Ling Ruoke was nearly broken as Huo Qingfeng held her in his arms. Although she had long suspected that if they really fell into Gu Tianze's hands, he would torture them, witnessing these scenes firsthand was still too cruel for her to accept. At that moment, she would rather it be herself who suffered the humiliation than this innocent woman!
"Qingfeng, what should I do? What should I do?" Ling Ruoke asked in a low voice, tears streaming down her face. She wept for her sins.
Huo Qingfeng held her, sat down on the sofa, knelt on one knee in front of her, and cupped her face in his hands. "Ruo Ke, this isn't your fault. Gu Tianze hates me; he's just using you to hurt me. So, this isn't your fault, don't blame yourself. What's done is done, we need to stay calm now, understand?"
“I can stay calm, but what about Xia Mo? What about her parents?” Ling Ruoke stopped crying; she knew her husband was suffering even more than she was. Yet, she couldn’t help but ask softly.
Just then, Xia Mo walked in. His hair and clothes were in complete disarray, showing that he had struggled painfully outside. His steps were unsteady, and he seemed to float slowly in from the doorway. His eyes were filled with pain. "Sister Ruo..."
Ling Ruoke pushed away her husband's hand and knelt down abruptly in front of Xia Mo. Tears streaming down her face, she cried out in self-reproach, "Xia Mo, I'm sorry! I never expected it to turn out like this, I'm so sorry! If I had known it would turn out this way, I would never have opened Pei Huo! I don't want anyone to have anything to do with me!"
She collapsed to the ground; the blow was too much for Ruoke. She was kind by nature and never hurt anyone. Now, because of her, an innocent woman had suffered this calamity! She didn't know how to face her conscience; she felt as if a mountain was pressing down on her, making it almost impossible to breathe.
Xia Mo's legs buckled, and the two knelt facing each other. "Sister Ruo, I know I'm being selfish, but please, you must save Xinyi, please, you must save her."
Xia Mo could barely speak, his eyes closed in anguish. The woman on the DVD wasn't an actress; she was the woman he deeply loved. He was lucky he hadn't broken down!
"Enough! All of you calm down. Crying or kneeling won't solve anything now. We need to calm down first! Xia Mo, even if it costs us our lives, we will save people. But we will not foolishly go and risk our lives, only to lose more people instead of saving them. Understand? Xia Mo, you go back first. We will definitely save people. Ruo Ke, you come back with me first. We will analyze the situation and devise a plan before figuring out how to save them."
Perhaps it was Huo Qingfeng's innate leadership aura that made Xia Mo subconsciously nod and listen.
Huo Qingfeng took Ruoke and drove to find Xuan Yuanqi, giving him the DVD to have someone analyze. The main purpose was to see if they could find any clues, not to determine its authenticity. Given Gu Tiance's ruthlessness, there was no possibility it was fake.
Before the analysis results were available, Li Jun called again. The Li family had also received the disc, and the footage on it showed several men raping a teenager. That teenager was none other than Li Chen. The disc ended with Gu Tianze's cold, detached statement.
On the phone, Li Jun questioned Ling Ruoke with heart-wrenching sobs and screams. If Ruoke were in front of him, Li Jun would have pounced on her like a madwoman, tearing her apart as if only by ripping her to pieces could he find some relief from the pain in his heart.
Ling Ruoke had no strength left; her body went limp. Her mind was blank; she stood there dumbfounded, as if her soul had been taken away. All she could see in her mind was Gu Tianze's cold face and his cold words, constantly reminding her of her sins.
Huo Qingfeng could offer her nothing but holding her; she wouldn't listen to anything he said. She was a woman who wouldn't even dare kill a chicken or a fish, so how could she accept that a young man and a woman had suffered such a calamity because of her? Although he had said it wasn't her fault, Gu Tianze's last words were a constant reminder.
Huo Qingfeng suddenly realized that Gu Tianze truly understood him. He clearly intended to torment Huo Qingfeng, yet he chose to target Ruo Ke, making the torment a thousand or even ten thousand times more painful than direct torture.
Even after returning to her unit, Ling Ruoke remained somewhat dazed. She knew it was futile, but she couldn't control herself. Her mind seemed to have detached from her own, running its own agenda. Over and over again, those terrifying images and sounds replayed in her mind.
"Qingfeng." She suddenly called his name softly as they approached the door.
Huo Qingfeng paused for a moment, then responded. He then heard her whisper, "I don't dare see Li Jun. I don't know how to face her." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.
“This isn’t your fault, she’ll understand. Besides, the most important thing right now is to save lives; blaming yourself won’t help. If possible, you’re my support, so you must be strong. That way, I can rescue them faster, do you understand?”
Ling Ruoke stared blankly at him, then recalled Chen Shan and He Jingwen's accident. Suddenly, a refreshing breeze seemed to blow through her mind, clearing away the confusion and bringing her back to her senses. "I'm sorry."
Huo Qingfeng turned around and kissed her, then led her home.
Ling Ruoke's words did indeed sober her up and calm her down. However, when she got home and saw Li Jun, especially the tears on her face, she almost collapsed again. She stood not far from Li Jun, not daring to go over.
Li Jun stood quietly for a while, then suddenly covered her mouth, turned around, and ran into the house, disappearing into her room. She knew that Ling Ruoke was kind-hearted and that she certainly hadn't done anything wrong to cause all this. But her brother's accident was indeed because of Ruoke, and she couldn't be so forgiving and unforgiving.
It took He Jingwen a long time to calm her down. She understood all the big principles, but such a cruel thing had happened to her younger brother, and the culprit standing right in front of her was the one who had harmed him. She couldn't pretend that none of it had happened. She had to endure it with all her might to prevent herself from rushing over and tearing this person apart!
Ling Ruoke waited a while before following Li Jun into the room. She saw Li Jun lying on the bed, sobbing. She slowly approached, opening her mouth but unable to speak, unsure of what to say. She could only silently shed tears, feeling for the first time how unfair fate had been to her.
"Li Jun..." After a long silence, she finally managed to speak, her voice choked with sobs. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed to her knees. The weight of her guilt was too heavy, making it impossible for her to support herself. "Li Jun, if you resent me or hate me, then hit me hard. I'm the one who wronged you."
Li Jun sat up, her face streaked with tears. Between sobs, she looked at Ling Ruoke and slapped her. Afterward, she suddenly knelt down in front of Ling Ruoke, sobbing, and reached out to wipe the spot where she had been hit. "Sister Ruoke, I know it's not your fault, but I'm heartbroken, I feel like I'm dying!"
The two women hugged each other and wept bitterly. After crying until their throats were hoarse and their eyes were red and swollen, they gradually calmed down.
"Li Jun, I will definitely save your brother! Even if it costs me my life, I will save him!" With that, she hugged Li Jun tightly, and rushed out before Li Jun could say anything.
When he got home, Huo Qingfeng wasn't there; he probably went to see the brigade leader.
Ling Ruoke curled up on the sofa, not saying a word, just staying there. Saying anything now was meaningless; what mattered was doing.
Tan Peishi sighed, sat down beside her, and pulled her close, letting her lean on her shoulder. "Ruoke, don't think so much. What's done is done, blaming yourself won't help, and besides, it really isn't your fault. The Gu family are inherently abnormal, it's not because of you that they're like this."
“Peishi, it’s no use saying all this now,” Ling Ruoke said softly as she got up from her shoulder. Her eyes were swollen badly, like two walnuts. “I’m not thinking about who’s right or wrong right now. I just want to rescue Li Chen and Chen Xinyi, that’s all.”
Tan Peishi cupped her face in her hands and turned her to look at her. "Ruo Ke, you're not really thinking of going to exchange her yourself in five days, no, three days, are you? Are you crazy? That madman definitely won't release her so easily. If you go, he'll only have one more bargaining chip!"
Ling Ruoke looked at her with a bitter smile. "Peishi, I know all of this. But if I go, and I fall into his hands, at least they won't suffer like this anymore. Even if it's just that, it's worth it, isn't it?"
"How do you know that after you're arrested, Gu Tianze won't torture them? Maybe he'll just kill them directly! Ruoke, I understand how you feel, but you have to be rational right now! He's a psychopath, and you can't judge a psychopath by common sense, do you understand?!" Tan Peishi shouted, afraid that Ling Ruoke would really run off alone.
“Peishi, tell me what I should do? If I don’t show up, then maybe three days later we’ll receive their corpses instead of the discs! How can I face Xia Mo, how can I face Li Jun, how can I face Chen Xinyi and Li Chen’s parents? Peishi, if I have to live with this guilt for the rest of my life, I’d rather not have this life!” How can I live if I’m tormented by guilt day and night?
Tan Peishi was speechless. For a kind person, the torment of conscience is the most painful thing. Especially since Ruoke is kinder and more thoughtful than anyone else! While others only know how to shirk responsibility when faced with problems, she's a fool who takes the blame upon herself!
"Peishi, if anything happens to me... please take care of Ping'an for me. As for Qingfeng, I believe he will find someone better!"
Tan Peishi pinched her hard. "Ling Ruoke, I won't let you say such nonsense. Even if you don't believe me, you have to believe the captain and the army! Ruoke, this isn't just about you. Gu Tianze's enemy isn't you or the captain, but the entire army and even the country, so he won't be arrogant for long. We'll definitely be able to bring him down."
“Peishi, I believe he will definitely not have a good end. But before he does, we have to rescue Li Chen and Chen Xinyi. If someone has to be buried with him, then I would rather it be myself, do you understand?” Ling Ruoke held her friend’s hands, her body trembling slightly.
"What about me? What about Ping An? What will happen to my son and me?" The man outside strode in and questioned loudly.
Ling Ruoke looked at his tall and straight figure, unable to utter a single word.
Tan Peishi quickly stepped aside, giving the couple space; there was nothing she could do to help now. She could only lament that fate loved to play tricks on people, always seeming to bring misfortune when they were at their happiest.
Ling Ruoke stared blankly at her husband's sharp gaze, speechless for a long time. His gaze had always been gentle; this was the first time he'd looked at her with such intensity. "Qingfeng..."
Huo Qingfeng walked over, picked her up, and carried her back to their bedroom. He placed her on the bed, then knelt on one knee beside it. "Ruo Ke, if you're gone, what will happen to Ping An? What will happen to me? Can you really bear to abandon us, father and son?"
"Qingfeng..." Ling Ruoke called him softly, feeling as if her heart and liver were about to break. "I can't bear it, how could I bear it! Abandoning you and your son is worse than death for me! But what about Li Chen and Chen Xinyi? I have to save them, I can't let two innocent people suffer for me! They've already suffered so much, if they don't even survive in the end, how can I face this world? My child has grown up and understands, won't he be ashamed to have a mother like this?"
"Ruo Ke..." Huo Qingfeng pressed his forehead against hers, feeling as if his heart was breaking because of her tears and pain. He was the one who had caused this karmic entanglement, so why should his beloved woman suffer for him? Why! "Ruo Ke, my darling, I'm sorry! It's all my fault, all my fault!"
"No, this isn't your fault! Nobody knew things would turn out this way!" Seeing his self-blame, Ling Ruoke felt sorry for him and quickly tried to excuse him. "This isn't your fault, nor is it mine. It's fate playing tricks on us; it's our destined tribulation!"
"Since this is a shared ordeal, let's work together to find a solution. You can't risk your life alone, understand?" Huo Qingfeng held her tightly in his arms, never before feeling so defeated. Never before had he felt so troubled by being a special forces soldier. Soldiers are disciplined; obedience to orders is their duty. But sometimes, this discipline and these orders can be fatal constraints!
Ling Ruoke slightly increased the distance between herself and him, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. Because her eyes were blurred with tears, she wiped them forcefully and looked at him again.
“Qingfeng, we can deal with this slowly, but Li Chen and Chen Xinyi can’t wait. If I were the one captured now, I could wait for you to rescue me, no matter how long it takes, just because I’m your wife and we’re one. But they’re different. They’re not related to us, so why should they suffer for us? I believe that Gu Tianze’s elaborate scheme wasn’t just to capture and kill me, but to torture us. In that case, at least my life is safe, right? But Chen Xinyi and Li Chen are different. Gu Tianze might not kill them both, but if he kills either of them, we’ll never be able to live peacefully again, will we?”
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