"That...that's your own business."

Duan Suyao turned her head away, not daring to look at Jiang Zheng anymore, and put the things in her hand on the ground.

"Jiang Zheng, I'm here today to return your things. Don't come looking for me again."

After saying that, Duan Suyao ran away.

She was afraid that if she didn't leave soon, she would be unable to resist her soft heart and stay.

Duan Suyao lived in the compound, so she wouldn't encounter any danger going back like this. Therefore, Jiang Zheng didn't chase after her. After watching her run far away, Jiang Zheng went over and picked up the things on the ground.

That was the wedding ring he and Duan Suyao bought in Kyoto. She was perfectly fine back then, but these past few days, for some reason, she insisted on breaking up with him.

Jiang Zheng picked up the box containing the ring and scratched his head in frustration.

What are you doing here?

When Lu Jingnian returned from outside, he saw Jiang Zheng standing at the door with a somewhat unpleasant expression and asked him suspiciously.

"I got dumped again. I'm just trying to cheer myself up here."

After Jiang Zheng finished speaking, he sighed. He looked just like a big, abandoned dog, so pitiful no matter how you looked at him!

Lu Jingnian understood immediately, "Duan Suyao broke up with you again?"

Since Duan Suyao's incident, the two have broken up several times. Every time they break up, Jiang Zheng comes to drink with him and Political Commissar Yu. Lu Jingnian is used to it.

"Want to have a couple of drinks with me?" he asked.

Yu Xiangdong is in the family compound, so he definitely can't come over to drink with Jiang Zheng. If Jiang Zheng goes out alone like this, Lu Jingnian is afraid that he will get drunk and cause trouble.

"Let's go to our usual spot for a drink."

Jiang Zheng put the box in his pocket and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Wait for me a moment, I'll go in and put something down, I'll be right back."

As soon as Lu Jingnian entered, he noticed Jiang Yue hiding at the entrance to the living room.

Jiang Yue hid by the door and heard Lu Jingnian about to come in. Afraid of being discovered eavesdropping, she quickly and quietly walked towards the kitchen.

However, Lu Jingnian was too fast; she was seen by him before she even entered the kitchen.

When Jiang Yue saw him approaching, she pulled him into the kitchen without saying a word.

"Shh, don't let my older brother know I was eavesdropping."

Jiang Yue covered Lu Jingnian's mouth, afraid that he would expose her for eavesdropping.

Seeing her guilty look, Lu Jingnian smiled and nodded. Only then did Jiang Yue feel relieved enough to remove her hand from his mouth.

"Why aren't you asleep so late?" Lu Jingnian reached out and gently brushed a stray strand of her hair aside, asking her softly.

"I've been waiting for you."

Jiang Yue stood by the table, on which were the fried dough cakes she had just made, neatly arranged on a plate, along with the pickled vegetables she had just stir-fried and the uncooked glutinous rice balls.

Lu Jingnian noticed the food on the table, his eyes softening with tenderness. "Did you make this especially for me?"

"yes."

Jiang Yue sighed as she spoke, "I was afraid you'd come back so late without having dinner, so I specially made you a midnight snack."

But it seems you won't have time to eat now.

Lu Jingnian smiled and kissed her. "I'm going out with my brother for a while. I'll eat these when I get back."

You don't need to wait for me, go to sleep.

Jiang Yue heard him say he was going out for drinks with Jiang Zheng. She wouldn't stop him, but she was still worried about Lu Jingnian. "You're still injured, you can't drink."

"I won't drink. I'm just keeping you company, brother. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Lu Jingnian isn't stupid. If it were before, he wouldn't care about his own life and would have drunk with Jiang Zheng even if he was injured.

But now he cherishes his life very much. He still wants to live to be with Jiang Yue, so he will definitely take good care of his body.

"When you come back, you must tell me what happened between my older brother and Yaoyao?"

Jiang Yue said that Jiang Zheng was still grieving the breakup, so she certainly couldn't ask him. But Jiang Yue could tell that Lu Jingnian must know a lot of things.

This man is incredibly tight-lipped; you can't get anything out of him if he doesn't want to talk about it.

"Also, did you know that my older brother is going to be discharged from the military?"

“Dad and I both know about my brother’s discharge from the army. As for his relationship with Duan Suyao, I’ll tell you about it when I get back.”

After Lu Jingnian finished speaking, he reached out and patted Jiang Yue's head. "It's getting late, you should go to sleep."

"Aren't you going to the factory tomorrow?"

How can her body withstand staying up so late?

Speaking of tomorrow, Jiang Yue suddenly remembered what Aunt Zhang had said.

"By the way, Aunt Liang called today and said she'd like to treat us to dinner tomorrow. I'm free, are you free tomorrow?"

"tomorrow?"

Lu Jingnian pursed his lips. "Tomorrow night, I think. I haven't finished dealing with Luo Xiao's matter yet, and I have things to do during the day tomorrow."

Jiang Yue knew he definitely wouldn't refuse to have dinner with Aunt Liang.

“Then I’ll call Aunt Liang tomorrow and tell her we’ll go over there tonight.”

Lu Jingnian smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Then I'll go first. You should go to sleep."

"I understand, I'm going to sleep now."

They talked for less than five minutes in total, and Lu Jingnian kept urging her to go to sleep, he had urged her several times.

Jiang Yue secretly watched Lu Jingnian and Jiang Zheng close the door and leave through the kitchen window. She also tidied up and quickly returned to her room.

After Lu Jingnian drove Jiang Zheng away, they went directly to the small restaurant they frequented.

The restaurant owner and they used to be comrades-in-arms and had a good relationship.

Upon seeing Lu Jingnian and Jiang Zheng enter with long faces, the boss immediately chuckled and led them to the backyard. This backyard was specially prepared for them; it was a pleasant and quiet place.

It makes it easier for them to speak.

"What's wrong? Did you break up again?" the boss asked Lu Jingnian in a low voice.

"Um."

Lu Jingnian nodded. "I'm injured and can't drink with him, so you can drink with him. Don't drink too much, just enough so he can't get up."

The boss raised an eyebrow, his smile a little lewd, "If we're talking about bad guys, you're the worst among us."

After saying that, he immediately had his treasured wines brought over.

Lu Jingnian ignored him and sat down to read a book.

Yueyue had told him before that in the future everyone would have a mobile phone, called a cell phone, which could not only make calls but also send messages and make video calls.

Even if one is in the country and the other is abroad, they can still chat face-to-face.

Lu Jingnian sat in the rattan chair, looking at the book in his hand, and suddenly felt that it would be great if he had the kind of cell phone that Jiang Yue had mentioned, so that even if he was here watching Jiang Zheng, he could still talk to Jiang Yue at any time.

...

Jiang Yue was unaware that Lu Jingnian was thinking of her; at this moment, Jiang Yue had fallen into a dream again.

However, this time, when Jiang Yue looked at the man who appeared in her dream, who was completely hidden in a black cloak, she was no longer flustered as before, but unusually calm.

"You've finally appeared."

Jiang Yue stood in a gray, empty space, looking at the man not far away, and took out a red talisman that looked somewhat eerily bright from her pocket.

She made this talisman last night, soaking it in cinnabar and black dog blood.