Just in Time Chapter 120
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 120
Extra 10-Thirty-Five
The year Yi Chenliang turned thirty-five, Yun Fang kept a close eye on him, firmly forbidding him from going on business trips and strictly prohibiting him from drinking alcohol. Yi Chenliang knew what he was worried about and obediently complied.
The phone on the desk rang, and Yi Chenliang answered, "Hello, Mom?"
"Xiao Yi, come home with Sugar for dinner tonight. Your dad brought back fresh corn from his hometown, the kind you two love," Tang Yi said on the phone. "On your way back, bring some green onions. The supermarket here is sold out."
"No problem, Mom," Yi Chenliang turned off his computer, preparing to leave work.
"Next week is your birthday. Should we eat at home or go out?" Tang Yi asked him.
"Let's eat at home," Yi Chenliang said with a smile. "I'll take a day off and come help you cook."
Tang Yi laughed and chatted with him for a bit. As she was about to hang up, she asked about Yun Fang.
"Why can't I reach Sugar on the phone?" Tang Yi said. "He's not working overtime again today, is he?"
"He might be in surgery. I'll go pick him up," Yi Chenliang grabbed the car keys from the desk.
Tang Yi said, "Oh, alright. Drive carefully on the way."
"Mm, don't worry, Mom," Yi Chenliang hung up and left his office.
On the way, he called Yun Fang, but no one answered. He must have suddenly gotten a surgery.
Yi Chenliang was looking for a parking spot in the hospital parking lot when he suddenly saw a familiar figure running by from outside. He stopped the car, opened the door, and called out, "Chang Ziqi!"
The usually well-dressed President Chang now looked pale. He turned his head towards Yi Chenliang when he heard his name.
"What's wrong?" Yi Chenliang noticed his unusual expression.
"Qi Huo..." Chang Ziqi panted, "Qi Huo is in the emergency room."
The two of them ran to the emergency room. Outside were several plainclothes detectives, looking disheveled. One of them, who seemed to be in his early twenties, still had blood on his face that hadn't been wiped clean.
Xu Chao saw Chang Ziqi arrive and wiped away his tears, the dirt and blood on his face mixing together. "Chang... Brother Chang."
Chang Ziqi grabbed him and asked, "What exactly happened?"
Xu Chao gritted his teeth and said, "We were chasing a foreign killer. That bastard was very cunning and went deep into the mountains. Captain Qi chased him into a cave, but that bastard had planted explosives inside—"
Chang Ziqi's mind went blank.
"It's all my fucking fault. If Captain Qi hadn't tried to save me..." Xu Chao covered his face and started crying.
Yi Chenliang stared at the lights in the operating room. "He'll be fine. Yun Fang is in there. He'll definitely save him."
Chang Ziqi listened to Yi Chenliang's voice, feeling it was distant and muffled.
He really disliked coming to the hospital, especially standing at the hospital entrance.
He was always too late.
Qi Huo had called him last night, and they had planned to visit their grandfather's grave tomorrow.
Qi Huo had told him he had a small case to wrap up, then he'd take a vacation to relax properly. He had been happy about it, spending the whole afternoon going through documents to free up time to be with him.
Chang Ziqi felt his mind going numb.
They were both always so busy. He often had to fly abroad, while Qi Huo would sometimes not come home for a week when busy. They had been planning a trip for several years but never managed to make it happen.
Qi Huo actually felt very insecure.
In high school, they were together almost every day. If Qi Huo didn't see him for a few classes, he would find time to come see him, using excuses like bringing him snacks or ice cream, or borrowing a pen or notebook from him. In reality, he just wanted to see him.
Later, when he went abroad for university, Qi Huo didn't say it, but he was very unwilling. He couldn't bear not seeing him for a few classes, let alone meeting only once every few months or even a year. So when drunk, he wanted to break up with him, but it happened to coincide with his grandfather's death. At that time, he was emotionally devastated, and Qi Huo silently stayed by his side through the most difficult times. After that, he never mentioned breaking up again.
At that time, he thought that after finishing university, he would return to China and never be apart from Qi Huo again. They would be together every day like in high school.
But reality was that he weighed his options and pursued a master's degree, then started his own business after returning to China, while Qi Huo joined the police force. They chased their respective goals, and the future they had imagined in their youth became an unreachable dream.
They were often apart more than together.
Before they knew it, they were thirty-six or thirty-seven, and they started talking about the future again - about after the company stabilized, about after retiring from the police force. They naturally assumed they would have a long time to be together in the future.
Chang Ziqi covered his eyes.
When he was young, he never understood why Chang Nian and Chu Dong had to fly everywhere, why they couldn't put down their work and stay by his side. But unknowingly, he had become another Chang Nian and Chu Dong.
He always had a lot of work, always had endless social engagements. He had finally become the kind of person he hated the most.
The surgery took a very long time.
Chang Ziqi didn't know when he had fallen asleep. He dreamed of a long time ago, the year Qi Huo took the college entrance exam.
At that time, he used all his spare time to tutor Qi Huo. The courses at foreign universities were heavy, and they had to deal with the time difference. He tutored painfully, and Qi Huo studied painfully, but for their future, the two of them gritted their teeth and persevered.
A few days before the exam, they had a video call.
That day, he had stayed up all night coding, slept for less than two hours, and got up to tutor Qi Huo.
Qi Huo was often distracted. He corrected his exercises while telling him to focus.
Later, they talked about what career Qi Huo should choose.
Seeing Qi Huo's confused and troubled look, he said, "Try to recall, when was the moment you felt the strongest desire in your heart so far?"
The young Qi Huo stared at him blankly, thought for a while, and said, "When you took the bullet for me."
"At that time, I was thinking, if only I could protect you. If... if only I were a real police officer."
"Then I could defeat the criminals and keep you safe."
Qi Huo looked at him earnestly, his eyes bright, his tone very excited, "Chang Ziqi, I want to be a police officer!"
"Not only can I protect you, but I can also protect more people!"
The thirty-six-year-old Chang Ziqi finally remembered in his dream that he was the beginning of Qi Huo's selfless dedication.