Chen Wei woke to sunlight streaming through hospital windows. His body felt different. Not injured. Not exhausted. Just fundamentally changed. Like every cell had been rebuilt stronger.
Xiao Ru was asleep in a chair beside his bed. Dark circles under her eyes. She had not left. Seven days of keeping vigil.
Chen Wei reached out and touched her hand. She startled awake. Saw him conscious. Her eyes filled with tears.
"You i***t," she whispered. "You absolute idiot."
Then she kissed him. Hard. Desperate. Relief and anger and something deeper all mixed together.
"I survived," Chen Wei said when she pulled back.
"Barely. The doctors said you should be dead. Your body was shutting down. They could not explain why you were still breathing." She gripped his hand tightly. "Seven days. I waited
