Lin Banxia stared blankly at the flickering flame, as if it were a living, breathing entity. Beyond that warm glow was Yu Lei's focused, handsome face, expectant like a child presenting a treasure, awaiting her praise.
"Ha! What do you think? Pretty impressive, right? I even found candles in the Christmas box from yesterday. We could light them and have a candlelit dinner," Yu Lei suggested with a cheerful grin.
A sudden lump formed in Lin Banxia's throat, and she turned her head, speaking softly, "Put out the flame. Save it."
Yu Lei paused, clearly hearing the tremble in her voice. He quietly closed the lighter, plunging the room back into darkness, save for the occasional flicker of the emergency light overhead.
Yu Lei felt a bit lost. He had never made a girl cry before. Even An Jinjin, delicate as she seemed, had always been so strong. In all their ten years together, even when they parted ways, she never shed a tear in front of him.
Lin Banxia appeared tougher than An Jinjin. How could something as simple as finding a lighter move her so deeply?
Though confused, Yu Lei felt an odd sense of happiness. Watching her quietly sip the warm water and unwrap the compressed food, he couldn't help but feel a rush of responsibility wash over him.
"Thank you," Lin Banxia whispered after a while, her voice calmer.
"Thank me for what? I'm a man, you're a woman—it's only natural for men to take care of women." Yu Lei, in good spirits, wrung the water from his pants and replied with a smile.
Lin Banxia noticed he was still in his damp clothes. Clearly, he had hurriedly put them on to avoid any awkwardness when she woke. She handed him the pants she had used as a cover. "Here, put these on. I'm awake now, I don't need them."
"You should wear them if you don't mind," Yu Lei shook his head.
Lin Banxia hesitated, knowing well that the clothes Yu Lei wore, and the ones he'd found, had likely come from the dead. Compared to that, she certainly didn't mind wearing his.
"Then take off those wet clothes. What, are you afraid I'll see something? Don't be so stingy! I didn't say anything when you peeked at me!" Lin Banxia huffed, rolling her eyes as she stood up and put on his pants.
Yu Lei had long been uncomfortable in his wet clothes. Now, with her permission, he quickly stripped down to his underwear.
Lin Banxia, watching him, suddenly burst into laughter. "It's funny, isn't it? Ever since we met, one of us is always putting clothes on while the other is taking them off. It's kind of amusing."
Yu Lei froze, remembering how she had taken off her diving suit while he put one on, and then later how she wore his shirt as he took his off... It really had been like that. Even he couldn't help but laugh.
They both laughed heartily, the tension of their dire situation dissipating in their shared amusement.
"So, what else did you find?" Lin Banxia asked after wiping away the tears from her laughter.
"A few military coats. Once they dry, we can use them as blankets and mats to keep from getting sick." Yu Lei pointed to the railing where he had hung them. "There weren't many supplies in the control room. Oh, and I found a multi-band radio. It still works, even after being submerged. But I've tried all the stations... nothing but static."
As soon as he said that, Yu Lei regretted it, feeling like he had ruined the mood. He glanced at Lin Banxia, her face unreadable in the dim light. But then he noticed her shifting uncomfortably.
Yu Lei awkwardly scratched his face and cleared his throat. "If you need to... relieve yourself, feel free. I've already done it. Don't worry, I still have to dive later, and there are plenty of dead bodies down there, I'm not picky."
Despite his casual tone, Lin Banxia, being a woman, felt deeply embarrassed. She bit her lip and, seeing that he had settled back as if to sleep, eventually gave in to the call of nature and made her way down the steps.
There was no point in pretending otherwise. They might be stuck here for days, and there was no way she could hold it in for that long.
After a long, uncomfortable pause, she returned, her face flushed with embarrassment. Glancing at Yu Lei, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, she felt a small wave of relief. Whether he was truly asleep or just pretending, at least he was mindful of her feelings.
As she passed by him, Lin Banxia couldn't resist crouching down to take a closer look at him. This man had been such a surprise to her.
She had thought he was just a heartbroken soul ready to end it all. Who knew he could be so capable, so thoughtful? The moment she saw that flicker of fire from the lighter, she had genuinely been touched.
No one had ever shown her such care before.
His girlfriend must be so lucky, she thought with a twinge of bitterness. If he hadn't already said he was deeply in love with her, Lin Banxia might have thrown caution to the wind and jumped him herself.
Though she had no experience in such matters, years of watching adult films and reading H-novels had given her an overactive imagination.
Suddenly, Yu Lei shivered, as if sensing her thoughts in his sleep.
Startled from her daydream, Lin Banxia realized he was truly asleep. She quickly took off the shirt she had been wearing and draped it over him. Thinking again about how they kept swapping clothes, she stifled a laugh.
But as she brushed against his skin, her laughter froze.
His body was burning hot to the touch.
From her experience, she knew his fever had to be at least 39°C (102°F).
It was December 22nd, 2013, at 10:22 AM. If Yu Lei's fever didn't break soon, his time might be running out... just one or two more days.