A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

"What did you say?"

Ye Wenxi could hardly believe what she was hearing.

Ding Jiahe's mission at the Vietnamese border at this time was undoubtedly related to that war.

—The Sino-Vietnamese War.

That war took place in February 1979, the month after today.

It was the largest foreign war since the founding of the People's Republic of China, apart from the Korean War.

The number of military and civilian casualties is in the tens of thousands.

"Let's go to Yunnan!"

"You didn't expect this, did you? I didn't even expect it myself! They're recruiting from so far away, what a rare opportunity!"

"I've never even left our province."

"The scenery over there is amazing! I heard there are elephants too. I'll definitely explore it properly after the mission is over before I come back..."

........

Ding Jiahe spoke excitedly to herself, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Ye Wenxi stared at her blankly, her eyes filled with astonishment and shock.

She was shocked that things had turned out this way.

Shocked... Why was it Ding Jiahe who was sent to such a far and dangerous place?

An absurd yet chilling thought suddenly flashed into her mind—

"Does someone really have to fill in the 'ending' for the 'supporting female character'?"

"Because I took the original 'position,' someone else has to replace me??"

Ye Wenxi was so shocked by this terrifying conjecture that her fingers trembled and her lips shook uncontrollably.

What's wrong with you?

Ding Jiahe watched as her face gradually paled, her expression clearly indicating something was wrong.

"I...I..." Ye Wenxi's lips trembled, and she could barely speak.

"Didn't you eat lunch?" Ding Jiahe frowned. "Are you experiencing low blood sugar?"

Do you have any candy at home?

She turned around, rummaged through the cabinet, found a few fruit candies, peeled one open, and stuffed it directly into Ye Wenxi's mouth.

"Come on, lie down for a while."

Ding Jiahe helped Ye Wenxi up and led her towards the bedroom.

"What's Lu Weidong's office phone number? I'll have him come back to keep you company. I still need to go to the clinic in a bit."

Ye Wenxi was stunned and subconsciously recited a string of numbers.

Ding Jiahe turned around and walked towards the telephone in the living room.

Ye Wenxi grabbed her arm, his fingers clenching tightly.

"etc!"

"Huh?" Ding Jiahe turned around, her eyes filled with confusion.

"No rush, please have a seat."

Ye Wenxi pressed her back to the edge of the bed, her own breathing still a little erratic. After steadying herself, she asked:

"Do you know exactly what mission you're going to carry out?"

Ding Jiahe shook her head, her expression becoming more serious: "I can't say the specifics. We military doctors also have confidentiality rules, which means we have to follow the team."

"However, border missions are probably similar to our usual ones here, involving small-scale conflicts and treating the wounded."

After saying that, she got up to make a phone call.

Ye Wenxi grabbed her wrist again, this time with even more force.

"Could you... not go?"

Ye Wenxi stopped mid-sentence as soon as the words left her mouth, her eyes filled with a panic that she herself couldn't quite comprehend.

"Huh? Why?" Ding Jiahe was completely stunned, her brows furrowing slightly.

"I have a lot of space in the back pages, and I need to take photos and promote them frequently."

Ye Wenxi spoke faster, as if she were looking for an excuse.

"If you leave, who will I turn to?"

"Uh..." Ding Jiahe was both amused and exasperated by this reason.

"But the list has already been submitted. If we say we're not going now, that's desertion, and we'll be punished."

"Then, could you find someone to replace you? Or...."

At this point, Ding Jiahe's expression changed from confusion to bewilderment. She looked at Ye Wenxi as if she didn't recognize her.

Ye Wenxi realized he had gone too far and quickly tried to make amends, lowering his voice and speaking earnestly:

"I'm just worried about your safety. Look at Lu Weidong, he was shot last time, it was terrifying. I don't want you to..."

As Ding Jiahe listened, the confusion on her face slowly faded, her lips curved into a smile, and her eyes softened.

She hadn't expected Ye Wenxi to be so worried about her, and her heart warmed. She reached out and patted the back of Ye Wenxi's hand.

"Don't worry, we're different from those who rush to the front lines." Her tone was relaxed, with a reassuring smile.

"We are at a rear medical post, so these minor border skirmishes are perfectly safe for military doctors."

"It's not that dangerous."

Ye Wenxi was anxious, but the words stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say a word.

She wanted to tell Ding Jiahe that it wasn't like that.

It was not a minor skirmish, nor a conflict involving only a few dozen soldiers.

It was an operation involving hundreds of thousands of troops.

There will be tens of thousands of casualties!

Ye Wenxi was so anxious that her face turned pale, her eyes uncontrollably reddened, and her nose felt extremely sore.

But she couldn't say it; she couldn't utter a single word.

Why are you crying?

Ding Jiahe looked at her reddened eyes and her heart softened. She reached out and hugged her.

"Oh..." Ding Jiahe's voice softened, with a hint of a joke.

"No wonder she could tame someone like Lu Weidong so easily. She usually acts like an iron lady, but when it comes to people she's close to, she softens like this. Who could resist that?"

She patted Ye Wenxi on the back, trying to lighten the mood with a relaxed tone, so that she wouldn't think of something that hadn't even happened yet as something scary.

"I'll call your Lu Weidong back to coax you."

"Hey..." Ye Wenxi couldn't stop her this time.

Then I heard the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey? Lu Weidong? This is Ding Jiahe. Come back now if you have time..."

Ye Wenxi's mind was in turmoil, constantly thinking about how to keep Ding Jiahe here.

Should we look for Wang Hao? Or Lu Weidong? Or even... go directly to Deputy Commander Zhou Qiwen?

After thinking about it, none of the solutions seemed to hold water.

How should she explain this?

Does she "know" about the horrors of that war?

Does she "foresee" how dangerous Ding Jiahe's trip will be?

Otherwise, how could they possibly keep Ding Jiahe?

Less than ten minutes after the call ended, Lu Weidong rushed back, his forehead still damp with sweat, probably from running all the way.

He went straight to the bedroom as soon as he entered the door, his steps hurried and heavy.

"Wenxi? Are you feeling unwell?" He squatted down by the bed and placed his hand on her forehead.

"What's wrong with her?" Lu Weidong turned to look at Ding Jiahe, his brows furrowed.

"Aren't you a doctor? Didn't you realize?"

Ding Jiahe was so angry she choked, and glared at him: "......."

"She's fine. She just seems... a little worried about me."

Lu Weidong: "...Huh?"

Ye Wenxi took a deep breath and looked up at Lu Weidong.

"I'm fine. I just had a bit of low blood sugar, but I ate a candy and I'm fine now."

She was about to get down from the ground when she said that.

Lu Weidong reached out to help her, but she gently pushed him away.

"Are you really alright?" Lu Weidong's gaze was still fixed on her face.

"It's really nothing." Ye Wenxi forced a smile, then turned to Ding Jiahe, "Thank you, Jiahe."

"Don't be so polite with me," Ding Jiahe waved her hand. "I'll be going now, I still have to go to the clinic."

"Okay, see you the day after tomorrow!" Ye Wenxi nodded.

Ding Jiahe glanced at her again, making sure her complexion had improved, before turning and leaving.

Ye Wenxi closed the door, her smile vanished instantly, her brows furrowed, and she exuded anxiety and dejection.

Lu Weidong then took off his coat, hung it up, and turned to walk to her side.

Before she could react, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her straight into the house.

"Hey? What are you doing?"

Ye Wenxi was startled by his sudden movement and swung her leg.

"Put me down, I'm not in the mood right now!"

She thought he was thinking about that again.

Lu Weidong didn't let go. He carried her to the bedside, sat down, placed her on his lap, and loosely wrapped his arms around her.

He lowered his head, his voice low and slightly hoarse, almost coaxing:

"What's on the mind of Lady White Snake?"

"Can you tell Xu Xian about it?"