Wu Jun didn’t know the minivan driver, but the driver knew him. He knew Wu Jun owned a supermarket, one that was doing exceptionally well. Wu Jun was famous in the residential complex for being loaded.
Hearing Wu Jun’s words, the driver didn’t hesitate. He slammed on the gas, and the minivan surged forward, parting the water as if he were piloting a speedboat.
He had been driving this minivan for over eight years. If it flooded, he could get a new one, which would be an absolute win for him.
He drove as fast as he could. There were no pedestrians on the complex’s roads at the moment, so he shifted straight into fifth gear!
’That’s good enough, buddy,’ the driver prayed inwardly. ’I know you’re trying your best. It’s time to take a break...’ The minivan was about to plow through the water and out of the complex, yet there was still no sign of it flooding or stalling.
Suddenly, as the minivan went over a speed bump, it jolted, and its speed dropped drastically.
"Boss Wu, I think the engine’s flooded!" the driver said, turning to Wu Jun with an excited look on his face. But Wu Jun had already pushed the door open and dashed back out into the downpour.
"Come find me at the supermarket later," Wu Jun called out, wading quickly through the water toward the complex’s main gate.
The minivan had stalled not far from the main gate. After getting out, it took Wu Jun less than thirty seconds to race out of the residential complex.
The main road outside the complex was now a muddy river, with water even deeper than inside. Several cars parked by the roadside were already half-submerged, their owners pacing and wringing their hands in distress.
The urban drainage system in Shimen City had been a long-standing complaint among its residents. Every year, there were a few days of severe flooding.
The water on the main road was so deep that even a bus’s exhaust pipe would be flooded. The traffic police wouldn’t be able to make it over anytime soon unless they came by boat.
Wu Jun anxiously craned his neck, looking left and right. Less than thirty meters from the complex gate, he saw a container truck lying on its side, one set of wheels lifted off the ground. It had pinned a pickup truck beneath it.
A crowd had gathered nearby, and it looked like they had already pulled the driver out.
Wu Jun splashed through the water toward the crowd.
"Excuse me, make way." Wu Jun pushed his way through the crowd and saw her: a girl standing in the pouring rain with a dazed expression, hugging her arms. She looked utterly pitiful.
The moment he saw Xu Fei, it felt like a knife had been viciously twisted in his heart.
He hadn’t felt anything like this during their everyday interactions, but the moment he heard Xu Fei might have been in an accident, he had lost his composure.
He didn’t know when it had happened, but this sweet, charming girl who was always calling him "Brother Wu" this and "Brother Wu" that had come to occupy a very important place in his heart.
Wu Jun stepped forward and gripped Xu Fei’s shoulders, turning her to face him. "Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked, his face etched with tension. "Tell me if you feel any discomfort at all."
"Wu... Brother Wu..." The moment Xu Fei recognized Wu Jun, the light returned to her eyes. With a soft cry, she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him and sobbing into his chest.
An accident this bad would be enough to make a grown man’s legs turn to jelly, let alone a novice driver like Xu Fei who was new to the road.
Wu Jun comforted her for a long time before she finally stopped crying. Noticing her movements seemed a little unnatural, he asked what was wrong. Xu Fei frowned, tried to lift her leg, and said she’d sprained her ankle.
Wu Jun thanked the crowd of bystanders who had helped, then gave his phone number to the truck driver, telling him to wait for the traffic police. Next, he called Xu Minli to reassure her, lying that Xu Fei hadn’t been the one in the accident. He said he had already met up with Xu Fei, and they were going to a movie and would be back late that evening.
After hanging up with Xu Minli, Wu Jun, without another word, hoisted Xu Fei onto his back and hurried away.
With the water past their knees, catching a taxi was out of the question—catching a boat seemed more likely. The fastest way to get to a hospital was to walk.
"Brother Wu, we don’t need to go to the hospital. Please put me down. A hot compress at home will be enough," Xu Fei said from his back, her heart aching as she listened to his heavy, labored breathing.
"No. What if you’ve fractured a bone? We need to get an X-ray, just to be safe," Wu Jun said, continuing to wade through the water.
About two kilometers from the Tianyuan residential complex was a Putian Hospital. At this point, Wu Jun couldn’t care less if he was a sheep walking into a tiger’s den; he headed straight for it.
Xu Fei was already slender, weighing less than a hundred pounds and standing around five-foot-five, so carrying her on his back wasn’t actually that strenuous.
"Brother Wu, let’s rest for a bit. We can stop at a shop by the road."
"Brother Wu, I’m begging you, please let’s rest."
"Brother Wu, I’m fine now. I can walk by myself. Put me down."
They walked the entire way in the downpour, and Xu Fei pleaded the entire way, constantly squirming on his back, but Wu Jun remained unmoved.
Xu Fei couldn’t tell if it was the rain or her tears blurring her vision.
Although Xu Fei had never said anything, she knew that Wu Jun had also carried her home on his back from a little restaurant the last time she got drunk. Uncle Luo, who lived across the hall from her aunt, had even teased her about it.
Once they reached the hospital, Wu Jun finally let Xu Fei down from his back, gently setting her down on a bench in the lobby. Then he plopped down beside her, panting heavily.
"Sit here and don’t move. I’ll be right back." After catching his breath for a moment, Wu Jun went to register, get a queue number, and pay the fees.
Seeing how anxious Wu Jun was for her, Xu Fei wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, a tearful smile on her face.
When Wu Jun returned from paying the fees, he once again hoisted Xu Fei onto his back and carried her to the radiology department for an X-ray. After more than half an hour of hassle, the X-ray was finished. It was just a sprain, with no damage to the bone.
Seeing the results, Wu Jun could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Following the doctor’s prescription, they picked up a pile of medicine: anesthetic aerosol sprays, anti-swelling and pain-relieving tinctures, medicated oils, pain-relief patches, and blood-circulation balms. Between the consultation, the X-ray, and the medication, he had spent over 3,000 yuan in less than an hour.
Wu Jun finally understood what Putian Hospital was all about...
The sky over Shimen seemed to have been torn open; the rain was endless.
Wu Jun and Xu Fei were stranded on a bench in the hospital.
"Brother Wu, for a moment there, I really thought I would never see you again," Xu Fei said softly, suddenly resting her head on Wu Jun’s shoulder.
"Don’t say silly things. We have plenty of time ahead of us," Wu Jun said, reaching out to ruffle Xu Fei’s hair.
"Brother Wu, can I call you Brother Jun from now on?" Xu Fei asked, wrapping her arms around Wu Jun’s arm and nuzzling her head against his bicep.
"Is there a difference?"
"If there’s no difference, then just say yes."
"It’s not a big deal. Call me whatever you want."
"Brother Jun," Xu Fei said sweetly, her wish granted.
At 8:30 p.m., the rain finally stopped. Although the water on the roads had receded somewhat, it hadn’t disappeared completely. A single step was still enough to submerge one’s calf. With Xu Fei’s injured foot, returning to the small supermarket was temporarily out of the question.
"How about we just find a place to stay for the night?" Wu Jun suggested. As he helped Xu Fei out the door, he had noticed a hotel next to the hospital.
Xu Fei blushed and agreed. "I’ll... I’ll do whatever Brother Jun says."
Wu Jun smiled and teased her, "What are you thinking about? Why is your face so red?"
"I’m not! My face isn’t red at all, not one bit," Xu Fei denied vehemently.