As the music began, the curtain slowly rose. In the center of the stage, Wen Ci and Yu Qing stood on the left and right sides, respectively. On the stage were seven or eight drums mounted on racks.

Wen Ci held the water sleeves, and once the curtain had fully risen, she broke into a radiant smile. Following the rhythm, she flung the sleeves outward. The graceful water sleeves seemed to move entirely at her command.

When the water sleeves struck the surfaces of the drums, the audience was stunned.

They weren’t standing right in front of the drums. Their bodies were about a meter away, and they used the long water sleeves to strike the drumheads.

The makeup on their faces was also different from that of the female soldiers in the arts troupe.

Even though they were dancing, the beauty marks under the corners of their eyes were particularly striking. Even the soldiers who knew Yu Qing had trouble recognizing her on stage.

A soldier from the Fifth Regiment asked, "Brother Xue, which one is the missus?"

"The one on the left is the missus, and the one on the right is Doctor Yu."

"What? The one on the right is really Doctor Yu? She’s gorgeous!"

The families in the residential compound were also full of praise.

"Wen Ci is so beautiful! In that sleeveless dress, she looks like a goddess come down to earth. Absolutely divine!" Zhu Jing and the others praised lavishly.

"She really is."

When the piece concluded, Wen Ci and Yu Qing took each other’s hands, bowed to the audience, and the curtain slowly descended.

Yu Qing gritted her teeth, her gaze sincere as she looked at Wen Ci. "Wen Ci," she said nervously, "I have to tell you this, even if I get punished by my superiors."

Seeing the look on Yu Qing’s face, Wen Ci furrowed her brow. ’I have a bad feeling about this.’ For some reason, her heart began to pound wildly. THUMP-THUMP, THUMP-THUMP.

The joyful expression on Wen Ci’s face vanished. She swallowed hard, her eyes deepening as she slowly asked, "What is it you have to tell me?"

"Mr. Huo... he’s been seriously injured. He’s in a coma. I overheard it in the hospital director’s office. He’s being rushed to Beijing Hospital."

As the Capital, Beijing had the best medical facilities in the entire country.

"How could that be?!"

Wen Ci’s eyes were filled with disbelief. ’Is the probability of getting injured on a single mission really this high?!’

"From what I overheard, a city-wide riot broke out in one of the border towns. The casualties were devastating. They had to send in a fully armed military unit to bring it under control."

Wen Ci’s lips trembled. "Then... then what about Huo Jingyuan?"

"Huo Jingyuan must have been part of the first unit stationed there... that’s why he’s the one in a coma..."

A string seemed to snap inside Wen Ci’s mind. Her eyes went numb. She shook her head, forcing a smile as she tried to console herself. ’It’s okay. Huo Jingyuan is the best soldier in the Northwest. He’ll definitely pull through.’

Tears welled in her eyes, but her expression quickly hardened with resolve.

"I have to go to Beijing."

"I’ll go with you."

The Northwest was a long way from Beijing. The train journey alone would take three or four days. Yu Qing squeezed Wen Ci’s hand, comforting her. "I’ll use my annual leave. I’ll go to Beijing with you."

She had been at the Northwest Military Region for less than a year.

’Normally, I’m not much of a talker, and I only have professional relationships with the people around me. I haven’t known Wen Ci for long, but she’s the first real friend I’ve made since coming to the Northwest Military Region.’

After leaving the stage, Wen Ci didn’t even think about changing out of her sleeveless dress. Tightly clutching the water sleeves in her hand, she scanned the parade ground but couldn’t find the commissar.

Suddenly, Wen Ci remembered how Xue Li had been strangely avoiding her during the day. She rushed over to the area where the Fifth Regiment was gathered and demanded, "How is Huo Jingyuan right now?"

’She was certain that Xue Li knew what was going on with Huo Jingyuan!’

Xue Li, who had been about to greet her, froze mid-motion. He opened his mouth but then hesitated. The other men of the Fifth Regiment sensed that something was wrong.

"What’s wrong? Isn’t the Commander on a mission in New City?"

"What does the missus mean by that?"

All eyes turned to Xue Li. The man sitting beside him nudged him with an elbow. "If you know something, spill it to your brothers."

Sweat beaded on Xue Li’s forehead. He forced a smile and said, "He’s on a mission in New City. The Commander’s resourceful, what could possibly happen to him!"

With that, Xue Li stood up from his seat and said with a strained chuckle, "Missus, I need to talk to you about something."

Wen Ci lowered her gaze. "Fine."

Once they were near the barracks, Xue Li glanced around. After confirming none of his comrades were nearby, he sighed. "Missus, how did you find out Brother Huo was injured?"

"Never mind how I know. How is he?"

Xue Li shook his head. "I don’t know. All I know for now is that Brother Huo is seriously injured. The commissar told me to contact my family and ask my grandfather to step in."

"Your grandfather?"

"My grandfather is a specialist director at the Beijing Military Region Hospital."

After becoming a director, most doctors transition from a technical to an administrative role. Years away from the operating table cause their surgical skills to atrophy. The best doctors are still the ones who spend their years on the front lines.

The commissar, looking worried, had just come downstairs when he saw Wen Ci and Xue Li. "Wen Ci," he said urgently, "go and pack your things immediately. I’ll arrange for an escort to take you to Beijing."

Wen Ci was stunned into silence.

Hearing the commissar’s tone, Wen Ci’s heart plummeted. "Is he... dying?"

"He’s still in surgery, but Minister Jiang wants you back in Beijing!"

As a minister, Jiang Zhenjun had immediately contacted specialists he knew and asked them to come to the hospital the moment he learned of Huo Jingyuan’s injury. Officially, after all, Huo Jingyuan was his son-in-law.

Besides, Old Commander Huo had been a man of great prestige and moral standing.

Even though he was no longer with them, his only grandson had to be looked after.

Wen Ci said, "I don’t need to pack. I can leave right now."

The commissar said coolly, "You’ll be in Beijing for at least two months this time. So you’d better go home first and pack up everything for both you and Jingyuan."

According to the hospital, if they were lucky, Huo Jingyuan’s injuries weren’t life-threatening, and he could be out in two months. If they were less lucky, he could be in a coma for several months. And if they were unlucky...

"I understand."

Wen Ci returned home in a daze. As she took clothes from the wardrobe one by one and packed them into a bag, something red fell from a pocket.

Reaching down, she saw it was their marriage certificate.

She opened the certificate. Their photo was a composite, two separate pictures spliced together—her own youthful face beside the man’s handsome one.

They looked more like siblings than a married couple.

Suddenly, a tear splashed onto the marriage certificate. Tears began to stream uncontrollably from her eyes as she reached out to caress his face in the photo.

’She had never even taken a proper photo with Huo Jingyuan.’

’She had never even had a formal wedding banquet with him.’

Wen Ci took a deep, shuddering breath. ’Once Huo Jingyuan gets better, I’m going to fulfill all these little wishes.’

Xue Li was waiting in a car outside the courtyard for Wen Ci. Yu Qing appeared, pulling a suitcase, and knocked on the car window. "I want to go to Beijing with Wen Ci, is that alright?"

Xue Li rolled down the window. "Did the hospital approve your leave?"

Jiang Ye nodded. "I’ve taken a half-month leave, and on top of that, I’m using more than ten days of my annual leave early. I’ll have a month to be with Wen Ci."