An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 346 "Hidden Thoughts"

There were indeed three pages inside; this was Huo Qingshan's first discovery after opening the letter.

His curiosity about the letter, ever since he discovered it, had been unstoppable. Like a floating spore falling into a lake of his heart, it multiplied and spread at an unpredictable speed, covering the entire lake surface in just a few days. It was not quelled by his attempt to "stop boiling water by putting it in the back of the wardrobe," but rather it became a disaster.

Over the past week, he has had all sorts of speculations about "it," covering various aspects, including how many pages were inside the envelope.

Oh, he guessed right, it really was three pages, but there was nothing to be happy about.

What about the others? Of his many guesses about the contents of the letter, are any of them correct?
Halfway through the reading, through the girl's delicate writing, Huo Qingshan learned the ins and outs of their first meeting, which was a story of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress.

Two summers ago, a girl and several college classmates traveled to Fanzhou City. They chose a day to go hiking and camping in the mountains. The news said that there would be a meteor shower at night, so a group of young people came to see it.

However, the girl accidentally got separated from the group on the mountain. Unfamiliar with the terrain, she wandered around aimlessly until late at night without finding a way out. The further she went, the more desolate the surrounding environment became, overgrown with weeds and deserted. To make matters worse, she stepped into an animal trap and sat down and cried loudly in pain. But she knew a little about outdoor common sense and was afraid that her noise would attract some nocturnal creatures, so she went back inside.

At this moment of extreme panic and helplessness, she encountered a young military officer leading a night patrol to inspect border marker posts. He carried her down the mountain and took her to the hospital's emergency department.

After that, the girl secretly fell in love with him and did not hesitate to take the exam for this obscure job for him—Huo Qingshan discovered for the first time that he was also a master of imagination.

With a light flick of his fingertips, Huo Qingshan turned to the last page of the letter and continued reading. The girl's words subtly and overtly expressed her feelings of instant attraction, and she frankly stated that after seeing him in the reception room when she went to the army to deliver the banner, she couldn't forget him ever since.

The girl wrote in her letter: "I've wanted to write to you for a long time, but I've always held back. Because I've imagined countless times that after you open my letter and read it, you'll have this thought pop into your head—the girl is young and naive, and in a moment of passion, she mistakenly thinks that this is love."

Right, right? You might have similar thoughts as you read this letter now. Actually, I thought the same thing at first—could it just be a fleeting novelty?
So this letter wasn't sent until almost a year later. 307 days have passed since I last saw you, and I think I can now tell myself, and you, with certainty, that my feelings were serious!

The affection expressed in his words was passionate and open.

The last sentence of the letter was on a separate line: "If you, Battalion Commander Huo, don't have a girlfriend yet, I'd like to formally get to know you."

Meng.

The girl only left her surname; it seems that for a confession letter written to a stranger she had only met twice, concealing her full name was her last act of restraint.

Huo Qingshan couldn't resist rummaging through the other drawers in the room, but found no other letters; not many people wrote letters these days.

There was only this one letter. Huo Qingshan couldn't find any further evidence to speculate on the man's true feelings for the girl who wrote it.
No, he suddenly thought of Qin Yuan, that person's blind date.

Therefore, it is very likely that "he" wrote a letter to reject the girl's feelings, conveying his current relationship status, and the two broke off contact thereafter, with no further letters exchanged.

Thinking this, Huo Qingshan glanced at the date on the cover again, going back to shortly before "he" went on that dangerous mission... or perhaps he hadn't had time to reply before he never woke up again, and the matter was left unresolved.

After reading the letter, the man seemed to suddenly understand why, when he asked her in the elevator that day, "Do we know each other?" the girl looked aggrieved and hesitant.

Imagine a girl finally mustering the courage to take the initiative and show affection, only to receive no positive response. She must have felt disappointed and embarrassed at that moment, and it's understandable that she would feel awkward if the girl brought it up later. Girls are generally more sensitive.

This seems to explain everything. Why could a person from Fanzhou and a person from Hangzhou be connected? Why did the people around him think that the two had no prior connection, simply because they had never met her? Why was the girl unwilling to talk about their past experiences? Perhaps she felt that her confession had been rejected, and therefore she was ashamed to speak up.

There's also that mystery that has puzzled Huo Qingshan for so long: why was he able to see such intense love in her eyes when he first met her at the hospital?
It turns out this was a secret girl's unrequited love. The feelings she harbored didn't fade with time; the girl enlisted in the army for the person she loved, never giving up on pursuing the beautiful love she dreamed of.

The truth has come to light. Once this revolutionary yet traceable, reasonable yet unacceptable understanding is incorporated, the meaning of many things changes.

Under the streetlights, the girl carefully calculated the distance between their shadows, creating a beautiful scene of them holding hands. The moment Huo Qingshan noticed her actions, he inexplicably felt that this must be a scene she had fantasized about countless times—having dinner with the person she loved, strolling hand in hand in the night breeze, feeling carefree and happy.

So, that night, were you thinking about the person in front of you, or the person deep in your memory?

Thinking of this, Huo Qingshan's feelings were indescribable. He had never experienced such complex and intense emotions, so much so that his body could not contain them. It was very uncomfortable, but he didn't know how to deal with it to make himself feel any better.

This feeling, as if his entire body was being torn apart, reminded him of the year he was eleven, a period he least wanted to recall. That day, he returned home from school to find his mother gone, leaving only a cold, silent body. A few days later, at his mother's funeral, the still-young child overheard his father's romantic escapades from someone else. Turning his head, he saw his father, whom he had always revered, standing before his mother's coffin, his face filled with grief.

At that time, Huo Qingshan wanted to rush over several times and question the man in front of all his relatives and friends about what was real and what was fake.

It was as if overnight, everything he cherished had been ruthlessly shattered, leaving him with nothing.

Some things are better left unseen, because you can never be sure you can afford the consequences of knowing. Huo Qingshan felt he was doomed. Twenty-seven-year-old Huo Qingshan was no stronger than eleven-year-old Huo Qingshan.

...

The next morning, Huo Qingshan came to the camp mailroom and asked him if there had been any letters sent from Beijing during the year he had been in a coma.

No. The soldier on duty checked the information records in the computer and informed him of the result.

Huo Qingshan nodded and took his leave. On his way back, his phone kept vibrating in his pocket, receiving several messages, all from her. He opened them one by one and saw several similar photos of a girl with delicate features wearing a brightly patterned ethnic costume.

She asked him, "Which of these photos looks best? I need to pick two pictures of this outfit for the photographer to edit. I'm so conflicted."

Huo Qingshan: [They're all good-looking, but I think the third one is the best.]
Yoyo: [Hehe, I think so too.]
Yoyo: [My friend and I discovered a super delicious restaurant today, I'll bring you there next time!]
Yoyo: [This restaurant offers a 10% discount for couples dining on weekends, but unfortunately I didn't get to enjoy the discount today.]
Below this is a little human emoji, stomping its feet in frustration, with two flames on its head, and above the flames is a bubble that says "How hateful!"

Huo Qingshan typed slowly, replying rather slowly, and finally sent the message after a while: [Have fun.]
He knew what the other person was expecting his reply, but... it's really hard for people to deal with the whereabouts and ownership of something they don't own, including their heart.

This isn't his property; does he have the right to give it away? And if he does give it away, is it something the other party truly wants?

...

The low, flowing sound of a jazz saxophone, like melted caramel, carries a hint of smoky tobacco in its final notes. Off-white wall lamps are embedded in the vintage red brick wall, their light filtered softly by frosted glass.

The brass handles of the bar were polished to a shine, the countertop was light gray marble, and several wine glasses hung upside down on a metal rack above the bar.

With a deft flick of his wrist, the bartender spun the stainless steel shaker in a clean arc, the ice cubes clinking softly inside. He unscrewed the lid, and the amber liquid flowed slowly through the strainer into the glass. Finally, he placed a slice of lime on the rim. The whole sequence was fluid and effortless. He then gently pushed the glass towards the bar: "Miss, your Sunset Postman is ready."

Liao Zisheng reached out and took the cup, then handed it to the person beside him. His voice was made even lighter by the surrounding music: "Try this? It's not very strong and has a fruity flavor. It should suit your taste."

Meng Youyou shook her head and pushed the wine glass back the way it came.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Liao Zisheng glanced at the mint water in the other person's hand and said with a disdain, "We're all here at a bar, it's no fun if we don't drink alcohol and just drink this!"

"I'm worried that if you drink too much, there will be no one to take care of you, okay?"

Considering that the two of them were evenly matched in terms of alcohol tolerance, Liao Zisheng stopped caring whether she drank or not, and instead changed to a more caring topic: "As the eldest daughter of the family, I have come all this way, aren't you going to introduce me to the male guest?"

"He's at..." Meng Youyou stopped abruptly, then changed the subject, "You want to see him?" "Of course, I want to see who he is, what makes him so special that he's won your heart?"

Meng Youyou rested her chin on her hand and thought for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Then you have to lend me a hand and send him a message for me."

Liao Zisheng was all too familiar with the shifty look on the person in front of her. Having been in cahoots for so many years, the two had developed an unspoken understanding that no one else could fathom. The moment one of them bent over, the other knew exactly what she was up to. A sudden, ominous premonition washed over Liao Zisheng: "What are you planning?"

Meng Youyou winked at the person: "Do you know what a 'pig butchering scam' is?"

"It's about luring the pig in, and then..." Meng Youyou made a throat-slitting gesture with a mysterious expression, raising an eyebrow: "You understand?"

At 9:30 p.m., Huo Qingshan was still working overtime in the office. After finishing his work, the man tidied up the files and put them in the cabinet, then took out his phone to check. Over the past few days, she seemed to have cultivated a fixed habit in him: every time he finished his work, the first thing he did was open her WeChat and reply to her messages promptly.

The chat window displayed a location, which was the name of a bar. Huo Qingshan frowned slightly upon seeing this. There was also a voice message following it. When he opened it, a polite, unfamiliar female voice said, "Hello, I'm Youyou's friend. She's drunk at the bar, and I can't handle her by myself. I heard her calling your name, so I used her phone to send you this message. Would it be convenient for you to come over now?"

When Huo Qingshan arrived at the bar, it was almost 10:30. He found someone who was completely drunk and unconscious, along with her friend, in a card holder in the corner.

When Liao Zisheng saw Huo Qingshan, her eyes lit up for a moment. He was quite stylish, not bad at all. Her sister had good taste. Although she had a lot of thoughts running through her mind, it didn't affect her from following the script provided by Director Meng: "You are Huo Qingshan, right? I am Youyou's friend."

"Hello." The man nodded to the woman and asked, "Why did she drink so much?"

"She didn't drink that much; she has a low alcohol tolerance, one glass and she's out." At this moment, Liao Zisheng didn't forget to try her best to salvage her best friend's bad image as an alcoholic in front of the male guest.

Huo Qingshan stepped forward, helped the girl who was completely drunk to her feet, and suggested, "Do you live with her? I'll drive you back."

Liao Zisheng kept in mind her best friend's instructions to do something big tonight, and hurriedly declined, saying, "No need, no need, I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm staying at a hotel near the train station tonight. I can take a taxi myself. Please make sure Youyou gets home safely."

Seeing that she also looked drunk, Huo Qingshan insisted, "Let me take you back to your hotel first."

The train station is in the north of the city, while Meng Youyou's residential area is in the city center. After driving around in circles, they finally arrived back at the residential area's parking lot around midnight.

Huo Qingshan stepped out of the driver's seat, opened the back door, and found the girl lying half-side down on the back seat, her long hair disheveled and covering half of her small face, her short sleeves rolled up, revealing a large section of her fair waist.

The man bent down and crawled inside, gently pulling her clothes down a bit. Then he leaned in to hug her, trying to find a suitable position. He slipped one hand under her shoulder, intending to pull her closer, but unexpectedly... the girl suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused. Upon seeing this, Huo Qingshan's movements paused.

The next second, the man's collar was suddenly grabbed. He was already leaning down in the carriage, and the sudden force caused Huo Qingshan to lose his balance. He fell sideways and his back hit the seat hard, making the carriage shake slightly.

The girl flipped over and pressed down on him, her knee against his waist and her other leg draped over his. Her hands were still gripping his collar. Without a moment's hesitation, she leaned down, her hair falling down and brushing against his chin, neck, and earlobes. Her breath, tinged with the smell of alcohol, hit his face. Before he could even speak, her soft lips landed on his.

Huo Qingshan's mind went blank for a moment, as if it had gone completely blank. Her kiss was aggressive and reckless, seemingly wanting to get straight to the point, skipping the tentative exploration and tender caresses, doing whatever she wanted, with astonishing boldness.

Something wet and slippery clung to him forcefully, enveloping him in heat. He forgot to breathe, forgot to move, but he instinctively wanted to respond, to accommodate, even to take the lead.

But just then, a terrible thought popped into my head at the worst possible time: Oh dear, do you know who you're kissing right now? Is it the man you really want to kiss?
The moment he realized this, Huo Qingshan's heart sank, his reason was instantly jolted back to its peak, and he became completely sober. His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and with a burst of energy, he raised his hands and pressed against the girl's shoulders, forcefully pulling her off him.

The man's chest was still heaving violently, his gaze sweeping heavily over her moist, red lips. Smudged lipstick lingered around the edges of her lips, carrying a decadent allure after being ravaged, possessing a unique charm. When Huo Qingshan spoke, his voice was extremely hoarse: "You're drunk."

Meng Youyou looked down at him. Although there was some distance between them, she was still sitting on his lap. The girl's eyes were clear as she said, word by word, "Huo Qingshan, I'm not drunk."

After saying this, she suddenly became angry and made a move to break free from the man's grasp and lower her head to kiss him again. However, the man's strength quietly increased, forcefully blocking her approach. At the same time, he turned his face away, and she failed to succeed.

Huo Qingshan, panting, advised, "Oh dear, don't do this."

Whether it was from exhaustion or from the genuine effect of his words, Meng Youyou stopped struggling and quieted down. She simply reached out and gently wiped away the lipstick residue from his lips with her fingertips, her movements incredibly tender. But her eyes and voice were cold: "Don't you like me?"

Huo Qingshan remained silent for a few seconds, then said without answering, "Let me get up first, okay?"

Meng Youyou didn't say anything, climbed off him, and the two sat side by side in the car, with one person's seat between them.

Huo Qingshan looked at the girl's profile and asked, "You... like me?" He knew he had asked a seemingly pointless question, but only he knew that it was not a question with an obvious answer.

Meng Youyou seemed to find the question extremely funny: "Otherwise what? Do you think I would just randomly grab a man on the street and kiss him?"

"That's not what I meant." Another silence fell, seemingly even longer than before, before Huo Qingshan spoke in a hoarse voice, "I want to know what you like about me?"

See? Only someone who doesn't love would ask that question—why like? Why love? Meng Youyou sneered inwardly.

Why bother finding a reason?

The girl retorted angrily, "There aren't that many reasons to like someone. Love at first sight is liking, and so is liking someone over time."

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes suddenly dimmed. But they were neither the former, nor could they possibly be the latter, Huo Qingshan thought to himself. So you've always liked "him," haven't you?

"When did you start liking me?" He decided to press on, digging to the bottom of things: "Recently? Or..." longer ago?
"Does that matter?" Meng Youyou interrupted, utterly bewildered. "Does that affect your ability to answer my question?"

Huo Qingshan lowered his head and remained silent, as if shrouded in dark clouds, offering no reply. He didn't know how to begin. You ask me if I like you, but the person you really want to ask isn't me. And would my answer truly mean anything to you? He was at a loss for words.

What truly matters is never the word "like," but rather the subject preceding it. If that person is someone you like, then the sentence becomes incredibly meaningful; otherwise, it's meaningless.

There must be many people in this world who like you, and some of them will bravely stand in front of you and express their feelings, but what's so special about these words to you?

He remained silent for an unknown amount of time. During the long wait, Meng Youyou's heart gradually turned to ice. She gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "I understand. You can go now. I won't bother you anymore."

The man remained motionless and silent for a long time. Meng Youyou suddenly realized something and said, "Oh, I almost forgot, this is your car, it's my turn to leave."

Meng Youyou picked up her small bag, jumped out of the car nimbly, and placed her hand on the door handle. Before closing the door, she gazed at the man's profile hidden in the shadows, her vision gradually blurring. She pursed her lips and murmured, "Huo Qingshan, it was clearly you who said those words."

You said that if there is a next life, you would still want to be with me.

If I hadn't agreed to your request, I wouldn't have wanted to pursue you again. I thought when you said "we want to be together in the next life," you would be the one pursuing me. How could you do this? This was clearly your wish.

It turns out that the connection between people is truly something that can't be forced. The depth of the connection is up to fate. Once you've crossed paths, you can never go back to where you started, just like she couldn't make him fall in love with her again.

Meng Youyou let go and pushed, the car door closed with a click, and the girl turned and strode away.

(End of this chapter)