How Can a Construction Foreman Be the Public Girlfriend of a Top Celebrity? - Chapter 33
Chapter 33
In that moment, Zheng Ling had a bad feeling. She immediately pulled out her phone to call Shu Xuan, but the call failed—the line was out of service. This confirmed Zheng Ling’s suspicion.
Her WeChat subscription account “Seismic Info Service” sent her an alert: a magnitude 5.4 earthquake had struck Jin City, with an estimated intensity of around Level 5, and the epicenter was 235 kilometers from Nancheng.
Da Tou was also on the phone. Unable to reach Shu Xuan, she called Zheng Ling instead.
“Boss Zheng, are you guys alright over there?” Da Tou’s voice was full of worry.
“I came back to Nancheng earlier today for work. Teacher Shu is still in Jin City with the show crew,” Zheng Ling explained.
“Oh no, what do we do now? The director’s unreachable too,” Da Tou was nearly in tears.
Zheng Ling, however, remained calm. She tried to reassure Da Tou, “Teacher Shu will be fine.”
But she was scared too. After telling Yang Lei about the earthquake, she jumped into her car and prepared to rush to the disaster area—afraid she’d be too late if she waited.
“Ling-jie, maybe rest a bit before going? It’s a long round trip,” Yang Lei tried to stop her.
“No. If I wait, they’ll seal off the roads.” Zheng Ling pushed his arm away. Something suddenly occurred to her. “Go find the mooncake seller we ordered from before. Ask him to load a truck with supplies for me. I’ll go home and switch vehicles.”
The man who had been making a fuss earlier saw Zheng Ling like this and quieted down. Even the police officers at the station tried to dissuade her from going to the quake zone, warning of potential aftershocks.
But Zheng Ling replied, “My wife is waiting for me. I promised her I’d come back. I have to go.”
She quickly returned home, switched to her pickup truck, loaded it with supplies from the mooncake shop, and rushed off. She’d considered using a cargo truck for more space, but the mountainous roads—especially after the quake—made the pickup a safer option.
Meanwhile, viewers of the livestream noticed it had suddenly gone dark. Seeing the earthquake alert, they began worrying for those in the epicenter.
Shu Xuan’s fan club immediately began fundraising and praying for her and everyone else’s safety, hoping the disaster didn’t bring too many casualties.
Zheng Ling held a piece of bread in her mouth as she drove. Her eyes, red and bloodshot from exhaustion, brimmed with tears. She wasn’t sure whether it was the dry bread that made her choke up or her fear for Shu Xuan.
At a red light, she opened a bottle of water and took a few gulps. Her salty tears flowed down, mixing with the water. She wiped her face with her sleeve.
She turned on the car radio, switching to the latest news broadcast.
No detailed updates had been released yet regarding the damage in Jin City. Communication was down. Only reporters from neighboring cities were managing to report in.
“According to the latest reports, there are still aftershocks in Jin City. Casualty numbers are being confirmed…”
Zheng Ling gritted her teeth and turned off the radio. She switched to a DJ station to change her mood. Shu Xuan will be fine. She has to be.
Upon exiting the Jin City expressway, police stopped her car.
“Sorry, Jin City is currently closed to civilian vehicles,” the officer said.
Zheng Ling rolled down her window. “Officer, I’m delivering emergency supplies.”
“That’s still not allowed. Too dangerous. We have designated response teams for this.” The officer remained firm.
“Please, my family is still up there. There are children on the mountain. I know that road—I’ve driven trucks up there before…” She hadn’t even finished before the officer ran to the toll station office.
Soon, he came back.
“You’ve driven trucks up the mountain before?” he asked.
“Yes, we were filming up there,” Zheng Ling confirmed.
“Alright, come with me. Speak with our commander. That road is rough—we need someone familiar with it to lead the way.”
Of course Zheng Ling agreed. The officer explained that they had been searching for a local willing to lead the convoy up the mountain, but most were too afraid. Even without an earthquake, that road was dangerous. Now it was worse.
In the city, rescuers were everywhere. The most difficult problem was reaching the mountainous villages. Local villagers couldn’t get to the city, and outsiders didn’t know the terrain.
After conferring with the commander, Zheng Ling’s pickup led the convoy of military supply trucks. The commander, relieved, finally smiled.
“Comrade, you must ensure your own safety first. Got it?”
“Yes.” Zheng Ling revved the engine and sped ahead.
Entering Jin City, the once vibrant streets were now dark. On open ground, people stood dazed—some wore only one shoe, others had fled without clothes, some still had shampoo in their hair and only a towel around them.
Utility poles had fallen on the roadside, billboards lay crushed atop trucks.
Zheng Ling didn’t have time to dwell on the devastation. She steadily drove to the base of the mountain.
There, the road was blocked by rocks. Village elders were trying to move them with poles.
Zheng Ling jumped out to help. The soldiers from the trucks joined in and quickly cleared the debris.
An old woman laughed and cried as she said, “You’ve finally come. There are still many children at the top of the mountain.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get them out safely,” said a young soldier, barely more than a boy.
Covered in mud, Zheng Ling kept driving uphill.
The road was worse than expected. Even before, it had made Qi Zhi’s husband carsick with its endless turns. Now, with parts of the road collapsed and thick with sludge, only Zheng Ling’s small truck could make it through. The bigger trucks were barely staying on the road.
Zheng Ling stopped and turned to the soldiers. “We can’t go any farther. We’ll have to walk the rest.”
Shining her flashlight ahead, she estimated they had 5 kilometers left to the top.
“Understood.”
“All units, disembark. Advance on foot!”
Zheng Ling’s truck was already loaded with supplies—even the front passenger seat. She wanted to let the female medical team ride in the back.
“You can ride in the truck.”
But the girls shook their heads. “No need. We’ve got strength. Fill the back with more supplies—we’ll run with the unit.”
Without hesitation, Zheng Ling packed every inch of the truck. She tied a few flashlights to the back, just enough to light the road. After more than an hour, they finally reached the mountaintop.
There wasn’t a single light.
But when Zheng Ling’s truck appeared, cheers erupted like a wave.
Shu Xuan, her once-pink dress now filthy, sat on a stone with a sleeping little girl on her lap.
When the truck lights illuminated the school gate, Zheng Ling’s heart finally settled.
She jumped out. The medical team and soldiers followed, quickly unloading supplies. Everyone’s backpacks were full of emergency gear.
While still unloading, Shu Xuan took water from a soldier, twisted the cap open, and gave the child a sip. Across the beam of the headlights, she and Zheng Ling locked eyes.
Zheng Ling mouthed, “Still more to unload.” Shu Xuan nodded slightly and joined the effort.
After emptying the truck, she returned several times to bring up what the other trucks couldn’t.
There wasn’t just a school on the mountain—many villagers lived there. Their mud-and-wood homes had collapsed. The school building, barely standing before, had caved in.
Rescue began immediately. Only after all that did Zheng Ling finally speak to Shu Xuan.
“Teacher Shu, you’re not hurt, are you?” Zheng Ling’s throat was dry, eyes brimming with tears.
Shu Xuan looked her in the eye. “No.”
“Good.” Zheng Ling stood still, unsure how to express the storm of emotion inside her.
“You look like a dirty little puppy,” Shu Xuan joked to lighten the mood.
Zheng Ling blinked. “Mm. You look like a messy little kitten.”
They laughed—and Zheng Ling’s tears finally spilled over.
Director Li, who had been hit by falling rocks earlier, had just regained consciousness. Bandaged, he lay on a mat. “Boss Zheng? You came? Wait, am I dead?”
Yang Yin cried, “Zheng Ling, thank god you came. I thought we were going to die up here.”
Zheng Ling continued helping the soldiers dig through the rubble. Shu Xuan grabbed a shovel to help too. She remembered the principal had rushed into the classroom to save kids. She gave them the direction, and everyone began to dig.
The soldiers set up a signal receiver—soon, communications on the mountain were restored.
Everyone’s phones began chiming. The crew quickly passed word to the media about the situation on the mountain.
What started as a dating reality livestream was now disaster news. The injured director became the temporary reporter.
Viewers rushed to tune in as the stream resumed.
Lying down, Director Li still hurt but could speak.
“Don’t worry, all the celebrities are safe. But some students are still buried under the rubble, and the principal rushed in to save them. Behind me is the rescue effort.”
“There are many left-behind elderly in the mountains—rescue is already underway.”
The reality show had already been trending, but now the whole nation was watching. Even CCTV shared the stream.
Behind Li were army medics and civilian rescue groups. At the highest point of the ruins stood a woman in a filthy pink dress. Her hair caked in dust, her face illuminated by flashlights.
It was Shu Xuan, digging with a shovel. Zheng Ling was tearing steel bars away with her bare hands. Soldiers nearby lifted a collapsed wall.
Barrage comments:
Holy crap, is that Shu Xuan? My goddess is digging with a shovel!
Wuwuwu, please let everyone be safe.
Staging it—of course she knows the camera is on.
So heartbreaking… disasters are cruel, but people are kind. Praying for safety.
The video of Shu Xuan digging went viral, surpassing the news of the Jin City earthquake itself.
Da Tou’s team rushed to do damage control—removing Shu Xuan from trending topics and encouraging people to focus on disaster relief. Her fan club urged everyone to support responsibly, without disrupting order.
Soon, supplies from across the country arrived. Donations from Shu Xuan’s fans came in, followed by support from other celebrity fans.
Thanks to the reality show livestream, more people became aware of the devastation. A 5.4 magnitude quake proved far more terrifying than expected.
Over two hours later, they finally located the principal.
Her fingers moved slightly.
Zheng Ling and Shu Xuan backed away to let the soldiers handle the rescue. They cleared the rubble to reveal two little girls huddled under a table. The principal’s frail body had shielded them, preventing the wall from crushing them.
Her clothes were torn, and bl00d ran from her arm to the hem. One girl had dried bl00d on her lips—the principal had likely given her bl00d to drink.
The girls were unconscious. The principal’s leg was pierced by a steel rod. Summoning her last strength, she smiled and patted them.
“Children, help has come.”
With those words, her eyes closed for the last time.
Though the medics tried, the principal couldn’t be saved.
Everyone stood in silence atop the ruins for three minutes.
The livestream dimmed. Netizens across the country joined in mourning.
Tears streaked down Shu Xuan’s face. Still, she worked with the others to help the wounded. The nearby villagers had been resettled safely.
By dawn, everyone buried beneath the rubble had been rescued.
Zheng Ling and Shu Xuan lay side by side on a bamboo mat as the sun rose. Light hit their faces. They looked at each other.
“Boss Zheng, I didn’t think you’d come back,” Shu Xuan said weakly.