“After the cheating incident, one of the parties involved, the ‘beauty,’ became known among Ruan Nianchu’s friends as the ‘mistress,’ a rat crossing the street, and everyone called for her downfall. But Ruan Nianchu didn’t think this label was accurate.”
Before marriage, everyone has the right to pursue true love, especially since she and the elite were only nominally a couple in name.
Since Ruan Nianchu didn’t know the beauty’s name, and she was striking in her red attire when they first met, Ruan Nianchu gave her a nickname privately. Instead of calling her the mistress, she called her the flamingo.
At the entrance, the elite and the flamingo entered through the door.
Ruan Nianchu closed her mobile game, took a sip of coffee, and prepared to greet the two with a smile. When former and current lovers meet, the most awkward one is naturally the elite. She was heartless and idle, always able to stir up trouble for no reason.
However, before Ruan Nianchu could speak, the elite saw her first.
Ruan Nianchu was certain that in the split second their eyes met, the corners of the elite’s mouth twitched. Her smile became even brighter.
The elite obviously didn’t want the flamingo to see Ruan Nianchu. He held onto the slender waist of the flamingo, tilted his body slightly, trying to block her view.
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Mbl oykvla rszkvlzu ypjle, “Tlzzs, oswze usw zkjl vs pkv sd vbl qkapv qzssa sa vbl plnsde qzssa?”
Mbl lzkvl pyke, “Flnsde qzssa.”
“Elzz, ds.” Mbl qzyxkdts rswvle bla ale zkrp yde nsiwlvvkpbzu pyke, “R oydv vs pkv cu vbl okdeso sd vbl qkapv qzssa.”
Mbl lzkvl qasodle, nypvkdt pkelzsdt tzydnlp yv vbl vyczl oblal Swyd Lkydnbw oyp pkvvkdt. “Mblal yal ds plyvp cu vbl okdeso.”
Mbl qzyxkdts oyp ekprzlyple. Fbl vwadle bla blye vs zssj yv vbl okdeso, yde yv vbyv xsxldv, bla lulp xlv Swyd Lkydnbw’p qwzz sq pxkzlp. Mbyv osxyd rasrrle bla nbkd, bla tygl pvayktbv yde nzlya, pvayktbvqsaoyae yde pkxrzl. Mbl lmralppksd sd vbl qzyxkdts’p qynl qasgl kdpvydvzu.
Xq nswapl, pbl alxlxclale Swyd Lkydnbw. Mbkp qsaxla tkazqaklde oyp qzyozlppzu clywvkqwz, cwv vss zygu, nbyaxkdt cwv dsv zlvbyz ldswtb.
Fkdnl ydnkldv vkxlp, obld clywvklp xllv, vbl xsal eyggzkdt sdl okdp.
Usdpkelakdt blaplzq pwrlaksa vs Swyd Lkydnbw, vbl qzyxkdts blpkvyvle qsa y xsxldv, vbld bla zkrp nwazle wr pzktbvzu. Rd vbl dlmv xsxldv, pbl oyzjle pvayktbv rypv vbl lzkvl.
The elite was stunned in place, unable to stop her in time.
“Hello, Miss Ruan.” The flamingo smiled brightly, her voice sweet and soft, “What a coincidence to meet you here.”
Ruan Nianchu smiled generously, “Yeah, quite a coincidence.”
“My fiancé, Dai Jie, and I just finished choosing wedding rings and wanted to come here for a drink and a rest.” The pride of the victor was evident in the slight arch of the flamingo’s eyebrows. Then, she paused and politely asked, “Since we all know each other, why don’t we sit together?”
“Nana, don’t be ridiculous…” The elite’s frown deepened.
“Then let’s sit together.” Ruan Nianchu interrupted, her tone cool and casual, “Just pick any seat.”
So the two sat at the table. The flamingo was lost in thought, the elite was restless, but Ruan Nianchu was the most carefree, finishing her coffee and playing games as if they didn’t exist.
At this moment, the flamingo noticed another dessert on the table and exclaimed, “Miss Ruan, do you have another friend coming?”
Ruan Nianchu nodded, “Yes, indeed.”
“Boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Oh.” The flamingo had a somewhat expectant expression, then enthusiastically said, “By the way, Miss Ruan, are you still single? I have many friends, would you like me to introduce a few to you? But I’m only in my third year of college, my classmates… you might not be quite suitable in terms of age.”
Ruan Nianchu was taken aback. Third year of college and already playing matchmaker. Impressive.
“Can you accept a relationship with an age gap?”
“No.”
After this conversation ended, Ruan Nianchu’s expression remained relaxed and easygoing. Seeing this, the flamingo couldn’t help but feel disappointed. The elite, who had been silent for a while, finally cleared his throat and asked about the recent situation of Ruan’s parents. Just as Ruan Nianchu was about to speak, a “ding” sound indicated a new WeChat message had arrived.
She checked and saw it was from Li Teng: Arrived.
Within seconds, Ruan Nianchu felt the chair next to her being pulled out. She glanced over and saw a tall man bending over to sit down, his expression calm and aloof.
Ruan Nianchu pursed her lips. She had seen his car arrive ten minutes ago. Even with just one leg, he couldn’t have taken this long to walk from the street to the restaurant.
She even suspected he had lingered outside watching the show before coming in.
This table suddenly became quite crowded.
Fortunately, thanks to Li Teng’s presence, both the previously chatty flamingo and the elite, who had just spoken, fell silent instantly. The atmosphere shifted from awkward to eerie and tense, and even the hot air cooled down a few degrees.
Ruan Nianchu sighed inwardly. This was the power of the Special Liberation Army. This aura was incomparable to anything before, cool.
The flamingo and the elite looked at Li Teng with suspicion, then glanced at Ruan Nianchu, seemingly surprised that she would have such an outstanding “male friend.”
Li Teng didn’t spare them a second glance.
He handed a Bunny Keychain to Ruan Nianchu directly. “Keep it safe.”
“…Thank you.” Ruan Nianchu smiled and took the item, then introduced everyone at the table to each other. “This is Mr. Li. This is Mr. Dai Jie, and this is…” She paused, unable to recall the flamingo’s name.
The flamingo smiled and said to Li Teng, “I’m Xu Xiaona. Hello.”
Li Teng nodded.
Xu Xiaona was the kind of person who was familiar with everyone. Seeing his remarkable appearance and extraordinary demeanor, she couldn’t help but want to chat a bit more. So she asked, “Mr. Li, are you Miss Ruan’s friend?”
“Yeah.”
“I see. Miss Ruan is my fiancé’s ex-girlfriend, and we’re also friends.”
“Is that so.” Li Teng glanced at Ruan Nianchu and said in a neutral tone, “You’re quite magnanimous.”
Ruan Nianchu chuckled uncomfortably.
Xu Xiaona, however, was completely unaffected and asked with a smile, “Mr. Li, would you mind telling us which division you serve in?”
Li Teng replied coldly, “Special Forces.”
“Well…” Xu Xiaona was about to say something more, but she was interrupted by Ruan Nianchu.
“Oh right,” she smiled at Li Teng and said, “Didn’t you say you had something to attend to? You should leave first.” She remembered his reserved personality from before, and Xu Xiaona was so talkative; she couldn’t drag him into her mess.
Li Teng looked at her radiant eyes and after a moment, he smirked slightly, “That can wait.”
“…” Ruan Nianchu’s eyes flickered. He wouldn’t even accept an offered opportunity to leave. What was his game?
“On such a hot day, there’s no rush, you can stay a bit longer,” Xu Xiaona quickly picked up the conversation, “What a coincidence, I have a cousin who’s also in the military. I’ve admired you all since I was little1she means military men. Mr. Li, what branch are you in?”
Dai Jie frowned disapprovingly, “Why are you asking all these questions when we’re meeting for the first time?”
“What’s the harm in asking?” Xu Xiaona’s princess-like demeanor suited her coquettish expression. She continued to look at Li Teng, “You can’t reveal it?”
The elite’s face darkened halfway.
Ruan Nianchu picked up a piece of croissant, her gaze shifting between Li Teng and Xu Xiaona with apparent interest. He still wore that indifferent expression, only occasionally furrowing his brow, revealing his impatience at the moment.
Snap.
She bit into the croissant, wondering if he would finally leave. Then she turned her head, lowering her voice with a gossipy tone, and asked the elite, “Hey, is your wife always this talkative?”
The elite’s remaining half of the face also darkened.
However, Li Teng neither left nor lost his temper. He simply answered calmly, “Airborne Troops.”
Xu Xiaona exaggeratedly exclaimed, “You’re not an ordinary soldier, right? Are you an officer?”
“I graduated from a military academy.”
“So you’re an officer?” Xu Xiaona’s enthusiasm grew, “My cousin is thirty-four years old, he was promoted to major last year. You should be a captain or major as well, right?”
Li Teng remained silent. He picked up his coffee, glanced at it, then put it back down, and reached for the nearby transparent glass, drinking water.
Ruan Nianchu saw Xu Xiaona’s persistence and kindly helped clarify, “Mr. Li is an Air Force Colonel, with the rank of Deputy Brigade Commander.”
As soon as the words fell, both Xu Xiaona and the elite were stunned.
It took a while for the two of them to snap out of it. Xu Xiaona’s admiration almost overflowed from her face, “To be a Deputy Brigade Commander at such a young age, that’s amazing!” She blinked, then added with a hint of probing, “Your wife must be really lucky.”
Li Teng put down the glass, “I’m not married.”
In just a few seconds, a fleeting glint appeared in Xu Xiaona’s eyes, as she asked softly, “Do you have a girlfriend then?”
“No.”
He glanced sideways, his gaze landing squarely on the face of the person nibbling on the croissant, and continued, “I’m pursuing Ruan Nianchu.”
In just six words, the atmosphere in the room changed dramatically.
The elite and the flamingo were shocked. And Ruan Nianchu’s hand trembled, causing the remaining one-third of the croissant to fall onto the table with a snap.
*
This afternoon tea was as exciting as Ruan Nianchu had anticipated. She had guessed the beginning but hadn’t predicted this ending, and in the end, the four of them dispersed on unfriendly terms.
To be precise, only the elite and the flamingo were unfriendly.
The elite was annoyed by the flamingo’s incessant questioning of Li Teng, while the flamingo was infuriated by Li Teng’s last statement—how could such an excellent man be interested in her ex’s underling? So, before leaving, she emphasized the previous relationship between the elite and Ruan Nianchu.
Li Teng ignored her, his face cold. Ruan Nianchu was shocked by Li Teng’s statement and also ignored her.
The flamingo left the western restaurant in a huff. The way she briskly walked away didn’t resemble that of a pregnant woman at all.
After they left, the remaining two followed suit.
It was dusk, with the setting sun hanging in the distance.
Li Teng walked ahead, Ruan Nianchu followed behind, one expressionless, the other pensive. Suddenly, Ruan Nianchu halted her steps and said, “Li Teng.”
He turned around, both hands in his pockets, casually lifting his eyelids to look at her.
She smiled, “Thank you.”
Li Teng looked at her, “Is ‘thank you’ the only thing you can say?”
“… ” Since their reunion, “thank you” seemed to be the most she had said to him. Ruan Nianchu hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I know you were helping me just now. You didn’t have to do that. My ex-boyfriend and I were introduced through a matchmaker, and we didn’t have much of a relationship. So, what Xu Xiaona said or did, I didn’t care.”
Li Teng’s gaze remained on her face for a moment before shifting away. Then he said coldly, “Breaking up with him was the right choice.”
She was taken aback, “What?”
“That guy wasn’t suitable for you.”
“…” Ruan Nianchu fell silent for a moment, “Yeah, I felt the same way.”
After a moment, Li Teng took a cigarette from the pack, lit it, and said, “I have something to attend to. I can’t send you. Take a taxi home yourself.” With that, he flicked the ash and walked straight towards the black Jeep parked by the roadside.
Just as he took a few steps, he was suddenly called out from behind, “Li Teng.”
He stopped again. Only his back was facing her.
“Or…” Ruan Nianchu took a deep breath and exhaled. After a few seconds, she said something she hadn’t even thought of herself, “Let’s give it a try.”
There was a moment of silence around them.
Then, Li Teng turned his head at the sound, the setting sun not too bright, but enough to make him squint.
The smile on the girl’s lips, mixed with a hint of nervousness. Her tone remained casual, “Honestly, I’ve been through many blind dates, none of which worked out. We have a revolutionary friendship between us, so it should be easier for us to get along. And I don’t have anyone I like, and you don’t either, right?”
As her words fell.
Li Teng smiled and took a few steps towards her. He lowered his gaze, but there was no hint of amusement in his eyes, “How do you know I don’t?”
Her expression visibly stiffened for a moment, “I’m sorry. Forget what I just said.”
But he chuckled, suddenly leaning in close to her, his features magnified, his strong masculine scent assaulting her senses. Her eyes flickered, her heart inexplicably trembled, and then she heard him say indifferently, “After going through so many blind dates, you want me to help you deal with your family. Is that it?”
Ruan Nianchu was stunned. The words she just said… Was this what she meant?
Li Teng looked at her for a moment before saying, “I can help you with that.”
“So, shall we give it a try?”
“How will you thank me?”
Ruan Nianchu furrowed her brows slightly, unsure how to respond. But the next moment, he scoffed, “Believing me again?”
“…”
“I was just teasing you about thanking me.” With only his back left, Li Teng turned around, his tone icy, “I’m leaving. Take care of yourself.
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