WS - Chapter 133

Chapter 133

From the pouring rain of the Wilderness forest, to a team that split the moment someone mentioned splitting, to teammates who gave up the moment someone mentioned giving up...

For Ning Chuyang, this day was destined to be a surreal, dreamlike one.

And late at night, Song Shiyue's second awakening was undoubtedly the most vivid stroke on this fantastic day.

The day before, Song Shiyue's reported brief moment of consciousness had been only in Yu Nianbing's account, with no one else witnessing it.

Quite a few people actually didn't believe Song Shiyue had ever been awake; most took that news as a story Yu Nianbing made up because she saw everyone was impatient about carrying two incapacitated people along.

Ning Chuyang was certainly willing to believe Yu Nianbing, but seeing it with her own eyes made her even more surprised and heartened.

However, Ning Chuyang hadn't expected that life's fantastical journey for her, this little kitty, would not end there.

"Um... does Song Shiyue look like she wants to say something?" Ning Chuyang murmured weakly as she followed Yu Nianbing's instructions, pouring hot water into a bowl of mixed grain porridge and stirring it.

The reason for her weak tone was that Yu Nianbing's current presence, dominating the entire room, was so strong that even interrupting felt unnerving.

"If there's anything to say, say it after eating," Yu Nianbing replied, and then, quick as lightning, she shoved another large bite into Song Shiyue's mouth the instant she swallowed.

Song Shiyue had already said everything she could say before she passed out. If she opened her mouth now, it would only be to ask about the team's current situation and then offer some advice that Yu Nianbing would absolutely never follow. Rather than waste time talking, it was better to get a few more bites in.

Compared to the ecstasy Yu Nianbing felt the previous night when Song Shiyue first woke, tonight's reawakening made her feel an inexplicable urgency.

That urgency was clear in her hand, which kept seizing the exact right moments to stuff porridge into Song Shiyue's mouth.

Ning Chuyang lowered her head to stir the porridge, unable to bear watching this scene that looked like live force-feeding.

That's right... force-feeding...

Back when Ning Chuyang was little, on an agricultural satellite planet in the Suiguang System, there was a farm with ducks that had a short time-to-market and were plump and tender. It was exposed on StarNet for using rather unfriendly force-feeding methods. There were videos, too. Ducks were lifted by the neck by the keeper, and then, with swift, fierce motions, they were stuffed...

Yeah... pretty much like Song Shiyue right now.

Completely focused on getting Song Shiyue to eat as quickly as possible, Yu Nianbing naturally had no idea where Ning Chuyang's imagination had wandered.

And in fact, while there was plenty of room for Ning Chuyang's imagination, the time for it was very brief.

When there was still one spoonful left in the small bowl of scallop and spare rib congee, Song Shiyue's head tilted... and she collapsed again.

Those three words... The ones she'd been thinking about obsessively, the words she'd vowed to say if heaven gave her one more chance... Once again, it wasn't happening.

The only silver lining was that Song Shiyue had just swallowed the porridge in her mouth before passing out; otherwise it would have been even more trouble.

"Yu... Teacher Yu..." Ning Chuyang's stirring hand froze, staring blankly as Song Shiyue's head dropped onto Yu Nianbing's chest.

"She's asleep again," Yu Nianbing put down the bowl, her cheeks slightly flushed. She moved Song Shiyue's head from her chest back onto her shoulder, then pinched her cheeks and chin to open her mouth and take a look. After closing it, she stroked Song Shiyue's back before laying her down again.

Ning Chuyang: "..." Forgive her frankness, but checking whether everything was swallowed and then stroking to make sure it went down to the stomach--that was a full-service force-feeding...

"I think... she was awake for about two minutes just now, don't you?" Yu Nianbing looked at Ning Chuyang.

Ning Chuyang thought back. "A little over two minutes, less than three, I'd say..."

Both times Song Shiyue had come to, Yu Nianbing had been flustered and had no timer, but by her sense, the previous time had been only about a minute. Compared to this time's over two minutes, the improvement was obvious.

And it wasn't just the time.

The day before, Song Shiyue's swallowing when drinking water had seemed weak, but today she was able to chew meat and eat porridge, chewing happily and eating quite quickly.

Yu Nianbing felt this meant Song Shiyue was getting better.

Others might not have noticed, or might have forgotten. But Yu Nianbing had always remembered how, the day of the Yaoxing Storm, Song Shiyue had finished off a whole box of flavorless beef fat all by herself, and how, while urgently clearing the rock pile, she'd still managed to eat a few bites of water-soaked jerky.

Although she didn't know why, Yu Nianbing had a sense that Song Shiyue needed food.

Hopefully... the porridge she had drunk in those two or three minutes would make her next waking period a bit longer.

The thing Yu Nianbing was thinking of was exactly what was on Song Shiyue's mind.

Waking once could be called a brief rally...

But waking twice in two consecutive days had without a doubt reaffirmed Song Shiyue's hope.

A renewed will to live finally, for the moment, suppressed the embarrassment of having been thoroughly washed, over and over, for two nights.

But...

After being handled this way and that, from top to bottom, from outside to in... what Song Shiyue most wanted to say were the three words "Don't wash me." Yet the three words she most urgently needed to say were "You go too."

Song Shiyue had thought that if she were prepared and given another chance to wake, there'd be time to say six words at least. Even if Yu Nianbing wouldn't leave in the end, at least she could avoid being washed again.

Who would have thought... sigh...

Song Shiyue had hoped that Yu Nianbing would leave with those people.

Though she had woken twice, her body was still so weak that she couldn't move anything below her neck. Even if she sensed that maybe the water she had drunk the day before had brought a tiny bit of energy, that only meant she needed even more food to begin recovering.

Yes, to begin recovering.

After all... the hole in the balloon was still there.

The food, the opportunity, even the luck required--it was all too difficult.

Now, there was Yu Nianbing, who was clearly staying, Ning Chuyang, Zhuang Jiachuan, and possibly Mu Xingzhou and Ni Jinghe...

Facing danger, their strength was too little, and long-distance exploration would be hard. Once their current food ran out, getting new supplies would be extremely difficult.

Splitting into two teams, with the rear team carrying people and moving slowly, essentially meant giving up the supplies at each of the camps ahead. The odds of survival were too low. And if they added her, needing so much food... probably...

Song Shiyue wanted to live, especially now that she saw a glimmer of recovery, she truly wanted to live. But she wanted Yu Nianbing to live more.

But now thinking about it was useless; she hadn't managed to say a single word, and tomorrow the teams would split.

Compared to Song Shiyue's regret, Yu Nianbing, who hadn't wasted a single moment of Song Shiyue's waking time, was in a pretty good mood.

She waited a bit longer, until the sky started to lose a little of its blackness. Yu Nianbing set aside one bowl of sweet congee, then carried the remaining bowls, flashlight in hand, over to the thermal storage box. On her way back, seeing the campfire just a few steps away, she deliberately let out a soft "Ah!" and crouched down.

Guan Yongyi and Director Zhang, who were on night watch, raised their heads and saw Yu Nianbing not far off, squatting and clutching her ankle as if she had sprained it. They couldn't help but stand up and walk over.

At that very moment, behind them, Ning Chuyang, who had circled around to the back of Wang Daming's tent from another path, reached out, held the dog's mouth shut, and quickly untied the leash.

Not long after, beside the still-lying Song Shiyue, the two returned one after another and were successfully reunited.

"He's already gone. I buried the leash over on the other side, dug a hole with a Portable Toilet Kit," Ning Chuyang said in a voice so low she was practically whispering in Yu Nianbing's ear. "Hopefully they'll think the dog got free on its own and won't come looking for trouble with us, and just get lost."

Yu Nianbing wasn't very used to being so close to someone. She pulled back a little before answering, "The only person watching the dog is Wang Daming, and they're leaving early tomorrow morning. Wang Daming alone can't stir up much trouble."

Ning Chuyang nodded and let out a long breath, then glanced sheepishly at the cramped tent and said, feeling a bit slow on the uptake, "Well... I'll go then, I'll go back to sleep... I've been crowding you all for so long, you haven't been able to rest properly." Saying this, Ning Chuyang sighed and began to rise.

"Wait..." Yu Nianbing looked at the dejected Ning Chuyang, who resembled a forlorn large dog, and her heart softened. She reached out and pressed her down. "Daybreak is almost here anyway; just sit here a while."

Ning Chuyang: "..."

Yu Nianbing didn't say anything more.

A long moment later, it was Ning Chuyang who spoke weakly, "Teacher Yu, did you guess...?"

"Guess what? Guess why you don't want to go back?" Yu Nianbing sighed. "So who is it, or are they both leaving?"

"Probably... maybe... they... but who knows..." Ning Chuyang lowered her head and fiddled with the corner of her clothes. Even though it wasn't her fault, she still felt somewhat guilty.

Yu Nianbing gently patted Ning Chuyang's arm, purely as comfort.

Although they had been filming together, this was the first time Yu Nianbing had taken the initiative to get so close.

Warmed by the gesture, Ning Chuyang suddenly raised her head, and when she spoke again, her voice carried a spark of sudden realization. "Song Shiyue woke up again, which means she'll get better soon. If they knew, maybe they'd stay! After all, Song Shiyue saved all of us; since she has hope of recovery, everyone could carry her along for a few more days, right?"

Yu Nianbing pressed Ning Chuyang's arm again, but this time, it was to cut her off.

"No..." Yu Nianbing's tone was resolute. "Don't force anyone. In this situation, trying to forcibly tie split hearts back together, no matter the reason, is absolutely a bad idea."

"Why?" Ning Chuyang was full of confusion.

"Right now, with food and drink still available, they already see us as burdens. If later, because we're carrying the two of them, we run out of food and drink, what will they become then? The two sides are already severely unbalanced in strength. Forcing them to repay some debt of gratitude--I'm afraid then it won't be repaying kindness, but seeking revenge." Yu Nianbing spoke bluntly, then looked at Ning Chuyang seriously and added, "Getting this far with our help was already their limit. Now, if they leave tomorrow quietly, without making trouble, that will already be a good thing."

Ning Chuyang: "..."

No, it wasn't like that.

Ning Chuyang wanted to rebut, to say that people's hearts weren't that bad, to say that at least Mu Xingzhou and Ni Jinghe were still struggling...

But.

If things were already a struggle now, what about the even harder days ahead?

Ning Chuyang said nothing more. The glimmer that had suddenly appeared in her eyes dimmed bit by bit.

For this, Yu Nianbing could only silently apologize, but she had no regrets.

Life's road is long, with many choices.

And for most choices, there is no medicine for regret.

For example, those on Wilderness Planet who had decided to abandon the "burdens" and go ahead.

And for another example...

On Mingtan Prime, inside a detention center, Yao Yuxi leaned against the soft pillow on her bed. The trash can by the bed was already more than half full of discarded tissues.

Just as Yao Yuxi used another tissue, even the corners of her eyes were rubbed red when hurried footsteps came from a distance. Yao Yuxi instinctively turned off StarNet and slipped the unregistered StarNet client Luo San had gotten for her off her hand and into the soft pillow beneath her.

The person who came was one of Luo San's subordinates whom Yao Yuxi often saw. Panting, he quickly relayed the news of Old Master Mu's visit while unlocking the barred door.

"Hah, over two days, I still haven't seen my own lawyer, and here he comes," Yao Yuxi, at the height of her hatred for the Mu family, couldn't keep her resentment from spilling out when she heard Old Master Mu had come to see her.

"Director Luo has been trying his best, but there are still people above watching. This Mu family head spent a fortune, paying his way all along the line, so Director Luo had no choice. President Yao, just go see him. If it's too annoying, we'll show our face and leave--just consider it giving the boss a little face." Luo San's subordinate was naturally on Yao Yuxi's side. After opening the door, he added reassuringly, "Given the momentum on StarNet right now, your lawyer should be able to visit by tomorrow. And don't be afraid; the Mu family brought people, but we're all on your side here. We won't let you suffer."

Yao Yuxi's resentment had never been directed at them, so she naturally nodded and followed him out.

They went to a conference room. The moment they entered, there was a large conference table. On one side of it, behind a lone wheelchair, stood a full row of people.

As Yao Yuxi walked in, she noticed that on her side, there were also quite a few familiar faces standing. Recalling what the person who had brought her had said, there was nothing to fear.

In the wheelchair was the renowned head of the Mu Group on Mingtan Planet, the old man of the Mu family.

One was the head of Mu Group, the other the head of Yao Group--both were prominent figures in the top circles of Mingtan Prime's business world.

Although they were of different ages and had never directly cooperated, they had met many times at various family banquets.

Of course... this was the first time they had met in a detention center.

Old Master Mu wasted no time. He called someone from behind to ask a question, and after that person shook his head, he waved for the bodyguards behind him to leave the room.

The people originally standing on Yao Yuxi's side hesitated for a moment, then also withdrew.

The large conference room was left with only two people.

One sitting, one standing.

"It's already very late, so I'll use my age as an excuse and get straight to the point," said Old Master Mu, clearing his throat a few times and catching his breath before looking at Yao Yuxi and speaking again. "The newly opened livestream page--that was done by Yao Group Technology, wasn't it? Here's the deal: you shut down the livestream page and transfer the signal channel to me. As for that matter with the Aerospace Bureau, I'll see what I can do for you, President Yao."

"Heh..." Yao Yuxi leaned against the wall and laughed, her still-red eyes brimming with mockery, the sarcasm so thick it nearly filled the entire conference room.

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