The instant she heard that voice, Ruan Mian vaguely felt it was somewhat familiar, but upon further thought felt it was impossible. In those few seconds of being dazed, the other side asked again, “Can you hear me?”

Ruan Mian hurriedly replied, “Yes, I can hear you. May I ask about this phone—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the other end suddenly laughed, lazily with a touch of nonchalance, slowly overlapping with that voice in her memory.

Ruan Mian was caught off guard by the interruption, but her heart pounded. The hand gripping the phone unconsciously tightened. The thought that had emerged in her heart was confirmed in the next second.

“Is this Ruan Mian?” he said. “I’m Chen Yi. Is this your phone?”

She was dazed for a moment. It was only when Lin Jiahui noticed her unusual state and came over to sit down that she snapped back to reality and said, “It’s me. How did the phone end up with you?”

“You left it in the vehicle.”

After Chen Yi and the others had taken people to the airport, they returned to the disaster area and regrouped to prepare for the main force’s return journey. The phone had been wedged in the gap at the edge of a seat in the vehicle compartment and was picked up by someone from Chen Yi’s team, who turned it in to him.

When they went on missions, their phones weren’t on their persons. That vehicle hadn’t been used by anyone else besides that batch of medical personnel. When Chen Yi got the phone, it was already turned off and wouldn’t turn on. At that time, they were already on the road, and there was no way to contact anyone for a while.

It wasn’t until now, as Chen Yi returned the power bank he’d borrowed from the service station and walked outside holding the phone, that he said, “We won’t arrive in City B until late tonight. If you’re not in a hurry, I can bring the phone to you tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’m not in a hurry.” Ruan Mian scratched her forehead. “Then be safe on the road.”

“Okay.” He laughed. “Then take down my phone number and send me a text message. I’ll contact you again tomorrow.”

“Oh, alright, wait a moment.” Ruan Mian bent down and rummaged through the coffee table drawer for paper and pen. “Okay, go ahead.”

Through the receiver, Chen Yi recited a string of numbers in groups of three and four. Ruan Mian wrote them down one by one, then repeated them back and asked, “Is that correct?”

He hummed in acknowledgment. He was probably outside—the sound of wind filled the receiver.

Ruan Mian pressed the pen cap. After a moment of mutual silence, Chen Yi said, “Your phone’s almost out of battery. I’ll hang up first. We’ll be in touch when I get back.”

She held her breath for an instant and said, “Okay.”

After hanging up, Lin Jiahui, who had been holding back for quite a while sitting to the side, couldn’t help but speak up. “You found your phone? Where was it?”

“It fell in the vehicle that brought us here.” Ruan Mian put down the old phone in her hand, her palm slightly sweaty. “It’s with Chen Yi now.”

“Wow, should I say this is fate?” Lin Jiahui dried her hair a few times. “So how does he plan to get the phone to you?”

“He said he’ll bring it over tomorrow.” Ruan Mian had originally thought about having him just mail it over to save him the trip back and forth, but on second thought, since he was the one who found the phone, both emotionally and rationally she should thank him. She couldn’t neglect these social courtesies because of other matters.

That wouldn’t be appropriate or polite.

Seeing her troubled appearance, Lin Jiahui didn’t say much more. “Alright, don’t think so much about it. Wash up and sleep early—don’t go meet him tomorrow with two big dark circles under your eyes.”

“…”

She got up and returned to the bedroom. Ruan Mian sat in the living room for a while. Thinking about tomorrow’s meeting, she felt an indescribable nervousness—much like the feeling she’d had during that winter break in high school when she learned the next day she and Chen Yi would climb the mountain together.

Nervous yet tinged with an inexplicable anticipation.

The sliding door to the balcony wasn’t closed. Wind whipped the clothes hanging outside, making them clang. Ruan Mian got up and went out to collect the clothes. Coming back in with the notebook containing Chen Yi’s phone number, she returned to her room.

The master bedroom had an attached bathroom. After showering and coming out, she sat at the desk to send a message to that number, her finger on the keyboard deleting and revising in the input box.

It took quite a while before she sent the message. After sending it, she waited a bit before remembering he couldn’t see it now. She breathed a sigh of relief, put down her phone, got up to turn off the light, and went to sleep.

…

Chen Yi and the others didn’t arrive in City B until the latter half of the night. After arriving, they had another half-hour meeting. By the time they returned to the dormitory, cleaned up, and lay in bed, it was already three in the morning.

He and Shen Yu shared a room. Within a few minutes, snoring came from the opposite bed. City B had been sunny these past few days. The moon was round and bright tonight, light leaking in from outside the window. Chen Yi leaned against the headboard, exceptionally awake.

He reached out to pick up that phone from the table. It was a domestic brand with a green dinosaur phone case—not quite like Ruan Mian’s style.

The lock screen was a very popular image of the God of Wealth from online. Chen Yi stared at it for a while, laughed, turned off the screen, and put the phone back. He lifted the covers and lay down.

This sleep lasted until dawn the next day. The morning bugle in the military never came late. They had nothing to do today. In the morning at the military district, they made summaries and reports on this rescue mission. The senior leadership specially granted them two days off.

After lunch, Chen Yi went to find Song Huai for his phone and also reported that he would be going out in the afternoon.

Song Huai looked at his nephew, leisurely picked up his cup to take a sip of hot tea, and smiled. “What’s this? Have some business?”

“A bit of business.” Chen Yi stood straight, his features somewhat resembling Song Huai’s. “Just don’t ask. It’s nothing bad.”

Song Huai leaned sideways and found Chen Yi’s phone in the drawer, placing it on the desk. “If you’re free after you’re done tonight, come home for dinner. Your grandfather and grandmother have been thinking about you.”

Chen Yi first took his phone before saying, “I might not be free tonight. Let’s make it tomorrow.”

Song Huai looked disgusted. “Go, go, go, hurry up and get lost.”

“Yes, sir!” Chen Yi walked to the door, then turned back and said with perfect enunciation, “Goodbye, Uncle.”

Song Huai was startled. After the person left, he stirred the tea leaves and shook his head with a laugh and sigh. “This kid.”

The military district wasn’t actually as strict about Chen Yi and the others’ phones as when they first enlisted, but Song Huai was still worried that phones would affect them. Every time they came back from leave, the first thing was to collect phones.

After being soldiers for many years, having a phone or not having a phone was actually the same thing for Chen Yi and the others. Sometimes even after getting their phones back, they’d remain turned off for quite a while.

But this time, as soon as Chen Yi came out of the office, he turned on his phone. Having been off for nearly half a month, as soon as it turned on, it was filled with all kinds of advertising and sales messages.

Afraid of accidentally deleting other messages, he could only delete them one by one. After deleting to the end, only one text message sent yesterday remained in the message column.

The number had no notation. The message content looked particularly formal.

—Chen Yi, hello. I’m Ruan Mian. This is my phone number.

Chen Yi stood in place and laughed. A teammate passing by saw him like this and asked, “What’s Captain Chen laughing about? So happy?”

“Am I?” He put away his phone and walked forward with him, chatting sporadically. When they reached the first floor, the group separated.

The person who’d spoken earlier asked again, “Rest this afternoon and come play ball on the court. Haven’t sparred with you in ages.”

“Can’t today. Have to go out later.” Chen Yi patted the person’s shoulder. “Next time. I’ll spot you three balls.”

“What nonsense are you talking? I need you to spot me?” Liang Ye made as if to swing a fist at his face. Chen Yi leaned back a bit, his hand also smoothly withdrawing.

He laughed and said, “Still have things to do. Leaving first.”

“Fine, you go.”

After Chen Yi walked away, Liang Ye said to the others, “Don’t you think Chen Yi seemed a bit different today?”

“Not really? Different how?”

Liang Ye clicked his tongue. For a moment he couldn’t say exactly what was different. It wasn’t until later, when he learned from Shen Yu what Chen Yi had gone out to do today, that he remembered what was different.

If the previous Chen Yi was a peacock, today’s Chen Yi was like a peacock with its tail fanned out—heart blooming with joy, looking quite eye-catching.

…

Chen Yi returned to the dormitory, changed clothes, took Ruan Mian’s phone, and as he walked out, called that number back. During the interval of ringing tones, he stood on the tree-lined path under the dormitory building.

In the distance was the crowded training ground. The late spring wind was gentle and understanding.

A moment later, the ringing stopped. The voice coming through the receiver was vaguely even more gentle than this spring breeze. “Chen Yi?”

“Mm, it’s me.” He descended the steps and walked forward, the shadow of sunlight falling on the ground. “Are you at the hospital today?”

“No, I’m off duty. You’ve arrived in City B?”

“Yes, preparing to come over now.” Chen Yi walked to the gate. The sentry on duty conducted a routine inspection. He said to the person on the phone, “Wait for me a moment.”

“Oh, okay.”

It was only about a few dozen seconds. After the inspection, they saluted and let him through. Chen Yi picked up his phone again and said, “Send me your current address. I’ll go to the hospital to change my bandage and then come find you.”

“No need to go to that trouble.” Ruan Mian said, “Let’s just meet directly at the hospital. I’ll wait for you at the outpatient surgery dressing change room.”

Chen Yi laughed softly. “Alright, see you in a bit.”

“Mm.”

The sunshine was brilliant at that moment. In the southern part of the city, cars stopped and started. In the northern part, in a residential complex, someone was searching through boxes and cabinets but couldn’t find a suitable outfit.

Lin Jiahui came out to the living room to get water. Seeing Ruan Mian’s door open, she walked over with her water glass. Seeing the clothes scattered all over the bed, she laughed. “What are you doing?”

“Organizing things.” Ruan Mian tucked her hair behind her ear and hung the few pieces of clothing she’d pulled out back in the closet. “Aren’t you going out to find your boyfriend today?”

“He’s at work. He’s only free tonight.” Lin Jiahui stood at the door for a while. Just as she was about to leave, she said, “Stop agonizing. Wear the second outfit you just hung back up.”

“…”

Ruan Mian was greatly embarrassed. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her slightly flushed face. It took quite a while before she got up and went into the bathroom to wash her face. By the time she finished getting ready and left, it was already two in the afternoon.

Late March in City B wasn’t that hot yet. The streets were full of cars. Having missed the afternoon rush hour, she arrived at the hospital just before two-thirty.

Ruan Mian sat in the first-floor lobby for a while. In the meantime, she received a text message from Chen Yi saying he still had ten minutes of driving left.

She replied with an okay.

There weren’t many people in the outpatient building in the afternoon. When Chen Yi came in, Ruan Mian saw him right away. Today he wasn’t wearing his military uniform or his regular service dress—all black clothes and black pants, his figure tall and upright. Two buttons of his collar were undone, revealing half of his collarbone with clear, flowing lines. Above that was his prominent Adam’s apple.

Going up a bit more, his lips were full with a slightly visible cupid’s bow, his nose bridge high and straight, his eyes deep-set, the crease at the corner of his eyes deep and distinct.

Compared to his disheveled appearance in the disaster area, today he was exceptionally clean and sharp.

Ruan Mian stood up from the side. In the next second, Chen Yi also saw her. He put away his phone and quickly walked over. “Have you been waiting long?”

“No, just a short while.” Ruan Mian clutched her bag strap, raising her head to look at him.

Chen Yi took out the phone and handed it over. “It’s already automatically shut off. Didn’t charge it much yesterday.”

“It’s fine. I can charge it when I take it back—same thing.” Ruan Mian said, “Let’s go. First go change your bandage.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

The dressing change room was on the third floor. The elevator stopped on the fifth floor. The two of them stood side by side in front of the elevator entrance. The clean mirror surface of the elevator reflected both their figures.

Today Ruan Mian wore a gray-blue satin dress with a dark blue cardigan over it, and light-colored flat shoes on her feet.

Standing there, she vaguely only reached Chen Yi’s chin.

She pressed her lips together slightly and moved a tiny bit of distance to the side, almost imperceptibly—as if this way she wouldn’t feel she was much shorter than him.

There were other people in the elevator. The two of them walked in one after the other. Chen Yi stood diagonally behind Ruan Mian, his arm against the elevator car wall.

Ruan Mian pressed the button for the third floor. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, she heard someone outside shout, “Wait! Wait!”

She instinctively went to press the door open button. Chen Yi, standing behind her, reacted a bit faster. His arm reached over from the side to press the door open button, his chin brushing past the top of her head. The distance suddenly closed.

Ruan Mian couldn’t react in time. Her hand touched his hand—warmth meeting coolness, like an electric shock. Both of them abruptly withdrew their hands.

—

*Author’s note: Captain Chen: The person in the comments who said I stole the phone, come out here 🙂

The two of them will get together when they should get together. Everyone, don’t be anxious.*