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Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Missed
"She didn’t come find you?" Si Jun knit his brows, his face stern. "I heard she came looking for you."
Having said this, he turned his head to look at Qian Niannian. He gazed at her intensely until she became anxious. She instinctively hid behind Yu Shiya, aiming to lower her presence.
She simply thought that Tong Yao would come looking for Si Chen here. Who knew that Tong Yao did not come here, but instead was wandering around the earthquake disaster area. Was she to blame?
If anyone were in her shoes, they would definitely think Tong Yao was looking for Si Chen. Even if she hadn’t said it out loud, would everyone not have thought that way?
"She didn’t visit." Si Chen furrowed his brows and asked gravely, "So where did you last see her?"
"Matou Town." Si Jun replied apologetically, "We thought she had come here to look for you, so when we left, we didn’t search for her. Don’t worry too much. Gu Hongwei from your village is with her. She should be safe."
"We’re here for disaster relief, not to keep an eye on someone else’s wife. Where anyone goes has nothing to do with us. Don’t meddle in other people’s affairs." Yu Shiya’s face hardened.
Si Chen merely glanced at Yu Shiya before telling Si Jun, "If you see Tong Yao again, tell her not to wander around and follow Gu Hongwei instead. She doesn’t need to look for me."
Receiving a nod of approval from Si Jun, Si Chen advanced quickly to catch up with the medical team departing.
Watching Si Chen’s retreating back, Yu Shiya angrily questioned Si Jun, "Why did you say more than you needed to just now?"
"Shiya, why didn’t you want Si Chen to know about Tong Yao coming here?" Si Jun asked seriously, the likes of which had never been seen before. Shiya felt guilty and before she could utter a word, Si Jun pressed, "Didn’t you know from the start that Tong Yao wasn’t here?"
He had the hunch something was off when Shiya deliberately tried to prevent him from telling Si Chen about Tong Yao being in Qing City, her recent words all but confirmed his suspicion.
Si Jun couldn’t understand Shiya’s intent. Did she continue to harbor feelings for Si Chen, or was she still resentful about the past? He found both equally unacceptable.
"I’ve no idea what you’re talking about." Guilt written all over her face, Shiya avoided looking at Si Jun. Instead, she deflected the blame onto Qian Niannian, "Qian Niannian was the one who said Tong Yao was here looking for Si Chen. When I tried to stop you from talking earlier, it was only because I didn’t want to get involved in their marital affairs. They are husband and wife and together in this - why should we intervene?"
The truth was, Shiya did know that Tong Yao was not here. When she exited the tent, she saw Tong Yao running after a large yellow dog. When Qian Niannian later said that Tong Yao was here, Shiya simply chose not to be a gossip.
She doesn’t think she did anything wrong.
"I thought Tong Yao was looking for Doctor Si, given that this is a disaster zone. Tong Yao is unfamiliar with the place and with nowhere else to go, surely she wouldn’t wander around aimlessly. Who would’ve thought she didn’t come!" Qian Niannian was somewhat panic-stricken at this point.
Everyone thought that Tong Yao was with Gu Hongwei at this point. However, she knew that Gu Hongwei hadn’t found Tong Yao and had no idea where Tong Yao was. If anything did happen...she wouldn’t be blamed for it, right?
At that point, she had truly thought Tong Yao had come to look for Si Chen. After all, there wasn’t much to do in a disaster zone - so where else would Tong Yao have gone other than to look for Si Chen?
If she had to say it, even if anything really happened, others couldn’t be blamed. Wasn’t it better to stay in Li City? Running around everywhere to show off, not staying with the large group, and if something were to happen, it would only prove that Tong Yao was unlucky.
Si Jun frowned, "How could you speculate recklessly about such things?"
When they left Matou Town, he asked Tong Yao about her whereabouts. Qian Niannian was very certain at that point that Tong Yao had come here, and that was why he didn’t continue to look for Tong Yao.
Even though they did not come together, Tong Yao was still Si Chen’s wife. No matter the reason, they had a duty to ask Tong Yao if she wanted to come with them when they left, as it would be very dangerous for a girl to be alone in an unfamiliar disaster area.
"Should we go back to Matou Town to look for Tong Yao then? It’s dangerous for her to be alone here." Guo Nan interjected, his anxiety clear as day during the three-way conversation.
Crooks lurk everywhere, especially in such catastrophic times; there might be wolves in sheep’s clothing who would take advantage of the situation and inflict harm ominously. In such cases, locating her would be utterly impossible.
Suppose Tong Yao were indeed in a tight spot, how could they face Doctor Si in the future, let alone live down their guilt?
After a moment of contemplation, Si Jun handed the medical kit he was carrying to Guo Nan, "You guys go ahead, I’ll go to Matou Town and look for her."
Upon hearing this, Shiya’s face instantly changed. Her heart weighed down like a heavy stone as she shot a sharp threatening glare at Si Jun, "If you go, we’re breaking up."
Except for her slightly good looks, what else was commendable about Tong Yao? One after another, why were they so keen on Tong Yao like they were bewitched. Why?
Knowing well her aversion to Tong Yao, Si Jun still insisted on looking for Tong Yao, plainly disregarding her feelings.
Si Chen liked Tong Yao. Even her own boyfriend was concerned about Tong Yao. In what way was she inferior to Tong Yao?
Shiya brazenly mentioned breaking up. Si Jun’s face turned dark as well and he said in a low voice, "Shiya, this now is not the best time. Don’t throw tantrums."
"I’ve said what I needed to say. Do as you please." Shiya spat, then turned around and walked away.
"Doctor Si, you should go after Doctor Shiya immediately!" Qian Niannian urged, "If Tong Yao is still in Matou Town, she will find her way here. There’s no need for you to fight with Doctor Shiya over her. Any girl would be jealous and upset seeing you so concerned about Tong Yao."
Her last sentence was clearly filled with other motives.
Si Jun gave her a stern look, warning, "Tong Yao better be safe. If not, you will not evade responsibility."
Qian Niannian was startled. The usually good-natured Si Jun, could actually utter these words. She defended herself with a vulnerable expression, "Doctor Si, don’t talk nonsense. How did this even involve me? Tong Yao herself was the one running around without listening. Her legs are hers. It’s not like I can bind her up and prevent her from running off! As Doctor Shiya mentioned, we’re here for disaster relief, not to babysit someone else’s wife!"
However, Si Jun ignored her and turned to tell Guo Nan, "You stay with Shiya. Don’t leave the base until I come back."
Although he was worried about Tong Yao’s safety, he was equally worried about Shiya’s safety.
Guo Nan responded with a troubled look, "Doctor Si, please take care."
She was the one who brought up the suggestion of backtracking to find Tong Yao. She had not expected that Shiya would threaten to break up with Si Jun over this. If they really break up because of this, she would be the one to blame.
But she couldn’t just abandon Tong Yao, right? What if something happened?
Si Jun gave a nod, preparing to leave, when suddenly a man covered in mud and carrying a woman on his back came running over. As he ran, he cried out, "Doctor, doctor! Save us! My wife’s leg was crushed. She lost a lot of blood and is unconscious."
Seeing this situation, Si Jun immediately ran over to tend to the injured woman the man was carrying.
As more and more injured people were brought in, a number of them severely wounded, Si Jun was anchored on the spot and unable to leave, ultimately shelving his plans to search for Tong Yao.
