No Ghosting Allowed

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At 9:30 AM, Zhou Qingbo’s plane landed on time at Jiangbei International Airport.

He followed the crowd out of the plane, and just as he turned on his phone, Zhou Cangshan’s call smoothly connected, vibrating softly in his palm.

Zhou Qingbo paused for a moment, looked around, and then walked a few steps away from the crowd to find a more secluded spot. He reluctantly pressed the answer button.

“Brother?” Zhou Qingbo asked.

“Zhou Qingbo.” Zhou Cangshan’s tone was slightly chilly, carrying a barely detectable trace of anger. He lowered his voice and said, “What time is it? You’re not at work yet? Are you planning to skip work today?”

“I took a day off today.” Zhou Qingbo said, “I sent you a WeChat message this morning.”

Zhou Cangshan was momentarily stumped, belatedly recalling the vague and uninformative WeChat message from earlier in the morning. He furrowed his brows.

Zhou Cangshan said discontentedly, “At this time of the year, what kind of last-minute leave are you taking? And without even giving a reason—were you out drinking again last night?”

During the morning rush hour, the airport was bustling with people. Zhou Qingbo stopped in his tracks, sidestepped a passerby, and then, making do with the situation, picked a more secluded spot. He replied, “No.”

“Brother, I’m at Jiangbei Airport right now. I’m preparing to go to the disaster stricken area and volunteer for relief work.” Zhou Qingbo said, “Since you called, I remembered you have investment projects over here. Please find some people to gather relief supplies and bring them to the disaster stricken area with me.”

Zhou Qingbo’s tone was calm and composed. However, Zhou Cangshan was startled by his words. He abruptly stood up from his office chair and incredulously asked, “What did you say?”

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At that moment, the airport terminal broadcasted a boarding reminder. Zhou Qingbo knew that Zhou Cangshan could hear it on the other end of the phone, so he pressed his lips together and didn’t offer any further explanation.

“What made you suddenly go there? Are you looking for trouble?” Zhou Cangshan’s anxiety grew, and he hurriedly said, “Come back immediately.”

“I’m not causing trouble.” Zhou Qingbo replied calmly, “Pei You is also there, I’m going to find him.”

Upon hearing the name “Pei You,” Zhou Cangshan was momentarily perplexed, not fully understanding the connection between the two.

It was Zhou Qingbo who showed an unusual firmness. He didn’t wait for Zhou Cangshan’s response and continued, “Brother, hurry up and prepare the supplies. After everything is ready, tell the driver to wait for me at the highway exit.”

Zhou Qingbo was skilled at “reading the situation.” Throughout his life, he had always been wary of his older brother’s reactions. He rarely acted recklessly in front of Zhou Cangshan, which made this instance of assertiveness even more unusual, leaving Zhou Cangshan slightly stunned.

“What if I don’t agree?” Zhou Cangshan gritted his teeth and said, “Don’t think that just because—”

He wanted to assert his authority as the elder brother, but before he could finish his sentence, the call got disconnected, leaving only a series of beeping sounds.

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Zhou Cangshan remained silent for a moment, widened his eyes, and stared at his phone in disbelief for a while. Then, he put down the phone with frustration and couldn’t help muttering, “little rascal.”

“Don’t be angry.” Jiang Man, who had been on the sofa, set aside her newspaper and asked, “what did he say exactly?”

“He said he has a friend there.” Zhou Cangshan finally grasped the situation and furrowed his brows. He placed his phone back on the table and continued, “…He’s probably going to find him.”

“Is that friend named Pei?” Jiang Man asked.

“Yes.” Zhou Cangshan was surprised, “How did you know?”

“Because I have special powers.” Jiang Man said, half-jokingly, “I can read the situation.”

Growing up together, Jiang Man understood Zhou Qingbo’s personality well. He was unpredictable and disliked trouble. Despite having a wide social circle, in reality, it could only accommodate a handful of people. If he was willing to risk and run to the disaster area without considering the consequences, it was clear that the friend was not an ordinary one.

Jiang Man folded her newspaper and suddenly remembered the scene when she saw the two of them in Weinan City before.

At that time, Zhou Qingbo had been drinking and got into a fight. He looked tired and messed up. Pei You had embraced him in his arms, and Zhou Qingbo was sleeping soundly.

When Jiang Man entered the room, Pei You was covering Zhou Qingbo with his coat. The unfamiliar scent made the sleeping Zhou Qingbo somewhat uneasy. Subconsciously, he furrowed his brows. In response, Pei You lowered his head slightly and gently patted the coat on the outside.

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After a few minutes, Zhou Qingbo fell back asleep, and Pei You didn’t retract his hand. He maintained that position, gazing attentively at Zhou Qingbo resting against his legs. His eyes were soft and tender, as if he were looking at a rare treasure. He didn’t even restrain himself when Jiang Man arrived.

Being experienced, Jiang Man understood what that gaze meant. Thus, before leaving Weinan, she had tried to pry into Zhou Qingbo’s feelings, but hadn’t gotten any answers.

Now, it seemed that this situation might not be one-sided.

“Don’t worry about it so much.” Jiang Man stood up, walked over to Zhou Cangshan, and patted his head. She said, “Qingbo is already a grown-up. He knows what he’s doing. Anyway, Qingshan was going to donate supplies, so let him make it easier.”

The pep talk with his sister had some effect. When Zhou Qingbo left the airport with his luggage, he received a text message from Zhou Cangshan. The cold, brief lines contained the driver’s contact information and the meeting point.

Looking at the list of supplies, Zhou Qingbo hailed a taxi to the highway exit and simultaneously dialed the contact information he had saved earlier.

Identifying himself as a volunteer from the local Blue Sky Rescue Team and carrying supplies, he was received with a certain degree of welcome.

With all the preparations completed, Zhou Qingbo boarded a large cargo truck to transport the supplies. He tossed his suitcase to the back and leaned against the seat, exhaling a long breath.

A few hours later, the urgency of the situation gradually faded. Sitting in the cargo truck, watching the scenery outside swiftly pass by, Zhou Qingbo slowly felt a sense of exhaustion from within.

The tasks that needed to be done were already completed. He had a brief moment of reflection. As a result, the emotions that had been temporarily restrained during the emergency situation began to awaken, bringing forth a vague and indistinct feeling of bitterness.

That jinx really has a knack, Zhou Qingbo suddenly thought. The previous day, he had been lying in bed at home, pondering whether he should continue further with Pei You in the future. Today, an “accident” dropped from the sky and struck him on the head.

With an expressionless face, Zhou Qingbo rested his chin on his hand and looked out the window. For some reason, he began to feel unusually calm.

He suddenly realized that all the concerns he had been struggling with before seemed unnecessary. This was because just a few hours ago, when he was genuinely faced with the possibility of “losing Pei You,” he had realized that he simply couldn’t accept that outcome.

Zhou Qingbo had considered that he might not be the most suitable person for Pei You, and perhaps not his best choice either. However, just a few hours ago, when he faced the “unexpected” situation head-on, he suddenly realized that besides himself, he would never feel at ease entrusting Pei You to anyone else.

Whether it was more professional rescuers or potential “better options’ ‘ in the future, in Zhou Qingbo’s eyes, they were not better than him for Pei You.

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He might lack the expertise of rescue personnel, and he might not have the drive or ambition for “better options,” but he definitely valued Pei You more and cherished him deeply.

“I truly like him,” Zhou Qingbo thought aimlessly. “Aside from his parents, I don’t think anyone else could like him more than I do.”

This concept somewhat injected a dose of confidence into Zhou Qingbo’s previously anxious thoughts. He finally broke free from his overthinking and regained his self-assuredness.

His scattered gaze reconverged into focus, and his wandering thoughts regained clarity. Finally, after a long time, he set foot on solid ground again. There was a subtle change in his demeanor, and he felt more grounded.

“To hell with it,” Zhou Qingbo clenched his teeth and muttered a curse under his breath. He thought, whether Pei You’s life turned out good or bad, he could only be with him; no one else could replace that.

The missing piece in his heart was silently filled, and even the last trace of emotion fell into its rightful place. Zhou Qingbo took a deep breath and unconsciously rubbed his chest, feeling a sense of relief.

“You little scoundrel,” Zhou Qingbo gritted his teeth and dialed Pei You’s number, cursing inwardly. He thought that they had promised not to lose contact or ghost each other, but Pei You had disappeared in the blink of an eye, causing him so much anxiety.

Zhou Qingbo knew he couldn’t blame Pei You for this situation, but emotionally he needed to vent to someone. He was used to acting spoiled with Pei You, so he subconsciously placed the blame on him.

The first call timed out and disconnected automatically. Immediately, Zhou Qingbo dialed again, but unfortunately, for some reason, Pei You’s phone not only didn’t connect but was turned off completely.

………………..

In Guangnan Town, Pei You furrowed his brows as he stared at his phone’s black screen. He tried shaking it and tapping it to see if it could be salvaged, but his efforts were in vain.

Pei You saw Zhou Qingbo’s call coming in, but due to the water damage, the touch screen was unresponsive. He struggled to answer the call but failed, helplessly watching as the call ended.

He wiped the wet screen with his damp sleeve and was about to make another attempt when he heard his name being called from not far behind.

“Pei You!” A person draped in a simple raincoat shouted loudly. “The village chief says all of you from the audit team should gather at the open space near the village entrance. We don’t know if there will be aftershocks, so it’s safer over there.”

“I understand,” Pei You replied.

Earthquakes were frequent in the southern province, and the early warning system were effective. They had received a series of warning messages on their phones over a minute before the earthquake struck. The local partners were also cooperative and experienced. They risked their lives to knock on doors at the inn and evacuate everyone, which prevented casualties.

Unfortunately, the rural area they were in had signal problems after the earthquake due to being in a valley. Whether they could communicate with the outside world depended on luck. Pei You wanted to let Zhou Qingbo know they were safe, but he couldn’t send out even a single WeChat message.

In the early morning hours, another heavy rain fell. Without rain gear, Pei You and his colleagues were soaked from head to toe. Their phones and electronic devices were ruined by water, and Pei You’s phone barely held on with its screen lit for a few hours. Unfortunately, it finally died after Zhou Qingbo’s last call.

Pei You sighed inwardly, organizing his colleagues to head to the open area while silently hoping that Zhou Qingbo wouldn’t be too anxious and would patiently wait for his message.