After returning to the city, Shi-Han and Xiao-Tong went to the university. Although they did not have any important classes today, they still had practice because the university's annual Cherry Festival was only a few days away. As students of the Arts Department, they had important roles to play in the event.
As soon as Shu-Yang returned home, he sent Jun-Yu's driver to bring Jun-Yu back. However, two hours later, the driver returned and informed him—
Driver: "Sir Shu-Yang, I searched for Prince Jun everywhere, but I couldn't find him anywhere along that road."
Shu-Yang: "Alright. Let's wait for a while and see if he comes back."
Following Shu-Yang's words, the driver left. A short while later, the doorbell of Jun-Yu's apartment rang. Thinking that Jun-Yu had returned, Shu-Yang opened the door, only to find Wan-Qing standing outside.
Shu-Yang: "You're here?"
Wan-Qing was not surprised to see Shu-Yang. However, Shu-Yang was surprised to see him. Although Wan-Qing had not expected Shu-Yang to open the door, he did not show any astonishment.
Wan-Qing: "May I come in? I need to talk to Jun-Yu about something urgent."
Shu-Yang stepped aside from the doorway and said—
Shu-Yang: "Oh, sorry. Of course."
As soon as Wan-Qing entered the apartment, he handed Shu-Yang a bouquet of flowers and said—
Wan-Qing: "Are you completely recovered now, Officer?"
Shu-Yang stammered slightly before replying—
Shu-Yang: "Y-yes, yes. Only my right shoulder still hurts a little. Anyway, please have a seat. I'll bring you some coffee."
Wan-Qing: "Coffee? Hmm, a cup of coffee doesn't sound bad. It'll also give me a chance to find out whether those hands of yours can do more than just fire a gun—or whether they can cook as well."
Shu-Yang quickly returned to the living room with two mugs of coffee, one for himself and one for Wan-Qing. Wan-Qing took a sip from his mug and said—
Wan-Qing: "Wow, you make pretty good coffee. You're at least a little different from Jun-Yu."
Shu-Yang: "Thank you. Tell me what you wanted to say to Jun-Yu. He isn't here right now."
The moment Wan-Qing heard that Jun-Yu was not there, he smiled faintly. He placed his coffee mug on the table, then tugged Shu-Yang closer by his collar and said—
Wan-Qing: "Well, that worked out rather nicely, don't you think? We're alone at home now. So, are you really going to thank the person who saved your life by giving you blood with just a cup of coffee and a simple 'thank you'?"
Shu-Yang was completely stunned by Wan-Qing's actions. He felt extremely embarrassed, and his face turned slightly red. Stammering, he said—
Shu-Yang: "L-let go of me. I'm really afraid of you. And I don't know who gave me blood."
Hearing Shu-Yang's words, Wan-Qing released his collar. He was surprised, and at the same time, he felt a little upset. However, he could not understand why he felt that way.
Wan-Qing: "I was the one who gave you blood after you were shot. You were in the ICU at the time, so perhaps you didn't know. But why are you afraid of me? I didn't see this much fear in your eyes the first day. Why is it there now, whenever you see me?"
Wan-Qing's words reminded Shu-Yang of what had happened on the day of the CRRC race. That day, Dr. Yu-Tong had wanted to give Shu-Yang an injection. Despite having a deep wound in his chest, Shu-Yang had spent the entire day running around the hospital because he was terrified of injections. But instead of helping him, Wan-Qing had tried to take him to Dr. Yu-Tong so that he could be given the injection.
As the entire incident came back to Shu-Yang, a shiver ran through his body. His rose-colored lips trembled like tender new leaves. The reaction did not escape Wan-Qing's notice.
After observing Shu-Yang carefully, Wan-Qing realized that, without even knowing it, he had caused Shu-Yang's fear before everything between them had even begun. Realizing this made him feel even more upset. Now they were alone in the apartment, and Shu-Yang was afraid of him.
Wan-Qing did not want to make Shu-Yang's fear grow any stronger.
Wan-Qing: "Forget it. You don't have to tell me why you're afraid of me, and I don't want to make you even more frightened. I'm leaving. Just tell Jun-Yu to meet with me or Professor Lin-Boshi as soon as possible. Otherwise, science may disappear from his life forever."
As soon as Wan-Qing finished speaking, he left the apartment. Shu-Yang breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason, seeing Wan-Qing upset made him feel upset as well. Outside the apartment, Wan-Qing could be seen wiping away his tears.
Wan-Qing was outside the building but still within the main gate. He was walking toward the gate when suddenly—
Shu-Yang: "Hey, Scientist Wan-Qing! Wait! I'm not afraid of you, but there's one condition."
Hearing Shu-Yang's voice from behind him, Wan-Qing turned around. He saw Shu-Yang coming down to the ground floor. After waiting for a few minutes, Shu-Yang finally reached him.
Shu-Yang: "I'm sorry, Wan-Qing."
Wan-Qing: "Did your fear disappear in such a short time? But why? And why are you apologizing?"
Shu-Yang: "Actually, you—sorry, I mean, you saved my life by giving me your own blood. So, I don't think you would ever want to hurt me."
Hearing Shu-Yang's words, Wan-Qing was surprised. At the same time, he was happy to know that Shu-Yang's fear of him had lessened.
Shu-Yang: "You were genuinely hurt by my behavior, so I'm sorry for hurting you."
Wan-Qing: "But weren't you talking about a condition?"
Shu-Yang: "I'm grateful to you. Earlier, when I thanked you, you said, 'Is a simple thank-you all I get?' I thought about it, and I realized that if I want to stay alive, I might need you someday because of the blood you gave me. So, I want to be friends with you."
Wan-Qing had never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that Shu-Yang would ask to be his friend. Hearing this, he became extremely happy.
Shu-Yang: "However, my condition is…"
Hearing those words, Wan-Qing's happiness proved short-lived.
Shu-Yang: "You must never give me an injection. And if I ever fall ill, you must tell the doctor to give me medicine—but no injections."
Wan-Qing was annoyed when he heard Shu-Yang's condition. He had expected him to say something that might be either very good or very bad.
Wan-Qing: "Boring. Is that even a condition? Besides, I'm neither a doctor nor a nurse. Why would I give you an injection for no reason?"
Shu-Yang: "I know you're neither a doctor nor a nurse, but that doesn't mean you can't give injections. I know scientists can give injections quite well."
Wan-Qing: "Idiot! Thinking about how you became the Unit Head Officer of the Special Crime Branch makes me forget all about science. Anyway, forget it. Since you want to be friends with me, you don't have to address me so formally anymore."
Being called an idiot by Wan-Qing hurt Shu-Yang's ego badly. He tapped Wan-Qing on the forehead and said—
Shu-Yang: "What did you say, you useless scientist? I'm an idiot? Do you even know how old I was when I joined the Special Crime Branch as a police officer?"
Wan-Qing: "What did you call me? A useless scientist? Just wait. I'll take your blood sample from my purse right now, start researching, and find out when you became a police officer."
The moment he said that, Shu-Yang took off running. Seizing the opportunity, Wan-Qing broke off a thin twig from a nearby flowering plant and chased after him.
Wan-Qing: "Hey, where are you running, you foolish police officer? Look, I can conduct research and find out even without you telling me!"
Shu-Yang failed to notice that Wan-Qing had snapped the twig into a needle-like shape and was chasing him with it.
Shu-Yang: "Hey, useless scientist! Do you always carry injections around with you? I should stop calling you a useless scientist and start calling you a crazy scientist—ahhh!"
While saying this, Shu-Yang failed to notice that he had reached the swimming pool. He accidentally fell into it.
Seeing this, Wan-Qing pointed at the thin twig and laughed heartily.
Wan-Qing: "Hahahaha! See, Shu-Yang? This is why I call you a foolish police officer. You're actually really funny."
Shu-Yang stared at him blankly, stunned by Wan-Qing's antics. Still laughing, Wan-Qing sat down beside the pool.
Wan-Qing: "Huff… I'm exhausted. Believe me, Shu-Yang, I finally enjoyed myself wholeheartedly after so many days. Thank you so much for becoming my friend."
Shu-Yang thought: You threw me into the pool and enjoyed yourself, did you? Just wait, you useless scientist. I'll show you what fun really is.
The moment he finished thinking that, Shu-Yang suddenly clutched his right shoulder with his left hand and cried out in pain.
Shu-Yang: "Ah! Oh, my God, it hurts! You useless scientist, help me!"
As soon as Shu-Yang cried out, Wan-Qing's laughter disappeared. He became worried and asked—
Wan-Qing: "Shu-Yang, what happened? Why are you acting like this? Is your chest hurting again? Alright, give me your hand first. Come out of the pool, and I'll take a look."
Shu-Yang had been waiting for exactly those words. The moment Wan-Qing extended his hand, Shu-Yang grabbed it and pulled him sharply into the pool.
Wan-Qing suddenly felt the tug and could not steady himself. He fell right onto Shu-Yang's chest.
For a few moments, Wan-Qing's eyes remained deeply fixed on Shu-Yang. Shu-Yang, too, tried to understand the depth hidden in Wan-Qing's eyes.
Suddenly, Wan-Qing struck Shu-Yang's foot underwater with his own. Shu-Yang did not feel much pain, but he understood what Wan-Qing had done.
Wan-Qing: "So you were pretending all along! But why did you throw me into the water? How am I supposed to go home now?"
Shu-Yang: "You came here to meet Jun-Yu, didn't you? Then just stay here. Besides, I'm your friend now, and Jun-Yu is your junior. I hope you don't mind staying here."
Wan-Qing splashed water at Shu-Yang with his hand and said—
Wan-Qing: "Am I supposed to stay in wet clothes all this time? Or should I wear your clothes?"
Hearing this, Shu-Yang splashed water back at him and replied—
Shu-Yang: "Good idea. What's the problem if my shirt fits you?"