Shen Huaiyue and his wife Chen Jiao were on an extremely dangerous undercover anti-drug mission at the border at the time.
Before the incident, they had just carried out their final operation, successfully seizing several hundred kilograms of opium, dismantling the drug traffickers' hideout, and making a great contribution.
However, they were subsequently subjected to a frenzied retaliation by the remaining drug dealers.
The drug dealers somehow found out about their safe house, and stormed in with explosives, killing more than a dozen anti-drug police officers on the spot.
Then, they kidnapped Shen Huaiyue and Chen Jiao.
Their young daughter, Shen Duzhou, was also taken away with them.
The two had finally completed their mission, and their leader, who had been secretly taking care of the child for them, arranged for them to see the child. Unexpectedly, things went wrong, and the child was put in danger as well.
Upon learning of the incident, the police and local armed forces immediately organized a rescue operation.
When the rescue team found the drug traffickers' hideout deep in the mountains and forests.
The scene was engulfed in flames. The couple were seriously injured and trapped under the rubble, already unconscious.
But in their arms, they were still tightly protecting a little girl in a white dress, covered in blood—that was Chen Duzhou.
After that fire, all those who participated in the operation tragically perished.
Shen Huaiyue and his wife became half-dead and in a vegetative state.
The only one still alive is Shen Duzhou, who is only three years old.
The elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Shen, were devastated and took the child back to City B to raise him themselves.
This year, Shen Duzhou reached the age to start primary school, but the elderly couple are in poor health and have fallen ill several times in a row. They simply cannot take care of him, and they are not at ease leaving him with others.
Shen Huaichuan then offered to bring the child to the military base so that he could take care of him.
Zhou Qiqi is a sentimental person. She can easily get moved to tears and cry her eyes out when watching a movie like "Boonie Bears".
After hearing this tragic story, he was already in tears, sobbing uncontrollably as he spoke.
"So this little girl is your second brother and sister-in-law's child!"
Shen Huaichuan's eyes flickered, but he remained silent, seemingly still lost in his memories.
Zhou Qiqi turned her gaze to the window.
Under the big tree, the little girl in the black dress was still squatting quietly on the ground, like a statue, neither making a sound nor moving. Her well-behaved appearance was heartbreaking.
This is clearly the reaction of a child who has suffered a major blow.
This scene involuntarily reminded Zhou Qiqi of when she was five years old.
On the day her parents divorced, she was just like that, standing alone under a big tree in the courtyard of her old home, lost in thought.
Listening to her parents inside the house cursing and blaming each other for not wanting her, those hurtful words were like sharp knives, piercing her young heart.
A wave of sadness washed over her. She gave Shen Huaichuan a hard shove, pouting and accusing him with a tearful voice.
Why didn't you tell me sooner??
I thought you knew.
Shen Huaichuan was somewhat helpless and speechless. Last night, he had clearly asked Zhou Qiqi if she knew about his family situation, and she had said she did.
"Of course I didn't know! You didn't explain clearly. If I had known earlier..."
Zhou Qiqi still felt that Shen Huaichuan was to blame for everything. She sobbed as she spoke, repeatedly pounding Shen Huaichuan's chest with her fists to vent her dissatisfaction.
She ate a full meal today, so she has plenty of energy now.
But she didn't expect that before she could finish speaking, her small fist was grabbed by Shen Huaichuan's large hand.
Caught off guard, she stumbled forward, and when she looked up, she met Shen Huaichuan's deep, unfathomable eyes, like a cold pool.
"The marriage application has already been submitted, and it's too late to back out now. If you have any thoughts, we can discuss it further."
He then added, "Zhouzhou is very well-behaved and quiet. I will take care of her and she won't cause you much trouble."
One of the reasons Lin Yao was unwilling to marry him before was that she didn't want to take care of Shen Duzhou, her "little burden".
The two were so close that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats, and Shen Huaichuan's breathing became rapid.
Zhou Qiqi's heart also suddenly raced, pounding wildly like a panicked deer.
She didn't quite understand what this feeling was, but she felt inexplicably flustered. She quickly pulled her hand away, avoiding Shen Huaichuan's piercing gaze, and explained in a flustered manner.
"When...when did I say I regretted it?"
If this child were Shen Huaichuan's biological child, she might still hesitate and regret it.
But after learning about the child's background and seeing her current state, she felt nothing but heartache.
"What I mean is, if I had known earlier, I would have let you bring the child back sooner!"
Hearing her say that, Shen Huaichuan's eyes sparkled, like stars shining in the darkness, making Zhou Qiqi's skin burn.
She quickly changed the subject, put her hands on her hips, and angrily accused him.
"Yes, speaking of the child, why hasn't she been home these past few days?"
"Are you really not going to take care of the child?"
"Of course not."
Shen Huaichuan gently shook his head, took out a file bag from the bedside table, inside which was a medical record.
"aphasia?"
Looking at the diagnosis, Zhou Qiqi fell into deep thought, and Shen Huaichuan continued to explain.
“When the child was found in the fire, she saw the rescuers and said the words ‘sinking boat’ before losing consciousness. After she woke up again, she never spoke another word.”
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