After dinner, Ling Ruoke went back to her room to write. She was engrossed in her writing when someone knocked on the door. She opened it to find Yang Ziyun. "Mom."
"I can see your hands and feet are cold, you must have poor blood circulation. You probably don't get warm enough in bed at night either. Do you have an electric blanket at home? You can warm up the bed before you sleep. If not, I'll have someone go and buy one right away."
Ling Ruoke felt a warmth spread through her heart. "I think we have some at home. I'll find it and plug it in later. Mom, do you want some? Or should I heat it up and bring it over to you?"
“I don’t need it. I’m in great health, you can feel it if you don’t believe me.” Yang Ziyun reached out and grabbed her hand. “Back when we were in school, everyone wanted to share a bed with me. Sometimes I didn’t want to, and people would sneak in in the middle of the night.”
Ling Ruoke immediately felt a burning sensation in her palm. "It's so hot, like a heater."
Yang Ziyun smiled and glanced at the computer that was on. "You're busy. Remember not to work too late, and definitely don't go to bed after ten o'clock, okay? Also, remember to keep warm, that's very important."
"Mom, I know. You should go to sleep early too." After seeing everyone off, Ling Ruoke took out an electric blanket from the closet. Huo Qingfeng had bought it at the beginning of the year, worried that she wouldn't be warm enough when he wasn't home. But he'd heard it wasn't very safe, so he told her not to leave it plugged in, but to heat up the blanket first and then unplug it.
I plugged in the electric blanket, covered myself with the quilt, and went back to the computer to continue writing. At nine o'clock, I took a hot shower and went to bed.
With the electric blanket on, the bed was warm and cozy, which was especially comfortable. However, she still preferred the Colonel, this natural heater. Most importantly, his familiar scent helped her sleep better.
Ling Ruoke was lying in her warm, cozy bed, almost falling asleep, when her phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was the colonel; a smile immediately spread across her face. "Husband."
"Honey, did I wake you up?" Huo Qingfeng knew she was already asleep as soon as he heard her voice.
Ling Ruoke subconsciously shook her head, then remembered that he was blind. "No, I'm not fully asleep yet. Did you just finish training? Are you cold?"
“It’s quite cold here, but we’ve been training hard, crawling and rolling around, and everyone’s covered in sweat, so it’s not cold at all. You should go to sleep early; you need to rest more now. Your body temperature is low, so don’t forget to warm up the blankets before you sleep.” Huo Qingfeng was not one for many words, but he couldn’t help but give her these reminders.
Ling Ruoke smiled and nodded. "You should take a shower and rest early too. Sweating and then being exposed to the wind makes you more susceptible to catching a cold. Don't think you're immune just because you're in the military."
"Okay, I'll do as you say. Come here, give your husband a kiss."
Ling Ruoke then kissed the phone hard, making a loud noise.
Huo Qingfeng smiled with satisfaction. "Alright, baby, it's time for you to sleep. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Ling Ruoke said, then added, "I miss you."
She only hung up after he said, "I miss you too." She put her phone back on the table, snuggled under the covers, and quickly fell asleep. A slight smile played on her lips; she seemed to be dreaming of something wonderful.
Ling Ruoke woke up from a good night's sleep, it was already past nine o'clock. When she came downstairs, she was surprised to find her father-in-law, Huo Zhixun, was also there.
It turns out that Huo Zhixun called his wife Yang Ziyun last night, and the nanny, Ahui, inadvertently reminded him of the injury on Yang Ziyun's back. So, ignoring his wife's advice, he took a plane over in the middle of the night.
Yang Ziyun knew her husband too well, so she kept her phone on and waited. Going to open the door for him in the middle of the night, she naturally didn't wake anyone else.
When Huo Zhixun saw the injury on his wife's back, although it wasn't particularly serious, he couldn't help but fly into a rage. His wife was his precious treasure, and he couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest harm! If the assailant were right in front of him, he would probably beat him to a pulp.
Ling Ruoke kept her distance from her father-in-law. Unfortunately, she appeared just as everyone was discussing yesterday's events, and he was still angry because his wife had been hurt. Adding to his rage, the police report indicated there was still no progress in the case. That one look from him was truly unsettling.
Yang Ziyun noticed Ruoke's expression and slapped her husband. "What are you doing? Look how scared you've made your daughter-in-law. Her face is so dark; can you afford to compensate us for frightening our Huo family's precious grandson?"
Huo Zhixun touched his nose, gave Ling Ruoke a forced smile, and then went to coax Yang Ziyun.
Seeing this, Ling Ruoke couldn't help but smile. The men of the Huo family truly doted on their wives; Huo Qingfeng was like that, and so was Huo Zhixun. She glanced at her grandfather, guessing he was the same way.
Huo Qingfeng once said that men who marry into the Huo family are blessed because they will only ever love this one woman, and love her most deeply and truly. At the time, she laughed at him for praising her so shamelessly, but as it turns out, it was true.
"Young Madam, come and have breakfast quickly, don't go hungry." As soon as Ahui saw Ruoke appear at the bottom of the stairs, she went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her, afraid that their young master would go hungry.
Ling Ruoke woke up late; everyone else had already eaten, so she was the only one left. "Thank you, Aunt Hui." Breakfast was carefully prepared, with particular attention to nutritional balance.
After breakfast, Ling Ruoke suggested going to the company. Everyone objected, but in the end, her grandfather sent two bodyguards to drive and protect her before she was allowed to leave.
As soon as she arrived at the company entrance, Xia Mo was at the reception desk. Seeing her appear, he crossed his arms and leaned casually against the table, giving her a half-smile. "So you finally showed up? You're the type who only shows up sporadically, disappearing without a trace all the time. If it weren't for the fact that your salary is still paid on time, everyone would think you've run away with the money."
Ling Ruoke said with a smile, "Without me watching over you, aren't you more free? You might even be able to do some bad things, right?"
"Tch!" Xia Mo scoffed disdainfully. "If you really wanted to do something evil, you wouldn't be gone for days on end."
Ling Ruoke didn't argue with him, but smiled with her lips pursed. "If you have any questions, come in and let's talk. It's rare for me to come back today. You might not see me for a long time in a while."
"What do you mean?" Xia Mo frowned. "You're not really planning to abscond with the money, are you?"
Ling Ruoke didn't answer him and stepped inside. She had been outside, and the two guards were some distance away, so Xia Mo hadn't noticed anyone behind her. Now that the two had followed her in, his mouth dropped open in astonishment.
The receptionist reacted even faster, shouting loudly, "What are you two doing here? Outsiders are not allowed to come in without permission."
Ling Ruoke rubbed her forehead; she had almost forgotten that she was being followed by two tails. "They came with me."
The receptionist looked them over again and then sat back down. Her large eyes stared at them with great curiosity, as if they were aliens.
Xia Mo couldn't help but ask, "What's going on? Did you do something illegal that requires you to be monitored by some department 24/7?"
Ling Ruoke rolled her eyes. "You have quite the imagination." She stepped inside, greeted the others, chatted for a few moments, and then went into her office.
Everyone was curious about the two tall men following behind her; they looked like they were trained fighters. Some couldn't help but wonder: Could our beautiful boss be a mafia boss?
Previously, she always felt irritable when facing work, and many times she wanted to just give up. But today, Ling Ruoke felt particularly calm, or perhaps "gentle" would be a more accurate description. Occasionally, she would place her hand on her stomach, and the corners of her mouth would involuntarily curve into a smile. It was as if, no matter how noisy and chaotic the outside world was, her world was calm, peaceful, and serene.
When Xia Mo came in for the second time to discuss something with her, he finally noticed her actions, narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at her, and asked, "You're not pregnant, are you? I see maternal glow on your face."
Ling Ruoke subconsciously reached up and touched her face, then smiled, meeting Xia Mo's gaze. "You guessed right, I'm going to be a mother."
Xia Mo paused for a moment, then smiled happily. "I knew it! She looks so full of maternal love. Congratulations! With such a joyous occasion, how about we all go out for a meal to celebrate?"
"Great, it's lunchtime. Go tell them. Once I reply to this email, we'll go eat."
"Long live the boss!" Xia Mo happily went out.
A moment later, Ling Ruoke heard cheers outside. Then the office door was pushed open, and a group of people rushed in.
"Sister Ruo, is it true? You're really pregnant?"
Ling Ruoke smiled faintly and nodded gently. "It's true. I was planning to tell you later, but Xia Mo saw through it. He really has sharp eyes."
"Sister Ruo, we were so stupid. Actually, we should have guessed it when you came back today looking so happy, right?"
"..."
A group of people were making a lot of noise, vying to express their opinions. In order not to delay lunchtime, the venue was moved from the office to the cafeteria.
Ling Ruoke called to say she wouldn't be home for dinner, and Yang Ziyun and Ahui nagged her for a while, telling her what she couldn't eat. Knowing they were thinking of her and her child, she listened patiently and silently took notes. Before hanging up, Ahui emphasized again that she absolutely had to come home for dinner and couldn't just eat out.
Mei Yanting sat to Ling Ruoke's left, and seeing the happiness on her face, she felt a pang of envy. She also wanted a child, but they had nothing yet, let alone the means to raise one. "Sister Ximeng, does your brother-in-law know?"
"I know. He happened to be home that day." Ling Ruoke was in a good mood, and the smile on her face never disappeared, no matter who she was talking to.
Mei Yanting's eyes gleamed with envy. "My brother-in-law must be overjoyed, right?"
Ling Ruoke nodded, unable to suppress a smile as she recalled that day. "He's always been shrewd, but his reaction that day was the silliest I've ever seen, though adorably silly. When you have children in the future, Chen Shan will definitely act the same way, and then you'll see."
"We're still doing nothing, how can we even think about having children?" Mei Yanting's smile was a little forced. Originally, she thought marrying Chen Shan was pretty good, but compared to Ling Ruoke, she was far inferior.
"As the saying goes, 'the poor raise their children frugally, and the rich raise their children lavishly.' Raising a child isn't as difficult as you think." Ling Ruoke had seen people save money to have children, but even after saving enough, they might not be able to conceive. Some people even have debts, yet they still raise their children well.
Mei Yanting smiled. "A well-fed person doesn't know the hunger of an starving one," she said. "It's easy for someone standing to talk; Sister Ximeng is well-off, she wouldn't understand the pain of being broke."
Ling Ruoke didn't say anything more, but turned to talk to Xia Mo. She didn't like using money as an excuse, so she didn't want to say much to Mei Yanting. Some people are naturally stubborn and can't listen to others' advice; Mei Yanting belonged to this category.
Xia Mo chatted with her about some work-related matters, then suddenly asked, "Are you planning to continue working sporadically, or just stay home and rest until the baby is born?"
“I’ll still be going to work for a while, but I probably won’t be coming back after a while. My husband wants me to live in the military base.” Ling Ruoke’s smile became even sweeter as she said this.
Mei Yanting leaned closer. "Sister Ximeng, are you going to join the army?"
Ling Ruoke turned around and nodded. "Yes, your brother-in-law wants me to go with him to the army, and I don't think there's any problem with that."
"If I could accompany my husband to the military, that would be great. At least we could see each other often. I heard that if you accompany your husband to the military, the army will arrange a job for you, is that true?" Mei Yanting had heard that if you accompanied your husband to the military, the army would provide both housing and a job. Chen Shan's rank wasn't high enough, otherwise she would have wanted to accompany him to the military too. She could have her own house without having to buy one, and a job would be arranged for her—how wonderful!
Ling Ruoke smiled and shook her head. "Serving as a military dependent isn't as simple as you think. There aren't many positions waiting for you; you have to figure out how to arrange it gradually." After talking to Peishi about military dependents last time, she specifically looked up information on this topic.
"Oh," Mei Yanting responded, and didn't continue the topic.
Ling Ruoke chatted and laughed with everyone, looking at the youthful faces of the girls, and thought about introducing them to potential partners. "Hey, is there anyone willing to marry a soldier? I know a lot of tall and handsome soldiers. Raise your hand if you don't mind marrying a soldier."
As a result, no one raised their hand. Everyone laughed and joked that soldiers only see each other a few times a year, and having a man is almost the same as not having one at all; it's too miserable.
Ling Ruoke didn't force anyone who wasn't willing, but she noticed that one girl, though not raising her hand, was clearly willing. When it was her turn, that girl looked around as if she was about to raise her hand. In the end, no one else raised their hand, so she remained still.
The girl's name is Li Jun. She's an assistant and has been there for less than six months. She's very honest, even a bit introverted, but has a gentle temperament and a kind heart. It's said her family isn't well-off; her father is in poor health, her younger brother is still young, and the family relies on her mother's income. So, despite her excellent grades, she started working after high school. She's worked as a waitress and a sales clerk, and later in quality control at another advertising company, since quality control doesn't require a degree. Four or five months ago, she switched jobs to Peihuo as an assistant. She's very diligent and eager to learn, but not very talkative.
Ling Ruoke remembered that she was born in 1984, so she must be around 27 or 28 now, which is not young anymore.
After lunch, on the way back, Ling Ruoke called Li Jun to a stop, and the two of them walked at the very back.
"Sister Ruo, is there something you want to tell me?" Li Jun was clearly a little nervous. She was worried that her boss wanted to talk to her because she wasn't doing her job well. This job was already very good to her, both in terms of the job content and the pay, and she absolutely didn't want to lose it.
Ling Ruoke reached out and patted her shoulder. "Don't be nervous, it's not about work. I just wanted to ask you if you'd be willing to date a soldier? I saw you were about to raise your hand just now."
Li Jun breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. As a girl with little education and not particularly pretty, approaching thirty and still unmarried, she was quite anxious. Her family had introduced her to men in the village, but she wasn't willing to settle.
Ling Ruoke smiled and took her arm. "Then I'll introduce you to someone another day. The person I introduce may not be very rich and can't provide a life of luxury, but he will definitely love women."
Li Jun was startled when Ling Ruoke took his arm. Hearing Ling Ruoke's words, he blushed and lowered his head. Every girl has a dream about love and marriage, and she wasn't particularly remarkable.
Ling Ruoke watched as her face flushed with embarrassment and began to seriously consider which soldier to introduce to her. Just then, they passed a shop where the owners were arguing, the woman shouting that she wanted a divorce. Suddenly, an idea struck her.
It wasn't even time to leave work in the afternoon when Yang Ziyun called, urging him to go home. She said that since he was pregnant, he shouldn't spend too much time in front of the computer or overwork himself, otherwise it wouldn't be good for the baby. Ling Ruoke saw that there was nothing else to do, so he left work early.
Back home, she inevitably got another lecture. But Ling Ruoke was in a good mood, so she didn't care much, especially since they were just concerned about her.
Ahui immediately went to the kitchen and brought out the chicken soup she had been simmering for hours, reminding her to finish it.
Ling Ruoke was both amused and exasperated. Aunt Hui was really feeding her like a pig. If she kept eating and drinking like this, she was genuinely worried about overnutrition. Wasn't it said that a large fetus would make delivery difficult?
Ling Ruoke had just finished her soup when an unexpected guest arrived.
The person who arrived was Gu Weiguo. He came alone; he left his bodyguard outside.
Ling Ruoke was a little surprised by his visit. Gu Miaomiao had already gone abroad, so he shouldn't have had any reason to come specifically to visit. However, out of politeness, she didn't ask any further questions and simply greeted him with a smile.
After some pleasantries, Grandpa Gu, Grandpa, Grandfather-in-law, and Grandmother-in-law began to say things that Ling Ruoke only vaguely understood. It wasn't until later that she suddenly realized their conversation was related to yesterday's accident.
Upon further reflection, Ling Ruoke understood. The mastermind behind yesterday's accident was Rong Xiumei, Old Master Gu's daughter-in-law. And Old Master Gu's visit today was to persuade the Huo family to forgive Rong Xiumei this time.
Ling Ruoke looked at the old man, her feelings incredibly complex. Forgive? Was she willing to forgive? And if she did forgive, would the matter truly be over?
Ling Ruoke didn't know that; all she knew was that she absolutely refused to let her child take any risks.
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