The day after Ling Ruoke was discharged from the hospital, the group was going back home. Except for Yang Ziyun, the others still had work to do and couldn't afford to be delayed.
Yang Ziyun originally wanted to stay with Ruoke, but she was worried about her husband. When the general heard that his wife wanted to stay, his face darkened.
Ling Ruoke quickly stepped forward to persuade her and also let her go back.
After seeing them off at the airport in the evening, Ling Ruoke returned home and suddenly felt a little out of place. The once bustling house was now quiet and deserted, which she found very strange.
She didn't even want to cook dinner, so she just made herself a bowl of dumplings. After eating, she sat in front of the computer and started typing.
Outside the villa, a man dressed in black stood in the shadows under a tree. His eyes were slightly narrowed as he stared at the brightly lit master bedroom.
It seemed as if something was about to break free of its cage in the darkness and rush out.
The man was smoking. His brows were furrowed in a series of knots. He stared at the door, seemingly wanting to go in, yet conflicted about something.
He lit his cigarettes again and again, smoking countless cigarettes, which speaks volumes about his inner turmoil.
Passersby couldn't help but glance at him. In their eyes, this man was acting suspiciously and was definitely up to something. Some even whispered among themselves, wondering if they should call the police.
Zhuang Yicheng didn't care about any of that. He understood perfectly well that once he rang the doorbell and knocked on the door, everything would change, and he would no longer be able to contain the wild beast within him.
However, he wasn't sure if recklessly pursuing anything would lead to a good outcome. What if no one found happiness in the end? Her unwavering devotion might prevent even time from changing her affections. Did he have that confidence?
But if he gave up today, there would be no turning back in the future. He clutched his chest again and again, asking himself, was he willing to accept this? Of course he was not! He was already 36 years old. He had not expected for 36 years, but he had waited for more than a decade. How could he be willing to accept this?
Perhaps he was truly exhausted, so he clung to Ruoke like a lifeline. But this lifeline already belonged to someone else, and he had to snatch her away!
Everyone is selfish, and Zhuang Yicheng was no exception. So, he finally rang the doorbell. Hearing her voice, he almost couldn't speak. "Ruoke, it's me."
"Mr. Zhuang? Wait a moment, I'll open the door for you right away." The doorbell at home can ring, but it can't open the door. Because the colonel was afraid of voice recognition errors, he specifically set it to require manual opening. Although it's inconvenient, it's much safer.
Ling Ruoke thought he must have come to visit her. He had been very busy these past few days, and he must have finally managed to find time to come tonight.
Clutching her phone, she dashed downstairs and rushed to the door. Even through the iron gate, she could smell the thick remnants of smoke. He must be troubled, hence the large amount of cigarettes he smoked. "Come in quickly. Have you had dinner?"
Ling Ruoke checked her phone; it was almost nine o'clock. Had he not eaten dinner? Although soldiers are resistant to hunger, they can't withstand this kind of ordeal.
"Not yet." Zhuang Yicheng watched her walk beside him, a little ahead of him, leading the way. When he turned around, he could see the radiant smile on her face, a smile that could make one feel as warm as spring even in the dead of winter.
Ling Ruoke sighed helplessly. "Are all men so careless about their health? You'll ruin your stomachs sooner or later! Come in, I'll make you some dumplings."
"Okay." He dared not utter another word, for he could feel his emotions about to overflow. Once they did, everything would go mad!
Ling Ruoke poured him a cup of hot water. "Drink some water first, I'll make dumplings right away." The dumplings were ready, they'd be done quickly.
She put down the cup and rushed into the kitchen, quickly turning on the stove to cook dumplings. The stove was excellent, the fire was strong, and they were done in about five minutes.
Ling Ruoke had already prepared the sauce, and as soon as the dumplings were cooked, she brought them out. "Come on, eat up."
Throughout this process, Zhuang Yicheng maintained his composure and did not rush into the kitchen to hug her.
Zhuang Yicheng picked up his chopsticks, took a dumpling, dipped it in the sauce, and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. The dumplings were homemade; you could tell just by tasting them. The sauce was also homemade, especially fragrant and rich.
"Is the taste right?" Ling Ruoke watched him eat with his head down and felt that he was really exhausted.
Zhuang Yicheng nodded and silently finished the dumplings. It felt so good to no longer have an empty stomach. The moment he put down his chopsticks, he felt that he no longer needed to hesitate.
This is the life he wants!
"Is that enough? If not, I'll make you some more." For Ling Ruoke, she always felt happy when others finished the food she made.
Zhuang Yicheng was somewhat dazed and didn't come to his senses for a moment. "Oh, that's enough, that's enough."
"That's good." Ling Ruoke smiled and got up to refill his glass. "You should pay attention to your diet in the future. If you ruin your stomach, it will be too late to regret it."
Zhuang Yicheng didn't answer, because his stomach had already given out. Did he regret it? He didn't know, because he didn't want to think about those questions. He didn't have time to think about them either, because he had too many things to think about.
Ling Ruoke picked up the plate and went to the kitchen to wash it. She didn't seem to care much about his lack of response. Even a fool could see that he was troubled. However, it seemed he had always kept many worries to himself.
Zhuang Yicheng stood up and leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching her wash the dishes and pots. She had a very special quality: she was incredibly meticulous in everything she did, even washing dishes. A meticulous woman is very charming because she puts her heart into it.
Ling Ruoke knew he was right at the door, but she pretended not to notice. After finishing her work and washing her hands, she turned around and saw him staring at her, somewhat lost in thought. She walked over and waved her hand in front of him. "Mr. Zhuang, are you alright?"
Zhuang Yicheng's gaze fell on her face. She didn't answer, but just looked at him intently.
Ling Ruoke was puzzled and about to ask again when he suddenly grabbed her in a tight embrace. She was taken aback and forgot to pull away. Besides, she didn't want to fight him. He held her very tightly, as if he wanted to crush her. "Mr. Zhuang, are you alright? Could you please let me go?"
Ling Ruoke awkwardly asked, considering whether or not to use her fists and feet.
"If possible, I—" Zhuang Yicheng hadn't finished speaking when his phone suddenly rang loudly.
"Mr. Zhuang, please let me take this call," Ling Ruoke said stiffly.
Zhuang Yicheng slowly released her hand, a sense of resigned despair washing over him. Perhaps he and she were destined to be together but not to stay together. He turned and walked out of the living room, his back straight, but stiff.
Ling Ruoke watched his retreating figure, suddenly feeling a suffocating discomfort. She took out her phone from her pocket and pressed the answer button. "Hello, Peishi?"
"If possible, my baby is sick, please drive over right away."
"Coming right away!" Ling Ruoke could no longer care about her other emotions and ran out. "Mr. Zhuang, my good friend's son is sick, and I need to take them to the hospital. Please stay at my house; you can choose any of the guest rooms you like."
“I’ll go with you.” Zhuang Yicheng followed.
Ling Ruoke wanted to refuse, but didn't want to waste time, so she locked the door and ran out.
"Use my car." Zhuang Yicheng quickly opened the car door and climbed into the driver's seat.
Ling Ruoke didn't say anything and got into the passenger seat. The child was sick, and Tan's mother would definitely go too; his car was spacious enough, which was fine.
The reason we chose this neighborhood was because it's close to Pei-shi's home, so the car arrived quickly. Tan Pei-shi and her mother were already waiting by the roadside with their child, looking anxious; they were even still in their pajamas.
"Get in the car quickly."
Once they were inside, the car sped all the way to the hospital, and the group headed straight for the emergency room.
For some reason, the child suddenly started breathing rapidly and with difficulty, which terrified Tan Peishi and her mother. Both women couldn't help but cry.
Thankfully, the doctor found that the child was experiencing respiratory distress, but it wasn't too serious. However, he needed to be hospitalized for observation. Everyone agreed on this; the child isn't an adult and can't express himself, so having a doctor in the hospital made everyone feel much more at ease.
Tan Peishi seemed to have all her strength drained away, leaning on Ling Ruoke's shoulder. Anyone would be terrified to suddenly see their child struggling to breathe.
"It's alright, it's okay now." Ling Ruoke hugged her and patted her back to comfort her.
Meanwhile, Tan's mother kept patting her chest, trying to calm her frightened soul.
For a moment, the ward was quiet; no one spoke. Everyone was still reeling from the shock.
Zhuang Yicheng stood at the door, quietly watching Ling Ruoke. He felt as if a large piece of his heart had been ripped out, like undergoing surgery without anesthesia, the pain almost suffocating him.
In the end, Tan Peishi and her mother stayed at the hospital, while Ling Ruoke took the keys and went back in Zhuang Yicheng's car to get their clothes and other things.
"If you're alright, you can go back now. I'll call you tomorrow morning."
Ling Ruoke knew that staying there wouldn't make a difference, so she left with Zhuang Yicheng. As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, she let out a huge sigh of relief. She had always had a phobia of hospitals, especially the atmosphere there.
"The baby will be fine, don't worry," Zhuang Yicheng comforted her softly.
Ling Ruoke turned her head and smiled at him. After calming down from the chaos, she remembered that he had hugged her and immediately felt a little embarrassed. On the way back, she sat in the back seat.
The car stopped at a familiar spot, and Zhuang Yicheng got out. He took a few steps and blocked Ling Ruoke's path. "Ruoke, do you remember when you said in Guilin that you didn't love me? Actually, I think I did love you, but it was destined to be fruitless. So, I should let go. Maybe there's another good woman in this world waiting for me."
Looking at his forced smile, Ling Ruoke felt it was more like crying. Her throat tightened, and she couldn't say anything. "Yes, there will definitely be a woman more suitable for you who will accompany you through this lifetime."
Zhuang Yicheng tilted his head slightly, looking at the sky, before looking down at her again after a while. "Can I hug you?"
Ling Ruoke looked at him quietly for a long time, then shook her head. Since they couldn't be lovers, there was no need to give him this so-called sweetness. "Save your embrace for the one destined for you. I believe she will appear soon. I should go back now. Goodnight."
Zhuang Yicheng didn't insist anymore, nor did he call her back. He just watched her walk in until she disappeared from his sight.
That night, he stayed outside her house for a very long time before driving away.
Unbeknownst to him, as the car drove away, she stood quietly at the window of the master bedroom, watching the car disappear.
Ling Ruoke felt a deep ache in her heart, as if someone had squeezed her heart, making it difficult to breathe. She remembered in college, some girls took pride and joy in having many suitors, a feeling she could never understand, and still couldn't. Zhuang Yicheng had said he loved her, but she couldn't reciprocate, which made her extremely miserable. How could she be happy to see a good man heartbroken over her?
Ling Ruoke kept reassuring herself: He will soon find a good woman, and he will be happy!
She barely slept a wink all night. Her mind was filled with the image of Zhuang Yicheng's lonely, desolate back. She desperately wanted him to be happy.
The next day, Ling Ruoke woke up with dark circles under her eyes, looking like a panda. She spent a long time at the gym before she could calm herself down.
Tan Peishi called early in the morning to say that the baby was fine and could be discharged from the hospital later.
Ling Ruoke took a shower and drove straight to the hospital without even having breakfast. After picking them up and taking them home, she even made breakfast for them.
Ling Ruoke drove to the company with mixed feelings.
Wild Wolf has already helped resolve the complaint. The person who sent the complaint email has been detained by the police. He was probably acting under orders to smear Peho, because Peho, as a newly established small company, has shown rapid growth.
Ling Ruo knew that Wild Wolf deliberately avoided involving Guzheng, preventing emotional entanglements from causing work-related troubles. Otherwise, the client's evaluation of Pei Huo would also be affected.
What puzzled her was that Guzheng didn't orchestrate a second incident to frame Peihuo. Had Wild Wolf done something, or was Guzheng plotting something?
When I arrived at the office, it was already quite late, and everyone was working diligently. Occasionally, I could hear a few words of conversation, all of which were related to work.
Ling Ruoke stopped in the entryway and watched quietly for a while. She was slightly surprised to find that Mei Yanting seemed to be in a good mood lately, humming a song as she pasted receipts. It looked like she was in love. However, she wasn't in the mood to ask about it right now.
He took a breath and walked into his office. He hadn't seen or heard the colonel for many days, which made him lose all motivation to do anything.
Not long after, Xia Mo knocked on the door and came in. "Sister Ruo, are you feeling better? You don't look too well. Why don't you rest for a couple more days?"
Ling Ruoke looked up and smiled at him. "I'm all better now. My godson was sick last night, so I didn't sleep well. Is there something you need?"
"No. I came in specifically to receive orders." Xia Mo had always thought she was just a military wife. Through this incident, he suddenly realized that his boss had a rather unusual background.
Ling Ruoke raised an eyebrow. "Why do I feel like you're here to steal some secret?"
"So, Sister Ruo has a secret that I can steal?" Xia Mo wasn't nervous at all; instead, she smiled.
"That depends on your abilities. No one in this world is completely without secrets, so how can I be an exception?" Ling Ruoke opened her computer, looked at the densely packed new emails, and felt a throbbing pain in her temples. Oh no, it seems even her work enthusiasm has completely vanished.
Xia Mo didn't chat with her for long before going out to get busy.
Then other people came in one after another, all asking how she was feeling.
While Ling Ruoke appreciated their concern, her head throbbed even more; she needed peace and quiet. Perhaps not coming to the office would be better; she wasn't in the right state to work. But since she was here, she had to check emails and review some urgent documents.
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