Chapter 26: In danger, his instinct to protect
Su Wanqing's small "highlight" at the hand-knitting event didn't make her feel elated. She remained low-key and cautious. Besides taking care of the house and improving her cooking skills, her daily routine focused on continuing her online courses. She even started looking at job postings in Beijing. Although she knew that her current status as "Mrs. Huo" made working outside the home almost impossible, she still wanted to keep a glimmer of hope for the future.
It was a beautiful afternoon, and Su Wanqing remembered that the small post office next to the service center seemed to have some new commemorative stamps. She remembered that Mr. Huo seemed to have a hobby of collecting stamps, so she thought about going over to take a look. If she could buy some, it would be a small token of appreciation for his interest.
She changed into light clothing and headed out alone. The main road in the compound was lined with lush trees, and sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows. There were few pedestrians on the road, and only the occasional car passed by at a steady pace. Everything seemed peaceful and orderly.
Just as she was about to reach the service center intersection and prepare to cross the internal road, something strange happened!
A van with local license plates, parked on the side of the road, suddenly lost control for unknown reasons! The engine let out a dull roar, and the vehicle suddenly lurched forward, crashing directly onto the sidewalk and hurtling towards several military families walking along the roadside!
"ah--!"
"Get out of the way!"
Screams were heard everywhere!
The truck was traveling at a very high speed and its direction was erratic. It looked like the brakes had failed or the driver had made an error in operation. The situation was extremely critical!
Su Wanqing was walking on the outermost side of the truck, and it was almost heading straight for her! The huge shadow and the harsh sound of tires rubbing instantly enveloped her!
At that moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely. Su Wanqing's mind went blank, her body stiff and unable to move. She could only watch helplessly as the cold metal of the car crushed her, the shadow of death looming over her!
At this critical moment!
A figure that was extremely fast pounced from behind like a cheetah!
A huge, irresistible force slammed into Su Wanqing's side, picked her up by the waist, and threw her to the side and back in an almost brutal manner!
"Bang!"
The two men fell heavily onto the soft green lawn on the side of the road and rolled twice before coming to a stop.
Almost at the same time, "Boom!" A loud noise was heard, accompanied by the harsh sound of metal scraping and glass breaking!
The out-of-control truck crashed hard into a big tree on the side of the road. The front of the car was dented and white smoke came out before it finally stopped.
The frightened people cried out in surprise, some rushed forward to check on the truck driver, and some called the guards and ambulance.
Su Wanqing was knocked unconscious, dizzy, and her bones ached as if they were falling apart. She gasped for breath, trying to make sense of the situation.
Then, she froze suddenly.
She found herself being held tightly in someone's arms, in an absolutely protective posture. Her cheek pressed against a hard, warm chest, and a familiar, cold, yet faintly scented smell of gunpowder lingered at the tip of her nose.
From above her head came a suppressed, heavy groan, filled with obvious pain.
Su Wanqing suddenly raised her head.
What caught his eye was Huo Tingxiao's tense jawline and a thin layer of cold sweat on his forehead. His face was pale, his lips were tightly pursed, and his deep eyes were fixed on the smoking truck, sharp as a knife, filled with fear and lingering anger.
It's him!
Just now, at that critical moment, the person who rushed over regardless of everything and rescued her from under the wheel was him!
How come he is here?!
Huo Tingxiao seemed to confirm that the danger was over, and his tense body relaxed slightly. He then lowered his head and looked at Su Wanqing in his arms.
His eyes quickly scanned her body, his voice hoarse and tense, with a barely perceptible tremor: "Are you hurt?!"
Su Wanqing shook her head blankly, her voice still a little shaky: "No...no..."
Huo Tingxiao seemed to be completely relieved after hearing her answer, but his brows immediately furrowed again, because he saw the wounds on her elbows and knees from the fall, which were oozing blood.
"Is this what you call 'no'?!" His tone suddenly became cold and harsh, with an inexplicable anger. He suddenly let go of her and tried to stand up with one hand, but suddenly he gasped, and more cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and his movements froze.
"What's wrong with you?" Su Wanqing only then noticed his abnormality and sat up hurriedly.
Huo Tingxiao didn't answer, but tried to exert force again with a grim expression, but his right arm seemed to be powerless and the veins on his forehead bulged.
"Captain!" At this moment, Assistant Chen and several guards finally ran over breathlessly. It was obvious that they had followed Huo Tingxiao, but they just couldn't keep up with his explosive speed.
Assistant Chen's face changed drastically when he saw the situation. He immediately stepped forward to support him: "Chief! Are you injured?!"
Huo Tingxiao, leveraging Assistant Chen's strength, gritted his teeth and stood up. Su Wanqing could see clearly now that his right arm was hanging awkwardly, and there was even a cut on his shoulder, blood oozing faintly. Clearly, in trying to protect her, he had fallen and rolled, and his right shoulder had likely hit something hard, or perhaps been scraped by a truck!
"I'm fine." Huo Tingxiao pushed Assistant Chen's hand away, his voice returning to its usual cold, hard tone. However, his pale face and forbearing expression betrayed him. He glanced at the truck and said in an icy tone, "What's going on?!"
"Preliminary assessment is that the vehicle's brakes failed, and the driver, attempting to pull over, mishandled the vehicle and ran onto the sidewalk," a security guard immediately reported. "The driver suffered minor injuries and has been apprehended. The specific cause is still under investigation."
Huo Tingxiao glanced at the driver with a gloomy look, and said nothing more. He turned to look at Su Wanqing, who was still sitting on the ground, and frowned even tighter: "Can you get up?"
Su Wanqing nodded quickly, endured the pain in her body, and stood up by herself.
Huo Tingxiao said coldly to Assistant Chen, "Call the military doctor to our house." He glanced at Su Wanqing's scraped elbow and added, "Check her out too."
Then, without even waiting for Su Wanqing's response, he endured the pain, turned around and strode towards home. His back was still straight, but if you looked closely, you could see that the movement of his right shoulder was obviously stiff and unnatural.
Assistant Chen quickly arranged for someone to call a military doctor, then whispered to Su Wanqing, "Madam, are you okay? Can I help you back home?"
Su Wanqing shook her head: "I'm fine, I can walk on my own." She looked at Huo Tingxiao's rapidly receding back, obviously injured but still holding on. Her heart seemed to be hit hard by something, sour, throbbing, and with an indescribable shock and... heartache.
Everything that happened in the blink of an eye just now replayed in her mind over and over again like a slow motion.
His figure, like a god descending from heaven, his desperate pounce, his strong, firm arms tightly holding her, his suppressed groan as he landed heavily on the ground, and the look in his eyes when he asked her, "Are you hurt?" with mixed shock and anger...
All this formed a stark contrast to his usual coldness and indifference.
That was not a choice made after weighing the pros and cons; it was an almost instinctive reaction at a critical moment of life and death.
He protected her.
At the cost of his own possible injury.
Back home, the military doctor arrived quickly. He first examined Huo Tingxiao's right shoulder. It was indeed a dislocated joint, accompanied by severe muscle strain and abrasions. The doctor skillfully reset it. The pain was so severe that cold sweat broke out on Huo Tingxiao's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and said nothing.
After treating Huo Tingxiao, the military doctor came to examine Su Wanqing. It was just a minor skin injury, which needed disinfection and medication.
Throughout the whole process, Huo Tingxiao sat on the sofa with a gloomy face and a frown on his face. It was unclear whether it was because of the pain or something else. He did not look at Su Wanqing, nor did he speak to her again.
After the military doctor left, Assistant Chen also tactfully withdrew.
There were only the two of them left in the living room, and the atmosphere was silent and subtle.
Su Wanqing looked at Huo Tingxiao's bandaged right arm hanging across his chest, and his still pale face, her heart tightening. She opened her mouth, wanting to say "thank you," but felt that those two words were too light, unable to convey the thrilling experience and the heavy weight of protection.
Finally, she just asked softly, with a worry in her voice that she herself didn't even realize: "...Does it hurt?"
Hearing her voice, Huo Tingxiao finally turned his head to look at her. His eyes were deep, filled with complex emotions she couldn't understand: lingering anger, scrutiny, and even a hint of... fear?
He was silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low, hoarse voice: "Next time you go out alone, ask Assistant Chen or the orderly to accompany you."
He didn't answer her question, but gave a cold, hard order.
But Su Wanqing heard a hint of extremely obscure... concern from this commanding tone?
She looked at him and nodded slightly: "Yeah."
Huo Tingxiao seemed to want to say something, but in the end he just pursed his lips, retracted his gaze, stood up, and walked towards the study upstairs without saying a word.
Su Wanqing looked at his back and his injured arm, feeling mixed emotions.
This accident was like a sudden bolt of lightning, splitting the thick ice between them.
Although there was still bottomless cold water beneath the ice, at least she caught a glimpse of the hot and powerful instinct beneath the ice.
That is the protective instinct of a soldier.
Perhaps... there was also a hint of responsibility as a husband, which he himself had not even noticed... or even more?
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