"One, two, three. Surprise!" Yuqin surprised Han Rong with a home-made birthday cake on his 24th birthday. They were at Yuqin's apartment because his home was undergoing some renovations. Han Rong gently smiled and blew out the candle. Today was actually their two years anniversary together. He loved Yuqin with all his heart. He wanted to have a future with her even though his future was unknown due to his work. Yuqin's father was at work while her mother was out of town, it was only the two of them.
Yuqin looked at Han Rong while he quietly ate his birthday cake.
"Han Rong, I'm so blessed to have you. I love you." Yuqin kissed Han Rong on his cheek. Yuqin didn't know that it will be the last time of seeing him. Han Rong smiled at Yuqin and replied, "Yuqin, I want to tell you something."
She looked at him and listened attentively.
"I'm listening."
Han Rong stopped eating the cake and looked at her with a sorrowful expression, "Yuqin. Let's break up." Yuqin felt her body sank to the ground, she was speechless.
"Han Rong, is this a joke?"
"No. Yuqin, I'm not joking. Let's break up."
"Han Rong. We've been together for two years, and you expect me to break up with you?" Yuqin felt her voice crack and Han Rong stood up.
"Yuqin, it's better for us this way. I'm sorry, Yuqin." He faced the other way and started to walk away.
"Han Rong! Please don't go! Don't go away..."
Yuqin woke up from her sleep and checked her watch. Oh crap, I'm late for class again. She wiped away her tears then got ready for class in a jiffy. It was already her last year in university and graduation will be coming very soon.
She met up with her friends on her way to class until they saw a crowd in front of the huge TV in the lobby.
"What's happening?" Yuqin asked them.
"I have no idea. Come on, Yuqin, we can't be late for class otherwise we'll miss important info for the final exam!" Yuqin followed them instead of staying.
It was the news about a international SWAT tactical unit being almost annihilated by the enemy. Yuqin didn't know that Han Rong was almost killed.
***
Han Rong looked around him and all he saw were blood and corpses everywhere. It was his fault, he should've warned his team about the enemy grenade. He was lying on the ground and he felt the burning pain. He was shot by someone but he didn't know who. He only thought about wanting to go home and see Yuqin one last time. A single tear was shed as he slowly closed his eyes.
"Yuqin, I miss you." He slowly closed his eyes and heard yelling in the distance. He can't stay awake as he was going into shock.
"Officer Han Rong! Stay awake! We'll be in the hospital soon! Stay awake, please!" One of his friends from the other team rushed to his side as he was being transported to the nearest medical center. In the center of a desert country, finding a medical center was a chore itself. There aren't too many to begin with.
They were fortunate to find a medical center located not too far away from the frontline. Han Rong was already unconscious as he was being taken to the emergency room for operation. Their officer-in-charge rushed to the hospital once he received the news about Officer Han Rong.
As they waited for the operation to be finished, two of Han Rong's teammates sat on the ground looking defeated. They were in shock because most of their teammates were killed in the mission when it was easily avoidable. They were also mad because their team leader, Officer Han Rong, failed to notice.
After eight hours of surgery, Officer Han Rong was taken to the ICU for further observation. The surgeon who operated on Han Rong took off his mask.
"Where is the patient's guardian? We need to talk to them."
The officer-in-charge took over.
"We'll tell them once we get the chance. Please tell me, I'm their superior."
The doctor nodded, "The patient had severe blood loss. We discovered a bullet hit very close the spine but he is expected to survive. After recovering, he will experience trouble with walking and pain so make sure he gets enough rest and we'll see from there." The officer-in-charge nodded his head and thanked the doctor.
One of Han Rong's close friends tapped on Lu Cheng's shoulder. Lu Cheng was the name of the officer.
"What do we do next?" He asked him.
"Call Han Rong's family. We'll pay for their tickets and accommodations."
Han Rong's friend nodded and called Han Rong's family.
***
After Han Rong's father and mother arrived, they were immediately taken to the hospital to see their son. The driver was one of Han Rong's closest buddies. He remained silent as he drove because he didn't know what to say to them. Han Rong's mother was sobbing in her husband's arms and he comforted her.
"Honey, our son will be alright. He will recover and Lingling will have his brother back. We can't give up on our only son." Han Rong's father, Han Guanting, kissed his wife as they arrived to the hospital. Han Rong's friend led them to the ICU and the nurses told them only one can enter the ICU.
Han Rong's mother stopped sobbing and sniffled, "I'll go in. I want to see my son." The nurse brought out PPE for her and led her inside the ICU. After helping her with the PPE, the nurse told the mother that she only had ten minutes before they do another check up.
"Ma'am, your son is in bed number 7."
As Han Rong's mother walked towards bed number seven, her heart began to beat faster. Once she slide opened the curtain, she cried louder than ever.
"Han Rong, my sweet boy. What happened to you? Mom is here. I love you, my son." She sobbed as she saw plenty of tubes that were connected and heard machines that were beeping at the same time. Her heart broke for her son. She was mad not because he was injured but the fact, she couldn't even be with her son when he needed her the most. She gently fixed his hair and held onto his cold hand.
After a few minutes, Han Rong slowly opened his eyes. Tears streaming down his face as he looked up to the ceiling. He wanted to see Yuqin so badly that it hurts.
Han Rong's mother looked at Han Rong with a shocking expression.
"Han Rong, are you awake? It's mom! It's okay, mom is here. Don't be afraid." She quickly wiped away his tears and asked, "Are you in pain?" Han Rong saw his mother's swollen eyes and he shook his head. He saw how frail she was but he couldn't talk because of the oxygen mask.
"What's wrong, my son." His mother asked out of concern.
"Yu...Yu..."
"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. I'll call the doctor right now." As his mother called the doctor, Han Rong only thought about Yuqin. His only love."
***
Yuqin got back home after a long day of class, she got herself a cup of cold water and drank it all. But all of a sudden, she accidentally dropped a glass vase on the kitchen counter. Broken glasses were everywhere. Yuqin sighed and cleaned it up. She thought to herself, "I must be tired." Just then, she received a phone call from one of her friends.
"Yuqin! Big news!"
"What is it?" Yuqin asked.
"Turn on the TV!"
Yuqin dropped the TV remote without saying anything. She was speechless and couldn't believe her eyes. Her father passed away in a car accident and it happened near his workplace. She immediately dialed her father's phone number and it immediately went to the voicemail.
"Dad... no... it can't be. You can't die. It will be my graduation soon!" She immediately grabbed her coat and went straight to his workplace. She didn't believe a single word that was reported on the news.
Reality struck as she was about to go into his office. One of her dad's coworkers wouldn't allow her to enter. And one of the police officers blocked her from entering the building.
"Let me go in! I need to see my father! Please! I need to see him."
"Yuqin! Your father isn't here. He died. I'll bring you to the hospital. I'm sorry, Yuqin. He didn't make it."
"No... he promised me to see my graduation ceremony! Dad, I know you're in there! Dad!"
"Yuqin! Stop! He's not there. I'll take you to see your father, okay?"
Her father's coworker accompanied her to the hospital and it was at that time that she completely broke down. Her mother was still out of town and she had no one else besides her friends and his father's coworker.
"Dad... you promised me. Why did you leave me? I don't know what to do." One of Yuqin's friends came over and embraced her.
"Yuqin, you still have us. We'll get through it together. Don't be afraid."