Chapter 14 He returned covered in wounds, kissing her until she could hardly breathe!
Time, stretched out of its original form in the waiting, is lost.
Seven days after Lu Zhanting left, Su Wanqing still kept her life packed full.
The small vegetable garden in the yard was lush and green, and on the desk, a thick stack of improved formulas for "Jade Complexion Cream" and children's clothing design drawings lay. The first batch of samples had been made, and the results were astonishing.
She distributed samples to Aunt Liu and Wang Xiuying, receiving unanimous praise. The women kept asking when they could buy the ointment, and they had already prepared the money.
A grand blueprint for the future unfolds before our eyes, and everything is thriving.
But only Su Wanqing herself knew that every time night fell, the longing for the person far away would silently choke her.
That afternoon, Su Wanqing was preparing dinner for one person in the kitchen.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the courtyard gate, and Aunt Liu's loud voice shattered the afternoon tranquility.
"Wanqing! Wanqing! Come out quickly! It's a wonderful occasion!"
Su Wanqing wiped her hands and walked out of the kitchen, puzzled.
Aunt Liu rushed into the yard like a whirlwind, her face flushed, so excited that she was incoherent.
"Breaking news! Zhan Ting and his team are back! Mission accomplished, a resounding victory! The convoy has entered the military region and is heading towards the parade ground!"
Su Wanqing's hearing disappeared in an instant.
All the sounds of the world faded away from her, leaving only those three words echoing in her mind.
I'm back.
He's back!
This thought seized her completely.
The towel slipped from her hand and fell to the ground. She was completely unaware of it and froze on the spot.
"What are you standing there for?!" Aunt Liu grabbed her wrist and rushed outside. "Hurry up and greet our hero! If you're late, you won't see him!"
Su Wanqing was pulled along, her steps unsteady, her body moving entirely on instinct.
Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, making her eardrums buzz.
He's back.
Only this one thought remained in her mind, repeatedly washing over her blank consciousness.
The military district's parade ground was now packed with people.
Upon receiving the news, the family members all rushed out, eagerly awaiting the news; excitement and anxiety filled every face.
When the military green trucks covered in thick dust slowly drove in, the crowd erupted in cheers.
"They're back! They're back!"
"Old Zhang! I see you!"
The truck came to a stop, and the doors opened.
One by one, soldiers covered in dust, their faces weary but their spines straight, carrying their packs and rifles, nimbly jumped off the vehicle.
Their faces were still smeared with tarpaulin, their combat uniforms were covered in mud and bits of grass, and some of them had bandages wrapped around their bodies. But the gazes they cast were sharp, calm, and carried the weight of blood and fire.
The family members rushed forward, frantically searching for their loved ones in the crowd.
"Dad!" The child's innocent cry was heart-wrenching.
"You damned devil, you're finally back!" The woman pounded her husband's chest, tears streaming down her face.
The joy and tears of reunion intertwined in the air above the playground, creating the most moving cacophony.
Su Wanqing stood on the outermost edge of the crowd, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would stop beating.
Her gaze was fixed on the trucks, greedily sweeping over each figure that jumped down.
One, two, three...
The soldiers of the Fierce Tiger Battalion disembarked one after another and began to line up.
She did not see the figure etched in her heart.
No.
Still no.
A layer of cold sweat seeped from her palms, and a sharp unease gripped her heart.
Just then, the driver's cab door of the truck at the front was pushed open.
A tall and imposing figure leaped off the car.
It was him.
Lu Zhanting.
He was still wearing that camouflage combat uniform, and the face paint covered his skin, but it couldn't hide the deep-seated exhaustion.
He was darker and thinner than when he left, with bluish-black stubble on his chin, cracked and peeling lips, and his eyes filled with terrifying red blood vessels.
On his left arm, a bandage was soaked with blood, revealing a glaring dark red color.
Despite his still swift movements, Su Wanqing still caught the extremely subtle, forced pause in his body when he landed.
He was injured.
This realization was like a knife, stabbing precisely into Su Wanqing's heart, causing her to feel an instant, unbearable pain.
After getting out of the car, Lu Zhanting did not look for his family.
He turned around and began directing the soldiers to check their equipment. His voice was hoarse, as if it had been ground by sand and gravel, yet it still carried an unquestionable sense of command.
His presence there was the soul of the team.
The fierce and murderous aura he brought back from the mountains of corpses and seas of blood made him seem like a silent lone wolf, completely out of place amidst the hustle and bustle, unlike the warmth around him.
He didn't raise his head until all the tasks were arranged.
His gaze pierced through the surging crowd, past all the cries and laughter, and landed precisely on Su Wanqing.
Their eyes met.
The whole world fell silent instantly.
Su Wanqing looked at him, at his extremely tired yet surprisingly bright eyes, at his chapped lips and the blood-stained bandage.
Tears, which could no longer be held back, streamed down my face.
Lu Zhanting was also looking at her.
She stood alone at the edge of the crowd, her figure thin and her face pale.
Those usually calm and clear eyes were now filled with tears, staring at him intently, so vulnerable that his heart suddenly clenched.
A surge of intense emotions—a mixture of longing, guilt, and the joy of regaining what was lost—instantly overwhelmed his composure.
He strode towards her.
His steps were steady, one step at a time, shattering the bonds of life and death, traversing a hail of bullets, all for the sake of reaching her.
Under his invisible yet powerful aura, the crowd unconsciously moved aside.
He walked up to her and stopped.
His tall figure completely enveloped her.
He didn't speak, but simply raised his uninjured right hand and, with his rough, gunpowder-smelling fingertips, heavily wiped away the tears from her face.
"I'm back."
He spoke, his voice terribly hoarse.
Su Wan-qing's tears fell even harder. She opened her mouth, but her throat was so blocked that she couldn't utter a single syllable. She could only nod desperately.
The next second, Lu Zhanting stretched out his arms and suddenly pulled her into his embrace.
That embrace was hot, hard, and filled with the raw, brutal strength of someone who had survived a catastrophe.
He held her so tightly that it hurt, as if he wanted to embed her bones into his own body to confirm her reality.
Su Wanqing buried her face in his chest, which was covered in dust and sweat, greedily inhaling his unique scent that instantly reassured her.
All his worries, fears, and heart-wrenching longing turned into scalding tears at this moment, soaking the front of his shirt.
Welcome home.
In his arms, she mumbled four words in a heavily nasal voice.
"Um."
Lu Zhanting responded with a deep voice, tightening his grip on Lu's arm.
The moment I got home and closed the gate, I was cut off from the whole world.
The fierce aura emanating from Lu Zhanting dissipated the moment he stepped into the house.
He released her hand that had been tightly gripping his, leaned his tall frame against the door, and let out a long breath, as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
"I'll go boil some water for you to take a bath." Su Wanqing's eyes were red as she turned to go to the kitchen.
But he grabbed her wrist.
"etc."
Su Wanqing turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Lu Zhanting didn't speak, but used his bloodshot eyes to greedily trace her eyebrows and eyes inch by inch.
His gaze was focused and burning, as if he wanted to devour her whole being and etch it into her very bones.
Then, he lowered his head and captured her lips precisely.
This kiss was unlike any other before.
There was no probing, no reassurance.
It is filled with an unyielding domineering and aggressive nature, and an intensely suppressed longing and desire.
His lips and tongue, tinged with the smell of gunpowder and blood, brutally pried open her teeth, plundering every inch of sweetness from her mouth, his ferocity bordering on savagery.
Su Wanqing's mind went blank, and she could only instinctively cling to his arm, enduring his storm of kisses.
The kiss felt like an eternity.
Only when all the air in her lungs was completely drained did Lu Zhanting pull back slightly, his forehead touching hers, both of them breathing heavily.
"I miss you."
He looked at her lips, which were red and swollen from being kissed, and said in a hoarse voice.
Those four simple words, carrying the weight of someone who had just been on the brink of life and death, struck Su Wanqing's heart hard.
Her heart was scalded and shattered by those four words.
She reached out and gently stroked his thin cheek, her voice trembling with tears: "Me too."
Lu Zhanting went to take a shower.
Su Wanqing went into the kitchen and reheated the food that had been prepared earlier.
A pot of mushroom and chicken soup, a braised fish that he loves, and two refreshing vegetarian dishes.
These days, she prepares fresh ingredients every day, just waiting for him to come back so that he can have a hot meal in the shortest amount of time.
When Lu Zhanting came out after taking a shower, the aroma of food had already filled the small house.
He changed into clean casual clothes, his hair still dripping wet. Having washed away the dust of his journey, he felt much refreshed, but the weariness etched into his bones still lingered between his brows.
"Shall we eat first, or treat the wound first?" Su Wanqing came over with a clean towel and naturally helped him dry his hair.
"Let's eat." Lu Zhanting pulled her to sit down at the table, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.
He ate quickly and hurriedly, as if trying to make up for all the stale flavors of home he had missed these past few days.
Su Wanqing didn't say anything, but sat quietly opposite him, picking up food for him one bite at a time with her chopsticks, quickly piling his bowl into a small mountain.
Lu Zhanting accepts all comers.
During the meal, the two remained silent, yet the air was filled with a sense of peace and warmth, as if something had been lost and then regained.
After the meal, Su Wanqing pulled him to the sofa, took out the first-aid kit, and treated the injury on his arm.
Unwrapping the blood-soaked bandage revealed a brand-new, gaping wound under the light.
The wound was long, with red and swollen edges, and was so gruesome it was shocking to see.
Su Wanqing's eyes instantly reddened again.
She used a cotton swab dipped in the spiritual spring water to gently clean his wound, and then took out the best wound medicine and carefully sprinkled it on.
Lu Zhanting watched her silently the whole time.
Looking at her lowered eyes and the glistening tears on her long eyelashes, her focused and heartbroken expression softened his heart, which had been hardened by the battlefield.
"Does it hurt?" She finished bandaging her wound, looked up, and asked in a trembling voice.
"It doesn't hurt." Lu Zhanting shook his head and held her slightly cool hand. "Seeing you makes everything hurt."
Su Wanqing's cheeks flushed, and she gave him a light glare.
"Is this mission very dangerous?" she couldn't help but ask.
Lu Zhanting's eyes darkened. He didn't want her to worry, but he also didn't want to lie to her.
“We encountered a group of drug traffickers crossing the border, and they were very heavily armed.” His voice lowered. “We lost two brothers.”
Su Wanqing's heart clenched suddenly.
His few words concealed a breathtaking story that is unimaginable to ordinary people.
She gripped his hand tightly in return and stopped asking questions.
“It’s all in the past,” she said. “It’s good that you’re back safe and sound.”
Lu Zhanting looked at her, his eyes almost overflowing with warmth.
He suddenly remembered something, took a small thing wrapped in a handkerchief from his pocket, and handed it to her.
"What is this?" Su Wanqing asked, taking the package and opening it with a puzzled look.
Inside the handkerchief was a crystal-clear stone, irregularly shaped, that refracted iridescent light under the lamp, so beautiful it seemed otherworldly.
"It was found on the drug lord. Things were chaotic at the time, so I just stuffed it in my pocket," Lu Zhanting explained somewhat awkwardly. "I thought you would like it."
Su Wanqing picked up the stone.
A warm and strange energy slowly seeped into her body through her fingertips, creating a wonderful resonance with the spiritual energy in her space.
A thought struck her, and she gripped the stone tightly in her hand.
“I really like it, thank you.” She looked up and gave him a radiant smile.
It's late at night.
The two lay on the bed, and Su Wanqing snuggled into Lu Zhanting's arms, resting her head on his arm and listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat.
“Wanqing,” Lu Zhanting suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
“During the interrogation of those drug dealers, they mentioned that this time the weapons were obtained through a new source.” Lu Zhanting’s voice was low, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were speaking to her. “Behind that source is a mysterious organization called ‘Ghost,’ which is ruthless and has a lot of power.”
"A ghost?" Su Wanqing murmured repeatedly.
For some reason, hearing this name sent a chill down her spine.
"Hmm." Lu Zhanting's voice carried an unprecedented solemnity. "I always felt that this group of people was different from all the opponents we had encountered before."
He didn't say anything more.
The person in his arms was a treasure he had lost and regained, and he didn't want her to be tainted by darkness and bloodshed.
He tightened his arms, pulling her closer into his embrace, and lowered his head to kiss the top of her head.
"Go to sleep."
"Um."
Su Wanqing closed her eyes, but she was wide awake.
The strange stone that Lu Zhanting brought back, and the mysterious organization called "Ghost," were like two boulders thrown into her peaceful life, stirring up ripples.
She had a premonition that the future would not be so peaceful.
But she wasn't afraid.
Because she is not alone.
She felt a sense of peace as she listened to the warmth and firm heartbeat of the man beside her.
No matter what the future holds, they will face it together.
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