"Is it convenient for Wan Tang? I have something I want to talk to you about."

"good."

Su Wantang followed Lu Huai'an out of the house and into the courtyard.

These days, busy with work and rescue efforts, Su Wantang hasn't had a chance to tend to her courtyard.

But tonight, the courtyard caught her eye.

A delicate and refreshing fragrance wafted through the air. Following the scent, I looked up and saw a silver osmanthus tree in the distance, its location almost identical to that of the military compound.

Clusters of tiny, milky-white flowers, the size of rice grains, burst forth from the axils of the deep green leaves. From afar, they resemble a layer of light, thin snow, or, under the dim glow of candlelight, fragments of jade bathed in moonlight, spreading out on the branches like frosty clouds.

It's beautiful.

It is also very refreshing.

Su Wantang's eyebrows lit up with a smile. Like a fluttering butterfly, she excitedly ran to the tree to gather the fragrance of honey.

"like?"

Before I knew it, Lu Huai'an had walked up behind me. He looked down, and his voice lingered in my ears.

Su Wantang subconsciously turned her head, and when she saw Lu Huai'an's handsome face under the moonlight, which looked like that of a banished immortal, she was startled and quickly retreated.

The freshly turned soil was soft and damp. Su Wantang panicked and lost her footing. Her left foot sank deep into the ground, and her right foot lost its rhythm. In an instant, she lost her balance and was about to fall.

At that moment, strong arms lifted her up.

"careful."

"Excuse me."

Su Wantang's face turned bright red with embarrassment.

How can a person make stupid mistakes all day long?

She quickly regained her balance, and almost the next second, Lu Huai'an withdrew his hand.

He extended his arm: "Sit."

"You sit down too."

Su Wantang took a deep breath, sat down, and answered Lu Huai'an's question.

"Yes, I like it."

Lu Huai'an hummed in agreement and sat down.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Su Wantang felt that Lu Huai'an looked even gentler now than he had in the afternoon.

She blurted out, "You prepared this?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Su Wantang realized how silly her question was.

It's just the two of them in this house. Since she didn't do anything, it must be Lu Huai'an.

I didn't expect to hear a reply, but to my surprise, Lu Huai'an answered seriously.

"Yes, it's for you."

Prepare for her...

Su Wantang's heart skipped a beat, and her head was buzzing.

"Wantang, I'm sorry, I misunderstood you before."

"Huh?" Su Wantang was still a little out of sorts.

"Back then, you said to Grandpa..."

Lu Huai paused for a moment, but still didn't call out "cousin". Firstly, he felt that Liu Cuicui was not worthy of being Su Wantang's cousin, and secondly, he vaguely felt that Su Wantang would not want to hear him call her that.

"Comrade Liu became a sent-down youth, but she ended up in the army... I asked you about it..."

Mentioning this makes Su Wantang a little angry.

"You mean a question? You just start with 'Is there anything you want to say to me?' I'm totally confused, okay?"

Later, Su Wantang vaguely guessed the reason.

But she didn't even think about explaining. Putting aside the fact that they were only husband and wife in name only, Lu Huai'an didn't believe her anyway, so why should she waste her breath explaining to a man who didn't believe her? Why should she?

When Su Wantang made her accusations, she automatically adopted a tone of aggrieved arrogance.

That was a gesture reserved for close friends and family, but Su Wantang didn't notice anything unusual about it.

"I apologize, but I did judge you without verifying the facts."

Without this ordeal, Lu Huai'an wouldn't have known his own thoughts, but now he understands them perfectly.

His heart was moved by Su Wantang, this excellent and good comrade.

That's why he couldn't accept her deception, went back to his dorm, and chose to escape, but at the same time, he treated her coldly.

I accept your apology.

In fact, even though the two were in the middle of a cold war at the housewarming party, Lu Huai'an still defended her and ridiculed Liu Cuicui and Huo Jun, which made Su Wantang's pent-up anger dissipate.

The reason why the two of them didn't talk much afterward was simply because Su Wantang didn't want to back down.

She did nothing wrong, so why should she ask for reconciliation?

"There will be a next time..."

"I swear to my faith that there will be no next time!"

The resounding words compelled Su Wantang to look over, but when she met the burning flames in those dark eyes, she awkwardly looked away.

The next instant, my eardrums burst again.

"Wantang, shall we give it a try?"

What to try?

Su Wantang suddenly looked up, and when she met Lu Huai'an's serious expression, everything seemed to become clear.

My mind is in turmoil.

She awkwardly changed the subject: "This afternoon, you were the one who took Yang Xiu to the police station, weren't you? And you deliberately provoked Liu Hui, causing her to lose control and hit you, weren't you?"

The tone is rhetorical, but the words are affirmative.

Lu Huai'an did not deny it, but simply nodded slightly.

"Thank you."

"Wantang, protecting my wife is what I should do, you don't need to thank me."

Why did we go back to the same place again?

It feels even worse!

"Um."

"It's getting cold, it's time to go back inside and rest."

Lu Huai'an was stunned for a moment. He stood up, took off his coat, and covered Su Wantang with it.

He sat down again opposite him, reaching for the food he had specially ordered from a state-run restaurant on the small table.

"Wantang, let's eat."

After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat elegantly.

This obvious withdrawal of the offensive relieved Su Wantang.

Not having thought of a good excuse to leave, she started eating.

He was just eating somewhat absentmindedly.

But soon, Su Wantang discovered that no matter how slowly she ate, Lu Huai'an ate at the same pace.

A thought suddenly popped into my head.

He wanted to spend more time with her.

This thought made Su Wantang feel like she was being pricked by needles.

She didn't dare to speed up suddenly, otherwise it would be too obvious, so she had to resume eating at a normal pace.

A meal that made me sweat profusely.

"I'm done eating, I'm going to wash the dishes."

Lu Huai'an naturally picked up the dirty bowl and chopsticks in front of Su Wantang.

"I'll do it."

Su Wantang blinked her eyes as she watched the dishes being taken away right in front of her, looking somewhat dazed and adorable.

Why are you all talk and no action?

It makes it seem like she's deliberately making excuses!

But since Lu Huai'an took it, Su Wantang couldn't possibly take it back.

She coughed lightly, feeling uneasy, and ran back into the house as if fleeing.

Panic-filled sounds drifted through the air.

"Well... if there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room now."

Lu Huai'an frowned.

The familiar knocking sound came again, and Su Wantang, who was rolling around in bed, suddenly sat up with a start.

"Wantang—"