Chapter Two: Fever

I never expected Peng Qian to suddenly act with such overbearing arrogance. Before all our colleagues, he began to throw his weight around, insisting that we should trek deep into the rainforest, claiming that it was the only way to survive.

I didn't have any strong feelings toward Peng Qian, but seeing his condescending demeanor and hearing his supposed "plan," I knew he was unreliable. What I didn't expect, however, was that everyone agreed with his suggestion.

Fatty Han Yu looked quite weak. Although Lan Fang had someone pull out the bamboo shard and I had contributed a piece of my own clothing to bandage her leg, she was currently unable to walk. Given our relationships, it was only natural that we should take turns carrying her and leave together.

To my surprise, Peng Qian raised his hand and decided on the spot to abandon Lan Fang, who was immobile. He claimed that we could barely look after ourselves and that if we found a way out, we would come back for her. Of course, Jia Lue’s sycophantic agreement ensured Peng Qian’s victory.

Needless to say, no one believed that promise, least of all Lan Fang. It was obvious they just wanted to get rid of her as a burden.

I didn’t have any close connection to Lan Fang; I had only just started at the company, and I hadn’t even been there for a full month. But as a decent human being, I couldn't bring myself to leave her behind.

Perhaps because of my firm objection, our group split into two. In the end, it was clear that my neighbor, Qu Xiang, was willing to stay behind with me to look after the injured Lan Fang.

I didn't know Peng Qian well, but seeing him act so selfishly—even taking the black bag and two sun-protective jackets—filled me with sudden, intense anger. When I argued with them, the chatterbox Zhou Jianguo and Jia Lue stood beside Peng Qian, staring at me coldly; it was a clear threat.

Qu Xiang saw that Jia Lue was holding a thick, withered branch as heavy as an arm, so she pulled me aside, wanting to let them leave. Just then, Lan Fang saw Peng Qian’s actions and scolded him for his lack of integrity.

Unexpectedly, Peng Qian lunged at Lan Fang with claws bared. Fearing he would strike her, I moved to protect her. Even as I heard Lan Fang’s angry shouts ringing in my ears, I suddenly felt the world go black, followed by a sharp, dull pain in the back of my head, and I lost consciousness.

Lan Fang was usually aloof. Even when the others abandoned her, she had watched them coldly without a word. But this behavior from Peng Qian had truly enraged her. The way these people, who used to fawn over her, had turned their backs on her in an instant seemed to make her realize something about their true nature.

***

When I finally stirred, groggy and hearing faint weeping, I found Lan Fang half-reclined on a large, relatively flat rock by the water. There was no one else around, and she seemed just as dazed as I was.

Feeling a dull ache in the back of my head, I reached up to touch it. There was no blood, but I knew I had been knocked out. I didn't call out to Lan Fang; I just watched her, my head throbbing and my brow furrowed. We were still near the small stream, but only the two of us remained.

Unsure if the injury was serious, I stayed quiet for a while. Later, Lan Fang suddenly developed a high fever. In truth, the signs had been there earlier, but everyone had been so eager to leave that no one had noticed.

Now that I was the only one left to care for her, hearing her labored, painful breathing and listening to her mutter things I couldn't understand, I checked her temperature. When I felt how high it was, I was terrified.

Looking at the damp surroundings, I felt a sense of foreboding. It wasn't my first time in a rainforest, but faced with this sudden turn of events, I truly didn't know how to handle it.

Perhaps it wasn't our time to die yet. In my panic, I searched the riverbank and actually found some wild houttuynia and plantain herbs.

Back in the countryside when I was a child, the elders used these herbs to decoct water to treat fevers. Since we had no tools to boil anything, I found a stone hollow and used another rock to crush the herbs into a pulp. Finally, I scooped it into a wild banana leaf, pried open her mouth, and fed it to her.

What followed was a long wait. Of course, I also had to find food.

I didn't dare eat anything random in the rainforest. I found a large rubber tree, used a sharp stone to pierce the bark, and drank the sap. I forced it down, though my heart was pounding with anxiety.

Later, I dug some earthworms out of the river mud, washed them clean, chopped them up with a rock, and put them in a banana leaf. Holding my nose and closing my eyes, I swallowed them in one gulp. I had eaten earthworms before to treat an illness, but this time it was purely to stave off hunger.

As the sky began to darken, Lan Fang woke up in a daze. She didn't say anything. Whether out of hunger or because she had finally realized our situation, she just sat there leaning against the rock, silent and frail.

***

I wasn't surprised by her reaction. Lan Fang was used to a life of luxury and had always held a high position at the company. Peng Qian’s betrayal and the others’ blind compliance must have been a massive blow to her.

"Have they all left?" she asked weakly, perhaps noticing the darkening sky and the absence of anyone else. I couldn't tell if she was worried or simply resigned. Seeing me fiddling with something, she spoke up.

"Yes, they're gone. It’s just us now," I replied. Though ending up in this state was unexpected, to many people from remote areas, this might just be considered a minor setback in life.

But after hearing her words, I suddenly remembered something and stared at her in shock. "Wait... where is Qu Xiang? Where is Xiangxiang?"

Lan Fang seemed curious, perhaps sensing my low mood. I hadn't seen Qu Xiang since I woke up. Though I didn't want to believe she would leave with Peng Qian and the others, my heart sank as I scanned the area and failed to find her.

"Hey, what are you looking for?" Lan Fang asked, though perhaps she hadn't heard me clearly.

"What does it matter to you?" I hadn't given it much thought, but I remembered Qu Xiang promising to stay with us. Now that she was gone, I didn't know the exact reason, but it was a reality—why bother trying to distinguish the truth?

Of course, I knew that if I had been unconscious and Lan Fang couldn't move, it was highly likely that Peng Qian and the others had threatened Qu Xiang into leaving with them. So, even though I felt a sense of loss, I wasn't entirely surprised.