"I ran into some bandits." Daisy joked, which was rare. Since she had been smacked for defending herself, she didn't see the difference between the Ouyangs and some bandits. It felt like she was attacked by some bandits.
What! Bandits? If they can hurt you in broad daylight, they must be good." Mark could be quick sometimes, but he was too trustful. Since he had never seen Daisy joke before, he took her words seriously without questioning. Daisy twitched her mouth in resignation. She hadn't expected Mark to take her joke seriously. For the first time, she felt defeated by him.
Daisy, this soldier of yours is hilarious!" For the first time since Edward got injured, Tom smiled. No one in his circle was as simple as Mark.
"Sorry about that." Daisy gave a smile. She found it hard to believe that Mark couldn't tell a joke from a serious remark.
"Colonel, did I say something wrong?" Hearing Tom's comment, Mark blushed with embarrassment.
No, it's nothing. Did you bring me the file?" Daisy took a deep breath. She had to accept Mark for who he was. His ingenuousness didn't necessarily have to be a disadvantage.
"Yes, I did. Do you want it now?" Mark moved to take the file out of his briefcase.
"No. Give it to me later." Although Daisy was certain that Tom wouldn't be interested in the file, military documents were confidential. Even though she trusted Tom, she had to be responsible and observe discipline, which was fundamental to the code of conduct of a military officer.
Tom, the patient's condition is stabilized. Shall we transfer him to the VVIP ward?" A paramedic came to seek Tom's medical advice.
Good. Wait until I've checked his vital signs again." Tom stood up and left with the doctor. Daisy was thrilled to hear the good news. The transfer was a simple procedure that took less than 20 minutes. Now that Daisy could be near Edward again, her eyes got wet with tears.
She reached out and took his hand in her palms, her heart racing. Without the respirator, she was able to see his face again. Looking at him affectionately, she was overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. She felt like she had been apart from him for centuries.
"Daisy, Edward will be able to wake up within two or three hours, so don't worry too much. I'll be in my office. Come see me if you need anything, " Taking the stethoscope off his ears, Tom spoke quietly. He didn't have the heart to disturb her happiness at the moment, but he hoped he could ease her worries.
Okay. Thank you. Go back to your work, " Daisy replied, keeping a tight hold on Edward's hand.
"If Edward comes around, let me know. I'll give him a thorough examination." Although operations for the other patients had been postponed until after tomorrow, he needed to prepare in advance. Now that Edward was out of danger, Tom felt relieved and could go back to his office and get some work done.
All right." Daisy nodded. She watched Tom leave before turning back to Edward. Gradually, the other doctors and nurses also left the ward. Only Mark remained with Daisy in case she needed him.
Colonel, was Mr. Mu badly injured?" Mark asked, unaware of how inappropriate it was to speak right now. But Daisy was used to his personality, so she didn't find Mark disruptive to her peaceful moment with Edward.
Yes, he was. That's why he hasn't woken up after the operation yet." Since Mark had been working with Daisy for a long time, she didn't intend to hide the truth from him.
Oh..." Mark touched his head, at a loss with how to comfort her. How could he ask such a silly question?
"Pass me the file." Daisy figured the file must be important since the commander had told Mark to bring it to her despite knowing that she was distressed about Edward's condition.
Okay." Mark took out a thick file from the briefcase he was carrying and handed it to Daisy. He didn't know about its contents. Throughout the many years he'd been working with Daisy, he'd stuck to his principle of only reading things he was supposed to.
Daisy frowned at the sight of the sealed file, indicating its confidentiality and urgency. What was so important that it had to be delivered to her? Was it related to her?
Did the commander mention when will he want the file back?" Daisy didn't open the file immediately and looked up at Mark instead.
He said that the file has to be sent to the army by tomorrow, so it's best to hurry." Mark didn't ask about the file although he was curious why the commander wanted him to deliver as soon as possible. He knew he wasn't in the position to ask. The seal was enough to tell him how important and confidential it was.
Okay. Are you going back to the military base? Or staying here?" Being Daisy's aide, Mark was supposed to be at her side at all times. But because Daisy didn't like being followed around, she usually refused when Mark offered to keep her company.
I'd like to stay. If I had been around last night, you and Mr. Mu wouldn't have been in such danger." As the aide of the colonel, Mark had to be very capable to protect her. He was right, but did he have to be so conceited? Daisy twisted her mouth in dissatisfaction. Would the arms dealers have given up their attack if he had been around?
Are you confident that you'd be capable of resisting a hundred enemies on your own?" Daisy turned around and couldn't resist rolling her eyes, which she had done a lot since she'd been with Edward.
"Um... No, but at least I could've helped you." There was a wide gap between Mark's and Daisy's capabilities. On the military base no one could compete with Daisy except for Kevin, not to mention Mark who hadn't spent much time training.
Why do I feel like you're holding me back?" Daisy said quietly to herself, but Mark still picked it up. His habit of sniffing around had finally paid off. It seemed his hearing had improved a lot and become much better than that of others.
Colonel, you're belittling my ability." Fortunately, he said "my" instead of "Mark's." Otherwise, Daisy would have laughed her head off. The combination of Mark's feminine tone and ingenuous air would have made an extremely awkward image.
No, you're thinking too much. I'd like you to fetch me my laptop now. I might need it later." Daisy stifled her laughter and changed the subject. Mark tended to take things seriously. Daisy didn't want him to misunderstand her and feel bad about himself. She wondered where Mark had picked up his manner of speaking. Was it from Rain and the other guys that he usually hung out with? Whenever he spoke now, he sounded too gentle to be a soldier.
Yes, colonel." Reassured that Daisy still valued him, Mark saluted her excitedly. Daisy was startled by his abrupt action and immediately wanted to take back her words.
After Mark left, Daisy opened the file. It was regarding another 500 million. Her eyebrows furrowed tightly. What had been going on recently? Why was her life suddenly linked with one 500 million after another? She hadn't figured out the story behind the first 500 million yet. Now, there was another 500 million. She suddenly felt like she was worth a lot. It seemed she was worth 500 million in every respect.
She turned to look at Edward who was lying unconscious in silence. All of a sudden, she felt as if they were drifting apart and she didn't know him anymore. She wondered what his world was like. The way he spent 500 Million with an easy stroke of his gold pen gave her a lot of pressure.
Money seemed to be an impossible mountain lying between them. It was like an obstacle she could never overcome.
She knew that the army was considering purchasing a batch of military weapons. She hadn't expected Edward to be the sponsor. He must have done it for her, because she knew that associating with the military didn't fit Edward's business philosophy.
Jeez! Daisy let out a heavy sigh, suddenly feeling depressed. Now she knew why the commander wanted her to have a file. Because the 500 Million was Edward's call. But the army was going to far to mention it at this point. How could they make her think about such matters when her husband was in a coma? Didn't her superiors know what had happened last night? Even if the army didn't know about it, the commander definitely did. Kevin must have reported the matter to him.
Daisy sat on the sofa, deep in thought. Besides Edward's signature, the file included the detailed report she wrote on the performance of the new types of weapons and how they compared to similar products. She seemed to have made the right decision to ask Mark to fetch her laptop, it looked as if she could foresee what was coming. She couldn't help but wonder how many things Edward was keeping from her. What was this huge sponsorship for?