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"I..." Tu Hengsha was bewildered by his shouting, staring at him with eyes clear and bright in the rain, as if washed clean.
He looked at her for a moment, frowned, "Just get in the car!"
"Where are we going?" She climbed into the car, asking while taking off her soaked raincoat.
The car started speeding through the downpour, splashing through the puddles on the road, sending up great waves of muddy water that smacked against the sides. He focused intently on the road ahead, speaking in a deep voice, "Didn't the command post say it just now? They're going to release the floodwaters tonight."
"So, you're planning to go to the downstream towns and villages?" Tu Hengsha finally guessed.
"Yes."
"You can choose to come with me or wait obediently in the classroom for Mr. Su to find you, but you have to promise not to run around." Perhaps due to urgency, his voice carried a sharp edge.
She glanced at him. As a journalist, that's called chasing news! Is that called running around? "I'll go with you." As a photojournalist, venturing into the flood discharge area might help her dig deeper material.
He said no more.
Tu Hengsha sent Su Ronggui a text, informing him of her whereabouts, then unexpectedly discovered that her previous request to add Su Ronggui on WeChat had been accepted at some point.
Su Ronggui. Using his full name with seriousness as his nickname, his social feed completely empty, the only highlight being his profile picture—a colorful butterfly soaring against a blue sky.
"There's food in the back seat, grab some energy." He said.
The heater in the car was already on, warmth gradually seeping into her skin, a world away from the torrent of cold rain outside. She nodded but did not move.
Water pooled on the road as the car sliced through the rainy night, leaving Nan County, then turning onto the country road, the entire journey following the riverside highway.
This river was called the Nan River, running north to south, connecting Nan County with numerous downstream towns and villages. At this point, the Nan River's level was already flush with the road's surface, occasionally pushing a wave, and the river water would spread over the road. The downpour continued relentlessly; each raindrop risked raising the Nan River that much more, not to mention the rain poured down like a waterfall.
Having never experienced such things, Tu Hengsha felt her heart in her throat. She had no idea how long the drive would take to reach their destination and dared not distract Xu Gui from driving, merely watching the water, genuinely worried that any moment it might completely flood the road, leaving them with nowhere to drive.
"Relax, it won't rise too quickly before the flood release. We won't die." Xu Gui apparently saw through her worries, glanced at her, and asked, "Regret coming with me?"
She hastily shook her head, "No! How could I!"
Xu Gui glanced at her pants, she awkwardly pulled her feet back because her pant legs had gotten wet well before putting on the boots. She had removed her boots after getting in the car to let the heater dry her pants—she was currently barefoot, but her pants were already dry, feeling considerably more comfortable.
"You... you just drive safely." Stop glancing around at a girl's feet! Of course, she kept the latter thought to herself.
Xu Gui remained completely serious, continuing to drive.
Two hours later, they reached a small town called Nantong. Arriving at Nantong, they found that houses in the lower-lying areas by the river were only showing rooftops. Several large sand dredgers on the expansive river ferried people back and forth, the murky yellow river water surged onward under the relentless rain.
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