Chapter 21 His Achilles' heel? No, I am his armor!
The snow that fell overnight did not stop until dawn.
The snowflakes, carried by the north wind, rustled against the window.
The fire inside burned brightly, providing warmth and completely isolating the frozen world outside the door.
Su Wanqing got up very early, or rather, she hardly slept all night.
Lu Zhanting is the same.
The two didn't say much, but a heavy unspoken understanding flowed in the air.
He boiled water and cooked, while she tidied the house, just like any other ordinary morning.
It was as if what was about to happen was not a storm that could crush people, but just an ordinary journey.
Su Wanqing folded the few clothes the two of them had and put them into a military green canvas bag.
Her movements were slow, with an almost ritualistic solemnity.
The red cotton-padded jacket she sewed herself, the sweater she knitted for Lu Zhanting, and the several pairs of thick cotton shoes were neatly stacked on top.
These things are the warmth of this little home, her imprint.
Lu Zhanting is checking his equipment.
The blade of the military dagger was polished until it gleamed, and each part had been disassembled and maintained.
He did these things with a terrifyingly focused expression, as if the whole world consisted only of him and his weapons.
But Su Wanqing knew that his heart was not here.
The very shallow crease between his brows never relaxed, and the lines of his jaw were taut and hard.
He was like a sharp blade about to be drawn, radiating a dangerous aura that kept people at a distance.
Breakfast was plain congee with pickled vegetables.
Lu Zhanting ate extremely quickly, as if he were carrying out a mission that had to be completed.
After finishing his meal, he got up and walked to the window, looking at the gray sky outside, remaining silent.
That tall and imposing figure, at this moment, revealed a loneliness in Su Wanqing's eyes that could overwhelm a person.
She knew what he was thinking.
The capital city, the Lu family.
That unfamiliar, vast, and all-powerful center of power.
He was an invincible battalion commander in the army, a "living Yama" whom everyone feared.
But when faced with the family that gave him birth and raised him, he became a trapped beast with his hands and feet bound.
Su Wanqing felt as if her heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain making her fingertips tremble.
She put down her chopsticks and walked behind him.
There was no sound.
She simply mimicked how he used to comfort her, reaching out and gently hugging his waist from behind.
The man's body suddenly stiffened like iron.
"Lu Zhanting," she whispered, her cheek pressed against his broad, warm back, her voice soft yet clear, "Don't be afraid, I'm with you."
Lu Zhanting's muscles, which had been taut to the extreme, relaxed inch by inch because of her words.
He didn't turn around, but simply raised his hand, covered her hand that was wrapped around his waist, and squeezed it tightly.
Just then, the roar of a car engine came from outside the courtyard.
The sound grew louder as it approached, eventually stopping at their doorstep.
On this snowy morning, the sound was startlingly abrupt.
Lu Zhanting's body tensed up again, his eyes instantly turning as cold and sharp as knives.
He released Su Wanqing's hand and said in a very low voice, "Stay inside."
Before he finished speaking, he had already opened the door and strode out.
A gust of cold wind mixed with snow flakes suddenly rushed in, and Su Wanqing shivered from the cold.
She walked quickly to the window and looked out through the gap in the curtains.
A military jeep was parked outside the yard. A young soldier in a military overcoat jumped out of the vehicle, saw Lu Zhanting, immediately stood at attention, and gave a standard military salute.
The soldier handed Lu Zhanting a sealed manila envelope with both hands.
There was no further conversation.
The soldier completed his mission, saluted again, quickly got into the jeep, and it soon disappeared into the snowstorm.
Everything happened incredibly fast, with the undeniable efficiency characteristic of the military.
Lu Zhanting stood in the snow, holding the file folder, and did not come in immediately.
Snowflakes fell on his shoulders and hair, quickly accumulating into a thin layer of white.
He stood there, motionless, like a statue eroded by wind and snow.
Su Wanqing's heart sank little by little.
She found out.
What was bound to happen has finally happened.
That private letter home was an ultimatum; this one is the official verdict.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Zhanting finally moved.
He turned around and pushed the door open to enter.
The chill emanating from him, mixed with a heavy, murderous aura, made the warmth in the room retreat.
He slammed the door shut behind him and threw the file bag onto the table with a dull thud.
"What is it?" Su Wanqing asked softly.
Lu Zhanting did not answer.
He walked to the stove, stretched out his hands, which were red from the cold, to warm them by the fire, but his eyes were fixed on the file folder on the table.
In those eyes, there surged an intense, suppressed rage, and a deeper sense of powerlessness.
Su Wanqing walked over and picked up the file bag.
The seal was stamped with a bright red seal she had never seen before, bearing an unfamiliar military unit number.
The document bag is very thin and feels cold to the touch.
She looked up at Lu Zhanting, seeking his opinion with her eyes.
"See?" Lu Zhanting's voice was hoarse, each word seeming to be squeezed out from his throat.
Su Wanqing bit her lip, then used her fingertips to tear open the seal.
There was indeed only one piece of paper inside, and the paper was stiff.
At the very top are two large, bold black characters in Song typeface:
transfer order.
The following content is in cold, printed form:
"Comrade Lu Zhanting is hereby transferred to serve as the battalion commander of the Independent Battalion of the Northern Frontier Military Region. He shall depart immediately and report to the headquarters of the Capital Military Region within three days to undergo a special review of his military discipline. Specific arrangements will be notified separately upon his arrival in Beijing."
Su Wanqing's breath caught in her throat for a moment.
Special review?
These four words were like four invisible mountains, pressing heavily on her heart.
Her gaze continued downwards, landing on the last line of text.
The words seemed to be covered in ice shards, stinging her eyes.
"According to relevant regulations, Comrade Su Wanqing, a family member, must accompany this transfer so that the organization can have a comprehensive understanding of the situation."
Traveling with family members...
It is titled "Understanding".
In reality, they were hostages.
Su Wanqing's hands trembled uncontrollably; the light piece of paper felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
She finally understood completely.
This is not a simple family conflict; it is a premeditated trap.
And she was the live bait tied to the trap, used to lure the prey.
She looked up at Lu Zhanting.
The man's face was expressionless, devoid of any emotion, leaving only a cold, deathly stillness.
The anger in his eyes vanished, replaced by a more terrifying, almost destructive calm.
“That’s their method.” Lu Zhanting spoke slowly, his tone as calm as if he were stating something unrelated to himself. “Using military discipline and the name of the organization, they transferred me back. They were certain I wouldn’t disobey orders.”
He tugged at the corners of his mouth, a smile filled with bitterness and sorrow.
"A soldier's duty is to obey orders. This is a sentence my grandfather taught me since I was a child. Now, he has used this sentence to put the strongest shackle on me."
He paused, turned around, and walked step by step to Su Wanqing.
He reached out and snatched the transfer order from her trembling fingers, then tore it to shreds with a resolute force.
Paper scraps drifted down, like a flock of dead white butterflies.
“Su Wanqing,” he looked at her, his eyes filled with endless struggle and pain, “you can’t go.”
Su Wanqing's heart clenched suddenly.
“You stay here.” Lu Zhanting’s voice was low, both an order and a barely perceptible plea. “The capital is their territory, a den of dragons and tigers. If you go, I can’t protect you. They will use every means to deal with you and force me to compromise. I can’t… I can’t let you become my weakness.”
This was the first time he had admitted his "incompetence" in front of her.
He could fight on the battlefield and take on ten enemies single-handedly, but he couldn't fight against the vast net woven by family and power.
Su Wanqing looked at his bloodshot eyes and the despair in them that seemed to be swallowing him whole, and felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.
She didn't argue, but instead reached out and gently smoothed his furrowed brow with her fingertips.
“Lu Zhanting,” her voice was gentle, yet carried a reassuring firmness, “I’m asking you, if I stay, what will you do?”
Lu Zhanting remained silent.
"You'll go back alone, and then what?" Su Wanqing pressed.
"Would you compromise with them and agree to all their conditions in order to protect me?"
"Divorce me and marry that Miss Song?"
"I won't!" Lu Zhanting practically roared, grabbing Su Wanqing's shoulders with such force it felt like he wanted to crush her bones. "I'd rather die than!"
"Fine, you won't." Su Wanqing let him hold her, her clear eyes looking directly at him. "Then you'll fight them to the end. And what will the result be?"
"Putted in solitary confinement?"
"Sent to a military court?"
"Or will you be stripped of your favorite military uniform and kicked out of the army?"
Lu Zhanting's body trembled violently, and his breathing became heavy, like that of a broken bellows.
Every word Su Wanqing uttered was like a precise scalpel, dissecting his bloody reality.
“Lu Zhanting, look at me.” Su Wanqing emphasized, “They sent you back because they’re certain you’re all alone and can be manipulated by them.”
"They want me to be your weakness."
"But what if I am not your weakness, but your armor?"
Lu Zhanting was completely stunned, staring blankly at her as if he didn't understand the meaning of those words.
“If you go back alone, you'll be fighting alone. If we go back together, we'll be fighting side by side.” Su Wanqing said each word with conviction.
"If they want to review it, let them review it."
"Let them make things difficult for us."
"I'd like to see for myself what kind of impregnable fortress the Lu family is, the one that even frightens you."
"You said that we are husband and wife, and we will face everything together, even if the sky falls."
"The sky hasn't fallen yet, and you're already pushing me away?"
Her words were like a thunderclap, exploding in Lu Zhanting's chaotic mind.
He looked at the woman in front of him.
Her figure was so thin, and her shoulders ached from his grip, but there was not a trace of fear or hesitation in her eyes.
Only the crystal-clear courage and trust that shook his soul.
Yes, how could he forget?
His wife was never a delicate flower that needed to be pampered in a greenhouse.
She was Su Wanqing, who had endured so much hardship in the countryside for so many years, yet still managed to bravely break off her engagement and calmly plan for her future.
She was Su Wanqing, who could remain composed and respond with reason and evidence when facing a shrew like Li Juan.
She was much stronger and braver than he had imagined.
He was always thinking about how to protect her, but he forgot that she also wanted to stand by his side and weather the storms with him.
Lu Zhanting slowly released his grip on her shoulder.
He stretched out his arms and pulled her into a tight, fierce embrace, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones, never to be separated again.
"sorry……"
He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his voice muffled and barely audible.
"I'm sorry, Wanqing..."
He wasn't apologizing for the transfer order, but for his earlier wavering and cowardice.
Su Wanqing gently patted his trembling back, one pat at a time, as if comforting a lost child.
"There's nothing to apologize for," she said softly. "Let's pack our things and go together to meet them."
"good."
Lu Zhanting raised his head, the struggle and pain in his eyes had faded, replaced by a cold, hardened resolve.
If a storm is inevitable, then walk into it.
If war is unavoidable, then let the flames of war reach the heart of the enemy.
He was no longer alone.
He has a wife.
His strongest armor, his sharpest weapon.
The two started packing their luggage again.
This time, the atmosphere was no longer heavy; instead, it carried a sense of calm and solemnity, as if one were heading to the battlefield.
Su Wanqing swept the scraps of paper on the table into the trash can. Just as she bent over, a sudden wave of nausea rushed to her throat, making her stomach churn.
She instinctively covered her mouth and rushed into the bathroom.
He gagged a few times, but couldn't vomit anything; only acidic fluid rose up.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Lu Zhanting immediately followed her over, looking at her pale face with concern.
"It's nothing," Su Wanqing rinsed her mouth with water and forced a smile at him. "I probably ate too fast this morning and my stomach is upset."
She said that, but something was quietly stirring in her heart.
She subconsciously and gently stroked her lower abdomen.
His gaze became more resolute than ever before.
No matter what, she must protect herself.
It wasn't just for Lu Zhanting, but also for... that future that might already exist, a future that belonged to the two of them.
An hour later, the two men, carrying a simple canvas bag, locked the door.
Lu Zhanting turned around and took one last look at the small, warm home he and Su Wanqing had built together.
Then, he took her hand and walked into the swirling snow without looking back.
The wind and snow of northern Xinjiang cannot keep those returning home.
The vortex in the capital has opened its gaping maw, awaiting them.
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