Chapter 48: Obstinate Refusal to Repent (Part One)

  A two-story grey brick villa located within the Special Warfare Brigade base, has always been the residence of Jin Huan and several deputy brigade commanders. The first floor entrance leads directly to the living room, with rooms on either side used as a dining room, computer room, combat room, and quarters for duty soldiers and bathrooms. The second floor is divided into six bedrooms.

  After returning from the field hospital, Jin Huan moved Lin Ruolan's luggage here. He specially let her live in his room on the second floor, which has an independent bathroom and a living room. She has been living here for more than two months.

  Behind the small building, there is a forest with winding paths. A huge Chinese parasol tree is planted by the side of the building. Jin Huan had tied an autumn swing under the tree using rattan strips, which looked simple yet elegant. As Jin Huan was busy with military affairs, Lin Ruolan often found herself alone. Whenever this happened, she would take a good book and spend a leisurely afternoon on the swing.

  When Jin Huan was free, he would take her to a mountain behind the inn. The scenery on the mountain was beautiful, with a spring that had sweet water, which was perfect for brewing tea. During the day, they would listen to birds singing in the forest, and in the evening, they would sit under the eaves of the house listening to the rain, the sound of which was so soothing. In the quiet afternoon, Lin Ruolan would rest her head on his lap and take a sweet nap.

  The days passed quietly and sweetly, time seemed to have stopped, she was being pampered in his hands, deeply loved.

  July sunshine, scorching hot baking the earth.

  Fang Xiaotong walked past the wall of the small building, and as soon as she reached the gate, the straight-standing sentry in the guard tower stopped her. Since Chen Jianfeng's injury had healed, she was no longer allowed to enter this small building. She secretly sighed and said to the sentry, "I'm looking for Lin Shouzhang." Today was a weekend, Lin Ruolan was not working, after secretly asking around, she knew that Jin Huan happened to be in the company today, so she mustered up all her courage to ask Lin Ruolan for help.

  The sentry eyed her scrutinizingly and said stiffly: "Wait." Immediately another sentry ran towards the small building.

  Fang Xiaotong stared blankly at the fresh flowers in the garden, her emotions out of control since she first laid eyes on Chen Jianfeng - a man with broad shoulders that seemed capable of holding up the sky.

  His broad shoulders had been stirring her thoughts, making it impossible for her to forget. It was a shoulder that could provide comfort, and one day would become the lifelong dependence of his beautiful wife. But what good was having a heart full of admiration? It only deepened her own pain.

  For two months, she had almost used up all possible methods, even thinking of using the most primitive weapon of women to seduce him, but she didn't dare, fearing that he would despise her even more. It is said that when a woman chases after a man, there are layers of obstacles in between, so why did everything become so difficult for her?

  She could only stare at him in a daze, carefully engraving everything about him into her heart, treasuring it forever. No matter what he said, she nodded along. Even if he didn't say anything, just gazing at his handsome back was enough to make this life worthwhile...

  A woman's intuition made her vaguely feel that this man had someone in his heart, and when he was distracted, a gentle smile would even appear on his face, making her 100% sure that he was thinking of a woman. Who could it be? How lucky the woman must be to have such an excellent man tied up in knots over her.

  After five minutes had passed, the sentry ran back and said to her: "Go in."

  Qinwu soldier Xiao Zhao brought Fang Xiaotong to Lin Ruolan's room. In the quiet living room, the fragrance of chrysanthemum tea wafted through the air. Lin Ruolan, wearing a pale blue silk cheongsam, leaned against the recliner, her skin looking like white porcelain in the soft light that filtered through the glass.

  Walking into such a cool room on a sweltering summer day, the scorching heat around me vanished instantly.

  Fang Xiaotong gazed at Lin Ruolan with a hint of jealousy, having personally witnessed the man named Jin Huan doting on the woman before her. She had been around for some time and from the private conversations of those around her, she roughly understood Jin Huan's cold and ruthless nature. In fact, without others telling her, she could feel the subtle yet intimidating aura he exuded. However, when that man lowered his head to gaze at Lin Ruolan, she clearly saw a smile on his face.

  Jin Huang's gentle smile holds the most reassuring warmth, while Lin Ruolan's smiling eyes exude complete trust. The eyes that gaze at each other with a smile hide a deep affection that makes people envy and jealous, an unspoken but universally understood happiness.

  As Fang Xiaotong entered, Lin Ruolan straightened her body, grasping the delicate teapot handle and pouring chrysanthemum tea into a glass cup carved in the shape of flower petals: "Come have a cup of tea, I just brewed it." Her tone was slightly cold.

  Fang Xiaotong slowly walked over, sat down on the sofa, and swayed the cup, just smelling the fragrance. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions, unable to distinguish between anger, sadness, and joy. The woman in front of her was being pampered and spoiled by Jin Huang, while the man with broad shoulders and a handsome face had not yet shown any affection for her. It seemed as though she never had that qualification.

  Lin Ruo Lan picked up her delicate cup and quietly sipped her tea, "Do you have something to ask me?"

  "I...” Fang Xiaotong lowered her head, staring at the teacup in her hand. For a moment, she couldn't say a word despite having a lot to say. She bit her lower lip hard and drained the tea in one gulp. The fragrant tea slid down her throat, spreading warmth to her spleen and kidneys before radiating to her limbs, suddenly relaxing her. "I want to stay here, can you help me?"

  "Oh?" Lin Ruolan lowered her head and gazed at the chrysanthemum floating in the cup, on the tea table was a delicate pastry, she picked up a piece of hawthorn cake with her hand, "Not planning to go back?"

  "I know it's pointless to do so." Fang Xiaotong sighed, "Having stayed here for two months, I even think he dislikes me. But... thinking that after going back, I might never see him again, I feel extremely reluctant."

  Lin Ruo Lan didn't raise her head, but instead continued to savor the hawthorn cake on her own, yet in her heart, she had added a hint of sympathy for the young boy. After silently pondering for a moment, she lightly smiled: "What do you want me to help you with?"

  A glimmer of hope appeared on Fang Xiaotong's pretty face, making her originally dull eyes brighten up a lot. "Dr. Lin said that the recent training camp is in urgent need of medical personnel, can I go?"

  "Why don't you go tell Dr. Lin yourself? It's his responsibility." Lin Ruolan replied calmly, giving Fang Xiaotong a beautiful smile in return.

  Fang Xiaotong closed her eyes for a long time before speaking in an extremely soft voice: "Doctor Lin said that this requires Captain Jin's consent. Sister, if you're not willing to help me, then no one can."

  "I can mention your request to him, but as for whether he'll agree, I wouldn't dare guarantee it." Lin Ruolan looked at her face with a joyful expression, and her soft lips slightly curved up, saying meaningfully: "Being obstinately ignorant is probably also a kind of happiness. But don't suddenly realize one day that your life has taken the wrong path, only to look back when it's already too late."

  Suddenly, a thin layer of anger surged in Fang Xiaotong's heart. "What makes you put on such a condescending expression to lecture me? Isn't it just because someone spoils you, someone favors you, and someone backs you up?" But she didn't dare show her annoyance on her face, which wore a genuine smile instead. "Thank you!" She stood up and bid farewell.

  At dinner time, Jin Huan called back to say he would be late. Lin Ruolan was bored and read a book for a while before deciding to go out for a walk. She walked out of the room and saw that Chen Jianfeng's door across from her was half open. She quietly walked over and peeked inside, seeing Chen Jianfeng sitting in his room with a thick book in his hands. Hearing her footsteps, he looked up and said with a smile, "Come on in and sit down."

  Chen Jianfeng's room had a calligraphy work written by himself, with running script like flowing clouds and water, full of extreme charm, with smooth and natural strokes, and the whole piece was filled with an indescribable atmosphere.

  Unperturbed by favors or insults, I idly watch the flowers bloom and fall in front of my courtyard; without intention to stay or leave, I freely follow the clouds rolling and unrolling outside the sky.

  Lin Ruo Lan gazed at the calligraphy with sincerity, being infected by such broad and transcendent sentiments. She couldn't help but mutter to herself: "Independence in a cold window, peaceful with a share of abandonment; people flowing and rushing, firmly guarding a share of freedom."

  Chen Jianfeng was slightly surprised, and even felt a little embarrassed. He had never thought that the state of mind he was in when writing this character would one day be seen through by a woman. Chen Jianfeng was certain that this enigmatic woman understood him, and he knew this because she was willing to let him know! As for the part of her that she didn't want him to see clearly?

  His eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his eyelids drooped unnaturally. Was she clever or confused? She could see through his emotions with one sentence, yet was completely unaware of his attachment to her. Every time he decided to let go of her, she would make a new discovery, doing something that would surprise him at first, then confuse him, making him involuntarily try to figure out her thoughts and look forward to understanding her better. Then, without realizing it, he found himself paying more and more attention to her, until eventually, she left an impression on his heart, became addictive, and caught his attention...

  This is not a good sign, he's almost out of control. The idea of escaping quickly made him decide to erase her image from his heart countless times, but failed again and again, and he can't help himself when it comes to her.

  He coughed lightly and smiled: "I... just wrote it casually for fun."

  Lin Ruolan turned her head to look at him, everyone said that Jin Huan was the most terrifying, coldest and most ruthless, but she didn't feel that way, Chen Jianfeng was the most terrifying one.

  He doesn't have the majestic aura of a king, he is forever gentle and calm, making people mistakenly think he's amiable. But if you really thought so and wanted to be his enemy, occupy his upper hand, then you will inevitably lose without knowing what hit you. Underneath his elegant appearance lies an unstoppable aggressiveness and unquestionable top-notch intelligence.

  But somehow, she felt a sense of trust in this man that made her feel at ease, as if he would be a kind older brother who would take care of her.

  "Afternoon, Fang Xiaotong came over." Her bright eyes sparkled with light, and a faint smile rose to her lips.

  Chen Jianfeng's face didn't have any extra expression, "Does she have something on her mind?"

  "She...," Lin Ruo Lan chose her words carefully, "Actually she just wanted to stay behind."

  "And you promised to help her?" His indifferent tone and equally indifferent expression suddenly gave her an uneasy feeling, was he... angry? Those deep black eyes seemed unfathomable, the only thing that could be seen was a few hints of anger that he didn't want to hide.

  "I just...just agreed to help her tell Jin Huang something." She muttered a sentence, subconsciously taking a step back.

  Chen Jianfeng was enraged for some reason, and it was hard to tell whether it was because of her sudden display of fear or her help towards the little boy. "From now on, I hope you won't interfere with my affairs again," he said ruthlessly, his tone sharp and piercing. When he saw her slender shoulders slump down abruptly due to his blow, a strange pang of pain arose in his heart, and an apology almost escaped his lips.

  "I understand." Lin Ruolan lowered her long eyelashes, hiding the tears in her eyes. "I won't disturb you anymore." She turned around and quickly left, returning to her own room, slamming the door shut behind her, leaving Chen Jianfeng standing there with a bitter smile, his mind wandering aimlessly.

  The dusk is quiet, and the night wind blows gently through the open window, bringing a hint of coolness to the scorching air.

  Chen Jianfeng stood there for a long time before he finally walked out of the room and headed downstairs. He was very puzzled: why did he have to stand there for so long?

  Seven apertures are clever and ingenious, as if being blocked, can't think clearly no matter what.