They had agreed that he would show restraint and never cross the line.
And Xiao Jingwen really did nothing more than hold Lin Xi’s hand, stopping just above the dangerous spot.
“If Zhao Mingze dares to harass you again, all you need to do is put all your strength into kicking here. He’ll immediately lose all his strength.”
“Don’t hurt your hand again.”
Feeling the tension in Lin Xi’s body, Xiao Jingwen only pointed out the spot before letting her go.
Before stepping back, he lightly flicked her forehead, reminding her to come back to her senses.
“Remember?”
“Remember.”
Embarrassed by the direction her thoughts had taken, Lin Xi avoided his gaze and nodded perfunctorily.
It was rare to see this girlish side of Lin Xi.
Xiao Jingwen chuckled and turned to leave.
Without having to look at those three unpleasant faces at home anymore, Lin Xi slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, she woke up because she was hungry.
When she checked the time, it was already almost eleven.
The guesthouse didn’t provide meals.
Fortunately, there were several state-run restaurants nearby, so she didn’t have to worry about going hungry.
Lin Xi washed up quickly and prepared to head out.
She had just reached the staircase when she nearly ran into Xiao Jingwen, who was striding up the stairs.
The man was carrying a kraft paper bag in his hand and stopped on the steps.
Seeing Lin Xi dressed neatly and apparently ready to go out, he raised an eyebrow.
“Didn’t you say you’d wait for me?”
She had only said that casually yesterday. She’d just woken up and was still groggy—how could she possibly remember?
Lin Xi cleared her throat.
“I was hungry. I figured I’d eat first and wait for you afterward.”
The excuse was painfully obvious, but Xiao Jingwen didn’t call her out on it.
He tucked the paper bag containing the photos into his breast pocket and smiled.
“I was hungry too. Perfect. Let’s eat together.”
The first of their three meals together had ended with her refusing to share a table with him. The second time, they’d been so busy talking that neither of them had eaten properly.
This time, the two of them could finally sit down and simply enjoy a proper lunch together.
The menu was handwritten.
Xiao Jingwen was used to eating at the military canteen and wasn’t picky, so he handed the menu to Lin Xi.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Kung Pao chicken, spicy stir-fried chicken, and shredded potatoes with green peppers.”
Seeing that everything she’d ordered was spicy, Xiao Jingwen asked, “You like spicy food?”
Very much so.
In her previous life, Lin Xi could even handle the extra-spicy version of Cao’s duck neck.
She nodded.
“I like sour and spicy food. I just don’t really like sweet things.”
“Got it.”
Xiao Jingwen nodded.
It was such a casual gesture, so natural that Lin Xi froze for a moment.
?
She looked up at him.
Noticing her gaze from the corner of his eye, Xiao Jingwen curved his lips and asked, “What is it?”
Lin Xi said nothing.
Xiao Jingwen asked, “Didn’t we agree that you’d give me a chance to pursue you?”
“I like getting full marks in everything I do. Pursuing you is no exception.”
What a shameless man!
Lin Xi silently swallowed, completely at a loss for how to respond.
There were no pre-prepared dishes in this era. Everything was cooked fresh by the chefs.
The clattering and banging from the kitchen made sitting there in silence rather awkward.
Lin Xi lifted her chin toward Xiao Jingwen, indicating the bag.
“Can I have my photos now?”
“Of course.”
Xiao Jingwen took the bag containing the photos from his pocket and handed it to her.
He gave it a firm squeeze. It was a thick stack.
Then he asked, “Would you mind telling me what these photos are?”
The question surprised Lin Xi.
“You didn’t look at them?”
“No.”
Xiao Jingwen shook his head casually.
“You said that day that this set of photos needed to be kept confidential.”
In other words, without her permission, he wouldn’t look at them.
Not bad.
After seeing too many lousy men, Lin Xi found herself somewhat unaccustomed to a normal, decent man like Xiao Jingwen.
She paused.
Since Xiao Jingwen would find out tomorrow at the wedding anyway, she decided there was no point hiding it.
“They’re design blueprints from a military factory.”
There were no customers at the two tables nearby, so she lowered her voice.
A soldier had exceptionally sharp hearing.
Xiao Jingwen heard her answer clearly.
A military factory? Design blueprints?
His brows drew together, and his voice became solemn.
“Where did you get them?”
Commander Xiao belonged to the generation that had actually lived through war.
A country’s military-industrial reserves could determine the survival or death of many soldiers.
Having grown up in that environment, Xiao Jingwen naturally understood how important those blueprints were.
His eyes darkened.
Watching his reaction, Lin Xi rotated the teacup between her fingers.
“I found them in Lin Jianguo’s study.”
“Not only the blueprints. He also had his account books.”
Lin Xi asked, “So you can probably guess what’s going to happen at the wedding tomorrow, right?”
It took Xiao Jingwen half a second to react before he understood.
“You’re going to report him?”
“Yes.”
Lin Xi nodded.
“Lin Jianguo has lived comfortably for twenty years by taking my mother’s money. He’ll have to pay it all back.”
Silence fell across the table.
Lin Xi asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“Do you think I’m a dangerous woman because I’m even willing to report my own father?”
After she said that, Xiao Jingwen looked as though he’d just heard a joke.
The corners of his lips curved upward.
“Quite the opposite.”
“I think you’re very smart.”
The answer surprised her. Lin Xi raised an eyebrow.
Xiao Jingwen folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, his eyes filled with unmistakable admiration.
He spoke slowly.
“You found the evidence and remained calm. You made your plans carefully. First, you knew you had to reclaim the house and secure your property.”
“Second, you decisively cut ties with him to avoid being dragged down with him.”
“And finally, you personally reported him, clearing away the last bit of suspicion that might have remained because of your blood relationship.”
“Lin Xi, you’re truly exceptional.”
Sending her own father to prison was an act that could hardly be more unconventional.
Yet in Xiao Jingwen’s eyes, there was nothing but praise for her.
Lin Xi thought to herself that this man really wasn’t ordinary either.
Especially considering the era they were living in.
Regardless of her reasons, if she sent her own father to prison, there was no way she could escape the gossip and criticism that would follow.
Lin Xi asked curiously, “What if I ruin your eldest nephew’s wedding tomorrow? Aren’t you afraid it’ll make the Xiao family lose face?”
Xiao Jingwen chuckled again.
This time, however, there was a strong note of mockery in his laugh.
“Zhao Mingze’s surname is Zhao, not Xiao. Whose face would he be making us lose?”
The food arrived.
Xiao Jingwen rinsed the tableware with hot water before handing it to Lin Xi.
“Eat first.”
“After we finish, I’ll go with you to submit the report.”
“I guarantee that if you want the Revolutionary Committee and the people from the military factory to arrive at a certain time tomorrow, they’ll be there at exactly that time.”
Not only was he not stopping her, he was actually encouraging her to make trouble at the wedding.
Lin Xi glanced at the hand Xiao Jingwen had extended toward her with the utensils.
His fingers were long and slender, his bones sharply defined. The veins on the back of his hand stood out slightly, giving him a pair of powerful-looking hands.
No wonder he could handle a sniper rifle.
They were beautiful hands, as pleasing to look at as a surgeon’s.
Lin Xi had a bit of a thing for hands, so she took another look.
Then she noticed something carefully.
The knuckle on Xiao Jingwen’s hand—the same spot where she’d injured her own—was bruised as well.
Could he have beaten Zhao Mingze up too?
Very likely.
Especially considering that mocking scoff he’d just let out.
Lin Xi asked curiously, “Xiao Jingwen, don’t tell me you also have a grudge against your eldest nephew?”
Seeing that Lin Xi was looking at his hand, Xiao Jingwen simply spread it open and placed it right in front of her, letting her look as openly as she pleased.
“I didn’t before.”
“But now I do.”