Chapter 449: Protecting Each Other With Their Lives
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Mu Jingzhe tried knocking things around. Other than some dust, she couldn’t see anything.
“Is anyone there? Help!”
Mu Jingzhe tried to shout twice, but her voice was muffled and couldn’t be heard at all. Based on this, Mu Jingzhe deduced that they were buried quite deeply, and it was difficult for their voices to be heard outside.
Mu Jingzhe immediately gave up shouting for help to conserve her strength, but her shout woke Ji Buwang up.
“Jingzhe.”
“Ji Buwang, you’re awake. How do you feel? Are you in pain?”
“My head hurts a little. I’m fine. Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine, Ji Buwang. We’re trapped.”
“I know.” Ji Buwang really regretted this visit at that moment. He shouldn’t have brought Jingzhe there. If he hadn’t brought her, they wouldn’t have experienced an earthquake. There definitely wouldn’t have been an earthquake in his hometown.
It was all his fault for being too reluctant to be apart from Jingzhe and thus bringing her there and putting her in danger.
It was too late for regrets now. He could only think of ways to bring her back home safely. Ji Buwang pulled himself together and asked questions about the situation.
Mu Jingzhe told him what she had discovered. “I’m just afraid that there will be aftershocks. We have to find something sturdier to support this place.”
Where they were now, they could sit up.
Ji Buwang did as he was told. “Alright, let me take a look.” As he spoke, something in his hand glowed. Mu Jingzhe’s eyes lit up. “The pager! Why are you holding this? Quick, let’s ask for help!”
It didn’t feel good to be in the darkness. Upon seeing the light, Mu Jingzhe almost burst into tears of joy.
“I grabbed it while running.” Ji Buwang’s eyes darkened. “There’s no signal. I can only use it as a tool to light up the place.”
The hope in Mu Jingzhe’s eyes was snuffed out. That’s right. After an earthquake, electricity and communications were basically cut off. It was like that in modern times too, let alone now.
“It’s fine. It’s good enough that we can use it as a flashlight. It will be better if we have light.” Mu Jingzhe comforted him and realized there was something else in his hand. “You’re still holding the fan.”
“I probably held on to it while falling asleep, so…” Ji Buwang found joy in his misery. “If you get hot later, I’ll fan you again. ”
“Why would I need you to fan me at a time like this?” Mu Jingzhe frowned. “I wonder what grade the earthquake was. It was so scary.” She felt that the magnitude of the earthquake wouldn’t be low.
“I don’t know, but it’s fine. While I’m around, I’ll make sure you’re safe. I promised the kids that I would bring you back safely. Not even a single hair on your body will be missing.”
Ji Buwang carefully wiped the dust off Mu Jingzhe’s face.
“I’ve already lost some of the hair on my body. Let’s not talk about this. Don’t be so silly that you only try to protect me later. Let’s make things clear now. Protect yourself first and hug your head as quickly as possible. I can protect myself. Don’t just focus on protecting me and expose your head to danger.”
“Got it.” Ji Buwang agreed obediently.
“Alright, then our priority now is to get through this together.”
Under the faint light of the pager, Mu Jingzhe and Ji Buwang cleaned up the gravel around them and expanded their activity space. They also wanted to find some bricks to strengthen the support of the place.
However, shortly after they started cleaning up, they suddenly felt dizzy. A familiar feeling attacked them again—it was an aftershock.
“Jingzhe.” Ji Buwang protected her once more. Mu Jingzhe was stepping on the gravel, and this move wiped out everything.
“Why did you only remember to protect me? I told you to protect yourself.” Mu Jingzhe was furious.
“I know, I was wrong. I’ll protect myself now.” Ji Buwang obediently protected his head. Just as Mu Jingzhe heaved a sigh of relief, she felt another tremor. A second later, she heard a crack. The table supporting the closet actually broke.
Seeing that the closet was about to crash down on them, Mu Jingzhe quickly reached out to support it. In an instant, Mu Jingzhe’s hands cracked as an unprecedented weight pressed down on her.
Mu Jingzhe was almost crushed. Fortunately, she managed to hold on in the end.
“Jingzhe!” Ji Buwang shouted.
Mu Jingzhe also heard a muffled groan. “Ji Buwang, what’s wrong with you?”
“I’m fine.” Ji Buwang’s voice was heard. Without the light of the pager, she couldn’t see Ji Buwang, but his voice was still calm. “Jingzhe, are you holding up the closet?”
“Mm, the quality of this closet is quite good. I can hold on. We won’t die.” Mu Jingzhe tried her best to be calm, but a second later, the pager lit up. Mu Jingzhe’s expression, which was tense from exerting too much force, was instantly revealed.
“Don’t look at me. I don’t look good right now.” Mu Jingzhe closed her eyes and tried her best to revert to her usual expression.
Ji Buwang felt very upset when he heard that. “No, you’re the most good-looking right now.”
How could Jingzhe be ugly? He calmed down and raised his hands next to her. “Jingzhe, let go. I’ll help you lift it.”
“No need. To be honest, you can’t lift it. Only I can lift it, so don’t waste your energy and conserve your strength.” Even Mu Jingzhe felt that it was difficult to lift so much weight, so how could he lift it?
“Go look for something that can support it. We’ll be fine once it’s supported.”
Ji Buwang looked at Mu Jingzhe and finally gave up, but he didn’t move for a long time, making Mu Jingzhe look over strangely. “What’s wrong?”
“Jingzhe, my feet are pinned down.” Ji Buwang was taller than Mu Jingzhe. His feet had originally been under the table, but the table couldn’t hold the weight anymore and had collapsed. Even his feet were being pressed down.
“I won’t be able to pull my feet out for a while. That might affect my speed. I don’t know when I’ll be able to find support. It’s not an option for you to hold on like this. I mean, if you can’t take it, you can let go. I’ll lie on my side. My shoulders are much wider than yours. I’ll prop up the closet so you can let go.”
He would protect Mu Jingzhe.
Mu Jingzhe got anxious when she heard that his feet were being pressed down. She didn’t register anything he said after that. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? What wide shoulders? This closet can crush you. If you can’t move, don’t move. I can hold on. Have you forgotten that I’m as strong as an ox?”
Mu Jingzhe calmed down and asked, “Can you feel your feet? Are you being pressed down too hard? I can’t help you with my hands. They’re busy right now. If possible, you should slowly look around. Once this closet is propped up, I will free up my hands and help you remove the weight on your feet.”
Ji Buwang didn’t want to talk about his feet. “My feet are fine. They’re just pinned down. The most important thing now is you. It’s not good for you to keep holding on like this, so you should listen to me.”
“I can’t. Ji Buwang, don’t belittle me. I’m not joking when I say that I’m as strong as an ox. I’m fine. I can hold on.” Before Mu Jingzhe even finished speaking, Ji Buwang could already see her biting her lip under the light of the pager. It was clear to him that she was straining.
Ji Buwang was about to say something, but Mu Jingzhe said helplessly, “You’re looking at me again. Forget it. If I’m ugly, so be it.. Anyway, you shouldn’t mind that I’m ugly. Instead of nagging me so much, why don’t you kiss me to give me strength?”
