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Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: The Unwelcome Letter

The apartment was unusually quiet when Chen Xiang returned from his jog. He opened the door, still catching his breath, and immediately noticed his mother standing by the dining table. Her hands were clasped tightly around an envelope, her knuckles pale. She looked up as he entered, her eyes heavy with worry.

"This came for you," she said, her voice soft yet tense.Chen Xiang stepped closer, his eyes drawn to the bold seal stamped on the envelope. The Ministry of Defense. He took it from her with steady hands, but his heart raced. The weight of what it might contain pressed against him before he even broke the seal.

As he unfolded the letter, the words struck him like a punch to the chest:

"You have been selected for compulsory military service. Your enlistment date is scheduled for three months from now. Please report for your mandatory health screening within two weeks."

He read it twice, then a third time, as if the words might change. They didn't. He swallowed hard, the paper trembling slightly in his hands.

"Well?" His mother's voice broke the silence. "Is it something serious?"

He looked up at her, forcing a calm smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Nothing serious. Just some government stuff." He folded the letter carefully, slipping it back into the envelope. "Don't worry about it."

Her gaze lingered on him, doubtful, but she didn't press further. She nodded and turned back to the kitchen, her shoulders still tense. Chen Xiang stood there for a moment longer, the letter still clutched in his hand, before retreating to his room.

He shut the door behind him and let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he unfolded the letter again. The words stared back at him, indifferent to the chaos they had just unleashed in his mind.

Military service. Two years. The future he'd been trying to build suddenly felt like a sandcastle swept away by an unexpected wave. His family flashed through his mind—his father, struggling with his health and temper, his mother who carried too much, and his siblings who looked to him, whether they admitted it or not. Who would hold it all together if he was gone?

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. A part of him wanted to shout, to fight against the inevitability of it all. But what could he do? This wasn't something he could negotiate his way out of. It wasn't a choice. It was a command.

The noise of his siblings arguing in the living room seeped through the thin walls. Usually, it annoyed him. Today, it grounded him, reminded him of what he was fighting for.

He couldn't sit here any longer. The walls of the room felt like they were closing in. He grabbed his running shoes and left, not caring where he was going, only knowing that he needed to move.

The air outside was cool and sharp, the perfect counterpoint to the storm in his mind. He ran, his feet pounding against the pavement, faster and faster, as if he could outrun the future that awaited him. His breaths came heavy, his heartbeat loud in his ears.

As he rounded a bend in the park, a figure appeared in his path. Before he could stop, they collided, and he stumbled backward, barely catching himself.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" the girl exclaimed, turning to face him. She wore a fitted workout top, her ponytail swaying slightly as she moved. There was something striking about her, not just her appearance but the way she carried herself—calm, confident.

"It's fine," Chen Xiang said, waving off her apology as he caught his breath. Then he noticed the faint scrape on her knee, a small line of blood trickling down. "You're bleeding."

She glanced down and winced. "Oh, that's nothing. Really, I'm fine."

"Sit down," he said, already pulling off the headband he'd been using to keep sweat from his eyes. "You should clean it before it gets worse."

Before she could protest, he crouched down and began dabbing at the wound with his headband. She stared at him for a moment, her cheeks faintly pink, then laughed softly. "You don't have to do that."

"Better safe than sorry," he replied, his focus on her knee. "I've seen too many small injuries turn into bigger problems."

"Are you a doctor or something?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

"No," he said, standing up and offering her a hand. "Just someone who doesn't like seeing people hurt."

She took his hand, her grip firm but gentle. As she stood, she smiled, and for the first time that day, Chen Xiang felt his own tension ease, just a little.

"I'm Zhang Ruoxuan," she said, brushing off her leggings. "And I owe you one."

"Chen Xiang," he replied. "And you don't owe me anything."

"Well, Chen Xiang," she said, her smile turning playful, "if you're not a doctor, what do you do?"

For a moment, he hesitated. What did he do? His life felt like a series of unfinished plans, all thrown into disarray. But instead of giving her the complicated truth, he simply said, "I'm figuring that out."

She nodded, as if she understood more than he'd said. "Aren't we all?"

As she walked away, the scrape on her knee barely slowing her down, Chen Xiang stood there, watching until she disappeared around the corner. For the first time since the letter had arrived, his thoughts drifted away from the weight of his responsibilities. Instead, they lingered on the brief, unexpected encounter with a stranger who somehow made the world feel a little lighter.