Ruan Jiujiu thought, “She must be crazy to have her heart racing and trembling when Cheng Jun kissed her.”
If it weren’t for Tu Nan and the others standing by her side, she would probably be completely bewildered.
Tu Nan, Wen Xi, Fu Zicheng, Jiao Fan, and Old Meng were all standing in the hospital corridor. They all had one question in their minds: Where had Ruan Jiujiu been all this time?
Why did she disappear from this world without a trace for a whole seven months, despite their efforts to find any information about her through various channels? And now, Ruan Jiujiu suddenly appeared at the police station, wearing light summer clothes.
If she wasn’t standing in front of them so vividly, they would almost think they were seeing a ghost.
Ruan Jiujiu’s reaction was even more intense than theirs.
When she heard that she had been missing for seven months, she first stared blankly with wide eyes, her expression stunned. Then, she realized something and cautiously turned her head to look at Cheng Jun. Cheng Jun, who was standing beside her, had no expression on his face; he just held her hand tightly and hadn’t let go for even a second.
She couldn’t believe it. She wondered what kind of emotions Cheng Jun had been experiencing while waiting for her for seven months with no communication and no hope.
Seven months, indeed.
But for her, it had been almost half a day, and she had a hard time enduring until she almost broke down.
No wonder she always felt that he had become thinner; she could clearly feel his spine when they hugged.
Ruan Jiujiu felt a deep sadness.
“So where did you actually go? The boss was about to lose it, and we thought you… ugh, never mind! As long as you’re okay!”
Ruan Jiujiu’s answer was vague, “I… I went to a distant place.”
As her words came out, she fell silent for a moment, realizing that this explanation sounded even stranger. As expected, the expressions of the others changed, and they began to doubt if Ruan Jiujiu had returned from the dead. When they looked at Ruan Jiujiu, they seemed hesitant to speak.
Ruan Jiujiu added, “Anyway, I won’t leave again. You can all rest assured.”
Especially Cheng Jun.
However, her assurance did not make Cheng Jun loosen his grip on her hand in the slightest.
The other people exchanged glances, eager to know what had happened, but Ruan Jiujiu seemed unwilling to provide further explanations, making it difficult for them to press for more details.
“Alright, it’s good to have you back,” Old Meng sighed with relief and half-jokingly winked, “We have a lot of work piled up, so take a few days to rest and then come back to work soon.”
“Okay. Thank you, everyone, for your hard work,” Ruan Jiujiu said, moved, as she smiled at them with pursed lips.
Everyone who had managed to come here today was worried about her safety, and she was grateful that there were so many people in this world who still cared about her. When they looked at her, their eyes were full of concern and warmth, and they didn’t question her because of her vague words. It almost made Ruan Jiujiu, who was already emotionally sensitive, want to burst into tears.
They walked to the hospital entrance, and Tu Nan suddenly realized something and asked, “Was the boss’s car towed away? Don’t call a cab; I’ll give you a ride.”
If Ruan Jiujiu had known how flashy Tu Nan’s car was, she would probably have chosen to decline.
The others drove off to their respective homes.
Secretary Wen Xi sat in the front passenger seat, while Ruan Jiujiu and Cheng Jun sat in the back. Ruan Jiujiu watched as Tu Nan helped the secretary fasten her seatbelt, and their actions were intimate and affectionate, clearly not the behavior of mere colleagues.
Ruan Jiujiu was surprised and said, “You two—”
Tu Nan interrupted, “I told you, she definitely likes me… Ow, ow, don’t hit me, I was wrong, I was wrong!”
Wen Xi’s pretty face turned red, and she coldly glared at Tu Nan, saying, “If you want to kneel to the remote control, you can continue with your nonsense.”
“No, no, no…” Tu Nan hastily waved his hands.
Back in this world, listening to their bickering, Ruan Jiujiu finally felt a sense of reality returning. Cheng Jun sat silently beside her, holding her hand tightly, which had become quite warm, but he showed no intention of letting go.
Ruan Jiujiu understood that he lacked a sense of security, so she allowed him to hold onto her tightly.
The vehicle slowly drove through the streets, and gradually, snowflakes began to fall gently, floating in the quiet night of the city. While looking at the snowflakes outside the window, Ruan Jiujiu’s mind was filled with thoughts of Cheng Jun. How had he witnessed the green leaves gradually turning yellow and falling, ultimately being covered by the heavy snow?
Ruan Jiujiu didn’t know any of this and dared not ask.
Tu Nan dropped them off at the bottom of the building, and the secretary was still teasing him about his eccentric taste. Tu Nan quickly surrendered and promised to change his car in a couple of days, letting the secretary pick a stylish one.
The two of them laughed and joked, watching Ruan Jiujiu and Cheng Jun leave.
Tu Nan finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank goodness. If my sister-in-law didn’t come back, I was starting to worry that the boss wouldn’t make it through this winter.”
Wen Xi said, “Yeah, luckily she did. But… do you think, Jiujiu, where did she actually go?”
Tu Nan had a nervous look on his face.
“Maybe even heaven couldn’t bear to see the boss suffering alone, so they sent an angel to keep him company,” Tu Nan replied with a mischievous grin.
Wen Xi burst into laughter, saying, “Perhaps.”
For them, whether or not the truth could be spoken didn’t really matter anymore. Not every secret needed to be revealed. They exchanged a glance, got back into the car, and finally felt a heavy burden in their hearts lifted. Tonight, they could sleep well.
For Ruan Jiujiu, the last time she climbed these stairs was just a day ago.
She held Cheng Jun’s hand and casually mentioned the myth of Orpheus, but she never expected it to come true. Ruan Jiujiu swore to herself that she would never speak carelessly again. She took a few steps forward while holding Cheng Jun’s hand, but he suddenly stopped.
Ruan Jiujiu: “???”
“You go ahead,” he said.
As if afraid that the nightmare would repeat itself, he walked behind Ruan Jiujiu, not letting go of her hand. Ruan Jiujiu comforted his emotions and led the way up the stairs. This journey felt unusually long, as if walking on a tightrope. She didn’t need to turn around to know that Cheng Jun must be on high alert, staring at her without blinking, fearing that she would disappear.
Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened along the way. He opened the door and led Ruan Jiujiu inside.
Seven months had passed, but the room remained just as it was, as if she had truly been gone for only a day.
“Did you eat properly while I was away?” Ruan Jiujiu asked as she opened the refrigerator, surprised to find fruits inside. On the contrary, there was no bottle of Yakult, and only a few boxes of unopened milk remained.
Cheng Jun stood behind her and answered Ruan Jiujiu’s question slowly, “I ate regular meals, quit snacking, remembered to dress warmly when it got cold, maintained a regular sleep schedule, completed all the work that needed to be done, and occasionally participated in social activities.”
“…”
“So, I won’t trouble you,” Cheng Jun said.
Ruan Jiujiu fell silent, blinking her eyes and trying to control herself from crying again. However, when she saw Cheng Jun’s uneasy and careful expression, her eyes welled up with tears.
She sniffed hard and turned her head to the side.
“What do you want to eat?” she asked.
Cheng Jun replied, “Anything is fine.”
“I’ll see if there’s anything else.”
Surprisingly, the rice and noodles appeared to be fresh, so she didn’t have to worry about them being too old to eat. There were fresh vegetables, meat, and eggs in the fridge. Ruan Jiujiu was momentarily stunned because Cheng Jun couldn’t cook, and it was highly unlikely that he had prepared all this himself.
The vegetables and fruits were so fresh; even if he didn’t eat them, they would probably be replaced regularly.
He must have been waiting for her every day.
Ruan Jiujiu felt incredibly grateful that she had found a way to come back in time. If she had stayed in another world for ten days or more, she couldn’t bear to imagine what condition Cheng Jun would be in when she returned.
She prepared a simple bowl of noodles and placed two eggs on Cheng Jun’s plate.
She had already eaten enough at the police station.
The two of them sat face to face at the dining table, and Cheng Jun held the chopsticks without picking up the noodles for a while. He lowered his head, his scattered hair covering his eyelids, making it impossible to see the emotions in his eyes.
Ruan Jiujiu spoke softly, “Go ahead and eat; the noodles are getting clumpy.”
“…”
Suddenly, he let out a short sob. The dining room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, and Ruan Jiujiu could hardly believe that Cheng Jun… was actually crying?
She stood there in astonishment, but then she saw Cheng Jun pick up the noodles with his chopsticks and start eating. The sound of him slurping the noodles wasn’t loud, but it drowned out any other noise. He finished the noodles and eggs and drank all the soup in his bowl.
Ruan Jiujiu asked, “Are you still not full?”
Cheng Jun put down his bowl and said, “I’m full.”
It had been a long time since he had eaten this much food at once.
Cheng Jun went to wash the dishes as usual. Whenever he didn’t hear any noise for a while, he would instinctively check if Ruan Jiujiu was still there. Despite Ruan Jiujiu repeatedly assuring him that she wouldn’t leave again, he still seemed somewhat anxious.
When Ruan Jiujiu went to the bathroom, Cheng Jun wanted to follow, but Ruan Jiujiu hurriedly blocked him outside the door.
“I just need to use the bathroom!”
“I don’t mind.”
“…I mind!”
Cheng Jun stood outside the door with the bathroom door tightly closed. Every few seconds, he would call Ruan Jiujiu’s name, and she would respond promptly. Even when she was taking a shower, she kept talking to Cheng Jun, which led to her inadvertently swallowing some shower water and nearly choking on it.
She understood Cheng Jun’s feelings at the moment, so she tried to accommodate his requests as much as possible.
When they slept in bed, Cheng Jun gently held her in his arms, and all she could smell was Cheng Jun’s refreshing scent. She held onto Cheng Jun’s arm peacefully.
They embraced each other, and Cheng Jun didn’t do anything else. They simply slept together, covered by the quilt.
Both of them lay there with their eyes open, without any sign of sleepiness.
As they lay there, Ruan Jiujiu started to feel a bit tired, and she drifted off to sleep in the middle of the night. In her half-asleep, half-awake state, she heard Cheng Jun calling her name anxiously.
“Jiujiu?”
She sleepily kissed his chin and snuggled into his embrace.
“I’m here.”
I’ll always be here.
Author’s note: Goodnight, everyone~
Tomorrow is definitely going to be sweet!
I’m not sure which chapter this is in the main story, but maybe it’ll be in tomorrow’s update. In any case, there’s a bonus chapter coming up with some baby-making action, so don’t worry!_(:3∠)_
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