Chapter 28 He held her tightly.
Chapter Twenty-Eight: He held her tightly.
Li Yue's lips are beautiful, small yet full, with a natural rosy red color. They don't dry out in winter and have a glossy sheen.
They were so close, yet with just a slight lean, their lips met.
The man could almost imagine how soft and comfortable her lips would feel when he kissed her, but his Adam's apple bobbed, he swallowed, and held back.
I want to kiss her after everything has settled down.
She was so uninhibited, and although she didn't say it outright, he could always vaguely sense that she was actually uneasy.
After casually patting her hair, he restrained himself and walked away.
"Come and warm yourself by the fire," he said.
The kiss she had been waiting for didn't happen, and Li Yue felt a little disappointed, secretly regretting that she hadn't been able to control herself. She sat down next to him, watching him warm his long, slender fingers by the fire, somewhat dazed.
He laughed: "Why are you staring at the stove like that? What are you thinking about?"
Li Yue looked up: "Huh?"
"I wasn't thinking about anything."
"Are you worried about censorship?"
Li Yue gave an awkward laugh and replied, "No, let's leave it to fate."
"Why listen to fate and let destiny dictate your life?" He disagreed with this idea. "If you want something, you should strive for it."
Li Yue was stunned: "Oh."
He then asked, "Will they talk to me?"
“Maybe, maybe not,” he said. “These are extraordinary times, and given your special circumstances, they might contact you.”
"If they want to talk to me, how should I respond?"
Ling Jianwei raised an eyebrow and said with a mischievous smile, "Just tell me you're very satisfied with me. I'm tall and handsome, I'm responsible at work, and I'm considerate and attentive to my partner. You'll marry no one but me."
Looking at his smug, self-serving manner, Li Yue suddenly felt like punching him a few times.
A north wind was blowing outside. Inside, the two exchanged a glance, and Li Yue quickly looked away. He said playfully, "Are you that afraid to look at me?"
“I didn’t,” Li Yue said.
Ling Jianwei chuckled softly and asked her, "When Xie Hongping persuaded you to go to the countryside, did she say anything to you?"
She replied, "That's all."
Did they mention me?
"I did mention it," Li Yue answered truthfully. It's best to keep each other informed in this situation, to avoid running into Xie Hongping again.
"What did you say?"
“She said that you took me to the compound, and people in the compound were talking about us. She hoped that I would not implicate you.”
Ling Jianwei frowned slightly: "So that's why you rejected me?"
Li Yue denied it: "I've already said no."
Tsk, so this isn't even her reason for rejecting him. Looking at it from all angles, could it really be because she doesn't like him enough, and she still has that senior in her heart?
If he had known, he should have kissed her earlier. Why did he hold back?
Ling Jianwei paused for a moment and said, "She's very straightforward, so she probably won't say anything nice. You don't need to take it to heart."
"Um."
After a moment of silence, he said, "Shall we go see my great-uncle?"
“Go ahead,” Li Yue stood up, “say goodbye while you’re at it, I want to go back.”
We went to the neighbor's house next door. The Zhang family's courtyard house has two sections. It is said to be their ancestral property, but there are not many people at home, only a few elderly people of similar age, who seem to have played together since they were young.
We gathered some ingredients, had my great-uncle cook, and enjoyed a delicious meal together while chatting.
When they went in, a few people were drinking. The great-uncle proudly told them, "See? I wasn't bragging. My grandson's girlfriend—looks like that, has that kind of presence..."
While her maternal grandfather was praising the food to the skies, Li Yue's eyes were fixed on the lavish meal on their table. Compared to it, the food she had just eaten seemed utterly inhumane.
Grandpa Zhang invited them to sit down and eat something, but because of the ethereal, otherworldly persona her maternal grandfather had created for her, she felt too embarrassed to eat.
So she left the courtyard and muttered to herself, "I didn't think much of it when we were eating lunch, but now that I'm comparing it to what I saw, the difference is just too big."
Ling Jianwei: "Although it's not very tasty, it's still the first meal I cooked, so please give me some face."
"I've already been very accommodating."
Ling Jianwei looked at her: "Well, thank you? I'll definitely practice my cooking skills as much as possible after I get back to the army."
At this moment, Li Yue was certain of one thing: Ling Jianwei was not some kind of male protagonist from a historical fiction novel. Generally, male protagonists with his qualifications in historical fiction novels are all excellent cooks. He has top-notch qualifications in everything else, but his cooking skills are just not yet fully developed.
When Li Yue returned to the machine tool factory's residential compound from her maternal grandfather's house, she found that the house felt much quieter after her cousin left.
Thinking back to when she first transmigrated, she was on the verge of death, and it was her cousin who took care of her. Although her cousin sometimes spoke like an assassin, stabbing you unexpectedly, she was quick and efficient. Li Yue was naturally lazy when it came to housework, and after transmigrating, her cousin did all the chores at home without her complaining.
The family compound seemed to have lost half its usual hustle and bustle; it was deserted. Li Yue, not wanting to stay any longer, wanted to leave with Ling Jianwei as soon as possible.
Winter days are short and dark. As evening approached, my uncle and his family went home from get off work.
My cousin and his girlfriend are still dating. During dinner, he mentioned that his girlfriend would be coming over for dinner on the weekend. My aunt said, "Now that your sister has been sent to the countryside, and Yueyue will be joining her in the military, we can free up a room at home. You can decide when to get married."
My cousin said, "It won't be until next spring at the earliest. We've been talking for about half a year, so it's about time."
My aunt nodded: "That works too."
He then asked Li Yue, "When will you begin the review?"
Li Yue: "They said it would be in the next few days."
My aunt nodded and said, "Now I just hope nothing goes wrong here."
In truth, Li Yue was somewhat worried that something unexpected might happen, but she kept denying it, saying that her family's situation had been thoroughly investigated and that she herself had no problems. Unless someone of high status intervened, such as Ling Jianwei's father's political enemies, they could still create some obstacles if they wanted to.
My aunt, unaware of her concerns, said, "The day after tomorrow is Sunday, why don't we invite Deputy Battalion Commander Ling over for dinner as well? We haven't properly invited him to a meal yet."
Li Yue nodded: "I'll tell him tomorrow."
The next day, Li Yue was warming herself by the fire at home when she heard someone knocking on the door. Thinking it was Ling Jianwei coming to see her, she called out, "Just come in."
There were people talking quietly outside, but it didn't sound like Ling Jianwei, so Li Yue had no choice but to get up and open the door.
Several staff members were standing outside the door. Some were wearing military uniforms, some looked like employees of the unit, and one was Aunt Li from the family compound, who had brought them here.
A middle-aged woman with bright, piercing eyes smiled at her: "You must be Li Yue, right?"
Yes, that's me.
"Is she Ling Jianwei's girlfriend?"
"Yes," Li Yue replied, letting out a slight sigh of relief; she hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly.
The other person smiled and said, "We came over to learn more about your situation. Is it convenient for us to chat at home?"
Li Yue nodded: "It's convenient, please come in."
Aunt Li said, "You guys chat, I'll stay outside."
Just as Li Yue closed the door, Aunt Li instructed, "Answer the questions carefully and don't be nervous."
Li Yue replied, "Okay, thank you, Aunt Li."
Inside the house, Li Yue invited the three of them to sit down. Although they said there was no need to be polite, Li Yue still poured them water.
One of the men said, "We have a basic understanding of your family situation. We would like to know more about your personal thoughts. This is our work procedure, so please don't feel uncomfortable and just tell us the truth."
"Okay, sure." Li Yue said she wasn't nervous, but she was actually sitting up very straight.
"How did you meet Deputy Battalion Commander Ling?"
Li Yue said, "It was in October when he went home to visit his family. I was crossing the pedestrian crossing when, because of the congestion, I was accidentally hit in the neck and fainted. He was the one who saved me..."
The questions were all very basic, and Li Yue answered them honestly.
Later, someone asked, "What are your thoughts on Deputy Battalion Commander Ling?"
Li Yue suddenly remembered how he had been peddling his wares yesterday, and couldn't help but smile.
Looking up and seeing that all three were staring at her, she suppressed her smile, calmed herself down, and said, "He is a very trustworthy person. Although we haven't known each other for long, Deputy Battalion Commander Ling is very considerate and thoughtful, whether he's a complete stranger or his own family..."
The more she recalled, the clearer his image became—frank, humorous, gentle, and measured. She had to admit that someone like him was incredibly attractive to her.
Someone said, "I heard you rejected him at first."
Li Yue was surprised. How could they have found this out? Amazing.
"Yes, at first, I rejected him," she confessed.
"Why did you come back? We understand that you have many suitors. Is it because he is the best?"
Li Yue almost interrupted, "No."
“It’s not because of these external conditions.” Li Yue’s tone was somewhat agitated. She could no longer tell if she was lying. Her initial thought was that only he could take her to the places she wanted to go, and only he could help her realize her dreams. But at this moment, she felt very unwilling and did not want to say these things.
The three men looked at her simultaneously, their eyes gleaming with sharp light. They were all seasoned veterans, each seemingly possessing discerning eyes that could see through the demons and monsters of the world.
They were expecting Li Yue to say something, but Li Yue remained silent. She lowered her head slightly, bit her lip, and refused to say anything more.
A biting wind was blowing outside. Ling Jianwei walked to the door, but saw Aunt Li, who stopped him.
He wandered in the cold wind, unable to hear what was being said inside, and could only pace back and forth.
Unable to resist any longer, I lit a cigarette and waited while smoking.
This conversation wasn't important at all; he had already paved the way for her and removed all obstacles. All she had to do was respond normally. But he still couldn't help worrying that she might say something damaging, such as that she had someone else in her heart, didn't really like him, and was only looking for him because she didn't want to go to the countryside for survival.
He didn't care about any of that. He didn't care if she still had feelings for her senior, he didn't mind that she didn't like him that much, and he didn't even care that she was just trying to survive... He believed that in the future, he could win her heart.
However, even Deputy Battalion Commander Ling, who is usually very confident in his actions, is now at a loss.
The door creaked open, and three staff members walked out.
Ling Jianwei recognized the man in military uniform at a glance and exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle Lin!"
Uncle Lin looked at him and chuckled, "You little rascal, you still remember your uncle."
Ling Jianwei: "How could I not remember? My father often mentioned you."
He chatted with the three staff members for a while, while Li Yue stood behind them, watching them silently...
After all that, it turned out to be an acquaintance.
Perhaps it's precisely because it's someone they know that they want to investigate more thoroughly.
Uncle Lin glanced at Li Yue again and said, "We're leaving now. Please make yourselves at home."
Ling Jianwei said, "Okay, take care, thank you for your hard work."
Li Yue also said, "Take care."
After saying goodbye and leaving, Li Yuechao gave Ling Wei a dry smile.
Ling Jianwei grabbed Li Yue's hand and led her into the house.
The wooden door closed, but his hand remained firmly in her grasp. Li Yue looked at him, about to say something, when she clearly sensed a darkening in his eyes. The next instant, his tall frame leaned over and enveloped her, pulling her forcefully into his arms.
Without any hesitation, he hugged her tightly, pressing her head against his chest with his large hand, and nuzzling his cheek against her hair.
Heavy breathing came from above her head, and with her heart pounding, Li Yue's face seemed to go numb from the shock.
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