As she ran, she didn't know what to say to him. All she focused on was to save whoever was in trouble. "Yuqin, four people spotted in Area E. We need your help." All the staff asked everyone to come back to the beach since there the storm was heading their way.
"Roger. I'm coming."
She took off her outer jacket and shorts in a hurry, then ran to Henry, who was already on the staff motorboat.
"Come on. Let's go."
Han Rong's parents came back, and they panicked while Han Rong looked confused.
"What happened?" He asked them.
"Han Rong, your sister… her friend's boat… went too far and we don't know but we saw a boat flipping over." His father was stressed while his mother was shocked and speechless.
"No, no..no.. my daughter will be alright. She will be alright." Han Rong's mother was taken in-door along with many others since it was getting dark.
As the weather turned ugly, many people were waiting for an update about the weather. Few of them locked their eyes onto the television while many others looked on social media. Few of the staff handed out water, and some dried snacks while they waited for updates. After fifteen minutes, Henry saved three people since the two of them grabbed onto the capsized boat and he threw down the circular float to let the dad stay afloat. It was a lot easier for Henry to get them on the boat compared to Yuqin who had to go down the water since the current carried away the other girl.
Yuqin swam continuously to rescue Han Lingling since she saw her head bobbing up and down. Once Yuqin got Lingling, she helped her to get on the float.
"Don't be scared, you're safe." Yuqin comforted the poor girl, who was clearly traumatized. As Yuqin and Lingling got closer to the boat, Henry helped Lingling to get onto the boat.
"Henry, get her on the boat."
Henry nodded. He looked at her and asked, "Need a hand?" She grabbed onto Henry's hand and got onto the motorboat.
Inside the one floor building, which consisted mainly of lockers and front-desk service, people were so relieved that the all of them were safe and sound. She went in-door and heard everyone clapping for her and Henry. The girls who were rescued by Henry and Yuqin all went to her.
"Big sister, and uncle, thank you so much for saving us! We really thought we were going to die today."
Yuqin smiled and replied, "I'm glad you guys are safe. But next time, don't go too far."
The father came over and thanked them as well. Even though he lost the boat, at least their lives were saved. As people dispersed to the beach area, Yuqin heard a ruckus behind her. She told Henry to wait for her outside as she went over to the young girl she saved. It took her a few seconds to notice that Han Rong was also there on the wheelchair. She didn't know the whole story as to why Han Rong was sitting on the wheelchair so she remained silent without asking anything.
Yuqin saw the young girl being scolded by her mother and after a while, Han Rong's mother looked up and saw Yuqin.
"You must be the young lady who saved my daughter, right? Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! I wouldn't know what to do if she was gone. I was just so worried. Thank you so much!" Yuqin held Han Rong's mother's hand and replied, "It's my job. I'm glad she's safe. I understand it's not my position to say this but your daughter must've been really scared as well. It seemed like she understood the situation. What's your daughter's name?"
"Han Lingling. And you are…?"
"Zhou Yuqin."
Han Rong's eyes never left her. He only looked at her.
"Zhou Yuqin? Your name sounds familiar. Wait a minute, were you in a relationship with my son in the past?" Han Rong's mother asked. Yuqin nodded, "Yes. But we broke up several years ago." Yuqin gazed at Han Rong's handsome face and she noticed he lost a lot of weight.
Han Rong's mother nodded, "Oh my word, how can I forget you? My son told me a lot about you."
Han Rong's mother held her hand and replied, "I won't ask you too many questions, you must be busy, right?" Yuqin smiled but she didn't say anything.
Han Lingling and her parents went outside to give them some time to catch up.
Yuqin saw them leave the lobby and she looked at Han Rong. His gaze never left her ever since she came in through the door. He couldn't believe his eyes and thought he was dreaming.
Yuqin sat closer to Han Rong, she looked at him and asked, "It's been a while, you lost a lot of weight." She sat beside him awkwardly. They haven't seen each other for ages.
Han Rong nodded, "Are you doing well?"
"I am doing well. Did something happen to you?"
"It's been like this for a long time as you can see." He replied without answering her question. He wasn't ready to explain everything.
"What are you doing for work?" Yuqin asked
"Just some desk job at the police station. How long have you been working here?" Han Rong asked.
"Ever since university. Are you working full time or part time?"
"Full-time. Thankfully it's not far from where I live. Are you still living in your old place?" He asked.
"I moved after I graduated, around a thirty minute drive."
As they continued to chat, it really felt like they were back in high school. After half an hour, Han Rong excused himself to the rest room. Yuqin waited for him as she went to her locker to pick up some stuff. When she came out of the change room, she heard a huge thud. She went into the men's rest room to make sure everything was alright. Yuqin saw Han Rong struggling to get up. She walked towards him and lend him her hand as she carefully lifted him onto his wheelchair.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
He shook his head, "I just wanted to try and walk. It seems like my legs are still not working properly." He slightly smiled and tried to fix himself.
She was heartbroken to see her ex-boyfriend in this state. She wasn't angry at him but angry at herself. " I was worried you'll be like this." He let out a smile as she wiped away her tears and replied, "I'm just… just glad you're alive. You never contacted me after we broke up."
"Yuqin, you should let me go. I'm going to be a burden to you. You're at the age of getting married, meet someone who is capable of both providing and protecting you." Han Rong's smile faded as he explained, "My condition won't get any better. You are better off with someone else."
Yuqin looked away and tried to contain her emotions. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. As her back was facing Han Rong, he wanted to get up and hug her. He missed her to death. He missed her presence, her calming nature, and her gentleness.
As Yuqin took Han Rong to the exit, Han Lingling saw them and ran to them.
"Sister Yuqin!"
Lingling brightly smiled at them and said, "Sister Yuqin, are you my brother's ex-girlfriend? My mom told me about you."
Yuqin nodded.
Lingling took her hand and whispered, "Sister Yuqin, my brother is quite stubborn. But I can tell he loves you very much. Up until now, he rejected many other young women. He hasn't dated anyone else ever since coming back."
Yuqin gently held her hand and said, "Your brother is amazing. But your brother is right about one thing, maybe we're not meant to be. " She let go of her hand and went the other way.
Yuqin ran. She couldn't contain her tears and sadness. It was their first reunion and yet, she wasn't able to control her emotions.
Few days later, Yuqin headed to work without knowing her schedule was in the afternoon. Her mind was filled with past memories of her and Han Rong. She looked at her smartwatch and called Henry.
"Do you have time?"
"Yes, I'm on break now. You're not working until afternoon though, what's the matter?"
"Just wanted someone to listen to me. Meet me at the Paradise coffee beside our workplace." She hung up and drove to the cafe without any thought.
Ten minutes later, she parked her car and went into the cafe. Henry already saved them a seat so she directly went in without any assistance. A waitress came and took their order.
"Medium hot americano, thank you. And you, Henry?"
"Oh, large iced coffee with espresso. Thank you."
The waitress wrote them down then took away the menu. Henry looked at Yuqin's solemn expression, then asked, "Could you tell me what happened?"
Yuqin looked at Henry and asked, "If you broke up with your wife for example and you want her to marry someone else because of some problems in your life, would that be considered selfish?"
Henry thought about it and replied, "If I want the best for her, then separation might be the best. It can be considered selfish on my part but that's all because I care. Why ask?"
Yuqin sighed, "I saw my ex-boyfriend the other day and he's in a wheelchair. He told me he'll be a burden since he can't move the way he wanted to. I saw he was struggling but I didn't know what to say. We've been separated for almost eight years."
Henry coughed, "You never told me you had an ex-boyfriend. I always thought you were always single."
Yuqin laughed, "Well, I'm single now. I'm free and ready to mingle."
Henry cleared his throat after sipping his iced coffee, "Eight years though, what happened during those eight years? Have you guys been in contact at all?"
"No. I always thought he was busy with missions since he often had his personal phone turned off and sometimes he would only call once every few days. Sometimes, after a week, depending on the type of mission he goes to. He used to be in a SWAT team. We stopped contacting each other after we broke up. His injury occurred after we broke up but he didn't even tell me until a few days ago."
Henry nodded.
"Yuqin, if you were in his shoes, and what happened to him happened to you, how would you feel if you can't do anything that you want without the help of others?"
"I would feel useless. And think it's a burden to ask people for help."
Henry nodded, "That's your answer. He wasn't being selfish. It will be very difficult for you two if you decide to stay with him. His condition is different from other people but if you love him, you need to show him that you won't give up on him just because he said something about being a burden. In fact, he probably needs you more than you need him."
Yuqin drank her americano and nodded, "You're right. I shouldn't have ran away. I just need to face my feelings. It just feels odd like it's been eight years. The funny thing is that I've never forgotten about him. Not even a minute."
"You still love him, don't you. Yuqin, just face your feelings. Tell him the truth." Henry encouraged her. Few minutes later, Henry received a call from his wife.
"I'm with Yuqin right now. I'll head back around 6pm. I'll pick up our son from daycare afterward. Where are you right now?"
"I'm in the hospital changing room. Got two more surgeries booked. I'll talk to you later." She replied.
"Okay, got it. Love you, baby. Bye."
Henry looked at Yuqin and said, "My wife will have to come back later because she still has surgeries booked. Being a surgeon isn't easy. I feel like I'm being a mother without my wife around."
Yuqin laughed, "I'm not that upset anymore. I'm glad I'm not the only one with difficulties." They both laughed and Yuqin looked at her watch, "Could you tell our boss that I'll take a day off? I'll need to head somewhere."
"Okay, no problem! We got enough staff this afternoon." Henry replied.
Yuqin got her phone and went to the counter. After she paid the bill, Henry headed back to work while Yuqin drove to Sanya police station. She wasn't sure if Han Rong was working today but she had to try no matter the outcome. She gathered up her courage to face Han Rong one more time. This time, without running away.