in2ebook Chapter 369 Bad Friends!
Chapter 369 Bad Friends!
She didn't care about the newspaper articles praising bravery and celebrating achievements, about meritorious service and heroism.
All she wanted was for Yuemin to be safe and sound, for him to return unharmed.
Tears welled up in her eyes, then spilled uncontrollably, sliding down her pale cheeks, drop by drop, onto the newspaper. The image of her beloved in the photograph became even more blurred, as if it too were feeling her pain, and began to 'cry'.
Seeing Xiaobai's expression, Luo Yun's initial excitement subsided. She sighed understandingly and gently put her arm around Zhou Xiaobai's shoulder.
"Xiaobai, don't cry. This is a good thing. Yuemin and the others have made great contributions and will soon become war heroes. You should be happy. Everything is fine, everyone is alright."
Zhou Xiaobai shook her head vigorously, her tears flowing even more profusely.
She raised her tear-filled eyes, gazing southwards through the window, her voice choked with sobs, filled with endless longing and prayer.
"I don't care whether Yuemin makes a contribution or not... I just want him to be safe... Yuemin, you must be well... come back alive!"
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In the same hospital, in a ward for high-ranking officials, Li Yuanchao leaned against the bed, wearing a clean hospital gown. His complexion was rosy and radiant, showing no signs of illness. He sat languidly, occasionally yawning. He hardly looked like someone who was 'seriously ill'.
Around the bed sat or stood five or six young men dressed in fashionable casual clothes, their expressions arrogant. They all had a frivolous air about them, shaking their heads and swaying their bodies; they didn't look like respectable people at all.
Like Li Yuanchao, they were all "comrades-in-arms" who had been nominally in the same unit but quickly left before the war through various "reasonable" channels. The reasons were surprisingly consistent: serious illness, family matters, or simply committing some offense and being discharged from the army.
At this moment, these people were passing around a crumpled copy of the "Military Newspaper," which prominently featured a report and photos of Zhong Yuemin's squad capturing an enemy division commander alive.
"Welcome to Korea, look at this!"
A young man with a side-parted hairstyle pointed at the newspaper and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone,
"Those bastards Zhong Yuemin and Zhang Haiyang, they really got incredibly lucky. They actually managed to sneak up on the enemy's division headquarters and even captured their division commander alive? What a load of bull, it must have been pure luck."
Another young man, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a nonchalant air, scoffed and flicked the ash onto the ground.
"That's right, what's there to brag about? It's just that a few of us brothers are sick and can't go to the battlefield, otherwise we'd take care of those Vietnamese monkeys in no time."
Besides, in this hail of bullets, who knows when we'll be 'glorious'? We're not as smart as us; we know how to protect ourselves, right, guys?
The man with the side-parted hair seemed to have thought of something, and he leaned closer to Li Yuanchao in a lewd manner, lowering his voice and chuckling:
"Yuanchao, if you ask me, if Zhong Yuemin really 'gloriously' died on the battlefield, then his girl, Zhou Xiaobai... hehe, wouldn't you have a chance? That girl is so beautiful!"
"That's it!"
Several people nearby immediately started to jeer, chiming in with their own opinions.
"Zhou Xiaobai used to be so arrogant, only liking people like Zhong Yuemin!"
"Yuanchao, in what way are you inferior to Zhong Yuemin? You have a good family background and you're good-looking!"
"Once this blows over, I'll help you two get back together!"
These people talked without restraint, as if the life-or-death battle a thousand miles to the south was merely a drama to be laughed at, completely forgetting that they too had once been 'warriors'.
Zhou Xiaobai was nothing more than a trophy that could be transferred at will.