Lin Xiaoxiao listened with her hand pressed tightly over her mouth, tears streaming silently down her face. Zhou Huaian had been missing for ten days.

Ten days in the tropical jungle—how had he survived? What kind of sheer will had kept him going?

She couldn't bear to imagine it. The thought made her chest tighten with a pain so sharp it stole her breath.

Li Yunlan and Zhou Liyun were also in tears. Zhou Liyun clasped her hands together, whispering over and over, "Amitabha Buddha, bless him, bless him."

Zhou Zhennan looked at Lin Xiaoxiao. "I didn't get to see Huaian. The area is restricted—I didn't have clearance. But if all goes well, he should be back by the end of the year."

Lin Xiaoxiao didn't want to calculate how many months remained until then. Just knowing Zhou Huaian was alive and safe was enough. The tension that had been holding her up suddenly drained away, leaving her weak and exhausted.

Wiping her eyes, Li Yunlan turned to Zhou Xiaocheng. "Xiaocheng, set off firecrackers. At the front gate—lots of them."

This was joyous news. She wanted the whole world to know.

Against all odds, Zhou Huaian had survived—and by pure chance, ended up in the same hospital as Lin Zihao.

Lin Zihao, who'd been admitted earlier and was already mobile, was shocked when he saw how gaunt and worn Zhou Huaian looked. "What happened to you? You look like hell."

Zhou Huaian's lips were chapped and dry. He didn't answer. That he was alive at all felt like a miracle.

There'd been no food, no clean water. His body had lost heat until he was nearly hypothermic. In his delirium, he'd seen Lin Xiaoxiao—smiling, leading him by the hand into what seemed like heaven. A place blazing with lights, filled with things he'd never seen before.

Crowded streets, elegant restaurants with exquisite food—it had all felt surreal.

Lin Xiaoxiao had held his hand the whole time, talking softly. He somehow knew it was the world she'd grown up in. And he remembered her smiling, telling him she'd wait for him to come home.

When Zhou Huaian remained silent, Lin Zihao circled the bed, concerned. "You alright? Badly hurt?"

Zhou Huaian snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head.

Later, once Zhou Huaian was settled in a room, Lin Zihao followed him in. He'd heard about

Zhou Huaian's disappearance and had been worried. Seeing him now was a relief. "Just glad you made it back."

Zhou Huaian nodded. When he felt strong enough, he shared some of what happened. A lot of it came down to how little they truly knew about tropical survival.

But the experience had given him new insight. "Whenever I was conscious, I took notes. On temperature shifts, soil conditions, what was safe to eat..."

Lin Zihao looked at him, surprised—though on second thought, it was just like Zhou Huaian to observe and adapt where others might just give up.

He sat on the edge of the bed, lit a cigarette, and offered one to Zhou Huaian. "Well, what doesn't kill you... So, your wife must have given birth by now, right?"

At the mention of Lin Xiaoxiao and the baby, Zhou Huaian's eyes softened. "Yeah. What's the date today?"

Lin Zihao glanced out the window. "May 11th."

Zhou Huaian calculated silently. "The baby's hundred days old already. I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl. The doctor said it might be triplets... I wonder if it's true."

Lin Zihao had never seen this side of Zhou Huaian—so full of longing and warmth, so human. Gone was the cold, lone wolf.

"Congratulations," Lin Zihao said sincerely. "Shouldn't be long now—end of this year or early next, our group should be rotated home."

Zhou Huaian nodded quietly. He was counting every single day.

He used to hear others talk about missing their wives and children so much they couldn't sleep.

He never understood it—how could anyone afford to be lovesick during times like these?

Now he knew. The longing planted itself in your heart without you noticing, and before you knew it, it was growing wild—completely beyond your control.

The hospital food was simple: plain noodles in clear broth with a few vegetables, no meat. Each patient got one boiled egg.

Lin Zihao placed his egg on Zhou Huaian's tray. "You eat it. I'm sure it's nothing like what your wife makes you."

He remembered how well Lin Xiaoxiao had taken care of Zhou Huaian last time he was injured—meat at every meal, everything flavorful. Even the simplest ingredients tasted different when she cooked them.

Zhou Huaian didn't refuse. After eating the egg, he felt a little stronger. He looked at Lin Zihao.

"You're not getting any younger. You should settle down when you go back."

Lin Zihao laughed. "Since when did you turn into such an old woman, worrying about that?"

But Zhou Huaian spoke from experience. "Having a family... it's a good thing."

He used to feel like a drifting weed. Now, he had roots.

After confirming that Zhou Zhennan hadn't been lying, Lin Xiaoxiao allowed herself one night of sadness. Then she pulled herself together, determined to face life with renewed strength.

She buried her worries and longing for Zhou Huaian deep down. There were three children to raise and a degree to finish.

Before she knew it, finals were approaching. Lin Xiaoxiao had navigated the term smoothly—doing well in every class without drawing too much attention, wisely staying under the radar.

Then, just before the end of the semester, a new policy was announced: the state would be sending more students abroad under publicly funded programs. Peking University would have several slots.

Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't interested. However advanced the West was now, could it compare to what she'd seen forty years in the future? She'd been the youngest leading neurosurgeon in her field. Studying abroad now held little appeal.

But others in her class were electrified. Returning from abroad meant the best job placements.

Especially Meng Xiaona. When she heard, she could barely contain her excitement. The slots were extremely limited—maybe just a few for the whole university—but it was a chance!

She quickly sized up the competition within her own class, narrowing it down to Lin Xiaoxiao and one male student. Lin Xiaoxiao was especially threatening—consistent, steady, always second in their class.

The thought made Meng restless. If she couldn't beat her own classmates, how could she compete with students from other departments?

Zhang Wanqing, however, seemed indifferent. She turned to Lin Xiaoxiao and asked, "They say if you study abroad and come back, they give you an apartment and a high-level job. Are you interested?"