Prove

Chen An awoke to the bustling of the nurses around Li Jun Jie's bedside. The beeping of machines droned in the background like the rhythm to their methodical work. Chen An sat up quickly, trying to process whether Li Jun Jie was okay.

Shen Li Xin walked into the room, taking a seat beside Chen An on the couch. He handed her a can of coffee he had bought from the vending machine in the lobby. "They're preparing to discharge Li Jun Jie from the hospital soon," he explained. "The nurses are running the last few tests to make sure he's healthy enough to return home.

Chen An nodded but still watched intently as a nurse pressed a stethoscope to Li Jun Jie's chest, recording something on her clipboard.

"Don't worry, I called Ms. Yun this morning and told her you had to leave the retreat early because of a family emergency," Li Jun Jie told Chen An.

She continued to nod distractedly, fiddling with the pull tab on top of the can.

"He'll be okay." Li Jun Jie held out a hand to stop Chen An's twiddling thumbs.

Chen An finally turned to look at him and let out a quiet sigh. "Thank you for helping me. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"Don't worry about it." Shen Li Xin smiled at her, though for the first time, it didn't quite meet his eyes. "But, make sure you take care of yourself too, not just Li Jun Jie."

After a multitude of tests, the paperwork for Li Jun Jie's discharge was finally approved. A nurse aide pushed Li Jun Jie out of the entrance of the hospital in a wheelchair, Chen An and Shen Li Xin following closely behind. An awaiting taxi driver opened the cab door, and Li Jun Jie stumbled inside.

Chen An turned to Shen Li Xin. "I'll be going back now."

Shen Li Xin nodded and waved them farewell before going on his own way back home.

Chen An climbed into the car and settled in the seat farthest from Li Jun Jie, afraid he might shatter if she even brushed his alabaster skin. The faint hum of the engine filled the silence as the car drove toward their apartments.

As they passed by the café near their apartment buildings, Li Jun Jie motioned for the driver to stop. "Excuse me, sir. Could you let us off here instead?"

"What are you doing?" Chen An looked at him in confusion.

"I'm starving. The hospital food is not very appetizing," Li Jun Jie explained, dramatically rubbing his growling stomach.

"No, no, no." Chen An shook her head with resolute emphasis. "The doctor said you can't eat anything too salty while you're recovering."

Li Jun Jie cocked his head, looking at her with teasing eyes. "Are you going to cook for me then, An An?"

Chen An pressed her lips into a thin line. Though definitely better than the disaster of Li Jun Jie in kitchen, she too was a terrible cook and worried that her food might make him return to the hospital as soon as he left. After a moment, Chen An reluctantly agreed with a dissatisfied huff.

Already halfway out of the car, Li Jun Jie turned back to look at Chen An with a mischievous smile. "Besides, the doctor never said anything about sweets."

The bell above the café door jingled as the two entered. It looked just the way it had the last time they had come together to study, though the leaves of the plants that hung from the ceiling seemed to be tinted amber at their tips. There was something comfortable about its quiet sameness, the way it remained constant even during the office workers' holiday.

As Chen An and Li Jun Jie approached the counter, the café worker cleaning the espresso machine came to greet them.

Li Jun Jie didn't even look at the menu before ordering. "I'll have whatever soup you are serving today and an iced americano, please."

"You mean a room temperature glass of water." Chen An glared, reminding him of the doctor's orders.

Catching sight of Chen An's menacing gaze, Li Jun Jie hurried to correct himself. "Yes, that's right. Just water for me."

The café worker tapped a few buttons on the screen. "Sure, can I get you anything else?" the worker asked them.

As Chen An was about to shake her head, Li Jun Jie spoke again, "And a green grape juice. Make it extra sweet, if you can."

After their short intermission in the café, Chen An rushed Li Jun Jie home, anxious that the cold late autumn air might make him fall sick again. Li Jun Jie laughed as Chen An attempted to push him down the sidewalk toward the entrance of his apartment building.

He quickly turned around to face her, and Chen An fell forward with unstopped momentum. Li Jun Jie held his hands around her arms to steady her, the strength returning to his body. "An An, if you're so worried about me, shouldn't you come up and take care of me?"

Chen An shut her eyes, afraid his gaze might make her fall for his shenanigans, and shook her head firmly. "You need to rest. Make sure you take your medicine after waking up and drink lots of water," she instructed, struggling to escape his grasp.

Li Jun Jie pulled gently on her arms, and Chen An stumbled a small step toward him. "I'll be so lonely in my apartment by myself. What if I get sick again? My parents aren't around for the rest of the break."

Chen An raised her eyes hesitantly to look at him; Li Jun Jie held his face close to her ear, looking past her as if whispering a secret just between them. "Okay," Chen An said finally.

Despite the fact that Li Jun Jie had somehow succeeded in convincing Chen An to stay, this was far from what he expected. He sat at the table, propping his head up with his hand to watch Chen An in boredom.

Chen An sat on the opposite side of the table, reviewing the notes that were sprawled out in front of her and not even sparing him a glance.

Li Jun Jie sighed for what must've been the hundredth time that hour, and Chen An sent him an irritated glower. "Are you seriously studying over the break?" Li Jun Jie asked incredulously, leaning over the table to examine the uniformly written sheets. "It's a break for a reason, you know."

"We have midterm exams coming up soon," Chen An responded matter-of-factly, not even looking up from busily sorting the pages in chronological order.

Li Jun Jie returned to his spot, though his face seemed to fall deeper into his supporting hand. "Why do you care so much about your grades anyway? You're already good enough to get into university. Why do you still need to try so hard?"

Chen An froze, the paper in her hand crumpling at its edge from her tightening grip. It was a question she got often, usually from her frustrated classmates. Her answer to this question had always been straightforward: Chen An wanted, or rather needed, to get into Zhejiang University like her mother. It had been her sole motivation ever since she was a child, like an abandoned animal that clung onto anything that even resembled the shape of its mother, even if it was cold and painful.

Her answer often evoked irritated sighs from the other students, and they complained about how uninteresting she was or how little she knew about having fun. However, her answer had never once changed.

But, now, the words felt bland in Chen An's mouth, and she couldn't quite make it out. Instead, she looked at Li Jun Jie, who waited patiently for her response, and finally said, "I want to prove to myself that I can make it on my own."