The distant city of Z.
Without Ruoke's occasional chats and with Fu Peigang unable to come home often, Tan Peishi's days became unbearable. Especially when she thought about how she hadn't stopped Ruoke from picking up Fu'an, which led to Fu'an's disappearance, she felt an unbearable pang of guilt.
So, after the New Year, she found herself a job as a planning manager at a small advertising company. The work was a bit busy, but it was exactly what she wanted.
Tan Peishi remembered that Ruoke was also very talented in planning. They had even discussed starting an advertising planning company together after graduation and being their own bosses. But after a trip, she met Fu Peigang and fell head over heels in love, coming to Z City right after graduation. Ruoke, on the other hand, was with Cang Weiwo and naturally couldn't come here. The plan fell through.
Before Ruoke came to Z City, she also worked at an advertising company. The company was small, the workload wasn't heavy, and it was a comfortable nine-to-five job. Fu Peigang's salary was enough for them to live comfortably, so she didn't have a strong desire to make money.
Tan Peishi stopped typing, yawned, and stretched. That's the downside of being an office worker; sitting for too long causes backaches, shoulder pain, and general aches.
Tan Peishi stood up and stretched her limbs. She also took a stroll to see what her assistants were doing. Just thinking about her assistants gave Tan Peishi a terrible headache. They weren't quick learners, and they were reluctant to learn; she had to be taught something several times before they understood it, let alone apply it to other situations.
After wandering around for a while, he sighed and returned to his seat. Turning his head, he saw that the calendar on the left side of his desk was already marked with several circles. This time, Fu Peigang's mission had been going on for quite a while.
I reached for the calendar, flipped through it quickly, and realized it had been a long time since I'd seen Ruoke. I wondered how she was doing...
The thought made my heart ache again. Just then, my phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hello, are you Ms. Tan?"
"Yes, that's me." Tan Peishi thought to herself, "Is this another insurance salesperson?"
"Hello Ms. Tan, this is a courier company. We have a package for you. Are you home right now?"
A package? It seems like no one has sent her a package in a long time. Could it be a surprise from Fu Peigang? "Sorry, I'm not home right now. I should be home around 5:30. Would it be okay if you delivered it then?"
"No problem. Goodbye then."
After hanging up the phone, Tan Peishi frowned, wondering who would send her something. Her husband, Fu Peigang, wasn't usually one for romance. Oh well, she'd find out when the time came.
"Hey beautiful, are you free tonight? I'd like to treat you to dinner?" The office door opened, and a man walked in. He was over 180cm tall, with a good build and handsome features. But his obviously philandering smile made people wary.
Tan Peishi didn't need to look up; she knew who it was just from the emphasis. It was Lu Yiming, the director of the creative design department—a very talented man, but also a womanizer.
Glancing at him indifferently, Tan Peishi replied, "Sorry, I'm busy. I should also remind Mr. Lu that I am already a married woman, so please don't mistake me for someone else again."
Lu Yiming didn't seem to care and plopped down in the chair opposite her. "What's the big deal? We're just having a meal and chatting, not sleeping together, right?"
Tan Peishi found something and threw it at him. "You're supposed to be a scholar, so at least speak politely. Get lost, I have no interest in you."
Lu Yiming placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "Hey beautiful, life as a military wife is really boring and lonely, almost like being a widow. Don't you want to come out and have some fun?"
Tan Peishi looked at him with disdain. Luckily, her husband Fu Peigang was very loyal; otherwise, he would have been furious enough to vomit blood if he had encountered someone like Lu Yiming. "I'll give you ten seconds to get out of my office, or I'll kill you."
She hated the word "widow"! Because the work of special forces is very dangerous, these military wives are already very worried, and they can't tolerate such nonsense.
"Hey, hey, hey, is it really necessary to be so harsh?"
Tan Peishi ignored him, counting numbers under her breath, picked up the last book on the table, and walked around the desk. "2, 1!" She then smashed the book.
Lu Yiming covered his head and dashed out, shouting as he ran, "That woman is too fierce!" But she's spicy enough, and flavorful enough!
It was almost time to leave work, and Tan Peishi left as soon as her shift ended. She had barely reached the gate of her residential compound when the deliveryman called her.
I rushed to my front door and saw quite a lot of stuff—three boxes like I was moving house—and was immediately filled with questions. "What are all these things?"
She took the form while asking questions. Y City? Xing? Isn't that Ruoke? But there's only an address, no phone number.
Tan Peishi was overjoyed and hurriedly opened one of the boxes. Inside were clothes, but they weren't the ones she'd seen before. That makes sense, Ruoke hadn't taken anything from home! The second box contained a four-piece bedding set. The third box contained a laptop.
After the deliveryman left, she started turning everything out and finally found a small piece of paper under one of the boxes—"Peishi, I'll be back soon!"
It was unsigned, but the handwriting was familiar to Tam Pui-sze!
Holding the small piece of paper, she was almost in tears. If everything was alright, she would be back! No, she had to call the captain! She dialed the number only to remember that the captain and Fu Pei had just gone on a mission.
She was overjoyed and wanted to share it with someone. After thinking it over, she finally called Xuan Yuanqi.
Xuanyuan Qi hung up the phone and arrived in less than half an hour.
While waiting for him, Tan Peishi was so excited that she didn't want to cook.
"What happened?" Xuan Yuanqi asked as soon as he entered the room.
Tan Peishi handed him the piece of paper and the express delivery slip. "Look, this is Ruoke's handwriting. These things were all sent by her. The address shown on the express delivery slip is Y City."
Xuan Yuanqi looked at the words on the piece of paper. "Are you sure this is Ling Ruoke's handwriting?"
"Of course, we're best friends, there's no mistake."
"I'm going to Y City right away." Xuan Yuanqi took the delivery slip and turned to leave.
"Why? Isn't she coming back?" Tan Peishi asked, chasing after him in confusion.
"I'm afraid something might happen on the way. Don't forget, I'm looking for Cang Wei too."
"I'll go with you."
"..."
The two of them took Xuan Yuanqi's private jet and flew to Y City overnight. However, when they arrived, the house had already been returned.
Xuan Yuanqi quickly discovered that she had changed her name and had previously worked as a teacher at an elementary school, resigning two weeks prior. He then had someone check her flight records and found that she had booked a ticket but had not boarded the plane that day.
After a night of turmoil, the two were filled with worry again. Her plane ticket was from a week ago; she hadn't gone back as planned—she'd been taken away.
Tan Peishi slumped back in her chair. The overwhelming joy followed by such deep worry was agonizing. "What if she…?"
"I'll have someone check on Cang Weiwo's situation immediately."
...
For several days in a row, Cang Weiwo disappeared without a trace.
Ling Ruoke neither asked nor thought about it. Aside from eating, showering, and sleeping, she spent all her time writing novels on the computer.
After finishing her previous novel, she hadn't written for a while, and her readers had been clamoring for her to start a new project. So when her new novel was uploaded, there was a huge response, and even her editor specifically asked her to prepare a good stockpile of chapters. Writing and replying to comments every day became a joy for her.
Five or six days passed like this, the days were monotonous but peaceful.
On the evening of about the seventh day, while Ling Ruoke was having dinner, Cang Weiwo returned.
Ling Ruoke instinctively wanted to stand up and run upstairs.
"You'd better sit down and continue eating." Cang Weiwo's cold voice rang out from behind him.
After much deliberation, Ling Ruoke finally sat down obediently. She smelled a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him. She guessed he might be drunk; a drunk Cang Weiwo would be even more difficult to deal with. But judging from his appearance, he didn't seem drunk.
"Missed me?" Cang Weiwo suddenly leaned over and asked.
Ling Ruoke then realized she had been staring at him for too long. She quickly lowered her gaze and began shoveling rice into her mouth. Because she ate so fast, she choked and coughed.
Cang Wei seemed pleased to see her humiliated, and chuckled softly.
Ling Ruoke blushed with embarrassment, ate a few more bites, put down her bowl, and planned to hide back in her room.
"Sit down!" Cang Weiwo commanded calmly, her gaze sending chills down one's spine.
Ling Ruoke forced herself to meet his gaze and emphasized, "I'm full."
"I'm not full yet." He looked at her, his face expressionless.
Ling Ruoke knew she'd better not leave before he finished eating, or he'd get back at her. So, she sat down angrily. Watching him eat so leisurely and elegantly, she was seething with resentment.
Finally, he finished eating.
Ling Ruoke immediately stood up, afraid that he would make things difficult for her again, and ran upstairs.
Cang Wei's gaze followed her until she was out of sight, then slowly returned. The corners of his cold, hard lips curled up little by little.
Ling Ruoke ran back to her room, locked the door, and stood panting against it—not from running, but from being scared! Thankfully, Cang Wei didn't force her to stay, nor did he follow her!
She calmed her racing heart, stood by the door for a while, and then went over and sat down. Her eyes were tired from writing all day. She casually clicked on a singing variety show, moved her chair back, and watched for a bit.
The show is not entertaining; the hosts are long-winded, some judges are not even from the music festival, and the contestants' introductions always take an emotional approach... These have become common problems with current talent shows.
Just then, a pretty good contestant came up, and Ling Ruoke was listening intently when someone knocked on the door. Then she heard Cang Weiwo's voice, telling her to open the door.
Ling Ruoke slowly stood up, considering whether to open the door. She didn't want to, but she was afraid Cang Weiwo would get angry and kick the door down. She hesitated for a long time, then sat back down. She was listening to music; she'd pretend not to hear.
After knocking on the door for a while, there was no sound.
Ling Ruoke couldn't tell if he had given up or was looking for another way. Feeling uneasy, she lost all interest in appreciating the song. Twisting her fingers, she considered whether to go and open the door.
She stood up and walked to the door. Just as she hesitated, she heard the clinking of keys outside. Startled, she realized the door was already open. Instinctively, she pushed the door shut.
"Let go!" Cang Weiwo's voice rang out coldly.
Ling Ruoke gritted her teeth, unwilling to let go. "I...I want to sleep!"
Cang Weiwo completely ignored her and pushed the door open with a little force. Her little bit of strength was nothing to him.
Seeing that she couldn't stop him, Ling Ruoke quickly took a few steps back and glared at him warily.
Cang Wei glanced at her, then turned and closed the door. He then glanced at her computer.
Knowing he was about to delete her novel again, Ling Ruo rushed over and forcibly shut down the computer. Leaning against the computer desk, she turned to stare at him.
Cang Wei couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile as she approached step by step. She raised her hand and began to unbutton her shirt, one button at a time.
"What do you want?" Ling Ruoke's hair stood on end. A fruit knife lay beside the computer desk; she quickly grabbed it and held it tightly. "Don't come any closer!"
Cang Weiwo laughed even harder. "Ruo Ke, you can't even bear to watch chickens and ducks being killed, yet you want to rise to the top and kill people?"
"If you dare touch me, see if I dare!" Ling Ruoke shouted forcefully, unaware that this was just a cover-up.
"If I hadn't wanted you back then, you would have escaped. Now that I want you, there's no way you can escape me. So, put the knife down and don't hurt yourself." Her hand holding the knife was trembling.
Ling Ruoke swallowed hard, gritted her teeth, and said, "If you dare touch me, I will definitely kill you!" Her hand gripping the knife hilt had turned white.
For twenty-four years, she had always been kind to others and had never harmed anyone. The thought of using a knife to hurt someone was something she couldn't even imagine. But she couldn't let Cang Weiwo violate her body, she couldn't!
"Then let's give it a try. If it works, let's see if you can bring yourself to do it." Cang Wei didn't rush over, but approached step by step.
Actually, he had no other intentions; he just wanted to unbutton his shirt to let some air in. But she was convinced he was going to do something, and if he didn't do what she wanted, how could he face her?
Ling Ruoke quickly moved away from the computer desk and backed towards the bathroom. "Don't come any closer!"
Cang Weiwo had already taken off his shirt, and his hand was now on his belt buckle.
Ling Ruoke finally panicked, raising her knife towards Cang Weiwo. "Stop! If you come any closer, I really will kill you!"
Cang Wei chuckled softly. "If it were possible, you wouldn't even be able to withstand a single slap from me."
Ling Ruoke knew he was telling the truth. She darted into the bathroom and closed the door. But before she could lock it, Cang Wei had already pushed the door open in a flash.
Ling Ruoke leaned against the sink, her breathing quickening. "You...I..."
She was so panicked she couldn't speak. Suddenly, the knife changed direction, the tip pressed against her chest. "If you take another step forward, I'll kill myself!"
Cang Wei stopped at the doorway, his eyes slowly narrowing. "If you die, you'll never see Huo Qingfeng again. Are you willing to do that? If you could, you wouldn't." He concluded calmly, his voice cold.
"I—" Ling Ruoke was naturally unwilling to die. But when Cang Weiwo raised his foot, she had no time to think. With a forceful movement of her wrist, she pushed the knife into her chest.
"ah--"
Cang Wei's eyes widened suddenly, and he took a step forward.
"Don't come any closer!" Ling Ruoke frowned, the stinging pain causing her to groan softly. Blood oozed out, slowly staining her white t-shirt red, a shocking sight.
Cang Wei ignored her completely, grabbed her waist, picked her up, and rushed out.
"Call a doctor!" he shouted as soon as he stepped out of the room. He knew perfectly well that with her strength, the knife shouldn't have pierced too deeply, but he couldn't control the panic in his heart.
Ling Ruoke felt dizzy from the pain, mainly because she had been too nervous and was somewhat exhausted. Held in Cang Weiwo's arms, she seemed to see anxiety on his face. For a fleeting moment, she almost thought that this man deeply loved her.
She slowly closed her eyes, choosing not to look. Without the visual impact, the pain became even more intense. She thought dizzily, "It hurts so much from just a light prick; Qingfeng has so many wounds, he must be in excruciating pain!"
I wonder if he's come back from his mission yet...
Soon, private doctors appeared.
Ling Ruoke's wound wasn't actually deep. After the doctor disinfected and bandaged it, it was fine. However, it still hurt a lot, and her forehead was covered in sweat.
The doctor, a woman, bandaged her wound and then removed her torn clothes. She wiped away the blood and changed her into clean clothes. To avoid touching the wound, she dressed her in Cang Weiwo's clothes. During this process, she looked at Ling Ruoke and said, "I didn't expect him to have such an expression."
Ling Ruoke knew she was referring to Cang Weiwo, but couldn't figure out what she wanted to say, so she remained silent.
"Alright. Be careful not to get the wound wet, it will heal quickly. I'm not trying to be mean, but how could you bear to stab a woman in the most important and beautiful part of her body? Besides, don't you know that the heart is actually below the chest?" The female doctor shook her head, picked up her things, and left.
Ling Ruoke looked down at the bandaged area. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, only that Cang Weiwo shouldn't touch her. The doctor's words, though strange, weren't wrong. A woman's breasts are indeed very important.
The door opened, startling her so much that she quickly looked up.
Cang Wei walked in, his face extremely gloomy. Clearly, her self-harm angered him. He never expected that she would actually hurt herself to stop him from touching her! "Did you hear that? Next time you really want to die, make sure you stab yourself in the right spot."
Ling Ruoke lowered her gaze, refusing to look at him. In any case, he never said anything nice.
Cang Wei walked to the bedside.
Ling Ruoke was terrified and tried to run away, but he picked her up in one swift motion. "Let me go! Let me go!"
Cang Wei let her play around, coldly ordering the servants to change the sheets. He noticed that the woman in his arms was becoming increasingly light, her bones feeling heavy. He looked down and saw her prominent collarbones.
Ling Ruoke quickly crossed her arms to cover herself, glaring at him. This movement aggravated her wound, causing her face to scrunch up in pain.
A fleeting tenderness flashed in Cang Weiwo's eyes. He coldly said, "How about it? Do you feel the pain now?"
"None of your business!" Ling Ruoke retorted, enduring the pain.
Soon, the servants changed the sheets and left.
Cang Wei placed her back on the bed, braced himself against her sides, and leaned over her. His dark eyes were filled with a sinister glint. "Ruo Ke, you actually attempted suicide to prevent me from touching you, so you could leave your body for Huo Qingfeng, right? Too bad, you'll never have that chance in this lifetime! Or do you intend to remain a spinster until you die?"
Ling Ruoke hadn't expected him to say anything nice, but when she heard his next sentence, she was immediately stunned. He grabbed her collar, held his breath, and asked, "What do you mean? Could it be that Qingfeng... No, no way! You're trying to lie to me again, I won't fall for it!"
As she spoke, she pulled up the blanket, covered her head, and refused to be deceived by him any longer.
Cang Weiwo gently pulled back the blanket. "When Huo Qingfeng was on a mission in X country, he was blown to pieces by a bomb, and his body was never recovered. The military could only erect a cenotaph for him. If you don't believe me, you can ask your friend Tan Peishi."
"No, no way! I won't believe it! You must have tampered with the phone call and sent someone to impersonate Pei Shi to deceive me. I won't believe it!" But why did her body feel so cold?
She vaguely recalled the nightmare of Qingfeng being shot in the chest and spitting blood...
"No, no! Qingfeng is the best soldier in their unit, he'll be fine! Qingfeng promised me he would come back safely, he won't be in any trouble, he won't!"
Cang Weiwo grinned cruelly, gripping her chin and forcing her to look into his eyes. He said, word by word, "He's dead. He died in a foreign land, a lonely ghost. You'll never see him again in this lifetime! Perhaps he loved you deeply, and his spirit might appear in your dreams. But apart from that, you'll never have another chance to see him!"
She couldn't help but recall the ancient poem she had learned years ago—"The soul has never entered my dreams!"
Ling Ruoke was almost convinced when she suddenly remembered Zhuang Yicheng's lie. They were all like that, always mixing truth and falsehood, just to trick her into giving up. She wouldn't fall for it!
So, Ling Ruoke tried her best to calm herself down. "I won't believe it. I'm tired, I want to sleep!"
After saying that, she really closed her eyes and ignored him.
Cang Wei reached out, wanting to shake her awake, but ultimately slowly withdrew his hand. The doctor had just secretly told him that her nerves were very tense, and if she didn't get proper rest, problems could easily arise.
Anyway, Huo Qingfeng is dead, she will accept the fact one day.
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