"Come down quickly," Cheng Su called out in the darkness, reaching for Qi Taiguo, "I’ll catch you."
Qi Taiguo said, "You run to an open area and wait for me. I’ll come to find you shortly."
Cheng Su’s face changed, her voice shrill, "What are you planning to do? Qi Taiguo, come down quickly, don’t make me hate you."
Qi Taiguo yelled back firmly, "Listen to me, run to an open place and wait for me, there’s a child here. Hurry!"
Cheng Su bit her lip and stared steadily at him, "Qi Taiguo, if you don’t show up, I’m going to divorce you!"
Qi Taiguo had already moved away from the windowsill, and hearing this, he laughed and called out, "Don’t worry, you won’t get the chance!"
He had vanished from sight, and Cheng Su’s tears fell. She clenched her teeth, looked behind her, and ran towards the more open and spacious area, squatting down in a relatively safe spot.
The tremors started intensifying again, continuously bringing down houses while people screamed and ran.
Darkness engulfed everything as if she had fallen into a bottomless black hole.
Her eyes were fixed on the distant hotel, and although she couldn’t make out anything, she still stared, praying fervently in her heart.
Heaven, please stop the shaking, hold back, it’s enough already!
Whether it was the wind or dust, it blurred Cheng Su’s vision, but the tears that flowed washed it away again.
The trembling continued, and the sounds of despair were relentless.
Cheng Su’s prayers turned into worry, for Qi Taiguo had not yet appeared.
Please don’t, don’t take him from me.
Cheng Su stood up and strained her eyes into the distance.
Coolness touched her face suddenly, something had landed on her face, a drop, then another.
It was raining.
The clouds parted.
The sky was not so dim anymore.
Suddenly, the ground shook violently again, and Cheng Su fell to the ground, watching the direction of the hotel in horror.
With a thunderous noise and a cloud of dust, it collapsed.
The hotel had fallen!
Cheng Su turned pale, her legs gave way, and she knelt on the ground, screaming, "Qi Taiguo."
It couldn’t be, he must have made it out, he couldn’t possibly be inside.
Muttering to herself, Cheng Su stared blankly into the distance.
The shaking began to subside, and gradually, it stopped.
Cheng Su scrambled to her feet and staggered toward the hotel. Her shoes were already missing, her feet were hurt by the pebbles, causing her pain.
But she didn’t care, she kept running toward that place. Along the way, people cried out, scrabbling through the collapsed buildings, calling for help.
Cheng Su turned a deaf ear, with only Qi Taiguo’s name on her mind.
He couldn’t just die, he couldn’t; she hadn’t borne him a child yet, they hadn’t grown old together, he hadn’t accompanied her through life.
"Qi Taiguo?" Cheng Su stopped in her tracks.
She watched as a figure approached from ahead, carrying something on his back, clutching something else in his hand, his steps firm, his presence commanding.
"I told you to wait for me in an open area, what are you doing here? Why don’t you ever listen!" the man scolded her.
Cheng Su’s eyes filled with warmth, and she rushed over, not caring that he was carrying someone on his back and holding a child under his arm, wrapping her arms around him, "You scared me to death, I thought, I thought you... wuwu!"
Qi Taiguo’s heart softened, "What are you crying for? Aren’t I fine?"
Cheng Su continued to cry.
"Stop crying, swollen eyes would make you ugly. As I said, you won’t get a chance to divorce me," Qi Taiguo said as if he was scoffing.
Cheng Su glared back at him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips.
The ice, it broke.