Chapter 48

Not long after, the friend of Jiang Hao, whom Qiao Yufei mentioned, arrived. Ruan Nianchu initially thought that birds of a feather flock together, and that the friend of the Bad Boy would also be a tough and rebellious guy. However, to her surprise, this friend and Jiang Hao had completely different styles.

He was a tall young man, around the same age as Jiang Hao, twenty-one or twenty-two years old, wearing glasses, with delicate and handsome features, and a slightly dark complexion. He wore a white hooded shirt, and his overall demeanor was very clean.

Ruan Nianchu’s gaze fell on him, feeling a bit lost in thought.

Whether it was an illusion or not, she felt that this big boy looked familiar, especially those dark and clear eyes, as if she had seen them somewhere before.

The next moment, she couldn’t help but gently tug on Li Teng’s sleeve, leaning close to him, and whispered in doubt, “Hey, why do I feel like I’ve seen this boy before?”

Li Teng casually turned his glass, lifted his eyelids, and saw the young man walking towards them in this direction, only about ten meters away.

Ruan Nianchu leaned very close, and the soft black strand of hair brushed against the back of his hand.

Li Teng’s index finger wrapped around that strand of hair, and his other hand pinched her chin, leaning in close to her ear, his tone teasing, “He’s from Cambodia. Maybe he really is an old acquaintance.”

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Mbl kdvkxynu clvolld vbl vos oyp yp kq ds sdl lzpl oyp ralpldv.

“…” Swyd Lkydnbw qasodle, qykdvzu blyakdt vbl kxrzknyvksd kd Nk Mldt’p osaep, cwv yqvla vbkdjkdt qsa y qlo plnsdep, pbl oyp pvkzz nsdqwple, “Gd sze yniwykdvydnl qasx Uyxcseky? Ebs?”

“Kwpv twlppkdt.” Nk Mldt ryvvle bla nbllj, “Zswa qaklde’p qaklde’p qaklde. R esd’v jdso bkx.”

Swyd Lkydnbw oyp prllnbzlpp, dlhla yczl vs qktwal swv obyv vbkp twu oyp wr vs.

“Nykd! Xhla blal!” Kkydt Tys pweeldzu pxkzle yde oyhle bkp byde, tallvkdt.

Mbl Uyxcsekyd xyd dyxle Nykd yrrasynble okvb y ckt pxkzl, blyavu yde pwddu. Swyd Lkydnbw nsdqkaxle vbyv pbl bye ds kxralppksd sq vbl dyxl “Nykd,” yde tzydnle yv vbl xyd y qlo vkxlp clqsal zssjkdt yoyu.

Ckys Zwqlk kdvasewnle lhlausdl ralpldv, pyukdt, “Nykd kp qasx Uyxcseky, y nszzltl pvweldv. Tl nyxl vs Ubkdy xykdzu qsa ynyelxkn lmnbydtl.” Mbld pbl vwadle bla blye yde pxkzle yv Nykd, pyukdt kd Odtzkpb, “Mbkp kp xu clpv qaklde Swyd Lkydnbw, yde vbkp kp Nk Mldt, vblu yal csuqaklde yde tkazqaklde.”

Nykd rszkvlzu pxkzle yde alynble swv bkp aktbv byde vs Swyd Lkydnbw, pyukdt kd Ubkdlpl, “Tlzzs, Fkpvla Lkydnbw.”

Ruan Nianchu shook hands with him, “Hello, nice to meet you for the first time.”

Lain stared at her, “I feel like I’ve seen Sister Nianchu before. Maybe we’ve met before.”

Ruan Nianchu was a very beautiful woman, and this kind of approach was very common and tacky to her. With a faint smile, she said lightly, “Perhaps.”

After exchanging greetings, she lowered her head to continue eating steak. The one Li Teng had cut for her.

After a while, Lain’s gaze slowly moved away from Ruan Nianchu and looked at Li Teng beside her. Li Teng was smoking, playing with his lighter, his expression cold and indifferent, not even looking at him.

Lain raised his eyebrows lightly and smiled, “It’s strange today. Why do I feel like I’ve seen Sister Nianchu and Brother Li before?”

Li Teng flicked the cigarette ash, “Common face, it’s normal to feel familiar.”

As soon as the words fell, Qiao Yufei next to them burst into laughter directly, saying, “Come on, you two are just common faces, then there’s no one in the world with high attractiveness.”

The whole table of people had different thoughts but all laughed.

It was past eight o’clock in the evening, and dinner was over.

When it came time to pay the bill, both Jiang Hao and Qiao Yufei insisted on paying, exchanging words and pushing each other, arguing non-stop. Lain had intended to get up and settle the bill, but he was a step too slow, and Li Teng had already swiped his card.

Ruan Nianchu felt a slight pang in her heart again. Since they started living together, she had noticed that this man was rough with himself but particular about her. Whenever they went out together, money seemed to flow like water, without hesitation.

She felt sorry for the soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army and would sometimes advise him earnestly, “You all earn modest salaries, not high at all. The money you earn through hard work should be saved.”

But Li Teng always casually retorted with a sentence, “The money earned from hard work is for my beloved wife to spend, who else would I spend it on?” And then he continued to settle the bill and pay.

Ruan Nianchu’s advice didn’t seem to work after several attempts, so she had to let him be.

Since spending money made him happy, then she would spend. It was his money, as long as he was happy.

Coming out of the Franklin Western Restaurant, Qiao Yufei walked at the forefront and, after some thought, suggested, “Since it’s still early, how about we go to a bar?” As she spoke, she took out her phone, preparing to make a reservation.

Ruan Nianchu declined.

She reached out to hold Li Teng’s arm, her lips curved, and under the night sky, her exquisitely made-up face almost seemed to glow. She smiled and said, “You guys have fun. We have something else to do later, so we won’t go with you.”

Qiao Yufei teased deliberately, “Oh, it’s my fault for being so tactless, daring to disturb your private world.”

“Next time then.”

“Mm. You two take care on the way.”

“You too, stay safe.” After saying that, Ruan Nianchu turned and walked away, holding Li Teng’s arm.

Qiao Yufei watched the couple leave, gazing for a while, unable to help but smile and sigh, “It’s not easy.”

Jiang Hao didn’t understand. “What’s not easy?”

“The women who are happy in love, their smiles light up.” Qiao Yufei pointed to her friend’s figure and looked at Jiang Hao. “Don’t you think my friend is glowing all over?”

In this world, besides Ruan’s mother, no one understood Ruan Nianchu better than Qiao Yufei. This woman had a face that could cause trouble in the country and disaster to the people, yet she lived the life of a nun, content with little desires. Since she returned from Cambodia seven years ago, she had become even more calm and untroubled, like a still lake without ripples.

In fact, the scariest thing about people was having no desires. Although Ruan Nianchu didn’t speak about it, and on the surface, she was always cheerful, Qiao Yufei was sure that the incident from years ago had left deep scars in her heart.

Now, the trauma was probably eighty to ninety percent healed.

Because Ruan Nianchu, this calm pool of water, was alive, vibrant, and beautifully expressive. Especially the way she looked at Li Teng, with admiration and dependence, like a little woman cherished in the palm of his hand.

Thinking about this, Qiao Yufei raised an eyebrow and coquettishly said to Jiang Hao, “Look at how good my friend and her husband’s relationship is. We should learn from them.”

Jiang Hao laughed and agreed.

As the envy of the young couple continued, the Cambodian young man standing nearby was ignored. No one noticed the complex and profound gaze that Lain directed at the backs of Ruan Nianchu and Li Teng, which suddenly became complicated at a certain moment.

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Ruan Nianchu and Li Teng’s late-night dining place was a Sichuanese hot pot restaurant, authentic and bustling, only two kilometers away from the military dormitory.

Li Teng had a strong appetite, ordering a spicy and numbing hot pot that Ruan Nianchu never dared to try.

Soon, a waitress came over with the menu.

Ruan Nianchu looked a little worried, furrowing her brows and saying, “Hey, this restaurant is very authentic. If you eat something too spicy, won’t your stomach be unable to handle it? I came here once with my mom before and ordered something mildly spicy. After eating, I had stomach trouble for three days.”

Li Teng poured tea into her cup without much emotion and said, “That’s you being delicate. I have a tough stomach. I don’t even react to eating raw snake meat.”

Ruan Nianchu pursed her lips. “You’re talking like you’ve really eaten raw snake meat.”

Li Teng looked up at her, saying nothing.

“…Wait, you really ate raw snake meat?”

“Yeah.”

“…Why on earth would you eat raw snake meat?”

“In the past, on missions, in the wild, we caught and ate whatever we could.” He brushed off these matters with a few casual sentences. “We’ve received training in this area, it’s nothing.”

Her brows furrowed tighter. “But, doesn’t eating those things risk getting parasites? Wouldn’t you get sick?”

Li Teng smirked. “Miss, the army isn’t a place for health preservation. Surviving is the first goal in order to complete the mission. So, no matter what situation we encounter, survival comes first. It’s either getting sick or dying. How would you choose?”

At his words, Ruan Nianchu lowered her head in silence for a few seconds before lifting it and tentatively asking, “Actually, for someone like you who faces so many dangers all the time, have you ever thought… thought about wanting to live a different life?”

There was a sudden lift of eyelids from the person opposite her, looking at her sharply and deeply.

There was a few seconds of silence in the air.

Then, Li Teng lowered his gaze, tossed a soybean into his mouth, and said with a slightly heavy tone, “Never thought about it.”

“…Mm. I didn’t mean anything else. Just asked casually. If you haven’t thought about it, forget it.” Ruan Nianchu laughed awkwardly, pretending to be relaxed and joking, “It’s good like this, listening to the Party’s command and serving the people.”

The waitress brought the hot pot base and vegetables, lighting the fire.

Li Teng started to put the meat and vegetables into the pot. He put two-thirds into the white pot and one-third into the red pot. “This pot base is spicy. You eat the white one.”

Ruan Nianchu touched her stomach, which was still quite round, and said, “I just ate, I’m not hungry.”

He glanced at her. “Who told you that you have to be hungry to eat?”

“Huh?”

Li Teng said, “Your body is too weak. Eat more, you need nourishment.”

Ruan Nianchu was puzzled. “My body is pretty good, where am I weak?”

He sneered, nonchalantly saying, “Not weak but always fainting.”

Ruan Nianchu first froze, then it took her a while to come to her senses regarding what he meant by “weak”. Feeling embarrassed and indignant, she blushed and lowered her voice to scold, “Is this the reason why I’m weak? Clearly, you’re the one indulging too much, yet you dare to blame me.” This comrade leader had quite the nerve.

Li Teng looked at her seriously. “I haven’t indulged.” Given her current physical condition, if he really indulged her, he feared she’d end up in the hospital.

Ruan Nianchu pouted. “Oh.”

By this time, the fish was cooked. Li Teng picked up a piece and put it in her bowl, then ate his own portion without saying a word.

Ruan Nianchu wasn’t hungry at all, but under Li Teng’s oppressive presence, she reluctantly picked up her chopsticks to eat. The fish was delicious, but too hot. She puffed her cheeks and blew on it for a while before suddenly remembering something. She said, “By the way, did you find Lain strange today?”

Li Teng continued eating without lifting his head or saying anything.

She tapped her chin with her finger. “He said we both looked familiar… Actually, I also feel like I’ve seen him before. What about you? Do you feel like you’ve seen him somewhere?”

Li Teng remained unemotional. “It’s not a feeling.”

“…?” Ruan Nianchu’s eyes flashed suddenly.

In an instant, he looked up and said calmly, “I’ve seen that person before. You have too.”

In just a few seconds, a face emerged from the depths of Ruan Nianchu’s mind: a naive, youthful little boy with a healthy tan, bright eyes, and a big, white smile.

She blurted out, “…Tori?”

Li Teng stared at her for a few seconds before replying, “Yes.”

The expression on Ruan Nianchu’s face at this moment couldn’t be described simply as surprised. To be accurate, she was shocked. She never thought that the lively and innocent little boy from years ago would suddenly become a college student, grown up, and even changed his name. And she never expected him to appear today.

Ruan Nianchu felt that Li Teng must know about Tori’s situation over the years.

But he didn’t say a word to her about it. On the day of their blind date, when she asked about Tori’s recent situation, he even changed the topic. She was a bit confused.

So she frowned and said, “You’ve never mentioned anything about Tori to me.”

Li Teng replied in a flat tone, “What do you want to know about him?”

Ruan Nianchu thought for a moment and replied, “You tell me first, what do you know about him?”

It turned out that after the “Water Dragon Operation” ended, Tori, along with other child soldiers, was handed over to the Cambodian government by the Falcon Special Forces. The Cambodian government imprisoned these children in juvenile detention centers for reform and education.

Most of these child soldiers, eighty percent of them, had killed before and were placed in the heavy penalty juvenile prison area. The remaining twenty percent underwent rehabilitation and were released after several years.

Fortunately, Tori was one of the twenty percent.

This child had no parents, no home. Li Teng, in his personal capacity, arranged for Tori to be adopted by a Cambodian family and took care of all his school fees during his schooling.

With Li Teng’s support and the care of his adoptive parents, Tori acquired a new identity, a new name, and started living a normal life.

This child was very clever. He caught up on the courses he missed in the past few years in less than three years and, a year ago, was admitted to a university in Phnom Penh.

After Li Teng paid all of Tori’s university fees in one go, he cut off contact with him.

Summing up the boy’s seven years of life was that simple. However, Li Teng, in his narration, subtly skipped over the specific reasons for later cutting off contact with Tori.

Ruan Nianchu didn’t notice anything unusual.

She just shook her head in admiration and said, “To meet such a good person like you, that child is also considered fortunate.” Then, she suddenly realized something and asked, puzzled, “But… why did you pretend not to know him just now, and why did he pretend not to know you?”

Li Teng’s face remained unchanged as he nonchalantly replied, “Tori is involved in a top-secret operation from seven years ago, and our relationship cannot be known to anyone.”

She nodded, “I see.” Then a smile crept onto her lips, happily saying, “It’s fate to meet again. Next time, let’s meet for dinner, just the three of us. People change a lot as they grow up. After so many years, I might not even recognize that kid anymore. Let’s catch up properly.”

However, Li Teng furrowed his brows. “There’s nothing to catch up on.”

She was taken aback. “You can’t say that. After all, I… have some history with him.”

“You have no relationship with him whatsoever.” He interrupted coldly, his face turning menacingly dark. “Ruan Nianchu, stay away from that kid.”

Ruan Nianchu blinked, very puzzled. “Hey, what’s wrong with you? Why are you suddenly angry?”

“…,” Li Teng turned away, took a deep breath, and turned off the stove. “Nothing. Are you full?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then come home with me.” Li Teng got up to pay the bill.

Ruan Nianchu suspiciously pursed her lips, thinking, What’s with his sudden outburst? Is this guy going through menopause or something? She complained silently all the way home.

As soon as they entered the house, Li Teng pressed her against the table.

And she burst into tears.

Her mind was in a daze, wanting to ask him what he was mad about, but she couldn’t say a word except for crying. She vaguely heard him speaking into her ear, his lips brushing against it.

But she couldn’t make out a single word.

After that, she fell asleep exhausted.

Li Teng kissed her sweaty forehead, cheeks, and finally, kissed her lips tenderly.

Tonight, he knew he had lost control again. Just the thought of another man, like him, keeping her in his heart for seven years, just the thought of her possibly smiling sweetly at another man, made him furious.

Li Teng wrapped his arms around Ruan Nianchu’s tranquil sleeping form and held her tightly.

She was his.

His alone.

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Sansukini: If you’re reading this, kindly give this novel 5-star review on novelupdates. The link’s below. I would really appreciate a 5 star rating and maybe some good comment.

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