TF01 114

The call came in at a little past three in the morning.

The vibration startled Ying Ming so badly he sat up in a daze, fumbling for his phone. He saw that the caller ID showed Kou Jing’s name.

“Kouzi?”

His voice was hoarse from sleep. He cleared his throat and tried to focus. “What’s going on?”

He hadn’t really rested at all in recent days. While working, he could still push through. But the moment he stepped away from the set, the exhaustion hit him twice as hard.

“Ying Ming, did you see the news?”

“The news?”

That word made him frown. “No. I’ve been at the hospital with Shi Yi. I haven’t had the time or energy to look at anything else.”

“It’s not about you two. I just saw a report that there was a landslide in Australia. Two tour buses were trapped in the mountains. One of the names on the list looked like Shi Yi’s mom, but I’m not sure. Do you know anything about this?”

“How would I know?” Ying Ming’s expression changed. “I’m hanging up.”

At this hour, the hospital didn’t have any televisions on. Ying Ming pulled up the news on his phone and searched the name list. The moment he saw it, his chest tightened. The name was the same. There were plenty of people with the same name in the world, but something about it didn’t feel like coincidence.

He made a call to Chen Cheng. It was already late, and Chen Cheng’s line was busy the entire time. Ying Ming called over and over again for fifteen minutes before the call finally went through. On the other end, Chen Cheng sounded more frantic than he was.

“Where’s Shi Yi?” He had been trying to reach Shi Yi all night, but his phone had been off. If not for desperation, he would never have picked up Ying Ming’s call.

“He’s in the hospital.”

“The hospital?” Chen Cheng shot to his feet. “What happened to him?”

“He has acute pneumonia and a respiratory infection. They’ve already started antibiotics. I’ve been with him at the hospital.”

Ying Ming kept his tone steady. He glanced at the unconscious man on the bed. “Is Shi Yi’s mother in Australia?”

There was no immediate reply on the other end.

Although Shi Yi had once sat down and had a serious talk with Chen Cheng because of Ying Ming, in the end, Chen Cheng’s tolerance for Ying Ming existed only because of Shi Yi. Outside of that, the two of them had no desire to deal with each other.

But now was not the time to care about that.

Chen Cheng exhaled slowly. “Yes. His mother and his aunt are both over there. The names on the passenger list match.”

That trip had been arranged by Chen Cheng himself.

“Shit.” Ying Ming rubbed his hand through his hair in frustration.

“Is Shi Yi awake?”

“Not yet.”

The doctor had already told him that in addition to the serious inflammation, Shi Yi’s other health indicators were off as well. His condition was extremely weak. The medication he had been given included a mild sedative to help his body rest.

Unaware of just how serious things had gotten, Chen Cheng hesitated only for a second before deciding. “Wake him up. He needs to know.”

“Even if he were awake, he wouldn’t be able to handle this right now. Shi Yi’s condition is too severe.” He didn’t need a doctor to tell him that. Just looking at the faint blue tinge in Shi Yi’s face was enough to know his body had reached its limit. Everything had been building up until it finally collapsed all at once.

With the phone on speaker, Ying Ming quickly pulled up a few more news reports. The ongoing rescue efforts looked grim. He took a slow, uneasy breath. “Chen…” No matter how he said it, the name stuck in his throat. In the end, he didn’t say it at all. “Do you have a way to get to Australia right now?”

“I can’t leave,” Chen Cheng said. “Something serious came up at work. I can’t even step away, no matter how much I want to.”

Ying Ming nodded. “I understand. I’ll go.”

There was a pause on the other end. “You’ll go?”

“I’ll go over and check the situation. I’ll stay in touch.”

Getting a regular ticket was almost impossible. Without Chen Cheng’s help, even if Ying Ming wanted to go, he wouldn’t be able to.

Chen Cheng took a few seconds to think, then agreed. He gave Ying Ming the flight number and pickup location. “The next flight leaves in two hours. Where are you now? Do you need a car?”

“No.” Ying Ming jotted everything down. “I’m going home to let my parents know. Then I’ll head out.”

Luckily, it was still early enough that the roads were empty. Ying Ming made it home quickly, woke his parents, and gave them a rough explanation of the situation. Then he went to look for his passport and credit card.

His mother stood in her robe, watching him rush around. She opened her mouth a few times but didn’t say anything in the end.

It was his father who finally spoke. “Be careful.”

By the time he got to the airport, the scene was chaotic.

Ying Ming picked up his ticket and passed through boarding using the information Chen Cheng had arranged. Many of the people on the flight seemed to be family members of those involved in the accident. The atmosphere was tense and heavy. During the flight, the crew gave repeated updates on the situation in Australia. The landslide had been triggered by a passing cyclone. All communications in the affected area were currently down. Rescue teams had been working for over eight hours, but no trapped tourists had yet been located.

Given the severe weather, search efforts were extremely difficult. However, based on previous incidents, Australia had rarely experienced large-scale casualties from disasters like this.

Before boarding, Ying Ming called Kou Jing, instructing him and Haozi to make sure one of them stayed at the hospital at all times. They were to wait until Shi Yi woke up before telling him anything.

The plane landed in a city near the one where the incident had occurred. From the airport, it was still more than four hours by car to reach the affected zone. As soon as he disembarked, Ying Ming contacted Chen Cheng for updates, but the news wasn’t promising. The cyclone had caused widespread damage, not only the landslide, but also serious destruction in several small towns nearby. The entire region had descended into chaos. Airports and train stations were filled with stranded travelers, and it was nearly impossible to find a driver willing to head in that direction.

Fortunately, Ying Ming’s English was decent. After asking around extensively, he finally found an emergency medical vehicle attached to one of the search-and-rescue units. After some negotiation, they agreed to let him come along, but made it clear he would not be allowed to participate in the rescue operation directly.

He gave Chen Cheng a brief update. Based on forecasts, there was a high chance that communications in the area would soon be cut off. “But don’t worry,” Ying Ming said. “I’ll find a way to stay in contact.”

There wasn’t much Chen Cheng could do from his end. He sighed. “Take care of yourself.”

“I will.”

After exchanging only a few words, they ended the call. Per the rescue team’s request, Ying Ming began learning some basic first-aid procedures. The local meteorological agency had issued further warnings. Heavy rain and thunderstorms were expected in the area, and the conditions could continue to deteriorate.

“We haven’t seen anything this bad in years,” one of the rescue team members said, glancing at Ying Ming with a furrowed brow. “Are you looking for someone in the crash?”

“Yes,” Ying Ming replied with a nod. “My mother was on one of the two buses.”

The news reports had shown images of the disaster zone. The photos and videos were already jarring, but none of it came close to the devastation of seeing the scene in person. Under the weight of the dark sky and surrounded by ruined, desolate streets, the unease in Ying Ming’s chest only deepened.

He could hardly bear to imagine what would happen if something really happened to Shi Yi’s mother. How would that man survive it?

Their vehicle reached a small rural town on the edge of the affected area. Temporary relief shelters had been set up all over town. Once the rescue team arrived, no one had the time or energy to worry about Ying Ming. He guessed there had to be a temporary Chinese liaison office nearby, so he asked around until he finally found it.

The person in charge was a young-looking diplomatic attaché named Kong Wei. “You’re with the Shi family?”

It was clear that he knew of Shi Yi. But Ying Ming didn’t resemble anyone he might have been expecting.

Ying Ming didn’t hide anything. “My name is Ying Ming. I’m Shi Yi’s partner.”

That sentence drew the attention of everyone in the liaison office. Kong Wei’s brow twitched ever so slightly. “Can you speak on behalf of the Shi family?”

“Yes.”

Ying Ming pulled out his phone and showed him the call log. “Shi Yi’s uncle, Chen Cheng, arranged for me to come here.”

Kong Wei nodded. “All right. As long as you’re authorized to speak.” He pulled up a map and showed it to Ying Ming. “We’ve already searched the eastern area. Based on the last signals, they’re likely in this southern section. But the landslide blocked most of the roads. Because of the storm warnings, helicopters can’t fly in to assist. You should prepare yourself for the worst.”

It hadn’t reached that point yet, but some things were better said early than too late.

Ying Ming took a breath and nodded. Then he looked around. “Is there anything I can help with?”

“You can assist with organizing supplies. Everyone’s trying to handle their own situation right now. Taking care of yourself is already a help.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Kong Wei was called outside. The conditions here were rough. The air was damp and cold enough to cut through bone. Ying Ming pulled his coat tighter, then moved to stand quietly by the door to stay out of the way.

This place could only be described as bleak.

By now, Shi Yi should have been waking up. Ying Ming didn’t know how things were going on that end.

He stopped a passing staff member. “Is there any way to contact the outside from here?”

“There’s a satellite phone, but all the temporary lines are being used for life-saving coordination. Unless it’s an emergency, they’re off-limits.” The liaison phone was in Kong Wei’s hands.

Ying Ming understood. He thanked them and said nothing more. In the end, unable to bear the biting cold, he decided to head out and help.

Keeping busy might help clear his head, if only a little.

—

Shi Yi finally woke up fifteen hours later. Kou Jing and Haozi were still at the hospital. After the doctor confirmed that his condition was improving, the two of them told him everything exactly as it had happened.

The first call Shi Yi made was to Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng was in a meeting at the time. His phone was answered by his assistant. Because he had been left instructions, the assistant relayed the message to Shi Yi. After learning what had happened, Shi Yi turned to Kou Jing and Haozi and asked them to help him get discharged.

Neither of them agreed.

“You can barely stand. What do you think you’re going to do right now? Australia’s airports have already suspended all commercial flights. Even if you were discharged, there’s nothing you could actually do. And with your condition, you’d collapse halfway there.” He probably wouldn’t even make it past airport security.

But Shi Yi was firm. He pulled on his coat over the hospital gown. “I’m not trying to go to Australia. Ying Ming being there is more useful than I’d ever be.”

No one knew his own body better than he did.

“Then where are you going?”

“I’m going to Ying Ming’s house.”

He moved slowly, clumsily getting dressed. Once he was done, he pressed the call button for the nurse. Then he turned to look at Kou Jing and Haozi. “Ying Ming’s over there, and no one can reach him. His parents must be terrified. I have to go.”

Ying Ming had flown to Australia for his sake. There was no way he could leave Ying Ming’s parents sitting at home with no news, waiting in silence.

This time, neither Kou Jing nor Haozi said a word. They exchanged a look, then stepped forward to help him up.