Chapter 75 Can't sleep? Then let's try another way...

Seeing that her limelight had been stolen, Lin Mengyao stopped eating, put down her plate, and turned to leave.

Jiang Wanqiu!

She wanted to see what method this vixen used to cure her illness!

In the small house in the family compound, Jiang Wanqiu, who was pondering dinner in front of the stove, suddenly sneezed twice.

Achoo! Achoo!

She rubbed her nose, somewhat puzzled.

Behind him, Zhao Wenchang, who had just taken off his military overcoat, walked over, carrying a chill with him, but his voice contained a teasing smile: "What's wrong? I was praising you for being so healthy on the way back, and you've already caught a cold? Let me tell you, the medicine prescribed by the military hospital is much more bitter than the medicine from the village clinic."

"I don't have a cold," Jiang Wanqiu said, giving him a reproachful look.

As she spoke, she deftly rolled up her sleeves, revealing a dazzlingly white wrist.

Li Yanhong just brought over some homemade pickled cabbage and even taught her how to make pickled cabbage stew with frozen tofu.

She had never seen this kind of food before in Shanghai and was planning to try it tonight.

Just as I picked up the kitchen knife, a warm, solid chest pressed against me from behind without warning.

Zhao Wenchang was more than a head taller than her. He didn't say anything, but just leaned in gently, resting his chin on her shoulder. His warm breath sprayed onto her neck, bringing a tingling, itchy sensation.

Jiang Wanqiu was so taken aback by his sudden intimacy that she froze, even stopping the knife in her hand.

She shrugged in disgust: "It's so heavy, get out of my way, you're getting in my way."

Instead of moving away, the man stretched out his long arm and wrapped it around her waist from behind, his voice low and husky, with a hint of playfulness: "I have a mission to do tomorrow."

Jiang Wanqiu abruptly stopped chopping vegetables, her heart skipping a beat.

She turned around almost immediately, ignoring the man still holding her, and anxiously looked up to ask, "What mission? Is it dangerous?"

Looking at her flustered face, her clear eyes filled with worry, Zhao Wenchang felt a sudden tenderness in his heart, but also a mischievous urge to tease her.

He deliberately put on a stern face and said in a deep voice, "It's dangerous. So, you'll have to keep me company tonight."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wanqiu's mind went blank.

The young regimental commander who sacrificed his life in the newspaper in my past life...

Although she wasn't sure if that person was Zhao Wenchang, she couldn't gamble!

And she never expected that this day would come so soon!

"Who else is going with you?" Her voice trembled as she gripped the man's arm tightly. "When are you coming back? No... I want to go with you too!"

When Zhao Wenchang saw that the woman's face had turned pale with nervousness, he realized that he had gone too far with his joke and immediately regretted it.

He quickly tightened his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. He patted her back and softened his voice to soothe her, saying, "What are you thinking? It's not a formal mission. We're just leading a team to the border to scout and gather intelligence. If all goes well, we'll be back in three days."

Hearing him say that, Jiang Wanqiu felt a little relieved, but the unease still lingered around her like a hair.

She broke free from his embrace, turned around and continued chopping vegetables, but was distracted. With one stroke of the knife, she almost cut her own finger.

"careful!"

Zhao Wenchang swiftly snatched the kitchen knife from her hand, his brow furrowed. He set the knife aside, picked up her hand, and examined it thoroughly. Only when he saw that she was unharmed did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He looked at her still pale face and apologized softly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have scared you."

Jiang Wanqiu didn't speak, but simply raised her head and looked at him with a complicated expression.

At night, lying on the warm earthen bed, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She had to find a way, she had to do something for this man, to prevent him from dying in battle later on.

But what can she do?

In her previous life, she lived far away in Shanghai and had very few memories of his time in the military, so she had no idea where to begin.

As she was lost in thought, the man beside her suddenly turned over, and a strong arm reached out, pulling her close without a word and holding her tightly in his arms.

Warm, large hands patted her back gently.

"Can't sleep?" Zhao Wenchang's deep voice rang out in the darkness.

Jiang Wanqiu buried her face in his firm chest and hummed softly.

What are you thinking about?

She was silent for a moment before saying in an almost inaudible voice, "I can't sleep when I think about you leaving."

"Oh? You're so reluctant to let me go?"

Jiang Wanqiu's cheeks instantly burned, but luckily the room was dark and she couldn't see it.

She didn't say anything, but buried her face even deeper into his strong, warm chest, like an ostrich.

Her silence spoke louder than a thousand words.

The slight sense of pride that had been stirred up in Zhao Wenchang's heart instantly vanished.

He knew the woman was worried about him, but he was a rough and clumsy man, and all he could say over and over again were "Don't be afraid" and "It's okay".

He awkwardly raised his hand and gently patted her back.

Just as Zhao Wenchang was racking his brains, trying to figure out how to make the person in his arms happy, the person in his arms suddenly moved.

Jiang Wanqiu propped herself up slightly and, in the dim light, found his face by feel.

The next second, a soft, slightly trembling pair of lips gently pressed against his lips.

They separate at the slightest touch, as light as a snowflake.

Zhao Wenchang froze for a moment.

"You..." He had barely uttered a word when he heard a woman's soft, nasal voice in his ear.

"You must come back safely." She paused, then added, "Otherwise, if I get bullied here, there will be no one to stand up for me."

In an instant, he remembered what his superior had told him.

He told him to think carefully about his family matters and to cherish his life.

He didn't understand at the time.

Soldiers are paid to serve their country and protect their homeland. To die on the battlefield is an honor. If you die, you die. What kind of soldier are you if you're afraid of death?

But now, feeling the woman's soft body in his arms and hearing the undisguised dependence in her words, Zhao Wenchang truly understood the weight of the word "concern" for the first time.

It was a heavy, throbbing feeling that made his heart pound.

For the first time, he had the thought that he had to survive no matter what.

He wanted to come back alive, to spend more time with this woman, and to be her support for the rest of his life.

Zhao Wenchang's Adam's apple bobbed as he tightened his arms around her, holding her close. "Don't you believe in your man's abilities?"

"I believe you..." Jiang Wanqiu's voice was barely audible, almost drowned out by his pounding heartbeat.

"Just believe it."

Zhao Wenchang flipped over and pinned her beneath him, his rough fingertips pinching her delicate chin and lifting it up without any resistance.

He lowered his head and deepened the fleeting kiss from before, in a way that felt like a predatory act.

“Since you can’t sleep,” he said, panting between kisses, “let’s try a different way to fall asleep.”