The story of those five years

  Dishes were quickly served, red, yellow, white and green filled the entire round table. Each dish was freshly cooked, covered with a lid and brought up, steaming hot, just smelling the aroma could make people's appetite surge.

  Wen Jia looked at the table full of familiar and unfamiliar dishes, her tongue slightly numb. In her heart, she once again admired her good friend: "Girl, you're ruthless!" But she didn't dwell on it, after all, it wasn't her treat. Only a fool would fight with their own stomach. So, without hesitation, she picked up her chopsticks and started eating, feeling utterly delightful.

  In comparison, Lin Peipei's side is full of aristocratic air. Savoring the soup slowly, using a picky gaze to scan the dishes on the table for a long time before taking another bite. As it turns out, Lin Peipei's ordering vision is absolutely high-end and elegant, although she wants to make Qin Feng's wallet bleed, but also doesn't want to offend her own stomach, the taste, connotation of the dishes she ordered are absolutely complete in color, fragrance, and flavor, worthy of the "sky-high price" two words.

  Qin Feng, sitting beside her, was a perfect "twenty-four filial" new good man, serving Lin Peipei soup, picking dishes for her, and handing her tissues. Seeing that she hadn't put down her chopsticks for half a day, he picked up a portion of each dish and placed it in the small plate in front of her, letting Lin Peipei choose what she liked to eat.

  Lin Peipei didn't hold back, thoroughly enjoying Qin Feng's service, only picking dishes she liked to eat and sending the ones she didn't like to Wen Jia's bowl on the other side. After a few rounds of this, Wen Jia couldn't take it anymore and lightly kicked Lin Peipei under the table with her high-heeled shoes, hinting for her to restrain herself. Fortunately, Lin Peipei gave face to her good friend and stopped, instead putting some dishes she really didn't like back into Qin Feng's bowl.

  Qin Feng's response to Lin Pei Pei was naturally delightful, almost forgetting his own surname, no matter what he picked up and ate without hesitation, even a piece of raw ginger would be eaten as if it were honey.

  Lin Haotian sat silently across from Lin Peipei, his eyes narrowed as he ate, but the subtle movements between the two didn't escape his notice. He chose to be an observer from start to finish, a sly smile spreading across his face like a fox. Ah, Brother Lin, what's with that expression? Are you planning on scheming against your sister or your brother?

  The lavish banquet ended with a bill close to six figures, but Lin Haotian wasn't worried that his brother wouldn't be able to pay for it. With Qin Feng's abilities, this was just a drop in the bucket. Besides, this was his apology banquet, who would dare to wear such a big hat? The only thing he was unsure of was how much of Lin Peipei's anger had dissipated. Lin Peipei hadn't made a sound since the dishes were served and hadn't shown her previous resentful expression. She left with a faint smile on her face, which also made him unable to guess his sister's thoughts.

  Wen Jia was called away by a phone call from her boyfriend at the door, and Lin Peipei could only squeeze into Lin Haotian's cheetah with Qin Feng. After returning to the gate of the courtyard, she received a phone call and handed Lin Peipei over to Qin Feng, asking him to ensure her safe return home before leaving. The two didn't speak, silently moving like two shadows.

  Actually, on the way back, Qin Feng turned his head several times to talk to Lin Peipei who was sitting in the same car seat, but Lin Peipei always faced the window with no expression. He didn't know how to start a conversation and could only look at her profile and small nose tip, which were dappled and blurred by the light coming from outside the window.

  Lin Pei Pei naturally knew that Qin Feng had been watching her, through the rearview mirror of the car window, she was also looking at Qin Feng, searching for the face of the boy in her impression years ago, overlapping it with the face of the man beside her now, separating... overlapping again...

  She just kept staring at him like this, but Qin Feng didn't know.

  All the way until she walked into her home, Lin Peipei didn't say a word to Qin Feng. Qin Feng looked at her with some impatience as she just walked in like that, sighed inwardly, and turned to leave.

  Tonight, two people will definitely lose sleep.

  Lin Pei lay in bed, tossing and turning, feeling suffocated with anger that she couldn't quite put into words. Was it because of Qin Feng's sudden departure all those years ago without a word? Or was it because of his actions that didn't have her consent? Whatever it was, thinking about him made her angry, and the more she thought about it, the less she could sleep. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to calm down.

  Sigh... Lin Xiao, Lin Xiao, you were all so young when you parted ways back then. There were no highways, no mobile phones that everyone carried with them. You were all just kids, separated by thousands of miles. How was he supposed to contact you? It's already a miracle that he remembered you at all! Be content with that!

  Besides, it seemed like you didn't take his unintentional actions too seriously either. Wasn't it just a matter of pride? What kind of anger is this, anyway?

  Qin Feng leaned against the headboard with his arm propping up his head, the darkness in front of him like a movie screen, and the scenes of those years rolling in his mind.

  Lin Hongjiang and Qin Feng's father, Qin Lei, were once sworn brothers in a war-torn trench, both serving in the M Provincial Military Region's Special Reconnaissance Company. Back then, there weren't specialized special forces like today, so the reconnaissance company was probably the precursor to special forces. In that era of rampant drug smuggling, anti-narcotics work became one of their main tasks. Qin Lei, being a few years older than Lin Hongjiang, was indeed a big brother figure. At the time, Lin Hongjiang had already married Wu Shulan and settled down in a small compound within the military district's residential area. Qin Lei, although still unmarried, followed suit and applied for the house next door, occupying it under the guise of "free meals." In reality, he was thinking ahead: when the two brothers went on missions, their wives could look out for each other. Ah, this Big Brother Lei sure had a long-term plan!

  During a mission, Qin Lei was shot by a poisonous bullet while fighting with the enemy and was sent back to the M Province Military Hospital for treatment. Lin Hongjiang didn't accompany him back because he had to deal with the aftermath, but he called ahead of time using the military phone to notify Wu Shulan, who was still studying at the medical university, to ask her to contact her friend Zuo Mei, who had already graduated and was working at the military hospital, to help take care of Qin Lei. Wu Shulan considered Qin Lei as an elder brother and immediately went to find her friend. Coincidentally, Qin Lei was sent to the surgical department where Zuo Mei worked, so she volunteered to take care of him. When Lin Hongjiang arrived at the hospital after finishing his work, he was shocked by what he saw.

  It's rare for the two brothers to meet, and they can't help but indulge in spiritual food. As for Qin Lei, who is heavily addicted to smoking, he hasn't seen a cigarette butt in several days. Holding a cigarette, he still considers his own injuries and doesn't dare light it up. Instead, he puts the cigarette under his nose and takes a deep sniff.

  "What are you doing?!"

  A sharp soprano voice sounded outside the hospital room door, followed by a figure rushing in.

  "Are you secretly smoking?... Are you trying to kill yourself?... Quickly put it out for me!... And you! As a soldier, go smoke outside, can't you see this is an ICU ward? How unaware!"

  Zuo Mei saw the cigarette in Qin Lei's hand and her eyes blazed with anger. After scolding Qin Lei, she didn't spare Lin Hongjiang either. She had never met Lin Hongjiang before, as she was away on an internship when Wu Shulan got married and only knew that he was a soldier. Even if she had known him, she would have still scolded him at this moment.

  "I didn't smoke... you see... it's not even lit... just smell it... don't be angry, can't I just throw it away?"

  Qin Lei looked like a little wife, lying down obediently to let Zuo Mei give him an injection. His flattering expression shocked Lin Hongjiang into a momentary stone statue. To Zuo Mei's questioning, he could only respond with "ah, ah" in a foolish manner. Ah, mom! When have I ever seen my big brother look so cute? It must be because of the female lead! There must be a female lead syndrome!

  Lin Hongjiang saw the problem, of course Wu Shulan also knew, so a couple had feelings for each other, and soon they got married. Zuo Mei moved into Lin's small compound, finally achieving Qin Lei's grand ideal of mutual support. Later, the first child of the two families was born.

  Originally, Wu Shulan was due to give birth a bit later and had a full-term pregnancy. Coincidentally, the men were out on a mission, so Zuo Mei took Wu Shulan to the hospital while she herself was also experiencing contractions due to overexertion. As a result, both women ended up on the delivery bed together, causing quite a commotion in the maternity ward. Fortunately, Zuo Mei's pregnancy was also over eight months along, and there were no major issues with the birth. The two babies from the Qin and Lin families were born one after the other, with only a few seconds difference between them. It was impossible to say who came first and who came second. The adults didn't think it was an issue, but as the two boys grew up, they would fight each other countless times over who was the older brother. No matter how their parents tried to reason with them, the argument wouldn't be resolved until they brought up the fact that they had been in their mothers' wombs for different lengths of time. Naturally, Qin Feng, who ended up being the younger brother, felt resentful and sulked for many years. It wasn't until Lin Peipei was born that he finally felt balanced again, thinking to himself, "I'm also a big brother now!" As a result, he became very close to his little sister and would often take her with him wherever he went. This time, Lin Haotian didn't try to compete with him for attention from their little sister. In his own mind, he thought that since Lin Peipei was his mother's biological child, even if Qin Feng took her with him all the time, she still belonged to his family and he wouldn't fight him for her. After Lin Peipei learned how to walk, she would often follow her two big brothers around, and Qin Feng especially loved taking her on outings everywhere they went. Whenever he heard Lin Peipei call out "ge ge" (big brother) in her soft voice, his mood would lift instantly. This way, he could proudly not have to address Lin Haotian as "ge ge" anymore, since both of them were big brothers and outsiders couldn't tell who was older or younger. He felt that his status was now equal to Lin Haotian's! Look at this stubborn child!

  Since giving birth to Qin Feng, Zuo Mei has not been able to get pregnant again, and no specific reason can be found, only attributing it to the sequelae of premature birth at that time. Therefore, Lin Peipei's birth made her so happy as if she had given birth to her own child, spoiling her more than her biological mother, letting Lin Peipei call her and Qin Lei "Qin Dad" and "Qin Mom". It can be imagined that Lin Peipei's status in the two families is absolutely at the level of a queen.

  The days passed like this, the two families got along as if they were one family. Whoever finished work first would cook dinner, and they would eat together. Household chores were shared, and when shopping, they wouldn't forget to buy small things after buying big ones. This continued until Lin Peipei was six years old, when there was a major adjustment in the military and government sectors. Lin Hongjiang retired from the military and stayed in M Province, while Qin Lei, because his family was a well-known military family in Beijing, couldn't easily take off his uniform, so he continued to move up the ranks, being transferred to the Garrison Command.

  This order is like a military order, and even if they don't want to, they have to leave. The adults are okay with it, and the two kids, who are half-grown up, also understand that their father's military identity can't tolerate their childish feelings, so they silently accept it. But Lin Peipei is not having it, she doesn't accept it! At that time, she couldn't understand why her parents, Qin Dad and Qin Mom, would abandon her, and she wouldn't be able to see her close friend Qin Fengge again. How could the world she was familiar with change overnight? She felt very wronged, and when children feel wronged, they cry and throw a tantrum, which is exactly what happened in that scene Lin Haotian mentioned.

  The scene in Qin Feng's mind finally froze on Lin Pei Pei hugging him and crying, looking at his tearful eyes. He understood why he had been thinking about Lin Pei Pei since they met at the international gathering. It was because her tearful eyes were so similar to those in his heart. Originally...he had been hiding Lin Pei Pei deep in his heart, even he himself hadn't discovered it.