He Is the Sun
Bai Qingzhou had taken martial arts as an elective in university—he was quick and strong. As soon as the two bodies made contact, the drunk man let out a grunt as he crashed into the table with a dull thud.
But a drunk man wasn’t going to be subdued that easily. The confrontation only further enraged him, and he fought back against Bai Qingzhou. Thankfully, two security guards had heard the commotion and rushed over. With the three of them working together, the man was quickly restrained.
He was pinned to a bench, a police control fork pressed against his shoulder. He struggled fiercely and yelled angrily, “This is bullying the common people! Don’t we have rights?! Where are the cops?! Where’s the law?! I’m calling the police!”
“Sit down and shut up,” one guard snapped and kicked him, clearly losing patience. “We’ve already called the cops. They’ll be here any second.”
Another guard said with a half-smile, “You ever hear of the crime of provoking trouble? Disrupting public order? Go ahead, keep it up. Guess which side the police will take when they get here.”
Hearing that the police were really coming, the man finally quieted down. He still cursed under his breath but stopped struggling and lowered his head. Nearby, the woman cradled her crying baby, looking flustered and anxious.
While they were still arguing, the nurse quietly helped Xia Xinghe up. He winced and sucked in a sharp breath as he sat down on another bench. That’s when he realized—not only was his hand injured, but his face was also scratched.
It must’ve happened during the scuffle. Broken glass shards were embedded in his skin—it was a sharp, stabbing pain with every movement.
“You stay here. I’ll grab some disinfectant and bandages!” the nurse said, rushing off to gather gauze, tweezers, and other supplies.
Bai Qingzhou had just finished briefing the guards and quickly walked over. His crisp footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. Standing in front of Xia Xinghe, he bent down slightly, eyes fixed on the bleeding wound, and gently brushed his thumb over Xia Xinghe’s cheek.
The touch sent a ticklish tingle through him.
Xia Xinghe knew he must look terrible right now—face scratched, hair a mess. He feared Bai Qingzhou was going to mock him again, so he hurried to speak first:
“Uh… thanks for earlier.”
“I know what you’re gonna say—I was reckless, didn’t think things through, charged in without a plan…”
“But I couldn’t just stand there and watch that poor nurse get hit, right?”
“Let’s make a deal. Just this once… don’t mock me, okay?”
His self-aware comments left Bai Qingzhou with nothing to say. His lips parted slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
A moment later, Dr. Zhang from the ER finally showed up, having just finished treating a stitched-up patient.
“Sorry I’m late—my god, what happened here?!”
“Dr. Zhang, finally you’re here! Just now…” the security guard quickly explained the situation, while the nurse returned with a tray.
“Dr. Zhang, this patient was cut by glass. Can you help clean up his wounds?”
“Right away,” Dr. Zhang said, pulling out tools with practiced ease.
Bai Qingzhou stepped back, letting the ER professional take over.
Even though Bai Qingzhou was a surgeon too, this kind of injury wasn’t his area of expertise.
As Dr. Zhang tended to Xia Xinghe’s wounds, he glanced at Bai Qingzhou and asked casually, “Dr. Bai, what are you doing here?”
“I’m on night duty,” Bai Qingzhou replied calmly. “Heard some noise and came to check it out.”
“I see.”
Since they weren’t close, the conversation ended there. Dr. Zhang carefully removed the glass shards from Xia Xinghe’s wound.
The baby’s crying was still loud and piercing. Xia Xinghe’s eyes moved slightly, and when he saw the anxious mother, he couldn’t help feeling a twinge of sympathy.
He sighed lightly and said, “Doctor, after you’re done with me, please check on that baby too. He’s been crying for a long time.”
After all, the child was innocent.
“Of course. I’ll come over as soon as I finish wrapping this up,” Dr. Zhang nodded and picked up the pace.
But before he could move, the woman holding the baby stepped forward.
“No need, doctor,” she said, taking a deep breath as if she’d finally made a decision.
“My son’s not sick… he’s crying because he’s hungry.”
“Hungry?” Xia Xinghe echoed in surprise.
“…Yeah.” She lowered her head. Holding the child tightly, her voice was quiet and soft: “After I gave birth, I didn’t have enough milk. But his father wouldn’t believe me. Said I didn’t know anything as a woman and dragged me here…”
As she spoke, tears spilled from her eyes.
“He’s my son. Of course I know him! I want to feed him properly, but his father keeps yelling and hitting me. I live in fear every day—how could I possibly produce enough milk like this?!”
The woman’s crying, mixed with the baby’s wailing, was noisy and piercing. Everyone else present fell into a heavy silence.
After all, anyone would suffer being stuck with such an unreasonable husband.
After a long silence, it was Xia Xinghe who finally spoke.
“Don’t cry.” He awkwardly fumbled in his pocket, pulling out two tissues and handing them to the woman. “Go get something for the baby to eat first.”
Dr Zhang quickly followed up: “There’s a 24-hour convenience store downstairs in the hospital. They have infant formula for different age groups… Go buy some for the baby.”
“…Okay, thank you, doctor.”
The woman bowed repeatedly in gratitude and hurried off with the child in her arms. Not long after, the police arrived. After a brief understanding of the situation, Xia Xinghe and the ER nurse were taken to the police station along with the troublemaking man to file a statement. The others remained on duty at the hospital.
Xia Xinghe’s wounds had already been treated. His left hand was quite badly hurt and had been wrapped in a thick bandage—puffed up like a little zombie from a TV drama. The wound on his face wasn’t bandaged due to its shallowness, but it had been medicated. Still, the yellow, white, red, and purplish bruising made it look worse than the hand.
Bai Qingzhou stood nearby, seemingly wanting to say something. Xia Xinghe, aware of how miserable he looked, was afraid of more sarcasm, so he quickly followed the police, pretending not to notice Bai Qingzhou’s hesitant gaze. He smiled and joked with the officer beside him: “I never thought the first time I’d enter a police station would be because of something like this. I guess it’s kind of a unique experience.”
The ER nurse, following closely behind him, quickly added, “Thank you so much. If you hadn’t been there, I really don’t know what I would’ve done.”
A police officer beside him put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a friendly pat: “Don’t worry, young man. What you did was a good thing—standing up for what’s right!”
Another officer chimed in, “Exactly. You were very brave. Thumbs up to you!”
“…It wasn’t really a big deal. I didn’t think that much at the time.”
They continued to compliment Xia Xinghe, making him a little embarrassed. As they laughed and walked out of the hospital lobby, Bai Qingzhou silently followed behind them for a few steps, then stopped and withdrew his gaze.
A police officer at the back of the group suddenly remembered something, turned back, and called out to him: “Hey, didn’t you also help stop that guy earlier? Why don’t you come make a statement too? It might help if there are any awards or commendations later.”
“No.”
Bai Qingzhou replied coldly and decisively. With one hand in his pocket, he turned and walked upstairs.
“On duty.”
…..
The statement took several hours to complete. The man was given administrative detention, and Xia Xinghe and the nurse were finally able to return to the hospital.
By the time they left the police station, it was already daylight. Downstairs at the hospital, the breakfast stalls were bustling.
Freshly steamed buns emitted plumes of hot steam, the smell of which drifted up into Xia Xinghe’s nose. He bought a few vegetable buns and a cup of soy milk, then leisurely made his way up the stairs with the bag in hand.
After an exhausting night, he no longer felt sleepy. Back in the hospital bed he hadn’t seen for a day, Xia Xinghe kicked off his shoes and lay down. He sipped some soy milk but didn’t really have an appetite, so he placed the cup on the table and closed his eyes to rest.
Outside the room, the noise started to pick up, and the other patients in the ward began to wake up. Footsteps echoed in the hallway, and Xia Xinghe figured Nie Xingchao would soon be doing rounds.
Nie Xingchao had taken time off the night before and likely didn’t know what had happened. Xia Xinghe touched the wound on his face and gasped softly in pain.
He imagined how surprised Nie Xingchao would be upon seeing him and began rehearsing in his head how to explain his injuries. Before he could figure out what to say, a knock came at the door.
Xia Xinghe quickly cleared his throat and sat up straight.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Xia Xinghe blinked, showing his signature bright smile. “You’re he—”
Before he could finish, his voice caught in his throat.
It wasn’t Nie Xingchao at all—it was Bai Qingzhou.
The man wore a neatly pressed white coat, buttoned all the way up as usual—stoic and distant.
Bai Qingzhou clearly hadn’t expected Xia Xinghe to be looking at him so expectantly. He paused for a second, then closed the door behind him.
The ward had been spacious since the patient in the neighboring bed had been discharged a few days ago. Now that Bai Qingzhou had entered, the room was just the two of them.
Xia Xinghe looked away awkwardly, avoiding his eyes. “Why are you here…”
“To see you.”
Bai Qingzhou glanced at him calmly and walked over.
“…Still not letting me off the hook, huh.”
Xia Xinghe muttered, hugging his legs and resting his chin on his knees, looking a little aggrieved. “I mean, I stood up for someone. Can’t you be a bit nicer to me?”
His voice was so soft Bai Qingzhou didn’t catch it. “What?” he asked. Xia Xinghe quickly shook his head. “Nothing.”
Bai Qingzhou didn’t press. He stood next to Xia Xinghe, looking down at the wound on his face.
“Does it hurt?” he asked.
His fingers gently brushed over the side of Xia Xinghe’s face, making him inhale sharply. Bai Qingzhou seemed to realize how unprofessional the gesture was and immediately pulled his hand back.
“Of course it hurts,” he said.
After a pause, he added in a low voice, “At least the wound isn’t deep.”
His deep, quiet tone stirred something in Xia Xinghe—tenderness, concern, even a hint of regret. It was the first time Xia Xinghe had ever heard such emotion from Bai Qingzhou.
His heart beat heavily in his chest—so real yet surreal. Xia Xinghe hesitated, unsure of what to say, when the door opened again.
“Good mor—Oh my god! What happened?!”
Nie Xingchao entered, and upon seeing the wound on Xia Xinghe’s face, his expression changed instantly. “We were apart for one night—how did you end up like this?!”
“It’s not his fault,” Bai Qingzhou explained the situation briefly. Nie Xingchao’s tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, then he gave Xia Xinghe a big thumbs up. “I didn’t expect this from you, Xiao Xia! You’re so brave and kind-hearted. To rush out in that situation—what a real man!”
“It really wasn’t a big deal…”
Xia Xinghe scratched his head sheepishly and smiled, and just then, Bai Qingzhou—who was standing beside him—suddenly let out a soft laugh. Very light, not mocking.
The corners of Bai Qingzhou’s lips lifted slightly. “Mm, that does sound like something he’d do.”
Emotional, impulsive, reckless—but like a little sun, radiating intense warmth that lights up those around him.
It draws people in without them even realizing it. Once caught, it’s hard to look away.
Bai Qingzhou didn’t explain further, and Xia Xinghe didn’t quite understand the deeper meaning behind his words. But that almost meaningful smile lingered in Xia Xinghe’s mind, making his heart thump a few beats faster.
Soon, Bai Qingzhou was called away by a nurse, and Nie Xingchao went on to check other wards, leaving Xia Xinghe alone in the room again.
The air conditioning was blasting, leaving the air crisp and cool, but the cheek Bai Qingzhou had touched now felt inexplicably warm.
Scalding.