Because I Cannot Hurt You

Zhiyuan sucked in a mouthful of air and dived underwater. He kept a clear view ahead as he swam in the depths.

Xinyi... Xinyi, where are you? Please don't make me scared like that. Please you cannot leave me, Xinyi…Don't this to me.

He searched everywhere but he couldn't see her. He was running out of breath and just at that time, he saw her dress fluttering in the water at a distance. There he saw faintly floating.

Xinyi!

Zhiyuan swam faster and faster as he rowed his arms back and forth. As he finally reached her side, he quickly grabbed her in his arm and hung her on his shoulder. Without wasting any time, he swam upwards towards the surface, carrying her.

Zhiyuan climbed out and reached the shore. He gently put her down on the bedrock, their entire bodies dripping with water. 

"Xinyi. Xinyi?"

He held the back of her neck and placed her head on his thigh. He gently patted her cheeks. "Xinyi? Xinyi? Wake up. You can hear me, right? It's over. We are safe now."

Her body had turned cold and her temperature was dropping fast. Hypothermia was setting in. The color of her lips was fading away. There was a slight injury on her head too.

Calm. Calm. Stay calm, Zhiyuan, he reminded himself. You cannot lose your calm at this point. She needs you.

Zhiyuan steadied her body and quickly pressed her chest to force the water out of her lungs. Xinyi coughed hard as the water came out.

"Xinyi?"

Even after coughing out all the water, she didn't wake up. She was still unconscious.

Zhiyuan tightly hugged her. Tears slid down his cheeks as he chokingly laughed. "Xinyi. I am not joking. It's really over. I know it was scary, but we are safe now. So please...wake up already...look we have to head back to the camp. Everybody must be so worried, right? Siying must be crying by now. We cannot leave him like that, right?"

No response.

He shook her hard. "Xinyi, I am begging you, please wake up," he rubbed her cheeks continuously, trying to give some warmth to her cold body. He took out his coat and covered her body. Even if it was wet, he had no choice. That was better than leaving her shivering in the cold.

But even after so many attempts, she didn't wake up.

---

Back at the camp, the trip and fun had come to a complete halt with Xinyi and Caihong's disappearance. Not only that, Zhiyuan and Xiaosi were in danger too. There was no news about Xiaosi. He had suddenly sped off towards the forest as soon as Chyou came running to him. A few minutes before, Liang and Ah Cy themselves saw Zhiyuan jumping into the water.

When they hastily reached the spot, they found that it was a dead-end down there. They had flowed into the main lake, but it was a hell difficult task to reach there in this dense forest. The base of the waterfall was a dangerous and slippery place surrounded by trees.

Then from the locals, they came to know that the other part of the forest was a bandit's hideout. They illegally hunted for money and have trapped and killed many lost hikers and tourists, robbing them of their assets. If they jumped off to search for Caihong and Xiaosi without thinking, the bandits could attack them.

Right now, Liang knew that they had to start a rescue operation as soon as possible because even with the locals and the guides, the forest was too dense to search for their friends on their own. Though he had almost headed off on his own into the forest.

"Liang stop!" Ah Cy pulled his arm. "If we get lost down there too, then who will help Xinyi, Zhiyuan, Caihong and Xiaosi?"

Liang gritted his teeth in frustration. "My friend has jumped down into the waterfall! How can I stay calm? What about Xinyi? She doesn't know how to swim. Who knows if the bandits have already attacked Caihong and Xiaosi?"

Ah Cy pressed her brows. "I understand, Liang. I am afraid for them just like you. But we are not the experts here. We have to think about this very carefully. They are depending on us for help and we cannot get into trouble ourselves or else who will save them? We have to be practical here, not emotional."

Liang pursed his lips. "You are right…"

"We need an official team who is trained to go in such terrains and do rescue operations. Then we also need a medical team on board once we find them. They could be injured."

He took out his phone immediately and dialed some numbers. Within minutes, he arranged for the rescue and medical team to come as soon as possible.

One of the locals said, "Thank God the storm is two days later."

The other guides and locals nodded their heads in relief.

Liang frowned. "What storm?"

"There is going to be a storm here. This dense forest and the hills always attract many minor to major storms in this area. But thankfully, this one is two days later. Before that, your team would definitely find your friends."

"We will help them too!" They extended their help. "After all, we still know a lot about this forest."

Ah Cy gratefully smiled. "Thank you so much. We really appreciate it."

The teachers and other parents were anxious. 

Some of them whispered. "Hey, how long do we have to stay here?"

"This could take a long time. Do we really have to stay until we find them?"

"My poor son is already getting so scared and uncomfortable," a mother complained.

"This could get dangerous with the bandits here…"

"Well, their kids caused all this ruckus. Why should we take the trouble?"

"Is this how the rich people raise their kids?"

Liang and Ah Cy shot a deadly glare towards them that shut their mouths.

So selfish even in this situation!

One of the teachers came forward. "Mr. Xu. What do you suggest we do next about the picnic?"