Chapter 2: Jiang Chuan, Engraved in Memory

Just before losing consciousness, Xiao Qingru felt herself being lifted up.

“Comrade Xiao, wake up.”

The warm embrace felt like a furnace, melting her cold, stiff body and filling her heart with a sense of comfort.

She barely opened her eyes to see a strong profile close to her, his breath visible in the cold air, though all she could truly make out was his intense, hawk like gaze, forever etched in her mind.

Unconsciously, she leaned into the warmth, murmuring weakly, “It hurts.”

The man holding her tightened his grip, asking anxiously, “Where does it hurt?”

But Xiao Qingru no longer had the strength to answer, slipping back into unconsciousness.

Xu Muzhou hadn’t expected to find Xiao Qingru like this.

Amid the icy, snow covered landscape, nearly everyone was either at work or staying indoors. He couldn’t imagine what might have happened if he hadn’t found her.

“Comrade Xiao?” He gently shook her arm. “Wake up!”

The woman in his arms had completely passed out, her body limp, arms dangling, offering no response.

For the first time, Xu Muzhou felt the pangs of fear. “Qingru, I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“Don’t sleep!”

His frantic footsteps grew louder as he rushed inside, catching the attention of people waiting in line for medical care.

“Please make way!”

“Could you let us through?”

“Doctor! Please take a look at her!”

“Quickly!”

Although hospitals require silence, Xu Muzhou’s urgency left no room for rules.

Seeing his panic, everyone instinctively made way, allowing him to move straight to the doctors.

One look at Xiao Qingru’s condition told the medical team it was serious.

“Put the patient down, take off her coat, and we’ll need to examine her first to determine what’s wrong,” one of the doctors said.

Xu Muzhou obeyed immediately, carefully removing her coat and settling her down.

Looking at her pale, nearly translucent face, he bit down on his lip, clenching his jaw.

“She has to get better!”

As the beloved daughter of Commander Xiao and the most gifted dancer in the art troupe, everyone in the military district knew her.

The doctor nodded gravely. “Saving lives is our duty, but Comrade, please wait outside. Every minute counts for the patient.”

Being ushered out of the examination room left Xu Muzhou feeling disoriented.

Xiao Qingru, who shone like a swan on stage, basking in applause, now lay colorless on a hospital bed.

Unconsciously, his fists clenched.

He couldn’t bear for anything to happen to Xiao Qingru.

Not at all.

After some time, he realized he hadn’t yet notified her family if anything happened, they would need to be present.

Glancing back at the closed doors, he quickly stepped away.

“Doctor, may I borrow the phone?”

“Go ahead.”

After dialing several numbers, he finally reached Xiao Qingru’s parents.

When he returned, the doctor had already completed the preliminary examination.

“Comrade Xiao is in shock from a ruptured appendix. The delay has been critical, and she needs surgery immediately. Have her family members arrived?”

“Start the surgery” I’ll take responsibility.”

Under these circumstances, the doctor would proceed regardless, though Xu Muzhou’s assurance allowed them to act without hesitation.

Hands shaking, he signed his name.

Watching her being wheeled into surgery, Xu Muzhou stood like a pine tree outside the door, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

His heartbeat quickened, more than it ever had on his first flight mission.

He felt a knot in his throat, blocking his breath, making it painfully hard to breathe.

The first to arrive was Xiao Qingru’s mother, who rushed to the operating room. “Xiao Xu, how’s our Qingru?”

Xu Muzhou swallowed, forcing down the suffocating feeling. “She’s still in surgery. The doctor said it was a ruptured appendix.”

Mrs. Xiao anxiously paced. “A ruptured appendix is very serious. I should never have gone out today. Then we wouldn’t have delayed bringing her here.”

“Auntie, please don’t worry. Comrade Xiao will be okay.”

Mrs. Xiao’s world revolved around her children. With her daughter now lying in surgery, her condition unknown, how could she not worry?

After trying to calm herself, she remembered something. “Qingru was supposed to be resting at home today. Xiao Xu, how did you find her?”

Not wanting to hide anything, Xu Muzhou recounted everything honestly.

“Qingru’s not the type to act recklessly. If she wasn’t feeling well, she could have asked a neighbor or called her father. Why would she go out on her own?”

“And to have collapsed in a snowbank… If you hadn’t found her in time, who knows what might have happened.”

A cold glint appeared in Xu Muzhou’s eyes. If Commander Xiao hadn’t asked him to check the water pipes at their place, he wouldn’t have found Xiao Qingru.

So why had she gone so far from home?

It didn’t make sense.

Mrs. Xiao paced in circles. “I need to call old Xiao. If things take a turn, we should arrange for a professor to help Qingru.”

“Auntie, I already called Commander Xiao.”

Hearing that, Mrs. Xiao felt a bit more at ease. She thanked him, saying, “We’re so grateful to you. After this, you’ll always be a friend to our family. Coming all the way from Beijing, if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Xu Muzhou nodded, “I’m friends with Xiao Huaishu, so naturally, his sister is like family. No need for thanks.”

Mrs. Xiao nodded, then gestured toward the bench nearby. “Surgery won’t be over soon Auntie, please take a seat.”

Mrs. Xiao scanned the area and noticed her daughter’s military coat, hat, and two scarves.

Walking over, she picked up the gray scarf. “This is Xiao Jiang’s scarf Qingru just knitted it for him a few days ago. Why is it here?”

This was something Xu Muzhou had brought back from the scene.

Everything made sense.

Why would she go so far from home while ill? Because Jiang Chuan had taken her there!

Mrs. Xiao wasn’t foolish she realized it too.

“That heartless man! He must have left Qingru behind again!”

Her eyes reddened as tears threatened to spill. “Du Wanqiu lives right in the nearby family quarters. She must’ve called him away again.”

“If anything happens to Qingru, I won’t forgive either of them!”

Mrs. Xiao cried and cursed. How could someone be so heartless?

Did his friend’s widow mean more to him than his own fiancée? Didn’t he know which was more important?

And Qingru was sick, left out in the cold how could he abandon her on the way?

Xu Muzhou clenched his jaw. He knew he had no right to be angry, yet rage rose uncontrollably within him.

Jiang Chuan he would remember this.