Chapter 19: Second Update

Qin Yao sat in the corner, still filled with regret. Although she acted decisively, her heart felt heavy. Not taking the canned food was fine, but why did she return the box of love poems? Keeping it as a souvenir wouldn't have been bad.

Two voices battled in her head. One said, "It's over, why ask for love poems?" The other said, "It's still a memory and a romantic encounter."

Compared to her reluctance to part with Gu Cheng, the younger brother, she found herself even more unwilling to part with that box of sugar and love poems.

Thinking about this, Qin Yao lost her appetite. Today’s communal meal was indeed braised sea cucumber, a large pot of it, incredibly luxurious. This dish shouldn't be eaten too much; eating too much makes young guys prone to nosebleeds.

Sea cucumbers and abalones, though precious, actually had little flavor. When it came to natural umami, they were inferior to fish, shrimp, and crabs. Shrimp carried a natural sweetness.

Sea cucumbers were eaten for the seasoning; without it, they tasted like paste or plastic.

The communal sea cucumbers on the ship had a unique flavor. As for the other sea fish, there’s no need to elaborate. Qin Yao could only comment that no matter how delicious seafood was, it became too much if eaten every day.

When she returned to land, she wanted to eat pork voraciously! She craved pork belly!

Having spent the whole day cooped up in the medical room, the ship’s swaying had become worse. Looking out through the window, it was gray and dim. It was daytime, but it looked like night.

The wind was strong, howling like ghosts wailing.

Wave after wave crashed, and Qin Yao grabbed the ship’s fixed handrail. When the ship’s swaying not only didn’t weaken but continued to intensify, everyone’s faces turned grim.

They were encountering strong winds and high waves.

Besides the terrifying howling wind, there were various horn sounds. Qin Yao felt uneasy. The ship’s swinging arc increased. The girls were too thin and couldn’t grip well. Zhang Yufei was thrown out and hit her shoulder and chin.

Qin Yao pulled her to the bedside and they used ropes to tie themselves to the bed. With such violent shaking, if they weren’t fixed, the fall could be fatal.

"Water is entering the cabin!"

The noises outside were unsettling. Two girls started crying. Zhang Yufei couldn’t help but ask, "Will the ship capsize?"

"Don’t jinx it. We’ll be fine," Qin Yao thought, could she really be that unlucky? If necessary, would she really have to jump into the sea? She needed to recall how to turn her pants into a life buoy.

"Ah!"

Someone couldn’t bear it anymore and vomited from seasickness. One person started, and soon others followed. Besides the howling wind, the air was filled with an unpleasant smell.

The pervasive stench of fish permeated through the cracks. Qin Yao couldn’t help but vomit too.

At that moment, Qin Yao thought she would never again find calm sailing boring.

Her body was thrown out, and the repeated weightlessness felt like being on a pirate ship in the park, with screams and vomiting. Eventually, there was nothing left to vomit, only dry heaving.

...She never wanted to be on a ship again in her life.

The pirate ship in the park lasted only a few minutes, but this ordeal seemed to have no end. At this point, Qin Yao wasn’t worried about the ship capsizing. She just wanted it to end; the suffering was unbearable.

She remembered a joke she heard from the military doctor. Seasickness was so painful that even mice were lining up to jump into the sea.

She wondered if mice were jumping into the sea now.

Wave after wave of weightlessness made Qin Yao’s head dizzy and heavy. She vaguely felt like she was feverish.

In a daze, a familiar voice clearly emerged from the loudspeaker. It was Gu Cheng.

His voice was steady. Despite the ship’s violent shaking, his voice remained composed, as if he wasn’t in the same space as her.

The man’s voice echoed in her ears, methodically calming the crew and issuing commands. The world became quiet, with only his voice echoing in everyone’s ears.

Listening to his voice was like taking a reassuring pill. No wonder so many people admired him.

After an unknown amount of time, Qin Yao dozed off in a daze. When she woke up again, her whole body ached, her head felt heavy, and she felt like she had died once.

The wind and waves seemed to have calmed. Qin Yao wasn’t sure where the ship had reached. After a simple wash and change of clothes, she and a few others, including Zhang Yufei, started cleaning the cabin.

"Qin Yao, your forehead?"

"I bumped it," Qin Yao pressed her brow. No wonder she felt dizzy; she had hit her head.

"Put some medicine on it."

"Hiss—It’s nothing."

The medical room became lively. Many people had suffered from collision injuries, with wounds in various places.

At sea, the terrifying thing wasn’t the enemy’s artillery fire but the ocean’s inherent danger.

Qin Yao adeptly handed out medicine and treated wounds. She heard many people crying out in pain. The military doctor’s voice was cold as he said, "You need to apply force to disperse the bruising."

One person had a knee scrape that bled. Although it looked like a surface abrasion, it was actually quite swollen. The wound needed disinfecting and dressing, and the side of the wound needed oil to reduce swelling.

"Nurse Xiao Qin is very gentle."

The military doctor noticed Qin Yao’s technique. The girl was gentle yet precise, treating wounds perfectly, leaving no room for criticism. Despite her young age, she was as proficient as an experienced nurse.

Unlike some male medics who were rough.

"If you go to the Military Hospital in the future, look for Nurse Xiao Qin."

Someone said, "Thank goodness we have a female medic this time."

The military doctor smiled wryly, "Otherwise, for such a minor injury, were you planning not to come?"

……

"Captain Gu, what’s wrong with your hand?"

"Just a scrape."

The military doctor pointed, "Go and treat Captain Gu’s wound."

Gu Cheng was about to refuse, but when he saw the person turn around, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat, which suited him just fine.

When Qin Yao saw the man in front of her again, it was as if she had traveled through time. Gu Cheng was still wearing a blue work uniform, his sleeves rolled up, with dried blood on his arm. He had been busy and only now came to treat the wound.

Gu Cheng said with his eyes downcast, "It’s not a big issue. Let’s go to the rest area over there. It’s quieter."

Qin Yao nodded, grabbed the medical kit, and followed him to the small public rest area. Gu Cheng, not being picky, sat directly on the floor. As she got closer, the smell on him wasn’t pleasant—a mix of sweat, blood, and other complex odors.

He sat there against the wall, his cheeks sunken, giving him a sharp, defined look. A window above his head let in a beam of white light that shone on Qin Yao.

Qin Yao crouched to treat the wound. Gu Cheng’s injury was on his arm, and though he had lost quite some blood, it wasn’t as severe as the previous one; there was no bruising.

Of course, although this wound wasn’t severe, there were bound to be other bruises on his body, and even Qin Yao had a few unavoidable collision bruises.

Gu Cheng’s face was thin, but his body was the type that looked slim with clothes on but was well-built underneath. His long body and legs made him appear slim, but up close, it was a different story. His arms were solid, with smooth, elastic muscle lines.

Qin Yao activated her X-ray vision skill to examine the wound carefully, then instinctively glanced over his body. When she saw something, she quickly lowered her head, her face turning instantly red.

Goodness, it’s huge.

She really didn’t mean to!

Gu Cheng noticed the girl next to him from the corner of his eye. Seeing her wish she could shrink her head into her collar like an ostrich, afraid to look directly at him, Captain Gu pursed his lips. His good mood vanished, turning into displeasure.

Her outfit today wasn’t as nice as when she was on the deck. Her braids were rough, and there was a red swelling on her forehead. Though she was hiding like an ostrich, it unexpectedly reminded Gu Cheng of that rainstorm.

Under the eaves, she had acted spoiled, clinging to him, making him move the luggage to the guesthouse.

For the not-so-serious wound, Qin Yao patiently bandaged it, showcasing her recently learned skills.

Qin Yao tried to force herself to forget about the shape and focus on the task at hand. Without looking up, she treated the body in front of her. It was a pity there was no blood on the white gauze; otherwise, it would have been a perfect battle-worn effect.

She still remembered the side profile of the man sitting casually under the window, not showing any trace of youthfulness, but a wild beauty that was both arrogant and formidable.

Neither of them spoke, listening to the sound of the sea waves outside, maintaining the stalemate for a moment.

Suddenly, a small candy box was thrust into her hand, a tiny box that seemed to appear out of nowhere, its coolness touching Qin Yao’s palm, and her heartbeat quickened.

Qin Yao looked up to see Gu Cheng’s calm face as he said, "The inspection continues."

After that, he closed his eyes and turned his head to the wall to nap, giving Qin Yao only half of his back head.

Qin Yao looked at his back head, then at the candy box she had regained, feeling both annoyed and amused.

Opening it, she counted, and not only was nothing missing, but there was also a brand new white piece of paper.

On it was written:

Year of the Rat.

Year of the Ox.

Year of the Tiger.

Qin Yao felt a heart blockage: "..."

This guy’s love poems were becoming more and more abstract, shifting from straightforward to riddles. The transition was too vast.

Qin Yao stared at the man in front of her, unsure if he was truly asleep or just pretending. She looked down at the medical kit, took out the scissors, cut a strip of white gauze, folded it properly, and wrapped it around the man’s eyes, tying it behind his head.

Gu Cheng didn’t move, allowing her to do as she pleased.

Qin Yao looked at her handiwork with some satisfaction. You want to close your eyes? I’ll make you truly blind.

With his eyes bound by the white gauze, Gu Cheng sat under the window, his head lowered. The shape of his nose under the gauze was particularly sexy, and his lips were enticing. In the dim light, the rise of his throat could be faintly seen.

Qin Yao swallowed, finding the man in front of her had once again transformed from the cold and formidable Captain Gu to Gu Cheng, the younger brother.

She lightly touched his cheek and chose "Yes."

"His favorability towards you is 85 (He harbors romantic feelings for you)."

Only 85, not even higher than her best friend Chen Baozhen’s. But still, at this favorability level, it was no wonder Qin Yao felt comfortable being around him, nourished by his affection.

Qin Yao leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"His favorability towards you is 89 (He loves you)."

Unsure whether to be happy or angry, Qin Yao remained expressionless.

Truly pretentious.

A lecher.