The foreign number, as if unwilling to give up, kept calling.
As Meng Yao was about to block the number, she suddenly wondered if Song Jiaping had already returned abroad.
Ever since she was discharged from the hospital last time, she had deliberately avoided inquiring about Song Jiaping's whereabouts.
She answered the call, but when she heard a foreigner speaking English urgently instead of Song Jiaping's voice, she said, "Miss Huangfu? Mr. Song is seriously injured and his life is in danger. Can you come to see him one last time?"
Meng Yao asked in disbelief, "Who are you? What Mr. Song, you must have the wrong person."
"Please believe me! I am Mr. Song Jiaping's subordinate. He was hit in the head, and although he is unconscious, he keeps saying your name. Our doctors here say he is beyond saving and is about to die!"
Meng Yao's eyes immediately turned red, and her entire face froze pale.
Song Jiaping! I won't allow you to die, and you cannot die!
She had already resigned herself to fate, knowing their deep affection was not meant to last, and no longer thought of being with him.
Meng Yao decided to keep this love hidden in her heart, only wishing that he could live safely and healthily in this world, giving her something to remember him by from now on.
They met, got to know each other, and fell in love, but their time together was not long, only during the year they worked as Doctors Without Borders abroad.
Why, why! Heaven wouldn't even grant her this small wish. She could no longer hold back and clutched her phone, sobbing uncontrollably…
…
Meng Yao wasted no time and, two days later, arrived in that war-torn African country.
Song Jiaping's subordinate, who had contacted her, drove her across the boundless desert.
"Miss Huangfu, it's great that you could make it. Mr. Song will be able to rest in peace even in death." The subordinate said, his eyes red, holding back tears.
Meng Yao had cried all her tears the night she received the call informing her of Song Jiaping's critical condition.
Now, she couldn't shed another tear and only wanted to see Song Jiaping as soon as possible.
Meng Yao noticed a wedding photo placed in front of the car and started chatting with Song Jiaping's subordinate.
"Are you newly married? Your wife is very beautiful."
The subordinate's initially sorrowful expression improved slightly, and he said, "Yes, she is the best woman I have ever met. Mr. Song also has a photo of you two in his car. We all know you are his girlfriend, and he loves you very much."
Meng Yao felt a pang of sadness and fell silent for a moment.
At this moment, the car suddenly lost control. She saw the subordinate repeatedly stepping on the brakes, but the car didn't slow down; instead, its speed increased.
Song Jiaping's subordinate desperately tried to steer the car to turn around, hoping to slow it down.
However, as they turned, the entire car rolled over. As the car tumbled in the desert, Meng Yao tightly clutched the travel bag she was carrying before losing consciousness.
The medicine in the bag might be the last hope to save Song Jiaping.
When she woke up and opened her eyes, she didn't know where she was. The room was very simple, and she could still hear sounds of fighting not far away.
As soon as Meng Yao regained consciousness, she thought of her travel bag and began searching for it.
Finding the bag in the room, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to check if the medicine inside was damaged, someone pushed the door open from outside.
It was Song Jiaping's subordinate again, with injuries to his head and arm. Seeing her awake, he said, "You're finally awake. It's good that you're okay."
"What happened? Where is this place?" Meng Yao asked, sitting up. "Where is Song Jiaping?"
"Miss Huangfu, the car that picked you up had brake failure and overturned. This is a small guesthouse on the edge of the desert, and you have been unconscious for a day." The subordinate said, "I need to wait for you to recover, and then we will cross the front line where fighting is ongoing to reach the field hospital to see Mr. Song."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yao got up to grab her travel bag, eager to cross the front line with him immediately. "I'm fine, let's go now."
"This… I need to make it clear to you." The subordinate blocked the doorway and said, "My car cannot be repaired temporarily. If you want to come with me, you will have to walk across the front line, which will be very dangerous. Those weapons have no eyes, and I fear… I fear you might get hurt. In fact, you can still return to the airport now. I will continue to find someone to take you to the airport…"
"I won't go back until I see Song Jiaping!" Meng Yao looked at him with determination.
The subordinate immediately showed Meng Yao great respect and said, "Miss Huangfu, please rest in the room for a while longer. I need to prepare some weapons to ensure you reach Mr. Song safely."
Meng Yao nodded, and the subordinate went to prepare.
She busied herself checking the medicine in the bag. Fortunately, all the medicine she brought was intact.
Meng Yao stayed in the room for another day. It wasn't until nightfall that Song Jiaping's subordinate came to her room again and said, "Miss Huangfu, we can set off. The ceasefire is usually in effect at night, so it will be relatively safer for us to cross quietly."
Saying that, he handed Meng Yao a bulletproof vest he had managed to find in the small town and then set off with her.
Meng Yao was not new to places like this where fighting was ongoing. She had also experienced danger with Song Jiaping and had some knowledge of how to protect herself in a war zone.
She closely followed Song Jiaping's subordinate, constantly paying attention to the path under her feet. Areas of conflict often had landmines, so she had to be very careful when walking.
Moreover, she didn't want to rely entirely on the subordinate's protection. He was newly married, and she didn't want his wife to lose her husband.
Meng Yao was also prepared to sacrifice herself to protect the subordinate at any time, at least to prevent the happy couple from facing separation by death.
As for her and Song Jiaping, they had never truly possessed each other, so there was nothing to lose.
They moved cautiously with every step, not daring to make any noise, but were still detected by patrolling soldiers.
Without a word, the soldier opened fire towards them.
Meng Yao reacted swiftly, shielding Song Jiaping's subordinate with her own body. Fortunately, she was wearing a bulletproof vest, and although she felt a sting as bullets hit her, she wasn't actually shot.
The subordinate tried to shield Meng Yao, but she refused, signaling him not to protect her and to hurry and lead the way.
They crossed to the other side of the front line with a few scares but no real danger.
Meng Yao finally saw a building flying the flag of Doctors Without Borders, which she assumed was the field hospital the subordinate had mentioned.
She immediately quickened her pace towards the hospital. The subordinate hurried to follow her, still keeping an eye on their surroundings, fearing someone might fire a stray bullet.
The field hospital and its medical staff maintained a neutral stance, but the two warring factions were currently in a period of intense exchange of fire, making it easy to harm innocent people.
Previously, Song Jiaping was not only a doctor at this field hospital but also led his mercenary team in protecting its safety.
Song Jiaping was hit in the head by a stray bullet while treating the wounded on the battlefield, falling into a coma.