Zhong Lu felt extremely uncomfortable seeing Huangfu Shaohua leave like that.
Her precious daughter, Zhuzhu, liked him so much, yet he never took Zhuzhu seriously and often made her sad and upset.
She had been displeased before, but due to her friendship with Wu Xiufang and the prominent status of the Huangfu family, she thought her daughter enduring some hardship was insignificant compared to becoming a daughter-in-law of the Huangfu family.
But now that Zhuzhu had suffered so much and her reputation was ruined, she could no longer tolerate it.
Seeing Zhong Lu approach the ward with an unhappy, seemingly angry expression, Wu Xiufang went to meet her and said, "Lulu, you just saw Shaohua, didn't you? I asked him to go back and rest. I've brought Sister Chen; she's the most meticulous and considerate. It would be most suitable for her to take care of Zhuzhu tonight..."
"I'll take care of my own daughter; I don't need help from your family's maid," Zhong Lu replied curtly.
Wu Xiufang had never seen Zhong Lu like this before, but understanding her mood, she didn't take it to heart and said with a smile, "Alright, I'll send Sister Chen back. I'll stay with you tonight to care for Zhuzhu. Don't be angry. Tomorrow, let Shaohua take care of Zhuzhu."
Zhong Lu calmed herself down and said to her tentatively, "Shaohua bears unavoidable responsibility for Zhuzhu's accident. You cannot abandon her now that she's in this state; you must take responsibility for her to the end."
Wu Xiufang had also considered this issue after returning home during the day and had specifically discussed it with Huangfu Sisong over the phone. They had indeed thought of a solution.
They had originally planned to tell Sheng Haoguang and his wife after Zhuzhu had recovered some of her health.
Since Zhong Lu brought it up now, she first promised Zhong Lu, "You and Haoguang can rest assured, we will take responsibility for Zhuzhu to the end. When Zhuzhu recovers, Sisong and I will recognize her as our goddaughter and absolutely treat her as our own daughter..."
"What goddaughter, own daughter!" Zhong Lu exclaimed, unable to accept it. "What does this count for? When she recovers, you must welcome her into the family as Shaohua's wife!"
Wu Xiufang's expression also soured upon hearing this, and she said with difficulty, "Actually, this has always been my intention, but Shaohua is consistently unwilling..."
"Xiufang, we've been friends for so many years. You're not going to look down on Zhuzhu now, are you?" Zhong Lu began to cry, saying, "My Zhuzhu, why is her fate so unfortunate, so pitiful... If Shaohua doesn't marry her, how will she ever get married in the future..."
Wu Xiufang felt a headache coming on. She definitely couldn't let Shaohua marry Zhuzhu. If Zhuzhu became her daughter-in-law, and what happened last night got out, how would the Huangfu family's reputation be preserved?
But seeing Zhong Lu crying and insistent on Shaohua marrying Zhuzhu, and using Zhuzhu's accident as leverage, she was at a loss for what to do.
Originally, she thought Sheng Haoguang and his wife would agree to let Zhuzhu be their goddaughter, which would solve everything.
"Don't cry. Letting Zhuzhu get better is the most important thing. We can talk about these matters later," Wu Xiufang said, unable to bear her crying and trying to soothe her emotions. "I understand your intentions and will discuss them with Sisong and Shaohua."
Zhong Lu stopped crying, feeling it was too early to make such a fuss.
However, she had gauged their stance: Huangfu Sisong and his wife were no longer willing to let Zhuzhu become their daughter-in-law, but she would not back down on this matter.
Since Shaohua had harmed Zhuzhu, he must marry her.
...
Shaohua returned to his rented apartment and saw the note left by Daisy.
"I've gone to work at the club. Take good care of Sheng Zhuzhu, and take care of yourself."
Below was Daisy's name.
He put the note down and opened the refrigerator to get a can of beer, only to find it filled with fruits, instant foods, and dishes sealed with plastic wrap.
He took out the food Daisy had prepared, intending to heat it up and eat it all, not wanting to waste her thoughtfulness.
After heating the food, he took a picture and sent it to Daisy, then ate all the dishes.
Daisy, during a break from teaching her students, glanced at her phone and discovered the photo sent by Huangfu Shaohua. She couldn't help but smile, her mood becoming more settled.
After her class ended, it was past ten o'clock at night. She drove around the road for a while before deciding to return to her own home.
She didn't know what to say if she met Huangfu Shaohua at the old house now. She thought it wouldn't be too late to express her feelings to him after Sheng Zhuzhu's situation was resolved.
...
Hong Jiaxi accompanied Huangfu Mengyao from the moment they landed. All the way, he held the photos she had taken and asked many locals.
After searching for several days, they finally found the former site of the international hospital in the background of the photos, which was now a ruin.
Although the war in this country had ended, the places they visited were full of scars and in urgent need of rebuilding.
According to the locals, the international humanitarian hospital that once stood here was leveled in a bombing.
The medical staff and patients who were in the hospital at the time were all killed in the blast, and the scene was horrific.
As Huangfu Mengyao walked through the ruins, Hong Jiaxi stayed close to her, afraid she might step on landmines or other remnants of the war.
He advised Mengyao, "It seems there are no people or buildings left here to help you recall memories. Let's go back to the hotel and make plans."
But Mengyao felt that since she had finally found this place, she didn't want to give up easily. She walked around the ruins again.
She walked slowly, head down, and amidst the debris of broken bricks and tiles, she discovered a broken telephone receiver and fragments of paper medical records.
She bent down, rummaging through, trying to find something of value to her.
Seeing her like this, and unable to persuade her, Hong Jiaxi quickly offered to help, saying, "Mengyao, what are you looking for? I'll do it. You go rest nearby."
Mengyao shook her head and continued to poke at the debris that blocked her view whenever she saw something curious, "It's fine, I can do it myself."
Hong Jiaxi could only let her be and lend a hand.
From the ruins, she found a stack of scorched and incomplete medical records, which documented some patient conditions, with parts still legible.
On one fragmented page, the patient was surprisingly Song Jiaping, with notes indicating a thigh injury and resuscitation.
She stood there in a daze, holding this half-missing medical record. Hong Jiaxi, out of curiosity, took the remaining complete medical record book from her.
He discovered that it was all written in English, with many professional medical terms.
He hadn't practiced medicine after graduation, and he was unsure of some of the technical terms, so he quickly flipped through it.
Flipping to the end, on the back cover of the medical record, his name was written in Chinese, and the handwriting was none other than Mengyao's.
"Look quickly," he urged, bringing it right in front of Mengyao's eyes.
Mengyao snapped back to reality and saw that her own handwriting was indeed on the thick back cover, which surprised her somewhat.
Hong Jiaxi helped her to rationalize it, saying, "This is the best evidence. You like me. We are the real couple. Otherwise, you wouldn't miss me in this way in a foreign land."