When her husband came home that evening, Ling Ruoke told him about what happened on the way home the day before, and how she felt like she was being spied on at Pei Shi's house.
Huo Qingfeng frowned and thought for a moment, then said nothing, only, "I will be careful. Don't worry, your husband will protect you."
Ling Ruoke smiled and snuggled into his arms. Taking a deep breath, smelling his masculine scent, she felt very at ease.
Three or four days passed like this when Ling Ruoke suddenly received a call from Tan Peishi. Her friend's voice was filled with panic as she shouted, "Ruoke, Lele is missing!"
"What? When did this happen? Where did it disappear?" Ling Ruoke was shocked. She immediately connected the incident with the feeling of being spied on and Gu Tiance, and felt a chill run down her spine.
"It's at the kindergarten. We've been searching for over two hours, but we still can't find her. The kindergarten is such a small place, everyone has already searched! Ruoke, what should we do? What should I do?" Tan Peishi had never cried in such a panic before.
Ling Ruoke's mind was also in turmoil. She knew that comforting words would be useless, but she still tried to comfort him. "Don't worry, he probably just hid away while he was playing. I'll call Xuan Yuanqi and ask him to send more people to look for him."
"Okay," Tan Peishi replied and hung up the phone.
Ling Ruoke hurriedly called Xuan Yuanqi, asking him to send people to help search. Xuan Yuanqi agreed and immediately dispatched dozens of people to help search.
After hanging up the phone, Ling Ruoke's heart was still pounding wildly, and she was extremely flustered. For a moment, she was completely at a loss and paced around the room in circles.
Little Ping An, oblivious to what was happening, followed her around in circles, but didn't make a sound to bother her mother. In this crucial moment, the little guy proved to be very helpful.
Ling Ruoke suddenly stopped, and Xiao Ping'an, unable to brake in time, fell flat on his backside. If it were any other child, they would have been wailing, but Xiao Ping'an only paused for a moment, stunned. Ling Ruoke helped him up and rubbed his little bottom. "Does it hurt?"
"It hurts!" the little one cried out, but showed no sign of crying. Instead, he giggled and wrapped his little arms around his mother's neck.
Looking at her son's adorable face, Ling Ruoke's heart softened. For Pei Shi, Lele was also a source of happiness; she must be frantic with worry! If Lele had truly been captured by Gu Tianze, then she and Qingfeng were implicated—what could they do?
Not long after, Huo Qingfeng also returned. It turned out that the news had already reached Fu Peigang, and he had rushed back. Huo Qingfeng knew about Ruoke and Tan Peishi's relationship, and guessed that his wife must be very worried, so he hurried back as well.
"Husband, Lele is missing, what should we do? Could he have been kidnapped by Gu Tianze? Gu Tianze is so evil, I don't know how he will treat Lele..." As soon as Ling Ruoke saw her husband, she began to pour out all her worries, and she was so anxious that she was about to cry.
Huo Qingfeng hugged her, kissed her, and gently comforted her, "Don't worry, maybe the child just hid on his own, rather than being kidnapped. Don't worry, I've already asked people to help look for him, and we'll probably have news soon."
"But I'm scared! Just thinking about someone like Gu Tianze constantly watching us and the people around us terrifies me! I don't want to be separated from you and the child, and I don't want anything to happen to the people around me!" Ling Ruoke bit her lip, her eyes already moist. In front of her husband, she didn't need to pretend to be strong; she could let herself be vulnerable because he was her support.
Huo Qingfeng pressed his forehead against hers, gently patting her back with his large hand. "Don't be afraid, I will protect you and the child. As for Gu Tianze, we will definitely catch him!"
"Mmm," Ling Ruoke responded softly, her voice slightly nasal. She knew her husband was more anxious than she was; he wanted to capture Gu Tianze immediately, both professionally and personally, and she couldn't add to his worries. "How about I go keep Peishi company?"
"Let's not go for now. If you go, Pei-Shi will probably get even more agitated. Let's calm down and wait for the results."
Ling Ruoke looked at him and nodded. She pressed her face against his chest and hugged his strong waist tightly. The strong heartbeat and burning heat gradually calmed her panicked heart.
Huo Qingfeng even took a day off to stay home with his wife, afraid she might overthink things. He thought to himself with a touch of helplessness: How could I have gotten involved with someone like Gu Zheng! It's fate playing tricks on me; if I had met Ruo Ke earlier, perhaps I would have only ever crossed paths with this woman in my life.
The waiting for the results was the hardest part. If she hadn't been nestled in her husband's arms, Ling Ruoke would have been driven mad by the horrific thoughts swirling in her mind. She even imagined how Gu Tianze would torture Lele after capturing him! She projected all the terrible methods she had seen on TV and in books onto her own mind.
Ling Ruoke didn't know how much time had passed; she didn't dare look at the time. Finally, there was news. And it was good news!
Upon hearing that the person had been found, Ling Ruoke could barely stand and collapsed into her husband's arms, her hands and feet ice-cold. The overwhelming shock left her body limp.
Lele was found in the teacher's desk drawer at the kindergarten, fast asleep. She reportedly smelled of alcohol and had the taste of liqueur-filled chocolates on her breath; the source of the chocolates is still under investigation. However, a doctor's examination confirmed that the child was fine, just intoxicated.
Ling Ruoke felt intensely uneasy. After much deliberation, she called Tan Peishi, intending to persuade her to stay at the military base for a while.
Tan Peishi realized the situation was serious, and as a mother, she absolutely did not want it to happen again. This time it was chocolate with liqueur filling; next time it might be poison! So, she agreed to stay at the military base for a while, and Tan's mother naturally agreed as well.
Ling Ruoke hurriedly told Huo Qingfeng about it and asked him to talk to the military about it, since they were military dependents anyway.
And so, Tan Peishi and her family arrived at the military base. Since applying to accompany them wouldn't be so quick, they stayed at Ling Ruoke's house. Although the space was a bit cramped, they felt at ease and everything was fine.
The happiest of all was little Ping An, now that his older brother Lele had come, he had a playmate. So, all day long, you could see the two little rascals running around like crazy, laughing and making a ruckus, they were really quite a handful.
A lot has happened recently. Although nothing major happened in the end, his wife was on edge. So, Huo Qingfeng took a sunny day and carried his wife to the top of Peak 375 for a spring outing.
Xiao Ping'an was left with Tan's mother and Tan Peishi, and the couple, like lovers deeply in love, happily went out to chat and enjoy each other's company. Just before leaving, Tan Peishi said, "You two really get more and more affectionate the longer you spend together. If there were an award for a model couple, you two would definitely be it!"
Once out of the army's sight, Huo Qingfeng squatted down and lifted his wife onto his back. Pregnancy hadn't made her gain much weight; she'd long since regained her slender figure and was quite light. Supporting her little bottom with his hands, Huo Qingfeng chuckled, "Other women are always complaining about wanting to lose weight, but you just can't seem to gain any weight no matter what you do? Do you have too many things on your mind that I don't know about?"
Ling Ruoke wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and smiled brightly as she looked at her husband's resolute profile. "No, it's just a matter of constitution, there's nothing we can do about it. It's the same principle as some people gaining weight just by drinking water."
Her voice was somewhat muffled, full of a coquettish tone.
Hearing her say that, Huo Qingfeng pinched her bottom and said, "Why don't we find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to take a look and figure out how to help you gain some weight?" Her slender and thin figure always made his heart ache.
Ling Ruoke pouted. "No way. What, are you disgusted by my figure? If you really do, just say so, and I'll find someone who doesn't!"
Huo Qingfeng gently patted her bottom, then turned and lightly bit her little nose. "Don't even think about it. If I hear you say that again, I'll punish you! I just don't want you to be too thin, because that makes me feel like I haven't done enough to take good care of my wife."
"You're crazy. I already said it's a matter of constitution, it's not your fault." She opened her mouth and bit his ear, leaving a few shallow teeth marks with a gentle force.
"I know. But I just want to fatten up my wife so she's plump and healthy, it makes me feel accomplished!" Many men in the world may appreciate slender women, but almost all of them like to see their wives round and fleshy.
Ling Ruoke chuckled upon hearing this. "Colonel, has anyone told you that your sense of accomplishment is a bit strange?"
"No, they all just said I was disgusting, like I couldn't live without my wife. I told them, I can't live without my wife, so what? People who haven't even found a wife yet have no right to laugh at me! Once you guys have wives, you'll probably want to tie them to your belts!"
Ling Ruoke smiled even more happily, her heart filled with a sweet and tender feeling. "Husband..."
Hearing his wife's soft call, Huo Qingfeng's heart softened, and a doting smile appeared on his face. "What's wrong?"
"I've never been an ambitious person. I don't want to achieve great things in my career, nor do I want a life that's too exciting or dramatic. I just want to spend my whole life with you, never apart for a single day. I want to grow old peacefully and healthily together, and leave this world together. So, you have to stay with me forever, and you must never leave me, okay?"
Ling Ruoke smiled faintly as she spoke, but her eyes welled up with tears as she continued. She couldn't explain why, but the tears just started flowing.
Huo Qingfeng stopped, put his wife down, and turned to look into her brimming eyes. He lowered his head and kissed her rosy lips, gazing deeply into her eyes. "Ruoke, I once had lofty ambitions, but since I met you, all I hope for is to stay with you, watch you grow old together. I won't leave you; I can't bear to, and I can't leave you. Do you understand?"
"Yes!" Ling Ruoke nodded vigorously, a glistening tear sliding down his cheek amidst his radiant smile. His agreement seemed to be a promise from heaven, that they would live out their lives together in peace.
I only wish that after all the sails have passed and the hustle and bustle has faded, I can still hold your hand and watch the sunrise and sunset together, just like the saying goes—"May we grow old together like a gentle stream, and grow old together when the hustle and bustle fades away!"
“I know a lot has happened recently, and it has made you very uneasy, but you must believe me, Ruoke. I will protect you and our child, and I will take care of myself. I can only feel at ease when I see you every day and take care of you personally. Therefore, I cannot bear to entrust you to someone else!”
"I don't want to either! I'm sticking with you! You promised to stay by my side for life, don't even think about going back on your word!" Ling Ruoke puffed out her cheeks and stared at him with wide eyes.
Huo Qingfeng smiled slightly, took her hand and kissed it. "I won't go back on my word. As long as you don't mind, I'll stay under your nose for the rest of my life, and I won't leave even if you're annoyed. Anyway, I'm shameless enough, so don't think I'll feel embarrassed if you look at me a few more times."
"Pfft," Ling Ruoke couldn't help but laugh. She felt a sea of flowers bloom in her heart, and his promise was the sunshine. Under the sunlight, these flowers blossomed in an instant, a riot of colors, so dazzling! "You know you're shameless, huh? At least you have some self-awareness."
"What does face matter? As long as I can find a wife, I don't care about saving face or anything else!" A grown man like me, being so thin-skinned won't earn me any points!
Ling Ruoke smiled sweetly, tilted her head back, and bit his chin. After releasing him, she looked at the row of teeth marks and grinned foolishly. "It's been so long since I've stamped anything, let's make a good one!"
"How about I find a place to take off my clothes and you stamp them all over me, so I won't have to worry about other people coveting me, right?"
"You're so vain! Who else but me would dare to covet you!"
"That's not necessarily true. While there aren't many people in this world who have the keen eye to recognize talent like my wife, they aren't entirely nonexistent."
"You consider yourself a genius?"
"..."
The two bickered and teased each other, and soon reached the top of the mountain. The breeze was cool and felt wonderful on their faces.
Ling Ruoke got off her husband's back, faced the direction the wind was blowing, opened her arms, closed her eyes, and felt the comfort of the moment.
Huo Qingfeng smiled slightly, his eyes filled with doting affection, and wrapped his arms around her slender waist, a woman who belonged only to him. Gazing at the distant mountains that seemed to merge with the sky, he thought to himself: God, I will never let go of this woman in this life or the next, and you will never take her away from me!
The two of them sat for a long time at the mysterious place Huo Qingfeng had discovered. Inevitably, Ling Ruo was entangled by the man, and they had another passionate encounter. So when they came down the mountain, Ling Ruo was truly too weak to walk; her legs were limp, and he had to carry her back.
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