Outside was an open-air party, bustling with noise and crowded with people. Ruan Nianchu widened her eyes in astonishment. She hadn’t expected Li Teng to suddenly appear, let alone to barge in and kiss her so boldly.
She was so surprised that she forgot to resist.
This was the second time Li Teng had kissed her. Like the last time, it caught her off guard, but unlike before, there was no hint of alcohol on his lips this time.
Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, Ruan Nianchu’s body stiffened, but her senses became particularly sharp. She could feel the slight opening and closing of his lips, the warmth of his tongue, and even his somewhat heavy breath.
He closed his eyes, kissing with intensity and depth.
After a while, she managed to react and pushed him away.
But she didn’t succeed. The moment Ruan Nianchu’s hand touched Li Teng, he effortlessly caught her hand and pinned it behind her back. At the same time, he opened his eyes, and the surging waves inside them made her heart skip a beat.
She inexplicably remembered Qiao Yufei’s theory of love—if someone wants to sleep with you, it doesn’t mean they necessarily like you, but if someone likes you, it means they definitely want to sleep with you.
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Rd vbspl qlo ekpvaynvle plnsdep, Nk Mldt xyel qwavbla xshlp. Tl alpvaykdle bla bydep, zlydle qsaoyae, yde ralpple nzspla vs bla. Bdyczl vs alpkpv, pbl pvwxczle yde oyp ralpple ytykdpv vbl oyzz. Mktbv.
Swyd Lkydnbw’p calyvbkdt clnyxl laayvkn, bla qynl qzwpble, tzyakdt yv bkx, oydvkdt vs nwapl bkx swv.
Kwpv yp pbl srldle bla xswvb, bkp kdelm qkdtla ralpple ytykdpv bla zkrp. Ekvb y rzyuqwz vsdl, bl prsjl psqvzu, ps sdzu pbl nswze blya, “Mbkdj nyalqwzzu clqsal nwapkdt psxlsdl swv. Zswa nszzlytwlp yal yzz yaswde.”
“…” Swyd Lkydnbw ckv bla zkr, qllzkdt ydtau yde blzrzlpp, poyzzsokdt cynj vbl osaep vbyv olal ycswv vs cwapv swv, sdzu pwrralppkdt bla hsknl vs pyu, “Tso eke usw lde wr blal?”
“Ms rasvlnv uswa pyqlvu.” Tkp alypsd oyp pvayktbvqsaoyae.
“Mbkp kp vbl yavkzzlau altkxldv’p nyxr, vblal’p dsoblal pyqla vbyd blal!” Fbl qlzv lmvalxlzu lxcyaaypple. “Zsw’al nzlyazu wpkdt rwczkn alpswanlp qsa rakhyvl rwarsplp. Nlv ts sq xl.”
Nk Mldt zsolale bkp tygl vs bla swvqkv, wdxshle. “Rp vblal ydsvbla rlaqsaxydnl zyvla?” Tkp vsdl oyp ps nypwyz, yp kq vblu bye fwpv bye y nbydnl ldnswdvla blal.
“Zlp. Fs zlv ts sq xl iwknjzu.” Fbl vakle vs pvawttzl ytykd, nzlyale bla vbasyv, yde vbalyvldle bkx okvb y pvkqq qynl, “Mbl nbsawp rlaqsaxydnl kp nsxkdt wr pssd. Rq usw xlpp yaswde ytykd, R’zz nyzz qsa blzr. Gp psxlsdl sq uswa pvyvwal, usw oswzed’v oydv vs cl nywtbv kd pwnb y pnldl, oswze usw?”
Li Teng chuckled softly, warm breath brushing against her earlobe. “That afternoon when I went to your office to deliver flowers, it wasn’t just one or two people who saw us. Couples hugging and kissing, is that a crime?”
She frowned. “We had already broken up!”
He remained calm. “Who knows.”
Ruan Nianchu couldn’t believe her eyes, feeling like she was going to explode. When did this aloof military officer turn into such a shameless person? Acting like a rascal without changing his expression.
He wasn’t just bewitched; he was downright crazy.
Just then, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the door, mixed with people talking.
“Xiao Liu, did you see Ruan Nianchu?”
“I didn’t see her.”
“This is urgent!” The squad leader was sweating profusely, “The dance is over, and it’s time for the chorus. Where did this girl go? Nianchu—Ruan Nianchu—”
Listening to the squad leader’s shouts, Ruan Nianchu’s brows furrowed even tighter, and she said in a low voice, “Li Teng, I’ll say it again, let go of me!”
He stared straight at her, unmoved.
Now she was completely helpless, her voice softened, and she asked in a very helpless tone, “What else do you want to do?”
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a series of knocks on the dressing room door. The squad leader was outside twisting the door handle and muttering, “Why is this door locked from the inside?” Then he raised his voice, “Nianchu? Are you in there? Come out quickly, it’s almost time for you to go on stage! Nianchu!”
Ruan Nianchu was so anxious that tears almost came out. She was in a panic, her heartbeat syncing with the pounding on the door, urgent and heavy. In this situation, with her clothes disheveled, trapped between him and the wall. She didn’t dare to speak.
Fortunately, Li Teng finally let go of her hand.
The tension in her mind finally eased.
He lowered his gaze, his eyes still not leaving her face. His arms stretched out, reaching behind her. He pulled up the remaining half of the zipper, and her beautiful white back disappeared completely under the white veil.
After zipping up, Li Teng hugged her waist, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, “Tonight at twelve o’clock, meet me downstairs at your hotel. I have something to tell you. Don’t be late.”
“…” Ruan Nianchu’s face turned as red as a tomato, staring at him, her breath slightly hurried, speechless.
The squad leader outside the door shouted again, “Nianchu, are you in there or not!”
The two inside the door continued to stare at each other.
A few seconds later, Ruan Nianchu cleared her throat and said loudly, “I’m here! My clothes got stuck just now, but I’ve fixed it. I’ll be out in a moment!”
The squad leader, hearing her voice, finally breathed a sigh of relief. “This kid didn’t make a sound earlier… Hurry up! I’ll go ahead, hurry up!” After saying that, the squad leader quickly left.
The footsteps gradually faded away.
Ruan Nianchu pushed Li Teng away, lifted her skirt, turned around, opened the door, and hurried out. His expression remained calm, staring straight at the snowy white until she disappeared into the night.
In the end, the chorus was performed very well, and as the last note faded, applause thundered through the camp.
Ruan Nianchu and the other actors participating in the chorus exited the stage together, waiting for the final group photo.
A female colleague who was close to her looked her over curiously and said, “You’ve put on your blush beautifully, so natural. Did you do it yourself?”
Ruan Nianchu smiled at the girl and said, “Yes.”
After answering, Ruan Nianchu couldn’t help but admire herself a little. Even when telling lies, she could remain calm and composed. She hadn’t touched up her makeup halfway through, and the blush had long faded.
Then, unconsciously, she raised her hand and touched her right ear, her eyes slightly annoyed, but her cheeks even more radiant.
Just now, when Li Teng said “Don’t be late,” he clearly bit her earlobe. She was certain and convinced that the rascal did it on purpose.
Back at the hotel, the first thing Ruan Nianchu did was remove her makeup. She stood in front of the mirror, wiping off the makeup remover while contemplating whether to go to the meeting Li Teng had arranged.
At twelve o’clock at night, in the dark of the moon, when people were most vulnerable. She was hesitant and conflicted.
It wasn’t until ten minutes to midnight that she made up her mind. She would go. The hotel where the performance troupe stayed was close to the city center of the border town, with a bustling street downstairs. With people coming and going on the street, she believed Li Teng wouldn’t dare to do anything too outrageous.
Thinking it over, Ruan Nianchu got up to get ready to go out.
Her roommate in the double room was a dancer named Xu Fangfang. She had just finished showering and came out to see Ruan Nianchu opening the door, looking suspicious. “Where are you going so late?”
“Having a late-night snack.”
At that moment, Ruan Nianchu only casually replied like this, but what Xu Fangfang didn’t expect was that after seeing Li Teng, he actually took her to a barbecue stall and sat down.
Li Teng calmly ordered dishes. She was speechless, her forehead filled with black lines.
The old man who ran the barbecue stall went to roast some food.
Left alone, they sat facing each other in silence, the atmosphere somewhat tense.
Ruan Nianchu glanced around. The streetlights were dim, the street was empty, a scene completely different from the bustling image she had imagined. Fortunately, there was still the presence of the old man roasting food. The existence of a third person, to some extent, gave Ruan Nianchu a little more confidence.
She wasn’t as afraid anymore. So, after a few seconds of silence, she forced a fake smile at Li Teng and said, “Li Teng, you mobilized a whole group in the middle of the night just to invite me for barbecue?” Being crazy is still an illness that needs treatment.
Li Teng slowly turned his finger around his teacup and said flatly, “We’ll talk while we eat, to keep you from being nervous.”
Ruan Nianchu chuckled twice. “What do you want to talk about?”
He lowered his eyes, drank some tea, and remained calm. “About me.”
“…,” Ruan Nianchu was taken aback for a moment, frowned, and asked somewhat incredulously, “What about you?”
Li Teng placed the cup back on the table.
After a moment, he looked up straight at her, his gaze deep, and said in a tone devoid of emotion, “Li Teng, male, born on October 27th, 1985, from Zhangbei. Due to outstanding intelligence, skipped two grades from elementary to high school, entered the Aerospace Engineering University at the age of sixteen, and joined a special forces unit of the Airborne Brigade after graduation. Since then, from 2005 to the present, has completed nearly two hundred missions under superior orders, including thirty secret operations, eight confidential operations, and one top-secret operation. Over the past thirteen years, has received the ‘Advanced Individual’ honor nine times, currently holding the rank of Deputy Regiment Colonel.”
Ruan Nianchu sat across from him, a little confused, not understanding why he suddenly gave such a formal self-introduction.
Before she could ask her doubts, Li Teng continued, “My parents are divorced, and my family relationships are simple. I only have a sixty-year-old mother who has been living in Zhangbei. She’s nice, easy to get along with.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” she asked.
“Because, Ruan Nianchu, I like you. Not joking, not acting impulsively,” Li Teng said calmly. “I want to be your man.”
Ruan Nianchu’s eyes flickered for a moment, feeling a bit at a loss.
Although he had mentioned this before, it was the first time he had been so straightforward and serious about it. She moved her lips, and after a while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence, “Do you really like me?”
Li Teng said, “Yes.”
She frowned. “… When did it start?”
“Seven years ago.”
She felt very puzzled, and at the same time, a trace of inexplicable anger rose within her. She questioned, “When we were together before, why did you lie to me about liking someone else? And why were you always hot and cold towards me?”
Her voice was too loud, causing the old man to glance at them.
On this side, Li Teng looked at her, his tone unconsciously softening a bit. “I explained this to you last time, there were special reasons.”
“When did you explain?” She couldn’t remember, it didn’t leave any impression.
“That time you got drunk,” he said, “You were emotionally stirred up, maybe you didn’t hear it.”
Ruan Nianchu: “…”
The cool night breeze blew, and it took her a while to completely calm down. Lowering her eyes for a moment, she asked, “Does it have to do with the bad guy who almost harmed me?”
Li Teng remained silent for a moment before replying, “Yes.”
With that, the entire table fell into silence. Ruan Nianchu didn’t speak, and neither did Li Teng.
The old man brought the barbecue to them.
Neither of them made a move.
After some time passed, Ruan Nianchu finally took a deep breath and exhaled, raising her eyes. “So why were you unwilling to tell me before, but now you are?”
Li Teng’s index finger slid along the edge of the cup. “Because of fate.”
“…”
“In fact, the reason I asked you out today, besides talking to you about myself, I also want to ask you something,” he leaned closer to her slightly, his voice slightly serious. “Ruan Nianchu, what do you feel about me?”
He asked with a serious and earnest expression, his gaze sharp and penetrating.
Her heart skipped a beat suddenly.
“If you say you have no feelings for me, Li Teng, from now on, we’ll go our separate ways, and I won’t have any improper thoughts about you anymore, won’t bother you again,” he stared straight at her, his gaze almost piercing through her soul. “I just need one word from you.”
If in the past, Ruan Nianchu would never have believed that one day she would be confessed to at a barbecue stall. Confessed to by Li Teng. Confessed to by Li Teng in such a strong and assertive manner.
She stared back at him without saying a word.
It wasn’t until this moment that Ruan Nianchu finally felt like she was beginning to understand this person a little.
His previous cold and aloof demeanor towards her, the appearance of avoiding contact with others, was just a mask. Underneath the disguise was Lee, who licked blood from the tip of the Cambodian knife. When he met her back then, he remembered her and never forgot.
It turned out that those twenty-one days were unforgettable for both of them.
At that moment, the seed buried in Ruan Nianchu’s heart for seven years finally sprouted and bloomed into a flower.
She asked him, “Are you asking me for a chance?”
Li Teng stared at the sparkling stars in her eyes and smiled, “And will you give it to me?”
Ruan Nianchu smiled too, “Okay. Then let’s give it another try.”
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Strangely, 🫣I feel so awkward and embarrassed for the both of them 😅