An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 318 That's not his...

On the way back to camp, Zhang Yong was still somewhat in a daze. Tonight's operation was a perfect example of "waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump." The entire operation was executed with speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, and it went so smoothly that it was almost unbelievable—they not only successfully apprehended a large-scale cross-border arms smuggling gang, with not a single criminal member escaping, but the entire platoon involved was also completely unharmed.

My emotions were on a rollercoaster that night. At first, I was completely bewildered, wondering what their battalion commander was up to. Why did he suddenly lead them to the barren slopes on the border? They lay in the grass for hours, but the distant mountains were so quiet that they didn't even see a passing rabbit.

Zhang Yong even began to believe Zhong Heng's fabricated fallacy—the battalion commander might have been beaten by a new recruit that afternoon and felt he had lost face, so he came up with this way to torment people and dampen their spirits to relieve his inner frustration.

But who could have imagined that it would end with such a brilliant victory? Now all that remains is amazement, marveling at how magical this night has truly been.

Zhang Yong nudged the arm of the person next to him and said in a low voice, "I told you, our battalion commander isn't the kind of person who can't distinguish between public and private matters. Since he ordered us to lie in ambush there, it must be something important."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Heng's lips curled into a silent chuckle, but he made no comment. He had made up stories, but in reality, he hadn't believed them at all. He was simply baffled by the battalion commander's illogical actions that evening, which made absolutely no sense, so he came up with this nonsensical excuse. After all, tonight's operation didn't seem premeditated at all; it appeared to be a spur-of-the-moment decision, full of strangeness.

But Zhong Heng couldn't figure out the mystery no matter how hard he tried. The only plausible explanation was this: their battalion commander's tactical deployment skills were beyond comprehension, far beyond what ordinary people like him could fathom!

With this in mind, Zhong Heng felt relieved and stopped worrying about the so-called doubts. He was filled with genuine admiration and almost prostrated himself in respect.

The group descended the gentle mountain slope, the moonlight casting long shadows on each person. The lights of the camp were already faintly visible in the distance. Zhang Yong gazed at the tall, straight back of the man in front of him and couldn't help but whisper to Zhong Heng, "How did our battalion commander know that someone would pass by there tonight? It's like he predicted it."

Zhong Heng remained silent, only shaking his head quietly. How could he possibly know? He only knew that their already omnipotent battalion commander, after waking up in the afternoon, although he couldn't remember the date or year, had become even more skilled in battle than before.

...

After Huo Qingshan led his team back to camp, it was already late at night. Without taking a moment's rest, he immediately threw himself into the overall planning and deployment. First, he handed the criminals over to the First Company for custody, demanding a strict body search and confiscation of dangerous items, while arranging for soldiers to take turns on 24-hour shifts. Next, he instructed the Second Platoon to count the seized weapons and ammunition, verify their models, quantities, and markings, register them, and store them in the armory, where they would be guarded and handed over by designated personnel.

After all the basic arrangements were made, he went straight to the office area. While coordinating with several company commanders to finalize the detailed division of labor for the preliminary review process, he urged the communications soldiers to compile action briefings, send urgent telegrams to the regimental headquarters to report the situation and request instructions on subsequent handover matters. He was busy going back and forth between the offices, barely having time to breathe.

During a break from his busy work, Huo Qingshan walked to the middle of the corridor and noticed that the door to the duty room was slightly ajar. A single incandescent light bulb illuminated the room, and the clerk, Xiao Shang, was busy organizing the evening's action log. Huo Qingshan paused, remembering that Xiao Li had gone to the train station to pick someone up that afternoon, and then raised his hand to knock on the door frame.

"Battalion Commander!" Xiao Shang looked up and saw it was him, and immediately stood at attention.

Huo Qingshan pushed open the door and walked into the duty room, his tone calm and composed, revealing no extra emotion: "Xiao Shang, have the arrangements been made for the translator that Xiao Li was asked to pick up at the train station this afternoon?"

"Everything is arranged, Battalion Commander." Xiao Shang replied quickly: "After Xiao Li picked her up and brought her back to the camp around 6 p.m., I took her to the dormitory building. There are few female comrades in our area, and the four-person dormitories are full, so I arranged a separate room for her. She was also provided with bedding, a thermos, an enamel cup, and other living supplies, all according to the camp's standards."

Huo Qingshan nodded slightly, tapped his fingertips lightly on the edge of the table twice, and asked another question. His tone was still official and polite, but with a hint of subtlety: "How did things go after she arrived? It's her first time here, is she feeling alright?"

"When I took Comrade Meng to her dormitory, I chatted with her for a few minutes on the way, and I could tell that she was indeed tired from the journey," Xiao Zhang recalled. "She herself said that she was very carsick on the way, and her complexion was not good. She looked quite uncomfortable."

After arriving at the dormitory and putting down her luggage, she said she wanted to rest for a while. Not wanting to disturb her, I briefly told her the location of the washroom and meal times, then left. I haven't seen her come downstairs since.

Huo Qingshan frowned almost imperceptibly, paused for two seconds, and then asked in a steady tone, "Didn't she go to the cafeteria for dinner tonight?"

“I didn’t go,” Xiao Shang shook his head and added, “I figured she had been on the train for so long and then transferred to a bus. The mountain roads were bumpy, so she must have been exhausted. Plus, she was carsick and had no appetite, so I didn’t bother to call her.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Qingshan unconsciously clenched his fists, then quickly regained his composure. He instructed Xiao Shang, "Go to the cafeteria now and have the cook heat up a light porridge, along with two side dishes, pack it up, and deliver it to her dormitory. Go in person, and if there's no answer when you knock, knock a couple more times. Come back only after you've confirmed that she's alright."

"Yes, Battalion Commander!" Xiao Shang responded, immediately putting down the booklet in his hand and turning to walk quickly towards the canteen.

Huo Qingshan stood at the door of the duty room, his gaze sweeping over the still busy figures in the office area, then subconsciously glancing towards the dormitory area. In the deep darkness of the night, most of the windows of that dormitory building were dark, with only a few lights shining like stars in the night. He didn't linger any longer, quickly withdrawing his gaze and walking downstairs to the interrogation room.

...

Huo Qingshan finished the crucial interrogation of the smuggling case at 2 a.m.

As soon as he stepped out of the interrogation room, the communications soldier rushed up to him, his expression urgent. "Battalion Commander," he said urgently, "Director Qi from the medical office left an urgent message before he left—the translator we brought in this afternoon suddenly fell ill. When the clerk found him in his dormitory at 11 p.m., he was not only unconscious but also having difficulty breathing. Director Qi's preliminary diagnosis was acute myocarditis. His condition is critical, and he arranged for a car to take him to the city hospital for emergency treatment at midnight. He went with him personally and instructed us to make sure you know as soon as you're done with your work."

Upon hearing this, Huo Qingshan's heart sank. The concern he had suppressed just hours earlier surged up instantly, washing away all the fatigue accumulated from the interrogation. He immediately instructed his advisor, "You will be in charge of organizing and supplementing the initial interrogation records. Contact me immediately in case of any emergency." Before he finished speaking, he was already in motion, disappearing into the corridor outside the interrogation room in the blink of an eye.

The border roads were bumpy and difficult to navigate at night, and the tires screeched violently against the gravel, but this did not slow the car down in the slightest. The headlights pierced the thick darkness, and Huo Qingshan gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. The man's lips were pressed together, and his gaze was like a torch piercing through the night ahead, as if he wanted to see the entire long journey to its end.

When Huo Qingshan arrived at the city hospital, it was still dark. He went straight to the emergency room and, in the cold white light of the corridor, spotted Director Qi of the medical office sitting on a plastic bench waiting for him.

He strode over to her, his voice still catching his breath: "How is she?" His tone betrayed his anxiety.

Upon hearing the sound, Director Qi stood up, but before he could even stand up straight, the man opposite him grabbed his arm with such force that it was almost a tug, pulling him forward and nearly causing him to lose his balance.

Huo Qingshan immediately realized his lapse in composure, quickly took half a step back, and released his grip. Director Qi paused for a moment before speaking, "Fortunately, they were brought in in time. The translator is out of danger. He is currently under observation in the intensive care unit. His heart rate and blood pressure have stabilized, and he is out of immediate danger."

Huo Qingshan's anxiety eased slightly, but he immediately pressed for an answer: "How could this happen so suddenly? Are you sure it's myocarditis?"

"The specific cause still needs to be determined through further examination. Based on the current situation, it is most likely the result of a combination of factors," Director Qi said solemnly and carefully. "When she first arrived in the border area, where the altitude is generally high, the high-altitude environment is prone to triggering stress reactions in the body. In addition, the long journey took a toll on her body, and her immunity fluctuated to some extent. I later asked the clerk, and she mentioned dizziness and weakness when she first arrived at the camp. It is possible that she had a mild cold or flu before departure, but she didn't take it seriously."

These factors combined to trigger acute myocarditis. By the time the patient arrived at the hospital, they were already showing clear symptoms of cardiogenic shock. The situation was extremely dangerous; if they had been discovered even half an hour later, it's questionable whether they could have been saved.

Huo Qingshan nodded silently, a lingering fear flashing across his eyes, mixed with a hint of confusion, his taut facial lines never relaxing.

Seeing this, Director Qi added, "Don't worry too much. We will monitor you closely. If there are no relapses in a few hours, you should be able to be transferred to a regular ward. Just rest well for a while. Generally speaking, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Huo Qingshan didn't say anything more. He walked to the bench outside the intensive care unit and sat down. His eyes were fixed on the closed door, and his eyes, which hadn't rested all night, were covered with dense red blood vessels.

...

Around noon, Meng Youyou's condition stabilized, and she was transferred to a regular ward. When she was wheeled out of the intensive care unit, she was still asleep, her eyelashes drooping peacefully. The nurse told Huo Qingshan that she had woken up once in the morning and seemed to be in good spirits, but had fallen asleep again, and that he shouldn't disturb her.

Huo Qingshan turned and went downstairs, bought a bowl of pork rib soup and brought it up. She loved pork rib soup the most, but she had a strict and stubborn preference for the ingredients that went with it—pork ribs stewed with yam was the king, its priority crushing all others, followed by stewed lotus root. However, it also depended on whether the lotus root was soft or crisp; if it was soft and crisp, it could be second place, but if not, it would have to give way to stewed corn.

Half an hour earlier, Huo Qingshan sat in a restaurant near the hospital, carefully recalling the corresponding number of each name on the soup menu. At the end of August, yams and lotus roots were not in season, so the restaurant didn't offer them; Huo Qingshan had to order pork rib and corn soup instead.

Carrying the warm soup bowl back to the third floor, the man walked to the corresponding ward door and was about to push it open when he suddenly remembered something. He stopped and then knocked on the door. To his surprise, he actually received a response from inside: "Come in."

A soft female voice, slightly weak. So, she's already awake?
For some reason, at this moment, Huo Qingshan, standing at the door of the ward, inexplicably felt a tension and an indescribable sense of unease he had never experienced before, even feeling somewhat at a loss. Countless words he wanted to say to her flooded his mind, but he immediately rejected them all, leaving his mind blank and empty.

He mentally prepared himself—at this point, Youyou probably didn't know him yet; they were just strangers to each other at this stage.

From her perspective, this would be their first meeting. Therefore, he couldn't be too abrupt or intimate, as that would seem presumptuous and strange. He wanted to leave her with a good first impression.

In their previous life, their first meeting was far from harmonious, let alone pleasant. The two didn't get along, and they couldn't find common ground. They felt it was too much to even exchange half a sentence with each other. She didn't care to talk to him because she genuinely disliked him, while he deliberately treated her coldly simply because he had fallen for her too early, which was beyond his expectations.

As a result, when Huo Qingshan tried hard to recall the past, he was surprised to realize that they hadn't even exchanged a few proper words in the first half month after they met!
But if he were given some authority to change certain things, Huo Qingshan might not choose that part. After all, they ultimately fell in love, didn't they?

However, everything is now overturned and starting anew, and the beginning of the story is completely different—he has already wiped out the smuggling gang, she wasn't kidnapped by criminals at the checkpoint, and he hasn't punished Zhang Yong. At this moment, they stand at two completely different starting points, about to meet again. What truly bewilders Huo Qingshan is his uncertainty: will she still fall in love with him again?

Huo Qingshan straightened his clothes, dusted off non-existent wrinkles at the hem of his shirt, and then placed his hand back on the doorknob.

The door opened, and after taking a few steps inside, the girl lying on the hospital bed slowly turned her face to the side, her lips slightly raised, and gave him a polite smile that was gentle and friendly, yet dignified and aloof.

Such a familiar face, such a beautiful smile, Huo Qingshan stared at it, stared at it... his eyes gradually dimmed until they lost all color.

"You are... Battalion Commander Huo Qingshan?" the girl asked first.

After a long pause, Huo Qingshan regained his senses and voice: "You know me?"

“I’ve met you once before, but you probably didn’t see me that time.” After a brief silence of less than a second, the girl added, “At Commissar Huo’s house, you were downstairs and I was upstairs.”

She was clever and knew her place. Perhaps afraid that he would feel uncomfortable, she did not specify their relationship and addressed him as her uncle, but rather by his title.

"Yes, I am Huo Qingshan. I am currently serving in the 624th Regiment. You were admitted to the hospital on your very first day in the unit. I am here to visit you on behalf of the army."

"Thank you."

Huo Qingshan nodded slightly and said, "Get some rest. I'm leaving now. There are still things to take care of in the team. Xiao Li will stay at the hospital. Call him if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

The man had only been inside for less than two minutes when he announced his departure, which surprised Meng Youyou. However, she didn't show any sign of it and simply said, "Okay, thank you for your trouble."

She stared at the man's retreating figure, unable to articulate a specific reason why. Meng Youyou almost inexplicably sensed that as he entered the room and looked at her, the instant their eyes met, her entire being seemed to suffer a devastating shock. Although she didn't know the reason, her intuition led her to categorize this shock as an instinctive reflex when one suddenly receives devastating news.

The man's knuckles gripped the iron doorknob and pressed down, and with a soft "click," the door closed.

The door separated the two people inside and outside the ward, and along with it, it also severed all of Huo Qingshan's thoughts.

That... isn't his Yoyo.