Just as Xu Jialan was unsure what to say next, Shen Xichuan’s phone suddenly rang.
Hearing the sound, both of them froze momentarily.
The man withdrew his hand, took out his phone, and upon seeing the caller ID, his expression tightened slightly as he answered the call.
“Hello, it’s me.”
Xu Jialan glanced over and noticed his stern expression, her eyes filled with concern.
A few seconds later, the man responded with a quiet “Mm,” then said, “Alright, I understand. I’ll head back immediately.”
After hanging up, he looked at Xu Jialan in front of him and remained silent for several seconds.
His expression seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
Xu Jialan guessed it immediately, “Is… the team looking for you?”
Shen Xichuan nodded, “Mm, I have to go now. You…”
He didn’t know how to broach the subject.
Originally, today was their first day after registering their marriage.
He had taken time off, planning to spend the day with her properly.
At the very least, he hadn’t intended to leave her alone.
But now…
Xu Jialan curved her lips into a gentle smile, reassuring him, “I understand. You don’t need to explain—duty calls. Go ahead. Right now, someone needs you more than I do.”
Shen Xichuan lowered his gaze, his Adam’s apple moving slightly as he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, “Alright, wait for me to come back.”
Xu Jialan murmured in agreement and stepped aside to make way, “Go on. I’ll wait for you.”
Shen Xichuan gave her a deep look before quickly striding out of the bedroom and heading toward the door.
Xu Jialan didn’t move, remaining where she stood.
Soon, she heard the sound of the front door opening and closing.
She lowered her gaze, looking at the soda can in her hand.
The bubbles inside had slowly dissipated.
Xu Jialan lifted the can, took a small sip, and noted that the texture had changed, but it was still sweet.
Clutch the can tightly, she whispered softly, “Stay safe.”
Unlike before, her feelings were different now.
The worry and fear had grown more intense.
…
On the other side.
A sudden blaze erupted, with countless screams and cries piercing the sky.
Figures in bright orange fearlessly charged into the raging flames, using their mortal bodies to rescue precious lives from the scorching fire.
It took several hours to fully complete the rescue mission and extinguish the massive fire.
After leaving the fire scene and returning to the station, Shen Xichuan removed his gear and instinctively checked his phone.
It was already close to 6 p.m.
Outside, the sky had mostly darkened.
His phone screen remained empty—no new messages.
The man couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly.
Team Fan walked in from outside, “Today’s rescue mission was executed very well. All trapped individuals are safe and sound. Xichuan, we owe a lot to you today—you did excellently.”
Shen Xichuan straightened up and nodded, “Thank you, Team Fan.”
Team Fan glanced at his phone out of the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow slightly, “What’s wrong? Sending a message to your wife?”
Shen Xichuan pressed his lips together and remained silent.
Team Fan let out a helpless sigh, “Today was your marriage registration day. We intended to let you have a proper day off, but no one expected such an emergency.”
He paused for a few seconds, thinking carefully before continuing, “You should know—given the nature of our work, situations like this might happen again. So, you need to get used to it, and your wife should also be mentally prepared to adapt.”
Their presence is a beacon of hope for many.
Yet, that very hope can sometimes lead to disappointment for those who feel their sudden absence keenly.
But such is their duty.
Sacrifice the individual for the greater good.
Upon hearing this, Shen Xichuan’s eyes darkened. He slowly tightened his grip on his phone and spoke hoarsely, “Yes.”
Team Fan watched him for several seconds before raising his hand to pat his shoulder. “Go back. Rest well tomorrow.”
After saying this, he turned and left.
Shen Xichuan lowered his gaze to their chat history, which still showed their last exchange from that morning.
In the past few hours, Xu Jialan hadn’t sent him any messages.
He didn’t know how to describe his current state of mind.
It seemed he hoped she would message him, yet also hoped she wouldn’t.
Extremely contradictory.
But now that she truly hadn’t contacted him, he couldn’t conceal the disappointment in his heart.
…
He stopped pondering the reasons.
After a simple tidy-up, Shen Xichuan drove back to his apartment at Nanhu.
The elevator doors opened.
Shen Xichuan walked to his apartment door and pressed his fingerprint to unlock it.
As soon as he opened the door, he noticed the lights in the living room were on.
The man paused momentarily, instinctively stepping inside.
He saw someone lying on the living room sofa.
A flicker of surprise passed through the depths of Shen Xichuan’s eyes.
He hadn’t expected her to actually be waiting at home.
Seeing this, he unconsciously softened his footsteps.
Xu Jialan lay sideways on the sofa, clutching her phone tightly in her hand. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and she appeared somewhat unsettled.
Shen Xichuan stood by the sofa watching her for a while.
He returned to the bedroom, fetched a blanket, and gently draped it over Xu Jialan.
Just as he covered her, Xu Jialan seemed to sense something and suddenly grabbed his hand.
The soft touch made Shen Xichuan freeze momentarily, his movements halting involuntarily.
Xu Jialan stared at the man so close to her, her mind blank for an instant.
It took her a long moment to react.
“Shen Xichuan?”
Her voice was somewhat hoarse.
The man’s gaze remained fixed intently on her as he responded in a low voice, “It’s me.”
He didn’t pull his hand away.
Allowing Xu Jialan to continue holding it.
“You’re back?” Xu Jialan asked again.
Hearing this, Shen Xichuan’s expression softened slightly. “Yes, I’m back.”
Only upon hearing his words did Xu Jialan gradually regain her composure, her anxious heart finally settling.
She slowly released his hand.
“Good that you’re back.”
The lingering warmth on her hand confirmed that he had truly returned.
Shen Xichuan looked down at her, maintaining his bent-over position.
“Have you been waiting for me all this time?”
Xu Jialan accidentally met his deep, unfathomable eyes.
She froze momentarily, her heartbeat inexplicably quickening.
She unconsciously licked her slightly dry lips and nodded gently. “Yes, I promised to wait for you to return.”
Shen Xichuan’s Adam’s apple moved, his gaze obscure and unreadable.
“So you’ve been waiting here all along?”
He had told her to wait for his return.
But he never imagined she would wait here the entire time.
How could there be a woman so clumsy it made one’s heart ache?
Xu Jialan’s ears grew slightly warm as she nodded. “Yes.”
She hadn’t dared to leave.
Nor had she been in the mood to do anything else.
So however long he had been gone, she had sat here waiting.
Only she had waited so long that she accidentally fell asleep.
Shen Xichuan maintained his position, looking down at her.
His gaze was so intense that merely meeting it felt scalding.
Xu Jialan could even feel their breaths intertwining.
The intimacy was almost suffocating.
“You… what’s wrong?”
She heard her own voice was quite hoarse.
Shen Xichuan slowly approached her.
The faint scent of tobacco mixed with agarwood fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose.
Xu Jialan took a slight breath, watching the man so close at hand, not daring to move a muscle.