Chapter 1053 - 1018: I’m Yours

The moment Xu Chunliang pressed Su Qing into the corner and switched off the lights, the room plunged into darkness. Holding her in his arms, he moved towards the bed. He had missed last night, but tonight he wouldn’t miss again.

Su Qing, like a compliant little lamb, lay in his embrace, thinking to herself, as long as it’s him, in this life, I don’t want anyone else.

Suddenly, she remembered something. "You didn’t lock the door properly."

"I did!"

"The bolt!"

Xu Chunliang gently laid Su Qing on the bed, turned around to slide the bolt shut. Xu Chunliang still felt a bit of residual fear; the events of last night had left a deep impression on him, casting a shadow over his mind. He was even a bit worried that the police might come knocking all of a sudden. No matter, even if the sky falls, tonight it will be used as my cover.

In the dim light, seeing Xu Chunliang approaching her step by step made Su Qing a little tense.

As Xu Chunliang reached her side, Su Qing wrapped her arms around his body and whispered, "Chunliang, I’m scared..."

Gently stroking her hair, Xu Chunliang spoke softly, "You don’t need to be nervous, I won’t force you. If you’re unwilling, I can stop at any time." Even he didn’t quite believe his own words.

Su Qing held him tighter. "Chunliang, will you be good to me forever?" She didn’t dare to hope for much, just for Xu Chunliang to treat her well in this life would be enough.

Xu Chunliang nodded, and Su Qing closed her beautiful eyes, lying down slowly, filled with tension and happiness.

Xu Chunliang felt like his clothes had become chains, as if he were a prisoner trapped by these garments, longing to break free, yearning for liberation, desperate to vent his emotions passionately.

With her clothes off, Su Qing was as beautiful as jade, just like a lily blossoming in the night, radiantly beautiful beyond compare.

Like a warrior full of fighting spirit, Xu Chunliang was ready for battle, not turning back even if blood dyed the yellow sands. He was also like a tiger thoroughly smelling the roses, intoxicated by Su Qing’s scent.

At the moment the tiger pounced on the roses, the world shook.

Su Qing let out a soft cry, despite being mentally prepared, she did not expect such commotion when the moment came. The bed, chandelier, and furniture all started shaking together.

At this moment, their phones rang simultaneously. Xu Chunliang felt frustrated, who could it be this time? Could it be Old Su again? No matter, no one can stop me.

Just as they were basking in the pleasure, an intense tremor hit them. As they exchanged glances, they realized something was wrong. It wasn’t Xu Chunliang causing the commotion; it was an earthquake!

Outside, car alarms blared, mingled with the panicked shouts of people.

"Earthquake! Earthquake!"

Xu Chunliang’s mind cleared immediately, and he quickly climbed off Su Qing. Su Qing instinctively reached for her clothes.

They dressed as quickly as possible and, without thinking about anything else, raced towards the balcony. Holding Su Qing, he jumped straight from the third floor. Forget about the safety passage; jumping off was the fastest way to escape.

Even though Xu Chunliang had entered the Innate Realm, he was still small in the face of nature. If the earthquake collapsed the building, he might survive, but what about Su Qing? They had to reach an open area as quickly as possible.

Frightened, Su Qing didn’t dare open her eyes, thinking Xu Chunliang’s jump was risky. But as they landed steadily, her worries faded away. Looking back at the third floor, it was at least ten meters from the ground, yet Xu Chunliang managed to land without a scratch while holding her. Could this be the legendary Lightweight Skill?

Xu Chunliang placed Su Qing on the ground. At this moment, many panicked residents fled past them, some not even bothering to dress properly. But no one had time to look at each other; escaping was the priority.

Seeing them, Su Qing couldn’t help but think of herself. Fortunately, they both had their clothes on.

Reaching an open space, more and more people emerged. The commotion had been significant, and while people discussed in their shock, they scrolled through their phones for the latest news.

Su Qing called her colleagues; due to her profession, she had more accurate and faster information about these events.

Xu Chunliang immediately called Grandpa Xu. Xu Changshan was a deep sleeper and wasn’t even aware of the earthquake. He was still at home, and Xu Chunliang told his grandpa to go to the courtyard quickly, not to stay in the room.

Su Qing had already received the news and whispered to Xu Chunliang, "Juzhou had an earthquake, initially estimated at over a six on the Richter scale. Dongzhou seems to have been affected. We can’t rule out the possibility of aftershocks."

Xu Chunliang was taken aback, "A six? That’s quite something."

Su Qing said, "Dongzhou shouldn’t be that severe, probably around a four at most."

Xu Chunliang replied, "I need to go home first. My grandpa is alone at home, and I’m worried."

"I’ll go with you."

The Dongzhou Earthquake Center quickly released the news. The earthquake in Dongzhou was approximately a magnitude four. Dongzhou was not the epicenter but was affected by the region. It is preliminarily determined that the epicenter is located in Juzhou. The specific situation, damage, and casualties are unknown.

There was no building collapse reported in Dongzhou. There was one injury reported. The injured person jumped from the second floor of their home upon hearing the earthquake news, resulting in a fractured ankle. They have been urgently sent to a nearby hospital and are not in life-threatening condition.

This sudden earthquake caused significant panic in Dongzhou. Many rear-end collisions occurred on various roads, streets experienced multiple gridlocks, and people in disheveled attire could be seen waiting in open areas.

Before receiving official confirmation, no one dared to rashly return home.

Xu Chunliang and Su Qing couldn’t even hail a cab and had to walk home. Along the way, Su Qing received several calls from the television station’s leaders, instructing their reporting team to head to the frontline in Juzhou to cover the disaster.

Xu Chunliang got angry, "No way. With so many people at the provincial station, why is it you? The situation over there is unclear. What’s the point of sending you?"

Su Qing replied, "It’s okay, the quake has passed. Besides, it’s not like the station is sending me alone; it’s our reporting team. Three teams are being sent in total. I can’t just back out at the last minute, can I?"

Xu Chunliang couldn’t argue with that. Su Qing linked her arm with his, "I never thought an earthquake would happen suddenly." Now she even suspected whether they were a bad match; yesterday had issues, and today they’re diving straight into the main topic, with a sudden earthquake.

Xu Chunliang said, "It has nothing to do with me."

Su Qing couldn’t help but laugh. Xu Chunliang sighed, put his arm around Su Qing’s slim waist, "Even the heavens are against me."

Su Qing softly said, "Okay, don’t be so angry. When I come back, I’ll agree to anything you want."

Xu Chunliang thought, these past two days you’ve agreed, but last night your dad didn’t, and today the heavens don’t; now I finally understand what they mean by divine rage and people’s resentment.

Su Qing’s colleagues wouldn’t be able to reach her here anytime soon.

The two rushed to Hidden Lake Villa, and Xu Chunliang saw that the light in Grandpa Xu’s room was still on. He quickly went to check on him.

Xu Changshan had just walked around and found nothing wrong, then went back to his room. At his age, he wasn’t afraid of death, and the villa was built to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude eight. Tonight’s magnitude-four was just a drizzle.

There was no damage at home, and Xu Changshan, seeing them come back, couldn’t help but laugh, "You don’t have to worry about me. There’s nothing wrong with me. The news just said not to panic, a magnitude-four earthquake is no big deal. People scaring people can be deadly. I heard someone jumped from a building and broke their leg; why bother?"

At that moment, Xu Chunliang’s phone rang. It was Xiahou Mulan calling from the other side, confirming if everything was alright with them due to their earthquake.

Xu Chunliang assured her he was fine. Just after hanging up, Hua Zhuyue called as well. Like Xiahou Mulan, after the earthquake, her first thought was of Xu Chunliang.

Su Qing’s colleagues also sent a message saying they were stuck halfway and it would take some time to reach her. However, they conveyed bad news that the situation in Juzhou wasn’t promising. It was reported that the earthquake had caused significant casualties, and there might be aftershocks, advising Su Qing to prepare some essentials.

While Su Qing was on the call, Xu Chunliang, with keen hearing, caught some of the conversation. He quietly went back to the room and packed a travel bag for Su Qing, including a flashlight, rescue rope, whistle, clothes, biscuits, water, a first aid kit, and even a motorcycle helmet.

Upon hearing that Su Qing was going to Juzhou overnight, Xu Changshan was a bit worried, "Why do you have to rush there overnight? Can’t it wait until tomorrow?"

Su Qing said, "That’s how we are in the news business, we must get there first to capture firsthand information."

Xu Chunliang said, "But you can’t risk your life for news. If there’s danger, let others go first. You must stay safe."

Su Qing laughed, "I know, Grandpa Xu, I’m leaving now."

Xu Changshan nodded, "Let Chunliang accompany you."

Xu Chunliang, with the bag on his back, walked with Su Qing towards the exit of the residential area. In a deserted spot, Su Qing opened her arms, embraced him, and gave him a passionate kiss, softly saying, "Don’t worry about me, it’s not like I haven’t been through this before. I’ve covered fires and floods, a mere magnitude-six earthquake won’t trouble me."

Xu Chunliang ruffled her hair and placed the motorcycle helmet on her.

Su Qing took it off again, "No need to exaggerate." Her phone rang, and her colleagues had reached the entrance of the neighborhood. Su Qing told Xu Chunliang not to see her off, but Xu Chunliang insisted on walking her to the car.

Glimpsing at her colleagues in the broadcasting vehicle, Xu Chunliang cupped his fists, "Take care, everyone, and please look after Su Qing for me."

Su Qing waved to him with a smile. As the car drove away, seeing Xu Chunliang still standing at the neighborhood gate, Su Qing suddenly felt her nose sting and quickly bowed her head to wipe away her tears, silently telling herself, it’s just disaster reporting, not a life-and-death parting.

The phone buzzed with a message from Xu Chunliang—Put out the fire for me when you return.

Su Qing smiled knowingly and replied—I’m yours.