Didn’t she just say she loved me and wanted to be with me forever?

Is this what several years apart does—doesn’t even recognize me?

Lin Shu: “!!”

What’s that look supposed to mean?

Does he recognize me?

What if he calls out to me?

Should I just say, “Sorry, you’ve mistaken me for someone else”?

Or should she say, “Sorry, I don’t know you”?

Whether he’s a person or a ghost, the scene of recognizing Lu Shaotang was just too awkward!

Wei Lan chased after her, “Comrade Lin Shu, why are you in such a hurry?”

Lin Shu’s vision momentarily darkened. “You’ve exposed my identity twice.”

She maintained a polite smile on her face and said kindly, “Comrade Wei Lan, I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first.”

But inside, she felt like a little person was frantically twisting, swaying, and tearing apart.

After five years, Lu Shaotang probably wouldn’t recognize his wife, right?

Seeing Lu Shaotang blocking her path with his cold aura, she instinctively tried to move aside, narrowly brushing past his outstretched hand.

His body temperature was so high that it startled her.

Lin Shu instinctively imagined it was a cold aura entering her body, burning her soul, A Ghost!

Otherwise, why would she feel such a shiver?

She quickened her pace!

Wei Lan hurriedly followed, though he was initially intimidated by Lu Shaotang, he had regained his composure. “Comrade Lin Shu, I’m really sorry, I was too… too forward.”

He had been dazed by her smile and then shocked awake by the cold presence of that man.

He shouldn’t be so hasty; he should take it slow, first making contact, building a relationship, and then proposing after a year or so.

By then, her sadness over her husband would have faded, and accepting new feelings would be easier.

Lu Shaotang instinctively took a step forward but then stopped abruptly.

His wife should be in the hospital.

The old lady he saw that night was likely his mother.

Seeing her relaxed, the illness of the patient probably wasn’t serious, so there was nothing to worry about.

He decided to deal with Chen Chaofa first.

At this moment, a teammate who was monitoring from the restaurant’s backyard suddenly signaled that Chen Chaofa had received a call in the kitchen and was suddenly heading out!

Lu Shaotang immediately strode into the restaurant.

When the waiter saw him enter, he immediately stood up, and other diners stopped eating, looking at him in surprise.

His aura was so strong that he seemed to bring his own whirlwind; people in front of him automatically made way, afraid to block him.

Lu Shaotang went straight to the kitchen.

Chen Yanming did not follow him in but stayed to keep an eye on the front.

Lu Shaotang stormed into the kitchen. A prep cook shouted angrily, “This is a restricted area, unauthorized personnel keep out!”

Without a word, Lu Shaotang punched him in the neck, knocking him unconscious, and continued moving toward the back.

This state-owned restaurant was…

Behind the restaurant was a narrow courtyard. He immediately saw Chen Chaofa climbing up the left side of the courtyard wall using the stone base of the wall.

Chen Chaofa had received a phone call warning him that the operation was about to be exposed and that he needed to hide immediately.

So, he left his tasks unfinished and retreated quickly.

Lu Shaotang took a running start and leaped up, moving much faster than Chen Chaofa.

Chen Chaofa could have jumped down to escape directly, but knowing he couldn’t outrun Lu Shaotang, he instinctively threw a flying dagger.

With a whoosh, a small bone-cleaving knife was hurled toward Lu Shaotang.

This kind of flying dagger was only effective as a surprise attack during combat.

With Lu Shaotang chasing him directly and knowing his tactics, the attack was effectively useless and only delayed Chen Chaofa’s escape.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Shaotang had already scaled the wall.

Chen Chaofa, perched on the wall, quickly aimed a knife at Lu Shaotang’s ankle.

Instead of dodging, Lu Shaotang kicked. There was a sharp clang as Chen Chaofa’s hand was jolted and he dropped the cleaver.

It turned out Lu Shaotang had strapped a metal plate around his ankle!

Lu Shaotang sneered and kicked Chen Chaofa forcefully off the wall.

The team below immediately restrained him, searched him for weapons, and then bound him, covering his mouth and taking him away.

Another accomplice had already been brought over.

They didn’t provide any explanation to the restaurant staff or give the onlookers a chance to gather; they resolved the situation swiftly and withdrew quickly.

The diners thought they might have seen things or been mistaken.

..

Lin Shu calmed down a few minutes after walking quickly.

She asked Wei Lan, “Did you see that person just now?”

Wei Lan nodded, “Yes, he looked a bit frightening. Why?”

Lin Shu glanced back and said quietly, “It’s nothing.”

She wasn’t about to admit that she had been scared by her overactive imagination.

That person must have been Lu Shaotang.

But something didn’t add up.

Lu Shaotang, who was supposed to have died at the beginning of the plot, suddenly appearing alive was unsettling.

Was the plot falling apart?

Or was it because she had crossed over?

But she hadn’t done anything to Lu Shaotang.

Unable to explain it, she could only blame it on a butterfly effect.

She didn’t expect that the lies she told her in-laws would come true.

They believed it wholeheartedly, while she had always believed he was dead, yet he had returned.

Was she just seeing things? Maybe that person just looked like Lu Shaotang?

To be honest, he didn’t resemble the photo at home very much.

Although the photo gave a cold and distant impression, the real person had an overwhelming presence.

The moment this person appeared, he filled the space around him instantly.

His aura was too domineering and intense.

By the end, he must have recognized her by the way he looked at her, right?

She calmly waited, thinking about how she would explain to Lu Shaotang why she didn’t recognize him earlier and her relationship with Wei Lan if he caught up with her.

However, the tall and handsome figure did not appear.

She decided to go buy some pig liver first, taking out seventeen yuan for Wei Lan—covering the cost of the milk powder, noodles, and roast chicken.

She was reluctant to give away the ration tickets, so she added a few extra dimes to cover the ticket value.

Wei Lan refused to accept more than fifteen yuan in the end.

Lin Shu didn’t want to argue with him and agreed.

As for the roast chicken… Wei Lan was so touched by her concern for the elderly and children that he didn’t eat any himself, directly asking the waiter to pack it up for her.

She didn’t refuse.

She planned to go to the market to try her luck and decided not to stay with Wei Lan.

Wei Lan was a bit disappointed, but since he was prepared for a long-term pursuit, he wasn’t in a hurry and definitely didn’t want to make her dislike him.

He immediately bid her farewell, watching her leave before turning around and walking away dejectedly.

When Lin Shu arrived at the state-run market, she found that the pig liver was already sold out.

Pork had to be bought early in the morning.

If it didn’t work out, she’d have to buy it tomorrow and leave then.

Returning to the hospital, she found her second sister and brother-in-law were there.

Lin Xia said, “Mother and Aunt are fine now. The doctor says they can be discharged. Let’s go home and stay on our place for a few days.”

Qian Lisheng also welcomed them, “Yes, no need to rush, stay for a couple of days, and Lin Xia can show you around.”

Lin Mother and Fang Dihua replied in unison, “No need to tour.”

With the autumn harvest approaching, they had no time for sightseeing.

They weren’t city folk with nothing to do after eating; their home was full of chores waiting for them.

Seeing that they really didn’t want to stay, Lin Xia had no choice and couldn’t persuade them to stay even for one night.

The hospital bed fee included the night’s stay, so not staying would be a waste.

They didn’t offer refunds.

Lin Mother also reminded Lin Xia not to come to see them off, as they would be taking the bus home the next day.

Lin Xia could only agree.

Lin Shu didn’t forget to remind her sister to come back for a check-up at the hospital.

Lin Xia held her waist and whispered, “I remember, don’t worry.”

Lin Shu wanted to have them stay for the roast chicken, but Lin Xia was reluctant.

They could eat it a few times a year if they wanted, but it was a rare treat in the countryside.

Lin Mother also wanted to take half of the roast chicken back for Panpan and Tiantian, but Lin Shu wouldn’t agree.

In this hot weather, keeping it until tomorrow would affect its flavor and taste bad.

She tore apart the roast chicken, and they all shared it.

The chicken was really delicious—its meat was firm and chewy, and the skin was elastic and tasty.

Everyone ate with great satisfaction.

Bao’er had oil dripping from his mouth and kept licking his fingers, not wasting a single drop of oil.

After the meal, the two elderly women took Bao’er downstairs for a walk to aid digestion, while Lin Shu was still immersed in the shock of seeing Lu Shaotang.

She thought it would be better to wait until there were fewer people in the hospital before telling her mother and mother-in-law.

That night, Sister-in-law Lu Da drove the tractor again, bringing Lin’s father and Lin Yue over.

They would only need another six or seven days of training before returning to the countryside to begin the autumn harvest and put their skills into practice.

After a brief chat, the elderly women sent them back.

That night, Lin Shu had an unusual number of dreams.

She dreamt that Lu Shaotang climbed through the window into her ward, blocking her and questioning why she was dating other men when she knew he hadn’t died.

He looked so fierce that she was terrified, thinking he was going to hit her, and she cried while explaining that she hadn’t been unfaithful.

The next moment, he started kissing her aggressively, and she… didn’t resist.

Then his mouth began to emit cold air, growing colder and colder until he froze her completely, making her wake up in fright.

Staring at the moonlight on the windowsill, Lin Shu was stunned.

Did she really just have… a spring dream?

This was so…

The images from the dream made her feel like her toes were going to break off.

It must have been because he was so strikingly handsome that she had the dream.

She bit her lip and clutched the blanket, tossing and turning on her small bed until she managed to suppress the strange feelings.

The complex feelings of fear, anticipation, terror, and excitement from the dream kept her awake for a while.

She had once yearned for a sweet romantic relationship, but the shadow cast by her father was too deep, and she always feared that men would hit her at any moment.

With someone as tall and strong as Lu Shaotang, she suspected that he could kill her with a single finger when he was angry!