"For that last glimmer of dawn, I am willing to endure the long darkness and wait before sunrise."
At this moment, Zhuang Yicheng deeply understood this feeling. However, he knew all too well that even if he waited his entire life, he would never see that glimmer of dawn. Because long before he appeared, this woman had already given her entire life to him, and would never change it.
The tragic fate of a moth drawn to a flame is something he, with his composure, cannot emulate. It is destined to be a lifelong regret. Perhaps, a lifelong loneliness as well.
Although I longed to go up to her and hug her waist, I knew deep down that I would never receive a warm smile from her. If I couldn't have that, why destroy this last bit of warmth?
He leaned against the door, watching quietly. His face was calm, revealing nothing. Only his deep eyes held a profound affection, yet there was no outlet for it, which eventually accumulated into bitterness in his heart.
Ling Ruoke focused intently on watering and kneading the dough until she was almost done, when she noticed Zhuang Yicheng standing right at the kitchen door. She smiled and asked, "So hungry you're trying to stave off hunger by looking at noodles?"
"Yes, isn't it pitiful?" Zhuang Yicheng smiled as well. His smile concealed a myriad of emotions, leaving only composure.
Ling Ruoke didn't look at him, but the smile on her face never faded. "Just bear with it a little longer, it'll be ready soon." The fish soup in the pot was already emitting a rich aroma.
Ling Ruoke suddenly stopped what she was doing, washed her hands, and ladled out a bowl of fish soup. Then she took another bowl and poured the soup back and forth between the two bowls until it wasn't so hot before handing it to him. "Here, have a bowl of fish soup first. I didn't put in much salt, so it should taste pretty good."
"It smells wonderful." Zhuang Yicheng brought it over and took a small sip. It was fresh, fragrant, and had a comforting aroma. This was something he had always longed for but never had. He had searched for it silently for many years, and finally, he had found it, only to have someone else snatch it up first.
Ling Ruoke smiled and then continued, "One-sided."
By the time Zhuang Yicheng finished his bowl of fish soup, Ling Ruoke's noodles were already in the pot. She deftly spread them out with a sieve and added cold water. Soon, the noodles were ready, looking quite appealing.
Ling Ruo knew that he had also served in the military, so she specially took a large bowl and filled it to the brim.
"I'll take it." Zhuang Yicheng strode in and picked up the bowl of noodles. As he walked towards the living room, the rich aroma almost made him decide to lock her up and never let her leave again.
However, he only thought about it, but didn't do it. One person's loneliness is always better than the tragedy of two or more people.
He sat down and immediately started eating, almost burning his mouth. Impatient? What a perfect word, perfectly capturing his mood at that moment. Whether it was the bowl of noodles, or the woman in the kitchen and the warmth of home she brought.
Ling Ruoke tidied up the kitchen briefly and sat down on the single sofa to his left. "How is it? The taste is alright, isn't it?" Seeing him eat heartily, it must be good. The way soldiers eat always makes one feel a sense of satisfaction.
Zhuang Yicheng just gave a vague "hmm," and after swallowing the noodles in his mouth, he looked up and said, "This is the best thing I've ever eaten."
Even though she knew he was exaggerating, Ling Ruoke couldn't help but laugh. Because her colonel always praised her cooking skills in such exaggerated ways. Although she knew it wasn't true, she still felt happy. Perhaps, this was exactly the effect he wanted.
"By the way, how is Zhuang Yuqi?" Come to think of it, she hadn't seen the child for a year and a half. The image of him always clinging to her was still vivid in her mind, even after so many days and nights.
Zhuang Yicheng paused, glanced at her, then lowered his head to continue eating his noodles. "It's fine."
Ling Ruoke knew he didn't want to say more, so she didn't press him. She sat there silently for a while, then remembered something else. "Um, was it a serious matter that you helped me forge my identity?"
Zhuang Yicheng slurped his noodles down, only stopping after a while as if he still wanted more. "Don't worry, I'm a provincial party secretary, after all. If I can't even handle this little thing, I'm just a nobody."
Ling Ruoke thought about it and agreed. The intricacies of officialdom were beyond her comprehension. A provincial party secretary was a very high-ranking official; if he couldn't even handle such a small matter, it would be unacceptable.
However, she didn't know what Zhuang Yicheng had sacrificed to resolve the situation. And Zhuang Yicheng didn't want her to know; since he wasn't using it as leverage, why make her suffer?
For a moment, the room was quiet except for the sound of Zhuang Yicheng eating noodles.
Ling Ruoke picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and found a program featuring a true story. She watched quietly, but wasn't particularly engrossed.
Zhuang Yicheng focused intently on eating his noodles, not even looking up at her. In his heart, he longed for this warm moment to last a little longer, just a little longer.
However, the time it takes to finish a bowl of noodles is simply too short. If this is the length of happiness, then it is too tragic. And he was destined for this tragedy.
"Is that enough?" Ling Ruoke turned her head and watched him put down his chopsticks.
Zhuang Yicheng smiled slightly, took a tissue, and elegantly wiped his lips. "That's enough. If you eat any more, you might not be able to digest it until dawn. It's getting late, let me take you home."
Ling Ruoke quickly stood up and refused. "You look quite tired, it's not safe for you to drive. How about this, you take me downstairs, and I'll take a taxi back."
"Alright." Zhuang Yicheng paused, nodded, and said nothing. He thought he had acted subtly, but she saw right through his weariness. She should leave sooner rather than later; otherwise, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't change his mind.
The two of them took the elevator down together.
Sunshine Home is an upscale residential area, and most residents own cars, so taxis rarely come this way. The two waited for a long time, but no car came.
"How about I take you home?"
Ling Ruoke looked in both directions again, but still couldn't see a taxi. "Then I'll drive. You can drive on the way back. It'll be good for you to rest for a bit."
Actually, the two residential areas are not far apart.
"good."
The two went back downstairs, and Zhuang Yicheng consciously climbed into the back seat, closing his eyes as soon as he got in. But his mind was a jumble of thoughts, making it impossible for him to fall asleep. He didn't know when it had started, but insomnia had become a habit.
Ling Ruoke turned on the radio and tuned to a channel playing soothing songs. As was her habit, she easily fell asleep listening to melodious tunes.
Before long, the car drove into Lijing Garden and stopped outside the villa gate.
The two people got out of the car and faced each other.
Ling Ruoke smiled at him and said, "Be careful on your way back, and don't fall asleep. Give me a call when you get home."
"Okay." Zhuang Yicheng smiled slightly, his heart aching when he heard the word "home." He had no idea where home was. He didn't know if the house with his parents counted as home, but shouldn't home be a warm place where one could relax? If a place only felt oppressive and confining, could it still be called home?
"Go back quickly and get some rest."
Zhuang Yicheng walked towards the driver's side door, but suddenly turned back and looked down at her. "Ruoke..."
"Hmm?" Ling Ruoke looked up. The shadows under the trees were dim, and she couldn't see his expression clearly. But she felt that he was very depressed and tired. However, she had no right to smooth away the sorrow between his brows; she could only feel sad for him.
“If…” He seemed about to say something, but suddenly changed his tone. “If you come to T City, don’t forget to look me up and catch up. I’m going back now, get some rest.”
"You too, drive carefully, I'll wait for your call." Ling Ruoke waved her hand and watched the car drive away. She sensed that Zhuang Yicheng didn't actually mean to say that, but he changed his mind before he could say it.
She took a deep breath and then exhaled. She felt grateful to Zhuang Yicheng and hoped he could be happy. She wished that heaven would quickly grant him a gentle woman to bring him happiness.
Ling Ruoke turned around and walked through the doorway. When she saw the person standing in the shadows beside the door, she almost cried out in surprise. "Auntie..."
The thought that Yang Ziyun might have witnessed what had just happened made Ling Ruoke feel her blood run cold. Yang Ziyun's impression of her had only just begun to improve; if another misunderstanding arose now…
"Is that your friend?" Yang Ziyun asked, looking towards the entrance of the residential complex. Her tone, however, didn't reveal anything amiss.
Ling Ruoke tried her best to calm herself down. "Yes. He ran into some trouble and was in a bad mood, so I went with him to get something to eat."
Yang Ziyun looked at her quietly for a while before saying, "Be more careful in the future. You are a married woman, don't let people misunderstand. It's getting late, go wash up and go to bed."
"Okay. Are Grandpa and the others asleep?" Ling Ruoke breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Yang Ziyun did not question her in a shrill voice or even curse her.
"Yes, I just fell asleep."
Ling Ruoke returned to her room, closed the door, and was still feeling uneasy. She couldn't figure out whether Yang Ziyun was just temporarily letting her off the hook or truly believed in her innocence.
He let out a sigh, rubbing his temples with a slight headache. He went into the bathroom and soaked in the bathtub. The warm liquid soothed his tired body, seemingly relaxing every pore.
Thinking of the colonel, thinking of Pei Huo, thinking of Zhuang Yicheng... one thing after another, my nerves were on edge.
Lost in thought, she became so confused that she almost fell asleep in the bathtub. If her phone hadn't rung, she would have spent the night in the tub.
She didn't even have time to dry herself; she just wiped her hands and ran out to answer the phone. "Hello?"
"Did I wake you? Go back to sleep, I've arrived. Goodnight." He finished speaking cleanly and crisply, as if he didn't even let her say another line.
"Goodnight." Ling Ruoke didn't snap out of her reverie until the busy signal came through. She felt that something was off about him.
Not wanting to have another headache, she grabbed a towel, dried herself, and crawled into bed. She turned the air conditioner down to a low temperature and wrapped herself tightly in the blankets—her favorite sleeping environment, even though she often woke up with a heavy head the next day.
I woke up from a nightmare in the middle of the night with my pajamas soaked with sweat. I tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally drifting off to sleep again.
She woke up with a splitting headache. But a group of people were waiting for her to make breakfast, so she had to get up no matter what.
While she was busy in the kitchen, Yang Ziyun came in to help and suddenly stopped to ask, "Ruo Ke, are you not feeling well?"
Ling Ruoke smiled; she was indeed feeling unwell. "Maybe I've been in the air conditioning too much; my head feels a bit heavy."
Yang Ziyun reached out and touched her forehead, then exclaimed with wide eyes, "What do you mean 'a little heavy'? You clearly have a fever!"
Ling Ruoke reached out and touched it; it seemed a little hot. It was probably because she had been soaking in water last night, and hadn't dried herself off in the middle of the night despite being covered in sweat, plus the air conditioning was set too low, that she had developed a fever.
"Hurry up, I'll take you to the hospital." Yang Ziyun grabbed her and ran out, looking anxious.
Ling Ruoke went back to her room to get her money and phone, while Yang Ziyun went to the gym to call for backup. When she came down, she saw several men returning from the gym.
"Ruo Ke, are you alright? You were perfectly fine, how did you suddenly get a fever?" The old man looked very anxious.
Ling Ruoke also felt extremely embarrassed. "Grandpa, I'm fine. I just caught a chill because the air conditioning was a bit too low last night. It's nothing serious, I think some medicine will do the trick."
"That won't do. Health is the foundation of everything. Go to the hospital right away and let the doctor check you out so you can feel at ease." In his mind, men don't usually suffer from serious illnesses or injuries, but women are different. Women are delicate and need to be taken good care of.
Yang Ziyun accompanied Ling Ruoke to the hospital, sending a bodyguard to drive her and another bodyguard to escort her.
To be honest, Ling Ruoke had been a healthy baby ever since returning from the base, never even catching a cold. It's unexpected that she'd fall ill.
As the saying goes, illness strikes like a landslide. It's one thing to be healthy, but when you are sick, it's terrifying. A high fever triggered a series of problems, causing Ling Ruoke to fall seriously ill.
She didn't feel anything when she first woke up, but by the time she got to the hospital, she was quite confused. Apparently, she hadn't realized she was sick and had been stubbornly pushing herself. Perhaps it was a result of the training at the base; back then, she would train until she was completely exhausted and sick, and wouldn't stop until she fainted. She wasn't very strong to begin with and had fallen ill several times, but she probably got used to the high-intensity training and hadn't been sick since.
After the doctor examined her and gave her an IV drip, Ling Ruoke finally felt a little better. Lying in bed and relaxing, she felt even more weak all over.
"Get some rest. We can talk about anything else once you're fully recovered." Yang Ziyun was very gentle, like a mother.
Ling Ruoke gazed at the gentle expression on her face through her hazy eyes, and for a moment, she felt as if she had returned to the past. Whenever she was sick, her mother would speak to her so gently and stay by her bedside. Gradually, she would drift off to sleep.
When Yang Ziyun touched her forehead to check her temperature, she drowsily grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go. Instinctively, she called out, "Mommy."
Yang Ziyun couldn't pull her hand away, so she sat down on the edge of the bed. Looking at her daughter holding her hand, her expression fragile yet full of affection, calling out "Mommy," her heart softened. Thinking of how she had lost both her parents and been hurt like that by Cang Weiwo, she was a pitiful person. This was the wife Qingfeng had chosen; she should treat her well from now on.
Sitting on the edge of the bed wasn't strenuous, but having her arm held in a fixed position was quite uncomfortable. Yang Ziyun tried several times to pull her hand away, but Ling Ruoke stubbornly held on. She held on tightly, even rubbing her hand against Ling Ruoke's palm.
Maintaining that position for so long caused one of her arms to go numb. She came up with a solution and asked the nurse to get her a pillow, which allowed her to switch arms.
Ling Ruoke hugged the pillow, seemingly sensing something different, and even pouted.
Looking at her like this, Yang Ziyun grew to like her even more. If she had a daughter, she would probably be just like this. Daughters are always closer to their mothers and much more considerate.
Just then, her phone rang. It turned out that Ruoke's phone was on the bedside table.
Yang Ziyun picked up her phone and saw "Mr. Zhuang" flashing on the screen. She hesitated and didn't answer. The call ended automatically, but it rang again shortly after. She thought for a moment and then answered. "Hello."
"Ruo Ke?" The person on the other end seemed to sense something was wrong with the voice and called out the name with a hint of doubt.
Hearing the man's voice, Yang Ziyun paused for a moment. "I'm sorry. Ruoke has a high fever and is asleep. How about this, when she wakes up, I'll have her call you back."
"She's sick? Can I ask which hospital and which ward she's in?" The voice was clearly anxious.
Since people wanted to visit her in the hospital, Yang Ziyun had no reason to refuse on Ruoke's behalf, so she gave them the address. She sat by the bed for a while, then remembered that neither of them had eaten breakfast, so she went out to get something to eat and also brought back some porridge for Ruoke.
Zhuang Yicheng arrived shortly after. The guards standing outside did not stop him, but only asked him a few questions.
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