unable to fly again afterward.
The four successively tossed a few bats outside the camp, and soon Zhuang Jiachuan, Guan Yongyi, and Mu Xingzhou converged by the fire pit.
Only the point of light from Song Shiyue's flashlight kept roaming in the not-too-distant darkness.
From one end to the other, then back again, and once more.
Only after she had swept every spot on the right side of the camp alone, and had called Mu Xingzhou to move the essential items out of his shelter and pluck the two bats stuck on top to throw them away, did Song Shiyue pause for the time being.
Meanwhile, on the production team's side, only Zhao Da came by to check the situation. Once he saw that the guests were all unharmed, he quickly left again.
As for Song Shiyue, after briefly speaking with everyone by the fire, she went over to the production team's camp and cleaned it up once more, and only then did she feel somewhat relieved.
The camp was temporarily safe. After fussing about for over half an hour, the sky was still dark, so sleep was certainly still needed.
Mu Xingzhou was once again invited into Zhuang Jiachuan's tent.
Guan Yongyi offered his tent to Ning Chuyang, but she refused.
Unlike Mu Xingzhou's bad luck, they had checked and Ning Chuyang's lean-to shelter was intact, with no issues with its roofing.
Before Guan Yongyi even offered his tent, Song Shiyue had actually considered letting Ning Chuyang and Yu Nianbing sleep in the tent, while she herself went to the lean-to shelter to catch a bit more sleep until dawn.
After all, what had happened earlier with Yu Nianbing was genuinely awkward, and maybe it would be better for the two of them to separate temporarily.
But then she recalled Yu Nianbing's fear just now — the kind of fear that would send her burrowing into someone's arms...
Imagining the scene of Yu Nianbing throwing herself into Ning Chuyang's arms, she found it hard to bring up the idea of swapping accommodations.
Fortunately, Guan Yongyi's subsequent offer was also rejected by Ning Chuyang, so Song Shiyue didn't need to dwell on it further.
Once again confirming their sleeping arrangements, each returned to their own nest.
Yu Nianbing and Song Shiyue walked back to the tent two steps apart, one behind the other.
Song Shiyue watched as Yu Nianbing took off her shoes beside the tent and then rolled inside with a tumble.
Hesitation, indecision.
Song Shiyue didn't know what she was thinking — it was as if she was thinking nothing at all, simply nailed to the spot before the tent. She stared at the closed tent flap, yet for the longest time couldn't bring herself to lift a hand to push it aside.
Inside the tent, Yu Nianbing lay with her back to the entrance.
Because she needed to leave enough room behind for Song Shiyue, and because the tent wall in front was something she still felt lingering fear toward and dared not draw near, Yu Nianbing lay absolutely straight and rigid, so much so that she almost wished she could exhale all her breath to make herself thinner and take up less space.
Such a posture was naturally very constrained and uncomfortable.
Yet as Yu Nianbing held this tense pose, holding on, a long, long time passed and no one came in.
Yu Nianbing couldn't help but sit up and look back.
That person was still standing outside the tent, not coming in.
Seeing the silhouette projected on the tent flap, all of Yu Nianbing's tension turned into fuel for irritation, her temper flaring up with a whoosh.
Was she a man-eating tiger or something?
It was just — !
Just —
An accident!
Yu Nianbing's hands, clutching the blanket on the mattress, tightened further.
The irritation turned into grievance.
Outside the tent, although Song Shiyue couldn't see through, she could still hear some sound.
She had to go in eventually; even if she herself could go without sleep, she couldn't keep Yu Nianbing from sleeping forever.
Hence reasoning with herself, Song Shiyue bent down, ready to lift the tent flap.
Just as her hand lifted, the tent flap was pushed open from inside.
One was bending over, the other sitting up; their eyes met exactly.
Though very quickly, as if throwing a tantrum, Yu Nianbing flung the tent flap back down.
But those slightly reddened eyes had been seen clearly by Song Shiyue.
As if being punched squarely in the chest twice, Song Shiyue's heart ached and felt tight.
How could this be?
After all, who was on the losing end of that earlier accident...
Song Shiyue didn't know whether to laugh or cry, her heart pained even more by that fleeting glance.
At this point, even knowing that entering the cramped space of the tent might make her chest feel even tighter, Song Shiyue seemed to have no other choice.
The fire pit outside had been fed more wood earlier; the fire was still decent now, and inside the tent one could still see reasonably well.
Song Shiyue lifted the tent flap. Inside, as expected, was a straight and rigid silhouette, the kind that had even neatly covered itself with a little blanket...
A little...
Cute?
An adjective utterly inappropriate for the current situation surfaced in Song Shiyue's mind, yet it oddly alleviated much of the discomfort in her chest.
Fully aware that after just a moment, Yu Nianbing definitely wasn't asleep, Song Shiyue couldn't help but still move with the lightest of steps, lowering herself onto the mattress with as little presence as possible.
Silence, and again silence.
Both closed their eyes, yet neither could sleep.
It was truly awkward... Song Shiyue touched her shoulder and couldn't help regretting a little; if she had known, she wouldn't have asked to take that thing off.
Who could have imagined it, such awkwardness.
And who could have imagined... that even though she was the one who had been... the other person ended up looking more like the wronged party.
In the dimming tent, Song Shiyue shook her head helplessly.
It was merely an accident; she herself had felt a moment's embarrassment but didn't really mind much. Yet it seemed that for Yu Nianbing, this matter was harder to let go of.
Song Shiyue tilted her head slightly to look at Yu Nianbing, whose back was still ramrod straight and who was definitely not asleep. She couldn't help thinking: if she told her that earlier, when she'd wanted to wake her, the back of her hand had also accidentally touched hers — would it perhaps balance things out, letting both incidents pass together?
But more likely, accident plus accident would only become awkwardness to the Nth power.
Song Shiyue sighed, trying not to think further. Sleep, perhaps after a sleep, both would forget.
The ostrich, how wonderful it is.
Given the chance, everyone wants to be an ostrich once.
Song Shiyue's breathing started to steady. Meanwhile, Yu Nianbing's lips were nearly bitten through by herself.
Not taken off...
Not taken off...
Not taken off...
In a place where no one could see, Yu Nianbing's reddened eyes never ceased being so.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and then she forcibly widened them to push the tears back.
Then... after the words "not taken off" floated through her mind once more, the tears surged back up again.
Yu Nianbing had no choice but to clutch the small button at her collar tightly, using the pain from the raised pattern on its edge pressing into her fingers to force herself not to sink into that sadness and grievance.
Wanted to cry, couldn't cry, still wanted to cry, definitely couldn't cry, just wanted to cry...
Back and forth like this, the first teardrop finally caught a moment when Yu Nianbing's will wavered, slipping from the corner of her right eye and slowly spreading onto the inflatable pillow.
Sorrow and grievance seemed to have found a breach.
Her fingers unconsciously tugged at that little button on her collar.
The uneven edges brought a dull pain with each pull of her fingers, but the restraining effect only grew weaker.
Anger, grievance.
The unconscious repetitive motion between her fingers, inadvertently, was infused with too much emotion.
It really was just an accident...
Yu Nianbing wanted to shout this to Song Shiyue — that she truly hadn't deliberately burrowed into her embrace, hadn't deliberately pressed against that...
But Yu Nianbing couldn't... she didn't dare... she was afraid...
Yu Nianbing truly didn't know: if she spelled out what had happened earlier, would Song Shiyue ask... why she had rolled into her embrace...
That was a voluntary roll, something Yu Nianbing did with conscious awareness, tinged with a bit of unwillingness and petulance.
Yu Nianbing didn't know how she could explain that behavior.
This was a feeling buried deep in her heart that shouldn't be dug up, one even Yu Nianbing herself couldn't fully see through.
When something has parts you very much want to say and parts you absolutely cannot say, then chances are it's something that can't be said at all.
And now Song Shiyue had come back without taking it off... Yu Nianbing dared not imagine what kind of person she had become in Song Shiyue's mind.
A person who took the initiative to be frivolous... a degenerate who...
No...
Although Yu Nianbing didn't want her relationship with Song Shiyue to stay at the level of a life-saving debt, she even more didn't want it to change in such a strange direction.
Perhaps... in Song Shiyue's eyes, she was already a degenerate who used a debt of gratitude to demand repayment.
Whenever Yu Nianbing thought of this, her heart felt as if it had been pierced through by something.
So sad, yet she had to mind the livestream, mind the person behind her who seemed to have fallen asleep, unable to properly release this sorrow...
Anxiety, grievance, sadness, fear with nowhere to go will eventually find an outlet.
But Yu Nianbing never imagined it would be that kind of outlet.
Song Shiyue lay quietly with her eyes closed, breathing evenly as if asleep.
Of course, she wasn't.
Even without deliberately listening, Song Shiyue could hear Yu Nianbing's breathing, now short, now heavy, and it seemed like she was still fiddling with a button...
Yu Nianbing probably wasn't asleep either.
If they kept this up until dawn, would things really get better by tomorrow morning?
Song Shiyue began to have some doubts.
Just as Song Shiyue was thinking maybe she should subtly express that she really didn't mind and they should both forget what happened earlier, wondering if that would let Yu Nianbing stop being angry and sleep soundly, a tearing sound suddenly came from beside her, along with the noise of something being ripped. Almost simultaneously, there was Yu Nianbing's sharp intake of breath.
"What's wrong?" Song Shiyue instantly cast aside the awkwardness that had been hanging over her head, sat up abruptly, and looked toward Yu Nianbing.
Yu Nianbing didn't speak.
Song Shiyue grew a little anxious. She reached out, propped Yu Nianbing by the shoulder, and turned her flat onto her back.
Yu Nianbing didn't even have time to struggle — just like that... she was physically flattened.
Yes, flattened. Literally: from lying on her side to lying flat on her back.
Almost at the same moment Yu Nianbing was flattened, Song Shiyue's hand, which had been propping her, trembled and quickly withdrew.
"It's... nothing..." Once again feeling her own weakness on this might-makes-right planet, Yu Nianbing could only open her mouth to respond to Song Shiyue.
Her voice was low from long suppression and a brief bout of crying; if you listened closely, you could detect a trace of hoarseness.
By now, the fire outside had probably died down further. Visibility inside the tent was very low; at least Yu Nianbing could only see the outline of Song Shiyue sitting beside her, probably her eyes too, but the rest of her features were indistinct.
Thus, she wasn't afraid of Song Shiyue seeing her tear-streaked face.
Yu Nianbing casually wiped her face, cleared her throat, and added, "I think I accidentally yanked a button off. I'll sew it tomorrow. Let's sleep."
She didn't know what had happened.
Song Shiyue clearly hadn't said anything.
But the moment they broke the silence and began talking, Yu Nianbing felt that her heart, which had been painfully clenched, had suddenly eased a great deal.
The words afterward came out much more smoothly as well.
Feeling she had performed quite well, Yu Nianbing wiped her face once more, turned over, and once again faced away from Song Shiyue.
In the darkness, Song Shiyue said nothing; she just slowly reached up and pressed her hand to her own chest.
It hurt, very much.
Also... very hot... very hot...
Oh, this damn good eyesight.
In the moment she had flattened Yu Nianbing, whether it was those reddened eyes, the tears still wet on her face, or that faintly visible cream-colored... thing inside the T-shirt that had somehow torn open — it all struck Song Shiyue's eyes at once and slammed into her heart.
Song Shiyue could not describe what she had seen in that glance, only knowing it was a pain and heat that even pressing hard on her chest with both hands could not stop.
Why?
In the darkness, the still-sitting Song Shiyue's few surviving brain cells couldn't parse Yu Nianbing's current state.
But instinct urged her, pushed her, to do something.
Even if she would be scolded, beaten, hated... at this moment, if she didn't do something, Song Shiyue felt she might stop here because of the pain in her heart.
After exchanging a few words with Song Shiyue, Yu Nianbing felt her tears were no longer so hard to control. Although it seemed like nothing had been resolved, things were still a little better.
However, sometimes, just when you think you're getting better, it turns out to be a misunderstanding.
Yu Nianbing felt the person behind her lie down again, but she didn't expect that person... to reach out her hand once more.
Flattened, then turned sideways again.
Under absolute strength, Yu Nianbing was pulled back into Song Shiyue's embrace without resistance.
Unlike the previous time, when Yu Nianbing had thrown herself into her arms with a bit of unwillingness and a heart she herself didn't understand, this time she was so tense her body was stiff.
In her heart, there were too many question marks.
Yet... she didn't struggle, didn't pull away.
Song Shiyue's embrace seemed not as hot as before, but it was still very warm.
In matters of embracing, was it always the one who took the initiative who was more at ease?
Yu Nianbing felt the hand gently patting and smoothing down her back, and suddenly a question arose that shouldn't have surfaced at a time like this.
Being held like this was very comfortable; Yu Nianbing almost forgot the earlier accident and grievance.
Until she discovered that Song Shiyue's hand smoothing down her back was actually writing words.
[Don't cry]
Two simple words, not hard to recognize.
Only Yu Nianbing, beguiled by the warmth, took a good while to notice.
Some grievances and sadness are one person's secret, one person's affectation.
Perhaps, with time, they will gradually be forgotten, gradually heal on their own.
But more likely, they scar over in the heart, and even if pressed to the very bottom by time, they remain moments one can never truly let go.
But when these little grievances and private thoughts, belonging only to oneself, are discovered by someone else and even laid out face to face —
Most of the time, it stirs anger from embarrassment.
This seeing through is a kind of offense.
To see through and then to speak it aloud is asking for a beating.
Yu Nianbing repeatedly confirmed the strokes Song Shiyue traced on her back. Half-startled and half-annoyed, her little fists clenched again and again...
At her collarbone, her breath caught several times in succession.
Also... the sudden spreading stain of scalding wetness.
Song Shiyue somewhat flusteredly stopped her silent word-writing consolation, frantically patting Yu Nianbing's back, utterly at a loss as to what had gone wrong...
Just what had she done wrong?
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