In her past life, Shi Lanlan had always been resentful about being implicated and sent down to the countryside less than two months after marrying into the Lu Family, which led her to harbor deep bitterness toward Lu Heng. Because of this, she would often talk to Qiao Qingqing about their affairs—mostly complaining about Lu Heng and the unfairness of fate.
Today, after getting their marriage certificate, seeing that high-ranking leader hurry away reminded Qiao Qingqing of something Shi Lanlan once said: "If only I hadn't gone to register our marriage with him after that leader died."
It was this remark that allowed Qiao Qingqing to dredge up a piece of information from her memories of the past.
The 1960s were rife with spies and secret agents. That year, several important figures were assassinated, one of whom was a commander. Because this commander was a man of integrity with distinguished service, many innocent people might have been spared had he lived. The location of his assassination was the First People's Hospital of Beijing City. It was said that the commander’s elderly mother was receiving treatment there when he suddenly received a phone call claiming her condition had changed; being a dutiful son, the commander rushed over without a second thought, only to be assassinated inside the hospital.
Qiao Qingqing could not guarantee that the assassination attempt would happen today, nor could she be certain that the commander who had just walked by was the victim mentioned in the reports. But in these times, being cautious could do no harm. In any case, Lu Heng’s own calamity was coming in a few days—taking a chance at the hospital now was worth the risk.
To avoid raising suspicion, Qiao Qingqing had truly twisted her ankle. After checking on her, Lu Heng decided to take her to the hospital. Upon arrival, they caught a glimpse of that high-ranking leader from a distance. The leader noticed them by chance and, assuming they had followed him to the hospital, frowned in displeasure. Lu Heng realized he had caused a misunderstanding, but since the leader hadn't said anything, he felt it would be more suspicious to proactively offer an explanation.
"Comrade Lu Heng, my foot hurts so much. I want to go sit over there."
Qiao Qingqing spoke up at the right moment, her voice cutting through the awkward atmosphere. Lu Heng offered the leader a military salute to show his respect before turning to tend to his fiancée with the medicine he had collected. Seeing this, the leader said nothing and hurried upstairs.
Qiao Qingqing watched his retreating figure with feigned curiosity. "Comrade Lu Heng, that person seems to be the leader we were looking for, isn't he?"
Lu Heng nodded. "He is the commander of our division. I didn't expect him to be at the hospital as well."
"Looking at his expression, it seems like something bad has happened. In situations like this, should we be doing something?" Qiao Qingqing asked in a natural tone.
Seeing the curious look on her face, Lu Heng found it amusing. Was she already starting to worry about his career prospects now that they were getting married? "No need. If the commander didn't say anything, he surely wouldn't want us to interfere. Besides, the military doesn't operate that way."
Qiao Qingqing nodded as if she understood. "I see..."
In reality, however, Qiao Qingqing was frantic. *Save him, big brother! If you don't go save him, such a good leader is going to be assassinated!*
Yet, Qiao Qingqing couldn't act rashly; if she drew the attention of the wrong people, she would be dragged off to be interrogated as a spy or an agent. Yes, that was the nature of the era! Qiao Qingqing could not allow herself to be linked to the assassination in the slightest, or even if Lu Heng managed to save the man, they might both be branded as enemy agents afterward.
Helpless, she had to tell him, "Comrade Lu Heng, I'm thirsty. Could you help me get some water?"
Hospitals these days were not like those of the future; there was very little boiled water, and people had to stand in long lines to get it. Suggesting this would keep Lu Heng occupied for quite a while.
Lu Heng didn't suspect a thing and stood up. "Alright, I'll go get you some water. Wait for me here and don't wander off."
Qiao Qingqing gave him a grateful smile, thinking to herself, *Hurry up, big brother. If you don't go, how am I supposed to save him?*
As soon as Lu Heng left, Qiao Qingqing pretended to be curious and began to wander around. Since the commander's mother was bedridden with a serious illness, she had to be in the intensive care unit on the fifth floor. If she, in her current state, were to suddenly rush to the fifth floor, it would look highly suspicious.
Just as she was furrowing her brows in thought, she noticed a sign on the wall: "...Fourth floor: Orthopedics; Fifth floor: Intensive Care Unit; Sixth floor: Obstetrics and Gynecology."
After a moment's thought, Qiao Qingqing went to the nursing station, pretending to be shy. "Comrade, could I ask where I should go to check if I can have children?"
The nurse looked her over and asked vigilantly, "How old are you? Are you married?"
Qiao Qingqing showed her the marriage application for her and Lu Heng. "I was supposed to go get the certificate today, but I had an accident, and my fiancé brought me to the hospital first."
Seeing it was a military marriage, the nurse’s expression softened into a smile. "Oh, you want to ask about that? You need to go to the sixth floor and see a doctor in Obstetrics and Gynecology."
Qiao Qingqing thanked her immediately. "Thank you, comrade!"
The nurse replied warmly, "Don't mention it! My husband is also a soldier."
This one sentence bridged the gap between them. After promising to bring her wedding candy once the certificate was officially issued, Qiao Qingqing limped toward the stairs. She counted the floors silently, pretending to be oblivious once she reached the fifth floor.
Just as Qiao Qingqing walked into the fifth-floor corridor with a look of feigned confusion, Commander Chen happened to send his guard downstairs to get food. After a morning of running errands without any incidents, the guard’s vigilance had relaxed. Besides, the hospital canteen was on the first floor, so he could make a quick trip. The guard jogged downstairs.
Because Qiao Qingqing wasn't looking toward the commander, she didn't catch the guard's attention. She seemed to be looking for something, muttering, "Where could it be?"
The moment Commander Chen turned back toward the patient's room, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. He looked closer—wasn't that Lu Heng’s fiancée? Why was she here?
Just then, Commander Chen saw his mother’s attending physician approaching with two nurses. Concerned for his mother, the commander immediately went to meet them. "Doctor Huang! My mother's condition..."
Qiao Qingqing had been keeping a close eye on the surroundings. When the doctor and the two nurses appeared, she grew alert. She noticed that as the high-ranking leader approached, one of the nurses surreptitiously reached toward the medical tray.
When they were only five meters apart, the nurse quickly withdrew her hand, revealing a black handgun.
Qiao Qingqing, who had been prepared, screamed, "He has a gun!"
The sudden exclamation disrupted the rhythm of the encounter. Commander Chen’s reactions were undoubtedly the sharpest; he immediately lunged toward a nearby cover!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Although the assassin was affected by the distraction, they only hesitated for a few seconds before firing several shots at the target. Unfortunately, the chance for a perfect shot had passed; instead of striking a vital point, the bullet only grazed the commander’s shoulder.
As the assassin was about to pursue, someone shouted, "Murder! Murder! Help! There’s a bad actor here with a weapon!"
Taking advantage of the assassin’s momentary distraction from the shouting, Commander Chen quickly drew his own gun: "Bang!"