Chapter Four: Let's Get Married

The summer night sky was high and vast, with stars scattered across the heavens, sparkling and vying for brilliance like a thousand jewels.

At Kangbo Hospital in City Z.

Jiang Qiang opened her heavy eyelids wearily; she felt as though she had just emerged from a dream—a dangerous one. Yet, the instant she opened her eyes, reality came flooding back.

“Guan Qian!”

She suddenly sat up in her hospital bed, the terror of the explosion still fresh in her mind.

“My daughter, you’re finally awake.” All the worry on her mother’s face vanished the moment Jiang Qiang awoke.

“Mom, why am I here? Where’s Guan Qian?” Hearing her mother’s voice, Jiang Qiang’s heart eased, though confusion quickly followed.

“You…” Her mother shot her a look, but her eyes betrayed nothing but doting affection. Her daughter had just awoken and was already asking about Guan Qian; clearly, the hold of that name ran deep.

“Guan Qian went home. He told you to rest well. You were so frightened you scared me half to death. Thank goodness he was there, or who knows what would have happened!” Her mother’s worry was matched only by her relief. When she’d received Guan Qian’s call saying they’d been in a car accident and her daughter had fainted from fright, she’d dropped everything and rushed to the hospital.

“All right, I’ll go get you something to eat. You’ve been unconscious for over ten hours—you must be starving.” With that, her mother picked up her bag and left the ward.

Jiang Qiang leaned against the uncomfortable hospital bed, staring blankly at the empty room. Her mind was in chaos. She pressed her temples gently, wincing at the dull ache.

She clearly remembered Guan Qian carrying her as he ran, the terror that chased behind them so palpable and unnameable.

In that moment of extreme peril, where death seemed certain, she truly thought her life was over. Watching Guan Qian risk his life to carry her to safety, Jiang Qiang both screamed and wept.

But when she heard him shout for her to hold on, she was already bracing for death, knowing perfectly well that not even a hero could have saved them both from disaster.

She loved Guan Qian; everyone knew as much. Even though he’d been cold toward her in recent years, deliberately avoiding her at every turn, she’d persisted in her pursuit, hoping one day they would fall in love.

At that moment, in Jiang Qiang’s eyes, there was only the man holding her. She wanted to speak her final words to him, but a sudden, violent blow to her head knocked her out cold.

Beep—beep—beep—

Jiang Qiang dialed Guan Qian’s number. No matter how she racked her brains, she couldn’t imagine how he had managed to carry her out of such danger. Unease and suspicion clouded her thoughts.

She had a gut feeling Guan Qian was hiding something from her.

“Hello, Jiang Qiang?” His voice on the other end sounded puzzled—it was unmistakably Guan Qian.

“Who else would it be?” she retorted.

“Uh, I thought you were still asleep. Didn’t expect you to wake up so soon.” Guan Qian gave a dry laugh; this madwoman’s words were as sharp as ever.

“What, were you hoping I’d never wake up?” Jiang Qiang’s tone cooled at his slightly awkward reply. Was this guy taking advantage of her unconsciousness to get close to Tang Ruyan?

“Of course not. I just didn’t expect you to call me as soon as you woke up,” Guan Qian explained hurriedly, fearing she would spiral into another fit.

A sudden silence fell.

“Guan Qian, how did we get out of danger?” Jiang Qiang hesitated, but finally voiced her doubts.

“Oh, that. When I was running with you, I tripped and, by sheer luck, we avoided the worst of it. Just scraped my arm a bit, really lucky, all things considered.” Guan Qian tried his best to hide the truth, but his excuse was clumsy.

In fact, when he saw Jiang Qiang’s call, Guan Qian knew she would ask about this. Making up a story she would believe was difficult, and he’d been thinking about this ever since bringing her to the hospital.

Another silence.

Guan Qian frowned. He was about to speak when Jiang Qiang’s next words left him speechless.

“Was it really just luck that saved us?” She didn’t believe his explanation for a moment.

She was a clever woman; she’d noticed that, as her Hummer exploded, Guan Qian moved in an inhuman way to avoid the flying debris—his speed, his agility, his posture were simply impossible for a normal person.

No wonder his made-up story was so poor. In a situation that deadly, no one should have survived. The only explanation was that something about Guan Qian wasn’t ordinary.

“Jiang Qiang, are you doubting me?” Guan Qian’s tone was calm. He didn’t want anyone to know about his precognition, at least not yet.

“No, it’s just… I feel like you’re hiding something from me.” After a brief silence, Jiang Qiang relented. She couldn’t find a reason to truly doubt the man she loved, though her subconscious was still filled with questions.

“All right, you should rest. You’ve had enough excitement for one day. Have another nap. Your mother has already taken care of your absence from school; you don’t need to go in tomorrow.” Guan Qian seized the opportunity to change the subject, afraid she might press further.

“Okay. You should rest, too,” Jiang Qiang said softly.

Her gentle voice made Guan Qian uncomfortable—he’d never heard her speak so tenderly before.

“All right, that’s enough. Rest up,” he replied hastily, about to hang up, when a sudden sentence from Jiang Qiang froze him in place.

“Guan Qian, let’s get married after we graduate next year.”

With those shy, barely audible words, the line suddenly went dead.

Jiang Qiang’s heart raced; she hadn’t expected herself to say such a thing, but after her brush with death, she felt she could never let this man go. Shyness, delight, and anxiety flooded her all at once.

As for Guan Qian, stunned for several long seconds, he hurried into the bathroom, muttering under his breath, “Crazy woman!” (Things are only heating up—if you like the story, don’t forget to recommend and bookmark! There’s more excitement to come.)