Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

With Li Yuankui's downfall, the sky over Qingyun County cleared up completely.

Without this biggest "cancer" hindering them, the project team's work progressed more smoothly than ever before.

Road construction, factory building, investment attraction...

The entire Qingyun County is like a supercar with a full tank of gas, speeding wildly on the road to prosperity at an unprecedented pace!

Liu Ming and Xi Wanqing, this "golden duo," finally enjoyed a rare moment of leisure.

……

One weekend evening.

The setting sun turned the clouds on the horizon into a brilliant orange-red.

Outside Qingyun County, the moat that was once filled with sewage and garbage has become much clearer after initial treatment.

Liu Ming and Xi Wanqing walked side by side on the tree-lined path by the river.

The seriousness and poise they displayed at work were gone.

Both of them changed into simple casual clothes.

Liu Ming was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, looking like a sunny and handsome boy next door.

Xi Wanqing wore a light blue dress, the hem of which swayed gently in the evening breeze. Her usually unadorned face was now adorned with delicate makeup.

He had lost some of the authority of a deputy county head.

She possessed a touch more of a girl's charm and radiance.

Neither of them spoke.

Just walking quietly.

The setting sun cast long shadows of them, which eventually intertwined and became indistinguishable.

The atmosphere was somewhat subtle, and also somewhat...ambiguous.

"Liu Ming".

In the end, it was Xi Wanqing who broke the silence first.

"Um?"

"Do you...remember? Last time I got drunk at that little restaurant, I think...I talked nonsense..."

She kept her head down and her voice sounded somewhat unnatural.

The memory of that night was both hazy and... clear to her.

She only remembered that she seemed to be crying very sadly, and... she was still hugging him, not letting him leave...

As for what happened next...

She couldn't quite remember.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ming smiled.

Looking at her adorable expression, wanting to ask but afraid of embarrassment, he couldn't help but tease her.

"Nonsense? Which sentence are you referring to?"

Was it "I don't want to get married," or "Will you take me away with you?"

"boom!"

Xi Wanqing's face turned bright red instantly.

Her face turned red all the way down to her ears!

Finished!

It's all over!

I actually said such embarrassing things.

She felt so ashamed that she couldn't face anyone!

She wished the ground would crack open right now so she could crawl into it!

"You...you..." She pointed at Liu Ming, both ashamed and angry, unable to utter a single complete word.

"Hahaha!"

Looking at her adorable appearance—both shy and flustered, like a kitten with its fur standing on end—Liu Ming couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay, I'm not teasing you anymore."

He stopped smiling and his expression became serious.

He looked at her, his deep eyes filled with an unprecedented tenderness.

"Late Qing".

This was the first time he had called her name so affectionately.

Xi Wanqing's heart skipped a beat.

She raised her head, her clear, cool eyes looking at him with a mixture of panic and...expectation.

"I remember every word you said that night."

Liu Ming's voice was deep and magnetic.

"You said you didn't want to be a tool for arranged marriages, your fate predetermined by your family."

You said you wanted to prove yourself through your own abilities.

"I remember you said..."

He paused, took a step forward, and closed the distance between them.

He looked directly into her eyes and said, word by word:

You said you liked me.

"..."

Xi Wanqing's breathing stopped completely at that moment.

She felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her throat!

Finished!

He heard those words too.

She felt like a thief whose secrets had been exposed in public, completely flustered and wishing she could escape immediately.

However, she was just about to turn around.

A warm, strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

It's Liu Ming.

He didn't let her escape.

He simply looked at her quietly, his eyes burning like a blazing fire.

"Late Qing".

"Now, I want to ask you a question."

Was that drunken rambling, or...the truth?

……

The air seemed to freeze.

The evening breeze gently caressed the stray hairs on her forehead.

Xi Wanqing looked at the man in front of her, at his eyes, which were filled with seriousness and expectation.

She knew she had nowhere left to turn.

She didn't want to back out anymore.

From the moment he rescued her from several thugs on that snowy foreign street three years ago.

The man's silhouette was already deeply imprinted in her heart.

From the moment he arrived in Qingyun County, he helped her solve her problems time and time again, and sheltered her from the wind and rain.

That deep-seated stirring in my heart had already taken root and sprouted.

until now.

Finally, it's about to bloom.

She took a deep breath.

The heart that had been pounding wildly with nervousness and shyness miraculously calmed down at that moment.

She slowly raised her head and met his burning gaze.

For the first time, those eyes, which had been cold and aloof for over twenty years, shone with a dazzling light, like stars.

She didn't hesitate or dodge anymore.

She answered, each word deliberate and forceful, in an unprecedentedly firm and courageous tone:

"I am Xi Wanqing."

"The eldest daughter of the Xi family in the capital."

"The deputy county head of Qingyun County on temporary assignment."

"I like you, Liu Ming."

"It wasn't drunken talk."

"Yes, the truth."

"Besides, I've been waiting for you to say that for a long time."

After she finished speaking, she stood on tiptoe.

Liu Ming looked at him with a mixture of surprise and astonishment.

She took the initiative and kissed him.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them, which eventually merged into one.

The evening breeze along the riverbank also became gentle.

It was as if everyone was playing the most moving and blessed melody for this couple who had gone through countless trials and tribulations to finally be together.