It fell from his fingertips

The rain suddenly intensified on the third night, and to make matters worse, the entire area lost power.

The next morning, the people of Tuanle Village could no longer hold on. A sudden flood had already poured into their houses, submerging their calves.

Tang Luoqing hurriedly packed all the drawings into a waterproof suitcase, holding the kitten, looking at the water outside that was almost as tall as a person, not knowing what to do.

Faintly, various sounds could be heard outside, as if everyone was starting to move outside.

Tang Luoqing carried a suitcase full of drawings and a cat carrier, comforting the somewhat bewildered little cat, Naitang, inside.

"It's okay, don't be afraid, I'll take you out."

Tang Luoqing took a deep breath and glanced back at the swing in the courtyard, which had been submerged to the point of being only a few corners, and the recliner next to the swing, whose outline was no longer visible. Her heart skipped a beat.

She bit her lip and began to slowly step out of the room.

However, because the water was too deep, even though Tang Luoqing had lived there for many years, she still slipped and fell into the water when she walked to the middle of the courtyard.

The water was too deep, instantly submerging Tang Luoqing's head. A sudden feeling of weightlessness and water pressure washed over her, and she panicked, trying to call for help. Just then, someone outside shouted...

"Run! The floodwaters have risen, the houses are collapsing, run!"

Tang Luoqing's mind gradually went blank, and the sounds outside became increasingly indistinct...

Suddenly, someone pulled her out of the water, and the person was shouting anxiously.

"Tang Luoqing, Tang Luoqing, wake up, wake up."

Tang Luoqing opened her eyes groggily, glanced at the scene, and vaguely seemed to see Zhou Jinbai's face. She then closed her eyes again, feeling utterly weak.

Just before she closed her eyes, it seemed like something was hurtling towards them. Tang Luoqing was extremely nervous, but her body couldn't hold on any longer, and she completely fainted.

At the same moment, it seemed as if something blocked her way, followed by a muffled groan from a man—Tang Luoqing's last memory.

When Tang Luoqing woke up again, she groggily opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling and a strong smell of disinfectant.

She felt something foreign on the back of her hand. She glanced down and saw it was an IV needle. Above it were the IV bag and syringe. She also felt something foreign in her other hand. Tang Luoqing turned her head and saw a man lying next to her, his hand still holding hers.

The other person was wearing a shirt, but it looked like there was gauze wrapped around a wound inside the shirt, and there was still some blood seeping out from the gauze. Upon closer inspection of the face, it turned out to be Zhou Jinbai.

Tang Luoqing suddenly remembered that before she fainted, it seemed that Zhou Jinbai suddenly appeared and rescued her from the water.

then……

It seems like something else fell down. Yes, Zhou Jinbai saved her?

Then she looked at the man sleeping beside her bed.

The man was pale, with dark circles under his eyes, and looked very tired and weak.

This was completely different from the cold and dignified man she remembered.

Tang Luoqing felt a pang of sadness, as if something was blocking her breathing.

At this moment, Zhou Jinbai woke up.

Seeing Tang Luoqing wake up, Zhou Jinbai's tense body relaxed.

He sat up straight, tightening his grip on Tang Luoqing's hand, and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Awake? Is anything bothering you?"

Tang Luoqing shook her head and looked at the hand that Zhou Jinbai was holding.

Zhou Jinbai followed Tang Luoqing's gaze and lowered his head, slowly releasing Tang Luoqing's hand.

"Feel sorry."

Tang Luoqing was at a loss for words.

He was the one who saved her, yet he was the one who apologized first.

A moment of silence fell over the surrounding area.

As Tang Luoqing's muddled mind gradually cleared, she felt a pang of panic and quickly asked, "By the way, my cat..."

"Naitang is alright, but she did drown. She's resting at the pet shop outside the hospital right now. We'll bring her back to you in a couple of days when she's feeling better. The artwork was salvaged too, thankfully your suitcase is waterproof."

Tang Luoqing breathed a sigh of relief and was even more grateful to Zhou Jinbai.

Unexpectedly, he even helped save the artwork.

Looking around the ward again, she realized it was a single room, and the entire large room contained only her and Zhou Jinbai.

"Yan Chen is still busy with a project in Haicheng. The project has entered a critical stage, so..."

"You don't need to say anything on his behalf."

Tang Luoqing interrupted Zhou Jinbai.

It was at this moment that she looked at Zhou Jinbai seriously: "Thank you for saving me. How did you... appear here?"

Tang Luoqing couldn't understand how Zhou Jinbai knew she was there.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jinbai looked at Tang Luoqing. Seeing that she seemed to want to sit up, he pressed a button by the bed. The upper part of the bed began to rise, reaching approximately 130 degrees. Zhou Jinbai released the button before slowly speaking.

"The company is currently inspecting several villages, hoping to develop cultural and creative resorts, and Tuanle Village is one of the villages we are considering."

Tang Luoqing was slightly taken aback.

She had overheard her neighbors mention this matter a few times, but she hadn't thought much of it, much less that the company coming to inspect was the Zhou Group, or that Zhou Jinbai himself was personally inspecting the company.

"They said there were still people in the house you were staying in, and they were worried that something might happen to you and that it would be too late for rescue, so..."

Zhou Jinbai stopped there and didn't continue.

But in fact, when Zhou Jinbai recalled the dangerous situation that day, he was still shaken.

He had just returned from a business trip abroad and drove directly to Tuanle Village, but unexpectedly, when he got near the county town, he could no longer drive his car in.

Zhou Jinbai had no choice but to walk there, repeatedly dialing Tang Luoqing's cell phone but unable to get through.

Zhou Jinbai was filled with regret at that moment, regretting that he should not have let Tang Luoqing live alone in Tuanle Village, and even more regretting that he should not have let Zhou Yanchen go to Haicheng.

Compared to Tang Luoqing's accident, he would rather she and Zhou Yanchen be together happily in Yujing Bay.

Thankfully, it's not too late.

"So that's how it is."

Tang Luoqing nodded, feeling very grateful: "Thank you, brother. If it weren't for you, I might..."

"Are you hungry? Shall we eat something first?"

Zhou Jinbai interrupted Tang Luoqing: "I had some porridge made, would you like some?"

Tang Luoqing was indeed a little hungry.

For the last two days, she barely ate anything.

However, she was too weak at the moment, and it was inconvenient to have an IV drip in one hand. Tang Luoqing watched as Zhou Jinbai held a bowl, scooped a spoonful of porridge and put it to her lips. She hesitated for a moment, then ate it.

Tang Luoqing ate more than half of the bowl of porridge, but couldn't eat anymore.

Zhou Jinbai packed his things away, turned around, walked to the table opposite the bed, and put them down.

Tang Luoqing saw the injury on Zhou Jinbai's back again. At the same time, his walking posture seemed fine, but it seemed... as if he was deliberately enduring something.

Her heart tightened, and she couldn't help but ask, "Your back... was it injured when you saved me? And what about your leg? Is it hurt?"

Zhou Jinbai paused in his steps.