The Home You Waited For

CHAPTER 11 - Second Chances

Present day – Medical Camp, Miyaran Valley

Chenxi couldn't help but feel angry at himself when he heard Jia's muffled sobs coming from inside the medical tent. An hour had passed, but she still hadn't come out. He was just about to go back in when he heard the crying again, louder this time – more painful, heavier. He clenched his fists tightly, having no idea how he would comfort Jia. He could feel the pain she carried – a pain he knew he was the reason for her tears.

He felt a tear fall from his eye. He immediately brushed it off and quietly walked back to the front of the bonfire. He sat in a chair there and intently watched the fire – blazing, just like his own feelings.

And in the midst of the silence, the last time he heard Jia crying in the same way, slowly came back to his memory.

“Just don’t make promises you can’t keep, Chenxi.” Jia's voice was soft and trembling on the other end of the line. Almost in a whisper, as if trying to hide the pain between breaths. “You don’t have to stay if you can’t.”

He heard her slight cough and stifled cry.

“I'm used to being left hanging,” she continued.

He understands how Jia feels because he has promised several times that he will come home to be with her. He made her wait several times at the time he set for them to meet, but he never showed up.

He held onto the phone, remaining silent. He didn't know what to say to his girlfriend. It's not that he doesn't want to say anything, it's that he doesn't know where to begin. He wanted to explain—that he was just tired, that he was also having a hard time juggling everything at the police academy, and that he missed her so much. He doesn't want this to be further affected by his life worries. So, at that moment, he chose to just remain silent.

Jia decided to say goodbye. He could feel her frustration because of his silence. “I need to go back to the ward.” She said this without enthusiasm and completely cut off the line.

And as always, he was the one who let go first.

Now, as he heard her crying again, his chest tightened even more. He wants to erase all the pain – the fear, the doubt, the bitterness of the past. But he didn't know where and how to start.

He wasn't sure if he still had the right to approach Jia. But he was sure of one thing – he would wait. Until Jia chose him again. Even if morning comes, even if fire burns all his feelings, he will remain there.

For Jia.

AFTER a few moments, the fabric door of the medical tent opened. Jia slowly stepped out carrying her medical bag. Her eyes are swollen. She was even more surprised to see Chenxi sitting in front of the bonfire, leaning back in his chair and waiting for a long time. Perhaps he felt her presence, so he turned in her direction. He immediately stood up when he saw her and their eyes met. He didn't miss the swelling around her eyes and the slight trembling of her shoulders. She saw the lingering sadness in Chenxi's eyes.

Jia avoided looking at him. “I'm going to the barracks to take a shower and rest.” She said almost in a whisper and without enthusiasm. She sighed first before looking at him again. “You can go back to your camp now. I might be bothering you too much, Captain Lu. I know you have responsibilities as a SWAT officer too.”

CHENXI's brow furrowed slightly. He felt like his heart had been stabbed multiple times by what Jia said. That wasn't what he wanted to hear from the woman he'd wanted to protect for several years.

Chenxi shook his head slightly and stepped forward, his movements careful and deliberate.“You were never an inconvenience for me,” he said softly. “Since the beginning, you’ve been my priority… even though I don’t always say it.”

He cast his gaze down at the ground for a moment, then lifted his eyes to meet hers again.“I just want to make sure you’re safe, Jia—and that you don’t have to face everything alone.”

Jia’s grip tightened on her medical bag, knuckles whitening, and a dry laugh escaped her lips. “You don’t need to do that,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “You don’t need to watch over me all the time.”

Chenxi took a deep breath. I want to. Especially now. He stepped closer carefully, as if afraid that any sudden movement might make

Jia pull away from him. Every step carried the weight of his care and the quiet determination to be near her.

“I know. But I want it. No matter how heavy my work responsibilities are every day – you will still come first.” He stared at her face for a moment. He could clearly see the fatigue etched on her face and the puffiness around her eyes. He lowered his voice again, almost pleadingly. ‘I don't want to leave again, knowing you're not okay.”

“No, I can—”

“Jia,” he interrupted softly but firmly, cutting off her words before she could finish.“I’ll go with you. I’m not here to force you to talk to me—I just want to make sure you get to your barracks safely. I’ll be right here. So… shall we go?”

JIA didn't argue with Chenxi anymore. They quietly traversed the dark road toward the old house that had been converted into barracks for their medical team. Only their footsteps and the chirping of crickets could be heard around them. Sometimes he would turn the flashlight toward the road so she could see where she was going. When they arrived, Chenxi turned to her.

"REST now," Chenxi said softly to Jia. He still had something to say, but he chose to remain silent instead. He didn't want to ruin their moment. She might distance herself from him even further.

Before Jia entered the barracks, she looked at him first – not angrily, nor completely with the tenderness that could be seen in her eyes. But it was enough for him to feel that, somehow, he was allowed to stay by her side.

“You should rest too, Captain Lu.” Jia's voice was gentle but tinged with sadness.He smiled slightly and shook his head. “I'll be right here.”

THE next morning, Jia woke up late. Though she was still drowsy, her thoughts were clearer than they had been the previous night. She noticed that the bed beside hers—where she shared the room with Dr. Meng—was already neatly made.

Quietly, she got up and slipped into her clothes. Despite still wearing her pajamas, she pulled a cardigan over her top to ward off the chill of the morning air before stepping outside.

As soon as she opened the door, she immediately noticed a strange noise coming from the other side of the house. She hears whispers and laughter. When she followed the source of the noise, she ended up in the main dining area. Some nurses and doctors were crowding the doorway leading to the kitchen. The young female nurses seemed thrilled as they occasionally peeked through the open kitchen door. She frowned because she couldn't understand what was happening and why there was such a commotion at that time. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms while watching her colleagues.

“Hey, Doc Jia, you're already awake.” Dr. Meng greeted her. She looked at her while holding a cup of steaming coffee. It's obvious she's trying to suppress a grin. “You seemed to sleep well last night. You look refreshing.”

Jia rolled her eyes, smiling. “Good morning, Doc Meng! What's going on that there's a commotion so early in the morning?”

“Look over there,” she simply said, pointing toward the kitchen.

Curiously, Jia followed Dr. Meng’s pointing gaze. That was when she noticed several members of the SWAT team bustling about, preparing breakfast. Someone was chopping vegetables, another was setting the table, and a few others were arranging bread and fruit in a basket.

Amidst the cheerful chaos, however, only one figure caught her attention. Her eyes found Chenxi—wearing a simple gray shirt and black cargo pants, his hair still damp as if he had just showered. There was something different about him that morning, something she couldn’t quite name. Maybe it was the freshness in his face, or the quiet ease that surrounded him.

Her chest swelled slightly as a small smile tugged at his lips, echoing the warmth she felt when she heard one of his teammates tease him. Chenxi, holding a spatula, was carefully flipping fried eggs in the pan. Beside the stove, he stirred something simmering in a pot over the fire—completely focused, and utterly unaware of how intently she was watching him.

A teasing voice rose above the morning chatter, catching Jia’s attention.

“Wow, Captain Lu!” one of his colleagues called out with a grin. “After ten years of working together, I just found out you’re also a chef!”

Laughter erupted around the kitchen. Chenxi only shook his head, a faint smile curving his lips as he flipped another egg with practiced ease.

“They say it's a special breakfast.” Another one added. “It's supposed to be for the entire medical team, but it feels like all of this is just for one particular person.”

Jia's cheeks flushed. She even flinched when Dr. Meng suddenly elbowed her. She looked at her and smiled mischievously.

“Admit it, Doc Jia. Did you have a past with Captain Lu?”

“We’re just classmates during our senior year,” she said.

Dr. Meng raised an eyebrow at her, clearly unconvinced. “Whatever,” she said with a teasing smile. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly turned toward the group and called out brightly, “Guys! Jia’s here!”

"Doc Meng!" All she could say was. Her cheeks flushed even more when everyone turned to look at her, including the SWAT team in the kitchen. Everyone had a mischievous smile as they looked at her.

“G—Good morning, everyone,” Jia greeted, her voice a little hesitant, as if she’d only just realized she’d been called out.

CHENXI felt the sudden silence around him. When he turned around, his eyes immediately caught sight of Jia. So that's why everyone was quiet, because she was there and everyone was looking at her, especially his team. He coughed loudly, causing everyone to turn their attention to him.

“Get back to work, guys!”

Everyone quickly went back to what they were doing, though the mischievous smiles on their faces said otherwise. Even the nurses and doctors, already seated in the dining area, pretended as if nothing had happened. Conversations buzzed lightly around the dining area, but Chenxi could tell—they were all just listening in on him and Jia.

When their eyes met, he immediately smiled. He immediately grabbed a tray from the kitchen counter containing her favorite breakfast, meat buns and dumplings based on his grandmother's recipe, which also became Jia's favorite. He approached her as if she were rooted to the spot.

“Good morning, Jia.” He greeted her gently, with a mix of warmth and tenderness in his voice, but it was enough for her to feel that the greeting was meant just for her. “Here's your breakfast.”

JIA reached out and took the tray from Chenxi, careful not to meet his gaze. She could feel his eyes on her—steady, searching—as if he were quietly studying her face, memorizing every trace of weariness and every unspoken word between them.

She cleared his throat to get rid of the nervousness she was feeling. “Thank you for this and good morning, Captain Lu.”

Jia forced a small smile before turning away, heading for the farthest table near the window. She could feel Chenxi’s gaze—and the quiet curiosity of everyone else—following her with every step.

When she finally sat down, her eyes fell on the tray. The food was almost exactly her favorite breakfast. A soft ache bloomed in her chest as she bit her lip; Chenxi hadn’t forgotten, even after everything.

She was still staring at the meal, lost in thought, when a nurse’s voice called her name from across the room. Jia blinked and turned toward her colleague, snapping gently back to the present.

“Doc Jia, why are you sitting there alone? Don’t you want to have breakfast with Captain Lu?”

Jia offered the nurse a small smile in response. Suddenly, someone pulled out the chair beside her and sat down. She turned, ready to see who would dare—only to find Chenxi settling into the seat next to her, a tray in his hands and that familiar calm expression on his face.

“Let's eat together like we used to.” He said softly and sat down beside her. Their shoulders were almost touching. He placed the bottle of strawberry milk drink on the table. “Your favorite.”

CHENXI and Jia couldn’t ignore the soft whispers and playful teasing that rippled through the room. A few of their colleagues tried—and failed—to hide their grins, while some of the women looked absolutely delighted, stealing glances at the two of them from time to time.

“Wow, Captain Lu! There must be something special going on between the two.”

“It must be love at first sight!”

“Isn't Doc Jia single? Captain Lu must be her ex-boyfriend!”

“Love is sweeter the second time around!”

Jia winced at what she was hearing. She looks at Chenxi, who seems indifferent to the whispers around them. He’s busy reaching for the chopsticks.

“Don't worry about them,” he spoke. “Let them talk.” He picked up a dumpling and held it out to her mouth. “Try this. That's my grandmother's recipe, which is your favorite.”

The teasing grew even more persistent, fueled by Chenxi’s calm, composed demeanor. Jia couldn’t help but glance at him, watching the way he remained unfazed, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the whispers around them.

“Captain Lu, I can eat by myself. You don't need to take care of me anymore.”

“I know... but I still want to take care of you,” he replied, smiling slightly as he stared at her. He paused for a moment, then spoke again, with tenderness but also a hint of disappointment in his voice.

“And Jia… just call me Chenxi again, like before,” he murmured, his voice soft but earnest. “When you call me ‘Captain Lu’…” He shook his head slightly, a faint tension in his shoulders. “…it feels like you’re so far away, like you don’t even know me anymore.”

Jia couldn’t bring herself to meet Chenxi’s eyes. It felt as though every glance he gave her unearthed memories and emotions she had long tried to forget or avoid. To ease the tightness in her chest, she reached out and gently took the chopsticks from his hand, letting the simple act speak what words could not.

“Thank you for the food, Che-Chenxi.” She said softly. But she felt the strange taste of its name on her tongue – there was sweetness, but the pain outweighed it because it reminded her of a past that hadn't completely faded even after ten years.

As she chewed on dumplings, she looked out the window to hide her feelings from Chenxi at that moment.

CHENXI's smile softened slightly when he heard his name again from Jia's lips. Chenxi. He wanted to hear that over and over again, as if it were music meant only for him. But he couldn't help but feel a hint of a crack in her voice – as if there was a distant distance, a thin but strong wall that he couldn't break no matter how close he got.

He wanted to convey to her that she had nothing to fear anymore, that he was there to take care of her as he always had. But he stopped. Because no matter how brave he was in the missions he undertook, this fight with Jia was different — a fight with no weapons, no plan, and no certainty if he would be the one to win in the end.

He sighed and quietly reached for the bottle of strawberry milk. He gently opened it and poured it into Jia's glass, but with every drop of the drink, Chenxi had a silent plea.

"Don’t push me away, Jia… I won’t survive if you leave me again. Now that life has given me this one more chance to be with you, I’ll hold on no matter what it takes. I’ll make up for everything—every lost moment—just so you’ll know… you’ve always been the one in my heart, from then until now."