A whirlwind marriage with a high-ranking official: Lights out, don't force me to take the initi

Last night.

After they finished staying up all night and making merry, it was already past 1 a.m. before they went to sleep.

Lu Weidong then gave Lu Xiaojun and Lu Weihua each a New Year's gift.

He didn't know that Ye Wenxi had already given it to him.

After handing out the money, the two of them carefully put it away before saying with smiles:

My aunt has already given it to me; it's a huge portion!

Lu Weidong was amused and didn't take it back, but reached out and ruffled Lu Xiaojun's hair.

Ye Wenxi returned his salary passbook to him.

She manages the family's finances, but she doesn't want him to always be penniless.

Although Lu Weidong said that he didn't have many expenses and that he had enough to eat and wear in the army, so why would he need money?

But Ye Wenxi insisted on keeping it for him, saying that he might need it in an emergency.

The passbook is kept in a place known to both of them, in a metal box in the drawer. Whoever needs it can take it without asking.

-

At two in the morning, the military compound was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

The pair of red lanterns in the living room were still lit. Lu Xiaojun had hung them up that afternoon, saying they couldn't be extinguished on New Year's Eve and had to stay lit all night for good luck and prosperity.

Red light shone through the living room window and fell on the snow in the courtyard.

The snow surface reflected light in fine, dense patterns, like a layer of scattered silver.

The red hue reflected back from the snow and landed squarely on the bedroom windowpane, turning the entire window a pale red.

The curtains weren't fully drawn.

A beam of red light leaked in through the crack, spreading diagonally across the bed, extending from the corner of the blanket to the pillow.

Ye Wenxi seemed to be gently nudged by something, and opened her eyes from her sleep.

It was still dark. Lu Weidong was still fast asleep beside him, breathing evenly.

She glanced at her watch; it was just past four o'clock.

I only slept for three hours.

But at this moment, all sleepiness has vanished.

My gaze fell on the calendar on the bedside table: February 17th.

Today marks the day that war officially began.

Ye Wenxi felt a sudden emptiness in her heart.

Last night, I didn't receive a call from Ding Jiahe.

It seems that too many people are making phone calls during the Chinese New Year, making it inconvenient to wait in line.

She had arranged to meet Li Yuejin at her place today, afraid of missing Ding Jiahe's call, and what if no one answered when she called?

Thinking of this, Ye Wenxi shifted, unable to contain herself any longer.

When it got light, she took the initiative to call Ding Jiahe to ask about the situation.

She sat on the bed, these thoughts swirling in her mind.

It made no sound and did nothing.

Just sitting there.

Lu Weidong suddenly opened his eyes and, by the red light coming in from the window, saw Ye Wenxi, who was in a daze.

He sat up abruptly.

"What's wrong?"

"Hmm? It's nothing... I can't sleep. You go back to sleep, don't worry about me."

Lu Weidong pulled her close and let her lean on his shoulder.

"Are you thinking about Ding Jiahe?"

"Mmm..." Ye Wenxi buried her face in his shoulder.

"I couldn't get in touch with them yesterday. There must have been too many people using their phones. It's Chinese New Year, so everyone's making outbound calls."

"Let's take another look today."

"Hmm..." Ye Wenxi responded listlessly.

Lu Weidong noticed her unease.

He didn't say anything more, but just pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, and patted her shoulder gently like he was comforting a child.

His hand landed on her back, gently and steadily.

One, two, three...

As Ye Wenxi listened to the steady rhythm, her tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and she closed her eyes again.

……

Ring ring ring—!

Ye Wenxi was awakened by the loud ringing of the bell.

Even though no one was around, Lu Weidong went to do morning exercises without fail.

She grabbed the watch from beside her pillow and brought it to her eyes.

It's almost eight o'clock already. I dozed off again and actually slept until now.

The urgent ringing of the black telephone urged her to answer it quickly. She rushed over and grabbed the receiver.

"Hello, Wenxi Clothing Company."

This sentence has almost become her signature opening line.

"Boss Ye, do you have any new styles for the New Year? I'd like to get one for you."

Ding Jiahe's familiar voice came through the phone.

Ye Wenxi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you free?"

"Heh~" Ding Jiahe's voice was tinged with laughter.

"I'm still on standby, I haven't gotten busy yet, I just can't get a call."

"I'm more eager to call you back than I am to call my mom. You should be grateful."

Ye Wenxi couldn't help but laugh.

Ye Wenxi was the same as always, asking about her current situation every time she called.

Is there any danger? Will I be sent to the front lines...?

Ding Jiahe would always answer her questions one by one, and then complain about her, saying that she was like a mother, even more long-winded than a biological mother.

"Jiahe," Ye Wenxi said, pausing for a moment.

"I know your phone lines are busy, but..."

"Starting today, no matter how busy you are, at least once every two days, okay? Even if it's just to let me hear what you're up to."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then came Ding Jiahe's sigh as she rubbed her forehead:

"Comrade Ye Wenxi, are you assigning me quotas?"

She covered the microphone and mumbled something into the receiver in a very low voice.

"Do you know that every time I ask to make a phone call, I say I'm calling my mom?"

"They said my mother has heart disease and high blood pressure, and that she'll have an attack if they don't check on her for two days."

"Look at me, who else would curse their own mother for your sake?"

"This is a public resource; you're using my mother's share!"

……

As usual, Ding Jiahe launched into another tirade against Ye Wenxi.

However, Ye Wenxi did not talk back or joke around as she used to.

Instead, he repeated it in an almost pleading tone:

"Please, I can't sleep at all tonight."

Ding Jiahe: "Uh..."

She actually blushed slightly because of a girl's soft words.

"Okay, okay, okay."

"Hehehe."

Ding Jiahe hung up the phone with a satisfied smile, unable to stop herself from smiling.

Why would anyone care about me so much?

It feels pretty good to be cared for and thought about like this.

She returned to the camp's medic's tent.

I lifted the curtain and went inside, then sat down on my bunk.

There were several photos under the bed sheet, sample photos taken by the clothing company that Ye Wenxi had given her before.

She took them out one by one and looked at them.

When I flipped to the photo with Wang Hao, my finger paused.

In the photo, Wang Hao stands ramrod straight, like a soldier being punished to stand still, while the other person stands beside him, smiling with eyes crinkling into two crescent moons.

She stared at it for a long time.

Then he gently pressed the photo back to his chest and put it in his innermost pocket.

Suddenly the tent flap was pushed open, and a female military doctor entered.

"Ding Jiahe, the instructor wants you to go to the command post."

"Okay, I'll go now."

She tucked the photo back under the sheet, stood up, and straightened her military uniform.

Ding Jiahe arrived at the temporary command post.

Several people had already gathered inside the tent.

The instructor unfolded a map and pointed to a certain location.

"Wang Xiuying, Liu Weihong, Zhao Min, Li Fang, Ding Jiahe—"

He called out five names, his gaze sweeping across each person's face.

"You five, pack your gear immediately and depart in one hour to provide support at Hill 3."

There was a moment of silence in the tent.

Ding Jiahe stood there, her mind going blank for a moment.

Hill 3

That's...the cutting edge.

"Did you understand?" the instructor's voice rang out again.

"Understood!" the group replied in unison.

Ding Jiahe also opened her mouth, but her voice was mixed in with the words, and she couldn't even hear what she said.

As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered the photo from earlier.

That version of myself, with my eyes crinkling into crescent moons as I smiled.

Wang Hao, standing ramrod straight, not knowing where he was looking.

She subconsciously touched the group photo on her chest.

It was as if that thin photograph could bring her a little peace of mind amidst her current anxiety and unease.