extra ko-fi chapter for M.🌻 
thank you so much for your support! ❤️
“Still no word from the A39 medical team?”
“Not yet,” Song Yuke took off his headphones, “They should have entered an area without a signal.”
Lu Heyang frowned, “Notify me immediately if there are any developments.”
“Understood.”
As for why Lu Heyang was so concerned about a medical team in the western war zone, Song Yuke roughly knew the reason—Xu Ze was on that team. As far as Song Yuke knew, Xu Ze had initially worked at the central hospital in the war zone, which was a relatively safe area. However, as the situation worsened, Xu Ze volunteered to go to the frontline.
After less than a week at the front, the field hospital was turned into ruins after an airstrike at about eight the night before yesterday. The A39 medical team, where Xu Ze was, lost its signal on the military map. This morning major news channels began reporting on the disappearance. Almost all of them mentioned the young doctor who had recently been awarded the “Future Doctor” award.
Just as Lu Heyang left the command room, his phone rang. It was a call from He Wei. Lu Heyang answered, but it was Chi Jiahan’s voice on the other end.
“Colonel,” Chi Jiahan’s voice carried a calm panic, “Do you have any news about Xu Ze?”
“Not yet.”
After a brief silence, Chi Jiahan said, “Xu Ze voluntarily signed the consent form for the medical first aid unit a few years ago. If there is a shortage of medical resources in the war zone, he is one of the first to offer assistance.”
“I always felt that he had a mindset of ‘I’ll continue living, but dying the next minute doesn’t matter’. But now that you’re back, it might be different.” Chi Jiahan continued, “Please let me know as soon as you learn anything.”
“Okay,” Lu Heyang promised him.
Before hanging up, Lu Heyang heard He Wei repeatedly ask Chi Jiahan, “Anything new? Why not? What does that mean?”
After standing in place for a while, Lu Heyang turned on his communicator and dialed a call to Luo Jun.
“Heyang, what is it?”
“Commander, I’ll be submitting a transfer request to support the western war zone in ten minutes. Please sign it.”
“You just finished your reassessment not long ago. Are you itching to go again so soon?” Luo Jun clicked his tongue, “The situation in the western war zone is serious, but not so bad that it would be appropriate to send you, a colonel, for support.”
“I understand. I’ll go alone on a private mission. It won’t interfere with the combat arrangements of the western war zone.”
“I hear you. This trip is a must-go, right?” Luo Jun thought about it and said, “Handle it yourself. Make sure to arrange things at the base before you leave.”
“I’ll have a meeting right away to explain everything. Thank you, Commander.”
“Take care and stay safe.”
At 6 pm, Lu Heyang arrived at the western war zone command post, but he wasn’t alone—Song Yuke accompanied him.
Song Yuke rarely insisted on going with Lu Heyang, but this time he was deeply concerned about his superior’s condition. Since receiving the news of the medical team’s disappearance, Song Yuke had repeatedly told Lu Heyang that Xu Ze had lost contact for up to half a month during previous support missions. Unfortunately, Lu Heyang didn’t seem to be listening at all.
When Lu Heyang entered the command center, he kept his promise not to interfere with the combat arrangements of the western war zone. He only inquired about matters related to the A39 medical team—the exact location of their last known position and all hospitals within a 200-kilometer radius. Eventually, he narrowed down the search to areas where the signal had been severely disrupted.
The entire command room was in a state of “waiting for the Colonel to give operational advice”, but Lu Heyang left directly after learning of the situation. Song Yuke was a step behind and was pulled aside.
“Huh? Xiao Song, the Colonel just left like that?”
Song Yuke was in a hurry to catch up with Lu Heyang, so he could only give the official explanation, “The Colonel is not involved in the operation this time.”
“Then why rush all the way here overnight?”
“Mainly… for the A39 medical team.”
“Sending a colonel to find a medical team? Don’t joke with me!”
Song Yuke forced a smile, “I wish it were a joke.”
By the time he ran out of the command building, Lu Heyang was already in the driver’s seat of a military vehicle. There was no driver nor accompanying soldiers. Song Yuke asked, “How did they agree to let you drive alone?”
Lu Heyang started the car and replied, “Because I said I was just going to the cafeteria a hundred meters away.”
“And in reality?”
“To find a person.” Lu Heyang pulled up the map and marked a hospital in the nearest dead zone as his destination.
Driving on the battlefield without soldiers was more discreet and inconspicuous than flying a helicopter. Lu Heyang planned to inform the command post to send someone to pick them up after locating the medical team, thus minimizing the consumption of the war zone’s personnel and resources. Each of Lu Heyang’s decisions individually seemed rational and reasonable, but together they seemed utterly absurd to Song Yuke.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
In retrospect, this absurdity had been going on for a long time, starting last year when Lu Heyang had deliberately flunked the assessment.
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Song Yuke closed his mouth, opened the car door, and sat in the passenger seat. As Lu Heyang’s signal gradually disappeared from the map, he could already imagine how regretful Luo Jun would be for approving this request.
As night fell, the car drove into the silent darkness beyond the western war zone command post.
—
“Uncle Doctor, are the noodles for Grandma?” The little girl, only up to the alpha’s thigh, looked up and asked.
“I’ll give you a small bowl as well,” Xu Ze turned to the side to prevent the soup from splashing onto her.
“Thank you, Uncle!” Xiao He grabbed Xu Ze’s dirty white coat, “Uncle, why didn’t you sleep last night?”
“I had to stand guard. I would tell everyone if there was any danger.”
The previous night’s air raid occurred while the team was on its way to pick up the wounded. Just a few minutes after the medical vehicle left, several fighter jets soared overhead and dropped bombs. When they turned around, they saw black smoke billowing from the field hospital. They had to change direction and head for cover. The bombing didn’t stop, and the signals in the entire area were destroyed. The vehicle drove for almost half the night before finally reaching this small town.
Most of the residents had evacuated, leaving behind a desolate and empty town. Xu Ze and his team took some injured civilians they encountered along the way and entered the town’s hospital. They cleaned a few rooms and temporarily settled the wounded there.
The sound of a car came from downstairs. Xiao He looked out the window, although her height prevented her from seeing anything, “Did Uncle and Aunt come back?”
“They should have,” Xu Ze said.
It was hard to predict how long they would be cut off from the hospital. Over the past couple of days, colleagues had taken turns going out to gather supplies and set up signals.
After putting the noodles into a thermal lunch box and closing it, Xu Ze crouched down and asked Xiao He, “Do you want to be carried?”
For some reason, Xiao He was attached to him. She had already fallen once on the way upstairs and Xu Ze was worried that she would fall again on the way down.
Xiao He wrapped her arms around Xu Ze’s neck and he lifted her up with one hand. Xu Ze picked up the lunch box and turned to the kitchen door amidst Xiao He’s “Plane taking off woo woo woo” announcement. When he looked up, he suddenly saw an alpha standing at the door. The alpha was tall and his face was obscured by the backlight.
Even without seeing the face clearly, Xu Ze could recognize the person at a glance.
“A real pilot!” Xiao He excitedly pointed at the alpha in an Air Force combat uniform.
Xu Ze stood still with Xiao He in his arms until Lu Heyang walked up. Only then did he slowly come to his senses. He opened his mouth and called him, “Colonel”.
Lu Heyang looked at Xu Ze for a few seconds. He took the lunch box from his hand and said, “Let’s go.”
On the way to the hospital room, Xiao He lay on Xu Ze’s shoulder to look at Lu Heyang’s profile. Finally, she gathered the courage to ask him, “Uncle, did you fly an airplane here?”
“Flying a plane is too dangerous,” Lu Heyang said, “I walked here.”
Whether Xiao He believed it or not was uncertain, but Xu Ze believed it. He immediately asked, “Why?”
Lu Heyang raised his chin toward the military vehicle parked in front of the hospital building and turned to ask Xu Ze, “Can you really not see it?”
“…”
Xiao He’s grandmother had injured her leg during the evacuation and could only lie in bed to recuperate. Xu Ze helped her sit up on the bed and handed her a bowl and chopsticks. He also set up a small dining table for Xiao He by the bedside.
In the current situation, it was reassuring to see both a doctor and a soldier at the same time. Xiao He’s grandmother asked Lu Heyang, “Are you here to pick us up?”
“That’s right. We’ll move to the military district’s central hospital soon.”
Before leaving the hospital room, Xu Ze turned around. Xiao He’s grandmother held the bowl without moving her chopsticks, smiling as she watched Xiao He eat noodles. After a few bites, Xiao He stood up and whispered, “Grandma, Uncle Pilot said he walked, but I saw the car at the door.”
“Uncle must be joking with you.”
The windows at the end of the corridor were covered with a thick layer of dust and the sunlight shone in hazily. Xu Ze opened the window a little.
Ever since the night Xu Ze parted with Lu Heyang, he had often had doubts, wondering if Lu Heyang’s memory recovery was something he had invented in his dreams. Fortunately, there was proof—the gardenia in his bag, although it had eventually wilted.
Now it was even better, Xu Ze could get a reassuring answer just by looking into Lu Heyang’s eyes.
It was just that those eyes were noticeably bloodshot. Xu Ze stared at Lu Heyang’s face, observing the faint bluish-black under his eyes and the stubble on his chin—he seemed to have never seen Lu Heyang like this before.
The entire corridor was empty with no one else around. Xu Ze moved closer to Lu Heyang and reached out to touch his face, “Have things been too much lately?”
“I’ve only been doing one thing but it’s a bit challenging, so I haven’t rested well.”
“Is it settled?”
Lu Heyang hugged Xu Ze’s waist and lowered his head onto his shoulder, “Mn, it’s settled.”
Actually, Xu Ze wanted to ask Lu Heyang if he was sent to support the western war zone, why he didn’t bring any soldiers, how he knew he was here… But Lu Heyang looked exhausted, so Xu Ze didn’t ask more.
“Chi Jiahan said that you signed the consent form for the medical first aid unit.”
“Mn, I signed it when I graduated,” Xu Ze guessed that Chi Jiahan must have contacted Lu Heyang out of concern for him. He added, “I was quite superstitious back then and thought that maybe Grandma would get better if I could save more people.”
Then he smiled lightly, “Although Grandma still passed away later.”
Lu Heyang raised his head to look at him.
Four years after the lung transplant, Ye Yunhua’s heart began to have problems. Huang Liling arranged for her to be transferred to the 195th Hospital for treatment. Two years later, just as Xu Ze was finishing his first year of master’s studies, Ye Yunhua passed away.
On the morning of her death, she was in surprisingly good spirits. She ate a lot, became talkative, and was waiting for Xu Ze’s visit. When Xu Ze arrived, Ye Yunhua grabbed his hand and said happily, “Yuanyuan is coming to take me away. I’m going to a good place.”
Xu Ze couldn’t describe his mood at that moment. He only knew that he must have given an unsightly smile. He asked Ye Yunhua, “Grandma, can I hug you?”
Without waiting for Ye Yunhua’s answer, Xu Ze gently hugged her. After more than a decade of suffering from the disease, Ye Yunhua had become very thin. Holding her in his arms felt like holding a bundle of protruding bones, like a withered old tree. She was no longer the grandmother from his childhood who could carry him for long distances.
She patted Xu Ze’s back, “Good kid, you’re a good kid. When our little boy grows up, he should be just like you.”
His grandmother had already forgotten him, but she still loved him. Xu Ze thought that even in her confused state of mind, his grandmother still cared for him, which was why she held on for so long.
Late that night, Ye Yunhua left peacefully.
From the time Xu Ze received the news of Ye Yunhua’s death to the completion of her funeral, he went about his business as usual. There were no heart-wrenching sobs, no restless nights, or loss of appetite; he continued his studies and work without a hitch.
Around 9 pm a week later, Xu Ze got up to wash some fruit, thinking he would have to go to school the next day and wouldn’t be able to visit the hospital. He planned to wash them and take them to his grandmother’s ward so that she could have them in the morning.
Halfway through washing the fruit, a pear rolled off the table. Xu Ze turned off the tap and bent down to pick it up. At that moment he suddenly remembered that his grandmother had passed away.
Xu Ze picked up the pear and stood up with one hand on the sink. He turned on the tap to continue washing the fruit. Amidst the rushing water, tears streamed down his cheeks, eventually dropping onto his arms and disappearing into the white coat, leaving faint traces.
That night, Xu Ze had a dream. It was still the scene from the morning of the start of second grade. He stood alone at the school gates and saw his parents and grandmother smiling and waving at him. Then they turned and walked toward a blinding and blurry white light.
The moment Xu Ze woke up from the dream, he strongly believed in the existence of another world. In that world, his grandmother would have regained her memory and health. She would have reunited with her long-lost daughter, free from pain and loneliness.
“I was superstitious again after the cremation,” Xu Ze said, “Since Grandma had spent all this time stuck in the hospital room, I didn’t want to put her ashes in a funeral home and bought a burial plot in the cemetery.”
It wasn’t easy to buy a plot with a good location in the capital, and Huang Liling had helped with that.
But if Lu Heyang hadn’t secured a top cardiologist and deposited more than two million into the hospital’s account during his impoverished youth, the treatment might not have gone as smoothly. Lu Heyang played a crucial role in extending his grandmother’s last six years of life.
Footsteps approached, and before the figure appeared at the other end of the corridor, Xu Ze took a step back and separated his waist from Lu Heyang’s hands.
Lu Heyang glanced at him.
“Colonel!” Song Yuke ran over and greeted Xu Ze, “Dr. Xu, we finally found you.”
“It’s estimated to take another two hours or so,” he reported to Lu Heyang and added, “Do you want to go to the car and get some rest?”
“No,” Lu Heyang said, “I’ll make another round to see if there are any residents who didn’t evacuate in time.”
After speaking, Lu Heyang raised his hand to touch Xu Ze’s nape as a goodbye. But Xu Ze stiffened and turned his attention to Song Yuke, afraid he might notice something.
“Dr. Xu,” Lu Heyang called out to him.
“Huh?” Xu Ze turned around in confusion.
However, Lu Heyang didn’t say anything more and left with Song Yuke.
At 10 am, the sunlight was just right and the sky was clear blue. Medical vehicles and rescue teams arrived one after another to carry away the wounded.
After a war correspondent finished taking pictures, he asked Lu Heyang, “Colonel, can I take a picture of you for documentation?”
Lu Heyang looked in another direction and said, “Wait a moment.”
Xu Ze had put Xiao He into the medical vehicle. He turned to look for Lu Heyang and happened to catch his eye. Lu Heyang waved at him. Xu Ze walked over at once and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Let’s take a photo,” Lu Heyang said and looked at the reporter, “Is it okay if both of us are in it?”
“Of course.” The reporter took a few steps back to find a good position and said to Xu Ze who hadn’t reacted yet, “Come on, look at the camera.”
The wind was blowing and the sun was shining brightly on the grass in front of the hospital, which had fallen into disrepair due to the ravages of war. Xu Ze, dressed in a white coat that had lost its color, was embraced by Lu Heyang as they took their first photo together.
Back at the central hospital, Xu Ze called Chi Jiahan to report that he was safe, and then called Huang Liling. Huang Liling sighed heavily on the other end of the phone and claimed that sooner or later he would be scared to the point that his life would be shortened.
Xu Ze apologized several times and finally suggested that he return to the capital for a while. Huang Liling readily agreed and urged him to take a few days off.
The gardenia had withered beyond recognition, but Xu Ze still carefully wrapped it and put it in his backpack. He didn’t want to leave it here alone. Later, he and Lu Heyang flew back to the capital on a military plane.
Throughout the trip, Song Yuke was worried that Lu Heyang would be severely reprimanded by Commander Luo. He was also troubled about how to write his mission report. He couldn’t possibly write that he followed the Colonel and drove all night without any protection to find the medical team—that would be outrageous.
Whenever Song Yuke felt distressed and didn’t know what to do, he would turn his head to see Lu Heyang and Xu Ze leaning against each other catching up on sleep peacefully, whispering to each other, or reading a newspaper together.
This only added to Song Yuke’s distress.
When they returned to the capital that evening, Xu Ze got in the car. As they passed the 195th Hospital, he thought Lu Heyang would ask him to get out, but he didn’t. As they passed the Military Medical University’s apartment building, he thought Lu Heyang would ask him to get out, but he didn’t. As they passed the old town, he thought Lu Heyang would ask him to get off, but he still didn’t ask.
In the end, Xu Ze was directly taken to the air base and shoved into Lu Heyang’s room with his luggage.
“Take a shower and get some rest. Someone will bring you dinner later,” Lu Heyang said, “Sleep on the bed, not on the sofa.”
“Why?” Xu Ze had planned to sleep on the sofa but Lu Heyang, who was one step ahead of him, forbade him to do so, and he didn’t understand why.
Lu Heyang’s answer seemed like no answer at all, “Because beds are for sleeping.”
After that, Lu Heyang left the room amidst the continuous beeps from his communicator. Xu Ze remained silent for a moment. Instead of doing any of the things he was supposed to do, he opened his phone and looked at the photo of him and Lu Heyang—the one he had secretly asked the reporter to send to him while they were leaving.
—
After sorting through the accumulated documents from the past two days, and considering the upcoming meeting, Lu Heyang realized that it wasn’t appropriate to attend the meeting in the combat uniform that was dusty from running around. Lu Heyang went to the break room in the office. He took a shower and changed into a clean training suit.
The meeting concluded at 9:30 pm. Song Yuke reminded Lu Heyang of the final agenda for the day, “At 10:00, set off for monitoring training.”
Lu Heyang closed the pen cap, “Can’t they go by themselves?”
“But… you said last time that you wanted to lead the training. Since it’s been a while since you flew a fighter jet, this is an opportunity for you to regain your touch. You even specifically asked me to remind you.”
“Next time,” Lu Heyang looked composed, “I haven’t rested well these few days. My condition doesn’t allow it.”
“Oh, okay. I get it. Next time, which is tomorrow, I’ll remind you again.”
Lu Heyang returned to the dormitory by car and saw a figure waiting at the wall of the apartment building from a few dozen meters away. He turned off the communicator and leaned against the back of the passenger seat to stare from afar.
Xu Ze was wearing only a thin old sweater and his hair was slightly disheveled from sleep. Not long ago, when the cleaners had come to tidy up, he had gone down with them. Only after he had gone down did he realize that he looked out of place among the uniformed airmen around him.
But he couldn’t do anything about it—the elevators required facial recognition, and he didn’t know who he was supposed to find for that.
As a car stopped a few meters away, Xu Ze shifted closer to the wall to reduce his presence.
Lu Heyang exited the car and asked him, “Playing hide and seek?”
“…” Xu Ze was embarrassed but sighed in relief at the same time, “Colonel.”
“Why did you come down?”
“I should have stayed in the apartment, I’m sor—”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, there’s no need to reflect on it,” Lu Heyang interrupted and pressed the elevator button, “I’m just asking why you came down.”
“No reason,” Xu Ze paused but then said honestly, “I was waiting for you.”
The elevator had been wiped clean. Xu Ze saw his less-than-presentable hairstyle in the mirror and only now noticed that the old sweater had been worn out so thin. Every movement revealed the two buds protruding on his chest. It was barely as good as a T-shirt.
Xu Ze stared blankly and wondered if Lu Heyang had noticed. His gaze shifted and happened to meet Lu Heyang’s eyes in the mirror, as if Lu Heyang was standing right across from him, looking directly at him.
Ding—the opening elevator doors saved Xu Ze. Before he stepped out of the elevator, he heard Lu Heyang ask, “You still slept on the sofa?”
“How come?” Xu Ze replied without confidence.
The door to the apartment opened and Xu Ze walked in as Lu Heyang closed the door.
The lock clicked shut. Xu Ze attempted to feel for the light switch. He wasn’t sure where it was. But before he could touch it, his hand was grabbed.
The bridge of his nose felt lighter as Lu Heyang removed his glasses. The hand holding the glasses pressed against Xu Ze’s lower back and guided him forward.
Before Lu Heyang’s kiss landed, Xu Ze instinctively tilted his head up toward him.
Ahhh, I love this story so much!
Can I just say though, and I’m probably just missing something, but the award of “Future Doctor” seems a little underwhelming for someone… who’s already a doctor.
The characters are definitely really into it though! (≧▽≦) ( ◜‿◝ )♡
It’s like the doctor of our future (if that makes it more understandable). And it was given to medical students like Xu Ze who are still studying 😘
Thank you for this wonderful chapter!! 💜💜💜
Awwhhh it’s almost the end😭😭 I love their story so much
Thanks for the chapter!!!
Damn. I’ve caught up near the end.