Chapter 61: Mutual Understanding

Two people who were both not good at talking, two people who loved each other but never spoke.

It turned out that her mother loved her and was proud of her.

Cen Ning looked at the letter and smiled, but as she smiled, she started crying again.

Just saying sorry resolved all of their resentment. But from now on, her last family member who she was connected by blood was gone. What could be exchanged for this simple apology?

Cen Ning hated Wei Pinfang very much, hated her for leaving her like this, hated her for deliberately not taking the life-saving medicine, hated her doing these things secretly behind her back, and hated even more that Wei Pinfang didn’t say a word when Wei Pinfang clearly understood and supported her.

She also hated herself, hated herself for taking Wei Pinfang’s sickness for granted, hated herself for never caring or asking, and didn’t even know that she had long ago suffered from the depression of having no hope in life. She hated herself even more for not being more cheerful, for not pestering her mother about work, study, the things outside, and all of those small things like those other girls.

She was lonely, but at least she wasn’t alone afterwards. But as for her mother, she had always been lonely, and no one has ever talked to her sincerely, not even her only daughter.

Cen Ning squeezed the letter paper tightly. The tears that accumulated over so many days finally burst out.

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As soon as she took a taxi, Cen Ning received a call from Zhang Ziyi.

“Hello?”

“Ning, Ningning, he’s back, I—”

Zhang Ziyi’s voice was very strange as if she was trapped in a great fear. Cen Ning paused a moment. “What’s wrong? He’s back. Do you mean Tang Zheng and the others?”

“Ningning, I’m scared!” Zhang Ziyi burst into tears suddenly, and she spoke intermittently while crying. Cen Ning struggled to distinguish her sentences and finally heard something while piecing it all together.

She was in another province today, and when she was eating, Xin Zechuan called to tell her that their group was in the hospital and that Tang Zheng was seriously injured. She was rushing back now, but due to the distance, she could not arrive immediately.

It was dusk, and Cen Ning was standing at the entrance of the subway where people were coming and going. Her whole body was blown stiff by the cold wind. The wind penetrated her heart like a poisonous snake, and the venom spread silently. At first, she didn’t feel it, but after a few seconds, the piercing pain penetrated every cell. When she came back to her senses, the hand holding the phone was already shaking violently.

Did something happen to him too?

Beijing 301 Hospital, outside the operating room.

A group of men in military uniforms were sitting or standing, all with silent faces. They had been waiting since early in the morning, but the lights in the operating room were still on, and no one had left.

“Lao Zhang, go and treat the injury on your arm first.” A younger male said. “Waiting like this, are you not going to care about your wound…”

“That’s right, we’re all here.”

“No, I’m going to wait until he comes out.”

“Lao Zhang…” The young boy couldn’t persuade him, so he looked at the man sitting on the chair beside him for help. His head was lowered slightly, his eyes were cold and gloomy.

“Brother Yan, look at Lao Zhang.”

The eyes of Yan Xingzhi seemed to move. “Lao Zhang, go bandage yourself.”

“Brother Yan, I want to see him when he comes out.”

“Go bandage, this is an order!”

Lao Zhang pursed his lips, reluctantly, but he could not disobey the military order. “… Yes.”

After a few words, everyone was silent again. This hostage rescue mission was completed with difficulty, but even though it was completed, their small team also made a great sacrifice. Tang Zheng was still lying in the operating room.

“They’re coming out, they’re coming out.”

The operating lights went out, and the surgeon came out.

“How is it, Doctor?”

“The vital signs are all normal. Don’t worry.”

“Thank goodness…”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and they were all overjoyed.

Yan Xingzhi pursed his lips, and the hand that had been tightly clenched by his side finally calmed down.

“Yan Xingzhi.”

Everyone was rejoicing when suddenly, a faint voice came from the side.

Several people looked back and saw a petite girl standing in the corridor at some point. She was beautiful, but her face was very pale, which made people feel inexplicably panicked.

“This lady, you are…”

“Yan Xingzhi.” The little girl took a step forward, ignoring others, and only looked at their captain without blinking an eye.

A man in the middle recognized her. He was surprised. Wasn’t she the one from Tibet?

But before he could say anything, he saw their captain get up suddenly, walk past them and walk in front of the little girl.

Someone nearby asked in a low voice, “Hey, who is this?”

“This is-“

“…”

Before finishing speaking, everyone froze.

Because that little girl suddenly pushed Yan Xingzhi violently, extremely ruthlessly. It was amazing that their captain, who was always terribly cold and frighteningly angry when he got angry, was obediently silent.

After being pushed away, he stepped forward to hug the little girl again, was pushed away after hugging, and then he hugged her tightly again.

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, wondering whether they could see it or not.

“Tsk, what are you doing in a daze? They all left.”

“Wait… Who is this girl?”

“Didn’t I tell you that a little girl saved Brother Yan when we were in Tibet?”

“Oh! That is who!”

“Yes, yes, yes… Okay, go quickly, stop looking.”

The quiet hospital corridor smelled of life-or-death disinfectant. Cen Ning hated this smell because it was like this when Wei Pinfang died that day.

And every second when she rushed over from the subway just now, she was suffering from a hallucination. She seemed to see Yan Xingzhi lying on the hospital bed just like Wei Pingfang, bleeding all over his body and dying.

She was too scared.

Having just lost a loved one, the fear of losing another.

If so, she really couldn’t bear it.

“I’m sorry.”

A man’s low and pained voice came to her ear, and Cen Ning leaned into his arms, the iron badge on his chest hurting her cheek.

But she didn’t speak, she just stayed in his embraced world like this, like a puppet that was almost discarded, eagerly feeling the body temperature of people.

Yan Xingzhi hugged Cen Ning. He looked down at her sluggish and panicked appearance as if someone had stabbed him in the heart.

He arrived in the morning, but he didn’t contact her because his comrade was on the verge of life and death. But from Xin Zechuan’s mouth, he knew that Wei Pinfang had passed away a few days ago.

At that moment, he was really confused. He has always been strategizing and keeping everything in his palm. He was full of self-confidence and felt that he could control everything well. But at that time, he began to question himself for the first time and felt that he was so useless.

On the battlefield, Tang Zheng was injured by bombs to save him. He couldn’t protect his comrade, who deeply respected him. And at home, when the person he loved the most needed comfort and company, he couldn’t do anything. Even now, he had to make her worry about himself.

He always thought that he could take good care of both ends, but now he realized that he couldn’t take care of them.

“Ningning, I’m sorry.”

Cen Ning looked up at him, her face still pale. “Are you injured?”

“No.”

Cen Ning breathed a sigh of relief. “Ziyi said you all were injured.”

Yan Xingzhi’s eyes darkened. “It’s Tang Zheng… but now the doctor says the critical period is over.”

“That’s good.” Cen Ning came out of his arms. “Then go get busy. You just came back. There should be a lot of things for you to do in the military.”

Yan Xingzhi looked at her, his eyes seemed to be broken. “Ningning, I heard that Aunt Wei passed away.”

Cen Ning was momentarily taken aback before nodding her head. “Mhm, but everything has been arranged, don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry.”

Cen Ning smiled slowly. “Xingzhi Gege, why do you keep telling me you’re sorry? It’s not like you. And you didn’t let me down, you didn’t let anyone down.”

“I couldn’t be by your side.”

“How can you be blamed for this matter? You have to defend the country, everyone, not me alone.”

All his words seemed to be blocked by her words. Yes, he was a soldier, and he was guarding the country. But he was a person first, and what he wanted to guard was always her.

Guarding the country was a responsibility. Guarding her was what the heart wanted.

“I’m really fine.” Cen Ning lowered her eyes. “I was just worried that something happened to you just now… as long as you are fine.”

Yan Xingzhi: “Scared you.”

“Yeah… I don’t want to see what I saw before again.” Cen Ning took his hand and exhaled. “I want to go see Tang Zheng. Ziyi must be very worried about him. Is it convenient now?”

“Mhm.”

Tang Zheng was still unconscious, and none of his injuries were life-threatening. However, what made everyone silent was that his left leg was seriously injured, and even after he recovered, he could no longer do strenuous exercise.

This meant that he couldn’t participate in any other special missions.

At eleven o’clock in the evening, Zhang Ziyi was rushed to the hospital. She must have cried terribly on the way. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was guarding Tang Zheng’s room. No one could get her to leave.

Just as Cen Ning and Yan Xingzhi came out of the room, he took her hand and walked slowly outside the hospital.

When walking out of the corridor, Yan Xingzhi suddenly hugged Cen Ning tightly in his arms. Cen Ning froze for a moment and stretched out her arms to wrap around Yan Xingzhi’s waist.

“He won’t blame you.” She said softly.

Yan Xingzhi didn’t speak, but his eyes were red from an angle that no one could see.

Did no one blame him? But he did feel guilty towards Tang Zheng, and her…

Not far away, several soldiers in military uniforms also came over. When they saw the two people embracing not far away, they all stopped.

“Tang Zheng, this dude, before I always heard him say ‘protect Brother Yan’, I thought it was just him saying stuff…”

“Sigh, the captain is probably feeling very bad.”

“But it’s the first time I’ve seen Brother Yan so… fragile?”

“That state is in front of the person he loves. If this little girl wasn’t here today, I swear, Brother Yan would still be the same Brother Yan who never changes his face, even if he was overwhelmed by mountains.”