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

"Are you... are you Zhang Jiyong's son?" Ding Jiahe's voice trembled.

The little boy heard that familiar name, and it stung his young nerves like a needle.

Having bottled up her grievances for so long, large tears streamed down her face.

"Do you know his father?" Zhang Yunxia asked softly.

"His father was the captain of our guerrilla unit. He died in front of me. I... I couldn't save him."

Ding Jiahe couldn't continue speaking; she lowered her head, her shoulders trembling violently.

This sentence plunged the entire ward into a deathly silence.

Zhang Yunxia pulled Zhang Xiangyang aside and gently wiped away his tears and snot with a warm towel.

"Xiangyang, your father is a great hero!"

"We will all remember your father."

"From now on... all the uncles in military uniforms will be your fathers, and all military wives will be your mothers."

Zhang Yunxia suppressed her tears and gently wiped Zhang Xiangyang's face.

Zhang Xiangyang's lips trembled as he suddenly called out softly to Zhang Yunxia:

"Mother."

Zhang Yunxia felt as if she had been struck by lightning, her heart breaking with pain.

She scooped up little Zhang Xiangyang and held him close, gently patting his head repeatedly.

But this hug at least lets him know.

There are still people willing to take him on.

Zhang Yunxia closed her eyes, not wanting him to see her tears.

I don't know whether making this child call her "Mom" is comforting or even more cruel.

Zhang Yunxia played with candy for Zhang Xiangyang, making it appear in his left hand one moment and his right hand the next, like magic.

A smile gradually appeared on the child's innocent face, and he chuckled.

"Hello comrade, thank you for your hard work."

An older nurse knocked on the door and went straight to Zhang Yunxia's side.

"We understand the situation. This child just sneaked out of the logistics break room."

"We've already contacted the right person and are ready to send him there."

"Where should we send it?" Zhang Yunxia asked anxiously.

The nurse glanced down at Zhang Xiangyang.

"Come on, comrade, let's go outside and talk."

The group retreated to a quiet corner of the corridor, where the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

"This child's mother passed away early, and he has been living with his grandmother in Northeast China ever since."

"A few days ago, the military's notice of martyrdom was delivered to my hometown. When the old lady heard that her son was gone, she collapsed on the spot."

"The township and the armed forces department all advised her not to run around. But she wouldn't listen to anyone, saying she wanted to see her son one last time."

"As a result... he was so anxious that he died as soon as he arrived..."

The nurse didn't say the second half of her sentence, but the two of them already guessed the outcome.

"This child has no relatives now."

After hearing this, Ye Wenxi and Zhang Yunxia felt as if a stone was pressing on their hearts, making it hard to breathe.

"Comrade, thank you for your hard work. We have to take him now," the older nurse said softly, nodding to the two of them.

The two were still reeling from the heavy, suffocating news.

The nurse led Zhang Xiangyang out of the door.

"Hey? Wait a minute!" Zhang Yunxia called out to them instinctively.

But she didn't know why she had called them over.

They just kept stuffing candies and pastries into the bag until it was so bulging that the child couldn't possibly carry it, and then they stopped.

"Xiangyang, take this."

"When I miss my dad and grandma, I eat a piece, oh~."

Zhang Yunxia squatted down and stuffed the things into Zhang Xiangyang's arms.

"Let's go." The nurse led the child outside.

Evening, hospital cafeteria.

The dim light illuminated a few empty tables and chairs; there were hardly any people at the food service window.

Ye Wenxi and Zhang Yunxia sat facing each other, with two meals in front of them, but neither of them touched them much.

No one spoke.

He placed his chopsticks on the edge of the bowl, picked up a bite, put it in his mouth, and sighed.

Ye Wenxi looked out the window at the gradually darkening sky, recalling everything she had seen that day.

Those wounded soldiers, their black-and-white portraits, Ding Jiahe who can no longer hold a scalpel, and Zhang Xiangyang who just disappeared around the corner of the corridor and will never have any relatives again.

The closer she got to the battlefield, the closer she got to the people and things there, the more she realized how carefree she had been before.

Those days of the 21st century are too far away, as far as a dream.

Even in Northeast China now, there's that clothing company where she's busy every day.

There is a home there, a place with Lu Weidong, laughter, and the sound of sewing machines; it is also more like another world than this.

She was so lucky that she almost forgot what the world was originally like.

This is a world where hell and heaven coexist.

Some people live in hell, while others live in the sunlight.

Some died with their eyes still open.

Some people live, but choose to close their eyes and pretend they haven't seen anything.

Ye Wenxi's heart suddenly trembled with pain, and her understanding and beliefs were gradually shattered.

Some ideas that had never existed before emerged from the cracks, took root, and sprouted.

After returning to the guesthouse, Ye Wenxi went to the public bathhouse with Zhang Yunxia.

Perhaps because she was feeling depressed and didn't care about being shy, she wasn't so awkward anymore.

After they finished showering, they returned to their respective rooms.

They happened to run into Lu Weidong, who was returning.

"You're back. Have you eaten?" Ye Wenxi asked softly, her voice weak and listless.

"What's wrong? Are their injuries not healing well?"

Lu Weidong keenly noticed Ye Wenxi's depressed state.

She didn't say anything, but walked up to him, hugged Lu Weidong, and buried her face in his neck.

Feeling the warmth of Lu Weidong's arms and smelling his unique, comforting scent.

That night, Ye Wenxi lay in Lu Weidong's arms, recounting what she had seen and heard at the hospital that day.

Exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she fell into a deep sleep in his arms.

The next day, Ye Wenxi and Zhang Yunxia did not go to the hospital immediately.

Lu Weidong said he would go to the Yunnan Military Region office building for a meeting first, and then come back to pick them up and go see Wang Hao and the others together.

The front desk of the guesthouse after breakfast.

"Sorry, comrade, I need to play for a little longer. Just pay the normal rate."

"It's alright, comrade, go ahead and make the call. We don't usually make many calls here; most of the calls are outbound." The friendly staff member waved his hand.

Ye Wenxi has been using the phone at the guesthouse reception for almost an hour.

She first called the warehouse and left them the guesthouse's phone number.

Then I called the school and the Light Industry Bureau respectively.

This means that next month's schedule will be more than half a month from now.

The other party was very understanding. Ye Wenxi proactively inquired about the current needs, and the remote team could continue to follow up to ensure the design work continued uninterrupted.

"As for the design requirements, Lao Li is currently compiling them. You can ask him about it in a bit."

This is how the Light Industry Bureau responded.

Ever since Li Yuejin was assigned a position in the Light Industry Bureau, he's been the go-to person for all sorts of liaison work.

So Ye Wenxi flipped through the numbers again and dialed Li Yuejin's office phone.

She explained her current situation to him and promised that it would not affect the design and that the work could be handled remotely.

The two chatted about their recent situations, exchanged a few pleasantries, and talked for about two minutes.

"By the way, Comrade Ye, we've already calculated the profit sharing for the previous batches of products."

"These products aren't as popular as the New Year's pastry gift boxes because there are fewer orders from companies and groups; it's mainly retail."

Li Yuejin explained carefully, clarifying the source and structure of the revenue distribution item by item, giving Ye Wenxi a heads-up in advance.

"I understand. We have procedures and accounts in place, so I'm confident there won't be any mistakes."

"Five items, totaling 13520 yuan. I'll have the finance department transfer it to you in a bit."

Ye Wenxi paused for two seconds.

I took a deep breath.

"Okay, thank you, Director Li," Ye Wen replied calmly.

But inside, she was screaming: Holy crap! I'm a millionaire now!