A little while later, Teacher Ye Qingcheng began to tell a story on her own, I wasn't sure if she was telling it to me or reminiscing about the good old days. I listened quietly. Tang Yi fell asleep in my arms, and the story seemed to blow away the darkness here, which scattered like soap bubbles, revealing a calm and serene sea surface.
At that time, Li Jiu had confirmed his cancer and went to a certain island in Europe for treatment. Duan Dongyang found a German liver specialist, who was very famous internationally and had won awards. His team was secretly invited to the island. After confirming the medical facilities that Duan Dongyang had built on the island, they decided to perform surgery on Li Jiu there.
At that time, Ye Qingcheng didn't know about the relationship between Li Jiu and Cao Shi. She thought that the secret treatment was to avoid her old rival, Cao Shi. So, she went to the island with Li Jiu to take care of his daily life.
Ye Qingcheng sat in the speedboat, trying to keep her expression calm. In reality, her stomach was churning. She kept thinking that the inventor of the speedboat must not have been human.
"Xiao Yezi, are you feeling a bit unwell?" Li Jiu asked gently.
Li Jiu had been too busy, and Ye Qingcheng hadn't had a conversation with him for a long time. At this moment, Li Jiu seemed to have returned to his former professor state, gentle and meticulous.
"Mmm!" Ye Qingcheng replied softly. Perhaps it was a feeling in her heart, but after Teacher Li Jiu asked, her stomach didn't feel so uneasy.
"Slow down the speed," Li Jiu said to the speedboat driver.
"That won't do. We need to get there early today. The sooner the physical examination, the sooner the surgery can be performed."
"You're already sick, there's no need to rush."
Ye Qingcheng watched the speedboat slow down and felt both warm and pained. She was warmed because the speed was reduced due to her discomfort, and pained because she had simply gone to Yunnan, yet inexplicably contracted a serious illness.
"Teacher Li Jiu, your illness was caused by someone, wasn't it? Why didn't you say what happened after you went to Yunnan? What exactly is there? Your illness worsened day by day in the years after you returned."
Li Jiu smiled slightly. "The weather is really nice today, and the scenery is beautiful. I haven't had such a mood for a long time. Can you get my drawing board?"
Ye Qingcheng brought the drawing board over and handed it to Li Jiu, then said, "This time I'm accompanying you as the mistress of the house. You can paint, but not for more than half an hour."
"You can tell me what to paint, but you can't be my other half."
"That's not fair. Why not? It's been so many years since Gao Xiaojuan died."
"Saying that means you still don't understand emotions enough. You're still young."
Hearing Li Jiu say this, Ye Qingcheng shook her head helplessly, her eyes looking a bit dejected. She wanted to fight for something more, but seeing that Li Jiu had already started drawing, she stopped and gazed at him intently as he painted. She hadn't seen Li Jiu like this for years. When she first met Professor Li Jiu, he was spirited, sometimes gentle, and sometimes like a professor who would trick female classmates into bed. But no matter what Teacher Li Jiu was like, as long as he picked up his drawing board, he was the most handsome man in the world.
The speedboat driver was a little displeased that Li Jiu had stopped the speedboat just to paint, and urged, "Boss, I have other passengers to pick up."
Ye Qingcheng glared at the speedboat driver, her beautiful pupils filled with killing intent. "Shut up. Say one more word, and I'll throw you into the sea."
...
After Li Jiu finished painting, he handed it to Ye Qingcheng. Ye Qingcheng looked at the painting, bit her lip, her eyes gradually becoming sad. Finally, she took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Thank you!"
The sea and the sky were clearly distinct. On the sparkling sea, a lone boat drifted. Ye Qingcheng sat on that solitary boat, gazing into the distance.
...
When they arrived at the island, Ye Qingcheng took advantage of Li Jiu's physical examination to frame the painting with wood from the island and hang it by Li Jiu's bedside. When Li Jiu returned, he looked at it quietly for a while, then smiled and said, "It's really nice, just like home."
Li Jiu's surgery proceeded as scheduled. Ye Qingcheng took care of his daily life like a wife. Gradually, Li Jiu's complexion improved, and the famous German private doctor and his team left the island.
Only the cook, nurses, and some maintenance staff remained on the island. Li Jiu sat in a chair looking at the sea and said to Ye Qingcheng, "Your mission is complete, you should go back now."
Ye Qingcheng was struggling with a coconut, trying to get some coconut water for Li Jiu, and had made herself disheveled. When she heard Li Jiu say this, she stopped and remained silent for a long time before forcing a smile. "Okay."
...
On the day Ye Qingcheng packed up and prepared to leave the island, the months of calm were over, and the most violent storm arrived. Ye Qingcheng's gaze shifted from the speedboat to the half of the sky covered by dark clouds in the distance. The pouring rain was clearly visible, and the strong winds swept in before the rain. The speedboat by the sea was tossed by huge waves, crashing into the wind turbine on the beach. The metal roared, the speedboat exploded, and several bolts of lightning struck the tall coconut trees.
Ye Qingcheng returned to the dark room and shouted at the staff, "Take Teacher Li Jiu to a safe place."
The staff helped Li Jiu move towards the depths of the island. Ye Qingcheng stayed at the rear, instructing others to pack food and simple luggage. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the painting that had been hung by Teacher Li Jiu's bedside and quickly ran back.
Entering the house, in the dark environment, she located the painting with her blurry vision. But just as she reached out to touch it, the entire roof was blown off. The painting was ruthlessly torn to shreds, and Ye Qingcheng was also blown up by the strong wind, hitting the wall and then falling to the ground. She gasped for breath on the ground. The merciless rain arrived as expected, beating down on her. She crawled forward with great effort, stuffing the torn pieces of the painting into her embrace. There were more in the distance. Just as she was about to collect them, a hand grabbed her.
"Go!"
"No!"
It was Li Jiu who spoke. He was somewhat rough, taking out a rope and tying Ye Qingcheng and himself together without explanation. Then he shouted and walked back. On the way into the island, Ye Qingcheng realized her leg was injured, and she could barely move in the slipping rocks and mud.
"I can't walk anymore, Li Jiu. Don't worry about me."
Li Jiu, who had just had surgery, was very weak, but he found strength from somewhere. He half-dragged, half-carried her, stepping through the mud that threatened to swallow his feet, and moved forward with great difficulty. Fortunately, fate was not cruel, and they spotted a small cave, enough to shelter from the wind and rain.
Ye Qingcheng sat in the cave, soaking wet, looking at the weak Li Jiu, and said with shame, "I'm sorry, Teacher Li Jiu, I..."
Li Jiu looked at the shivering Ye Qingcheng, said nothing, but unreasonably pulled her into his arms. Ye Qingcheng didn't continue speaking. In this harsh environment, her smile was natural and beautiful.
The typhoon was fierce and lasted for a day and a night. But Ye Qingcheng wished that the storm would last forever. Ye Qingcheng woke up in Li Jiu's arms. She looked through the cave entrance and saw the clear sky outside. The air that came in from the cave entrance was also filled with the fresh scent of earth.
"Teacher Li Jiu, Teacher Li Jiu..."
Li Jiu's eyes were tightly closed, and his teeth were chattering. Ye Qingcheng touched his forehead and found he had a high fever. Gritting her teeth, she used a wooden stick and torn strips of cloth from her clothes to fix her injured leg, then carried Li Jiu on her back and stepped over the small puddles in front of the cave, walking towards the depths of the island step by step.
The ground was in a mess. Ye Qingcheng found water and some food in a bag. After Li Jiu ate, his spirits recovered somewhat. He said to Ye Qingcheng, "Let's rest!"
"No, only by finding the team can you be safe."
"Don't worry, this is a setup."
"A setup? What setup?"
Li Jiu smiled slightly. "The local meteorological bureau issued a forecast more than a month ago that there would be a typhoon here."
"You knew and didn't leave?"
"The end of scheming is metaphysics. I know my dead end is not here."
"What are you talking about?"
"Among those staff members, there are his people."
"Who is he?"
"Someone who has been hiding in the organization for years. If I'm not mistaken, he should be our senior brother Zhu Guang, who has been missing for many years."
Ye Qingcheng nodded and said with a smile, "Then let's not go. Let's rest for a while."
...
Ye Qingcheng found a sheltered, warm spot and laid Li Jiu flat on the ground. Then she placed Li Jiu's head on her lap and carefully combed his thinning hair, which was streaked with white.
"Should you sleep for a while?"
"Mmm!"
"Don't go back to the camp. Even you can't know who is the enemy hiding among us."
"Okay!" Ye Qingcheng acted as obedient as usual and even tried to force a smile. Then she naturally asked, "Did you know the storm was coming, so you told me to leave?"
"The storm came a little early."
"That's good!"
After an unknown amount of time, Li Jiu fell asleep. Ye Qingcheng, limping, walked alone towards the interior of the island.
She didn't know who among the staff and medical personnel were Zhu Guang's pawns. She didn't need to know. As long as everyone died, the hidden enemy would naturally disappear.