91: Chapter 91 Joint Disaster Relief

The two were busy with their own tasks, yet they could always catch a glimpse of each other in the crowd.

By evening, most of the villagers had been safely relocated. Xiao Bei stood outside the temporary command center tent, staring blankly at the mountains in the distance, when a cup of hot tea was suddenly handed to him. He turned his head and saw Su Yun's smiling face.

"Drink some tea to warm your stomach," Su Yun said. "You haven't really eaten anything all day, have you?"

Xiao Bei took the teacup, their fingers brushing lightly against the side of the cup. "Thank you," he said in a low voice. "Why haven't you gone back yet?"

"The report isn't finished yet," Su Yun said, looking toward the villagers being settled. "And... I was a little worried about you."

This sentence was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, stirring ripples in Xiao Bei's heart. He watched Su Yun's hair blowing in the evening breeze and suddenly said, "I'm staying in the village to be on duty tonight. You should go back to the town to stay; I'll have Secretary He Mingxuan arrange a place for you."

Su Yun shook her head. "No need. I've already applied to be embedded with the team, and I'll be staying with the other reporters at the temporary shelter in the village primary school."

"The conditions there are very poor..."

"If you can stay there, why can't I?" Su Yun raised an eyebrow, revealing the stubborn expression Xiao Bei was familiar with.

Xiao Bei smiled helplessly. "Alright, but contact me immediately if anything happens."

Night fell, and most of the village had lost power, with only a few scattered emergency lights left on. After inspecting the last shelter, Xiao Bei sat wearily on a large rock at the entrance of the village. His phone vibrated; it was a message from Su Yun: [Are you finished? I'm under the old locust tree at the village entrance.]

Xiao Bei looked up and sure enough, saw a blurry figure under the tree. He walked over quickly and found Su Yun looking up at the starry sky.

"It's so beautiful," Su Yun said softly. "You can't see this many stars in the city at all."

Xiao Bei stood beside her and also looked up at the starry sky. The night breeze brushed past, carrying the fresh scent of soil and vegetation. The two stood there quietly; neither spoke, yet they felt more at ease than ever before.

"Xiao Bei," Su Yun suddenly spoke up. "Why do you work so hard? You're clearly still running a fever..."

Xiao Bei was silent for a moment.

"I'm used to it. My father was an old policeman in our village. Since I was a child, I watched him neglect his family for the sake of his work. Once, he went to stake out a location while running a high fever and ended up fainting at the scene."

Su Yun turned to look at him. "So you're following in your father's footsteps?"

"No," Xiao Bei shook his head. "I'm trying to prove him wrong. Work is important, but people are also important. It's just..."

He gave a bitter smile. "Sometimes, you have no choice."

Su Yun lightly touched the back of his hand. "I understand. I'm the same way; I always put work first."

Their hands moved closer together in the darkness. There were no more words, but the silent understanding between them at that moment was worth more than a thousand words.

Just then, Xiao Bei's phone suddenly rang. He let go of Su Yun's hand and answered the call.

"What? Another new crack? I'll be there right away!"

Hanging up the phone, Xiao Bei looked at Su Yun apologetically.

"I have to go check the scene. You should go back and rest first."

But Su Yun had already picked up the interview bag she had placed to the side. "I'm going with you."

"It's too dangerous!"

"I am a reporter; reporting the truth is my responsibility." Su Yun's gaze was firm. "And... I don't want to worry about you anymore. It's better if I see for myself that you're safe."

Xiao Bei looked at her stubborn expression and finally nodded. "Alright, but you must follow instructions. If something seems wrong, evacuate immediately."

The two used flashlights and walked along the slippery mountain path toward the newly discovered crack. The night wind blew through the forest, making a rustling sound, and the occasional sound of falling rocks in the distance made one's heart race with fear.

When they arrived at the scene, several village officials were nervously observing the newly appeared crack. Xiao Bei crouched down to examine it carefully, his expression growing increasingly grave.

"The situation is more serious than imagined," he said, standing up. "We must expand the evacuation area. I will immediately request support from the county."

Just then, a slight tremor suddenly came from the ground. Xiao Bei's expression changed drastically.

"Run! The mountain is about to slide!"

Everyone immediately sprinted toward the safe zone. Xiao Bei grabbed Su Yun's hand and ran forward with all his might.

A rumbling roar came from behind them as the mountain began to slide on a large scale.

A flying rock grazed Xiao Bei's arm, and he let out a muffled groan, but he didn't stop running. Finally, they reached the safe zone. Looking back, the place where they had just been standing was already buried by soil and rocks.

"You're hurt!" Su Yun exclaimed, looking at Xiao Bei's bleeding arm.

Xiao Bei shook his head.

"Just a flesh wound, it's nothing." He took out his phone. "We must notify more people to evacuate immediately!"

Su Yun also took out her phone.

"I'm contacting the TV station immediately to do an emergency report!" In the chaos that followed, the two carried out their own duties, but their eyes always unconsciously searched for each other. By the time the first batch of rescue teams arrived, the sky was already beginning to brighten.

Xiao Bei stood at the temporary command center, looking at the hillside destroyed by the landslide, his brow furrowed. A cup of hot soy milk was handed to him. He turned his head and saw Su Yun's tired but still bright eyes.

"Drink something," Su Yun said. "You've been working for over twenty hours straight."

Xiao Bei took the soy milk; both of their hands were trembling slightly from exhaustion. "You too," he said softly. "Thank you... for staying here."

Su Yun smiled. "No need to thank me, this is my job, but..."

She hesitated for a moment. "I might not have stayed just for the job."

Xiao Bei's heart rate accelerated. Just as he was about to say something, a voice suddenly cut in:

"Secretary Xiao! Mayor Qin is here!"

The two turned their heads simultaneously and saw a group of people walking toward them. Leading them was Qin Ruoxi. Xiao Bei immediately straightened his clothes and went up to greet her.

"Mayor Qin, why did you come in person?"

Qin Ruoxi patted Xiao Bei on the shoulder.

"I heard the situation was serious, so I came to see for myself. You did a great job; you evacuated the masses in time and prevented casualties."

She glanced at Xiao Bei's injured arm. "Is it a bad injury? Do you need to go get it treated first?"

"It's fine, it's already been bandaged simply," Xiao Bei replied.

Qin Ruoxi nodded, her gaze shifting to Su Yun, who was standing to the side.

"Reporter Su Yun from the county TV station," Xiao Bei quickly introduced. "She arrived at the scene at the first opportunity to do a report..."

"I know." Mayor Qin interrupted Xiao Bei indifferently. "It seems Secretary Xiao isn't lacking people to look after him... It's just that the conditions here are so poor; I'm afraid someone as delicate as Reporter Su won't be able to handle it."