No Ghosting Allowed

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“Pei You, what are you thinking about?”

Pei You was sitting in an open space far from the shelter, lost in thought. Hearing someone call him from behind, he was startled, instinctively turning around to see who it was. He realized it was a girl from his team.

“You’ve been lost in thought for a while. I called you, but you didn’t respond,” the young girl handed Pei You a bowl of hot water and said, “I thought you might have fallen asleep here.”

The rough edges of the plastic bowl cut her hand, but Pei You cradled the bowl in his hands, absentmindedly pressing against its side, trying to draw a bit of warmth from it.

“Nothing,” Pei You said. “Is there something you need from me?”

“I heard that several roads in the town have collapsed again. The town mayor is looking for volunteers to help clear the roads,” the girl said. “Since most of us are young adults, the village chief thought you might be willing to help. If you are, you can sign up at the shelter later.”

The town had a small population, and most of the young people had left for work elsewhere. The remaining population consisted of children or elderly residents. Even if you counted them on your fingers, the town wouldn’t be able to find a hundred or so able-bodied young men.

Pei You didn’t have any objections to helping out. Hearing this, he absentmindedly responded with an “okay,” saying that he would go there soon.

The young girl had expected him to agree, so she wasn’t surprised. She was about to leave to report back when she noticed that while Pei You had agreed, his soul seemed to have drifted elsewhere. He was still sitting there, cradling the bowl, lost in thought and staring at the sky, seemingly lost in contemplation.

Puzzled, the girl tilted her head and followed his gaze upward. All she saw were scattered specks of moonlight amidst the clouds.

She thought for a moment, then hesitated and turned back, gently pushing Pei You’s shoulder.

“Pei Ge?” the girl asked, “Thinking about Sister-in-law?”

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Since the last collective gossip session, Pei You’s “love life” had become a semi-public secret. This group of young people had no filter, and every time they mentioned Zhou Qingbo, it was a reference to “sister-in-law”. Pei You tried to stop them a couple of times, but he failed each time, he eventually just let them be.

However, he didn’t expect the girl to hit the nail on the head with his feelings. He glanced at her and hesitated before asking, “… Is it that obvious?”

“Yes,” she raised her chin a bit, gesturing towards his phone that he had been holding, and honestly said, “Very obvious.”

Pei You: “…”

“Don’t worry too much,” the girl sat down next to him and consoled, “Didn’t the mayor say that once the road ahead is cleared, we can go back?”

“I know.” Pei You rubbed the “brick” he had been holding in his hand, shook his head, and smiled helplessly, “It’s just that I promised him I’d come back earlier before this trip.”

During this time, every night when he closed his eyes, he could always dream of the scene from that early morning – Zhou Qingbo with his eyes slightly narrowed, exuding warmth from head to toe, extending an arm from the blanket, lightly and absentmindedly hooking his sleeve, creating a subtle sense of connection.

Sunlight poured onto the snowy white and soft bedding, tiny specks of dust floated in the air, and Zhou Qingbo smiled at him in this sunlight, exuding a natural and intimate aura in his voice.

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“Come back soon,” he said.

Pei You kept dreaming of this scene, as if his subconscious was reminding him not to break the promise.

“I wonder what he’s doing now,” Pei You mumbled to himself, “It’s been a few days, I don’t know if he’s still anxious and worried about me.”

……………………..

In the next few days, Zhou Qingbo had gone through three different rescue teams.

He didn’t linger in one place for too long. Once the rescue operations were finished in one area, he wouldn’t accompany the team to the next mission site; instead, he would leave the team and head to the next destination himself.

Initially, the team leader had thought of him as someone who might lose interest quickly, but after a few days of working together, he couldn’t help but respect him and admire his dedication.

So, before they parted ways, the kind team leader introduced Zhou Qingbo to the next team leader through their communication channels and spoke highly of him, giving him a friendly recommendation.

As Zhou Qingbo continued his journey, searching as he went, it was already a week later when he arrived in Guangnan County.

By the time he reached there, it was already nighttime. The reception personnel of the civilian rescue team picked him up from the expressway entrance. They were very welcoming and led him directly to the disaster relief camp.

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The camp was set up with several simple tents. Thick electrical wires crisscrossed the ground, and the whole camp was brightly lit. Young men and women dressed in rescue team uniforms moved back and forth, occasionally carrying wounded individuals from unknown locations.

“You’ve arrived at a busy time,” the personnel who received him said, finishing this sentence with a chuckle. He seemed to find his own words amusing and shook his head in resignation. He chuckled again, “Well, you know how it is these days. One person is being stretched into two.”

Zhou Qingbo stood by his side, tugging at the corner of his lips in agreement, without saying a word.

“I know you’re here to find someone,” the guy continued, “But you’re aware of the situation. We can’t spare hands to help you search individually. You’ll have to be vigilant yourself.”

“I understand,” Zhou Qingbo finally spoke, “Rest assured, I won’t cause you any trouble.”

He often interacted with the civilian rescue team, and those who were close knew each other. Zhou Qingbo had previously worked with two teams, and his reputation was decent. So, the person next to him naturally had a somewhat favorable impression of him.

“That’s good. But don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye out for you as well,” the man said as he led him to the tent entrance and patted his shoulder, offering some reassurance, “With how advanced information technology is these days, you’ll find them sooner or later.”

“Thanks for the good words,” Zhou Qingbo smiled, nodded at him, and then lifted the tent flap to enter.

Inside the military tent, electrical wires were strung up, and dangling light bulbs trembled faintly in the air. They provided enough light to illuminate the central area of the tent where a small office was set up.

A middle-aged man in uniform sat at a limp-legged desk, his chin supported by his hand. He looked up when he saw Zhou Qingbo entering and mustered a bit of energy. He stood up and shook Zhou Qingbo’s hand.

“Captain Wang,” Zhou Qingbo said, “Zhao Squad referred me.”

“Right, right, right, I know,” Wang Guang said, “Old Zhao told me about you. Don’t worry, our job responsibilities are quite similar. In a while, go find the deputy team leader and have him assign you to a team.”

Zhou Qingbo nodded, his gaze unintentionally drifting downward. Suddenly, he noticed a handwritten list on the desk. It contained a list of scarce supplies and several phone numbers.

“Is there a shortage of supplies?” Zhou Qingbo asked, “Do you need me to think of a solution?”

Since the disaster began, Qingshan Corporation had donated quite a few supplies, and Zhou Qingbo had also contributed a lot from his own pocket. Almost every time he arrived in a new place, he would bring something along.

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It wasn’t merely a matter of connections; Zhou Qingbo always considered that Pei You was heading to remote areas, where there was a shortage of rescue personnel and not as much influence as the main cities. What if they found Pei You, but the local supplies were not enough? What if he got injured and there were no tents or medicines available?

Zhou Qingbo was worried that his random thoughts might become reality, so he acted like a generous giver everywhere he went, fearing to appear empty-handed.

Considering the ongoing disaster, shortages were everywhere. Zhou Qingbo originally thought Wang Guang would readily agree, but he hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.

“Don’t bother,” he said, “Even if the supplies arrive now, we can’t transport them. The mountain road in Guangnan Town has collapsed, and it’s still impassable.”

In Zhou Qingbo’s heart, there was a gentle thud. This was his destination for this trip and also one of the locations on Pei You’s schedule. According to the schedule, if Pei You wasn’t in the previous towns, the high probability was that he was here.

“Collapsed?” Zhou Qingbo asked anxiously. “Is it serious? Are there any people buried?”

“It’s alright, you don’t need to worry,” Wang Guang reassured him. “No one was buried. The landslide happened in the middle of the night, and no one was on that road. We also had a communication with the town government there earlier. They said their town doesn’t have tall buildings, only a newly built residential area. So, the overall impact of the disaster is manageable, and there aren’t many critically injured. Besides, our fellow soldiers have already crossed the mountains and reached inside, so we don’t need to worry about the situation there.”

When Zhou Qingbo heard the words “critically injured,” he subconsciously tightened his heart, but with the latter half of the sentence, he managed to calm down.

“So the current situation is that as long as we clear the road, the rest will be manageable,” Wang Guang said. “The only issue is that this place is quite small, and our team doesn’t have enough manpower. We might need to work harder. But don’t worry, we heard that the town has organized a volunteer team to work with us. We won’t be doing this alone.”

“I understand,” Zhou Qingbo understood Wang Guang’s implication and volunteered, “Just assign me as you see fit.”

There were multiple points of landslides and many large equipment couldn’t be transported. They had to rely on manpower and small three-wheeled vehicles to gradually clear the debris and rocks on the road.

Pei You hadn’t done such physical labor in a long time, so he struggled to adapt. After spending a day and night working with the villagers, his arms were trembling from exhaustion.

On the second night, light rain fell on Guangnan Town, but fortunately, it wasn’t heavy. With the arrival of the rescue team, the road-clearing work progressed more smoothly than before, and they gradually opened up several bends.

“I heard that the rescue team is working on clearing the largest collapsed area,” the old village chief patted Pei You’s shoulder, his eyes and brows showing a touch of delight. “Once that part is cleared, our vehicles can pass, and supplies can be delivered as well.”

Pei You was taking a break and drinking water when he heard this. Upon hearing this, he put his cup down and stood up, taking a few steps towards the commotion.

The rescue team members were equipped with powerful flashlights on their foreheads. With their swift movements, the high-intensity light beams scattered through the air. Pei You squinted and followed along, intending to help by grabbing a rope. However, as he was about to bend down, his arm was suddenly grabbed.

He instinctively looked up and saw a middle-aged man holding onto his arm, a visible layer of delight apparent on his unfamiliar face.

Pei You: “…”

Who is this? Pei You wondered.

Before he could figure out anything, the man was stammering, pointing at him and saying, “Eh eh eh, you are—”

After saying “you are” for quite a while, he hadn’t continued his sentence. Pei You stared at him in confusion for a moment, ready to inquire about the situation. Suddenly, the man grabbed a young man in uniform from the side.

“Him him him!” The middle-aged man stammered like someone with a speech impediment, pointing at Pei You and then pointing towards the collapsed area. “isn’t he that—quick, go tell Xiao Zhou.”

He spoke incoherently, his words tangled, but Pei You keenly heard a key term from this sentence, something that left him uncertain.

Pei You was stunned for a moment, and an absurd thought surged in his mind.

He subconsciously thought it was unlikely, but he was oddly convinced, as if he knew in his gut that Zhou Qingbo was capable of doing something like this.

After a brief daze, Pei You suddenly stood up, shrugged off the middle-aged man’s hand, and turned to run towards the collapsed area. He was in such a hurry that he didn’t even say a word of apology to the man.

On the other side of the collapsed area, the second group of the rescue team was clearing debris off the road. Pei You stood on the dirt slope, and he immediately spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

Zhou Qingbo was standing on the edge of the cliff. He was wearing a set of spare rescue team uniform, covered in mud and looking far from his usual self. The dirt-covered marks were scattered all over his body, making him appear particularly shabby.

He had a headlamp hanging on his body, but a pair of distinctive narrow-framed sunglasses were perched on his nose. At a glance, he looked slimmer, lips pressed tight without a trace of a smile.

Pei You’s steps paused, and he unconsciously held his breath, feeling that the person in front of him was both familiar and strange.

The Zhou Qingbo in Pei You’s memory was delicate, lively, and passionate. Even if he was being lazy, he was always composed. Yet, the person before him was silent, standing on the outskirts of the crowd without saying a word, hidden in the shadows of the scattered beams of light, looking somewhat gloomy.

Bending over, Zhou Qingbo threw a tree stump into the three-wheeled vehicle behind him. Then, he instinctively wiped his forehead with his sleeve, leaving a clear mark of mud on his face.

Pei You held his breath, feeling as if something in his chest was suddenly overflowing, about to burst him apart.

Suddenly, he didn’t want to dwell on why Zhou Qingbo was here, nor did he want to expend mental energy contemplating the present situation. At this very moment, he just wanted to call Zhou Qingbo’s name.

“Qingbo.” Pei You called out, “Zhou Qingbo!”

Zhou Qingbo’s movements paused. At the first call, he thought he was hallucinating, until Pei You shouted his name a second time, then he reacted, suddenly turning around to look back.

The half-cut log in his hand dropped to the ground, splashing mud. Zhou Qingbo stared at Pei You for a moment, then suddenly took off his headlamp and sunglasses, striding towards Pei You with determination.

Pei You descended the slope in three or two steps. Before he could say a word to Zhou Qingbo, Zhou Qingbo rushed up without a word, tightly embracing him.

He held Pei You’s waist with one hand and his shoulder with the other, as if he wanted to envelop him entirely in his embrace, refusing to let go.

The abandoned headlamp by Zhou Qingbo’s side turned in circles, casting beams of light into the air, illuminating the fine raindrops falling from the sky.

With their skin touching, Pei You sensed Zhou Qingbo take a deep breath, and his chest heaved for a moment, as if forcibly suppressing a multitude of things that couldn’t be explained.

The next second, Pei You felt a slightly unfamiliar sensation on his shoulder – damp and warm.

The sense of fullness in Pei You’s chest intensified. He reached out, wrapping his arms around Zhou Qingbo’s back, and his eyes also reddened.

“I’m sorry,” Pei You spoke first, “It’s all my fault.”

He didn’t know exactly what he was apologizing for – after all, the earthquake wasn’t his fault, and the landslide wasn’t his fault either. However, he just wanted to say something to prevent Zhou Qingbo from feeling heartbroken again.

Zhou Qingbo took a deep breath at the words. He slightly loosened his grip, creating a bit of space between them, and stared at Pei You with a mix of resentment and adoration.

Before seeing Pei You, Zhou Qingbo had nearly focused all his energy on “important matters.” He didn’t have the mind to grieve or indulge in sentimentality, and he dared not let his thoughts wander. So, he almost forcibly ignored his emotions, suppressing everything.

But at this moment, upon seeing Pei You, all those vivid and rich emotions seemed to come back to life, overwhelming him with waves of regrets and hurt.

“You—” Zhou Qingbo’s chest heaved violently twice. He seemed to have a thousand words to say, but in the end, he only managed to choke out one sentence in a vicious tone, “I’ll get you a better phone next time!”

He spoke harshly, yet there was an imperceptible quiver of choking in his voice. Pei You trembled with sympathy, awkwardly embracing him, unsure of what to say to comfort him.

Zhou Qingbo had taught Pei You how to love and how to express himself, but he had never taught him how to comfort a crying version of himself.

So, Pei You had to figure it out himself. He used his dirty sleeve to wipe away Zhou Qingbo’s tears, then hugged him tightly.

Following that, he kissed Zhou Qingbo.