I will always put you first (WangXian modern au)

2. "Will he remember me at all?"

Lan Wang Ji, Shanghai Military base

It's been two days since Major Nie gave me my new assignment. I will be posted to the Yunnan military base. Three years ago, we had been to Yunnan to investigate a narcotics network. The lead for that case has warmed up again. I am tasked with investigating it under cover of rescuing and rehabilitating survivors of recent floods. For the rescue mission, a team of doctors will be joining us from Beijing. Our job is their safety and assisting them with logistics for people and equipment.

We are scheduled to leave at 0530 hours tomorrow. All the teams from different parts of China will be reaching Yunnan by tomorrow.

I have spoken to my brother. He is worried but knows he can't stop me. It's my duty to follow through on this assignment.

I do a final check on all of my team's preparations and eat a quick dinner. It's 2000 hours by the time I head back to my room. I give a once over to my packed luggage and step into the bathroom for a shower. As the warm water sluices over my body, my thoughts inadvertently take me back to three years ago.

Lan Wang Ji, Yunnan, 3 years ago

This is the first time I have come to Yunnan. I feel this place is pulsating with life. Vibrant. Alive. But something sinister has led us here. We have had anonymous reports of an extensive narcotics network operated from this place. That was why my Alpha Team was brought here to investigate. After about a month of interacting with local law enforcement authorities, we have not had much progress. The leads have gone cold, and we are contemplating moving out of Yunnan.

It is our weekly errands day, and I accompany Si Zhui to the local market. We are on our way back when it happens. Out of nowhere, a truck swerves in front of us and hits us from the passenger side. Si Zhui is driving, he immediately tries to move away, but we can't completely escape. We both bring our arms to the front and cover our faces as best as we can as the vehicle comes to a stop.

I feel the breeze sting my skin as the glass all around us shatters. I had my bag on my lap. It is covered with pieces of glass on top, but it has blocked all that glass from me. I feel dread creeping up my spine as I dust those off. I am worried, not for me, but Si Zhui. He is like a younger brother to me. We share the same last name, but we are not related. I have been his mentor in the military, and despite wanting to stay cold and aloof, he has warmed my heart. I care for him.

"Captain Lan..." his voice is barely a whisper, but I heave a sigh of relief. "I am here, Si Zhui. Are you alright?" I ask. A rush of adrenaline and years of military training kick in, and I take control of the situation.

"Yes, Captain. I am alright. I feel slight pain on my forehead, but nothing major. Are you hurt?" he turns to look at me and asks.

I gasp inwardly at the blood flowing down the wound on his forehead. "You are hurt, Si Zhui. We need to get you to a doctor, quickly.", I say in my usual authoritative voice.

"I am alright, Captain. I must be looking worse than I feel. Don't worry.", he tries to reason.

Thanks to our rugged military Jeep, we are not too severely impacted. In a smaller civilian car, it would have been far worse.

Although Si Zhui says he looks worse than he felt, I want to be sure. I make a quick call to the base and inform them what happened. Then without waiting for an ambulance, I stop a cab and instruct the driver to take us to the nearby Yunnan Medical Center.

Nurses and doctors rush to help us when we get there. Someone brings a wheelchair for Si Zhui, and I follow them. I stay close to both of them but make sure I don't interfere with anything. I also don't let anyone attend to me. I want to make sure Si Zhui is okay before anything else.