Chapter 35 It's only fate that brings us together.

Chapter Thirty-Five: It's Fate That You Like It

It was obvious that the man was a little nervous.

Or rather, he was bluffing.

Li Yue laughed, hooking one arm around his neck and pinching his cheek with the other: "You really had an ambiguous past with Zhong Xuelian?"

Ling Jianwei composed himself: "No, I have absolutely no connection with Battalion Commander Zhong's sister. She has always lived in the family compound, but I rarely come here, and even when I do, I've never run into her. It was only a few months ago, when I came to the deputy regimental commander's house in the family compound for dinner, that I met her there."

"And then?" Li Yue looked at him with a smile in her eyes.

He carried her into the room and placed her on the bed.

Li Yue kicked off her furry slippers and continued to look at him with a smile.

Ling Jianwei said, "Later, I don't know what happened, but one day Battalion Commander Cheng suddenly came to match me with Battalion Commander Zhong's sister, saying that it was the deputy regimental commander's wife who proposed it to him. Of course, I felt it was inappropriate, so I refused."

Li Yue asked, "Is it inappropriate for you to tell Zhong Xuelian directly?"

“No, not at all. I spoke with Battalion Commander Cheng, and brought up the old man to show that they would take care of my affairs. He understood immediately.” Ling Jianwei looked at Li Yue with a calm expression. “Not long after, I returned to Beijing to visit my family and met you there.”

As if afraid she would misunderstand, he explained everything clearly, and even assured her, "My relationship with her is completely innocent. I don't know what people in the family compound are saying. I've only vaguely heard that Battalion Commander Zhong's sister is very individualistic. If you hear her say anything that is not good for our relationship, be careful to discern the truth and don't let her influence you."

Li Yue grinned and said, "You keep referring to Battalion Commander Zhong's sister, but you won't even say her name. How taboo is that?"

Seeing her laughing so carefree, Ling Jianwei's expression became much more serious: "At least you have some conscience, knowing I don't want to mention her name."

Li Yue paused for a moment, then looked at him curiously: "Do you mind her as a person?"

Ling Jiandao said, "It's not that I mind her, it's just that I mind that you heard about these things. And you, on the other hand, were so happy after hearing them?"

"It's not that I'm happy, it's just that I think it's normal for girls to like you."

His eyes narrowed: "You heartless wretch, go to sleep."

"It's only a little past eight o'clock, and I need to go to the bathroom."

Speaking of this, he said, "I applied to the group and we can arrange for people to dig the pit and build the toilet tomorrow."

Li Yue said, "I looked around the courtyard today and found that some people have built their own structures."

"There are a few, but most people don't want the hassle, since they have to pay for the construction themselves, and they might move away someday."

"..."

Around nine o'clock, the two of them came back from outside together. Ling Jianwei told her to go and warm up by the fire, while he found some clothes to take a shower.

Li Yue took out a large white cotton towel and handed it to him: "Would you like to use this? I just bought it today."

He looked over: "A bath towel?"

"Hmm, this works well."

She saw bath towels while shopping at the only department store in the county today, so she bought two.

He gave her a strange look, then nodded meaningfully.

Shortly after, Ling Jianwei was taking a shower in the outer room. While the water was running, Li Yue was sitting at the desk in the inner room writing letters to her cousin and Gu Yanmei. She wondered what their situation was like in the Great Northern Wilderness and whether they would freeze to death.

She wrote a few lines, but then thought it would be better to wait until she received the letter before replying. She left Ling Jianwei's military address so they could send it directly to the unit and he could then forward it.

Holding the pen, he pondered for a while, realizing he needed to talk to Ling Jianwei about getting a job at the ceramics factory later.

As she pondered, footsteps approached. Li Yue turned her head, wanting to say that she had finished washing so quickly, but the moment she spoke, her gaze met the man's well-defined abs.

Li Yue let out a strange cry almost instinctively, then covered her mouth, her eyes fixed on his abdomen, staring intently at the man's slender yet not thin muscles, which were even more beautiful than she had imagined.

Ling Jianwei frowned involuntarily: "How pathetic."

Li Yue chuckled at him.

"Never seen a man shirtless before?" he said, ruffling her disheveled hair.

Li Yue brushed his hand away and turned to tidy up the letter: "I've never seen you shirtless."

He pinched her chin, making her turn her head.

“Well,” his voice became playful, “take a good look.”

Li Yue: "..."

She didn't look, but instead wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his firm waist and abdomen.

The surface of the muscle is cool, but the inside seems to be constantly radiating heat. It's firm but not too hard, and it feels very comfortable to touch.

As they hugged, Li Yue suddenly fell silent.

"What's wrong?"

"I heard that the county ceramics factory is quite large. Can I go in?" she asked.

Ling Jianwei played with a lock of her hair: "I can introduce you to a better job, instead of working in a ceramics factory."

"But I really want to learn how to make ceramics." Li Yue hugged him tighter.

Is that so?

"Um."

“Since you like it, I’ll go and ask around, but there’s no rush since we’ve just arrived. Let’s get used to life here first.”

Li Yue said, "Life here is easier to adapt to; it's not much different from life in the capital."

"Although it may not look much different at first glance, you'll gradually notice the difference. I'll focus on building the little house these next few days. Didn't you want my cooking skills to improve? I've already been practicing in the kitchen at noon."

Li Yue tilted her head back and looked up at him: "So fast?"

"It's a pity that all of our family's culinary talents went to my great-uncle. I made scrambled eggs for lunch, but I still couldn't get them to be as bright yellow and smooth as he described. When I asked the soldiers in the mess hall, all they knew was how to flatter him."

Li Yue laughed and said, "Actually, as long as it's edible, it's fine. I'm not a picky eater."

The man's slightly rough fingertips stroked her face, causing a slight sting. His eyes were filled with tenderness: "At least I should do something decent and take good care of you. You've come all this way with me, so there will definitely be hardships, but I hope to minimize them."

Li Yue was taken aback. These words were so comforting. How could this man be so good? But her original intention for coming here was not what he thought.

Her dark, clear eyes welled up with tears, and she couldn't help but sniffle.

"You're already moved?" he laughed.

“No,” Li Yue retorted.

"What's that? Have you caught a cold?"

"My period is coming soon, and my emotions are prone to fluctuation."

Ling Jianwei was stunned: "Really?"

"Hmm, you can ask the doctor if you don't believe me."

"I won't ask anymore, I believe what you say."

After a while, Li Yue urged him to put on his clothes quickly, otherwise he would catch a cold. Then she got up and made an excuse to go to the outer room to check the water boiling on the stove, thus avoiding him while he changed his clothes.

While sleeping, Ling Jianwei leaned against the headboard, holding her as she sat on his lap, kissing her passionately for a while, but he could still sense that she seemed to be still trapped in a low mood.

She leaned on his shoulder without saying a word, looking like she needed a lot of comfort.

Ling Jianwei patted her back: "When you're happy, I feel like the whole world is full of sunshine. But when you're in a bad mood, I can't coax you no matter what I do. Are all girls like this? Or is it just you?"

Li Yue said weakly, "Girls all over the world are like that."

"I can't take care of the whole world, I only care about you."

She remained silent for a long while, then suddenly murmured his name: "Ling Jianwei—"

"Hmm?" He pulled the blanket up to cover her.

Why are you so good to me?

"You're my wife, if I don't treat you well, who will I treat well?"

"If you married another girl, would you treat her this well?"

"No." He replied without hesitation.

Li Yue said, "Aren't you going to think about it?"

“No need.” His voice turned colder. “Although I attended military school at a young age and joined the army, I haven’t had much contact with girls. But I’m not incapable of dealing with girls. My behavior of making people feel unapproachable is just deliberate.”

"It's all about fate when two people are together, but for me, fate is only about liking someone. If I don't like someone and we see each other every day, it doesn't count as fate..."

Before he could finish speaking, the person he was holding seemed to have lost all strength, and upon closer inspection, he had fallen asleep again.

Is he telling a bedtime story?

But he still couldn't understand her. He could understand some girls at a glance, but she was like a puzzle that he couldn't solve no matter what he did.

He carried her and laid her flat on the bed. Her body was curled up, and her breathing was shallow, just like a cat.

Sigh, he still looks like a child.

...

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Author's Note: [Eating popcorn] I promised a second update, but my computer and keyboard both broke down, and I'm completely exhausted from fixing them. That's all for now, I'll continue tomorrow... So frustrating.