Ayalee: Special birthday treat: 1 full chapter unlocked from each of my translations for everyone to enjoy because it’s my birthday today! Since GTFTW only has one chapter left after this special unlock, I’ve decided to unlock the last chapter as well. Enjoy!🎉

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Chapter 46

It had been a week.

Fu Cheng still hadn’t returned.

It had been twice as long as expected. He called Youyi every day. Otherwise, she would have been very worried.

On the 7th, Youyi met with Huang Youyi for lunch as usual. She talked about recent events with a look of bewilderment.

There were two recent issues.

First, the neighbor next door, a homebody, had once barged into her house when he smelled a gas leak. He found out that she hadn’t turned off the gas properly, but fortunately, she wasn’t home at the time.

“You know, my apartment is partitioned, so there’s no central gas line. We use those individual gas canisters that need to be turned off manually.”

Huang Youyi wasn’t used to that type of gas canister and had left it slightly open, causing the leak. It was a dangerous situation. If she had been home, she could have been in serious trouble.

 Huang Youyii sighed.

“I had previously scolded him because of his dog, but that day, he helped me open all the windows and ensured my room was safe before leaving. This morning, he specifically waited at the door to remind me to be careful next time.”

Huang Youyi had never seen his face clearly before, but this morning was the first time. How to describe him? He was quite tall and handsome.

His voice was pleasant, but he was sparing with words, each sentence brief and to the point.

“Like my recent rumored partner,” she added.

This description was vivid. Huang Youyi, who was quite taken with appearances, felt all her feelings of gratitude and guilt surface. She wondered how she could have said such things about a handsome guy.

It was her own fault. She shouldn’t have.

She didn’t even know if he was injured when he banged on her door, and she had been so cold-hearted, not buying a gift to thank him.

Huang Youyi deeply reflected on this.

“There’s another thing,” she said, moving on to another topic.

“My senior.”

The one she had frequently complained about being unreliable.

“A few days ago, I suddenly realized that he and I went to the same middle school. What’s more surprising is that I had him on my QQ^[1]QQ is a popular instant messaging platform in China, developed by Tencent. Launched in 1999, QQ began as a desktop-based messaging service and has since evolved into a comprehensive social media and … Continue reading friends list!”

Back in middle school, people didn’t use WeChat for chatting. Of course, now WeChat had replaced other chat tools entirely, so she hadn’t noticed they were once on each other’s friends list.

“I’ve told you before, my senior is only okay looking, but his temper and character are lacking. He’s a real jerk.”

“And then he told me that he used to have a crush on me.”

Huang Youyi felt like a bucket of melodrama had been poured over her head. How could the term “crush” apply to her promiscuous senior?

“And then?” Youyi asked.

“Then he thought about it all night.”

The next morning, when Huang Youyi saw him, he suddenly smiled at her. After inspecting the room and finding it just the two of them, he asked, “Junior, can I pursue you?”

Huang Youyi instinctively refused.

That day, at the hospital gate after work, he said that his past crush was indeed very profound. Even though his subsequent crushes had her shadow, they were nothing compared to her actually standing in front of him.

The reason why Youyi put these two things together is –

“I’ve clearly realized that the peach blossom tree above my head has started blooming. Regardless of whether they’re good or bad, at least two flowers are blooming.”

Huang Youyi was very clear-headed, and she clearly knew that her luck had changed recently.

Youyi took a couple of bites of her melon.

“That’s indeed true,” she said.

Huang Youyi, the philosopher, was now dealing with problems beyond philosophy. Honestly, she felt she should get her fortune told or buy a lottery ticket.

Because in her twenty-two years of life, she suddenly found that the broken line had sprouted two more.

It was not easy.

“What do you think?” Youyi asked her.

“I was hoping you, a married woman, could help me analyze it.”

Youyi thought for a moment and then shook her head.

Strictly speaking, she didn’t have much experience in dating and didn’t have the chance to start from scratch with someone. Though married, her experience was zero.

Huang Youyi said, “Actually, I like the neighbor more. He seems like a good person and fits my aesthetic.”

But he might just be genuinely kind and naturally good-hearted.

She thought for a while.

“Then, I’ll go back, pick out a gift for him, and take the opportunity to add him on WeChat to get to know him better.”

The senior brother was simply passed over because she couldn’t handle that scumbag.

As Youyi spoke, she glanced at her phone and saw the WeChat interface. The message she had sent to Fu Cheng two hours ago still hadn’t received a reply.

Although Fu Cheng was busy, he usually waited for her messages. He knew when she would message and would always reply promptly to avoid worrying her.

No reply today might mean he’s particularly busy.

Youyi felt a strong sense of unease.

She didn’t know where this unease came from. It felt strange and intense, accompanied by her heart racing in her chest. She felt as if her mind might be overwhelmed by the rapid beating.

When she got off work that evening, her senior was still joking about giving her an ECG.

She didn’t feel well.

Actually, she didn’t feel entirely bad, but—

It wasn’t good.

*

That night, Youyi couldn’t sleep.

It was the first time in a year she had experienced insomnia. She couldn’t pinpoint why she was worried; she just felt an unusual and intense unease. When she woke up, it was three in the morning. She got up, went to the living room, poured a glass of water, and gulped it down.

As the liquid went down her throat, she experienced a strong choking sensation, which oddly felt familiar. She paused for a moment, swallowed, and looked at the time.

She had only slept for two hours.

She must have had a nightmare, but she couldn’t remember what it was, only clearly recalling the panic that had nearly made her cry.

At that moment, her phone rang.

Youyi quickly picked it up.

The number seemed to be from a hospital department. She recognized the prefix but didn’t know which department it was.

So, she answered the call.

“Youyi, this is Su Hui. I think I saw your husband. He was covered in blood.”

Youyi’s mind exploded with a “bang.”

“What?”

Su Hui had seen Fu Cheng’s photo on Youyi’s phone before. A good-looking person is always memorable, and combined with Youyi’s description, she thought it was him, but she wasn’t sure if she had mistaken him for someone else.

“There was an incident in the mountains on the outskirts. Several people were brought to the emergency room, and I came for an emergency consultation.”

Youyi felt as if her heart was being tightly gripped by a large hand. She had never felt such fear before. At that moment, the sky above her, once vast and strong, seemed to collapse suddenly.

She wasn’t afraid for herself under the sky. She was worried about the sky itself.

Her water cup nearly slipped from her hand, and her arm holding the phone was trembling. She grabbed a coat and ran out the door.

The night in June was filled with cicada calls, and the streets were sparsely populated. She nearly ran all the way to the hospital.

Fortunately, she managed to hail a taxi by the roadside. It took twenty minutes to get to the hospital, where Su Hui was waiting at the emergency entrance.

“Slow down,” Su Hui said, alarmed by her speed.

“I checked. Among the injured brought in, your husband is not there,” Su Hui said, helping her up. “Maybe I saw it wrong.”

She had only seen Fu Cheng’s photo once, just that one glance.

She didn’t want to be too confident in her memory.

Youyi didn’t speak.

Up to now, Fu Cheng still hadn’t replied to her messages. A call she made on the way here didn’t get through, and with the nightmares she had that night…

Fu Cheng wouldn’t just disappear without reason.

Youyi looked at Su Hui, her nose feeling very sore. She turned her face away, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks.

“He has old injuries,” Youyi’s voice was now tinged with crying.

Her Fu Cheng was a formidable and powerful person, once a famous commander who had personally experienced many wars.

But he had serious old injuries.

Youyi had studied this field for him and knew well that his injuries might not heal completely, with the premise being that he must not get injured again.

New injuries would be twice or even three times as damaging as those of others.

And it would be very painful.

Double the pain.

Thinking of this, Youyi’s tears flowed uncontrollably.

Su Hui accompanied her around the rescue room, the observation room, and checked the medical records on the computer.

Nothing was found.

Maybe Su Hui did see it wrong.

But Fu Cheng wouldn’t just disappear for no reason.

Su Hui had to return to her department. She comforted Youyi, telling her not to worry too much. It might be nothing, and she might have been overthinking.

Youyi stood by the corridor.

She slowly sat down on a chair, took out her phone, and reviewed the messages she had sent Fu Cheng earlier that day.

She flipped through them again and again.

There were also missed calls.

Youyi should have gone home by now, but she didn’t want to go back. She still felt uneasy, so she remained seated.

Tears still clung to the corners of her eyes, half-dried.

She had never felt so vulnerable before, but when it came to Fu Cheng, she became completely fragile, as if… as if she truly could no longer leave him.

She sat in the corridor for a long while.

At around five in the morning, when the emergency room had quieted down, Youyi’s phone suddenly vibrated. She immediately looked down and saw a message from Fu Cheng.

[I’m fine.]

Youyi’s head snapped up.

Seeing something, she stood up and ran forward. After just a few steps, she collided with Fu Cheng, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

She was stunned for a couple of seconds.

“Husband.” Tears streamed down her face as she felt an overwhelming sense of relief and love. She rushed over, hugged his neck, and as she bent down, tears fell on the back of his hand.

“I’m telling you, don’t worry. I’m learning well, and I can take care of you no matter what happens. I can be the one who shields you from the storm and takes care of you at all times.”

She wanted to reassure him that even though she might be a simple wife, she could become a strong person capable of protecting him. No matter what, she could be the one who stands by him.

Youyi held his hand, struggling to keep her voice steady, and asked, “Where does it hurt?”

“Baby, I’m really fine,” Fu Cheng said, seeing her cry so fiercely for the first time. His heart tightened unconsciously.

Unlike those times when he would intentionally make her cry, and though he sometimes enjoyed seeing her cry, seeing her in such distress now made him feel even worse.

He held her hand back.

In early June, with the temperature outside close to thirty degrees, her fingers were ice-cold, each fingertip feeling intensely cold. The chill seemed to seep from deep within her, making her feel cold all over.

It’s terribly cold.

So she must have been very scared during that time.

“Can you listen to my explanation?”