Angle of view

  In the days following that timeline, for me and Tang Jiao, were chaotic and painful.

  Zhuang Yu was a special girl, I've always known that. That night after the incident, she also came running, stared at Shen Shiyan's body for a while, didn't say a word, and left. In the following days, even the police couldn't find her. This made Tan Jiao even more heartbroken and guilty.

  We were taken back to the police station and interrogated repeatedly. Even Old Ding was full of suspicion towards us. We had no way to explain, because with us there were only two corpses, Chen Xingjian and Shen Shiyan, as well as Ye Xunyi who was seriously injured and unconscious.

  Those few days I couldn't see Tan Jiao, we were separated and detained.

  ……

  I opened my eyes and heard the sound of gurgling water, the damp air that only existed in caves rushed towards me. The top of my head was still a rugged rock wall.

  I looked down and saw Tan Jiao sleeping beside me, like a wounded kitten, with tears still on her face. My heart ached as I hugged her into my arms. She woke up, looking at me, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

  "Ayú..."

  I held her tightly.

  Looking up, several others have packed their things and stood up. Feng Yan and Chen Ruying are standing not far away, with Chen Ruying looking in our direction.

  "It was us who pulled Shen Shiyan into the whole thing..." Tan Jiao whispered in my ear, his voice hoarse with fatigue. The scene also flashed through my mind, Shen Shiyan even got shot and still pressed me down together. A kind of shock pain came from deep within my bones.

  "We still have a chance to save him," I said.

  Tan Jiao's ten fingers were tightly clasped on me, without a word.

  "Let's gather our stuff and set off!" shouted Liu Shuangshuang, a girl who often played outdoors. Everyone agreed, and I also pulled Tan Jiao up to stand.

  We have no other choice but to move forward and find out the truth.

  There were 9 of us in total, with both men and women, some strong and some weak, walking at a moderate pace. Along the way, we encountered rocky caves, wetlands, and streams. Fortunately, there was sufficient air, and underground water had plenty of small fish, while the cave also had some green roots and stems to fill our hunger. The shape of the rocks gradually changed, with different colors and layers. However, after walking for about 4 or 5 hours, this cave turned out to be so deep and narrow that we couldn't see the end at all.

  Although we were in a precarious situation and the atmosphere was oppressive, after all, we were young people accompanying each other, chatting and talking all the way, so it wasn't too pessimistic. But Tan Jiao was an exception, she didn't speak along the way. I knew that her heart was too sad.

  Later, everyone was exhausted and rested on a relatively flat open space. It's unclear whether it was the phosphorescence on the rock wall that made it so, but the cave didn't seem completely dark, with a weak light always present.

  Perhaps exhausted from walking, Zhu Jihui lay in the actor's arms and wept softly. Yan Yuan gently comforted her. Liu Shuangshuang, a programmer from Shanghai, stood together with Zhou Wei. This woman had always been calm, and although Zhou Wei was a man, he seemed to rely on her somewhat, smiling as he shared a chocolate bar from his pocket with her.

  The always silent man Zhu Yutong walked alone to the riverside underground, drinking water with his hands, and was not very close to anyone.

  Feng Yan's foot was originally injured, and she lay on the ground to rest. Chen Ruyin has been taking care of her all along. Along the way, I could still feel that her gaze often surrounded me. But she had always been sensitive and fragile, perhaps because Tan Jiao was by my side, she just kept looking at us without getting close. So I didn't bother to pay attention to her either.

  What I'm worried about now is my future with Tang Jiao and her mood.