Chapter 6 - IS HE DEAD?

It was already evening when Li Jing arrived at the side of the beach close to the city harbour. Her eyes were puffy and swollen from all the crying she had done while she unpacked her things. She wore a simple outfit of blue jean shorts that went to her knees and a plain grey fitted blouse. Her mind drifted back to the devastating scene she had witnessed a while ago. Soon, streams of hot tears flowed freely down her cheeks again as she sobbed her heart out. "Get a grip on yourself, Li Jing. He isn’t worth your tears, none of them is." She tried to say comforting words to herself in hopes of soothing the sharp pain in her heart. Slowly, she lifted her hands and wiped the tears away till her face was dry. She turned to her side, so she was facing the open waters, watching as the waves came rushing back and forth. Somehow, watching this scene was comforting for her. Each time the water moved to land, she felt as though it was calling her to it. Succumbing to the call she was getting, Li Jing kicked off her sandals and walked further into the water, till it got to her knees. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air that assaulted her nostrils and letting it out slowly. "Ahhh! This is what I have been missing," Li Jing whispered to herself, shutting her eyes closed and raising both hands at her side to enjoy the feeling while it lasted. A couple of minutes later, Li Jing opened her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh. Just as she was about to step out of the water, her eyes caught something on the ground close to the water. "Hmm? What could that be?" She narrowed her eyes to take a closer look at the figure, and her mouth opened in shock when she saw the outline of the figure. That was when it dawned on her that it was a human being. "Oh my! What could someone be doing sleeping so close to shore like that?" She said to herself and hurried to where the person was. By the time she got close, she heard the splashing of water as a big wave rode towards where they were. Turning her gaze back to the figure on the ground, she shouted, "Hello! Mr, you need to wake up. There is a big wave coming in." There was no response from the man on the ground. "Hello! I said a wave is coming. You need to get up." He still didn’t respond and lay still on the ground. "Fine then, enjoy the water, but do not complain that no one warned you." She turned on her heels, ready to leave the place. All of a sudden, she stopped, sweeping her gaze back to the water. She knitted her brows when she saw the waves rising and let out an exasperated sigh. "Stubborn jerk!" Taking a turn around, Li Jing hurried to where he lay on the shoreline and quickly turned his body so she was facing him. "Oh my!" Her eyes popped open at the same time her hands moved up to cover her mouth almost instantly. She was not prepared for the sight that greeted her innocent eyes. Rather than a sleeping man, she met face to face a brutally bruised, almost lifeless, dashing young man. She still couldn’t believe her eyes. Blinking severely, she muttered under her breath, "Is he dead?" She asked, staring at his half-lifeless state. ’Oh my God! What should I do?’ she thought to herself, her eyes raking over his body and wound, as she was too afraid to touch him. ’Who hurt him to this extent? Who could do such a thing?’ she asked herself in her head. Slowly, she reached for his shoulders with her hand but stopped halfway. ’What if he is a bad guy? Besides, I do not know who did this to him, should I just leave him here and go?’ She was having mixed feelings about what she should do. What if he were a bad person, and she got into trouble for helping him, but then again, her conscience couldn’t let her leave him like this. Moving her hands forward, she lightly placed them on his neck, then placed two fingers beneath his nostrils. ’Damn it, he is not breathing, but his body is still warm. There might be a chance that he is still alive. He may just have swallowed so much water.’ If one looked closely, one could see the mixed emotions in her eyes as she contemplated what to do next. ’Forget what comes after. Right now, he needs treatment. No matter what, saving a life comes first." At the same moment, the wave came washing over them. Luckily for both of them, it somehow subsided and wasn’t as strong as what she saw previously. Finally coming to a decision, she leaned forward and opened his mouth a little with one hand and then lightly pinched his nose with the other hand. "Here goes nothing," Li Jing whispered to herself. Moving in closer, she pressed her lips against his, giving him the kiss of life. After giving him air, she proceeded to press his chest with her two hands, crossing over, on top of his chest. "One, two...go!" She pressed down hard, twice on his chest, but he did not respond. "Come on, come on. Give me a heartbeat here." Li Jing persisted and kept on bumping, not giving up on him. Since she had agreed to save him, she wouldn’t stop till he responded to her. After about three minutes, he still didn’t breathe. She began to wo,rry and her eyes became blurry as the tears built up in her eyes. She didn’t know him, but why was she about to cry? Deep down in her heart, she felt bad for wasting so much time before deciding to save him. "Come on, you stubborn jerk. You cannot die. Your death can’t be on me!"