Chapter 38 (Combined with Chapters 38 (Wednesday and Thursday)). ...

As night fell, the moonlight flickered between light and shadow under the gray clouds.

The rickshaws weaved through the streets, passing Yumin Middle School and heading east.

Ning Yao sat in the rickshaw, her gaze wandering as she followed the flow of people and vehicles passing by outside. Her long, unbraided hair fluttered in the air with the night wind and the acceleration of the rickshaw.

She didn't raise her hand to gather her hair back, after all, her mind was in turmoil at the moment.

Will Ning Ge oppose her, just like Bu Shuli and the others said?

Although she was full of confidence when facing Bu Shuli and the others, she couldn't help but hesitate at this moment.

Over the years, she has followed Ning Yiwen's arrangements: sold her ancestral property, came to Shanghai, worked as a waitress, studied, and... is about to get married.

Ning Ge arranged everything perfectly for her.

Sometimes she would feel lost, wondering if she could just live her life according to Ning Ge's arrangements.

Although reading was not pleasant for her at first, and the process was... quite painful, she did learn a lot and understand a lot in the end, opening up a new world for herself.

However, if she could, she would also like to have a chance to make her own decision at least once in her life.

Even if this decision isn't necessarily the right one...

"Miss, we've arrived." The rickshaw sped along and stopped in front of Ning Yao's house. The driver's voice pulled Ning Yao back to reality.

Ning Yao got out of the car, gave him the money, and stood at the door of her house, not in a hurry to go home.

They stood quietly in place, watching the rickshaw disappear into the distance, and did not move for a long time.

The door behind her creaked open, and Ning Yao turned around.

The first thing that caught my eye was Ning Yiwen's gentle eyes. His eyebrows curved into a smile, and his voice was deep and pleasant, "Why aren't you coming in now that you're home?"

Perhaps it was Ning Yiwen's overly gentle eyes in the darkness, or perhaps it was his steady, slightly smiling voice, but Ning Yao blurted out, "Brother Ning, I have something on my mind."

Ning Yiwen was slightly taken aback, then smiled, "You still have to go home."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and, no longer avoiding holding her wrist as he had done before, directly took her hand.

Warm palms gently enveloped the little hands that had just been chilled by the wind in the car.

He led her through the front door of the house.

At this moment, on the stone table in the center of the courtyard, there was a small charcoal stove, with red light flickering inside, and water warming on the stove.

Beside the charcoal stove was a beautifully patterned teapot and three teacups of the same design.

“A friend gave me some black tea, saying it was brought back from England. I thought you should be home soon, so I prepared some.” As he spoke, he gestured for Ning Yao to sit down, and then sat down opposite her. He picked up a small wooden stick and poked at the charcoal fire.

Ning Ge had already figured out that she was preoccupied with something.

Ning Yao suddenly realized this, and her heart relaxed.

With this relaxation, the carefree and joking Ning Yao of the past returned.

She smiled and lifted the lid of the teapot on the table, revealing it already filled with tea leaves. "Is this the English black tea?"

It was pitch black, and I couldn't see anything special about it. "Is it any different from the tea we have in China?"

Seeing her like this, Ning Yiwen's smile deepened. "It's probably a little different, isn't it? Let's try it."

As they spoke, boiling hot water was poured into the teapot. After a short while, the teapot was lifted and the tea was poured into small teacups.

Under the yellow light of the kerosene lamp, the red tea soup was clear and bright, and the wisps of white smoke instantly captivated Ning Yao's heart.

"So, Ning Yao, what's wrong?" Ning Yiwen asked, taking advantage of Ning Yao's relaxed state of mind.

He had initially thought that Ning Yao was caught off guard by his sudden proposal of marriage yesterday. But judging from today's events, it seems there's more to it than that?

Ning Yao pursed her lips, looked at him, and whispered, "Brother Ning, I want to be a reporter."

A reporter? Ning Yiwen raised an eyebrow and said without hesitation, "If you want to be a reporter, then be one. What's wrong with that? After we get married, whether you want to be a reporter or study, I won't restrict you."

This can be considered a disguised promise.

Ning Yao immediately laughed, jumped up, and walked back and forth in the courtyard.

She clenched her fists under her chin and said dreamily, "I knew you wouldn't object, Ning-ge. I'll bring my big camera to take pictures then..."

"What camera?" Ning Yiwen asked, sensing something was off. "What are you going to film yourself?"

"I'm going to film the battlefield!" Ning Yao said.

Ning Yiwen: "..."

He laughed angrily, "So, you want to be a war correspondent?"

Ning Yao nodded, and said seriously, "Yes. Brother Ning, let me tell you, I've never wanted to do anything this much before. I remember watching..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Yiwen firmly refused: "No. I don't agree to this."

Ning Yao froze, looking at Ning Yiwen. At this moment, his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and he exuded an aura that left no room for argument.

It's better than when we made her quit her job as a waitress to study... but not as good.

"But you just now..."

"That's because you didn't explain it clearly."

Ning Yao's words were once again ruthlessly interrupted by Ning Yiwen, "Don't even think about it."

Her lips immediately pursed. "Why can't I think? You won't even let me finish my sentence."

Ning Yiwen could listen to anything else, but a war correspondent?

The thought of Ning Yao going to that war-torn battlefield... this profession is absolutely out of the question!

But Ning Yao's stubborn expression left him helpless, and he sighed, "Ning Yao, listen to me, the battlefield isn't as fun as you imagine."

His words didn't comfort Ning Yao; instead, they filled her eyes with tears. "But I wasn't playing. I'm all grown up now..." She pursed her lips tightly and looked up at the sky.

The sky was overcast and the moon was no longer visible.

It's okay if we can't see the moon, but we can't let our tears fall.

After a moment, once her emotions had calmed down, Ning Yao lowered her head and looked at Ning Yiwen again, "Can you please stop treating me like a child? I'm very serious, I've never been this serious before. This isn't just a job, it's my dream."

Her gaze was firm, looking at Ning Yiwen without the slightest hesitation.

"I've seen photos of the battlefield from a friend. They were very vivid—bloody, desolate, and cruel. I could see it all in the photos. But I wasn't afraid. I only saw a shocking impact that struck my very soul!"

"So, I think, I really thought about it for a long time, and I wanted to film it. I wanted to film and record these things so that everyone could know how cruel war is and how precious peace is."

As she spoke, Ning Yao began to choke up again.

She swallowed hard, feeling a little angry at herself for her tendency to cry easily when she got excited.

He simply lowered his head, picked up the nearly cooled black tea on the table, and gulped it down.

Ning Yiwen frowned as he looked at Ning Yao. He was still somewhat unconvinced after hearing this. "The battlefield is a place where people die. It's not just about cruelty and bloodshed; you yourself can be killed at any time."

Finally, she softened her tone and whispered, "Ning Yao, be good, listen to me, don't think about this anymore. You can go find other things you want to do, as long as they don't involve your life, I will support you."

As he spoke, he took Ning Yao's hand and gently shook it.

In the past, Ning Yao would have definitely bowed her head, but today was different. She couldn't tolerate why, even now, he still treated her like a child.

You can choose any career, but you can't choose your dreams.

"Brother Ning, I'm serious," she said, shaking off Ning Yiwen's hand.

Ning Yao couldn't come up with any more lengthy explanations, so she had to emphasize it again.

This time, Ning Yiwen's face darkened. "I said, anything that's life-threatening is unacceptable!"

At this point, the atmosphere between the two froze completely, dropping to freezing point.

All that remained in the courtyard was the bubbling sound of the crimson embers boiling the water.

Ning Yao pouted and sat back on the stone chair, occasionally raising her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She looked away, refusing to look at Ning Yiwen again.

Ning Yiwen sighed softly in his heart and called out to her gently, "Ning Yao..."

Ning Yao sniffed and softly hummed in agreement.

At this moment, there was a stone table between the two, and the stone table was covered with things.

Ning Yiwen simply got up, walked around the table, half-squatted in front of Ning Yao, covered Ning Yao's hands that were hanging down on her knees with one hand, and looked up at her.

He raised his other hand, his long fingers tucked Ning Yao's loose hair behind his ear, and then tucked the stray hairs from her forehead behind her ear.

His deep voice gently coaxed her, as if soothing a child: "Ning Yao, let's not do anything so dangerous, okay? To have a dream, you have to be alive to have a chance to achieve it..."

Ning Yao's anger flared up again; she really disliked how he always coaxed her like a child.

However, when she turned her head, she saw a handsome man looking up at her, his eyelashes curled like raven feathers, and his eyes filled with gentle tenderness.

She didn't even hear what Ning Yiwen said next; she only felt that the anger in her heart was completely overshadowed by the magnificent scenery before her.

Her ear tips turned red instantly, and even her neck was stained with patches of red.

"You, you shouldn't talk like that..." They were arguing.

Ning Yao lowered her eyes, her dark eyelashes trembling. With great difficulty, she managed to regain her composure and squeeze out these words from her throat.

"How can you speak like that?" Ning Yiwen's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he had found some kind of amusement. His tone was even softer, like a feather gently falling into Ning Yao's ear.

Ning Yao curled her slender white fingers, her hands as if burned, and tried to pull them back, but were tightly grasped by a large hand.

Ning Yiwen raised his hand and lifted her chin, making her look up at him. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Ning Yao's chin was slightly lifted, and her gaze inevitably met Ning Yiwen's deep, dark eyes, which were as deep as a pool.

Just then, a gentle summer breeze swept by, and Ning Yao's long hair, which fell to her chest, brushed against their clasped hands, sending a slight tickling sensation from their hands to their hearts.

Stray hairs tucked behind her ears playfully peeked out and danced on Ning Yao's face.

Ning Yao blinked and said, "Brother Ning, my eyes are itchy."

Her soft, gentle voice compelled one to look into her beautiful eyes and follow her words.

Their eyes were bright and clear, like black grapes.

Ning Yiwen looked into her eyes, his gaze growing increasingly deep. He slightly squatted down, then exerted force with his calves, his voice clear and cold, "Close your eyes."

Ning Yao closed her eyes, and everything went dark.

She could feel the pine scent growing stronger, its intoxicating aroma enveloping her. Finally, her eyelids were gently touched by something soft.

Instantly separate.

Ning Yao suddenly opened her eyes, her round pupils widening slightly, her heart racing, and her cheeks flushing crimson. She vaguely guessed what it was, but…

She leaned back, forgetting that she was sitting on a round stone chair without a backrest.

He quickly lost his balance.

Ning Yiwen reacted quickly, getting up to catch the person and pulling them close to his chest, amused, "How could you be so careless?"

Ning Yao leaned against his chest, his clear voice above her head, the steady yet undeniable sound of his heartbeat in her ears, and the scent of pine resin filling her nostrils.

Suddenly I felt a little breathless and dizzy, not knowing what year it was.

Thump, thump, thump...

Thump thump thump, thump thump thump...

Ten breaths later, the rhythmic sounds of two heartbeats at drastically different speeds brought Ning Yao back to her senses, and she pushed the person in front of her away.

That's unfair!

Her heart was pounding so hard, how come the heartbeat in front of her was still as steady as ever?

Ning Yiwen looked down at her in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Ning Yao bit her lip, unable to say anything about whether it was fair or unfair. After a long while, she finally managed to say, "You took advantage of me."

Ning Yiwen chuckled, the corners of her mouth unable to stop turning up. She wanted to speak, but seeing her like this, she couldn't help but laugh. If she looked away, she wouldn't look at her, but she didn't have the habit of not looking at people when she spoke.

After a long while, Ning Yiwen shook his head, then pulled Ning Yao back to his chest and hugged her tightly.

He rested his chin on the top of her head and said in a low voice, "Then I'll let you take it back, okay?"

Ning Yao's muffled voice came from his embrace, "How do we get it back?"

"You really want to take it back?" Ning Yiwen raised an eyebrow and tentatively asked, "Then shall I give you a bite?"

Take a bite.

Ning Yao's heart fluttered. She slightly raised her eyes, and what came into view was the man's chin, and on his neck, the Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he spoke.

She seemed to have been curious about this before...

"Can I bite anywhere?" As she spoke, she kept looking at his Adam's apple and silently swallowed.

"Yes, either way is fine." Ning Yiwen hadn't yet realized her thoughts; he was already feeling very comfortable just holding the person in his arms.

Upon hearing this, Ning Yao disregarded everything else, stood on tiptoe, and bit his Adam's apple.

Ning Yiwen froze, his breathing becoming erratic.

His Adam's apple was already sensitive.

The wet embrace and the gentle nibbling of teeth nearly drove Ning Yiwen, who had never been so intimate with a woman in either of his two lives, insane.

He wrapped his arms around the waist of the person in front of him, pulling them away and imprisoning them in the process, his voice restrained yet tender, "Ning Yao, that's enough."

"If you keep doing this, I might not be able to control myself."

Ning Yao had already come to her senses by this time. Seeing the raised outer ring in front of her and the slightly damp red teeth marks, she helplessly covered her face.

A silent scream, utterly ashamed.

The person in front of her had such a strong aura that Ning Yao had no choice but to take a few steps back and keep her distance.

"Brother Ning, I'm so thirsty. The water's almost boiled..." Looking down, he saw the water in the kettle was barely enough to fill the bottle. "It's almost gone."

Ning Yiwen cleared his throat and sat back in his original spot. "Okay, I'll make it."

He poured the small amount of water into the teapot, then picked up the small wooden bucket at his feet and poured the water into the teapot to continue heating.

Then he poured the tea from the teapot into Ning Yao's empty teacup, saying, "Drink slowly, this is very hot."

After everything was over, his emotions had mostly calmed down, so he brought up the old topic again, "Ning Yao, you should give up the idea of ​​becoming a war correspondent."

Ning Yao's cheeks were still powdery, but when she heard Ning Yiwen's words, she paused for a moment, then shook her head silently and firmly.

She shook her head and didn't dare look at him. She just held the teacup and sipped the tea slowly.

Ning Yiwen looked at the person in front of him, shrinking his neck as if he had retreated into a turtle shell, and for the first time felt what it meant to be helpless.

Since appealing to emotions doesn't work, we'll have to reason with them.

He went back to his room and took out the items from a hidden compartment. Among them was a small stack of photos, which he had sent along with the information he was gathering.

Although Ning Yao had just said she had already seen them, he still wanted to take out the photos and see Ning Yao's reaction to them with his own eyes.

Ning Yiwen held up the small stack of photos and placed it in front of Ning Yao, saying without any emotion, "This is the battlefield you wanted to see."

Ning Yao paused for a moment, then picked up the scattered photos on the stone table.

The first picture shows many people lying on the ground, their hands clenched into claws. Some have their eyes open, while others are already dead. Those with their eyes closed are curled up...

Ning Yao's eyes reddened again.

Ning Yiwen glanced at it and said, "This is the result of the battle between the British and French forces and the German army in March, where the German army directly used poison gas."

As he spoke, he carefully observed Ning Yao's expression, thinking that if anything seemed amiss, he would snatch the photo back at any time.

But Ning Yao frowned, her eyes red-rimmed, yet showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, she asked him, "Poison gas?"

Ning Yiwen nodded. "War isn't just about cold weapons. Foreign countries have far more firearms than we do, and they also have chemical weapons. This poison gas is something I've never heard of before." That's why he had this photo.

This photo was given to him by Fan Ruoxuan, who had returned from studying abroad.

Ning Yao glanced at it, put it down, and then picked up another photo.

As I looked at each and every one of them, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

Ning Yiwen tried several times to get the photos back but failed. However, he couldn't bear to see Ning Yao like this, so he said sternly, "If you're upset, then don't look at them."

Ning Yao shook her head, looked up at him, and said, "Brother Ning, I... I just feel that someone has to take these photos, and I... I want to be that person."

Ning Yiwen was furious. He looked at Ning Yao, whose almond-shaped eyes were red, her nose was red, and even her chin was red. She was clearly crying her eyes out, but she still insisted on her original idea.

What exactly is it about this war correspondent that attracted her?!

Some people blurted out, "The battlefield is full of men, what can a woman like you do there?"

Ning Yao: "...Brother Ning, do you look down on women?"

Ning Yiwen was speechless. "No," he said, annoyed by her words. He got up and walked a few steps in the yard. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look down on women. But I really think you're not suitable."

He had indeed met female war correspondents before, but he didn't think Ning Yao should do it.

This is a place where one could lose their life if they're not careful.

Death... he had experienced it before, it wasn't terrifying, but when that word was uttered upon Ning Yao...

At this thought, his breath hitched. "No, absolutely not."

"Why?" Ning Yao really didn't understand. "Brother Ning, you've always told me that it's not safe going forward, that wars will break out in many places, that everyone will have a hard time, and that many, many people will die. So why can't I do something I want to do while I'm still alive?"

"That's different!"

"What's different?"

"It's just different!"

The two stared at each other in silence for a long time.

After a long while, Ning Yao said, "I understand. So, since you like to work from the back, I have to follow your example and stay in the back as well."

"What did you say?" Ning Yiwen frowned, his eyes narrowing.

Ning Yao raised her head, but seeing his dangerous expression, she could only repeat what she had already said in a tactful way.

“I said, you’ve done so much—publishing articles, running a newspaper—that’s what you wanted to do. I also want to do what I want to do. Since what I want to do requires pushing forward, then I’ll push forward! I’m not afraid of death!”

“What about me?” Ning Yiwen said, “You disregard your own life and death, where do you place me? Don’t forget, you are my…we are going to get married.”

Ning Yao stammered, "Well, they say it's about sacrificing oneself for righteousness, but it doesn't necessarily mean... that one will die, right?"

Upon hearing this, even the refined and scholarly Ning Yiwen couldn't help but roll his eyes.

In the end, neither of them could convince the other.

That night, after turning off the lights, Ning Yao lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

She was reflecting on herself, wondering if she had been too willful, since no one supported her.

However, when I think about myself, I have never had such a strong urge to do something, and it is hard to give up.

She wasn't the only one tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Ning Yiwen is the same.

But he couldn't help but raise his hand to touch his Adam's apple, his mind replaying the moment he was bitten more than once.

That's insane.

Ning Yiwen raised his hand to cover his eyes. How could he...?

Lost in thought, he drifted off to sleep.

In his dream, Ning Yao smiled at him, leaped towards him, and called out sweetly again and again, "Brother Ning... Brother Ning..."

She was very close to him, her soft breath falling on his face, her eyes moist, and her face adorned with a captivating smile, like a radiant spring flower in March in full bloom.

Ning Yiwen gazed at the alluring and captivating beauty before him, indulging himself as he raised his head and took her crimson lips into his mouth.

They pried open the jaws, explored deeply, and left no inch unexplored.

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Author's Note: I drink coffee at 5 AM and tea at 8 PM. Even if we don't argue, Ning Yao definitely won't be able to sleep. And, oh well, when looking for a partner, you absolutely must find someone good-looking, because that way, when you're arguing and angry, looking at them won't make you even angrier.