TF01 115

Shi Yi’s appearance caught Ying Ming’s parents off guard.

He stood at the door, supported on either side by Kou Jing and Haozi, but his expression was calm. “Uncle, Auntie, Ying Ming has already arrived at the disaster site. My uncle has been in touch with him. I came to let you know, so you wouldn’t worry. The communication over there isn’t stable, so he can’t call often, but the embassy has already made contact with him. I’ll confirm the rest of the details as soon as I can. I’ll be staying in the car just outside your building. Until Ying Ming comes back, I’ll be here the whole time. Please don’t worry.”

His voice faltered three times as he spoke. The fever had not fully gone down. His face was still pale, but he seemed clear-headed. When he finished, he held out a business card to Ying Ming’s mother. “This is my number. If you need anything, call me anytime.”

It had just rained, and the air still carried a damp chill. While holding him up, Kou Jing could feel the slight tremble in Shi Yi’s body, though it wasn’t obvious.

Despite the awkwardness of the moment, Ying Ming’s parents ultimately nodded, accepting the effort Shi Yi had made. Just as he was about to turn to leave, Ying Ming’s father let out a quiet cough. “You might as well come in. It’s cold out.”

He said it as he turned back into the house. Ying Ming’s mother didn’t say anything either. She stepped back and opened the door, silently letting them in.

Kou Jing and Haozi helped Shi Yi inside. They placed his medication on the coffee table and reminded him to take care of himself and call if anything came up. Shi Yi raised a hand in response, signaling his thanks.

The sound of the front door closing sealed the space behind it.

Ying Ming’s father stayed in his study and did not come out. That left only Shi Yi and Ying Ming’s mother in the living room. The silence between them was cold and rigid, the air thick with tension. Neither of them spoke for a long time.

Eventually, it was Shi Yi’s phone that broke the silence.

It was a call from Chen Cheng. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m managing. I left the hospital.”

“You left? Where are you now?” Things on Chen Cheng’s side were still in chaos. His schedule was packed with meetings and logistical arrangements.

Shi Yi didn’t hide anything. “I’m at Ying Ming’s house. With his parents.”

Chen Cheng didn’t respond right away.

Ying Ming’s mother glanced over, then turned and went into the kitchen to pour water. Shi Yi pressed a hand to his forehead. “Anyway, you don’t have to worry about me. Has Ying Ming been in touch?”

“No. I just stepped out of a meeting. There’s another press briefing in a bit. But Kong Wei called. He said Ying Ming has arrived. The search is still ongoing. They’ve narrowed the area, and they expect progress in the next few hours. I’ll send you his contact info. It’s a satellite phone, so it’s hard to get through. Try a few times.”

“All right.”

Shi Yi grabbed a napkin from the table and scribbled down the number. After confirming it, he ended the call.

The television was playing live coverage of the disaster in Australia. Clearly, Ying Ming’s parents had been watching before he arrived.

But that call from Chen Cheng had reminded Shi Yi of something.

He picked up the phone and called Ou Yang. The line connected after just one ring. The other side had clearly been waiting. “If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

“Do you think there’s any way we could get a satellite phone?”

“A satellite phone?”

“Yes. The kind that doesn’t rely on cell towers for signal.” Shi Yi had just started to explain when Ou Yang cut him off.

“I know what it is. I’m asking what you plan to do with it. You want it sent to Australia?”

“If it can be sourced over there, even better. I just got out of the hospital. Ying Ming went in my place. But now it’s hard to reach him. The only people who can contact him are with the embassy. I don’t feel right about that.”

At this stage, it was the only thing he could do to help.

“Let me see what I can do,” Ou Yang said. “I remember there was an Australian firm we talked with a few times. Didn’t you have decent ties with someone over there? Try reaching out to them. I’ll find someone on my end too.”

He agreed readily. Not a single wasted word.

“Stay in touch.”

“I will.”

Ying Ming’s mother came out of the kitchen carrying a cup of water and saw Shi Yi on the phone, still making call after call. She set the cup in front of him. Shi Yi looked up and gave her a polite nod and a grateful smile.

For nearly thirty minutes, he did nothing except work the phones.

Eventually, Ying Ming’s mother realized there wasn’t much point in staying in the living room. She went into the study, though she left the door open. From inside, she could hear everything.

Shi Yi had been working non-stop to secure a satellite phone, speaking entirely in English. It sounded like he was finally making some headway. After about an hour, he paused to rest, just briefly, then tried to get through to Kong Wei.

But all he got was the busy tone, again and again.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the call connected. The signal was terrible, and the conversation kept cutting in and out.

“Hello? Is this Kong Wei?”

“Yes. Say what you need to say, quickly.”

“This is Shi Yi. We spoke before.” The background noise on the other end was so loud that Shi Yi instinctively raised his voice. But Kong Wei was short with him. “I know who you are. Speak quickly. Our call time is limited.”

Shi Yi frowned. “Can you put Ying Ming on, just for a moment?”

The moment he said that name, both of Ying Ming’s parents came out of the study.

Kong Wei didn’t say yes or no. The chaos on the line continued for a while. Just when Shi Yi was about to give up, Ying Ming’s voice finally came through. He had raised it on purpose so it could be heard clearly.

“Shi Yi? You’re awake?”

He sounded all right. Hearing that voice finally eased some of the weight off Shi Yi’s chest. He looked up and gave the two elders a nod, signaling that Ying Ming was safe.

“I’m at your house now, with your parents. If anything comes up, you can call here directly.”

“Got it. The rescue teams are heading into the most likely area now. I asked around. The buses weren’t buried, just stuck. So don’t worry too much. I’ll stay right here.”

The line was still breaking up, but Shi Yi understood what he meant. His throat tightened. He blinked hard, then pulled himself together and looked at Ying Ming’s parents.

“Uncle, Auntie, would you like to say a few words?”

“No. We wouldn’t know what to say anyway. Just tell him to be careful.” Ying Ming’s father replied.

Shi Yi nodded and passed the message on. A few seconds later, the phone was taken back, likely by Kong Wei and the call was cut off before they could even say goodbye.

Shi Yi stared at the phone in his hand for a moment, then exhaled, so quietly it almost couldn’t be heard.

Time moved painfully slowly. Shi Yi kept glancing at the wall clock, unable to stop himself. The news offered little in the way of updates. Whatever they reported three minutes ago, they repeated three minutes later. He rubbed a hand through his hair, leaned back against the sofa, and tried to relax the tension that had been stretched to its limit.

Around five in the evening, there was finally a bit of good news. The satellite phone had been arranged. An Australian company was sending a shipment of relief supplies, and would bring the phone to Ying Ming along with it. At best, it would arrive after three in the morning. On behalf of Shiyang, Ou Yang had also sent over a donation for disaster relief, and in the note, he made sure to flag Ying Ming’s name again.

It was not the most elegant approach, but under the circumstances, no one cared about appearances.

That evening, Ying Ming’s mother made congee and called Shi Yi to eat. He didn’t refuse. Pushing through the lingering effects of his medication, he finished three bowls.

Ying Ming’s father gave a nod. “You need to take care of your health first. That’s the only way you’ll be of any use. Don’t wear yourself out.” People who stopped eating or drinking when something went wrong were the ones who didn’t understand what responsibility meant. Compared to their earlier assumptions, Shi Yi’s current state left a very different impression.

Because he needed to stay up and wait for the call, Shi Yi lay down on the sofa after dinner and dozed for a bit. Ying Ming’s mother had originally planned to let him sleep in Ying Ming’s room, but she remembered what had happened over the New Year. In the end, she didn’t say anything and simply brought him a blanket and a pillow.

But with so much on his mind, he could not truly rest. He dozed for two hours at most before sitting up again. He tried calling Kong Wei, but couldn’t get through. Later, Chen Cheng called to check in. Once he heard that the phone delivery had been arranged, he said nothing more.

It had only been a few hours, but to Shi Yi, it felt like an eternity.

Whenever he couldn’t sit still, he got up and paced the living room slowly. When he tired out, he sat down again to rest. Ying Ming’s parents rarely came out, perhaps to avoid awkward run-ins that would only add to the tension. In the kitchen, they had left a pot of warm congee and a few side dishes for him. They hadn’t said anything, but Shi Yi understood. It was there in case he got hungry in the middle of the night.

Even such quiet gestures of care helped him ease up, if only a little.

No one in the world could possibly be more anxious than he was right now. His own mother was trapped on the other side of the globe, and all he could do was sit here waiting. No one would ever want to experience that kind of helplessness. The only reason he hadn’t lost control was because Ying Ming had gone in his place. He trusted him to do whatever it took. The other reason was that he did not want to show any signs of panic in front of Ying Ming’s family and cause them unnecessary worry. The fire in his chest had been burning wildly for days. All he could do was hold it in.

Minute by minute, the mental strain only intensified.

By four o’clock, he still hadn’t shut his eyes. The light in the study remained on. When it was nearly five, the house phone rang out sharply in the silence. Shi Yi lunged for it and picked up.

Ying Ming’s voice came through the line. Hearing it made Shi Yi’s vision go dark for a second.

“Shi Yi, I got the phone.”

“Mm…”

“Don’t worry. Things here are still under control. The weather forecast says it probably won’t worsen, and if it clears up, the chances of a successful rescue are very high. Communications are gradually being restored too. I think things are looking up.”

“Mm…”

Shi Yi could barely get any words out besides that. His throat hurt terribly. He coughed a few times, then finally croaked out a low, hoarse sentence in response to Ying Ming’s concern.

“Ying Ming… thank you. Also.. I love you.”

Just as he spoke, Ying Ming’s parents stepped out from the study. They saw clearly the flush around his eyes and the way he struggled to steady himself.

For a beat, no one moved.

But Shi Yi recovered quickly. He blinked, pushing all of that emotion back down, then held the phone out toward Ying Ming’s mother. “Auntie, it’s Ying Ming. Do you want to speak with him?”

She stepped forward, as if to take the phone, but Ying Ming’s father held out a hand and stopped her.

“No. Just tell him to stay safe.”

Shi Yi nodded. A moment later, the line was disconnected.

Shi Yi stood there, holding the receiver in silence for a while. Then he let out a breath that was barely audible.

He walked out onto the balcony and lit a cigarette, but the flame had only just touched the end when Ying Ming’s father spoke behind him.

“Put that out. You’re still not well. It’s no time for smoking.”

The words came casually, but something about the timing knocked the air out of Shi Yi’s lungs.

For a moment, he stood there blankly.

What flashed through his mind was that day he had gone home, when his father said something nearly identical. The resemblance in tone, in scene, in feeling, all hit at once.

And for that one instant, he could only stand there frozen, unable to gather himself.