The Home You Waited For

CHAPTER 14 - Walls Between Us

IT was late at night when the convoy arrived back at the Miyaran Valley medical camp. The journey was quiet, except for the hum of the engine and the occasional noise from the SWAT radio. Jia was sitting next to Chenxi in the last SWAT van. At first, they didn't speak, but Chenxi felt the force pulling him to say something.

“Are you still shaken from earlier?” he asked, his voice low, almost as if he didn't want to disturb the quiet of the night.

“No,” Jia replied quickly, still looking out the window. But they both knew—that wasn't true.

They looked at each other for a moment, and in the light from the dashboard, Chenxi saw a slight blush on her cheeks. He wanted to say everything – that he was scared earlier, that her safety was more important to him than his own. But he couldn't do it, not yet.

When they arrived at the camp, the van slowed down and stopped near the main tent. Some of the other SWAT and medical teams went down first to carry the equipment. Chenxi stayed for a while to help Jia.

“Careful,” he whispered as he helped her down, one hand on her elbow. But before he could say the next thing, a familiar and high-pitched voice echoed through the night's silence.

“Captain Lu!”

Jia and he both turned around. From the dark part of the camp, a woman was quickly running toward them. You could see the excitement and happiness on her face. That woman is none other than Lian Xue.

The magical moment between Chenxi and Jia was suddenly ruined. Jia gradually let go of his grip. She almost slammed her backpack and medical bag out of the vehicle. She didn't even look at him and instead quickly walked toward the barracks. Chenxi saw how anger and jealousy suddenly flared up in Jia's eyes. But before he could follow, Lian Xue was already in front of him, smiling as if there was no one else around.

“Long time no see, Captain Lu.” She said, slightly out of breath from running.

IN the distance, some SWAT members who witnessed the scene of Chenxi, Jia, and Lian Xue were whispering. They're betting on the three of them.

"I smell a love triangle!” A subtle but clear joke from someone.

“I'm betting on Doc Jia,” one of them said. “They're a better match with Captain Lu.”

“I'm with Lian Xue!” In contrast, another one said, and then the group laughed together.

“JIA!” Chenxi called out as he watched her walking away. But before he could follow, Lian Xue stepped in and stopped him by the arm.

“Aren't you going to talk to me first?” The woman asked, almost in a whisper but with emphasis.

He threw her a look and then removed her hands from his arm. “Not this time, Lian Xue,” he said in a tired voice. “Jia is more important than anyone else.”

Lian Xue was stunned by what he said. She was about to say something else, but he turned his back on her and hurried to follow Jia.

But before he could follow, Wen Liang and a nurse who always assisted Jia blocked his path.

“What now?” he asked them, annoyed. “I need to be with Jia.”

The nurse is hesitant to tell Chenxi what happened while he was away. He looks scary right now. “Captain Lu, the woman you were talking to went to see Doc Jia.”

“According to others, she asked around about Dr. Velasquez,” Wen Liang added.

His jaw clenched at what he learned. “When?”

“Two days ago, while you were at Lingxiao. We don't know what the woman said to her. After that, Doc Jia was almost silent for the entire day. She didn't take a break either, she just kept drinking water. The silence inside the tent that day was deafening.”

Chenxi froze for a moment, the pieces clicking into place in his mind. He looked back toward the barracks where Jia had disappeared. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her.

“We'd better go back to our camp first, Captain Lu. So, you can rest for a bit and think clearly before you talk to Doc Jia,” Wen Liang's suggestion.

He looked up at the sky, searching for answers, and knew the night ahead would be long.

THE moon hid behind the clouds over the mountain ridge. The SWAT team has finished their debrief. Some sit around a low campfire near the edge of the field, cooking ramen, cleaning weapons, laughing in low voices.

Chenxi sat not far from his comrades, near the edge of the hill, gazing out at Miyaran Village. Wen Liang approached carrying two bowls of instant noodles. He placed one beside him before sitting across from him.

“You going to stare at that horizon until it answers you?”

“Maybe.”

Wen Liang sighed. “I know that you and Doc Jia have something special. She's someone important.”

Chenxi leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his bowl untouched. “She was.” He shook his head. “No—she is.”

“I see,” Wen Liang nodded. “She's also the woman you always mention, especially when you're drunk. You keep saying she's your 'first and last love'.”

Chenxi’s gaze stayed on the faint glow of lights in the valley, his voice low, almost breaking.

“Nothing has changed in how I feel about Jia. My love for her never faded. Even after all these years, even after trying countless times to forget her, she's still here.” Pointing to the spot just above his heart, he smiled slightly, but there was sadness in his eyes.

“It's still Jia, from then until now. It's better for me to get hurt every day than to lose her from my life again.”

“What happened and why did you break up?”

Chenxi closed his eyes. “I let the uniform win. She waited for me to choose her, but I didn't. I said I was protecting her from myself, but the truth is, I was protecting myself, so I wouldn't need her.”

“If that's the case, Captain Lu, what will you do to get her back?”

“I will do everything I can. No matter how difficult, no matter how long it takes, I won’t force Jia to come back to me. I want her to choose me freely, to stay by my side of her own will,” He sighed. “If I have to wait another ten years… I will. As long as, in the end, it’s still her, I see her walking toward me.”

He looks down at his hands. The same hands that have carried rifles, restrained men, rescued hostages. Now all he wants to do is hold her without hurting her.

“Captain Lu, if you want to try again, you’ll have to show her more than your silence.”

He nodded at what Wen Liang said. “Yeah, this time, I'll speak first.”

Late that night…

The entire Miyaran Valley is quiet. Only the chirping of crickets and the faint footsteps of roving SWAT members could be heard. Inside the barracks, almost everyone was asleep except for Jia.

She was sitting at the far end of the dining area, looking out the window. She slowly sipped the strawberry milk as if she could draw strength from it at that moment. She's trying not to revisit the image of Lian Xue smiling while standing next to Chenxi. But no matter how hard she tried to forget it, the weight she felt in her chest was still there.

Suddenly, a soft knock broke the silence of the night, and she almost screamed when a large figure suddenly appeared in front of the window. She immediately recognized who it was. It's none other than Chenxi. He gestured for her to go to the back door and enter the kitchen. She approached the door in a daze but quickly came to her senses when she heard his voice. She leaned back, hesitating whether to open it or not.

“Jia,” Chenxi whispered from outside.

She didn't answer.

“Jia, open the door. Please.” Chenxi's tone is lower now, but there's a hint of emphasis, as if he won't accept 'no.'

When she opened the door, he was there, still wearing his field jacket. He was still panting as if he had just run quickly from the other end of the camp.

“What do you need?” She asked in a cold voice.

Chenxi frowned. “I heard that Lian Xue visited you while I was at Lingxiao.”

Jia stiffened slightly in place, but quickly calmed herself before looking Chenxi straight in the eyes. “So?”

“So? Why didn't you tell me?” There was a mix of frustration and concern in his voice. “What did you talk about? What did she say to you?”

She folded her arms and shook her head. “Nothing important.”

“Not important?” Chenxi moved closer until there was only about a space between them. “You've been different since I came back. You won't look me in the eye. And now I found out she talked to you—”

“She didn't just talk to me,” Jia interrupted, her voice hardening. “She came to tell me to stay away from you. So. you know where to find her. And she'll wait for you.”

Chenxi was stunned. His breathing became heavy, and his eyes darkened.

“Jia…”

“Don't,” Jia said quickly, stepping back a little. “You don't need to explain anything to me. You don't owe me anything.”

“That's where you're mistaken. I owe you everything, Jia. The fact that I'm still breathing... the man I've become, all of that, is because of you.” Chenxi said, his voice slightly trembling. “And if there's one thing I can't do, it's letting you think you're no longer valuable in my life. Because no matter how hard I try to hide it, you're still the reason for everything.”

A long silence hung between them. In their eyes, the feelings that had longed to break free were unmistakable, yet they remained shadowed by pride and jealousy.

Before Chenxi could speak again, Jia had already turned around and gently closed the door. As the door closed, her tears finally fell. She sat on the floor and hugged her knees. She sobbed quietly. She covered her mouth with both hands, so no noise would come out.

CHENXI was left standing outside, staring at the door as if it were the only barrier between them—a wall that seemed to grow stronger with each passing day. In the quiet of the night, he clearly heard Jia's muffled cries, each sob like a knife slowly cutting through his heart. He closed his eyes, trying to control his emotions, but when the pain finally overwhelmed him, his tears flowed as well.