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

A month ago, the military region held a New Year's dance party.

Soothing music flowed gently.

After Ye Wenxi and Lu Weidong left, only the two of them remained in the venue. Ding Jiahe felt extremely awkward and deliberately sat in a chair one seat away from Wang Hao.

She placed both hands on her lap, her index fingers nervously fidgeting rapidly.

Wang Hao seized the opportunity and quickly moved to the chair next to Ding Jiahe.

His movements were so swift and loud that even his aura seemed to surge forward as he lunged at Ding Jiahe.

Ding Jiahe's face turned even redder.

"Xiao Ding, let's start with the next song," Wang Hao said, tilting his head and smiling at her.

"I...I'm not very familiar with it yet," Ding Jiahe muttered softly.

"It's alright, I'll take you with me."

"Okay...okay then." Ding Jiahe lowered her head.

As the first piece ended, the prelude to the next piece of music began to play in the hall.

Wang Hao stood up, straightened his suit, and walked up to Ding Jiahe, standing almost touching her.

"Dr. Ding Jiahe, may I ask you to dance?" he asked with a smile, his small tiger teeth peeking out.

"You...you move back a little. You're standing so close, I can't even stand up." Ding Jiahe lowered her head and pushed him back.

"Oh, oh, oh..."

Wang Hao, like an obedient soldier, took two steps back, adjusted his posture, and stood at attention.

Seeing his serious expression, Ding Jiahe burst out laughing, and her tension subsided considerably.

She stood up, took a deep breath, smiled, but didn't move; she just looked at him.

Wang Hao was taken aback for a moment, then he broke into a smile, revealing his little tiger teeth.

He extended his right hand to her, palm facing upwards and slightly raised, a standard gesture of invitation.

Ding Jiahe lowered her head and looked at the hand. The knuckles were distinct, and the fingertips were calloused. It was a hand that was used to holding a gun.

She looked up, met his gaze, and gently placed her right hand on his.

His fingertips naturally rested on her palm.

He took her hand.

-----------------

At this time, Yunnan and Vietnam are at their border.

Wang Hao was still kneeling on the ground, head down, shoulders trembling slightly.

He clutched the photo tightly in his hand, as if he were holding onto something he couldn't afford to lose.

The search team leader walked over and stood next to him for two seconds.

"Wang Hao, is this your lover?"

Looking at the photo, the captain thought it was a newlywed couple.

Wang Hao lowered his head, looking at that familiar smiling face, that vivid image that appeared in his dreams every day.

He then clutched the photo tightly, as if speaking through his very soul:

"Yes, she is my 'lover'."

The captain understood; Wang Hao had traveled a thousand miles to find his wife—he was a true man.

The captain crouched down to examine the traces in the vicinity, then looked up and scanned the surrounding terrain.

"These marks must have been from half a day ago."

He stood up and patted Wang Hao on the shoulder reassuringly.

"Don't worry, we'll find her together."

"Hmm," Wang Hao stood up.

Then he took a deep breath, carefully folded the photo, put it in the innermost pocket of his chest, and patted it down.

The captain glanced at him, then pointed in several directions:

"Now we'll split into groups to search. Group one will follow the stream on the east side, group two will head towards the southwest highlands, and group three will follow me along the middle line."

He paused, his gaze falling on Wang Hao:

"Wang Hao, you lead one team towards the stream on the east side. The vegetation there is dense, so keep in groups of three and take turns searching. Report any traces you find immediately."

"Based on the current traces, she is most likely within a dense forest area of ​​about 20 kilometers."

"However, there are several enemy ambush sites there, so we need to be extra careful."

Wang Hao's heart sank: "Yes!"

Ding Jiahe is right here.

In some corner of this dense forest, on land where enemies might be hiding.

Within these twenty kilometers, where life and death are uncertain.

Wang Hao gripped the gun tightly in his hand, the photo on his chest pressed against his heart, burning like a branding iron.

His eyes changed.

"Walk."

There is only one word.

The usually jovial Wang Hao, who could amuse everyone with his little tiger teeth, had vanished.

There was only one soldier in front of him.

Wang Hao's aura revealed a resolute and fierce determination.

His eyes burned with fury, and his silence spoke volumes—he had to bring her back today.

He turned and strode into the depths of the dense forest.

-----------------

Deep in the dense forest, at the foot of a secluded hillside.

Ding Jiahe had no idea how long she had been walking.

She seemed to be using sheer willpower to keep herself from collapsing; every step felt like walking on a knife's edge, causing her to tremble with pain.

She wants to go home...

This thought was like a thread, pulling her tightly, preventing her from falling.

This one sentence keeps repeating in my mind:

Go home, go home, I want to go home...

Suddenly, his foot was tripped by a withered vine.

Her center of gravity suddenly shifted, and before she could react, she lost control and tumbled down the hillside.

On the steep hillside, she rolled in the darkness, branches scraping against her face, arms, and back, leaving streaks of blood.

It rolled for an unknown amount of time before finally stopping.

Every part of my body aches; my knees, shoulders, and ribs are screaming in pain.

She gritted her teeth, trying to get up, but her hands, which were braced against the ground, were as limp as two noodles, and she had no strength left.

"Oh..."

Ding Jiahe leaned against a rock, tilting her head back to look at the sky above, which was completely obscured by the leaves.

"I wish I hadn't signed up..."

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a self-deprecating smile.

But the moment those words left my mouth, a whole host of faces suddenly flashed through my mind.

"Thank you, Dr. Ding."

"Dr. Ding, thank you for saving my life."

"Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Ding..."

...

"Heh...not a loss after all..."

She looked up at the sky with a resigned expression.

A sliver of light peeked through the dense, impenetrable leaves.

She stared at the lights, trying to find a similarity in this small patch of sky to the sky over that land.

She wanted to see it one last time before she died.

It's good to take one last look at the same sky as my hometown.

Ding Jiahe gazed at that sliver of light and slowly closed her eyes.

Her consciousness began to blur, as if something was slowly drawing it away from her.

One last thought floated out:

"If only I could have retrieved that photo..."

The wind blew through the dense forest, rustling the leaves.

Darkness, the moment it was about to engulf her.

"Ding Jiahe!!"

A hoarse voice pierced the silence of the dense forest.

Wang Hao and his team were searching at the bottom of the hillside when they suddenly heard the sound of something rolling down in front of them.

The next second, Wang Hao pounced and ran in that direction.

"Ding Jiahe?!"

With another shout, Wang Hao practically screamed the name from his throat.

"So similar..."

Ding Jiahe's consciousness was gently awakened by this shout.

In her dazed state, she seemed to hear that person's voice.

"My recurring image is of him..."

She thought the voice was a hallucination she had before she died.

My consciousness was floating, like drifting on water, but the sound kept ringing out, one after another, getting closer and closer.

She opened her mouth slightly and murmured in an almost inaudible voice:

"Wang Hao...call me again..."

"Ding Jiahe—!!!"

Wang Hao's shouts echoed almost throughout the entire dense forest.