Ling Ruoke dodged the bullets, which struck the tree behind her previous position, scattering debris and smoke. Before she could even catch her breath, someone attacked from behind. She had to drop her breakfast to fight back.
The man was wearing a hat, the brim pulled low, covering half his face, the other half completely obscured by his beard. He held a dagger-sized knife in his hand, its blade gleaming coldly, ready to kill her at any moment.
Ling Ruoke was unarmed, but her strength was comparable to his, so he wouldn't gain the upper hand for the time being. The problem was that she was wearing sandals, which were extremely unsuitable for fighting. After a few offensive and defensive maneuvers, her foot suddenly slipped, and her body tilted to the side. The opponent's knife was about to slice through her throat.
The blade gleamed brightly in the morning light, pressed against her throat...
Ling Ruoke lay down on the ground, using one hand to block his stabbing hand, and her legs aimed directly at his groin.
The other person hurriedly jumped away; he clearly hadn't expected her to know martial arts, and quite well at that. Noticing a crowd gathering around, and realizing he wouldn't gain anything, he rushed over, grabbed a bystander, shoved him towards Ling Ruoke, and ran away.
Ling Ruoke helped the man up and chased after him, only to see him get into a car.
"If possible!" Huo Qingfeng also noticed the commotion and rushed over.
Ling Ruoke rushed back, worried that her colonel had also been attacked. "Qingfeng, are you alright?" She took his hand and carefully checked his body for injuries.
"I'm fine. How about you? Who was that person just now?" He was too late, otherwise he would have given him a good beating!
Ling Ruoke saw that the onlookers hadn't dispersed and were still whispering. She didn't want to show off her martial arts skills in front of others, so she quickly pulled him away. "I'm fine, let's go. But breakfast is gone."
"Did you see who it was?" After walking a considerable distance, Huo Qingfeng pulled her to sit down.
Ling Ruoke shook her head. "He was wearing a hat and had a full beard, so you couldn't see his face clearly. But he was holding a knife about the size of a dagger with a very strange symbol on it."
She frowned, carefully recreating the scene. That symbol…
Ling Ruoke clapped her hands and exclaimed in surprise, "I know! That logo looks like a scorpion!"
Huo Qingfeng grabbed her hand and asked, "Are you sure it's a scorpion?"
Ling Ruoke was startled and blinked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong? Do you recognize that symbol?"
Huo Qingfeng instantly calmed down and shook his head. "I don't recognize it. But I want to confirm it, and then send someone to investigate. Are you sure it's a scorpion?"
"Anyway, that's roughly what it looked like. As for whether it was a scorpion, I'm not sure." During the life-or-death struggle, the opponent's knife was drawn and retracted very quickly, so she didn't have time to examine it properly and couldn't be sure.
Looking up at the colonel's somewhat grave expression, she quickly smiled and pulled his face away. "Don't be so serious, I'm fine, aren't I? I don't have any enemies, it might just be a misunderstanding." Or, could this be related to the operation Wild Wolf mentioned?
Huo Qingfeng's expression softened, and he nodded with a slight smile. "Yeah, anyway, you need to be careful. Let's go back."
"Um."
Although the two still took a walk back, their earlier leisurely mood was gone. This was a matter of life and death, and they couldn't afford to be careless. They weren't yet sure if the attack was only directed at Ling Ruoke, or at the two of them.
Back at the hospital, before the two could even sit down, Ling Ruoke's phone rang loudly. Looking down, she saw it was Tan Peishi's number.
"If possible, Pei-Shi is about to give birth."
"I'm coming right away!" Ling Ruoke hung up the phone and turned to look at him. "Peishi is going into the delivery room, I'm going to go check on her."
“I’ll go with you. Has Fu Peigang come back yet?” Huo Qingfeng found some clothes, tore off his hospital gown and changed into them.
Ling Ruoke initially wanted to persuade him to rest, but considering she had just been attacked, she knew he would be worried. Peishi's hospital wasn't far, and driving there wouldn't be tiring for him. So they decided to go together!
The two of them took the important items and left the hospital.
"Wait at the door, I'll go get the car."
The car was parked in an open-air parking lot, and you could see everything clearly from the entrance. So Huo Qingfeng had no objections and stood at the entrance waiting, his eyes scanning the surroundings just like Huo's.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat, and he realized something, shouting, "Ruoke, watch out!"
Before he could finish speaking, the car exploded with a bang, and billowing smoke and dust enveloped the area.
"If possible!" Huo Qingfeng cried out in anguish and ran off.
"Cough cough cough..." Realizing the danger in time, Ling Ruoke pushed open the car door and jumped out, using the momentum to leap over two cars and land on the ground. She suffered some minor injuries, but was not hurt by the explosion.
Huo Qingfeng rushed over and hugged her tightly, his hands groping her all over. "Ruo Ke, how are you? Are you hurt?" His voice was trembling.
"Cough cough cough... Qingfeng, I'm fine..." Ling Ruoke reached out and cupped his face, grabbing his hand and pressing it to her chest. "I'm really fine."
"You scared me to death!" Huo Qingfeng hugged her tightly. Behind her, where she couldn't see, a pair of Huo eyes flashed with an unprecedented ruthlessness.
Ling Ruoke hugged him back, still able to feel his body trembling. Tears welled in her eyes, a sense of relief washing over her. Thank goodness she noticed quickly, otherwise… thinking this, she couldn't help but hug him even tighter.
The police arrived quickly, and the two were taken to the police station to give statements to assist in the investigation.
Ling Ruoke, mindful that Tan Peishi was still in the delivery room, hurriedly took a taxi with Huo Qingfeng after giving her statement and rushed to the hospital. When they arrived, Tan Peishi was still in the delivery room. Fu Peigang had already returned and was pacing back and forth outside the delivery room, covered in sweat. He looked as if he, not Peishi, was the one enduring immense pain.
Ling Ruoke finally believed that the images of men pacing anxiously outside the delivery room on TV, sweating profusely, were real, even though they were somewhat comical. Right now, she was seeing the exact same scene unfold before her eyes.
Tan's mother was much calmer than him, sitting on a stool to the side. When she saw Ruoke and the others coming over, she even greeted them. But the anxiety on her face was undeniable.
Tan Peishi is a woman who loves beauty but is afraid of pain. However, after listening to the doctor's explanation of how beneficial natural childbirth is for the baby, she chose natural childbirth without hesitation. The power of maternal love is truly unimaginable.
They were outside the delivery room and could hear Tan Peishi's screams inside, the groans of extreme pain.
Ling Ruoke swallowed hard, her body growing cold. She couldn't imagine how much pain it must have caused to elicit such screams and groans. Her hand gripping the colonel's arm would have dug into it if the colonel hadn't had thick skin.
Huo Qingfeng raised his hand and patted her back. His shock was no less than hers, even though he had already experienced it once before. Back when Yuan Meng was giving birth, he and his comrades waited outside, all of them weeping. Perhaps it was because they thought of their mothers carrying them for ten months, giving birth to their children, or their wives carrying them for ten months, or Yuan Meng struggling inside while Lei Kaiyi had already sacrificed his life for the country…
Fu Peigang, as a husband and father, was frantic with worry. He had practically worn a dent into the floor outside the delivery room. Sweat poured down his face like rain, never drying.
No wonder some say that if a man has ever waited outside the delivery room for you to give birth to his child, he will cherish you even more. Such a scene is truly moving! It is a woman's love for her child, and even more so, a woman's love for her man—love that endures even the deepest pain!
Ling Ruoke was lost in thought when the colonel suddenly squeezed her hand and made her turn her head. "What's wrong?"
"How about we don't have the baby?" The colonel looked distressed, as if she were the one suffering inside. He couldn't even imagine whether he could stand outside while she was lying inside screaming; he would rush in like a madman! Rather than regret it later, it's better not to get pregnant in the first place!
Ling Ruoke looked at him, and upon hearing his words, she laughed instead. "This pain is nothing compared to having your own child and the joy that a child brings. I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?"
“It breaks my heart.” The colonel grasped her hands and held them in his palms, then said, “Mother is indeed the greatest person in the world.”
"Yes. So we need to be nicer to your mother from now on and not talk back to her." As Ling Ruoke spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. Her mother was gone, and even if she wanted to be filial, she no longer had the chance.
Seeing her tears, Huo Qingfeng knew what she had thought of and quickly hugged her tightly. His heartache for this woman seemed endless. With the passing days, this heartache only grew stronger!
"What's wrong? Did you cry from fright?" Hearing Ling Ruoke sniffling, Tan's mother hurriedly moved over to ask.
Ling Ruoke tried to smile and shook her head, tears still falling. Leaning against the colonel's chest, she cried for a long time before finally stopping.
After an unknown amount of time, with the cry of a newborn baby, this ordeal for the mother finally came to a temporary end. Outside the ward, Fu Peigang collapsed, utterly exhausted, as if he had gone mad.
Tan Peishi gave birth to a son, weighing over eight pounds, a big, healthy boy.
After she was transferred to a ward, Fu Peigang knelt down in front of her bed, shedding tears like a child, repeatedly saying "thank you" and "my wife has worked so hard."
Seeing this heartwarming scene, Ling Ruoke breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled the colonel along, and together they walked out of the hospital, filled with emotion. It was already evening, but the heat was still intense, making their bodies feel sticky and uncomfortable.
"Let's go buy clothes." Huo Qingfeng took her hand and walked towards the street. A series of accidents had happened today, and he didn't feel comfortable letting her go home alone.
Ling Ruoke had originally planned to go home today, but understanding his concerns, she agreed instead. If she went back, he probably wouldn't get any sleep all night.
The two of them went to the same store Ling Ruoke had taken Mei Yanting to last time and picked out t-shirts and jeans. They then bought underwear at the lingerie store next door. A little incident occurred while they were buying the underwear.
Huo Qingfeng didn't mind accompanying his woman to pick out underwear; he didn't see anything wrong with it. So he went in boldly, only to find that most of the underwear buyers were young girls. He saw a tall man standing inside, glanced at the door, and then left. Seeing that the customers were hesitant to come in, the shop owner became anxious and ran over to subtly suggest that the colonel wait outside.
Huo Qingfeng looked at his boss innocently and said, "I'm looking at my wife, not them. Why are you being so presumptuous?"
The boss was embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. He looked at Ling Ruoke for help.
Ling Ruoke laughed and pulled him to pay. As they left the lingerie store, she burst out laughing at the owner's bewildered expression. How could her colonel be so adorable!
The two of them went back to the hospital happily.
After showering and washing her clothes, Ling Ruoke snuggled back into bed and remembered the explosion that morning. Considering recent events, it must be related to the guzheng. But the colonel wouldn't bring it up, and she didn't want to either; she'd leave it to him to handle.
In the past, she would have been so worried that she couldn't sleep at night. But after that period of grueling training, she no longer panics so easily. It seems that human potential really is brought out under pressure!
The two cuddled and fell asleep, and Ling Ruoke slept soundly. After she fell asleep, Huo Qingfeng thought for a long time before holding her tightly and closing his eyes.
The next day was Friday, and Xia Mo called to say that the mid-term review was finished and he wanted to go over it with her.
Ling Ruoke decided to first visit Tan Peishi and the child at the hospital, then go to the company to see Xia Mo if there were any changes needed. Ideally, she would also talk to Mei Yanting to prevent the young girl from making mistakes. In any case, she hoped the girl could adjust her mindset and gradually move towards a happy future.
Huo Qingfeng had his own reasons for yesterday's attack, so he readily released the attackers.
Before leaving, Ling Ruoke giggled and said, "Are you meeting your old flame today? Is that why you're in such a hurry to get rid of me?"
"Some things are better left unsaid; never say them aloud." Huo Qingfeng gave him a mischievous look, as if to say, "You've revealed my secret."
Ling Ruoke opened her mouth and bit his nose, then tossed her hair. "I'm really leaving. Remember to wipe your mouth after you sneak a bite, or that sofa in the living room will be your bed from now on."
With her car gone, Ling Ruoke had no choice but to take a taxi to Peishi's hospital. When she arrived, Peishi was already awake, and Fu Peigang was there too. "How does it feel to officially become a mother?"
"Oh, don't even mention it! There's nothing better in the world!" Tan Peishi laughed, grabbing her hand and recounting her morning experience of seeing the child. "You wouldn't believe it, when the nurse brought him to me, my arms were completely immobile. The nurse had to let Fu Peigang hold him, and he was so flustered, yelling, 'Nurse, please hold him tight! Don't let go! Don't let go!'"
Tan Peishi's exaggerated tone and gestures vividly recreated the situation. She couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably as she spoke. "I reckon he wasn't even this nervous during his first mission!" she said, glancing at Fu Peigang with a chuckle.
“That’s not an estimate, it’s real. I was a little nervous when I went on my first mission, but I was confident. But this kid, he’s so tiny, not even as big as my fist, and so soft. I felt like if I wasn’t careful, he would slip through my fingers. How could I not be nervous?”
Perhaps it was because being a father was such a wonderful feeling that even Fu Peigang, who is not talkative, began to express himself in a rapid-fire manner. "It felt like holding a little eel in my hand, so slippery, I had no confidence that I could catch it."
"Fu Peigang! What do you mean? Are you implying that my son is a mudfish?" Tan Peishi was displeased. Although he hadn't fully grown up yet, her son certainly didn't look like a mudfish.
Fu Peigang scratched his head and hurriedly ran over to let his wife beat him up to vent her anger. "Wife, I wasn't just using a metaphor. I... I just meant that I was really nervous, afraid that I wouldn't hold our son properly and he would fall."
Tan Peishi stretched out her slender hand and poked Fu Peigang's forehead with her index finger. "You're so stupid! Your language skills are terrible! Soldiers can talk nonsense, they can spout off a whole bunch of nonsense, but you can't even speak properly. But if you were also talking nonsense, I wouldn't love you either. Oh well, I won't argue with you."
"Wife, you're so good to me!" Fu Peigang smiled sheepishly when he heard his wife's declaration of love.
Seeing this, Ling Ruoke burst out laughing. "So I came here just to watch you two show off your love? I'm ignoring you, I'm going to go see my godson."
No one mentioned yesterday's terrible ordeal; they only enjoyed the joy of their child's arrival. That's what mothers are like—no matter how much pain they endure, the arrival of their child makes it all worthwhile.
"Hey, keep your voice down, don't scare him." Tan Peishi was being sweet with her husband, but she still remembered to give him a few words of advice, afraid that she might hurt her precious son.
Ling Ruoke ignored her and happily ran to the nursery. There were quite a few babies in the nursery. She slowly looked around and came to where the little one was.
The little guy is awake, stretching his arms and legs, his little mouth pursing, and occasionally a little drool is escaping. The blood vessels on his face haven't completely faded, but you can tell from his features that he's a handsome little boy. His eyes are big, like Pei Shi's, dark and round. His little arms wave and swing from his forehead to the top of his head, as if he's stretching. His two chubby little legs are stretched into the air, like some animal that has just turned over in its shell…
Ling Ruoke really wanted to knock on the glass to make him look this way, but she was afraid of scaring the other children, so she didn't dare to move. In the end, she could only hold back, silently watching for a while and speaking softly to him. She didn't know if the child really heard her, but soon he actually looked this way, his big eyes wide with curiosity, his little mouth pursed, not yet smiling…
Ling Ruo finally understood why Tan Peishi and Fu Peigang were so excited. She was just the godmother, and they were already so moved to see the child; one could only imagine how excited the biological parents would be. Her heart softened; she desperately wanted to have a child of her own, to feel his presence from when he was just a tiny tadpole, until he stretched out his arms and legs in her womb, and then came into this world…
After seeing the children, Ling Ruoke hid on the stairs and called the colonel.
"Wife, do you miss your husband?" It was still the colonel's uniquely mischievous voice, with a hint of laughter.
Ling Ruoke looked up at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window and said with a smile, "Hmm, I just saw Peishi's son. He has big, dark eyes, and his mouth is drooling. He keeps stretching his arms and legs. He's so cute!"
Huo Qingfeng on the other end seemed to understand why she had made the call. His voice suddenly became unusually gentle, as if he were whispering in her ear, "Ruoke, let's get married as soon as possible, and then have a child. I guarantee it will be even cuter than theirs; our genes are much better!"
Ling Ruoke chuckled, tears welling in her eyes. She didn't know why, she just couldn't help but cry. It seemed that something inside her was too full, and it had overflowed, turning into tears.
After hanging up the phone, she stood there quietly for a long time before returning to the ward. As soon as she entered, she rushed to Tan Peishi's bedside, exclaiming, "Tan Peishi, your godson is so cute! So adorable! I want one too!"
"Great! Let's go back and tell the captain to work hard. With his abilities, he might succeed tomorrow." Tan Peishi couldn't stop laughing.
Ling Ruoke pinched her cheek. "You're full of nonsense!" She withdrew her hand and stood up. "I'll go to the company to check. If neither of us is around, it'll be a real problem if our godson doesn't have money for formula."
"Then hurry up and go!"
"You heartless bastard. Be careful, I'll tell my godson that his milk powder money is all earned by his godmother, and see if he still loves you as his biological mother! Okay, I'm leaving." Ling Ruoke left happily, leaving the excited couple alone.
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