Falling for his comrade's bride-to-be

The moment he caught Song Ning-

His normally unruffled heart filled with a strange warmth.

It was a comforting, healing sense of fulfillment.

As though what he had caught was not a young woman jumping down from a high wall.

But a missing part of himself.

Then his heart began to pound.

He was even reluctant to let go.

Only when Song Ning climbed out of his arms herself, leaving him staring at their emptiness and feeling the loss sweeping over him-

Did he seem to realize something...

He hurried away with his squad, not daring to say another word.

For all his experience in life, he had never known what love was, or what it meant to fall for someone.

He had already noticed something was wrong with him before, but he had thought he was ill.

An illness that flared up particularly badly whenever he saw Song Ning!

But in that moment, he understood!

He had simply never experienced it before and had remained oblivious.

Back when he had been unable to focus on the competition in Capital City, when he had found himself thinking of Song Ning whether he meant to or not...

Some inexplicable feelings had quietly taken root.

And slowly sprouted.

Without his knowing, they had gradually grown stronger.

The moment he saw Song Ning appear atop the wall.

His heart had leaped into his throat.

He could see no one else.

And when she finally landed safely in his arms.

That sense of fulfillment came from more than having caught her safely.

It also came from finally having something tangible to hold after all his worrying and longing.

He had touched her.

He had even held her tightly in his arms.

He had not even put her down right away.

He had indeed been wrong!

At the wrong time, he had developed feelings he should never have had for someone he should never have wanted!

Without even realizing it-

He had fallen for his comrade's bride-to-be.

He was simply-utterly in the wrong!

Song Ning returned to the Guesthouse.

She did not have much luggage, but a long journey still required some preparation.

Early the next morning, Chen Liang came to see her.

Chen Liang explained that Regimental Commander Gu had been busy lately and had no time to come himself.

But he handed Song Ning an envelope, saying Regimental Commander Gu had asked him to give it to her.

Song Ning opened it and found a thick, neatly arranged stack of banknotes inside.

"What is this for?" Song Ning asked in surprise.

"Your m-medical fee!" Chen Liang answered succinctly.

He would not tell Song Ning that his regimental commander had spent ages running around the training grounds yesterday, then paced around his office for ages after returning, and finally called Wang Ze to ask a whole series of roundabout questions...

In the end, he had decided to pay Song Ning's medical fee in full.

One matter was one matter; another was another.

His comrade's family member had given him acupuncture, and he could not simply refuse to pay.

Although, to Chen Liang, it looked very much as though his regimental commander was worried Song Ning would not have enough money for her trip.

But he would keep that thought to himself, not say it aloud.

He was not Han Xiao, after all.

"My medical fee?"

Song Ning said, "Honestly, your regimental commander was injured saving me. How could I charge him for treatment? Besides, this is far too much!"

"It isn't! It's the same as Elder Zhou gave you!" Chen Liang replied.

Regimental Commander Gu had originally put in a ludicrous five hundred.

Fortunately, Chen Liang had reminded him.

If he gave the same amount as Elder Zhou, no one could object.

In the end, Chen Liang left the envelope behind and quietly departed.

Song Ning felt a little uneasy. Having accepted hefty medical fees from two "important figures," she would have to let them use the CT equipment first if she really managed to buy it. Both their conditions called for it.

At ten, Song Ning met up with Zhou Yuanhang and got into the jeep taking them to the railway station.

She would travel with Zhou Yuanhang on a direct train from Rong City to Shanghai City.

Only after boarding did Song Ning discover that Zhou Yuanhang had bought soft-sleeper tickets, both for lower berths.

Before departure, the train conductor even came over especially to greet him politely.

Song Ning silently revised her estimate of the Zhou family's standing upward another couple of notches.

Their compartment had four berths.

The two upper berths were occupied by a mother and daughter.

They boarded rather late and had a lot of luggage.

Being tall, Zhou Yuanhang got up and helped them place their bags on the luggage rack one by one.

The mother and daughter thanked him repeatedly.

Although they spoke Mandarin, they had Rong City accents.

Zhou Yuanhang told them they were welcome, then took out a book, showing no inclination to chat.

The mother and daughter then struck up a conversation with Song Ning.

Song Ning smiled and exchanged a few polite remarks with them before bringing the conversation to a close as well.

The two exchanged a slightly embarrassed look, but did not try to keep talking.

However, when Zhou Yuanhang went out to fetch water, the woman in the berth above Song Ning began casually fishing for information about their relationship.

Upon learning that she and Zhou Yuanhang were neither married nor dating, the young woman opposite her visibly perked up.

Sure enough, when Zhou Yuanhang returned, the young woman introduced herself as Feng Yan. She said her mother was getting on in years and had difficulty climbing into an upper berth, then asked whether he could switch with her.

Zhou Yuanhang said little and agreed with a nod.

This encouraged the young woman even more, and she began finding excuses to talk to him.

One moment she offered him fruit to thank him, the next she asked about fun places to visit in Shanghai City, and then she asked what book he was reading, hoping to discuss literature with him...

But Zhou Yuanhang clearly had little interest in engaging with her, and his rejection was unmistakable.

Song Ning knew little about Zhou Yuanhang's personal circumstances. Seeing that he was handling things calmly enough and did not need her help, she turned over and went to sleep.

The journey from Rong City to Shanghai City took nearly thirty hours. Apart from the slightly noisy attempts at conversation from the mother and daughter, everything went smoothly.

Trouble struck half an hour before they were due to get off.

They were nearing the station, and Zhou Yuanhang had gone to the washroom to freshen up before disembarking.

A little later, Feng Yan and her mother went out too.

With their stop approaching, it was perfectly normal to use the toilet, wash one's face, or touch up one's makeup, so Song Ning thought nothing of it.

But before long, she heard a commotion coming from one end of the carriage.

When Song Ning hurried over, Feng Yan's face was flushed, and tears brimmed in her eyes.

Feng Yan's mother had grabbed Zhou Yuanhang by the collar and was loudly demanding that he take responsibility.

The train attendants and railway police came over as well.

When asked what had happened, Feng Yan said that while she was washing up, Zhou Yuanhang had suddenly embraced her and said he liked her, and that she had struggled hard but could not get free.

Her mother backed her up, saying she had seen Zhou Yuanhang embrace her daughter with her own eyes.

Song Ning had not expected the pair to be so shameless, concocting such a disgusting scheme to force themselves on Zhou Yuanhang.

But she had no evidence to refute their claims.

There had been no other passengers in the washroom at the time, and the only eyewitness was Feng Yan's mother.

Furious, Zhou Yuanhang demanded that the matter be reported to the police.

To her surprise, the mother and daughter showed no fear either.

Since the train had reached the station, the railway police handed the "case" straight over to the station police office.

All four passengers from the same soft-sleeper compartment went straight to the police office after getting off the train.

Zhou Yuanhang made a phone call at the station.

Forty minutes later, a jeep swaggered into the railway station square.

A tall, dark-faced man in military uniform entered the police office and "collected" Song Ning and Zhou Yuanhang.

Looking at Zhou Yuanhang, the big man could not help laughing.

"Well, now I've seen everything! Who would have thought Young Master Zhou would get caught in a scam like this!"

Looking thoroughly uncomfortable, Zhou Yuanhang ignored him.

The man turned and studied Song Ning carefully, then smiled and held out his hand-

"Yang Ye, East China Military District! Welcome to Shanghai City, Comrade Song Ning! This is my turf. Whatever you need, just come to me!"

Song Ning reached out and shook Yang Ye's hand.

Yet she could not shake the feeling... that although this was their first meeting, there was something meaningful behind his smile.

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