[Don't let An An be like me.]
[I'll marry you when I get back.]
Qin Ningyi looked at the last sentence and smiled. Then his gaze shifted, and he abruptly pulled open a drawer.
The ring box was empty of its ring.
Just like the empty space beside him after he opened his eyes.
"My A Rou, you've calculated me perfectly."
He couldn't abandon his responsibilities, so it was hard for everything to be as he wished.
"Such a selfish child," Qin Ningyi said, stroking the elegant handwriting on the note with complete doting in his tone.
He picked up his phone and started making calls one by one.
Footsteps sounded outside, Shen Feng whimpered, and An An frantically searched for him.
Qin Ningyi put everything away in the drawer and quickly went out to check.
As soon as An An saw Qin Ningyi, he rushed forward, his first question being, "Dad, where's Mom?"
Shen Feng also circled him, trying to lead him outside.
"Did Mom go to do something dangerous?"
An An asked again. His perceptiveness was truly beyond his imagination.
"Can you give Dad a little time?" Qin Ningyi knelt down and spoke to An An seriously about his plan, without any perfunctory words.
He took An An to the company. When he heard Xiao Konglin mention the information Huo Rou had requested from him last night, he entered his office with a stern face.
An An was like a quiet little follower, his face tense as he followed closely behind him, never leaving his side.
After lunch, Qin Ningyi boarded a plane with An An and Shen Feng.
Yizhou.
The airport, which had been shut down for a long time, suddenly welcomed a plane.
Two airport staff members in full protective gear came forward.
Huo Rou had already taken out a protective suit from her backpack and put it on. The door opened, and she slowly walked out of the cabin.
As far as the eye could see, Yizhou city seemed to be the same as before. The only difference was that under the scorching sun, besides the two people walking towards her, there was not a single soul at the airport, making it extremely desolate.
"Hello!" an airport staff member approached. "Excuse me..."
They hesitated for a long time, their eyes fixed on the cabin door, desperately hoping to see someone who looked like an expert or a big shot at first glance.
After looking for a long time, they continued, "Excuse me, are you alone?"
Their tone was one of disbelief.
"Yes." Huo Rou patted her bag. "Could you please arrange a car to take me to this address?"
She took out her phone and showed the address written on it to the two staff members.
Although she appeared frail, the two staff members dared not neglect her. Those who could come to Yizhou at this time likely had some ability or background, so they treated her well.
Besides, they had transported a group to this address recently – researchers.
Huo Rou took a car and headed into the city.
The last time she visited, the streets were lined with boisterous students, the cries of vendors filled the air, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground as people bustled about.
Although Yizhou was not a developed city, it had a strong sense of life.
But she had driven for several kilometers and hadn't seen a single person.
There were only a few cars scattered here and there.
"Hey!" a car drove alongside theirs. "What are you doing?"
A heavily wrapped head emerged from the car. Judging by the voice alone, it was a man.
The driver also rolled down his window and shouted, "From the airport! We're going to the military hospital."
The other person recognized the driver's voice. "Be careful!"
For the rest of the journey, no other voices were heard. The vast city of Yizhou seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep, eerily silent.
Huo Rou's heart grew heavier with each passing moment in this silent city.
She had witnessed countless battlefields, filled with groans and strewn with corpses. This kind of silent, unseen situation was probably the first time she had encountered it.
Was this the battlefield her mother had to face?
Huo Rou extended her finger and gently touched the glass, her thoughts drifting.
As she got out of the car, the driver, who had been quiet for most of the journey, suddenly spoke, "Expert teacher!"
Seeing Huo Rou turn to look, he clasped his hands together and said with utmost sincerity, "Yizhou is counting on you. Thank you! Thank you!"
The voice of the burly man was laced with sobs.
Huo Rou nodded. The usual facade she maintained was shed. Countless words flashed through her mind, and she said in a deep voice, a simple sentence, "Everything will be alright."
Madame Ren's laboratory was set up behind the military hospital, where armed forces were stationed for mutual protection.
As they approached the military hospital, they could hear the groans from inside. The guard raised a red flag, signaling her not to go further, and asked from a distance who she was.
Before she could speak, a figure ran over from the side. Seeing the petite Huo Rou at the gate, he tentatively called out, "Is that Teacher Huo?"
Huo Rou hadn't expected to encounter someone familiar here.