Tan Peishi wanted to say something more, but ultimately shook her head and sighed. Her eyes were slightly moist; she felt that fate was truly cruel. The doctors all said that the chances of the captain waking up were slim. Once his body was exhausted, she feared… she didn't dare to think about that outcome. If the captain was gone, Ling Ruoke simply couldn't survive!
Ling Ruoke carefully wiped Huo Qingfeng's body, took the water to pour it out, and said, "I'll go check on Mo Ran." Mo Ran had been injured while shielding Wild Wolf from a gunshot, and then set off without receiving treatment to save others, which delayed treatment until his condition became quite serious, but fortunately, he was not in mortal danger.
When they arrived at Mo Ran's ward, the door was heavily guarded. However, they all recognized Ling Ruoke, so they did not stop them.
Ling Ruoke went inside and saw Wild Wolf sitting by the bed, quietly watching Mo Ran on the bed. Mo Ran's eyes were closed, as if he were asleep. "Brother," she called softly.
The wolf slowly stood up, and when Ling Ruoke came over, it reached out and patted her head, treating her like a child.
"How is Mo Ran?" Ling Ruoke smiled at him, her eyes appearing particularly large due to her thinness, and her smile no longer as bright and beautiful as before. She pretended to be fine, but her eyes couldn't lie.
Upon hearing this, Wild Wolf turned to look at Mo Ran, who was asleep on the bed, and smiled slightly. "The doctor said he can be discharged soon. Are you planning to stay here until he wakes up?"
Ling Ruoke smiled and nodded, her gaze drifting out the window and then into the distance. "He said he couldn't bear to entrust me to another man's care, so I believe he will wake up. As long as he wakes up, I'll wait however long it takes."
"What if he doesn't wake up?" These were the cruelest words, but the wolf still said them. Some things require mental preparation. She needed enough hope for a good outcome, but also enough courage to face a bad one.
Ling Ruoke's body trembled, tears welling in her eyes, but she held them back. "He will wake up. If..." She didn't finish her sentence, only her eyes remained unwavering in their determination.
The wolf shook its head helplessly, sighing silently. It was as if it had returned to the time when Mo Wen collapsed in her arms, blood staining her vision and her body. Amidst the crimson, she smiled and said, "If there is an afterlife, I will be strong enough not to be a burden to you again!"
Frail women, frail women. They are all delicate women, yet they possess a resolute heart.
The wolf reached out and gently embraced Ling Ruoke, kissing her forehead. "Ruoke, I hope you're lucky. You're so good; Heaven will bless you."
It's rare for someone who's always been through thick and thin to say such a thing.
Ling Ruoke smiled but did not answer.
Emerging from Mo Ran's room, she saw a tall, imposing figure leaning against a pillar in the corridor, gazing slightly upwards at the sky. She stopped and quietly looked at him. If she had harbored any slight resentment towards him in the past, after this incident, all unpleasantness had vanished.
While he imprisoned me, I had doubted his feelings, thinking I was merely a pawn in his revenge plan from the beginning. But now, even the slightest doubt remains. It's just that I'm destined to betray him.
Cang Wei slowly turned around, looking at the somewhat lost woman. Just as Wild Wolf had said, she wasn't a great beauty, just pretty and pleasing to the eye. But her nature was gentle, just like the smile on her face, always like a gentle breeze in February, making people feel very comfortable and irresistibly drawn to her. Her most beautiful feature was that pure and gentle smile, like clear spring water that could flow straight into people's hearts.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and walked up to her. He lowered his head, and just then, she looked up, her bright eyes right in front of him. He couldn't remember the last time he'd looked at her so quietly at such close range. But her already small face was terribly thin; it pained him to see it.
Ling Ruoke silently met his gaze for a moment before looking away and gazing at the sunlight outside the window. Although she no longer hated him, she still felt somewhat awkward in his presence.
Cang Wei Wo reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.
Ling Ruoke had no choice but to raise her head again and look at him.
Cang Wei raised his hand, wanting to touch her face, but she turned her head away. He smiled wryly and helplessly withdrew his hand. "You still hate me so much."
"No, I don't dislike you, and I don't hate you." Ling Ruoke smiled faintly at him. "Cang Weiwo, everything in the past is in the past. The beautiful memories you gave me will remain in my heart. But we should both move forward, instead of constantly looking back."
"If—" If Huo Qingfeng were gone, would you still be willing to come back to my side?
"If what?"
Cang Wei looked at her, and finally shook his head. "It's nothing." He couldn't help but reach out and pull her into his arms despite her struggles. Even for just this second, he still wanted to savor her warmth.
Ling Ruoke stood stiffly in his arms, afraid to move. She knew the bitterness in this man's heart, but she was powerless to help. She had given everything to Huo Qingfeng, and had nothing left to give to anyone else.
Cang Wei lowered his head, burying his face in her neck, breathing deeply. The strong smell of soda water in the hospital couldn't mask her delicate fragrance. He didn't know if it was real or just his imagination. He used to suffer from insomnia night after night, and only the scent of her could give him a moment of peace.
"Cang Weiwo, you must be happy. Find a good woman and live a good life. Life is too short; we don't have that much time to waste. Besides, you're not young anymore; you can't waste any more time."
Cang Wei chuckled softly and slowly released her. "Ruo Ke, are you saying I'm too old? Well, you're right, I'm more than ten years older than you, I am indeed old."
Ling Ruoke touched her nose somewhat awkwardly. "That's not what I meant. I just hope you can find your happiness soon, so you won't regret it later."
Cang Wei didn't answer, but lowered her head and gently kissed her forehead.
Ling Ruoke blushed slightly and took a step back. "I'm going back to my room first. You've been away for quite a few days; it's time to go home. Don't keep your family waiting."
She nodded at him and walked away.
Cang Wei silently watched her retreating figure, his gaze lingering even after she had walked far away. Suddenly, his phone rang loudly in his pocket. He slowly looked away and took out his phone. "Hello?"
"Ru Mingyue has been kidnapped by the Blazing Flame Gang!"
After hanging up the phone, Cang Wei didn't linger. She hurriedly ran down the stairs and drove straight to the airport.
Mo Ran recovered quickly and often came to keep Ling Ruoke company. They talked mostly about children; Mo Ran wanted one too. "He's so old. If he doesn't have one soon, what will he do when he can't? Even though some old men in their seventies or eighties can still go to brothels, who knows if he'll be impotent in his forties, right?"
Ling Ruoke blushed deeply at her words. Just as she was about to speak, another voice suddenly rang out.
"You think I'm not good enough?" The man's voice was deep, magnetic, and extremely dangerous.
Ling Ruoke turned her head and saw the wolf's dark face.
He stormed in, and without a word, hoisted Mo Ran onto his shoulder and carried him out. "You won't be begging for mercy today!"
Ling Ruoke looked at them and slowly smiled. But as she smiled, tears streamed down her face. Her colonel was the same way; serious in public, but like a scoundrel in front of her. Given the slightest opportunity, he'd grab her and try to get her into bed, as if it were never enough. She called him a scoundrel, and he'd always retort defiantly: "I'm a scoundrel with my wife, not with any other woman!"
The man's angry voice and the woman's pleas for mercy gradually faded into the distance. Silence returned to the room. This similar scene both comforted and pained her.
Ling Ruoke took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. He had said he would never leave her. He was a man of his word, so he would definitely wake up. Yes, he would definitely wake up!
Later, Wild Wolf and Moran returned to T City. They didn't let Ling Ruoke see them off, only sending someone to inform them. In fact, Ling Ruoke didn't have the energy to see them off; she had to take care of her colonel.
Countless people have come and gone; Ling Ruoke has lost count. She hasn't even gone back to the military base to see her child once; Ping An has always been looked after by her mother-in-law and the others. If her mother-in-law hadn't brought the child along, she might not have been able to see him until her husband woke up.
"Mommy, why isn't Daddy up?" Ping An, who didn't yet understand the joys and sorrows of life, tugged at her father's bedsheet and asked in her childish voice. Her little brows were slightly furrowed, whether from confusion or displeasure, it was hard to tell.
Ling Ruoke patted his head and explained with a smile, "Because Daddy is tired and needs to sleep. When he's not tired anymore, he'll get up and play with Ping An. Why don't you talk to Daddy and see if he can hear you?"
"Oh," Ping An responded, then leaned close to Huo Qingfeng's ear and started babbling. After a while, she went back to playing by herself.
Ling Ruoke couldn't help but sigh, what a blessing it is for someone to never grow up. Without understanding love, there would be no such excruciating pain. Yet, even knowing there will be moments of excruciating pain, one still can't resist tasting the wine of love, even if it's poison. This is the allure of love.
Later, Zhuang Yicheng also came, along with Yuan Meng, Fu An, and Zhuang Yuqi. The whole family of four came.
Ling Ruoke and Zhuang Yicheng walked together in the hospital garden, basking in the bright autumn sunshine. In the blink of an eye, autumn had arrived. The leaves had turned yellow, fluttering in the wind. Another harvest season!
"He will definitely wake up. Look at me, I'm the best example," Zhuang Yicheng comforted him.
Ling Ruoke looked at the clear blue sky and smiled gently at him. "I know. He's tired, just like you. He'll wake up when he's rested enough."
Zhuang Yicheng looked at her silently for a long time without saying a word.
Ling Ruoke looked at the blue sky, then turned to Zhuang Yicheng and asked, "How are you and Yuan Meng? Yuan Meng is a good woman; you two will definitely be happy together."
"Yes." He only replied with one word, without saying anything more.
After they left, Ling Ruoke silently shed tears and told Huo Qingfeng that she resented him for treating her badly, leaving her all alone to face the happy scene of other families of four. However, the people on the boat either didn't hear her or something else, and remained completely silent.
Li Chen and Chen Xinyi were both rescued and are in good condition. However, they suffered severe psychological trauma and are terrified of people, especially men.
Ling Ruoke didn't go to see them; she knew she wasn't welcome. She simply asked Xuan Yuanqi to help them get treatment from the best psychologists, hoping it would help them overcome their trauma as soon as possible.
Xia Mo left Peho completely and returned home to devote himself to caring for his mentally unstable wife. He said, "I used to spend too much time on work and neglected her. Only now do I realize that career and money aren't really important. My only wish is for her to get better. She comes from a poor family and has been taking care of this family since marrying me, never having had a few comfortable days. I want to take her traveling to different places in the future, to let her see how wonderful the world is."
Ling Ruoke didn't try to stop him, but gave him some compensation as a small token of her apology. She felt guilty, but her colonel was still unconscious, and she didn't have time to think about anything else. That was all she could do.
Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, winter was approaching. Ling Ruoke always had a smile on her face, but her body was rapidly wasting away. Under her down jacket, she was just a skeleton. Her face, already small, was now only about two fingers wide, with only her eyes standing out prominently.
She stayed at the hospital, spending almost 24 hours a day with Huo Qingfeng. She read the newspaper to him, washed his face and bathed him, pushed him outside to bask in the sun, and chatted with him. But no matter what she did, he didn't respond at all, just listened quietly.
The Huo family helped hire a high-end caregiver, but Ling Ruoke didn't let them interfere much, doing everything herself. Every time people worried about her getting tired and tried to persuade her to stop, she would say, "He's not someone's husband, why would they be so attentive?" Then she would start massaging his hands and feet again, worried that his muscles would atrophy. And when she rolled up her sleeve, her wrist, barely bigger than a rolling pin, was exposed.
Tan Peishi saw this and would always cry uncontrollably in Fu Peigang's arms. Thinking of his best friend, Fu Peigang couldn't help but shed tears as well.
One day, Yang Ziyun held Ling Ruoke's hand and said, "Ruoke, the doctor said Qingfeng's condition is not optimistic. You need to be prepared." For a mother, saying these words was like a sharp knife cutting into her heart.
Her son's condition has taken a heavy toll on Yang Ziyun's health, leaving her terribly thin. The thought of a parent outliving their child brings her to tears every night. Only her grandson's innocent face can offer even a small measure of relief from her grief.
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