Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Saved

For five consecutive days, the search and rescue team had not reported any progress.

Lin Manru and Shen Lan, staying in the hospital, were so anxious that they hadn’t closed their eyes all night.

Fortunately, Jiang Yan’s injuries were recovering quickly, and he could get out of bed in just a few days.

The moment he put on his shoes, he clamored and insisted on going to find Jiang Li, but Shen Lan slapped him back to his senses.

“Now your wounds are not yet healed, how can you search? Aren’t you just making trouble and worrying your mother and me unnecessarily? How could you have stayed in the mountains so long and still not have grown up?”

Jiang Yan was chastised and immediately calmed down.

His inner worry visibly drained him, his beard hadn’t been shaved for several days, and his hair had grown out, he looked nothing like his usual spirited self.

“What should we do?” Jiang Yan, somewhat desperate, covered his face, “What if we can’t find Jiang Li?”

Shen Lan, barely holding herself together, collapsed in an instant, sitting beside Jiang Yan and sighing deeply.

“All we can do now is to utilize our greatest resources and manpower for the search. Your mother and I have thought of many ways, and we’ve already taken out all the money we can temporarily spare from home; there definitely will be results.”

Even if they couldn’t find anyone alive…

Jiang Yan’s gaze gradually became unfocused through his fingers.

He was the eldest son in the family, yet now he could only lie in bed as if awaiting doom, letting two female elders run around exhaustingly.

He felt utterly useless.

“What about Grandpa?” Jiang Yan asked hoarsely, “Have you told Old Sir Jiang about Jiang Li’s disappearance?”

“We’re still keeping it from him for the time being,” Shen Lan sighed again, “Old Sir Jiang is already old. If he knew about this serious incident involving you and Jiang Li, the house would probably be in even more chaos, so we have let your Second Aunt keep him in the countryside for now, but I guess we can’t keep it secret much longer.”

Old Sir Jiang was a shrewd person. She had known it since her first day of marrying into the Jiang Family. Although the old man was sometimes too stubborn and obstinate, his heart wasn’t bad.

If it weren’t for his hard work, the Jiang Family wouldn’t have risen from just selling goods in a fishing village to being a notable household in the Capital.

Therefore, the Jiang Family truly respected Old Sir Jiang from the bottom of their hearts, but also greatly feared him.

And Old Sir Jiang’s most beloved person in the Jiang Family was Jiang Yan.

If he knew about the severe injuries Jiang Yan had suffered, he would surely cause trouble for everyone in the household.

Jiang Yan was well aware of the consequences and could only temporarily agree to this solution.

“Second Aunt, don’t worry. I will cooperate with the doctors to get discharged from the hospital as soon as possible. After all, Jiang Li is my little sister. No matter what, I have to go find her.”

After all, his own life was also saved by her.

The Jiang Family was enveloped in an unprecedented gloom, and so were Jiang Li’s fans.

Their idol had been missing for over a week.

Although Shen Lan and others had tried as much as possible to block the news, various rumors still emerged everywhere.

Some said that Jiang Li and Zhao Lang couldn’t be found.

Some said the search and rescue team had discovered their bodies but didn’t publicize it to avoid causing social panic.

And others claimed there had been no disappearance at all, that Jiang Li and Zhao Lang had been killed by criminals long ago, and that Shen Lan had concocted the story just to stir up media attention.

Various comments had literally driven Jiang Li’s devoted fans to tears.

And even more so, someone instigated by saying that Jiang Li should not have taken this risk. After all, they were just ordinary people and the other party had guns and were criminals. Even if it was out of a sense of justice, one should act according to one’s capabilities, otherwise, it would only bring trouble to those around them.

Zhao Lang and Jiang Yan were people who got embroiled because of this.

Once these malicious comments surfaced, some netizens’ thoughts were swayed, and they mockingly ridiculed Jiang Li for overestimating his abilities, causing harm to not just himself but also his family and friends.

Failing to obtain any news after numerous attempts, Lu Xingchao had no choice but to lead the fan club in suppressing these malicious comments online.

…

On the tenth day trapped in the forest.

Jiang Li could no longer find any source of water.

She had calculated with divination; the nearest water source was also twenty kilometers away from them.

But Zhao Lang had already fallen into a feverish coma, and her remaining strength simply couldn’t guarantee she could get him there.

She had no choice but to fetch some simple herbs to feed him.

But those herbs were inherently bitter, and without fresh water to help, Zhao Lang, with his throat cracked and dry, simply couldn’t swallow them.

Helpless, Jiang Li pinched his mouth.

“Zhao Lang, Zhao Lang, wake up, otherwise you are really going to die here. Are you resigned to that?”

The person on the ground showed no sign of movement.

Jiang Li touched his forehead, which was scorching hot and frightening, and while examining his pupils, signs of dispersion had already appeared.

No, if this continued, he would certainly never wake up.

Looking at the herbs in her hands, Jiang Li silently made a decision.

…

Zhao Lang was trapped in his own nightmare.

His surroundings were replaced by the ways he had died in his past lives, replaying over and over.

That vast feeling of helplessness, suppressed by fate and unable to break free, once again plunged him into fear.

Death descended once more.

He knew he could not escape it.

But suddenly, a heavenly rain washed away all the dark shadows.

The world became clear.

His consciousness gradually returned, a strong bitterness spreading in his mouth, mixed with a taste of blood, like rust.

Zhao Lang opened his eyes in astonishment, and in his vision, there was a sea of red.

Above that red was Jiang Li’s exceptionally cold eyes.

Was she…

His consciousness disconnected again, and he passed out.

He did not know how long he had been asleep, but he felt everything around him shaking.

But his body no longer felt as tired and painful as before; he felt much lighter.

Seemingly thinking of something, he suddenly opened his eyes, but was pushed down just as he tried to sit up.

A scolding sound came to his ears.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Your ribs are broken and you’re not staying put?”

Everything around him gradually became clear, and then the loud noise of a helicopter rotor filled his ears.

He instinctively grabbed the person beside him, “Jiang, where’s Jiang Li?”

A familiar scoff came from behind, “You still remember to ask for my sister. She passed out from losing too much blood trying to save you. If it weren’t for me flying the helicopter and finding you guys after days of searching, you both would have been just skeletons now.”

Zhao Lang parted his lips.

She was okay, that was good.

He closed his eyes tiredly, and when he opened them again to look to either side, he saw flowing white clouds in reverse, stunningly beautiful.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and grabbed the person again.

“Tell me, what date is it today?”

The person pondered for a moment, “You’ve been missing for 13 days, today is precisely August 4.”

“It’s already August…”

He suddenly laughed, completely collapsing back onto the bed.

Had he finally escaped that ridiculous cycle, ready to live his own life?

Jiang Yan was confused by his inexplicable laughter, frowned, then complained:

“Has this kid gone crazy from staying in the forest for too long? Nearly lost his life and he can still laugh!”