Qian Wang had been in a car accident and was hospitalized.

His sister called Zhao Ziqiang, her voice laced with sorrow as she informed him. Zhao Ziqiang’s heart raced as he rushed to the hospital; no matter how indifferent a person might be, it was impossible to completely ignore a long-term partner just a few months after a breakup.

Moreover, Zhao Ziqiang was not an indifferent person. At least he couldn’t fool himself into thinking that he no longer wanted to see Qian Wang, no matter what.

When he arrived at the hospital…

The ward was packed with Qian Wang’s family and students, leaving little room to move.

Zhao Ziqiang turned to leave, as through the gaps in the crowd, he could vaguely see the person who was supposedly in a serious car accident looking perfectly fine—no tubes connected, no oxygen mask, not even a single bandage, and to top it off, the room was filled with laughter and chatter.

He wanted to get away, but someone had other plans. Sun Kan somehow spotted Zhao Ziqiang and squeezed through the group of students to pull him in.

Qian Wang’s smile faded as he looked at Zhao Ziqiang with surprise, reaching out to grasp his wrist.

Zhao Ziqiang instinctively stepped back, while Sun Kan quickly reached forward, grabbing Qian Wang’s hand and smoothly taking a seat on the stool beside the bed.

“What do you need, teacher?” he asked.

No one replied.

After a brief, awkward silence, the noisy atmosphere resumed. Sun Kan, being Qian Wang’s current class representative, had gathered all these students.

At this point, he naturally turned to the crowd of heads—both tall and short—and said, “That’s enough for now. Everyone can disperse. I can see that teacher is also tired.”

Among the students, there were already vague rumors circulating about Professor Qian’s private life, and those who were aware of the subtle tension between Sun Kan and the professor understood the implications. Most of them had come to visit out of courtesy. Once Sun Kan spoke up, everyone responded with scattered murmurs and began to leave.

As the ward gradually quieted down, Zhao Ziqiang pondered whether he should offer a few kind words before making his exit. However, Sun Kan smiled politely and gestured to the nearby bed, saying, “Zhao Ge, why are you just standing there? Sit down.”

While Sun Kan spoke, he kept his hand tightly grasped around Qian Wang’s, a hint of challenge flickering in his eyes.

Zhao Ziqiang felt like laughing but held back, thinking to himself how resilient the younger generation was, unyielding in spirit.

Just then, Qian Wang’s sister walked in, not even sparing a glance for Sun Kan as she sat down next to Zhao Ziqiang.

“Hey, Ziqiang! I just got back from the restroom. Since you’re already here, could you help by going to the medicine counter to get Qian Wang’s medication?”

She handed Zhao Ziqiang a prescription.

To be honest, Zhao Ziqiang thought it was entirely reasonable for Sun Kan to view him as a rival. However, even so, he felt an uncomfortable pressure building inside him; he really didn’t want to wade through the waters between the two of them.

As he hesitated and didn’t take the prescription, Sun Kan leaned forward and took it instead.

“Oh, I can go fetch it,” he said.

As he spoke, he turned intentionally to Qian Wang, whose irritation was becoming increasingly evident, and said soothingly, “Teacher, you just chat with Zhao Ge for now.”

With that, he stood up and headed for the door. Zhao Ziqiang feigned a look of relief at not having to run errands, pretending not to notice Qian Wang’s sister’s cold glare. However, he knew that her sharp tongue was as formidable as her temperament.

“Alright, I’ll go out for a bit. Qian Wang wanted to have a word with Ziqiang alone,” she said, placing her handbag on the bed.

“I won’t take my bag just yet, Ziqiang, could you keep an eye on it for me?”

Throughout her speech, she completely ignored the brooding Sun Kan. Before leaving, she made sure to close the door behind her.

Silence fell in the room.

Qian Wang found himself feeling somewhat awkward.

“I didn’t expect you to come. It’s not really a big deal,” he said.

Zhao Ziqiang crossed his arms and stood up, walking toward the window.

“If I had known it wasn’t a big deal, I wouldn’t have come,” he replied.

He reached out and pulled the window open.

“It’s good if nothing’s wrong.”

Those words echoed in Qian Wang’s ears like divine music. He remembered a few years ago when Zhao Ziqiang had gone out of town to handle a car accident scene. He had been bored at home, with nothing to do, and decided to experiment in the kitchen. As a result, he caused a gas leak, which almost cost him his life.

Fortunately, Zhao Ziqiang turned back halfway, pulled Qian Wang to the balcony to get some fresh air, and that saved his life. At that time, Zhao Ziqiang had held him tightly, tears streaming down his face, filled with anger and fear, saying:

“It’s good if nothing’s wrong.”

Zhao Ziqiang watched as Qian Wang stared blankly at him, pouting. With a sigh, he walked over and gave Qian Wang’s shoulder a gentle shake.

“Well, if nothing’s wrong, then I’ll be leaving.”

After a moment’s thought, he added with a hint of resignation, “Take care of yourself.”

At that moment, Qian Wang suddenly sprang up, kneeling on the bed. He quickly wrapped his arms around Zhao Ziqiang’s waist, desperately searching for the right words to say to keep him from leaving but struggling to find anything suitable.

Frustrated, he clenched his fists and buried his face in Zhao Ziqiang’s neck, thinking it might be easier to just play dead.

Zhao Ziqiang tilted his head back, staring at the ceiling with a sense of defeat. After a long pause, he slowly let his hands slide onto Qian Wang’s shoulders.

He asked, “Do you remember that MP3 we found on the road back when we were together?”

Qian Wang took a deep breath and nodded. Zhao Ziqiang continued, “Even though it was picked up and looked nearly broken, I remember the songs on it were just to my taste. I even bought a pair of headphones to listen to it. I can’t recall what those songs were now, but I know I liked them back then.”

He lowered his head, rubbing his chin against Qian Wang’s ear.

“So what happened? One day, I left it on your bed, and your little nephew accidentally erased all the songs on it. I was so mad, but I couldn’t really get upset with a kid. So I just ended up tossing and turning in bed at night to vent my frustration. You said I was acting childish. Later, somehow, you managed to get all the songs back for me.”

Qian Wang stayed silent; he couldn’t really remember that part clearly. After a moment of hesitation, he cautiously asked,

“Then what happened?”

Zhao Ziqiang replied lightly, “I threw it away.”

Qian Wang stiffened at the response. Zhao Ziqiang’s warm breath brushed against his ear, yet he couldn’t shake off the chill that crept over him.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Ziqiang tightened his embrace around Qian Wang’s shoulders.

““Oh, and there’s one more thing. Do you remember during our second year of living together? I finally mustered the courage to spend a lot of money and bought a dog named Dandan. The seller claimed it was a golden retriever, but after a few months, we realized it was just a mutt. It was so silly!”

Zhao Ziqiang’s voice carried a tone of nostalgia and fondness as he spoke, filled with laughter and memories.

“Why? Because it liked me! It wouldn’t go to anyone but me; it didn’t listen to anyone else, wouldn’t eat food from anyone else, and wouldn’t even go near you! I was so proud of that… but then there was that student of yours, what’s his name—Li something? I can’t remember. He could actually communicate with my dog! They would just grunt at each other and became best friends right away. When he was leaving, it almost followed him out the door! Can you believe that?”

Zhao Ziqiang paused, waiting for Qian Wang’s response.

Qian Wang’s voice was low as he said, “I can see why that would frustrate you.
But before you could calm down, it ran away.”

Zhao Ziqiang chuckled a couple of times before continuing, “How could it run away? I know my dog. Even if you threw it to America, it would find its way back! But you’re right; I was really angry. In a fit of annoyance, I just returned it to the dog seller. I wonder how it’s doing now. I hope it’s still alive.”

As Qian Wang released his hold, his body stiffened unnaturally, and if one looked closely, they could see his wrists trembling.

Zhao Ziqiang noticed it as well, but he pressed on:

‘Qian Wang, I have a sensitivity to emotional purity. I don’t care about your past before me, no matter how much you’ve put me through, that was fine. But I simply can’t tolerate betrayal.’”

The hospital room was completely silent. Qian Wang tried hard to respond but found it difficult to breathe due to the pain in his chest.

Zhao Ziqiang continued to speak:

“Maybe… maybe one day, if I find that MP3 and the dog, and manage to sew up the wounds in my heart, I will come back and love you again.

Zhao Ziqiang looked down at Qian Wang, who stubbornly kept his head lowered and didn’t speak. Unable to see his expression, Zhao Ziqiang could only helplessly sigh,

“You should rest well. Goodbye.”