Never to be apart again
"Bang!"
As the first flare pierced the night sky, the Japanese army launched a full-scale offensive against the city amidst torrential rain.
Time flowed slowly and heavily.
Until the thirty-seventh day.
The city had become a living hell. Baptism of fire, hunger, and disease roamed the ruins like ghosts.
The Zhang Group's temporary office became a shelter for survivors and the wounded. Under Zhang Xiande's command, You Jiale and the "Leji" team took on the task of providing relief and coordination. They painstakingly collected food and medicine, cared for the wounded, and even helped bury the dead.
You Jiale had lost weight, his face was pale, and his eyes were dark-rimmed. He had witnessed death and despair; those scenes were etched into his mind like a brand, impossible to erase. The nightmare of the Nanjing Massacre seemed to be playing out before his eyes in another form.
The defending force was reduced to less than four hundred men, trapped in the last few strongholds of the city. They were out of ammunition and food, and the wounded were everywhere.
Hope flickers like a candle in the wind.
The enemy's arrogant and triumphant voices, urging them to surrender, came over the loudspeaker. But not a single garrison soldier wavered.
That afternoon, Zhang Xiande, along with You Jiale and Qin Zheng, braved the gunfire to reach the Central Bank building, bringing hemostatic drugs and bandages.
The building reeked of blood and disinfectant. Wounded soldiers lay scattered on the floor, many without even receiving timely treatment. The surviving soldiers were also wounded and exhausted.
They met the highest-ranking commander here, a captain surnamed Zhao. Captain Zhao was not old, but his face was etched with the marks of time and exhaustion. His left arm was wrapped in thick bandages, and blood had seeped through.
"Captain Zhao, this is the last thing we could get our hands on." Zhang Xiande handed over the medicine box, his tone heavy.
Captain Zhao took the medical kit, nodded, his eyes filled with gratitude and determination: "Mr. Zhang, thank you. And these brothers have helped us so much these past few days." He glanced at You Jiale, "I remember you, the little brother who brought the food."
You Jiale's nose stung with tears, she nodded, and couldn't say a word.
"What's the situation outside..." Zhang Xiande asked.
Captain Zhao gave a wry smile: "The enemy's offensive is too fierce. We... can't hold out much longer. It'll probably be tonight or tomorrow morning." He looked out the window, his eyes becoming unusually determined: "However, no one has surrendered."
"Report! The enemy has launched a general offensive!" a soldier with a face covered in gunpowder shouted as he rushed over.
Captain Zhao's face instantly tightened. He quickly clutched his injured arm and shouted, "Attention all units! Hold your ground! Do not retreat!"
Zhang Xiande grabbed You Jiale and dragged him to a relatively secluded corner. He glanced at You Jiale, his voice hoarse as if torn apart, and said, "Hide well, don't come out." At this moment, You Jiale was unarmed and powerless, and could only pray here that they would return safely.
After saying that, Zhang Xiande rushed out.
Time seemed to crawl by. Every gunshot, every explosion sent his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know what had happened to Zhang Xiande, Captain Zhao, or the soldiers.
The wait felt like a slow, agonizing torture. The air was thick with the mingled smells of gunpowder, blood, and dust, each one gripping his nerves, filling him with nausea and despair. He huddled in his makeshift shelter, his body trembling uncontrollably, his mind a jumbled mess, save for Zhang Xiande's last glance and that hoarse, inhuman "Hide well." He wanted to cry, to scream, but he lacked the strength to utter a sound. He was terrified, terrified that Zhang Xiande would suddenly vanish.
As night fell, the sounds of gunfire gradually subsided and eventually faded into silence.
What followed was an exhilarating cheer.
"We held on! We held on!"
The news spread like wildfire. You Jiale jumped up, tears blurring her vision. They held on! They held on!
This city, which was on the verge of collapse, did not fall at the most critical moment, thanks to their bloody battle.
You Jiale collapsed to the ground, all his strength drained away. He knew this was only a temporary victory, and the road ahead was still fraught with hardship. But at least today, they had defended hope.
"Zhang, Zhang Xiande—!"
You Jiale struggled to his feet, his eyes fixed solely on finding Zhang Xiande. The tension in his heart had been so intense that the sudden release brought not peace, but an even more violent tremor. He had to see with his own eyes that he was alright, he had to, immediately!
He stumbled forward, passing the soldiers lying or sitting and resting, the air still thick with the smell of gunpowder. He scanned the area ahead desperately, searching for that tall, familiar figure.
Suddenly, amidst the collapsed wreckage and the vaguely visible, mangled corpses ahead, he saw a very faint movement; it seemed as if a severed arm, covered in mud and blood, was twitching slightly.
That faint movement was as striking as fireworks in the night sky to You Jiale. His eyes widened—there it was! Someone was moving! It was Zhang Xiande!
"Zhang Xiande!"
You Jiale crashed into his arms with tremendous force. It wasn't a gentle embrace; it was more like a reckless collision, a mixture of overwhelming fear and ecstatic joy after surviving a catastrophe.
Zhang Xiande's already injured body couldn't withstand such force. Coupled with the unstable terrain he was in, he felt a tremendous force pressing down on his chest, followed by a sudden lightness in his body, and then he fell backward violently. The back of his head slammed hard into the hard ground, aggravating the wound on his back and sending a piercing pain through him.
"Cough...cough cough..." Zhang Xiande groaned, and a violent cough came from his throat.
You Jiale held him tightly, burying her head in his chest, and hot tears welled up instantly, soaking Zhang Xiande's shirt. The immense shock of regaining what she had lost overwhelmed him, and a long-suppressed sob escaped his throat. He felt the person beneath him coughing and trembling, and his heart tightened. He quickly lifted his head slightly, but still held on tightly.
Zhang Xiande gasped in pain; the sudden impact and pressure felt like his internal organs had shifted. He opened his eyes and looked at the face above him, stained with dust, tears, and blood, yet radiating a mixture of ecstatic joy and terror at having found what he had lost. Those usually clever and cunning eyes were now blurred with tears, making him look both disheveled and pitiful, yet it seemed to ignite the softest spot in his heart.
Ignoring the pain in his body, his voice was terribly hoarse, with a hint of helpless laughter, "Cough... I haven't been blown up yet... I've been crushed to death by you first..." Zhang Xiande said intermittently, trying to raise his hand to rub You Jiale's head, but his hand was somewhat weak due to his injury.
As You Jiale listened to him speak, despite the frighteningly hoarse voice and the complaints in his words, he knew he was alright, he was really alright! He suddenly tightened his arms and cried even louder. A tremendous mix of grief, fear, and relief overwhelmed him like a tsunami. He couldn't express himself in words, only through this near-collapse-like weeping.
He sobbed uncontrollably, his hands gripping Zhang Xiande's belt so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Zhang Xiande... I'm so scared..."
Zhang Xiande's body stiffened for a moment in his arms, then he hugged You Jiale tightly in an extremely gentle yet powerful way. He raised his hand and gently stroked the back of You Jiale's head, "It's alright, don't be afraid."
"I...I never want to be separated from you again..." You Jiale's voice was still choked with sobs, somewhat indistinct, but his tone was unusually firm. He gripped Zhang Xiande's clothes even tighter, as if he wanted to nail Zhang Xiande firmly to his side.
Zhang Xiande didn't speak, he just looked at him. The depth of his gaze was too complex for You Jiale to decipher, yet its warmth made his cheeks burn. He knew You Jiale was speaking from the heart; the dependence and deep affection in those eyes melted the hardest walls of his heart in an instant. And wasn't he the same? When he heard that anxious call from the brink of death, his only thought was that he couldn't let that fool not find him.
Zhang Xiande's lips twitched slightly, and his words were infuriating: "You're not getting married now?"
Is this man crazy? What kind of question is this? Is he just waiting to see him make a fool of himself?
You Jiale cursed inwardly, but her voice was hoarse from crying, carrying an undisguised sense of grievance, "Zhang Xiande, what the hell are you saying?"
Zhang Xiande tightened his arms around her. He could feel You Jiale squirming restlessly in his embrace, the trembling from the drug residue and the recent shock not yet fully subsided. He looked down at You Jiale's slightly red eyes and wet cheeks, a corner of his heart softening completely, but his words remained sharp.
“I said, weren’t you just holding me tightly and saying ‘we’ll never be apart again’?” Zhang Xiande chuckled, with a dangerous allure. “That sounds like you’re about to get married. Didn’t you say before that you wanted to get married, have lots of kids, and live a stable life? What, have you changed your mind? You’re not getting married anymore?”
Yu Jiale was speechless for a moment, his face burning up instantly. He struggled to get out of Zhang Xiande's arms, but Zhang Xiande's strength was terrifying. The more he struggled, the tighter Zhang Xiande held him, as if he wanted to mash him into his bones.
"Let go!" You Jiale was furious, no longer caring about her image, and reached out to push Zhang Xiande's chest. This man was always like this, able to give him a little comfort and a sense of security in the worst moments, and also able to make him furious the next second.
Zhang Xiande didn't move an inch, instead resting his chin on the top of his head, a low chuckle in his voice, "What? Did you say something wrong? Wasn't it you who cried and begged not to leave me?"
"I...I was scared!" You Jiale stammered, her face as red as a boiled shrimp. "Don't you even know what a stress response is?!"
…
end
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