As the sun sets, the sky is ablaze with rosy hues.

After finishing his work report for the day, Yan Lin felt exhausted. He had just left the military region and stopped by the market to buy a piece of meat, intending to cook it when he got home.

"Zizi, there are some fresh melons up ahead. Let's buy some to make snacks for our teachers!"

A shout rang out, and the girl walking in front suddenly turned around. In the sunlight, her two braids shimmered with golden light under the rosy glow, and her face was stunningly beautiful against the backlight.

A familiar feeling washes over you.

Yan Lin's heart skipped a beat, and a sentence from Zhizhi's letter suddenly flashed into his mind: I'm gambling, gambling on a chance to see you...

Is it her?

Lost in thought, he noticed that the girl was nowhere to be seen in the bustling market.

*Smack*

Suddenly, he felt a hard slap on the shoulder. He turned around and saw it was Ling Junye. He frowned and said, "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

Ling Junye had never seen Yan Lin so enraged before, and couldn't help but chuckle, "Have you seen a ghost? Why are you so distraught? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd seen your sister-in-law."

call out.

The next second, his arm was firmly grabbed by Yan Lin, whose eyes were darting around, filled with an unpredictable anxiety and agitation: "Aye, do you think Zhizhi might borrow someone else's body... to come back?"

Ling Junye was stunned.

After a moment, he realized what he meant and burst into laughter, saying, "Brother, I know what you're talking about. It's called 'reincarnation.' I never thought that in this modern era, there would still be such an old superstitious person like you."

Suddenly snapping back to his senses, Yan Lin shook his head. He let go of her hand and realized he had overthought things; perhaps the face and the branch were just too closely aligned.

Except for the eyes, they are almost identical...

How is that possible?

It's all just a joke, nothing more. While watching the play, people take it all seriously, but once the play is over, how many will actually believe such supernatural and absurd theories?

After experiencing such ups and downs, Yan Lin felt even more exhausted and didn't even want to eat dinner.

So when Ling Junye suggested having a dinner party at the Ling family home, where all his old friends would be there, he immediately declined: "I want to get a good night's sleep. Let's do it tomorrow night. I'm really tired today."

"Huh? You're kidding me? I've already notified everyone. It's not right to stand them up like this."

"You made the promise, but you're the one who broke it."

Yan Lin turned the car around and was about to leave when Ling Junye forced him to promise that he would definitely go tomorrow before he would stop.

After parting ways with Ling Junye, he went straight back to Lin Garden.

A gentle evening breeze blew as he sat at the stone table, his fingers tracing the rough surface. His mind was filled with Zhizhi's smiling face—laughing heartily, smiling gently, squinting with laughter, and mischievous grins… He suddenly realized that she seemed never to have shed a tear in front of him; she was always smiling…

He sat silently from sunset until the dead of night.

But he was not lonely or alone.

Memories can also be comforting, and his fatigue slowly vanished. He slowly got up, preparing to go back to his room to rest, but then he heard a knock on the gate.

He strolled to the door.

Squeak.

The door was flung open, and he was greeted by Lü Liang, with a medic behind him carrying a large food box, seemingly waiting for him to serve him.

"Commander, is something the matter?"

Having finally gotten a break, Yan Lin didn't want to socialize.

Lü Liang couldn't help but chuckle.

That brat really doesn't give us any face. We've already come to him, and he still wants to be turned away.

"I brought some delicious food for you to try today. They're all carefully prepared. If you're interested, we can talk about it further. Don't worry, I won't do anything to harm you."

Before Yan Lin could object, Lü Liang had the sanitation worker bring the food box into the house.

Left with no other choice, Yan Lin took the food box and led Lü Liang and his group into the living room.

Without hesitation, the medic opened the box and took out one carefully prepared dish after another. Each dish was very small, but clearly meticulously cooked.

The pastries are dotted with small red dots and are crystal clear.

The small steamed dumplings are all exquisite and charming.

The stir-fried dishes were served in small portions, but the presentation and selection of ingredients clearly showed care.

At the very bottom, there is a bowl of red bean and glutinous rice soup.

"Try it, don't be shy," Lü Liang said.

Yan Lin didn't want to be too pretentious. After expressing his gratitude to his teacher, he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the pastry.

The pastry was filled with a translucent pork filling, along with ginger and white sugar, creating an indescribable delicious flavor upon first bite... truly a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

If he learns how to make it and cooks it for Zhizhi, she will be overjoyed.

He nodded silently in praise, and when he looked up again, he asked, "Commander, you specially brought me food, there must be something you want to say to me."

Lü Liang laughed heartily.

He said, "You're right. I'll introduce you to someone I guarantee you won't regret it. Do you believe me?"

Yan Lin shook his head, indicating his disbelief.

He doesn't seek promotion or wealth, nor does he crave a happy and fulfilling life. He only wishes to preserve the passing years and that glimmer of hope. He has no interest in meeting strangers.

"Don't be like that. Sometimes you only know the result after meeting the person. Go and call them in," Lü Liang instructed the medic.

"Yes, sir."

After the medic left, Yan Lin felt that the division commander was determined to make him receive guests. Since he had already gone this far, he remained silent and said nothing more.

It's just a meeting, what else can happen?

As he was thinking this, a figure emerged from the darkness. In the golden light of the living room, the first thing that caught his eye was her pair of feet wearing cloth shoes.

Then half of his body appeared.

Yan Lin glanced at them quickly.

Then, it stopped.

That face... was none other than the woman I'd caught a glimpse of at the market that afternoon.

How could it be her?

Under his gaze, Lü Liang smiled with satisfaction, stood up to greet her, and pulled the girl to Yan Lin's side, saying, "This is Fang Manzi, whom I mentioned to you. She lives in Beijing and isn't married yet."

Lü Liang specifically emphasized that he was single and unmarried, making it very clear that he intended to act as a matchmaker.

The girl, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, smiled shyly and stomped her foot playfully, saying, "Commander, please don't say that, I'm so embarrassed."

"Haha, neither of us is married, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

After making a few jokes, Lü Liang noticed that the atmosphere in the room had warmed up a bit, so he led the medic away, saying, "You two, take your time talking."

As soon as they left, Fang Manzi walked to the table, picked up a pot of wine next to the food box, and said with a smile, "This is pear blossom wine that I brewed myself. Try it and if you like it, I'll give you the rest."

As she spoke, she took out a small wine glass from the food box and filled it with wine.

The aroma of wine filled the air.

Her gaze was serene, but when she glanced at Yan Lin, a hint of shyness added to her charm.

"Who are you?" Yan Lin suddenly asked, his eyes turning cold and stern.

Fang Manzi was stunned.

The next second, she chuckled and said, "Can I say that the glass bead around your neck was originally mine?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Lin's expression immediately changed.

He suddenly stood up, stepped forward, grabbed Fang Manzi's wrist, and asked with a strange look in his eyes, "Then tell me, what is the name of this bead?"

When she uttered those three words, Yan Lin froze, his eyes widening in surprise.