WS - Chapter 129
Chapter 129
That single cough was very soft.
Yu Nianbing instinctively looked up toward Song Shiyue.
Their eyes met across the space. The hem of the T-shirt Yu Nianbing had just lifted and the towel in her hand both dropped at once.
Poor Song Shiyue, whose consciousness had suddenly, inexplicably reconnected to her body. She was struggling to regulate her breathing when the towel landed squarely on her stomach, nearly knocking what little voluntary breath she had right out of her.
"@#$...&*..." Song Shiyue tried to ignore her fragile body, which could barely withstand even a falling towel, and poured all her strength into her mouth.
But weakness and thirst made it so that no matter how hard she tried, Song Shiyue could only produce a few muffled, indistinct breathy sounds.
By now, after the initial shock, Yu Nianbing was almost trembling as she quickly unclipped the water bottle from her waist.
"Here, here, don't rush, don't rush..." Yu Nianbing held the water bottle in one hand while helping Song Shiyue up from the ground with the other, letting her lean against her shoulder. At the same time, as if realizing she was unconsciously speaking in repeated words, she bit the tip of her tongue before continuing, "Here, have some water first."
The mouth of the water bottle was aimed at Song Shiyue's lips.
Song Shiyue, who had been struggling to speak, paused for a moment and ultimately surrendered to the old saying that "sharpening the knife won't delay the chopping of wood."
The water in the bottle was still a little warm. Yu Nianbing fed it to her very carefully, a thin stream passing through Song Shiyue's mouth, finally easing some of the pain from forcing herself to speak earlier.
Yu Nianbing's body was very soft, yet she held herself so upright. Leaning against her was both comfortable and somewhat reassuring.
In this silent, quiet atmosphere of being fed water, most of the anxiety Song Shiyue had felt upon first waking gradually dispersed.
The water bottle was full, but Yu Nianbing did not dare to feed her too much. When Song Shiyue had drunk about a third, she moved the bottle away.
She still wanted more...
Song Shiyue's eyes were full of longing.
"Wait a little while before drinking more. I'll go get you a boxed meal to eat, and then call Doctor Ni over to check on you," Yu Nianbing said, the back of her hand gently wiping away a droplet of water that had escaped when she pulled the bottle away. Just as she was about to stand, she realized belatedly and asked, "How are you now? Does your body feel okay? Are you very weak? Why aren't you moving?"
Song Shiyue's awakening had filled Yu Nianbing with great joy. So much joy and chaos that only now, after feeding her so much water, did she realize that something still seemed off with Song Shiyue.
"%#$..." Because of that gentle action, Song Shiyue suddenly remembered something and once again spoke in desperation.
Unfortunately, the water she had just drunk was not yet enough or moistening enough, and the breathy, garbled words were still too light and unclear.
Yu Nianbing instinctively leaned her ear closer.
Song Shiyue had a subtle, ominous premonition and spoke even more urgently.
"What is it?" Yu Nianbing could only vaguely discern that Song Shiyue seemed to be repeating three words over and over.
One seemed to be "don't" or "stop"?
But Yu Nianbing's puzzlement could not be answered at this moment.
Almost at the same moment she asked, she felt a weight on her shoulder.
Yu Nianbing's heart tightened; she immediately reached out to straighten Song Shiyue's head and saw that the person was actually...
Trembling, she extended a finger. A steady, warm breath struck her fingertip.
She had actually... fallen asleep again...
In Yu Nianbing's heart, it was as if a seasoning factory had exploded, a hundred flavors scattered across the ground.
Great joy and great sorrow, great rises and great falls—the StarNet audience accompanied Yu Nianbing every step of the way...
"So, was my Sister Song just now... was she waking up or was it the... no, don't jinx it!"
"Don't jinx it! She obviously woke up and fell back asleep! Didn't Feng Qianqian also fall right asleep after taking her medicine!"
"It's good that she can wake up. After some rest she'll get better! Wiping away the bitter tears that have been flowing for over a day!"
"To be honest it's been over a day. Can we even wait for a medical expert to analyze Sister Song's condition..."
"No matter what, distant water can't put out a nearby fire. Fortunately, both have woken up now. I think after carrying them for a whole day, getting those people to continue hauling them along tomorrow won't be easy."
"I hope this hacker master's livestream platform can see the public's opinions. Start a crowdfunding first, otherwise by the time they return, I'm afraid Yu Nianbing and Mu Xingzhou will both be bankrupt."
"Sigh... I'm just afraid that ten million has already stuffed them full, and after this money might not be enough to push them further."
"If they don't leave, they don't leave. There's water and jerky. Once my Sister Song recovers, you never know who'll be begging whom with tears!"
"Friend above, what you said isn't wrong, but the problem is your Sister Song is still relying on others to feed her water and jerky. If no one stays to take care of her, I'm afraid it'll be very tough too."
"...I thought everyone tacitly agreed that Yu Nianbing would stay. Am I the only one who thinks this way?"
"Of course you're not the only one. Although as a Little Ice Bucket my feelings are very mixed, I think... Little Ice Block probably won't abandon Song Shiyue..."
"I'm not a Little Ice Bucket, but I respect any choice Yu Nianbing makes. After all... it's a matter of life and death. Judging from Song Shiyue's current condition, the survival rate if she stays isn't high."
"It's hard to say, I can't say. In the face of such disaster and survival, ah... although it's very tangled, we still have to try hard not to engage in moral blackmail."
"Let's talk about something else. I've seen through it: whenever the Mosaic on this new livestream page starts glitching, it means they're about to do something big..."
"Last time it glitched was when Song Shiyue was unbuckling her belt, hahaha. This new page seems smarter than the old one. As soon as it realized they weren't really about to solve personal problems, it immediately removed the Mosaic."
"The thing the CP fans have been clamoring for for so long has finally been resolved. As a result, this might already be the last night we get to eat sweets..."
"No! I believe Yu Nianbing won't leave Song Shiyue alone tomorrow."
"...Sigh, didn't we agree not to engage in moral blackmail? Tonight let's set aside what comes after for now and just earnestly cherish a bite of sweetness, isn't that better..."
...
The viewers on StarNet sighed over how Song Shiyue's brief awakening still likely couldn't change the overall misfortune of her timing, and they hoped that at least one person, Yu Nianbing, would stay with the group, giving Song Shiyue—and themselves—a miracle. But when their fingers rested on their StarNet screens, the words they typed were lines advising others, and also themselves, not to hold too much hope.
In a lifetime, how many times will one be disappointed by the human heart.
And from what point on did one become unable to simply cast aside all caution and trust purely based on feeling with sincere faith...
And is there anyone still worth them throwing all caution to the wind and staking their very lives on.
Yet whether it was the joy that had just arisen in Yu Nianbing only to be instantly crushed, or the cautious, self-restrained hopes of the StarNet audience, at this moment the dazed and regretful Song Shiyue could hardly spare the mind to imagine them.
Yes.
Dazed, and regretful.
Over the past day or so, although Song Shiyue could still feel what her body felt, her consciousness and body had clearly become two separate parts that no longer merged.
And just now, the sudden merging of consciousness and body, followed shortly by their separation again, had not, strictly speaking, been something dominated by Song Shiyue's consciousness.
Yet, whether it was swift in coming or swift in going, at least that brief moment of clarity—as if her whole body was paralyzed with only her head able to weakly move a little—made Song Shiyue realize that the current situation was not the only path of waiting for ruin and bidding farewell to this new world.
So... there was still hope.
But why... had she suddenly woken up?
With only consciousness, thinking was actually easier.
But no matter how Song Shiyue thought, she could only pinpoint the trigger to the moment she heard the sound of water being wrung from a towel, felt Yu Nianbing unfastening her clothes, and guessed what Yu Nianbing was about to do...
But could simply being anxious make her wake up?
Of course... not...
Very quickly, Yu Nianbing's actions showed Song Shiyue that she had guessed wrong.
Song Shiyue's brief awakening had sent Yu Nianbing's emotions soaring and plummeting.
Yu Nianbing thought for a moment, tried tickling Song Shiyue's waist, then hardened her heart and pinched Song Shiyue's arm hard, but Song Shiyue showed no reaction, as if she had become a vegetable again.
Fine...
The plans that had been thrown into chaos because of Song Shiyue's awakening now fell back into place.
But no matter what, Song Shiyue's brief awakening had still given Yu Nianbing a shot in the arm.
At least it proved that Song Shiyue really could come back.
But... what were the two words she had tried so hard to say?
As Yu Nianbing added some fresh hot water to the basin and re-soaked the towel in it, she pondered.
Something she tried so hard to say must have been very important, right? The next time she wakes up, I must be even more attentive to figure it out, Yu Nianbing thought to herself.
The warm, half-dry towel was placed on her face, gently wiping again and again, and then it was wrung out once more and placed back.
The comfort transmitted by her body made Song Shiyue's consciousness unable to resist a soft sigh of ease.
Only...
Cheeks, neck, and then all the way down...
Song Shiyue knew Yu Nianbing was a meticulous person, but she hadn't known she could be this meticulous.
If consciousness had a color, right now it would have already gone from pink to an explosive red.
After the most difficult front part was finished, she was turned on her side, and her back was wiped down—the color of her consciousness finally stopped at explosive red for a while.
Then, after the towel dropped into the water basin with a splash, came the sound of footsteps carrying the basin away.
Having been turned back onto her back, Song Shiyue's consciousness felt a bit hollow from being wiped clean.
By all rights, while Yu Nianbing had been doing this, Song Shiyue had already been just as anxious as before she had woken up, and when the towel reached certain places, that urgent desire to stop her had far surpassed everything she had felt before.
However... she did not manage to wake up again as she wished.
Fish on the chopping board, so obedient, its scales polished so bright, not even those tiny raised spots neglected, each one carefully wiped...
Yu Nianbing was a good cook, in every sense of the word.
Then, being a good cook, how could she stop after only processing half of an ingredient?
The footsteps from afar to near sounded so familiar, even the heavy degree was just like before, when she had carried that large basin of water away!
If consciousness were a cat, then Song Shiyue's right now would probably be a poor little kitten with its fur all bristled and so red it was about to catch fire...
Wake! Up!!
Her consciousness struggled with all its might, desperate enough to summon the forces of the universe and the primordial chaos...
After more than ten minutes...
Mm... under the good cook's meticulous care, she was now a fish with gleaming scales, every fold fresh and clean...
"Don't wash me!"
This was what Song Shiyue, during that brief moment of clarity, had tried over and over to say, wanting Yu Nianbing to hear...
She failed.
After it was all over, Song Shiyue's consciousness was already smoking.
To summarize in a somewhat dejected way... at least at this moment, just thinking about having to face Yu Nianbing after waking up made Song Shiyue's will to wake up become negative...
Yu Nianbing did not hide the news that Song Shiyue had also briefly woken up once. Very quickly, the word spread from Ning Chuyang and the others who were close to Yu Nianbing to the entire group.
However, with only Yu Nianbing as a witness, whether Song Shiyue had really been conscious became a matter of personal opinion.
In the dark woods, late at night, Zhao Da and Zhao Er had slipped out on the pretext of patrolling the camp perimeter for safety.
Patrolling could certainly be done along the way, but the most important part was this chance to speak alone.
Zhao Er could hardly wait until they were in private before blurting out the information he had learned: "When you were in the latrine just now, Director Zhang secretly came to find me. His intention, along with Wang Daming and Captain Yang, is to not bring those two along tomorrow. They wanted to know what we thought, whether we still insist on carrying them."
"What did you say?" Zhao Da walked with steady steps.
"I said I'd discuss it with you first. Then he talked quite a bit, calculating walking speed and food supplies. Anyway, his meaning was that if we kept carrying those two, it might take two or three days to reach the next camp. High load and going hungry for two days simply isn't realistic." Zhao Er let out a scoff. "Guess what I said then?"
"You said his estimate was too optimistic. If the obstacle segments the production team set up later have problems, it's very possible the distance between camps could take more than three days." Zhao Da laughed. "Right?"
"Hahaha, yes, that's exactly what I told him. You should've seen it—Director Zhang's face turned white." Zhao Er laughed happily but couldn't help sighing. "Actually, Feng Qianqian aside, we at least owe Song Shiyue a favor. If they could be a bit more united and we all pitched in, just carrying Song Shiyue alone wouldn't need us to be as careful as with Feng Qianqian, and it's not completely impossible to take her along."
Zhao Er was still thinking too simply.
When Yu Nianbing had revealed that Song Shiyue was unconscious and couldn't wake up this morning, Zhao Da had actually felt that heaven was helping him.
If Song Shiyue had still been as lively and capable as before, and so willing to help others, that would have been a bit troublesome for their mission.
Thankfully, before he could figure out how to deal with this trouble, the trouble fell down on its own.
And now, Director Zhang and the others were even more selfish and less persistent than he had imagined. Discarding two burdens at once was actually quite good.
"We should still do our own things well. I observed this afternoon that Mu Xingzhou had it pretty rough today too. If Director Zhang and the others kick up a fuss tomorrow, there's a high chance Mu Xingzhou will follow us." Zhao Da didn't refute Zhao Er's words, but those sentiments were rather meaningless anyway.
Zhao Er had never harbored any deep desire to repay the favor, so the topic naturally shifted: "That high chance means there's still a chance he won't come with us... Besides, Feng Qianqian woke up once today; might that make him even more inclined to stay?"
"Can't rule out an effect, but I think..." Zhao Da paused, looked toward the vast darkness beyond the reach of the flashlight, and sighed lightly, "I think he will leave."
Zhao Er didn't know where Zhao Da got his confidence, but his brain was indeed inferior to his brother's. Since Zhao Da said so, he went along with the thought: "Then it'd be the same as leaving the two immobilized ones behind... Ni Jinghe was saved by Feng Qianqian, and she's been very attentive to her these two days, she probably won't leave either. Yu Nianbing spent so much money, it feels like she won't leave Song Shiyue either..."
"Ni Jinghe, Yu Nianbing, or Ning Chuyang and Zhuang Jiachuan who have been leaning toward them these past two days—whoever stays among them, just one staying will already relieve those who leave of that small sliver of psychological burden." Zhao Da's gaze never left the distant darkness, "Including Mu Xingzhou's."
"One staying is enough. It's best if Yu Nianbing and Zhuang Jiachuan come with us. They have many fans, and it'll be good for us once we get out." Zhao Er tried hard to crunch the numbers. "Besides, where would those people get any psychological burden? They're all specially selected selfish people; it would be normal if all of them left. Only Yu Nianbing and Song Shiyue's files are somehow weird, like they were filled out randomly."
"Alright, no matter what, just bring Mu Xingzhou along. In just over half a day's walk we'll reach the original river-crossing segment; we'll make our move there." Zhao Da pulled Zhao Er along, the flashlight beam pointing toward the path back.
Before Zhao Da and Zhao Er reached the camp, they heard the dog barking and Wang Daming scolding the dog.
"There's no food, stop barking, or I'll eat you right now." Wang Daming held a branch he'd picked up from who-knows-where and viciously swatted the dog a few times.
The dog whimpered a few times and actually yielded just like that.
The conflict between man and dog started simply and ended quickly.
Many who were still awake in their tents heard it.
But some simply didn't have time to come out, and others... didn't care at all.
"Even that dog has more sense than him." Zhao Er muttered under his breath, but Zhao Da lightly patted his arm.
"Forget it, we're not here to correct their moral compass." Zhao Da lowered his voice a little. "Don't look down on someone like Wang Daming. As soon as we reached camp tonight, he went and stuffed the rice and flour originally meant for the guests into his clothes. Now it seems he's also taken the dog food prepared for the camp's dog. Don't underestimate such a petty person with such strong survival instincts."
In the face of survival, everyone displays extraordinary potential.
And after today...
Who would stay.
Who would leave.
On Wilderness Planet, apart from Feng Qianqian who was truly unconscious, everyone was calculating in their hearts.
And the people outside Wilderness Planet were the same.
It seemed that everyone had their own calculations well planned, and some were even thinking about how to feel out others' plans to help them along.
But no matter how well people plan, how can it compare to the plans of heaven?
Late at night, a sudden downpour instantly extinguished the campfire.
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