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Fu Huayi and Lu Jiangting were not only comrades but also classmates.
They were specially trained personnel for the Ministry of National Defense, and for a long time, they lived and ate together. They were very familiar with each other, so it wasn’t difficult to find extra work for each other.
As the end of the workday approached, Lu Jiangting discovered that a part of his work had malfunctioned. He stared blankly at the small monitor. After a while, he found the problem, but it would take time to solve.
A comrade patted him on the shoulder. “Jiangting, aren’t you going to shut down?”
“Not yet; I still have a bit more to do.”
“Then we’ll go first.”
“Okay.”
Everyone gradually shut down their computers, leaving him alone in the machine room.
After leaving, Fu Huayi headed straight for the bicycle shed.
Yi Yunshuo asked, “Hey, where are you going?”
Fu Huayi ignored him, found his bicycle, swiftly mounted it, and pedaled away quickly.
Even Yi Yunshuo’s voice couldn’t catch up.
“Where did he go? In such a hurry?”
“Who knows?”
“Aren’t you close to him? Don’t you know?”
“He didn’t say.”
…
Lin Yuyao left her rented room an hour early and waited in an alley opposite the department store.
She didn’t want to wait at the department store entrance in case she didn’t meet Fu Huayi but instead ran into Lu Jiangting.
She hid, planning to ignore Lu Jiangting if he passed by and only go out when Fu Huayi arrived.
After waiting for over half an hour, she saw Fu Huayi.
He was wearing a military uniform and had stopped his bicycle in front of the department store.
His tall figure loomed over the bicycle, which seemed a bit insignificant in comparison.
Fu Huayi checked the time; it was still twenty minutes before their agreed-upon time, but he wasn’t in a hurry.
He parked his bicycle and bought a pack of chewing gum from the store.
He had just put a piece in his mouth when he saw Lin Yuyao walking towards him.
The first time they met, her eyes were swollen from crying, and she had scratched and clawed at him, ferociously. She had been quite disheveled.
The second time, she fainted from anger at Lu Jiangting and ended up in the hospital.
She had looked pale and sickly, pitiable.
This was their third encounter.
The April sunset cast a golden glow, illuminating her as if she were framed in gold.
As she drew closer, he saw her clearly.
She was wearing a floral-print dress, her long, dark hair braided into two pigtails. Compared to the fashionable young women of Nancheng, she looked somewhat rustic.
But she was beautiful, with rosy lips, white teeth, bright eyes, and fair skin that seemed to glow in the sunset. She was more beautiful than any fashionable woman he had ever seen.
Fu Huayi froze, chewing his gum.
“Comrade Fu, you’re early.”
“Not really, you were earlier.”
Fu Huayi held out the remaining chewing gum, awkwardly offering it. “Would you like a piece?”
Lin Yuyao: “…”
She gently shook her head. “No, thank you. It was trouble enough for you to come all this way. If it’s convenient, may I treat you to dinner? We can talk while we eat.”
“Sure.”
She had already chosen a restaurant with a second floor on the opposite street.
Since she was asking for his help, treating him to a meal was only right. It was not yet common to work overtime, so most work hours were from nine to five. Since it was rush hour, there were no available seats.
Lin Yuyao felt embarrassed.
Waiting here was out of the question; Lu Jiangting would be off work soon, and it would be bad if he saw them.
Lu Jiangting wasn’t a good person; he might twist things around.
Fu Huayi noticed her discomfort and guessed her concerns.
“Shall we change places?”
Lin Yuyao nodded, “Okay.”
But… she wasn’t familiar with the area.
As if reading her mind, he said, “I know this area well. Shall I take you to a quieter restaurant?”
A quieter restaurant? Great.
“Okay, thank you.”
“No problem.” He swung his leg over his bicycle. “Hop on.”
She felt awkward, but they couldn’t stay there long, so she hesitated only for a moment before getting on the back of his bicycle.
This was just a small town, with rough roads.
Fu Huayi pedaled quickly, dodging pedestrians and other bicycles. The ride was bumpy and winding, and she felt like she might fall off at any moment. They hit a large pothole, and she almost fell.
Terrified, she quickly grabbed onto him.
Both their hearts pounded.
Lin Yuyao’s was from fright.
Fu Huayi’s might not have been.
“Oh? I’m sorry,” Lin Yuyao quickly let go.
Fu Huayi opened his mouth, his voice slightly hoarse.
“It’s okay. The road is a bit rough. Hold on; don’t fall off.”
Even if she was worried about falling, she wouldn’t hold on, only gently…
She lightly tugged at his clothes.
However, as the road grew rougher, her grip tightened.
His neat military uniform was now wrinkled where she had been holding on.
She didn’t know where he was taking her, but soon they reached a rural highway. After about half an hour, they entered another town. Or perhaps it wasn’t a town, but it certainly looked better than Lingxiang Town.
Fu Huayi took her to a seemingly upscale restaurant.
Lin Yuyao instinctively clutched her shoulder bag.
The three hundred yuan her parents and brother had scraped together for her wouldn’t last long.
A meal at this restaurant would probably cost ten or eight yuan.
“This restaurant looks good; let’s eat here.”
Lin Yuyao forced a strained smile and followed him inside.
The restaurant had an elegant menu with prices listed.
She glanced at it; sure enough, a few dishes would cost ten or eight yuan.
Lin Yuyao quietly ordered the cheapest dish and a soup.
Then she remembered that she was treating him to dinner; how could she order only the cheapest items?
She quickly pushed the menu towards Fu Huayi, saying, “You order. I don’t know what’s good here.”
“Okay, I’ll order a few of their signature dishes.”
Fu Huayi casually named a few dishes, making Lin Yuyao’s heart sink.
It was going to be expensive.
Oh well, considering he could help her with the divorce, spending a bit of money was worth it.
“Where’s your marriage certificate?”
Lin Yuyao said, “It’s with Lu Jiangting; he won’t give it to me.”
“He won’t even give you your copy?”
“Yes. He knows I don’t want it; he said he was worried I’d damage it.”
Fu Huayi’s eyes darkened. “So, the marriage certificate was just recently issued?”
“Yes. The day I discovered he secretly lent money to Fang Qing; I called to try to retrieve the marriage application materials.” Lin Yuyao replied
“After explaining the situation, the person agreed to send the materials back to me that day; I even gave them my address. Unexpectedly, he called Lu Jiangting again to ask.” She continued with disappointment in her voice.