Du Anrui lay on the orphanage play ground amidst a sea of fallen soldiers,conquered terrorists and innocent victims caught up in the terrorists' messy attack. His breath was ragged,his vision blurry struggling to retain his consciousness but it was getting harder with each passing minute. His right hand clutched his left arm tightly where he had been shot twice. The pain was excruciating and blood was oozing out of the bullet wound uncontrollably like a broken faucet.
Since he joined the military ,he knew it was his fate to die while in service so he wasn't afraid of death. What he was afraid of is to die with regrets. Not that dying while saving the country wasn't worth it; he happened to have some unfinished business to complete - only then would he rest in peace.
From a distance,he could hear a raspy voice shouting desperately,in attempt to fish out the survivors. The paramedics team had already arrived on site to tend to those who had escaped the angel of death.
Du Anrui would never fail to recognize that special voice,it belonged to Captain Wang,his boss and this man was Du Anrui's unfinished business.In what ways? Du Anrui had been secretly in love with him for five years and he wanted nothing else but to confess his love. In those last moments of his life,he wanted to lay out his feelings and then die without regrets.
Du Anrui was sure a man like Captain would never accept his love so even if he got rejected,he wouldn't be there to face the embarrassment that came as a result of rejection. Emboldened with the limited time he had,the young soldier summoned the little bit of energy left in him and slowly raised his arm hoping someone would spot him as one of the survivors and luckily someone did.
"Comrade, hang in there let me carry you," a strange male voice said softly.
Du Anrui shook his head weakly declining his advances.
"I won't make it,"he said weakly,"Please tell Captain I want to see him,"he pleaded.
"But we need to save you first!" the male said with urgency.
"No need. I have a secret to tell him," the young soldier declared with determination.
"Okay I'll call him,"the male said reluctantly and complied with his wishes.
A few moments later, Captain Wang arrived at the site, crouching beside the young soldier.
"You have to receive medical attention first if you want to talk to me,"Captain spoke firmly.
Du Anrui was adamant about confessing his feelings because he was afraid he wouldn't get another chance to do so.
With every bit of resolve,he turned down Captain's help.
"I need to tell you something,"the young soldier said calmly though he was freaking out internally, afraid he would die out of nervousness before confessing.
"What is it?" Captain Wang asked frowning.
Even though his vision wasn't clear enough,Du Anrui could see the dry patches of blood on the man's handsome face. He was glad that Captain's stunningly handsome face would be his last view before his death.
"I like you,"he finally said it," I like you in a romantic way,"he added firmly.
"Huh?!" Captain Wang was flabbergasted.
"I've liked you for so long that I can't take it anymore,"he said with sentimentality, tears welling up in his eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Captain Wang asked in an irritated voice but Du Anrui didn't let it affect him. He had braced himself to get rejected and made peace with the fact that the chances of Captain liking him back were minimum because he could clearly tell Captain Wang was a straight man.
"I know it's stupid to confess to you but don't feel burdened I just wanted to get it out of my chest. Also there is a notebook in my suitcase that I want...you ... to read," he stuttered,his voice getting weaker and he could feel his body and soul giving in to death.
"Stop talking, it's draining your energy," Captain commanded.
But it was too late. The young soldier suddenly shut his eyes, losing his consciousness and his body went limp afterwards. Captain Wang checked his breathing; his breaths were getting weaker and Captain couldn't just watch him die. He swiftly scooped the young soldier's body and rushed him to the paramedics team where he was put under immediate observation.
******
News of the attack spread throughout the entire nation, leaking to foreign countries even, flashing as the headlines in every TV channel both locally and internationally.
The terrorists had invaded Tianjing Outpost,a frontier town three days ago and launched an attack. They specifically targeted the most likely crowded areas;an orphanage home,a school,a temple,a shopping center and a hospital.
Amongst them all,the orphanage and the hospital had suffered the heaviest casualties. The terrorists had released deadly bombs in both places leaving minimum chances of survival. The soldiers from the frontier military barracks had fought back with resolve and even received reinforcements from other military barracks in other zones like the Central City Barracks which was led by Captain Wang,a very popular soldier, deemed as the fighter of the nation.
After getting interviewed by several reporters, Captain Wang took a flight back to the Central City Barracks. When the medics made sure he was out of danger,Du Anrui and every other injured soldier had been sent back to their own barracks for further examination. Du Anrui was therefore admitted to the military hospital however he was still unconscious.
******
'I like you'
The words kept replaying in Captain Wang's head as if his mind was in a constant loop mode. No matter how much he tried to shake off the thoughts about the boy's confession it turned out to be futile.
It was a few minutes past midnight and Captain Wang was seated in his office,not feeling sleepy at all and not focused at all. He stared at the unique black notebook placed on top of a stack of documents. It was Du Anrui's notebook which he had retrieved from the boy's suitcase. It had been a day since he took the notebook yet he hadn't found the courage to read it . He ached with curiosity to read it but his logicality prevented him from doing so. He convinced himself that love and romance were trivial matters that didn't require his attention. He was a logical man not a romanticist. After staring at the notebook for too long,his resolve finally broke and he grabbed the notebook flipping the first few pages.
Du Anrui had had a crush on his boss since he joined the army five years ago but he didn't dare to confess neither did he tell anyone, not even his friends. The notebook was his safe haven,where he could pour out his feelings without being judged. He usually hid it in the suitcase underneath his clothes.
Captain Wang skimmed through the content; they were mostly love messages dedicated to him and real life scenarios where Du Anrui had encountered around Captain's presence and they left a meaningful impact on him.
When he was done reading,he placed the notebook aside, stunned by how someone could be so madly in love with him. It felt ridiculous and delusional like fiction.
. ******
Du Anrui blinked his eyes open,the sterile scent of the hospital filling his senses. Wasn't he supposed to be dead? How did he survive? To confirm it wasn't some sort of illusion he stretched out his right hand to touch the IV drip attached to his left arm and it felt so real leaving him stunned. His eyes scanned the small cubicle he had been lying in.
The cubicle was separated from the rest by two sheer curtains on either sides and an extra sheer curtain in front acting as a door and his mind quickly registered that he was at the military hospital.
Before he could delve much into his surroundings,the front curtain opened and a tall athletic man with striking facial features stepped inside,his aura dominant and commanding - Captain Wang.
The memory of their last encounter flashed in Du Anrui's mind; how he pathetically confessed his love. His face instantly lost colour,his eyes widening in shock.