C16 I will Wait for You in Yanjing

When Chu Jun's eyes fluttered open once more, the stark white ceiling and the sharp scent of disinfectant confirmed he was in a hospital. His head throbbed slightly, and he felt groggy.

"Chu Jun, Auntie, Chu Jun's awake!" Su Xiang's voice rang out, tinged with excitement.

Craning his neck, Chu Jun caught sight of Su Xiang seated by his bedside and his mother, Ma Yan, hurrying toward him.

"Jun, how do you feel? Is anything wrong?" Ma Yan's eyes were red-rimmed from crying, and fresh tears spilled over as she spoke.

"Mom, I'm okay!" Chu Jun reassured her, quickly sitting up. Only after he spoke did he take a moment to assess himself. Everything seemed in order; his head felt no worse than if he'd just woken up groggily from a deep sleep.

Without another word, Chu Jun leapt from the bed, prompting Ma Yan to rush forward in alarm. "Jun, what are you doing? Get back in bed!"

"Mom, really, I'm fine. Look, I'm bouncing around, aren't I?" To prove his point, Chu Jun energetically performed a series of calisthenics.

"That's not the point. You need to rest," Ma Yan insisted, her relief evident despite the stern look she wore. Summoning her parental authority, she continued, "You were lucky this time. The doctor said the back of your head is delicate. You were knocked out cold by a falling beam. You have no idea how terrified I was when your teacher called!"

"Auntie, please don't worry," Su Xiang interjected, attempting to console Ma Yan, but her own tears betrayed her. She knew that if Chu Jun hadn't shielded her, she would have been the one hit by the beam.

Chu Jun had risked himself to save her, and she felt she had no place to offer comfort to Ma Yan.

"Su Xiang, no tears now, it's all right. I was just startled," Ma Yan said, her voice softening as she comforted the young girl. "The doctor checked him over. He's just got a few scrapes on his scalp, nothing serious."

"Okay, okay, everyone stop crying, or we'll have a flood on our hands," Chu Jun joked, trying to lighten the mood. "By the way, how are the other students? Everyone's okay, right?" Despite his attempts at humor, Chu Jun couldn't shake off a lingering sense of unease. He had foreseen the danger, yet he had nearly lost everything—failing to lead his classmates to safety and nearly getting himself seriously injured in the process.

"Two of our classmates ended up with broken legs, and the rest got off with minor injuries, all thanks to your warning to be careful earlier. Otherwise, we could have had a serious situation on our hands. The cafeteria owner got hit in the head and is in the hospital too!" Su Xiang relayed the events, confirming that Chu Jun's alert about the gas leak had given everyone the crucial time to react.

Had they all been eating, oblivious to the danger, the previous disaster would have repeated itself. Of course, the extent of the roof collapse played a role—it was only a small section. Had it been more, we'd all be trapped underneath, with no chance of escape.

"And what about Wang Na and Li Meifang?" Chu Jun inquired, taking a bite of the apple his mother had peeled for him.

"They're okay, just a few scrapes from the tiles. No hospital stay needed; they've already headed back to their dorms to rest." Su Xiang was the only one in the entire incident who came out completely unscathed.

Ma Yan observed her son and then turned her gaze to Su Xiang, sensing something was amiss. It clicked—her son's actions made sense in light of this. The girl was indeed beautiful and had a pleasant personality; she'd make an ideal daughter-in-law. But with the college entrance exams looming, Ma Yan knew this was a conversation she needed to have with her son.

"Su Xiang, could you keep Chu Jun company for a bit? I'm going to go downstairs and take care of the bill," Ma Yan suggested, leaving the two some privacy before stepping out.

With Ma Yan around, Su Xiang had felt tense and on edge, but once she was alone with Chu Jun, her heartbeat seemed to quicken even more. She glanced at him, her cheeks flushing without control, and found herself unable to meet his gaze, looking down instead.

The room fell into an unusual silence, punctuated only by the sound of their breathing.

Chu Jun, feeling the awkwardness, instinctively reached up to scratch his head and winced. "Hiss..." he gasped sharply.

"What happened?" Su Xiang's concern was immediate as she looked over at him, her wide eyes filled with alarm.

"Hehe, no worries, I just bumped the back of my head!" Chu Jun said with a sheepish grin, having momentarily forgotten about his injury. It was nothing serious, but as his mom had pointed out, the skin was scraped, and it stung when he scratched it.

Chu Jun's awkwardness made Su Xiang laugh, lightening the mood.

"That letter of yours...!" The question had been haunting Chu Jun, gnawing at him like an unshakable dream—or perhaps a cruel joke. He couldn't hold back any longer and blurted it out.

"Yes, I like you!" Su Xiang confessed, her cheeks flushing. She took a deep breath and boldly voiced her feelings. Her affection for Chu Jun, once a tender blur, had solidified into something resolute after his selfless act to save her.

Chu Jun, with over thirty years of life experience, was once again at a loss for words. The straightforward declaration filled him with joy, yet he was unsure how to react. His past relationships, often fizzling out and born from blind dates, had not prepared him for this moment.

"I'll probably be heading to Yanjing in a week. Use that time to study hard. I'll be waiting for you there!" Su Xiang's words echoed the sentiment in her letter, but hearing them in person was incomparable.

Blushing ear to ear, Chu Jun nodded, suddenly seeming more bashful than Su Xiang. "Okay!"

"You can do it!" Su Xiang encouraged him with a radiant smile that, to Chu Jun, made her the most beautiful girl in the world at that moment. She then took a breath and leaned in, her face drawing closer to his.

With a soft "Bo!" their lips met.

Chu Jun's mind went blank as Su Xiang boldly planted a kiss on him, her scent and the tender warmth of her lips leaving him in a daze.

But before they could savor the moment, they both snapped their heads toward the ward's door. Ma Yan stood there, holding the hospital's billing statement, frozen in place with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Auntie, I'm heading back to school now!" Su Xiang's cheeks were flushed as if they might drip with embarrassment. She wished she could disappear into the ground as she quickly stood up, ready to make her escape.

But before she could flee, Chu Jun caught her hand, leaving her trapped and frantic, her eyes brimming with tears. She turned to face him and was taken aback by the earnestness in his expression.

His voice was soft yet resolute.

"Wait for me in Yanjing."