I want a promise from you.
A similar scene, the same words, yet separated by the long years between them, dusted with the passage of time, arriving belatedly.
It must have been ten years, right? And yet, every word is still remembered.
Back then, the young man was pure and passionate, his words domineering yet taken for granted.
Now, the man is cold and composed, his words seemingly light yet unfathomably deep.
"…" Su Anxi turned her gaze to Xu Yu.
Xu Yu stared at Su Anxi's face, illuminated by the flickering light, her eyes still sparkling, yet unusually calm.
He curled his lips into a faint smile. "Didn't scare you after all."
"Knowing you for so many years, I can still tell which of your words are true and which are false." Su Anxi was merely putting on a brave face—it was indeed a trap.
The two exchanged a glance, then both turned their eyes to the distant large screen. In their ears played the music of "A Lifetime of Love," the song that had moved so many to tears.
Xu Yu looked at Su Anxi's profile, then suddenly reached out, gripping her shoulder and forcing her to turn toward him.
He lowered his gaze to meet hers, no longer joking. "Weigh these words again."
This time, Su Anxi felt the rapid beating in her chest. "Which words?"
"I still love you." Word by word, each syllable struck like a hammer, pounding heavily against Su Anxi's heart, her mind buzzing endlessly.
Su Anxi: "…"
"Doctor Su."
"Old Xu."
The urgent voices of a man and a woman, speaking in unison, shattered the crucial atmosphere of the moment.
At the same time, the man and woman hurried over to them.
The duty nurse said to Su Anxi, "The condition of patient in bed six has worsened."
Qiu Dongyuan said to Xu Yu, "The Chief of Staff is here and wants you to report immediately."
Su Anxi glanced at Xu Yu, took off the coat she was wearing and stuffed it into his hands, not daring to linger any longer. She turned and ran toward the ward.
"Did I interrupt something?" Qiu Dongyuan asked, noticing Xu Yu's calm expression.
Xu Yu looked back, but the figure had already disappeared. He put on his coat as he said, "Let's go."
…
Entering the temporary command room, seated at the head was Chief of Staff Han Kaiyun. On one side sat comrades from the public security department, and on the other was Deputy Captain Cheng Kai.
Xu Yu stood at attention, saluting Han Kaiyun. "Chief of Staff."
Han Kaiyun smiled and nodded, waving Xu Yu and Qiu Dongyuan over. "Come, take a seat."
After Xu Yu and Qiu Dongyuan were seated, Han Kaiyun introduced the two men opposite them. "Xiao Xu, let me introduce you. This is Captain Chen from the Criminal Investigation Team of the Wangliu County public security department, and this is Director Liu from the Bajiao Township Police Station."
He then turned to introduce Xu Yu. "This is Captain Xu Yu from the Fangquan City Armed Police Special Operations Team."
"Nice to meet you both." Xu Yu nodded politely and humbly toward the two men.
"I've long heard of the renowned Captain Xu from the Fangquan Border Armed Police Special Operations Team. Seeing you in person is even better than hearing about you!" Chen Shu said with a smile, continuing, "Young and accomplished!"
"Yes, yes." Han Kaiyun nodded with a smile, then turned to Xu Yu, getting down to business. "Here's the thing. You rescued a woman suspected of being kidnapped earlier, right? Do you remember?"
Xu Yu nodded. "I remember. We even specifically asked Doctor Su from the medical team to help save her."
Qiu Dongyuan lowered his head with a quiet smile upon hearing this. He hadn’t been there at the time, but afterward, he kept hearing Zhang Zhong and the others talk about the incident, praising Dr. Su to the skies. How he regretted missing it!
Han Kaiyun gestured for Captain Chen to continue. “Captain Chen, please brief everyone on the current situation.”
Captain Chen clasped his hands naturally on the table and looked at the armed police comrades across from him. “Here’s the situation. After receiving the report, officers from the Bajiao Township police station went directly to the temporary medical point and found the girl. According to her statement, she only said she was from Wangliu County, was kidnapped on her way home from work, and woke up to see Dr. Su. Beyond that, she knew nothing.”
“Director Liu recognized the severity of the situation and promptly notified our criminal investigation unit. After days of investigation, we confirmed that the perpetrators are the same cross-border criminals we’ve been pursuing. The day before yesterday, a body was reported in Qinglin Village—a local villager killed with a single, precise gunshot. This indicates the criminals have taken advantage of the disaster chaos to flee back to Wangliu County, and they are armed with lethal weapons, making them extremely dangerous. We’ve already set up checkpoints at all key exits and entrances. However, we don’t know whether they have hostages or other uncontrollable factors. To ensure full preparedness, we specifically requested joint action with your Special Forces Team.”
Xu Yu had grasped the general situation, but the problem was that they were here for disaster relief and hadn’t brought any combat equipment.
At this thought, he looked at Chief of Staff Han Kaiyun.
Han Kaiyun knew Xu Yu all too well and immediately spoke up. “Don’t worry about equipment. Before coming here, I already notified Platoon Leader Weng from your team.”
“Good. Let’s discuss the operation plan.” Xu Yu nodded and turned to Captain Chen. “We’ll fully cooperate.”
Upon hearing this, Captain Chen immediately unfolded a map of Wangliu County on the table, and the group stood up to gather around.
“……”
……
Su Anxi watched the ambulance disappear into the night, standing frozen in place. She had broken into a sweat earlier, and only now did she feel the biting cold.
The patient in bed six was none other than the elderly woman who had mistaken her for her daughter. Later, they learned the old lady had a hidden heart condition. A few days ago, she had suffered a sudden heart attack and was resuscitated. Unexpectedly, it happened again today, and her condition was not optimistic.
After discussion, it was decided that Dr. Bao from the cardiothoracic surgery department would accompany her to the county hospital for treatment.
As for the expenses, everyone knew the old lady was alone and destitute, so they agreed to donate out of kindness.
Su Anxi contributed the largest amount.
Gazing at the now-empty area in the distance, quiet and desolate, the white screen hung there in solitude, facing the distant, scarred green mountains.
A gust of wind blew, cutting across her face like a knife. She hugged her arms tightly, a complex emotion she hadn’t felt in a long time washing over her—she felt so sad she wanted to cry.
These past few days, the old lady had brought her water, hot soup, and meals, urging her to sit and rest, afraid she would exhaust herself. Calling her “daughter” over and over, with such a kind and simple smile.
But Su Anxi feared she wouldn’t pull through, with no one to see her off at the end.
Liao Zhiping came out and saw Su Anxi standing dazedly in the open space outside the medical point. He sighed inwardly and walked over.
"Truly a brave and mighty female guardian. Don't you know what cold is?" Liao Zhiping deliberately teased, pointing at the goosebumps on the back of her hand and clicking his tongue twice. "You're freezing like this and still won't go inside. Are you trying to kill yourself?"
Su Anxi patted her own face, quite forcefully, taking deep breaths over and over before finally looking at Liao Zhiping and saying to him, "Don't worry about me. This way, I won't feel like crying."
"Su Anxi, you said it yourself—we're doctors, but we're also human. We don't have the power to control life and death. You've sent off so many patients, experienced so much. You can get through this time too."
Su Anxi's greatest strength was her ability to relieve her own stress. Whether she was sad or under pressure, she could always regulate her emotions. But this time was different.
Doctors shouldn't form emotional bonds with patients. Once that happens, it becomes complicated. Su Anxi had always maintained a polite distance from her patients. Who would have thought that after years of discipline, she'd falter in a single moment? This time, she had stumbled.
"Old Liao, let me be alone for a while, okay?" Su Anxi pleaded with Liao Zhiping.
Liao Zhiping nodded helplessly and said to her, "Don't catch a cold."
Su Anxi forced a smile. "Don't worry, I won't mistreat my own body."
"I'm going inside."
"Mhm."
…
When Xu Yu arrived, he saw a huddled figure squatting outside the medical point from a distance. As he got closer, he realized it was a person, and upon closer inspection, it was Su Anxi.
She was holding a piece of chalk, scribbling and drawing on the ground. When he approached, he saw it was covered in mathematical formulas.
"Su Anxi," Xu Yu called out.
"… " No response.
"Su Anxi." Xu Yu walked directly in front of her and called out again, his voice firm and resolute.
Su Anxi saw a pair of black boots stop before her and finally looked up, smiling at Xu Yu. "Finished with your work?"
Xu Yu could tell something was off with Su Anxi, so he crouched down to look at her. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" Su Anxi sniffled. It was damn cold.
"You write formulas whenever something's on your mind." Xu Yu paused, looking at Su Anxi. "Did what I say put you in a difficult position?"
Su Anxi looked at Xu Yu. He was waiting for her answer, his thin lips slightly pursed, his eyes like stars and oceans fixed intently on her, appearing serious but genuinely earnest.
"No," Su Anxi shook her head.
"I have a mission and need to leave immediately. I came to let you know." Xu Yu said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "Su Anxi, wait for me to come back, and tell me your answer."
Xu Yu pulled Su Anxi to her feet. Looking at his handsome face, her tears could no longer be held back, streaming down uncontrollably.
All along, she had been the indestructible guardian in Liao Zhiping's words, never shedding tears in front of others no matter what happened. She even thought she was frighteningly strong, so strong that she didn't understand what weakness was.
But it turned out she wasn't. In front of this person, she had lost all her strength, leaving only weakness.
"Su Anxi, it's not that serious, is it? I didn't pressure you, and now you're crying on me."
"Xu Yu, will you die?" Su Anxi asked, her voice choked with sobs.
Xu Yu had originally wanted to lighten the mood, but Su Anxi's words deeply plunged the atmosphere back into its original state.
"……" He couldn't answer. Every mission was an unknown, and he didn't want to lie to her.
"You told me to wait for you back then, but what I waited for was your farewell letter."
These words were like fine needles, pricking his heart one by one—not enough to kill, yet enough to paralyze.
Xu Yu stared at the girl before him, her tear-streaked face heartbreaking. Without another thought, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
Lowering his head, he whispered softly yet firmly into her ear, "Wait for me to come back."
After saying this, he released Su Anxi, reached out to smooth her hair, gave her a faint smile, then turned and strode away.
Su Anxi watched his tall, resolute figure, wiped the tears from her face with both hands, and continued to gaze at the silhouette fading into the night.
Ten years of military life, clad in uniform, iron-willed and unyielding, defending the nation and protecting its people.
He was no longer the reckless young man who once threw caution to the wind for love.
Su Anxi let out a long breath, feeling much better.