The Tycoon's Mysterious Darling Wife
Chapter 203 - 202. Mr. Fu is so handsome.

Chapter 203: 202. Mr. Fu is so handsome.

"No problem, I’ll just take a leave in a bit." He still had that privilege.

The second floor of Cafeteria A had a small private room, set aside for leaders who came to visit the army base to dine. Today, Fu Hengyi had already notified the cafeteria in advance, and the room was already cleared out.

It was mealtime, and the cafeteria was crowded. As Fu Hengyi walked through with Shen Qinglan, they attracted even more attention. Fu Hengyi was talking to Shen Qinglan with his head slightly lowered. Shen Qinglan had an air of cool detachment, but it didn’t come off as aloof. Instead, she appeared ethereally graceful.

Fu Hengyi himself was a legendary figure in the military, and with Shen Qinglan’s exceptional beauty, the two together were an impressive sight, displaying both talent and beauty.

Although Shen Qinglan had just arrived at the military base, she was already accustomed to such gazes and ignored the stares of everyone around.

Jiang Wenjing silently watched their retreating backs, then turned to look at her own food, finding it hard to swallow. Her eyes were filled with sadness.

She always knew there were oceans and mountains between her and Fu Hengyi, but he was the mountain in her heart. Without trying once, she would never let go. Now seeing the two of them together, even she had to admit that they looked harmonious and beautiful, so much so that she couldn’t bear to disrupt it.

Her hand clutching the chopsticks turned white at the knuckles, and Jiang Wenjing’s face was a pale mask, clearly feeling the pain emanating from her heart.

"Wenjing, what’s wrong? You look a bit pale. Are you feeling unwell?" a companion asked softly, concern evident in their eyes.

Jiang Wenjing shook her head, "It’s nothing. I had the night shift last night and am a bit tired now. I just need to sleep it off later."

The companion glanced in the direction Fu Hengyi and his party had left, sighing slightly inside. Matters of the heart couldn’t be forced. Perhaps, giving up was the best way for Jiang Wenjing to be free from her feelings for Fu Hengyi.

"If you’re not feeling well, go back and rest early. Everything will pass," the companion said meaningfully.

Jiang Wenjing smiled and lowered her head, shoveling a mouthful of rice into her mouth.

Mu Liancheng hadn’t arrived yet, and the private room only had Fu Hengyi and Shen Qinglan. Fu Hengyi was looking at the menu to order dishes. Shen Qinglan glanced at it; they were all homely dishes, but...

Shen Qinglan looked at the dishes Fu Hengyi was ordering, took the menu, and picked a few herself. They were dishes that most people could eat and usually liked. Fu Hengyi looked over and smiled. The dishes he had chosen were Shen Qinglan’s favorites. The rough men in his company weren’t picky eaters, and though his wife wasn’t either, he felt he should give her something nice since she was here.

"The Master Jiang here is a great cook. I specially asked him to be in charge of the cooking today. Try and see how it tastes," Fu Hengyi said after giving the menu to the cafeteria staff.

"Actually, it would be fine to have the regular meal downstairs," Shen Qinglan said. She had noticed that many officers were eating in the cafeteria; normally Fu Hengyi and the others probably ate there too. Since she had come here, she didn’t intend to demand anything special.

Fu Hengyi chuckled, "It’s not solely for you. Since we have a big group eating, it’s more convenient for everyone to eat here."

Shen Qinglan understood, though she didn’t point it out. Between husband and wife, there was no need to articulate everything.

"Sister-in-law, hello!" A strong male voice came from the doorway. Shen Qinglan looked up to see Mu Liancheng, whom she had met twice before.

"Hello, Vice Captain Mu," Shen Qinglan said softly with a slight curve of her lips, softening the coldness on her face.

"Sister-in-law, just call me by my name," Mu Liancheng entered, followed by a few others who had been chosen from Fu Hengyi’s unit to be instructors. Among them, Shen Qinglan saw a familiar face she had met in the hospital last year.

"Hello, sister-in-law," greeted each one in turn, their eyes conveying curiosity. Fu Hengyi introduced every person, and it took Shen Qinglan some time to match names to faces.

"Sister-in-law, I’ve always heard our vice captain and the other brothers mention you, and now I finally see your true face," said a slim and tall man laughing, who Fu Hengyi said was Zhang Wei.

"Sister-in-law, when are you and our captain going to hold the wedding? We have our red envelopes ready," another person named Qian Fei asked, which was the one Shen Qinglan had found familiar just now.

"Sister-in-law, do you have any sisters or younger sisters at home? Our team has a lot of single dogs, begging for an introduction," said Meng Liang. As soon as these words came out, Shen Qinglan knew that this guy was definitely a familiar extrovert.

"All of you, one by one, keep asking non-stop as soon as you come; won’t you let the sister-in-law eat her meal?" Mu Liancheng spoke in a deep voice.

Everyone immediately became quiet, with embarrassment in all of their eyes. They were too excited seeing the captain’s wife for the first time and had forgotten about eating.

Shen Qinglan didn’t care about these things, "The wedding will be in June, and everyone is welcome to attend. But there’s no need for red envelopes; drinks are on us." Soldiers actually don’t make much money, just that little bit each month, and they were all Fu Hengyi’s comrades and brothers, so they would certainly not be absent from the wedding.

Qian Fei had a good impression of Shen Qinglan. Although Shen Qinglan seemed a few years younger than him by appearance, the words she said in the hospital last time made him feel that there was a reason why the captain had chosen this woman as his wife.

"Sister-in-law, did you come here with the military this time?" asked Meng Liang, who realized right after asking that he had asked a silly question. The captain had only come to the Beijing Military Region to be an instructor for a few months, and would be going back after half a year, so how could the sister-in-law possibly be accompanying the military here, and their unit would certainly not allow it.

"Hehe, sister-in-law, my brain malfunctioned, pretend I didn’t ask," chuckled Meng Liang.

Although Shen Qinglan wasn’t much of a talker, she would respond to anyone who spoke to her and could keep up with the conversation. Meng Liang, who had never interacted with Shen Qinglan before, had a very good impression of her.

He finally understood why the group that had gone on a mission with the captain had come back and kept praising how good the captain’s wife was.

Soldiers always eat quickly, and although they had slowed down their pace to accommodate Shen Qinglan, the meal was soon over. Fu Hengyi had already gone ahead to pay the bill, which, as it was a special arrangement, was naturally on the house.

"What do you all do on regular days? Always training?" Shen Qinglan asked curiously. She was very keen to find out about Fu Hengyi’s past.

Mu Liancheng answered with a warm smile, "Sister-in-law, I think you want to ask about the captain. Actually, all of us joined the unit later than the captain. By the time we joined, he was already our captain."

"And he was also our instructor," added Qian Fei. After the meal, they felt much closer to Shen Qinglan and spoke much more freely.

"The first time we met, he gave us a tough introduction, completely shattering our self-confidence," said Meng Liang with a face that looked like he had suffered a lot.

Shen Qinglan raised an eyebrow, "Oh?"

Seeing Shen Qinglan’s interest, Meng Liang perked up and continued, "At the original selection, there were three hundred of us, all the top soldiers from various military regions, definitely not lacking in ability and all with their own pride."

"At that time, Meng Liang was the most defiant. Sister-in-law, don’t judge him by his appearance now. When he first arrived, he was so arrogant, as if he was the best there is and the most resistant to discipline. It was after the captain severely dealt with him several times that he learned his lesson," interjected Qian Fei, his face showing schadenfreude as he couldn’t help but feel delighted remembering the scenes of Meng Liang being disciplined by Fu Hengyi.

Meng Liang also remembered, touched his head sheepishly, and chuckled, "Oh, that was just youthful ignorance."

"I’ll continue, sister-in-law. There were quite a few troublemakers among us at that time. Seeing such a young instructor as the captain naturally made us not convinced. Some of us spoke rather rudely. The captain didn’t say anything at first, but in the training that followed, he kept increasing the intensity. In just half a day, the physical strength of us three hundred men was almost drained. The captain made a light remark, ’You call yourselves elite soldiers with this performance?’ With just one sentence, he provoked everyone’s anger. Some said the captain was taking private revenge, even claiming that if the captain wasn’t the instructor, he would be worse than us. Then came the competitive exercises."

Thinking back to that competition, Meng Liang felt choked up, because he was the one who had suffered the most, having been the one to lead the challenge.

Armed swimming, load-bearing cross country, 400-meter obstacles, shooting, combat... Every exercise saw them outperformed by Fu Hengyi, and after losing, they had to bear his mockery. At that time, Meng Liang just wanted to quit right there but couldn’t bear the thought of being sent back on his first day in the unit, so he gritted his teeth and endured.

Other people also went to challenge Fu Hengyi and were equally trounced, but unlike Meng Liang, they weren’t as thorny, so Fu Hengyi didn’t utter any harsh words.

Afterward, Meng Liang challenged him several more times, but with each defeat, his admiration for Fu Hengyi grew, and after a few times, he had become a complete fanboy of Fu Hengyi.

Meng Liang was quite eloquent and told his stories with vivid detail. Fu Hengyi returned just as Meng Liang was getting into his stride.

"What are you all talking about so happily?" Fu Hengyi walked in and asked gently.

Meng Liang instantly fell silent, and Shen Qinglan looked at Fu Hengyi with a smirk, "We are talking about your heroic deeds."

Fu Hengyi glanced at Meng Liang without showing any particular emotion.

"Ahem, sister-in-law, we have training later, so we’ll head off first. You and the captain have a good chat." Meng Liang stood up and scooted off, Qian Fei said a quick goodbye to Shen Qinglan, and he too was off.

"Sister-in-law, I still owe you an apology for last time." Now that only Mu Liancheng was left in the private room, he looked at Shen Qinglan and said seriously.

"You’ve already apologized," Shen Qinglan said, "And it wasn’t your fault for what happened last time."

Mu Liancheng gave Shen Qinglan a deep look, "Sister-in-law, thank you."

Fu Hengyi had been watching from the side the whole time, but his gaze towards Shen Qinglan was especially tender. He actually knew she was certainly not a person full of enthusiasm; agreeing to have dinner and chat with his brothers was purely because they were his brothers.

"I didn’t expect you to have such a sharp tongue," Shen Qinglan said, coming up with a somber comment once everyone had left, recalling Meng Liang vividly repeating what Fu Hengyi had initially said to provoke them.

"I will never be like that with you," Fu Hengyi said with a light chuckle.

This man!

Shen Qinglan let out a slight smile and dropped the subject. She suddenly remembered that time when Fu Hengyi had been injured and hospitalized. Shen Xitong had visited him at the hospital, and he had been just as biting with his words.

Fu Hengyi stopped by his office first and made a phone call before taking Shen Qinglan home.

Because she had been on the military base, Shen Qinglan’s phone had been in a signal-blocking state. As soon as she left the Military Region, her phone was flooded with many messages, including text tones and WeChat alerts. She looked through them one by one: Fang Tong, Yu Xiaoxuan, Ya Xi, her mother, her brother, as well as Jin Enxi and Andre.

She returned calls to the first few people, but as for Jin Enxi and Andre, she just sent them a message explaining her whereabouts, apologizing for not notifying them when she left on a whim last time.

"Pack a few changes of clothes too," said Fu Hengyi, seeing that she had only packed her painting tools.

Shen Qinglan paused, had he intended for her to stay at the base for a while? But considering she didn’t have much else going on recently, she simply agreed. Besides, being able to see him every day made her quite happy, "Okay."

Fu Hengyi moved all her stuff into the car, and they got in. "Aren’t we going back to the Military Region?" she asked, noticing the direction was the polar opposite of the Military Region.

Fu Hengyi explained, "I had been meaning to take you to see the traditional Chinese medicine doctor for a while now. Since we’re out, we might as well drop by."

This was something Fu Hengyi had always kept in mind, and Shen Qinglan had no objections.

Shen Qinglan surveyed the hospital in front of her, which seemed more like a sanatorium. Fu Hengyi took her hand and they walked in.

"Doctor Zhong, I am Fu Hengyi," he said warmly after knocking on the door and addressing the person inside.

Doctor Zhong looked up from the medical case file, pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose, and smiled kindly, "Come in." Fu Hengyi had made many appointments with him, but Doctor Zhong had been visiting his son out of town and had only recently returned.

"Is this your wife?" Doctor Zhong took a look at Shen Qinglan and asked with a familiar tone, seemingly having known Fu Hengyi for a long time.

Fu Hengyi had indeed known Doctor Zhong for a long time, precisely because Old Sir Fu had felt unwell seven or eight years ago and had been treated with traditional Chinese medicine for a while with Doctor Zhong as the lead physician.

"Miss, please sit down, let me take your pulse," Doctor Zhong gestured, signaling Shen Qinglan to take a seat.

Shen Qinglan sat on the stool in front of her, extended her right hand, revealing a segment of her snow-white wrist, and Doctor Zhong placed his hand on her pulse, taking it carefully. The only sound in the consultation room for a time was the breathing of the three of them.

However, as the pulse taking persisted, Doctor Zhong’s brows furrowed. He glanced at Shen Qinglan but did not speak. Shen Qinglan’s heart skipped a beat; she knew that her body had many hidden issues due to her intense training from a young age and the numerous injuries she had sustained. Though Eden had previously treated her, some injuries were very old.

Fu Hengyi, seeing Doctor Zhong frown, grew anxious too and rested his hand on Shen Qinglan’s shoulder to signal her not to worry. Feeling the warmth on her shoulder, Shen Qinglan’s heart gradually calmed down.

Doctor Zhong withdrew his hand, glanced at Shen Qinglan, then at Fu Hengyi, "Do you want to step out?" The question was directed at Fu Hengyi.

Fu Hengyi’s eyes darkened and looked at Shen Qinglan, meeting her gaze.

"Doctor Zhong, just speak, it’s fine," Shen Qinglan said calmly. There was no need to hide anything from Fu Hengyi, except for that one matter.

Since the patient herself did not mind, Doctor Zhong naturally had nothing more to say and gently asked Shen Qinglan, "Did you suffer from cold exposure or severe injuries when you were a child?"

Shen Qinglan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Training in environments with temperatures below minus ten degrees during winters was common, not to mention severe injuries.

But upon hearing this, Fu Hengyi’s heart clenched suddenly, his hand at his side clenched into a fist. He remembered the man he had met in the rainforest with Shen Qinglan—he had never seen the man’s true face, but Fu Hengyi could be certain that the man was very skilled, and...

He looked at Shen Qinglan, Qinglan, what did you go through in your childhood? What was your identity in the past?

"Your body has sustained serious injuries, and although the subsequent treatment was very successful, it has left hidden issues, and..." Doctor Zhong paused before continuing, "In the winter, do your hands and feet get cold?"

Shen Qinglan continued to nod, guessing what Doctor Zhong was about to say. She slightly lowered her gaze towards her abdomen.

"You have a cold constitution, which is why this happens. Fortunately, you’re still young, and you exercise regularly, so your physique is good. You can recover with a course of traditional Chinese medicine. However, you should be mindful in daily life and eat less, or avoid, cold or cooling foods," Doctor Zhong explained.

Doctor Zhong glanced at Fu Hengyi, "You two aren’t planning on having children soon, are you?"

Fu Hengyi shook his head; he had no plans for children in the next two years, "We don’t have such plans at the moment."

"Then I’ll prescribe some traditional Chinese medicine to regulate the young lady’s condition, as her body isn’t currently suited for pregnancy," proposed Doctor Zhong.

"This medicine will taste very bitter, but it’s effective for your health. You need to take it for three months. Can you stick with it?" Doctor Zhong asked Shen Qinglan.

Shen Qinglan nodded, "Doctor, I can handle the bitterness." She was not afraid of it.

"Doctor Zhong, if it’s possible to reduce the bitterness a bit, could you..." Fu Hengyi was speaking to Doctor Zhong before the prescription was made.

Doctor Zhong laughed, noticing the couple had a good relationship. He hadn’t expected Old Sir Fu’s grandson to be so tender towards his wife, "Bitter medicine is good medicine."

Shen Qinglan was a bit embarrassed, "Doctor, don’t listen to him, just prescribe the medicine."

"I’ll prescribe it for half a month first, and then you can come back after that. Will you have it prepared for you, or will you prepare it yourself?"

"I’ll prepare it myself." She was currently at the Military Region, and it wasn’t convenient to have it prepared for her.

After leaving Doctor Zhong’s office, Fu Hengyi went to pay and collect the medicine, while Shen Qinglan sat in the hospital corridor waiting for him, her head bowed, lost in thought.

"What are you so engrossed in thinking about?" Fu Hengyi came back with the medicine in hand and asked warmly.

Shen Qinglan looked up, saw him, and stood up, "Is it ready?"

Fu Hengyi nodded, and the two left the hospital.

"Fu Hengyi, I’m sorry." At a traffic light, Shen Qinglan spoke softly.

Fu Hengyi was startled and turned to look at her, "Why do you say that?"

Shen Qinglan felt very apologetic. She really wanted to have a child for Fu Hengyi, and she knew that Old Sir Fu was eagerly waiting for a great-grandchild, but her health...

Seeing her silence, Fu Hengyi sighed softly. She was, after all, a sensitive girl. He turned and embraced her, "Qinglan, I never intended to become a father so early, and for me, you are the most important. Even if you can’t bear a child, it doesn’t matter. We can support each other for life. You can be my daughter, and I’ll be your son, and a lifetime for just the two of us is also wonderful. Moreover, your health is far from being in such a bad state." Even Doctor Zhong said that with three months of care, she would be well.

Shen Qinglan didn’t speak, just took a deep breath. The words of Fu Hengyi brought a shimmer to her eyes, and a tear fell onto his shirt, leaving a small, dark stain.

The car behind them honked its horn, and Fu Hengyi let go of Shen Qinglan. He started the car but kept holding her hand.

Fu Hengyi had even bought a special pot for brewing the herbal medicine before taking Shen Qinglan back to the Military Region.

The Chinese medicine needed to be taken in the morning and evening. Fu Hengyi brewed it himself in the mornings, and in the evenings, if he could make it back in time, it was him who prepared it. If he couldn’t, he always remembered to call and remind Shen Qinglan.

"Sis, why does your house smell like Chinese medicine? Is someone not feeling well?" Sister-in-law Zhang walked past Shen Qinglan’s house, smelled the scent wafting out, and knocked on the door.

"It’s for body conditioning," Shen Qinglan explained.

Sister-in-law Zhang suddenly understood, "Ah, you guys are planning for a child, right? Then it’s good to take care of yourself. When I was pregnant with my eldest, I took Chinese medicine for six months. Lemme tell you, the first baby is especially crucial. If you’re healthy, the baby will be healthy too. My daughter is really robust and hardly ever gets sick."

Shen Qinglan wanted to explain, but thought better of it and just listened carefully.

"Girl, if you’re preparing to conceive, then you should eat less cold stuff on a regular basis; it’s not good for women. If you get pregnant, you should eat more fruits, walnuts..." Sister-in-law Zhang went on and on, eager to share all her experiences with Shen Qinglan in one go.

Shen Qinglan didn’t plan to get pregnant in the short term, but she listened attentively anyway, since this information would eventually come in handy.

"Girl, if you ever get pregnant and don’t understand something, you can always ask your sister-in-law. Although I’m not a professional, having given birth to two kids, I do know a bit more than you."

"Thank you, sister-in-law." Shen Qinglan expressed her gratitude sincerely.

"What’s there to thank me for? Come and visit us when you have time." Sister-in-law Zhang glanced into the kitchen, "Are you planning to cook?"

Shen Qinglan gave an embarrassed smile. She hadn’t cooked in the past couple of days, having gone to the cafeteria with Fu Hengyi. Other than the few dishes she specifically learned from Sister-in-law Song and Aunt Zhao, she hadn’t had any other impressive recipes.

Sister-in-law Zhang was a clever person and, seeing the awkwardness in Shen Qinglan’s eyes, smiled, "Why don’t you and Hengyi come over to my place for dinner tonight? You must be tired of eating cafeteria food all the time."

"No need, sister-in-law. Hengyi will be back soon, and I’ll just make a few simple dishes."

Sister-in-law Zhang didn’t insist. It was getting late, so she didn’t stay much longer and went home.

Shen Qinglan opened the fridge and took a look; there was no shortage of ingredients. She took out a few items she knew how to cook and then called Fu Hengyi in his office. Fortunately, Fu Hengyi was in his office at the moment. Hearing that his wife was planning to cook dinner, he readily promised to try and come home early.

Over the last few days, the recruits who had come for selection training felt particularly blessed. Why? Because the chief instructor wasn’t listening in on their training at night anymore. Without Fu Hengyi’s imposing presence, the pressure on them had decreased significantly.

Realizing it was because the instructor’s wife had come to visit him at the base, everyone internally thanked the instructor’s wife. They all prayed in their hearts that Shen Qinglan would stay at the Military Region even longer.

This directly led to Shen Qinglan being greeted warmly by the young soldiers wherever she went in the Military Region, their gazes upon her akin to seeing a savior.

However, all this did not escape Fu Hengyi’s eyes. He called several instructors for a meeting that night and talked at length. The next day, the intensity of the recruits’ training doubled. Even without Fu Hengyi physically overseeing them, it was no less challenging. Of course, that was a story for later.

"It smells delicious." Fu Hengyi smelled the scent of cooking as soon as he walked in.

Shen Qinglan was just serving the last dish, "Go wash your hands, and we can eat."

Fu Hengyi washed his hands at the sink and helped to bring out the dishes while Shen Qinglan brought out the bowls and chopsticks, "I only know how to make these few dishes, so you’ll have to make do." The dishes were still the same ones she had made for Fu Hengyi’s birthday last year. Having not cooked for a while, her skills were a bit rusty, so naturally, the flavors fell short of previous attempts.

Shen Qinglan wasn’t incapable of cooking other dishes; it was just that the flavors were quite ordinary compared to Fu Hengyi’s culinary prowess.

"The dishes my wife makes are definitely delicious." Fu Hengyi smiled faintly; he truly felt that anything made by her, even if it were poison, would taste heavenly to him.

"Mr. Fu, you’re at least a major general. Aren’t you ashamed to be so shameless with your words? Aren’t you afraid your brothers will see you and laugh at you?" Shen Qinglan found it unbearable how shamelessly this man could sweet-talk, doing so effortlessly.

"I’m complimenting my own wife, not someone else’s. What’s there to be afraid of? And I’m speaking the truth. If they’re laughing, it’s because they’re envious."

Shen Qinglan had already tasted a bite of the stir-fried eggs with tomatoes, which turned out too salty, and the eggs were a bit overcooked. Hearing Fu Hengyi’s words, she blushed slightly.

Shen Qinglan didn’t eat much for dinner since she had been taking Chinese medicine recently, which had reduced her appetite. Fu Hengyi was quite concerned and had even consulted with Doctor Zhong, who assured it was normal, allowing him to relax a little.

Fu Hengyi finished most of the dishes himself, then got up to wash the plates in the kitchen. When he came out, he held a bowl of sweet fermented rice ball soup, "You didn’t eat much tonight, try this. I didn’t add much sugar."

Qinglan actually couldn’t eat any more at this point, but she couldn’t help but take the bowl when Fu Hengyi looked at her. She silently ate half a bowl.

"Okay, give me the rest." Fu Hengyi knew she couldn’t eat any more and took the remaining half bowl, quickly finishing it off before taking Qinglan outside for a walk.

The military region was still bustling at night, with many people training on the drill ground.

"Fu Hengyi, how did you join the army?" Qinglan walked along the roads of the military region, looking at the soldiers coming and going, she asked.

"I was eighteen. I joined the barracks directly after coming back from abroad," Fu Hengyi said. Suddenly, a figure was running towards them, apparently in a hurry to get somewhere, and was about to run into Qinglan when Fu Hengyi quickly reached out his hand and pulled Qinglan into his arms.

The soldier stopped, full of apology, "I’m sorry, sir."

"It’s fine, go on, just be more careful next time."

The soldier saluted Fu Hengyi and ran off.

It was a minor incident, and neither of them paid it much attention. "Did you always want to be a soldier since you were young?" Qinglan was curious.

Fu Hengyi, however, shook his head, "No, being a soldier was never in my childhood dreams. Both my father and mother sacrificed their lives while on duty. I was raised by my grandfather. I know too well the pain of losing loved ones, so initially, I didn’t like the military, despite the fact that my grandfather’s training for me was always in the fashion of military camps."

"So, what made you decide to become a soldier later?"

"It was because of an incident. When I was seventeen, I witnessed firsthand the bullying of Z country’s students abroad, including some ex-soldiers from that country. They thought the military strength of Z country was too weak and, due to historical reasons, they saw our people as weak and easy to bully." Fu Hengyi spoke, the incident having left a deep impression on him. He clearly remembered the bullied student, even though he was beaten and injured, defiantly shouting that Z country had already grown strong and was no longer weak, that Z country’s military personnel were heroes who protect and defend the country. But his words were met with more insults and beating.

Fu Hengyi stepped in and saved that student, and the impact of the incident on him was profound. As a result, he completed his studies early, applied for graduation, returned to his country, and joined the forces. He wanted to prove with his strength that the soldiers of Z country were valiant.

And that student he saved was the younger brother of Mu Liancheng.

"And then you started to like the military?"

Fu Hengyi smiled and nodded, "Only after truly being part of this team did I realize how innocent and lovely the people here are. They are candid, upright, and have their own beliefs. I love everything about this place, Qinglan. Perhaps I will never leave this force for my whole life."

Qinglan smiled softly, "Fu Hengyi, it’s great that you can do what you love. You can stick to your ideals, and I will always be by your side." Unless one day, you give up on me.

The atmosphere between them was very warm. Qinglan liked this feeling of walking leisurely with Fu Hengyi—she thought maybe she didn’t hate the military as much as she had thought.

*******

"Tongtong, what are you doing here?" Li Bo Ming was surprised to see Fang Tong here.

Fang Tong also did not expect that she would bump into Li Bo Ming while she was just helping Shen Junyu deliver some things to Han Yi.

"Bo Ming, what are you doing here?"

"I work here," Li Bo Ming said with a gentle smile.

Fang Tong’s eyes widened slightly, "You work at Han Group?"

"Mhm. Han Yi is my senior. Didn’t I mention I was going to spend two years at my senior’s company for some experience?" Li Bomming explained, looking at the object Fang Tong was holding, "What’s that?"

"I’m here to deliver something to Mr. Han; my boss asked me to do it."

"Let me help you carry it," offered Li Bomming.

"No need, it’s quite light, not heavy at all," Fang Tong declined.

"Still, give it to me." Li Bomming took the object from Fang Tong’s arms, indeed it wasn’t very heavy, "Where to? Mr. Han’s office?"

Fang Tong nodded. She hadn’t expected Li Bomming to be working at Han Yi’s company. In fact, after the New Year, she rarely saw Li Bomming, even when her mother called him to come over for dinner, he mostly declined.

Fang Tong pressed the elevator button first, making way for Li Bomming to enter. Only the two of them were in the elevator, which made Fang Tong somewhat uncomfortable, while Li Bomming watched the reflection of Fang Tong’s figure on the elevator wall.

"Have you been busy with work recently?" Fang Tong spoke up first to break the silence.

"Yeah, I haven’t been at this company for long, and I’m still figuring out a lot of things, needing to commit more energy. Since I’ve decided to do it, naturally, I have to do my best," said Li Bomming softly. He was dressed in a suit, looking even more handsome and capable, his mouth curved in a smile.

For a moment, Fang Tong was reminded of the chubby little boy who used to play house with her as a child, who also liked to smile, was very patient, and would keep playing with her as long as she wanted to, even though they had played that game many, many times over.

When they were in school, he was a few grades above her, yet not much taller than she was. He would come to her house every day to pick her up, and they would go to school together, come home together. As a child, Fang Tong loved sweets, and Li Bomming’s backpack was like Doraemon’s pocket, always able to produce various kinds of candy, tasting good, sweet, but each time, only one piece.

He would stand up for her when other classmates bullied her. Even though he was chubby himself, he would protect her behind his back so fervently. As a result, she would not have a scratch on her, while he would end up beaten and bruised by the older students, yet when she cried, he would smile and comfort her, "Tongtong don’t be scared, brother will protect you."

Yes, he always claimed to be her brother, but she had never once called him "brother".

Now that she thought about it, Li Bomming had always been very good to her. If the elders in the family had not deliberately tried to match her with Li Bomming, she thought she might have been closer to him than she was now, instead of feeling awkward every time she saw him.

"Ding"—the elevator doors opened, and Li Bomming walked out first, then waited for Fang Tong to follow.

"Give me the items. I can go in myself," Fang Tong said.

Li Bomming did not insist and handed her the items.

When Fang Tong came out of Han Yi’s office, she found that Li Bomming was still waiting outside, "Why are you still here?"

Li Bomming smiled, "It’s almost lunchtime, I thought we could eat together, do you mind?"

Fang Tong shook her head, agreeing to the lunch invitation.

The restaurant that Li Bomming chose was nearby the company, "I was overseas for so many years and got tired of Western food. Now, I prefer Chinese food more—you don’t mind, do you?"

Fang Tong shook her head with a smile, "I don’t mind, I also prefer Chinese food more."

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