Moonlight Left Behind chapter 22

The sky was already overcast with dark clouds, lightning flashing intermittently, and the fierce wind was bending the little trees by the roadside. Several light-weight girls could barely walk normally, being blown off course in an S-shape.

Everyone was eager to leave, crowding at the boarding area. Lin Qinzhou had initially protected Qin Yue from behind, but he was accidentally shoved away. A few middle-aged women confidently pushed in front of him, rudely complaining that Qin Yue was blocking the way:

“Hey, the one in the wheelchair, could you please move aside? Let us go up first!”

“Yeah, if we don’t hurry, the typhoon is coming!”

Qin Yue, unable to move easily, needed assistance to board the ship. He was communicating this to the staff, but the elderly women were pushing forward without a care, nearly bumping into his wheelchair multiple times. Lin Qinzhou, watching from behind, was anxious and felt helpless, wishing he could sprout wings.

“It’s raining! Hurry, hurry! It’s pouring!”

“Don’t push! Damn it, don’t push!”

“What’s the rush?! The ground is so slippery; what if we fall?!”

Suddenly, heavy rain began to pour, blurring everyone’s vision as it fell in thick sheets. The boarding area became even more chaotic with people pushing and shoving, cursing and shouting.

Splash—

Lin Qinzhou heard a loud splash and immediately after, someone shouted, “Oh no! Someone’s fallen into the water! Someone in a wheelchair fell in!”

Just as an elderly lady had pushed him aside, Lin Qinzhou’s vision went dark, and a buzzing filled his ears. His chest tightened as if something was crushing him, and his blood seemed to freeze from the cold rain.

—Who? Who are they talking about? Who fell in?

—Someone in a wheelchair… fell in…

“It wasn’t me! He fell in on his own! I didn’t even touch him!”

“Where’s the lifeguard?! His leg seems to be caught, he’s sinking!”

Lin Qinzhou dug his nails into his palms, and the surrounding noise slowly made its way into his ears: “Qin Yue! Move aside! Let me through! Qin Yue—”

The rain grew heavier, making it hard to see. Lin Qinzhou frantically pushed people out of his way, one by one.

“Damn, who is this guy? Is he crazy? Does he want someone else to fall in too?!”

“What are you doing? It’s so dangerous in the rain! What if you knock over a child or an elderly person…”

As the tourists grumbled and stepped aside, Lin Qinzhou rushed to the edge of the dock. Rescue personnel had already jumped into the water, but the rain was too heavy and the waves too strong. The person in the water looked like a fragile butterfly, with its wings broken by the storm. They struggled, rising and falling with the waves. Every time the rescue personnel got close, they were pushed further away by the current.

Seconds later, the butterfly sank into the sea before Lin Qinzhou’s eyes.

—It’s Qin Yue.

—It’s him.

Seeing this scene, Lin Qinzhou’s heart felt as if it were hooked by an iron claw, bleeding profusely, making it nearly impossible to breathe. He froze for only a few seconds before snatching a set of diving gear from a nearby staff member.

“Hey, what are you doing—”

Lin Qinzhou had no time to explain; he quickly put on the diving gear and jumped into the water without thinking: “Qin Yue—”

Don’t be afraid, I’m coming to save you! I’ll save you right away, don’t be afraid!

“Damn it, someone jumped into the sea!”

“Is he out of his mind? This person really is crazy!”

Lin Qinzhou grew up on Coral Island, swimming by the sea since he was six or seven years old, often taken out by his grandfather to fish. As he got older, he practiced his diving skills.

Sometimes, when he went out to fish with his grandfather, he would jump straight off the boat, swim a few laps around it, then lay on the bow, showing off to his grandfather.

He was like a wild monkey in the mountains, and a water monkey in the sea. He was pretty good.

However, perhaps from lack of practice in recent years, his diving technique was rusty. His first breath didn’t go smoothly, and the icy cold seawater pierced him to the bone, with rain and seawater completely obstructing his vision.

For a long time, he was in a state where all five senses were lost. He could hardly see or hear anything, only vaguely identifying a dark shape not far away. But that dark shape quickly disappeared, leaving only a rescue boat on the surface.

—That dark shape was likely the lifeguard who had gone into the water.

—It meant that Qin Yue was nearby.

The waves rolled violently, and the crashing sounds were deafening, like a giant beast ready to swallow everything. Lin Qinzhou took a deep breath and dove underwater as he approached his target.

The underwater waves hit violently. Lin Qinzhou swam forward a few meters when suddenly, a shadow flashed about a meter beneath him. The speed was too fast, but he recognized the person at a glance.

It was Qin Yue!

—Qin Yue, don’t be afraid! I’m here! Don’t be afraid!

Lin Qinzhou forced himself to calm down and swam faster toward that shadow, but Qin Yue had completely lost consciousness, floating with the waves.

His eyes were tightly closed, long hair spread out in the water, his skin pale as if translucent, resembling a haunting water spirit. Lin Qinzhou reached out his hand—

—Just a little bit more, just a bit more.

—Qin Yue, I’m coming! Don’t be afraid, give me your hand.

—I’ve got you, Qin Yue.

“Qin Yue…” Lin Qinzhou held the person in his arms like he had found a long-lost treasure. His heart, which felt like it was about to break, finally calmed down. The buzzing sounds around him faded away, and through the oxygen mask, he pressed a light, gentle kiss on Qin Yue’s pale lips before quickly removing the oxygen mask and placing it on Qin Yue’s face.

“…Damn it, someone’s coming up! It’s that crazy person! He rescued someone! Damn it, it’s really them!” a young man on the shore shouted excitedly.

The rescue boat staff also spotted the two emerging from the water and threw Lin Qinzhou two life rings and a section of rope: “Hurry! First put on the life ring, then tie the rope around yourself. I’ll pull you up—”

“Okay—” The staff initially intended for Lin Qinzhou to tie the rope around himself, but he tied it around Qin Yue instead.

The waves grew stronger, and lightning flashed across the sky. Lin Qinzhou had little strength left, and his body was getting heavier.

He knew he didn’t have the strength to pull Qin Yue onto the rescue boat, and he didn’t know how Qin Yue was doing. He feared he wouldn’t last, wanting to ensure Qin Yue’s safety first. After checking the rope’s stability, he shouted to the staff: “First, pull him up—”

“Alright—young man, hang in there and stay safe—” The staff received the signal and pulled hard on the rescue rope as Lin Qinzhou lifted the person in his arms with all his strength. “Just a little bit more, young man, save your strength and hold on—”

The staff was more worried about Lin Qinzhou than the person who fell into the water. Lin Qinzhou had given his oxygen mask to someone else. Even though he had a life ring, in these high winds and rough seas, it was still extremely dangerous if he exhausted himself. One big wave could sweep him into the depths of the sea.

If that happened, the rescue operation would become much more difficult, and the chances of survival almost nonexistent.

“I’m fine…” Lin Qinzhou didn’t have the strength to say much more. He just lifted the person in his arms even higher. “Pull him up—”

As Qin Yue was getting closer to the rescue boat, another force suddenly came from the right, easing much of the burden on him.

Lin Qinzhou glanced over and saw it was the lifeguard who had entered the water earlier. He had been closer to Qin Yue, but a sudden wave swept Qin Yue away towards Lin Qinzhou, and the lifeguard, not noticing, spent a long time searching the water, delaying the rescue.

With the combined efforts of the three, Qin Yue was quickly pulled to safety. The staff on the boat quickly checked his condition and gave a thumbs-up to the two in the water. “Zhang Bin, get this young man up, I’ll administer first aid to the one who fell into the water!”

“Got it!” The lifeguard in the water responded and turned to Lin Qinzhou. “Young man, do you still have the strength? I’ll support you, and you can grab the boat and climb up. Can you do that?”

Lin Qinzhou nodded, “Yes!”

He was already on the verge of exhaustion, but hearing that Qin Yue was safe, the tension that had kept him going suddenly released, and he found himself barely able to hold on physically or mentally. Only by staring at the unconscious figure on the boat did he manage to grasp a small thread of determination to keep going.

—Qin Yue.

However, a huge wave surged, rocking the rescue boat violently. Lin Qinzhou lost his grip and fell straight into the sea!

“Young man—”

“Zhang Bin, save him!”

The world seemed to flip upside down. The sea and sky blended into one as the salty water rushed in, pulling Lin Qinzhou down into the abyss.

Seawater flooded his nose and mouth, choking him and making it impossible to breathe. His lungs were quickly filled with water, his chest compressed as the last bit of air was forced out. The feeling of suffocation grew stronger, and the relentless waves kept pulling him under again and again.

His consciousness began to fade, yet countless disjointed images exploded in his mind like a storm. Just before he completely slipped into darkness, Lin Qinzhou suddenly remembered the first time he had met Qin Yue.

It wasn’t half a month ago, and it wasn’t at [Fubai].

It was… sixteen years ago.

Author’s Note:

Xiao Lin rescuing Qin Yue in this scene is quite dramatic and exaggerated, so don’t worry too much about the realism. Mwah~