Chapter 52: The Broken Engagement

Zhong Xiao learned of Song Ting Shen’s amnesia two hours later.

She came to the hospital carrying the list of medicines Left Lan had given her. From the first to the third floor, wounded soldiers crowded the halls, receiving treatment. She asked the accompanying medical staff and discovered that Left Lan and the military district leaders were holding a meeting in a temporary conference room on the fourth floor.

When Zhong Xiao reached the fourth floor, it was noticeably quieter, with only a few empty offices. Voices echoed from the end of the corridor, guiding her toward the sound. Before she even approached, she saw several people sitting behind a half-closed door, the most prominent among them a man whose presence commanded respect.

He was older, though age had not dulled him; his bearing and tone were full of authority. Clearly injured, he wore a military-green jacket, and a long scar near his neck was wrapped simply in gauze. Perhaps the wound still ached, for as he spoke, his cheek occasionally twitched with pain.

Two soldiers guarded the door. When they saw Zhong Xiao, one barked sharply, “Who are you? Who let you up here?”

Startled, Zhong Xiao froze in the corridor. The voices inside ceased as someone stepped out—Commissioner Liu. He scolded the soldier at the door, then turned to those inside, saying, “Commander Song, this is the one brought by Mr. Qin. Thanks to her analysis, we found you all so quickly.”

Zhong Xiao was taken aback. Commander Song?

So the man she’d seen must be—

Before she could finish her thought, another man stepped out from behind Commissioner Liu, meeting Zhong Xiao’s gaze. It was indeed the man who had just been speaking.

Facing such an imposing figure, Zhong Xiao couldn’t help but feel intimidated. Commander Song was a man who had walked through countless battlefields; his authority was unquestionable. His expression was stern, the thick black brows habitually furrowed, giving him the air of a cold-faced general perpetually in a bad mood.

And now, his mood was certainly foul.

Zhong Xiao’s apprehension only deepened.

The room fell silent for a moment before Commander Song spoke. “So you’re Zhong Xiao. Hello, I am Song Qingfeng. On behalf of all the soldiers of the Taizhou Island Military District, I thank you for your help!”

With that, Song Qingfeng stood squarely before her and saluted.

Zhong Xiao felt embarrassed, managed a dry smile, and replied, “I just happened to make a lucky guess, Commander Song. You flatter me.”

Hearing Zhong Xiao’s address, Song Qingfeng paused, then said, “Actually, you should call me Uncle Song. Your father—”

He was cut off by Left Lan. “So many people here, let’s not discuss this now. Talk about it privately.”

Yet Zhong Xiao sensed something amiss. The father Song Qingfeng mentioned was certainly not Du Huacheng. If Du Huacheng had known someone as influential as Commander Song, he would have boasted about it all over Yue City. There would be no way such news would go unnoticed.

Thus, Song Qingfeng must be referring to her biological father.

Clearly, Left Lan was concerned—perhaps worried Zhong Xiao didn’t know the truth of her origins, reluctant to speak rashly.

Song Qingfeng fell silent as well, then finally said, “Xiao Xiao, go wait in your Aunt Left’s office. After the meeting, we have something to tell you.”

Though Zhong Xiao didn’t know what it was, she obediently nodded. “Alright.” She handed Left Lan a cloth bag. “Aunt Left, here are the medicines you asked for.”

With that, Zhong Xiao left for the director’s office and sat quietly on the sofa to wait.

—

Twenty minutes later, the door to Left Lan’s office opened. Zhong Xiao rose to greet Song Qingfeng and Left Lan as they entered.

Song Qingfeng’s demeanor was gentler than it had been in the conference room; he smiled kindly at Zhong Xiao, though his face twitched slightly, likely because of his wound.

Zhong Xiao said, “Aunt Left, among the medicines I brought, there’s some topical pain powder. Commander Song can use it.”

Before Left Lan could answer, Commander Song waved her off. “I won’t use it. Leave it for the young ones,” Song Qingfeng said. “Sometimes pain keeps a person clear-headed. I can endure it; I don’t need such things.”

Left Lan was helpless, but seemed well acquainted with her husband’s temperament, shooting Song Qingfeng a resigned glare.

Zhong Xiao recalled what Qin Dezheng had told her on the way to Taizhou Island: Commander Song was upright and principled, but his only flaw was his bluntness and low emotional intelligence. He spoke directly, often offending others.

Yet Zhong Xiao found that such a man was truly a good general, a leader who cared deeply for the people and the army.

She asked, “Aunt Left, didn’t you say you had something to tell me? What is it?”

Song Qingfeng exchanged a glance with Left Lan.

Finally, Left Lan sighed. “Xiao Xiao, Shen—something happened to him.”

Zhong Xiao remembered the conversation in the dormitory earlier and grew worried. “I heard there were no casualties. What happened to Captain Song?”

Left Lan’s face was troubled. “There’s no danger to his life, but... but Shen has forgotten everything.”

Zhong Xiao was stunned.

Forgotten everything? Amnesia?

She had thought such things only appeared in soap operas and foreign films.

Before she could ask further, Song Qingfeng explained, “During our retreat, one of Shen’s captains stepped on a landmine. Shen was disabling explosives to cover the withdrawal when a fragment struck his head.”

“Shen was unconscious for two days. When he woke, he seemed normal—until he showed aggression toward everyone, demanded to know who we were, and didn’t know himself.”

Song Qingfeng’s voice grew somber.

Even a man as tough as he was could not hide his emotions when his son was involved. One son bedridden, another lost to memory. What father would not feel pain?

Left Lan continued, “Xiao Xiao, Shen doesn’t recognize anyone now, remembers nothing—including your engagement.”

Zhong Xiao understood.

If Song Ting Shen had forgotten their engagement, Left Lan and Song Qingfeng would certainly not force their son to marry her. Even with the engagement, Left Lan could not bear it.

Thus, Zhong Xiao had no reason to stay at the Taizhou Island Military District. An unrelated person could not linger in such an important place, and even Commander Song could not break the rules.

It seemed her engagement to Song Ting Shen would soon be annulled.