Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Chapter 268 No longer family members...

A piece of paper stained with blood, folded into four sections.

It was completely covered in blood.

Lin Qingping vaguely felt that it looked familiar, but she couldn't tell what it was.

Because it was stuck together with blood, it was difficult for her to unfold it.

She looked at it over and over, but it was just a piece of paper stained with blood, until she saw a deeper red hidden within the blood.

She stared at the few streaks of deep red for a long time, then suddenly realized: this seemed to be the distress signal she had written in blood when she was in danger last time...

How did she end up with Gu Juncheng?

And it's on him?

"Where did you find it?" Lin Qingping gently pinched the blood-stained paper.

“In his inner jacket pocket,” the young officer said.

Lin Qingping held the piece of paper, speechless.

Why did he never tell her about this thing after it came into his possession, and why did he wear it on his body?

"Excuse me... is this yours?" the young officer asked, noticing her unusual expression.

Lin Qingping nodded. "I just don't know why he's wearing it."

Without hiding anything, she told the young officer the whole story about where the item came from, which also proved that the piece of paper was indeed not important to the military.

The young officer suddenly said, "Some of our comrades carry important things with them when they're on missions, it's like..."

He hesitated, didn't continue speaking, and even glanced back at his superior.

Is it considered a talisman?

Lin Qingping roughly guessed what was going on, and her eyes welled up with tears again.

Zhiyuan, who was beside her, whispered in her ear, "Among my father's belongings, there was a handkerchief he always carried with him, embroidered with my mother's name..."

Lin Qingping lowered her head, and Zhiyuan's eyes were red and glistening with tears.

Lin Qingping hugged him, and the two of them embraced, silently shedding tears.

Finally, the operating room door opened.

The doctors came out one after another.

Lin Qingping watched the doctors walk by one by one, her heart pounding with tension. Fear gripped her, as if she feared they would push out someone covered in a white sheet...

but no.

The last doctor to come out was called "Gu Juncheng's family member".

Lin Qingping's legs were weak, and she only managed to walk to the doctor with Zhiyuan's support.

"The patient's injuries are serious and they have been transferred to the intensive care unit..."

Lin Qingping's mind went blank after hearing the words "intensive care unit." She didn't hear what the doctor said after that; she only saw Instructor Lü nodding repeatedly.

Intensive Care Unit...

That means his life was saved.

After the doctor left, Zhiyuan nervously grasped Lin Qingping's hand, his voice filled with joy, "Mom, did you hear that? My father has passed the first hurdle! The doctor saved him! Mom! Did you hear that?"

Lin Qingping hugged him, tears streaming down her face, "I heard it, I heard it, Zhiyuan, I heard it."

Once someone is admitted to the intensive care unit, according to hospital regulations, family members are not allowed to accompany them, and in fact, they cannot even be seen yet.

Because he was seriously injured, the hospital prioritized saving his life and did not follow the proper procedures. Therefore, there are still some formalities that have not been completed. Instructor Lü handled all the initial signatures and procedures.

Lin Qingping then went to the doctor's and nurses' office to hear them tell her about Gu Juncheng's condition and what documents she needed to sign.

The doctor said that Gu Juncheng's head injury was very dangerous. He has undergone surgery, but the prognosis for his recovery is not optimistic.

It was only then that Lin Qingping learned that the construction of our intensive care unit had just begun, and that the hospital had only recently been put into use.

But at least there was something, which provided an extra layer of protection for Gu Juncheng's recovery.

Then, they handed out a stack of papers and asked the family members to sign them.

Lin Qingping picked up the pen to sign, but suddenly realized something: she was no longer his family member...

She was bewildered...

Turning back, he handed the pen to Instructor Lü, saying, "Sign...sign this, Chief!"

If Gu Youlian were here, my sister could sign too.

In fact, Lin Qingping's hands were shaking a lot, and she could barely hold the pen. Her hands were still shaking when she handed the pen to Teacher Lü.

Teacher Lü assumed she was scared and couldn't sign her name, so without thinking much of it, he took the pen and signed it.

Once all the formalities are completed, there's no point in staying in the hospital any longer.

Teacher Lü and the others comforted her and tried to ease her mind before leaving to go back to work.

Lin Qingping and Zhiyuan hadn't slept all night, and now they stood in the bustling hospital corridor, at a loss.

Zhiyuan remembered what the officer had said. He took Lin Qingping's hand and whispered, "Mom, shall we go back? We can't help here. We need to rest well and take good care of ourselves so that we can take better care of Dad after he wakes up."

Lin Qingping sighed. The logic was sound, but she still felt uneasy.

Seeing Zhiyuan's expectant eyes, Lin Qingping finally nodded and agreed to go back. In any case, Gu Juncheng's life was temporarily saved.

On the way back, Zhiyuan asked her, "Mom, why did you sign so many papers? What was written on them?"

Lin Qingping didn't know how to explain it to him, so she simply said, "Some treatment methods require the family's permission, and we will also explain to the family the problems that may arise during the treatment process. The family has the right to know."

"But what if someone doesn't have family members? Does that mean they won't receive treatment if no one can sign the consent form?" Zhiyuan asked, seemingly lost in thought.

Lin Qingping recalled her past life, where she was someone who was worse off having no family than having one...

"That's not true. It depends on the condition. Doctors always prioritize saving lives."

As the two were talking, the bus arrived.

After arriving home, Lin Qingping remembered the letter in Gu Youlian's drawer. After hesitating, she decided not to tell Gu Youlian. Even if Gu Youlian knew, and even if Gu's parents knew, she couldn't help them and would only make them worry.

But Gu Youlian would eventually find out, because Gu Juncheng was discharged from the intensive care unit more than ten days later, by which time Gu Youlian had already returned to the capital with Xiaomai.

During this time, members of the Wu family also came to Lin Qingping's house, including Old Master Wu and Aunt Xu.

They only learned of Gu Juncheng's injury at this point, and it was from Wu Tianping who told them.

Mei Li said, "We were saying, 'Why didn't you come to our house for the New Year this year? Turns out something big happened, and this guy didn't even tell us.'" She was referring to Wu Tianping.

Wu Tianping protested, "I don't even know where that guy went. Isn't it common for us to go on missions?"

Of course, Mei Li was just joking. As a military wife herself, how could she not know the special nature of military work?

Old Wu showed great concern for Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng, and even encouraged Lin Qingping, saying, "He will definitely wake up! I have high hopes for this guy! I still have a mission waiting for him! I won't allow him to shirk his responsibilities!"

Lin Qingping smiled and expressed her gratitude to Elder Wu.

Aunt Xu said, "Alright, let's not bother Comrade Xiaolin for too long. She's already worried, and she's trying to put on a brave face to deal with us."

Wu Tianjiao agreed with her mother and pinched Lin Qingping's cheek. "You've lost so much weight, and you still have to force a smile. It must be tough on you. Take good care of yourself. You've become so thin. Your Commander Gu will be heartbroken when he wakes up!"

It was all a joke, and everyone just wanted her to be happy; Lin Qingping knew that.

But looking back on the years she'd spent with Gu Juncheng since her rebirth, she realized he'd been constantly injured; this was his third time in the hospital…

She was confident after the first two close calls, but what about this time?

The calendar turned to the page she had circled.

The conspicuous markings stung her eyes.

Gu Youlian called her from outside, asking her to go to the hospital to visit Gu Juncheng together.

Lin Qingping quickly went out and met Gu Youlian at the door.

Gu Youlian was heartbroken about her brother's injury. Seeing that Lin Qingping still treated her brother the same as before, she cried bitterly again and apologized to Lin Qingping for not telling her about her brother's suicide note.

As for Liang Jiaqi, Gu Youlian didn't have time to care about him now; her heart was only focused on her younger brother's life or death.

As for what will happen to Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng in the future, Gu Youlian didn't say a word. Right now, their greatest hope is to get Gu Juncheng out of the intensive care unit unharmed.

Lin Qingping is now very familiar with the visitation process, and she only has half an hour each day, which is extremely precious.

She let Gu Youlian go first, and only after Gu Youlian came out did she disinfect herself according to hospital regulations before going in.

The instruments in the intensive care unit emitted a low, steady hum, and the numbers and curves on the various instrument screens recorded the signals of his life.

He lay there, motionless, for many days...

His head was wrapped in gauze, with only his nostrils and mouth showing. She couldn't see his face, but she knew that his once robust body was getting thinner and thinner day by day.

She walked over to him.

I can't imagine that I'll ever have to say so many unanswered things to him in my life.

She doesn't need a confessional anymore! All she wants is for him to be healthy, alive and well, to stand up and call her "Lin Qingping".

"Gu Juncheng." She had spoken to him so many times over the past ten days, hadn't he heard a thing? She held back her tears and said, "Do you know what day it is today?"

He certainly wouldn't respond.

“Today… is a special day,” she choked out. “A special day that no one in the world knows about except me, a day that is related to you, but you yourself don’t even know it.”

"Gu Juncheng, please wake up. If you wake up, I'll tell you a secret..."

In the end, it was still Lin Qingping who left the intensive care unit with tears in her eyes.

Gu Youlian comforted her, saying, "No matter what, no bad news is good news, right, Pingzi? As long as the doctor doesn't say his condition is worsening, he'll get better!"

Lin Qingping was speechless, but the doctor had also said that if he still didn't wake up after a month, the chances of him waking up in the future would only become smaller and smaller...

Unbeknownst to her and Gu Youlian, sometime after they left the hospital, when the nurses came to check on them, Gu Juncheng's fingers twitched slightly...

Gu Juncheng woke up.

When Lin Qingping and Gu Youlian arrived the next day, they learned of this exciting news. The two almost lost control outside the corridor, embracing each other tightly and bursting into tears.

Gu Juncheng had just woken up and hadn't fully recovered yet, so he could only utter one word at a time. But the moment Lin Qingping heard him speak, even though she couldn't understand what he was saying, it was enough to make her both cry and laugh, and she was incredibly excited.

Several more days passed between when he was released from the intensive care unit and when he was able to communicate simply.

But no matter what, people are getting better day by day.

Moreover, although family members are still not allowed to stay overnight in regular wards, visiting hours are much longer.

Lin Qingping can not only talk to him, but also trim his nails, etc. However, he still cannot recognize people and is still blindfolded and unable to see.

The doctor said he injured his head and would need to recover slowly.

Lin Qingping was no longer in a hurry. As long as he was alive, that was all that mattered. He had finally made it through those dark days that she had marked with circles!

That day, she and Gu Youlian visited him as usual, bringing him a nourishing and light soup.

When they arrived at the ward, he was sitting, which was unusual for him. He seemed to be in good spirits, except that his eyes were covered with gauze and he couldn't see them.

Lin Qingping smiled and took the bowl to the water room to wash it so she could fill it with soup for him. When she returned, she saw Gu Youlian talking to Gu Juncheng. Gu Youlian was beaming with joy.

"What are you saying? Why are you so happy?" Lin Qingping walked in with a smile and opened the thermos.

Gu Youlian excitedly told her, "Pingzi, Chengzi is better! He recognizes my voice! He knows who I am!"

"Really? That's wonderful!" Lin Qingping was so happy she was almost incoherent.

Gu Youlian then demonstrated for her and asked Gu Juncheng, "Chengzi, tell me, who am I?"

Gu Juncheng seemed unwilling to be tested like a child by his sister, and the corners of his lips showed a stubborn refusal to answer.

"Say something! You've really worried us to death! Say something to put our minds at ease!" Gu Youlian urged.

Gu Juncheng then spoke, his voice full of apology, "I'm sorry, sister."

"What are you saying sorry for! You really are something!" Gu Youlian's dissatisfaction was actually mixed with delight. She turned to Lin Qingping and said, "See? Isn't that right?"

Lin Qingping smiled, her eyes filled with enthusiasm, and Gu Youlian asked for her, "Who is this? Listen!"

Gu Juncheng tilted his head slightly, as if waiting for her to speak.

Lin Qingping was both excited and nervous, and didn't know what to say. She solemnly called out, "Gu Juncheng."

She only saw Gu Juncheng purse his lips tightly, and then, nothing more.

"Didn't you hear it?" Gu Youlian asked anxiously.

Gu Juncheng seemed embarrassed as well, "Say it again?"

Lin Qingping felt a surge of emotion, and she couldn't bring herself to call out "Gu Juncheng." She asked softly, "Would you like some chicken soup? My sister made it, and she wiped away all the oil."

Gu Juncheng fell silent again.

Gu Youlian became even more anxious, "I've said so many things already, and you still haven't figured it out? This is your wife!"

"Wife?" Gu Juncheng murmured, then said a name no one would expect, "Xiaxia?"

Gu Youlian stood there, stunned.

Lin Qingping's hand, which was holding the hot chicken soup, trembled, and the soup spilled out, scalding her hands.