Chapter 146 23

Chapter 146.23

Li Shang held He Lin in the ice cave until He Lin regained some consciousness and the opening above was sufficiently enlarged.

He worked with several other rescue team members to pull and haul He Lin up.

Afterward, Li Shang and another rescuer supported He Lin for a few steps before helping him onto a stretcher.

These simple actions alone left Li Shang drenched in sweat.

He Lin was finally loaded into an emergency vehicle.

A row of rescue vehicles marked with red crosses lined the foot of the mountain. The accompanying doctor quickly examined He Lin and placed him in an ambulance for observation.

Several bodies had already been recovered during the avalanche rescue efforts.

Among the buried survivors, those with minor, non-critical injuries were treated by doctors and allowed to return home to recuperate.

Those in critical condition or requiring amputation were prioritized for hospital treatment.

As more people were rescued, ambulances departed one by one.

Thanks to the timely rescue and He Lin’s robust constitution, his condition was not overly severe. After being connected to monitors, his heartbeat and breathing quickly returned to normal.

However, due to the prolonged time he was buried, he suffered significant frostbite in his hands, toes, and other extremities. Furthermore, to prevent complications from hypoxia and hypothermia, the doctors insisted he remain for observation.

The most effective treatment for hypothermia is rewarming.

The ambulance’s air conditioning was on, and the doctors and nurses had prepared warm water, blankets, and thick clothing in advance.

The medical staff wrapped heat packs in towels and placed them on He Lin’s neck, armpits, and other major arterial points, then covered him with a military coat.

After resting for a while, He Lin soon regained partial consciousness. As time passed, aside from the hypoxia caused by being buried under the snow, he was otherwise fine.

After breathing oxygen for a while, he felt better and looked up, asking, "Where is Officer Li, the one who rescued me?"

Two hours had passed since Li Shang rescued him. Li Shang had not stayed in the ambulance but had been busy outside, only checking on him briefly during a break before quickly leaving again.

The nurse in the ambulance knew he was referring to the young on-site commander and kindly replied, "He’s leading the rescue efforts and has already saved many people. It seems like things are wrapping up soon."

Hearing this, He Lin sat up and looked out the window, searching for Li Shang.

The rescue operation had likely begun early. Due to its difficulty, even under Li Shang’s personal command, He Lin was among the later individuals to be found. By now, the rescue was nearing its end, with a significant number of people involved, including both rescue team members and villagers, all working methodically.

Thanks to effective methods, the entire avalanche site had been systematically searched, and all those affected by the avalanche had received proper treatment. Everything was orderly.

However, He Lin noticed that as time passed, Li Shang needed to rest more frequently and seemed to struggle even with walking.

Soon after, He Lin saw the familiar figure stagger and collapse onto the snow.

Frowning, He Lin ignored the nurse’s exclamation, ripped off the monitors attached to him, dodged the doctor’s attempts to stop him, and rushed out into the snow.

By then, Li Shang had already been helped up by other rescue team members. The fever reducer he had taken the day before had worn off, and he seemed to be burning up again, which caused him to collapse.

Li Shang heard footsteps and turned around,

but before he could see who it was, someone suddenly got close to him.

The person breached his personal space. Li Shang instinctively raised his hands to defend himself but relaxed when he recognized He Lin’s familiar presence.

He was about to ask why He Lin wasn’t waiting in the ambulance when He Lin suddenly crouched down, lifting Li Shang onto his shoulder.

Caught off guard, Li Shang let out a muffled groan.

He Lin then wrapped an arm around his legs and hoisted him over his shoulder.

The sudden weightlessness made Li Shang dizzy. He exclaimed, "He Lin! What are you doing?"

He Lin didn’t answer, silently carrying him quickly down the snowy slope until they reached the ambulance, where he put him down and ushered him inside.

The nurse inside, confused, asked, "What’s going on?"

He Lin, familiar with Li Shang’s condition, replied, "He has a high fever. I’m not sure if there are other issues, but he should be examined."

The nurse frowned slightly, seeming to think He Lin was overreacting, but after taking Li Shang’s temperature—38.5°C—she immediately made him stay put.

Li Shang struggled slightly. "We haven’t found everyone yet."

As he spoke, he burst into a fit of coughing.

He Lin grabbed his hand, his voice filled with undeniable anger. "Haven’t found everyone? Aren’t the others still searching? You’ve been commanding all morning. At this stage, should a feverish patient like you be dealing with the cleanup? If there are problems, they can come to the ambulance to ask you. You’re always thinking of others—why not think of yourself?"

He Lin’s anger still simmering, he added through gritted teeth, "Don’t you need to rest, eat, or breathe? Will the world stop turning without you? It hasn’t even been a month since you left the hospital, has it?"

He Lin rarely spoke so harshly to Li Shang, but this time, he was both furious and deeply worried.

Watching Li Shang stumble around despite his fever, knowing he had barely slept the night before, made He Lin’s heart ache so much he could hardly breathe.

Li Shang sat expressionlessly in the ambulance, his face pale as he listened.

Then he turned away, closed his eyes, and let out a soft sigh. Tears welled in his slightly reddened eyes, streaming down his cheeks to his sharp, defined jaw.

Seeing his cold, stubborn demeanor,

He Lin’s heart sank.

He had made him cry.

The sight of the aloof, beautiful man shedding tears so vulnerably left him…

utterly flustered.

He Lin felt as if his heart had been twisted into a knot.

He frantically reached for a tissue, his heart aching with regret. He wanted to hold Li Shang in his arms but held back, aware of the doctors and nurses watching.

As Li Shang’s tears continued to fall,

He Lin took a deep breath and dropped to his knees beside him, his tone softening. "I’m sorry, I was too harsh just now. I know you’ve been working tirelessly all night to rescue me and the others. That’s why you need to rest. I… lost my temper again, but it’s only because I care about you. Please don’t be upset…"

Li Shang wiped his tears and asked the doctor, "Do you have any eye drops? My eyes hurt so much I can barely open them."

The experienced doctor quickly diagnosed the issue. "Snow blindness, right? You can’t stay in the snow that long without goggles. Your corneas could be damaged."

Li Shang nodded.

When they arrived, there were limited snow goggles, and he had given his to someone else.

Li Shang had noticed something wrong with his eyes after working continuously in the snow for four hours. By the time he rescued He Lin, his vision had already begun to blur. After another two hours of work outside, he could barely see, only perceiving light. His ability to see objects had almost vanished, but he had forced himself to keep going.

Li Shang's eyes felt gritty, as if filled with sand, with a distinct burning and painful sensation. He only felt slightly better when he closed them.

His high fever had flared up again, making him a bit dizzy.

He knew his physical condition was not suitable for continuing to command the rescue efforts on the front lines and intended to withdraw once he had made the necessary arrangements. But before he could finish, He Lin, without a word, carried him over.

The doctor hurriedly found something to apply a cold compress to Li Shang's eyes.

He Lin remained squatting in place, holding Li Shang's hand, his heart aching, completely unaware that his position was somewhat in the way. The doctor opened his mouth to speak several times but, seeing He Lin's demeanor, ultimately said nothing.

Before He Lin could figure out what to say to comfort Li Shang, Li Shang wiped his tears and asked, "What were you saying earlier? My eyes hurt, and I didn’t hear clearly…"

Caught off guard, He Lin, who had been mentally preparing what to say, was speechless: "…"

In an instant, all the words he had planned to say fled from his mind. He could only take a deep breath and muttered, "I didn’t say anything…"

Li Shang reached out and patted He Lin’s fuzzy head, asking, "Are you feeling better now?"

He Lin nodded. "It’s nothing serious anymore."

With his eyes closed, Li Shang gathered his thoughts and, without holding back with He Lin, nudged He Lin’s foot and said in a stern tone, "Then go call Captain Li from the SWAT team. Their arrest operation should be finished. I have some wrap-up tasks for him."

He Lin blinked at Li Shang for a moment before remembering that Li Shang couldn’t see clearly at this point. He obediently stood up and said, "Oh, okay."

After Captain Li arrived, Li Shang went over the work once more, carefully outlining all the necessary precautions. Only after receiving Captain Li’s assurance did he finally agree to receive medical treatment.

By the afternoon, all missing persons had been found.

The criminal investigation task force established by Xincheng City Bureau handled the case, and their tech department worked swiftly to crack Jiang Lai’s phone. Given the sensitive nature of the case, many female officers were dispatched.

All the women in the village, including Zhou Xian and Jiang Waner, would have their statements taken, with special measures in place to ensure their safety.

The avalanche had claimed eight lives, including Jiang Jingde. Most of the deceased were from the Jiang family. With Jiang Ruoyu arrested, Hanhua Village was bound to undergo changes.

The bitter winter would eventually pass. As long as people lived, there was always hope for the sun to rise again.

They had a simple meal in the vehicle at noon.

In the afternoon, He Lin went to Village Head Ding’s house to retrieve their luggage.

Ding Ming had returned by then and stated he would cooperate with the police investigation. Ding Sheng was beaming, insisting on giving He Lin a basket of local eggs. It was only after He Lin reiterated the rules that he relented.

The two of them were taken to the hospital by ambulance only after the rescue efforts were fully wrapped up.

He Lin’s frostbite and hypoxia were largely resolved after oxygen therapy and medicated lamp treatment. With some time for treatment and rest, he would recover fully.

Li Shang’s condition, however, was more serious. His snow blindness required avoiding light and applying medication to gradually restore his vision. More concerning was his persistent high fever. A CT scan revealed an infection from residual shrapnel in his lungs, exacerbated by the cold, which had triggered pneumonia.

He Lin felt like their business trips were akin to touring hospitals in every city.

He had gotten to know the inpatient departments of hospitals in every city inside and out.

The medical standards and ward conditions in Xincheng were not as good as those in Yuncheng. There were only shared rooms with multiple patients, making it hard for visitors to stay. The small room was stuffy and hot.

Moreover, the extreme cold outside meant that although the ward had heating, the air was extremely dry. Even He Lin felt his throat was dry and itchy, let alone Li Shang. In the first few days after admission, Li Shang would cough uncontrollably whenever he removed his oxygen tube.

Having lived in Yuncheng for a long time, they were unaccustomed to the local climate.

He Lin communicated the situation to leaders in both locations.

The Xincheng City Bureau, aware that their initial handling of the case had been inadequate, arranged for an ambulance to make a long-distance trip, directly transporting Li Shang back to Yuncheng Second Hospital.

Once back, everything was familiar and convenient again.

However, He Lin soon noticed a downside: although Xincheng’s hospital had generally lower medical standards, they were clearly more experienced in treating snow blindness.

In Yuncheng, Dr. Song managed to control the pneumonia, and Li Shang’s fever subsided somewhat. But the recovery of his vision progressed slowly.

A condition that normally took three to four days to heal took seven or eight days for Li Shang to regain only 60% of his vision. He could only see things clearly when they were very close.

The ophthalmologist here also mentioned that there might be long-term aftereffects: his eyes would be prone to tearing and sensitive to strong light.

He Lin took the doctor’s words as law, applying medication to Li Shang’s eyes punctually every day. Every time he noticed Li Shang frowning unconsciously because he couldn’t see clearly, He Lin felt an indescribable ache in his heart.

In contrast, Li Shang seemed indifferent to his condition. If it weren’t for He Lin applying the medication, he would probably forget about it entirely.

It wasn’t until He Lin sighed heavily for what felt like the hundredth time that Li Shang said flatly, "I can still make out shadows, at least I’m not blind." Then he added, "Don’t worry. Even if I went blind, I could manage on my own. I wouldn’t need you to wait on me."

He Lin frowned. If he couldn’t detect such obvious irritation, he’d have to be truly foolish.

Ever since He Lin had been rescued from the avalanche, something about Li Shang had felt off. He was always distant with him. There was no sweetness between them—not even basic friendliness. Unless absolutely necessary, Li Shang couldn’t even be bothered to glance He Lin’s way.

Sometimes, when He Lin tried to steal a kiss at the corner of Li Shang’s lips when no one was around, Li Shang would subtly turn away.

During this period, Li Shang spoke noticeably less. Even when it came to the case he cared about most, he showed little reaction. What used to be lively discussions had now become a monologue from He Lin, no matter how hard he tried to keep the conversation going.

Only when He Lin annoyed him or when a response was unavoidable would Li Shang give a brief reply, swiftly ending the topic.

Yet He Lin couldn’t figure out what the problem was.

He only remembered that when Li Shang had urgently entered the ice cave to find him, everything had seemed fine. The concern Li Shang showed at that time couldn’t have been fake.

Was it because He Lin had carried him back in front of others, embarrassing him? Or had Li Shang actually heard those harsh words He Lin said earlier, taken them to heart, and was now resentful?

He Lin turned it over and over in his mind but couldn’t guess the truth.

In reality, Li Shang had overheard He Lin muttering incoherently in the ice cave and realized He Lin had remembered something.

He had always had a vague premonition about it.

He had given He Lin opportunities before to discuss the matter, but He Lin always brushed it off, evading the topic in front of him.

This time, his suspicions were confirmed.

Li Shang had been waiting for He Lin to come clean, but He Lin remained silent.

Whenever they interacted now, Li Shang felt as if a needle were lodged in his heart—nothing felt right.

Now, in the hospital, wasn’t the time to talk about these things.

Li Shang wanted to wait until they were out to bring it up.

In the hospital, He Lin also felt it wasn’t the right time to ask for reasons. He could only hope to focus on helping Li Shang recover first and wait until they were discharged and back home to properly clear the air.

Back and forth, both chose to wait. On the surface, they seemed to have reached an understanding, but in reality, both were bottling things up. What should have been relaxed days began to feel increasingly strained.