Chapter 20

The stars stretched like a chain across the sky, while Henry quietly curled up on a stone bench bathed in moonlight.

He rested his forearm on Selena’s knee, but his gaze remained fixed on her face, unable to look away.

The moonlight gathered like a thin frost on her skin, making her shine even in the dark.

It wasn’t until the cooling ointment touched his burn that he sucked in a sharp breath and snapped back to reality.

“This burn is pretty serious. If you don’t take care of it properly, it’ll leave a scar. You’re a medical student. How can you be so careless?” “It’s fine.

I’m a grown man.

It’s just a tiny scar on my arm.

Who’s going to care” “I care.” Selena sighed, leaving Henry momentarily stunned.

After applying the ointment, she looked at him seriously.

“Henry, you should go back to school tomorrow. I understand how you feel, but I don’t have time for —- romance right now, and I don’t want you wasting your youth here for me.”

Henry opened his mouth, about to protest, but before he could speak, Selena continued.

“Next year, the National Medical Research Institute will hold open recruitment. If you make it into the top fifty, I’ll be waiting for you.” She could see Henry’s feelings for her.

She didn’t dislike him, but she didn’t want him throwing away his studies over a fleeting infatuation.

With Selena’s promise, Henry finally agreed to leave the next day.

The following morning, Selena accompanied him to the airport.

“Can I hug you, Selena?” Before heading through security, Henry turned back and looked at her with hopeful eyes.

When Selena nodded, he stepped forward and held her tightly.

“Let me protect you from now on. I want to be the person you can rely on.” His words caught Selena off guard.

After a moment’s pause, she buried her face against his chest and gave a small nod.

It was a long time before Henry reluctantly let her go.

Even after his plane soared into the sky, the sound of his racing heartbeat still seemed to linger in her ears.

The next spring, as the magnolias began to bud, the new drug research team reached a critical breakthrough.

The celebratory banquet’s wine was still chilled when Selena suddenly halted in front of the lab building.

Tan stood there, wrapped in a faded gray trench coat, looking like a withered pine left out in the cold.

After a year apart, he seemed much more haggard.

But the moment he saw Selena, a spark ignited in his dim eyes.

His voice trembled with joy as he called out, “Selena” Yet before he could finish, she took a step back, and the rest of his words froze in his throat.