Chapter 133

Xi Junjie was carried onto the ambulance, and the rescue convoy flying the Huaguo national flag quickly withdrew. Perhaps due to the recent firm stance of the Huaguo (China) Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the areas of conflict between the two countries deliberately avoided the rescue route. Everyone just hoped they’d find the missing person soon so they wouldn’t have to handle multiple diplomatic calls a day—it was nerve-racking.

The convoy successfully left Ba Country. Diplomats waiting at the border immediately asked, “Was Xi Junjie found?”

“He’s been found. Quickly notify the embassy,” the head of the rescue team replied, urging the convoy to proceed to the embassy area. The waiting diplomats and military personnel cleared the way, allowing smooth access to the embassy. Xi Junjie was transferred to a hospital bed and subjected to various medical examinations.

Back in Huaguo, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xi Changbo, who had been sitting by the phone, finally heard it ring. He picked up immediately, his voice trembling. “Did you find him? Is he still alive?”

The voice on the other end sounded excited. “He’s been found. Just some minor injuries, no life-threatening danger.”

Upon hearing that his son had been found alive, Xi Changbo collapsed into his chair with a long sigh of relief. He had known there were risks involved in the evacuation operation, but never imagined his own son would go missing due to an attack. He couldn’t bear to think what he would have done if the rescue team had returned with a corpse—how would he explain that to his wife, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren? Thankfully, Xi Junjie was alive.

Meanwhile, Xi Junjie was undergoing examinations on his hospital bed. A group of doctors busied themselves around him, finally completing all the checks. The attending physician reviewed the scans and test results with his colleagues and exclaimed, pleasantly surprised, “He was unconscious for three days and two nights, and yet he’s perfectly fine. Youth really is an advantage.”

“Indeed. I expected at least some anemia or signs of malnutrition, but there’s none. His physical condition is excellent.”

“With a bit of rest, he can return home. Though he has injuries on his arm and forehead, we recommend a longer recovery period before returning to work.”

A diplomat carefully noted the doctor’s instructions. Seeing Xi Junjie waving to him from the bed, he leaned down and asked, “Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“I need a shower!” Xi Junjie was nearly at his limit. He’d never gone this many days without bathing. When he was in his wife’s space, Zhenzhen had forbidden him from washing, not even letting him clean his face, to make his rescued appearance seem realistic. It had almost driven him crazy.

The doctor looked at the dried blood on Xi Junjie’s forehead, his messy hair, and the dirt on his body, and nodded. “I’ll have the nurse do a waterproof bandage. Then you can shower. But you need to eat something first. You’ve gone days without food—bathing on an empty stomach could make you faint again.”

The hospital meal was already prepared. Since they were in a foreign country and resources weren’t as accessible as back home, the embassy had only managed to prepare a bowl of noodles and some chicken soup. After rinsing his mouth, Xi Junjie sipped the chicken soup, looked at the oily film on top, and sighed inwardly, “Not as tasty as my wife’s.”

After eating most of the noodles and sipping a bit more soup, he set down his chopsticks and insisted on addressing his hygiene immediately. The embassy staff scratched their heads, puzzled. “Last time we rescued a guy who’d lost his passport, and after just two days without food, he nearly ate an entire pot. Compared to that, Xi Junjie barely ate anything. Is he feeling unwell?”

“He was unconscious for so long, he’s probably too exhausted to have an appetite,” another official sighed. “This was really a close call.”

Xi Junjie refused all offers of help, locked the bathroom door tightly, and whispered, “Honey, honey, help me shower.”

Zhenzhen helplessly appeared from her space, pressed the fully naked Xi Junjie onto a stool in the bathroom, and began rinsing his hair carefully to avoid his forehead wound. After three washes, he finally felt refreshed.

Once his body was thoroughly cleaned, Xi Junjie began to stir as Zhenzhen’s clothes became increasingly transparent. Caught off guard by the sight, Zhenzhen flushed with embarrassment and annoyance, sprayed him in the face with water, and growled in a low voice, “Can’t you act like a patient?”

“I want to behave, but he won’t listen to me,” Xi Junjie said with a pitiful look.

Zhenzhen chuckled and sighed, pinched his firm waist, and whispered, “Just wait until we’re home. I’ll deal with you properly.”

Xi Junjie was about to respond when someone knocked on the door. “Junjie, hurry up. The airport scheduled our flight for four hours from now.”

“Got it!” Xi Junjie shouted back. Zhenzhen brought out a large towel from her space, dried him thoroughly, helped him change into clean clothes provided by the embassy, and returned to her space.

With boarding time approaching, the embassy staff got busy again. Aside from Xi Junjie, they had to organize all the Huaguo citizens temporarily housed in nearby residential areas, get them on buses, and head to the airport.

When the evacuees first arrived and were assigned accommodations, embassy personnel had already returned their passports by name. So this time, boarding was based on name-checking. As each name was ticked off the list, an hour passed—and the embassy staff discovered two people were missing.

“Who’s unaccounted for?” asked the evacuation coordinator.

“Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran,” answered the staff, checking the list.

“Those two again.” The coordinator ground his teeth. It was their unauthorized departure from the embassy that had led Xi Junjie to go after them, resulting in his ambush. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to find a hidden pit, this outstanding diplomat might have lost his life.

The coordinator grabbed the list, found the name of the girl who had shared a room with them, and ordered, “Call Zhang Fei off bus number one.”

Someone immediately went to fetch her. Soon, Zhang Fei arrived looking nervous and uneasy. “My friends haven’t come yet.”

Suppressing his anger, the coordinator asked, “We emphasized multiple times while delivering meals that you were not allowed to leave without permission, as we could be leaving at any time. Why did they sneak out again?”

Zhang Fei hesitated, unsure whether to speak. Just then, she saw a man with bandages on his head and arm being carried into an ambulance. The coordinator turned to glance, his voice cold. “That’s Xi Junjie, the diplomat who returned to Ba Country to search for Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran. He encountered gunfire on the way and nearly died. We only rescued him today.”

“I know,” Zhang Fei said guiltily. “I was the one who told him Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran didn’t board the bus.” She bit her lip and quickly continued, “They found a gold shop near the Huaguo embassy in Ba Country that had just been bombed. They thought they might get lucky and scavenge some gold from the ruins. Turns out, only half the store collapsed, and two safes remained intact. They missed the bus because of that gold.”

The coordinator’s face darkened. He took a deep breath. “And this time? What’s their reason for disappearing again? Off to hunt for more gold?”

“No. They were worried that bringing large quantities of gold jewelry through customs might get them in trouble when returning to Huaguo. So they went out to exchange it for US dollars, figuring it would be more convenient. Also, bringing back cash during an evacuation wouldn’t raise suspicion.”

The coordinator nearly laughed in disbelief. “And converting it to dollars won’t cause trouble? Fine. I’ve heard enough. Get on the bus.” He turned and issued a cold command: “Time’s up. Tell the convoy to depart.”

Just as Zhang Fei walked a few steps, she heard the order and panicked. “But they’re not back yet.”

“We can’t risk the safety of hundreds for two people,” the coordinator replied expressionlessly. “If you’re so concerned, you can stay behind and wait for them, then return to Huaguo on your own.”

Zhang Fei said nothing more and boarded the bus. The coordinator watched the doors close, got into a car at the rear, and radioed, “Depart.”

Meanwhile, Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran were still unaware that the convoy had left. They were cornered in a dark alley by several men, with flashing knives waving before their eyes.

“Hand over the gold,” a tall, bald Black man barked.

Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran were forced against the wall, crying out when they realized there was no way out: “We really don’t have any gold. We just escaped from Ba Country, how could we possibly have brought gold with us?”

The Black man sneered, stepped forward, and yanked off her backpack. After rummaging through it, he found not only half a bag of gold jewelry but also quite a bit of U.S. dollars. “I saw your whole transaction.”

Zhang Xiaoran burst into tears, unwilling to see the gold she had worked so hard to get be taken away. Seeing them about to leave, she even tried to bargain: “Take the gold, but can you leave us the cash?”

The leader laughed as if he’d heard a joke, pointing at the two of them and laughing with the others: “Trying to bargain with me? Looks like you don’t know who I am. Brothers, teach them a lesson and see if there’s any more cash or gold hidden.”

A group of people swarmed in, yanking at their handbags and pockets. This time, both of their hidden stashes of gold were found, and all the money on them was cleaned out.

The Black leader walked over and tore the gold chain from Zhang Xiaoran’s hand, sneering: “You should be glad we don’t rape women. Otherwise, the two of you wouldn’t be leaving here alive.”

He shoved Zhang Xiaoran aside and tossed the gold chain to one of his men. “Let’s go!”

Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran collapsed on the ground, watching the group walk away, covering their faces as they wept.
—

The two flights to China departed as scheduled. At this time, Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran, limping with bruised faces, returned to the accommodation arranged by the Chinese embassy for evacuated citizens.

Seeing the door ajar, they pushed it open. A cleaning staff inside turned and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

“We live here.” Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran saw several bags of trash by the door and had a bad feeling. They quickly said, “We’re Chinese citizens waiting for evacuation. The embassy staff arranged for us to stay here.”

“Oh, they already left,” the cleaner replied. “They departed three hours ago.”

Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran exchanged horrified glances. Ignoring their leg pain, they stumbled toward the Chinese embassy nearby. There were few diplomats stationed in this small country, and with the evacuation work, most had gone to the airport. By the time everything was finished, the embassy was already closed.

The next morning, two women were found half-lying at the embassy entrance by Chinese diplomats arriving for work. Diplomat Zhang Ze walked over, squatted, and tapped them: “Wake up.”

Zhang Xiaoran woke up from her dream and, upon seeing the diplomat, couldn’t help but cry: “We were robbed, we froze all night out here, why did the plane leave without us?”

Zhang Ze opened the office door expressionlessly: “Evacuation planes don’t wait for anyone. If you miss the time, it means you’ve given up on the rescue. As for the robbery…” he glanced at them, “I’ll report it and have the police investigate.”

Remembering the Black man’s warning from yesterday, the two immediately trembled and quickly said, “No, no, we won’t report it. Just arrange a flight to take us back to China.”

“Sorry,” Zhang Ze smiled, “You can buy return tickets here. We can help with the paperwork.”

“But all our money was stolen! And aren’t we evacuees too?” they protested. A flight home wasn’t cheap, and others evacuated for free—why did they have to pay?

“You gave up on the rescue yourself,” Zhang Ze explained patiently. “You can either contact family in China to send money, or return to Ba Country. I see you both have Ba Country citizenship. By the rules, they should be the ones to help you.”

Zhang Xiaoran grew angry: “Are you taking it out on us because of that missing diplomat?”

Zhang Ze kept smiling: “We’re just following protocol. Now, shall I report to the police for you? I heard the Ba Country police are investigating a gold shop theft. According to their new emergency law, shops and homes destroyed in bombings still count as private property. Anyone who takes possession illegally is guilty of theft.”

Li Wen and Zhang Xiaoran turned ashen.
—

The plane made a stopover at Imperial Capital Airport. Xi Changbo, Ling Xiulan, and Zhenzhen were already waiting at the exit, along with a large crowd holding Chinese flags to welcome returning loved ones.

First to exit were the returned Chinese expatriates, followed by embassy staff, and finally the special forces unit. Xi Junjie stood out with injuries, drawing immediate tears from Ling Xiulan.

Xi Changbo also felt a pang seeing his son hurt, but as a diplomat himself, he had to restrain his emotions. Only after greeting his colleagues did he finally go to Xi Junjie, patting him on the shoulder with mixed feelings: “It’s good you’re back.”

The Li family was eating lunch while watching the news. Seeing the evacuation footage and Xi Junjie with injuries, Wang Sufen finally realized: “Junjie went to Ba Country for the evacuation? No wonder the in-laws and Zhenzhen looked so out of sorts. That’s too dangerous.”

Grandma Li straightened up, eyes fixed on the screen: “As long as he’s back safe, that’s all that matters. Hurry and tell the kitchen to prepare food, make some nourishing soups. Who knows how badly he’s hurt.”

In the car, Xi Changbo drove while Ling Xiulan, Xi Junjie, and Zhenzhen sat in the back. Zhenzhen, having already processed the shock, quietly held Xi Junjie’s hand. Ling Xiulan, on the other hand, was still distraught. Her son had gone out fine and returned injured—she held his arm and cried: “Why are you the only one hurt? What happened?”

“It’s nothing. I’m back safe,” Xi Junjie smiled. “Just a minor cut on the arm, really.”

After crying, Ling Xiulan felt a bit relieved, wiped her tears, and glared at Xi Changbo: “Next time there’s something like this, don’t let my son go.”

Xi Changbo didn’t dare promise, only gave an awkward smile: “It’s not like there are evacuations happening all the time.” Fearing a scolding, he quickly looked at Xi Junjie through the rearview mirror: “You’ve been injured, so take time to rest. Go back to work only after your follow-up.”

Touching the bandage on his head, Xi Junjie said with a smile: “It’s really no big deal.” But as soon as he said it, both Ling Xiulan and Zhenzhen turned to look at him, and he quickly changed course: “But I do need to rest. The doctor said I need to change the dressing every two days.”

The car pulled up at the house. Grandma Li, Wang Sufen, and Li Muwu had already been waiting at the door with the kids.

“Why’d you go somewhere so dangerous? If it weren’t for the news, we wouldn’t even have known,” they exclaimed.

Xi Junjie grinned: “It was a rush order, no time to explain.” He leaned in and kissed the chubby faces of the twins. “Watermelon, Grape, did you miss Daddy?”

The twins glanced at him, then reached out to Zhenzhen: “Ma…ma…”

Xi Junjie smacked their little bottoms jokingly: “Ungrateful little things! It’s only been a few days, and you don’t recognize your own dad?”

Wang Sufen laughed and rubbed Grape’s bottom: “Alright, don’t stand out here. Come in quickly. The food’s ready. We made several soups for Junjie—see which one you like.”

Xi Junjie looked at Zhenzhen and smiled: “Chicken soup.”

“We have it! We have it!” Wang Sufen said immediately. “The chicken’s from our own backyard—fat and tender.”

She led everyone to the dining room. Seeing the table full of dishes, Ling Xiulan was deeply moved: “You really thought of him. I was in such a rush to get to the airport I forgot to tell Aunt Yang to cook.”

“No need for all that formality. We’re one family.” Wang Sufen served Xi Junjie a bowl of chicken soup and added drumsticks and wings to his bowl: “Eat more, you must’ve had a rough time overseas.”

Xi Junjie took a bite of the drumstick and smiled: “It wasn’t too bad, just couldn’t eat well.”

Hearing this, Wang Sufen’s heart ached. She piled his bowl with ribs: “You’ve got a wound—no fish or shrimp for now. Eat more meat.”

After they were full, Wang Sufen and Grandma Li took the kids back to their room, giving the young couple some time to talk privately. Once the door was closed, Xi Junjie stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Zhenzhen, planting a kiss on her lips with a grin. “You said you’d give me a hard time when I got home. Come on, bring it on.”

Zhenzhen laughed and pinched his waist. “That arm of yours seems to be working just fine, huh?”

Xi Junjie chuckled and tried to lift her with one arm, but he couldn’t muster the strength. He looked at her pitifully. “Honey, help me to bed?” When she didn’t budge, he leaned in and kissed her again. “I’m really tired.”

Zhenzhen couldn’t resist his pleading eyes. As she helped him undress, she muttered, “You only know how to seduce me with your face.”

Xi Junjie gave a soft laugh, wrapped his good arm around her waist, and silenced her chatter with a kiss.

They tangled together for over an hour. Afterwards, Xi Junjie lay on the bed, drenched in sweat and content, holding Zhenzhen close. “I think marrying you is the greatest blessing of my life.”

Zhenzhen opened her eyes and looked at him. “Of course. If I hadn’t gone to save you, we’d be holding your memorial right now.”

“There wasn’t much I could do. The order I got was to get everyone out, not a single person less. When I noticed those two were missing and still had their passports, I had to go look for them.” Seeing her expression darken, Xi Junjie quickly added, “I swear next time I’ll put my own safety first.”

“You think I believe you? That’s exactly what you promised before you left.” Zhenzhen sneered. “You got lucky this time. If anything like this happens again, don’t count on me to save you. I’ll just find the twins a stepdad and make you mad.”

Xi Junjie leaned in closer, looking smug. “Good luck with that. Handsome, loving guys like me? Probably only one in the world. Why else do you think I had the good fortune to marry you?”

“Shameless.” Zhenzhen pinched his cheek.

Xi Junjie rubbed his chin against her smooth shoulder and suddenly said, “Take me to your hometown sometime.”

“My hometown?” Zhenzhen turned to look at him. “You mean Beicha?”

“Yeah.” Xi Junjie nodded. “You always talk about that beautiful Korean pine forest. I’ve always wanted to see it.”

Zhenzhen smiled, got out of bed, grabbed a clean set of clothes, and tossed them onto Xi Junjie. “Get up. We’re leaving right now!”