Night fell, and it began to rain again.
At the temporary settlement for disaster victims, dozens of tents of various sizes had been erected.
A Ning hurried over with a bowl of porridge, lifted the flap, and entered. "Yi Ge, eat something."
"Mmm, thank you," Xiao Yi said, sitting on a cheap plastic chair, his elbows propped on his knees, his body hunched over, his anxious gaze fixed on the sleeping figure.
A Ning wanted to say something, but in the end, she quietly withdrew, not wanting to disturb him.
Even now, she could still remember the panic in Yi Ge's eyes when he carried her down the mountain, and his constantly trembling hands…
Xiao Yi remained in the same position, watching her.
Every time he thought of the scene when he found her, his heart felt as if it had been struck a heavy blow, a resounding boom that made his ears suddenly go deaf. He couldn't hear anything from the outside world.
She was covered in injuries, large and small, lying there silently, unresponsive no matter how he called her.
It was only now that he realized how much she meant to him, far more than he had ever imagined.
Much, much more.
A Ning walked out of the tent. Situ and the others, not far away, immediately leaned in. "Is sis awake?"
A Ning shook her head with a distressed expression. "It's been a whole day, and there's still no reaction."
Wai Shao sighed mournfully, "I was terrified when the mountain torrent broke out. I can't even imagine how Wei Jie managed to hold on while carrying a child?"
"How she managed… you can tell from her injuries," Mikoy said with heartache. "She's a movie star! Her acting isn't great, she's uncoordinated, her singing is awful. If her face is ruined, how will she make a living? She can only marry me then!"
It should have been funny, but no one could manage a smile.
Situ suddenly said, "She's braver than anyone I've ever met."
Yan Zhi had gone to find a signal. After making a call, he returned.
Seeing the four of them standing outside the tent with worried faces, he walked over to comfort them. "It's okay. The doctor said they look scary but are all superficial wounds. It just goes to show our Niangniang is lucky! Alright, alright, it's about time. Go eat something, we'll be busy again soon."
Several nearby villages were also severely affected, and some missing persons had not yet been found. Director Huang had decided to volunteer for the rescue efforts on a voluntary basis. As expected, not a single person fell behind.
Only by experiencing it firsthand could one truly understand. Here, there was no such thing as being a star or not. In a disaster area, life was paramount!
"Okay."
The children seemed to have grown up in an instant, knowing what they should do now.
Just then, the flap was lifted, and Xiao Yi emerged from inside. "A Ning."
"Here."
"Please stay and take care of her."
A Ning froze. "Yi Ge, then where are you going?"
Knowing what he intended to do, Yan Zhi instinctively wanted to refuse. "Yi Ge, you can't go…"
Xiao Yi pursed his lips and said slowly, "She's willing to risk her life for a little girl she'd never met. What makes me more precious than anyone else?"
He cast one last look at the tent. "A Ning, I'm counting on you." With that, he walked towards the volunteer team without looking back.
A Ning stood rooted to the spot. After waving goodbye to everyone, she turned and went back into the tent.
"Huh? It's you?"
A little girl was now by Xia Wei Liang's bedside. It was Xiao Jin Zi, whom she had protected so well.
Xiao Jin Zi was lying by the bed, her little head raised, her eyes blinking as she watched the person on the bed.
She dared not touch her, just watched her.
A Ning walked over and asked softly, "Xiao Jin Zi, your mom and dad…"
She decided against it.
A Ning still couldn't forget that when the child was first rescued, everyone in the village said she was lucky to have met good people. Some uncles and aunts even shed tears.
But Xiao Jin Zi's parents showed no gratitude, their indifferent faces showing a hint of resentment when they looked at Xia Wei Liang…
The thought was chilling, and A Ning didn't want to dwell on it.
She would rather believe that it was just a momentary lapse of judgment by the parents that Xiao Jin Zi wasn't taken away.
"Xiao Jin Zi, what are you holding?"
A Ning noticed that the little one was clutching a sticky, dark clump in her hand.
"Is this… chocolate?"
Someone must have given her a piece of chocolate. She hadn't eaten it, just held onto it until it became a sticky mess.
She raised her little hand, wanting to put it to Xia Wei Liang's lips, but seeing that she wasn't opening her eyes, she put it down again.
Seeing the little girl holding the chocolate, waiting to give it to Xia Wei Liang, A Ning's nose suddenly felt a sting. "Auntie is still sleeping. You don't need to worry. Maybe she'll wake up tomorrow."
Xiao Jin Zi half-lay by the bed, tilting her little head and staring at Xia Wei Liang.
A Ning took out a portable comb from her pocket, combed Xiao Jin Zi's messy hair, and wiped her little face and hands clean with a wet wipe. "We need to wait for Auntie to wake up clean and beautiful."
The person on the bed breathed shallowly, still motionless.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open—
It was the scene of a car accident.
"Still has a heartbeat! Hurry and put her on the ambulance, be careful!"
Xia Wei Liang opened her eyes blankly, was lifted onto an ambulance, and driven to the hospital.
By the time she was taken to the hospital, the waiting media frantically pushed forward for photos.
"It's Xia Wei Liang!"
"Quick, shoot!"
The flashbulbs popped incessantly, stinging her eyes shut.
Countless images flashed through her mind: Xiao Yi, Yuan Ge, Situ, A Ning, Director Huang… and Gu Mo Village!
No, she should have been reborn. But why had she come back?
No, don't. She didn't want to come back!
She had friends there, a real family, things she couldn't bear to part with!
"The patient has no heartbeat…"
The doctor immediately prepared the defibrillator. "First one, 200…"
Xia Wei Liang's body jolted up, and then, her consciousness reconnected.
"She's awake! She's awake!"
Seeing the busy figures in white around her, she opened her mouth to speak but couldn't make a sound.
A tear trickled down the corner of her eye.
Waking up again, the first thing she saw was the white walls of the hospital.
"Wei Wei Jie! Wei Wei Jie, you're awake? Sob… Wei Wei Jie, you scared me to death!"
Xiao Nuo Mi, who had been guarding her bedside, burst into tears upon seeing her awake.
Xia Wei Liang opened her mouth, her voice hoarse. "What happened to me?"
"Wei Wei Jie, you were in a car accident, a very serious one. The doctor said it's a miracle you survived…"
Xia Wei Liang lay on the bed blankly.
So, was rebirth all just a dream?
For several days, she lay in bed, turning her head to stare out the window blankly.
During this time, Ji Huan came to see her, as did her parents and Xia Yi Ran.
But no matter how sarcastically she taunted or ridiculed, Xia Wei Liang remained silent. Although she had been saved, she had become like a walking corpse.
Su Hui couldn't bear to see it. After being discharged from the hospital, she directly took her to a high-end convalescent center in the country.