“Tsinghua or Peking University? The ones I’m thinking of?”
Gu Che nodded. “My recent grades are stable enough to get into Tsinghuaa or Peking University. They’ve promised to waive my tuition and fees if I get in.”
Wen Ci sincerely gave Gu Che a thumbs-up.
In the 1980s, even getting into high school was rare, let alone choosing Tsinghua or Peking University over teaching colleges for better career prospects. Tsinghua and Peking University were the top institutions in the country.
Getting into either of them was like being one in a million.
“Was yours an arranged marriage?”
Wen Ci raised an eyebrow. “You could say that.”
She had married Huo Jingyuan as a substitute bride, which could be considered an arranged marriage.
A strange emotion flickered in Gu Che’s eyes, and he asked in a low voice, “Have you thought about divorce? These days, arranged marriages can be dissolved just by declaring it at the neighborhood office.”
Since the beginning of the year, neighborhood offices had been promoting the idea of avoiding arranged marriages, as such unions between strangers could only harm both parties in the future.
Wen Ci shook her head. “Not for now.”
Suddenly, a young boy holding a newspaper approached their table. “Brother Gu, someone just said they saw your girlfriend at the train station.”
Gu Che often told people that he had a girlfriend from the military compound.
Wen Ci didn’t pay much attention to the boy’s words. After finishing the last of her noodles, she placed two mao on the table and said with a smile, “I have things to do. I’ll head out now.”
“This meal is on me.”
“No need.”
With that, Wen Ci waved down a rickshaw driver on the roadside. She didn’t know the way to the city hospital and needed the old man to guide her.
Gu Che watched Wen Ci’s retreating figure, his eyes dark and his lips twitching slightly. He picked up the money she had left on the table and clenched it in his hand.
“Brother Gu, what about the money you promised?”
Gu Che snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the newspaper boy. Earlier, he had told the newspaper boys that whoever found Jiang Ye’s whereabouts would get one yuan as a reward.
He pocketed the money Wen Ci had left.
“I didn’t bring enough money today. Can I give it to you another day?”
“Fine.”
Gu Che quickly finished the rest of his noodles and jogged back to the military compound gate to squat down. He wanted to see Jiang Ye and ask her why she had left without a word.
At the train station, Jiang Ye stepped off the train, dusty and tired after a long journey in a hard seat. She stretched and looked at the bustling streets of the capital, exhaling slowly.
She was finally back!
If it hadn’t been for a sudden impulse to visit Wen Ci during the military art tour, she wouldn’t have known they had left the northwest.
She first went back to the apartment near her school.
Jiang Ye didn’t attend the military-affiliated school. The Fourth Middle School was quite far from the military district, so her mother had bought an apartment nearby for her to stay in during the school week.
After a refreshing shower, she returned to the military compound. As soon as she arrived at the gate, Gu Che stopped her, his eyes bloodshot as he asked, “Why did you leave without saying goodbye?”
Jiang Ye was startled.
But when she saw Gu Che’s detestable face, her expression immediately darkened. She smirked. “We’re both adults. Don’t you understand what that means?”
“What do you mean?”
“It means we’re done.”
Hearing this, Gu Che’s hands, which had been gripping her shoulders, froze. His bloodshot eyes welled up with tears, and he choked out, “Why?”
“Why do you keep asking why?”
Thinking of Gu Che’s actions in her past life, she wished she could tear him apart. But since heaven had given her a chance to start over, she didn’t want to have any further contact with him.
Jiang Ye pushed him away. “From now on, let’s part on good terms.”
So what if Gu Che became a business tycoon in the future?
His status couldn’t compare to Huo Jingyuan’s.
Huo Jingyuan could crush Gu Che with just a flick of his finger. Having lived for decades, Jiang Ye understood that power always outweighed money.
“You owe me an explanation,” Gu Che said, looking devastated.
“I’ve already told you, there’s no explanation. Let’s part on good terms!”
With that, Jiang Ye shook off his hand again.
She took out her military compound pass from her bag and walked through the gate with her head held high.
Gu Che, however, was stopped by a soldier in uniform. “No pass, no entry.”
As Jiang Ye walked through the military compound, she planned to act cute and coquettish with her mother when she got home, claiming she had been diligently studying at a friend’s place the whole time.
Wen Ci arrived at the city hospital by rickshaw.
She went to the doctor’s office to inquire about Huo Jingyuan’s condition.
The doctor eyed her suspiciously and said sternly, “We do have an officer named Huo Jingyuan hospitalized here. You say you’re his family. Do you have any proof?”
“Yes!”
Wen Ci quickly pulled out her marriage certificate with Huo Jingyuan from her inner pocket. She had carried it with her all the way from the northwest.
The doctor examined the marriage certificate and asked, “You didn’t take the photo together?”
Wen Ci shook her head. “It was an arranged marriage.”
She pointed to the official seal on the photo and said earnestly, “The seal can’t be forged, right?”
“Please wait. We need to make a phone call to confirm.”
Huo Jingyuan’s status was special, and the hospital had to verify with higher-ups whether Wen Ci was indeed his family before disclosing his condition.
A few minutes later, the doctor returned with a flattering smile and even brought a chair for Wen Ci. “Sorry, Officer Huo’s status is special, so we have to be cautious.”
Wen Ci nodded in understanding.
“When will my husband be discharged?”
“At least three months,” the doctor replied.
Then, the doctor took out the surgical report and various physical examination results, explaining calmly, “Officer Huo’s injuries are mainly near his spleen and the back of his head, so he needs plenty of rest.”
Wen Ci asked, “Will this affect his military career?”
“No, no,” the doctor quickly reassured her. “Officer Huo wasn’t injured in any critical areas. Once he recovers, he can resume normal training without issues.”
As the youngest officer, Huo Jingyuan was a prized talent, and his superiors wouldn’t let him go easily.
Wen Ci breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
Not long after arriving at the northwest military district, Wen Ci had asked Huo Jingyuan one night what he would do if he retired.
Huo Jingyuan’s answer was, “I’ve never thought about it.”
He had never considered retiring or changing careers.
From a young age, he had been taught to dedicate himself to service.
“Officer Huo’s ward can only be visited between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning. He’ll be transferred to a regular ward next Friday, and visits will be normal then.”
Wen Ci asked, “Is there anything I need to do?”
The doctor smiled. “No, all of Officer Huo’s expenses are covered by his unit. The caregiver looking after him is a retired soldier, and his meals are prepared according to a hospital-designed menu.”
“Thank you.”
After speaking with the doctor, Wen Ci felt completely at ease.
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