CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: 2 ENCOUNTERS

The man was taken aback to see the little girl so defiant, his raised knife momentarily unable to strike. He had only intended to take advantage, thinking the girl would be concerned about her reputation and wouldn’t dare speak out even if something happened. But unexpectedly, she showed no fear of him. He pulled her in with all his might, but Sun Chan was used to working, and her strength was formidable. She firmly grasped the door frame and refused to be pulled inside.

In the midst of this stalemate, someone shouted sternly from the corridor, "Let her go!"

The man trembled in fear, not knowing what was happening. Someone in the corridor had already pounced like a leopard. In the moonlight, he could see the man wearing military attire, standing tall and straight.

Sun Chan heard a thud behind her, and the man fell to the ground. She also heard the sound of a knife cutting through skin and screamed, worried that the soldier had been hurt. She rushed over, pressed down on the man’s shoulder, and slammed his disheveled hair against the floor.

With two people against one, it was much easier. The soldier kicked the man in the lower back, causing him to scream and attempt to flee. The soldier grabbed him again, and with a punch rendered the man unconscious, twisting his wrist and using his belt to tie him up, all in one swift, decisive motion.

"Little girl, are you alright?"

Sun Chan found the voice familiar and upon closer inspection, recognized Gu Junming. She excitedly grabbed his arm.

"Leader Gu! I’ve finally found you." As she pulled, Gu Junming’s wound was tugged, and he groaned.

"I’m sorry, did I hurt you?" Sun Chan frantically apologized.

Gu Junming smiled: "It’s nothing. For us soldiers, this kind of injury is no big deal."

At this point, the hostel staff and other guests, having heard the commotion, came out to see what happened. As the room lights turned on, they could see clearly what was going on. Seeing a soldier pinning down a knife-wielding youth scared them all, especially when they saw a small girl involved as well. They began to speculate about the situation.

Gu Junming told the hostel staff sternly: "This man tried to rob and kill me, but I managed to capture him. Please arrange to call the police! This young lady is from the opposite room. She came over to help when she saw what was happening. This has nothing to do with her." After speaking, he revealed his arm wound, shocking everyone into silence.

Sun Chan was momentarily stunned, then understood; he must have been worried about gossip. After all, a man and a woman fighting in the middle of the night would make for awkward rumors.

Gu Junming asked Sun Chan to wait in her room until the police arrived, then he would come over.

He looked into the corner and commanded: "What are you waiting for? Make the call!"

Only then did Sun Chan realize there was a soldier standing over there.

It turned out Gu Junming was on his way back to his unit, but received orders en route to find a new soldier who couldn’t handle the training and ran away. Gu Junming and a few soldiers had been searching separately for a day according to clues from civilians, who said the runaway was hiding in the hostel. He checked each hostel in turn.

Having finally caught the runaway, as he was about to bring him back, he unexpectedly encountered this situation. The young soldier was terrified and stood still in the corner.

Upon hearing the leader’s command, the soldier hurried out to make the call.

Sun Chan nervously sat on the bed, worried about Gu Junming’s injury.

She waited until he returned, then hurriedly went over to inspect his wound.

Gu Junming said: "It’s alright. The innkeeper helped me wrap it with a towel, it’s just a minor cut."

Looking at the towel, Sun Chan noticed it was a bit dirty and wrapped too tightly, hindering blood flow. She found a new towel from her luggage and helped him re-bandage it.

"What will happen to the bad guy?"

Gu Junming snorted: "At least twenty years." Attempted assault on an active-duty soldier is no trivial offense. He didn’t dare reveal his attempt to molest her, as that would only result in a harsher sentence!

Sun Chan finally felt at ease and satisfied!

Gu Junming said: "You’re very skilled at bandaging."

"Yes, I worked in the hospital as a nurse aide for a while, so I know a bit about these things." She saw the blood on Gu Junming’s arm and her voice trembled. Though he said it was nothing, she knew how much it hurt. It was her carelessness that caused this.

Gu Junming watched her gentle actions, a faint tenderness appearing on his otherwise cold face.

"I’ve seen you work as a nurse aide. Why did you stop?"

Sun Chan smiled: "Because my stepmother came to find me, trying to drag me back and marry me off to a loser. I had no choice but to keep running away."

Back then, when she escaped, Gu Junming was the one who rescued her, so she had nothing to hide and told him everything.

"I only want to escape, to be as far away from them as possible. But I know, they fear I might live well, they wish nothing but to drag me into hell, to suck me dry for their benefit."

"Your household registration is still with them, which will be a big problem for school or marriage in the future. You should think about getting it transferred elsewhere, completely severing ties with them." Gu Junming’s realistic concerns were what Sun Chan feared to face.

"Look at my family background; who would choose me? Even if the person didn’t mind, their family would definitely reject me. Zhao Xiuxia would demand a huge dowry, I might as well just live this life as it is."

Sun Chan had resolved to never marry or rely on them for anything.

Gu Junming looked at her calm expression and felt uncomfortable inside. What kind of life had she led these years, constantly exploited by her stepmother, yet she could face such injustice with such composure. She was very strong.

Sun Chan then smiled and said, "Oh, I almost forgot! This is for you!" She took out her money, totaling over forty yuan, and handed it to Gu Junming: "You paid for my hospital bills when I was hospitalized. I’m able to repay you now, though it’s a bit late, isn’t it?" It was exactly forty-two yuan and thirty cents, neatly rolled together, prepared for a long time.

Sun Chan held the money, waiting for a long time without him taking it, realizing Gu Junming was gazing at her. She curiously asked, "What’s wrong? Is the money incorrect?"

Gu Junming quickly diverted his gaze from her, mesmerized by her beautiful eyes. He coughed several times, unsure why he was briefly enchanted.

"You keep it." He returned the money to Sun Chan.