In early December, the damp, cold air in Shanghai carried a biting chill.
Rong Zhaonan drove Ning Yuan to the Shanghai airport, barely saying a word the whole way.
The black flight jacket and thick fur collar accentuated the sharp lines of his fair and aloof profile. His thin lips were tightly pursed, and his handsome face seemed to say, "I'm not happy today."
Ning Yuan sat in the passenger seat, wrapped in a thick red plaid coat. Her small face was covered by a red scarf, with her big eyes peeking out, making her look like a soft, glutinous rice ball.
She glanced at Rong Zhaonan, then turned her head to look at the scenery rushing past the window, and simply made conversation: "I really didn't expect that I would be going to the Hong Kong government so soon."
"When you get there, if you miss me, call me. Don't do what you did in Guangzhou."
Rong Zhaonan suddenly freed one hand, grasped Ning Yuan's hand, and said in a cool tone.
"I know, I call you every week," Ning Yuan said with a smile, obediently letting him hold her hand.
Rong Zhaonan's fingers were long and strong, with calluses on his fingertips and palms from holding guns or other weapons, yet they gave people a strange sense of security.
Ning Yuan looked at Rong Zhaonan, her clear eyes flashing with a sly light, "Captain Rong, do you think I should prepare some gift for you?"
Rong Zhaonan watched her try to cheer him up, lowered his long eyelashes, and said softly, "Your early return is the best gift."
As he spoke, he parked the car steadily in the parking lot of Hongqiao Airport, turned off the engine, and turned to look at Ning Yuan, his eyes softening: "We've arrived."
"Okay." Ning Yuan unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't rush to get out of the car.
She turned around to face Rong Zhaonan, her bright eyes shining especially in the warm yellow light of the car interior.
"What's wrong?" Rong Zhaonan raised an eyebrow, reached out and tidied the stray hairs that had been blown by the wind on her forehead, his tone filled with a doting affection that he himself was unaware of.
Ning Yuan suddenly leaned forward and gave him a light kiss on the lips, then smiled and stepped back, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "It's nothing, just a kiss for my dear Captain Rong! It's called a goodbye kiss!"
Rong Zhaonan was stunned for a moment, then reacted, reached out and pulled her into his arms, first lowering his head to kiss her hard.
He kissed her so hard she couldn't help but let out a cry, then he buried his face in her hair without any hesitation and said in a hoarse voice, "Stop teasing me! You're not allowed to look at other men when we get to Hong Kong!"
"I know, I know, Comrade Xiao Ai!" Ning Yuan rested her chin on his shoulder, her tone full of laughter.
This guy, who used to be decisive and ruthless in the army, is now a "temporary worker" and sometimes acts like a naive kid.
Rong Zhaonan tightened his grip on her waist, pulling her close, and said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "I've told you many times, my wife, you're not allowed to call me that name! You dared to look at other men in Hong Kong..."
"Alright, alright!" Ning Yuan shook her head with a smile, teasing him on purpose: "Have you forgotten? Didn't you also arrange for Aheng to follow me? With her around, even if I wanted to see other men, I couldn't!"
“Her?” Rong Zhaonan scoffed. “If she could control you, the sun would rise in the west.”
"..." Ning Yuan was amused by his disdainful tone. This man was becoming more and more childish.
Rong Zhaonan's cool and handsome brows furrowed slightly as he said, "Aheng has a mission. When you get to the Hong Kong government, if you encounter any danger, your safety comes first. Don't be reckless, understand? Sometimes you just love to be reckless!"
Watching him ramble on like a doting father, Ning Yuan found it somewhat amusing, but felt a warmth in her heart: "Mmm!"
"Xiao Ning!" Someone suddenly knocked on the car window.
Ning Yuan turned her head and saw Ah Heng standing by the car window with a simple suitcase on his back.
She was dressed in a smart denim outfit, wrapped in a thick scarf, and smiled brightly at me and Rong Zhaonan, looking very energetic. You couldn't tell that she had just flown in from Beijing.
Ning Yuan got out of the car happily. She hadn't seen Aheng for several months: "Aheng!"
After getting out of the car, the two hugged each other, attracting surprised glances from other passersby.
Rong Zhaonan got out from the other side, walked around to the trunk, took out Ning Yuan's suitcase, and said rudely, "Mind your manners, don't hug and kiss your sister-in-law like that!"
Ning Yuan then realized that they were in a public place after getting out of the car, and that Aheng looked like a handsome young man, so it was inappropriate to hug him!
"Oh, sister-in-law!" Aheng immediately stood up straight, gave Ning Yuan a standard military salute, and smiled broadly before reaching out to take her suitcase.
"I can do it myself..." Ning Yuan wanted to refuse, since Aheng was also a girl.
But Aheng didn't hold back and just grabbed it: "You little dwarf, this box is so big, here I come."
Ning Yuan: "...Alright, let's go."
Another day of being discriminated against because I'm short!
The three of them entered the terminal together. Rong Zhaonan had special credentials and got through without any problems, escorting them to the boarding gate.
"Mom!" Ning Yuan saw Ning Er Madam and Ning Bingyu's group checking their tickets at the boarding gate from afar.
Madam Ning Er gracefully approached, her gaze falling on Ning Yuan, her eyes filled with affection. "Is everything ready? It's getting late, we should board the plane."
Ning Yuan nodded with a smile: "Okay, Mom!"
Rong Zhaonan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, and reached out to straighten Ning Yuan's slightly disheveled scarf, saying in a low voice, "Take care of yourself, my wife."
"I know, I'm not a child anymore." Ning Yuan smiled and patted his hand, indicating that he could rest assured.
"Okay," Rong Zhaonan replied, but his gaze remained fixed on Ning Yuan.
Looking at the two reluctant to part, Madam Ning smiled and shook her head at Rong Zhaonan, saying, "Xiao Ai, you must take good care of yourself while I'm taking Ningning away."
When Madam Ning called him by his childhood nickname, Rong Zhaonan remained silent for a moment under the strange gazes of those around him, and could only smile calmly and say, "Okay."
Rong Zhaonan stood there, watching Ning Yuan's petite figure disappear into the boarding gate along with Madam Ning and Ning Bingyu's group, before turning away and returning to his car.
He took out his cigarette case, about to light one, when he suddenly remembered that Ning Yuan didn't like the smell of smoke. He paused, then expressionlessly stuffed the cigarette and lighter back into his pocket.
The airport was bitterly cold, and the wind made his face sting.
Rong Zhaonan looked up at the gray sky, but the irritability in his heart did not dissipate; instead, it intensified.
There's still no news about Cha Shenlou, and... the Ning family isn't a united front either; they're surrounded by wolves.
...
The plane flew smoothly at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Through the window, you could see the undulating clouds below, like an endless cotton candy field.
On the plane, Ning Yuan sat by the window, watching the city outside gradually shrink, her thoughts racing.
"Xiao Ning, what's wrong? What are you thinking about?" Madam Ning, who was sitting next to her, asked with concern when she noticed that her expression was a little strange.
"It's nothing, Mom. I was just wondering what might happen on this trip to Hong Kong." Ning Yuan snapped out of her thoughts, turned to look at Madam Ning, and said with a smile.
"Don't worry, Xiao Ning, Mommy's here. Your brothers are all capable. The second and third brothers are taking care of everything when you come back. The fourth brother is having a concert abroad and won't be back for a few days. The fifth brother is at medical school and won't be back until the Christmas break, but he'll all be able to make it to the Christmas dinner."
Madam Ning reached out and took her hand, comforting her.
While looking at the documents, Ning Bingyu said indifferently without looking up, "Well, it's time for those few to experience what it means to be truly ruthless."
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