He had just been about to ask whether she also spoke to that pretty boy in such a sweet tone.
Probably yes. That was just her—completely unreserved when she favored someone. Anyone who had ever tasted that kind of affection would become addicted to it.
Like him.
He held himself back, not wanting that annoying pretty boy to ruin their atmosphere. It would make her unhappy.
Lu Mingye was not stupid. On the contrary, he understood Shen Ruanruan very well. That pretty boy must have done something unforgivable for her to give him up and choose him instead.
What exactly did he do? Did he hurt her? It must be that.
“Old Wen, do me a favor.”
As soon as he entered the dorm, Wen Yan turned his head in surprise. “Why are you back? Wait—your fiancée is here, and you’re still staying in my bachelor dorm? Don’t tell me you can’t bear to leave me?”
“Get lost!” Lu Mingye said with obvious disgust. “The way you talk is disgusting.”
“You ask for a favor and then insult me?” Wen Yan shook his head, but quickly became serious. “Alright, what is it?”
Lu Mingye leaned over and said something in his ear. Wen Yan let out a couple of “tsk tsk” sounds and looked him up and down as if seeing him for the first time.
“Alright, for my brother’s love life, I’ll even dig up this guy’s childhood history—like when he wet the bed.”
Seeing Lu Mingye raise a hand as if to hit him, Wen Yan quickly changed the topic. “You did that on purpose at noon, didn’t you? You can fool others, but not me. First the shower ‘seduction,’ then deliberately bringing her to the mess hall—what, is the small dining hall banned for you, or does the food taste bad?”
“You really surprised me. Didn’t expect you to be this slick.”
Lu Mingye neither admitted nor denied it, just turned around to pack his luggage.
Seeing this, Wen Yan was genuinely surprised.
“What, you’re really ditching me to live with your fiancée? Don’t force yourself, or you’ll end up being kicked out by her—that’d be even more embarrassing!”
Lu Mingye ignored his teasing and curved his lips slightly.
“I originally planned to come back and sleep, but our Ruanruan is afraid of sleeping alone, so she asked me to stay. We’re getting our marriage certificate soon anyway. A few days earlier or later doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, ‘our Ruanruan’… Do you dare say that in front of her? Look at how smug you are—unbearable.”
Wen Yan teased him, but in truth he was genuinely happy for him.
He had known Lu Mingye the longest. Once, during a mission, they almost didn’t make it back. While unconscious, this guy kept calling “Ruanruan,” and it was that name that seemed to pull him back from the edge of death. Only later did Wen Yan learn that Lu Mingye had someone in his heart.
Someone he had hidden for many years.
Hidden so deeply that when he received Shen Ruanruan’s letter and submitted the marriage application, Wen Yan saw him smile without restraint for the first time. That was when Wen Yan realized—this was how he was supposed to be.
To laugh when happy, not live like a walking corpse.
……
Lu Mingye was indeed in a good mood. While packing his pillow, he suddenly paused, his gaze turning cold.
“Did you touch my things?”
Now he was no longer a “walking corpse”—he had turned into someone with a dramatic face change.
Wen Yan glanced at the sunflower hair tie in his hand and said speechlessly, “Bro, you treat that thing like a lifeline. I’d dare touch it?”
There were only the two of them in the dorm, meaning only Shen Ruanruan could have moved it. Lu Mingye’s grip tightened slightly.
She saw it. After keeping her hair tie for so many years, would she think he was disgusting? Or was she only being kind to him out of pity because she noticed it?
Seeing his expression, Wen Yan immediately understood what he was thinking.
“I advise you—your fiancée is a good girl from what I’ve seen. If you have something on your mind, just tell her directly. If you keep hiding things and overthinking, you’ll drift further apart.”
“We won’t,” Lu Mingye gritted his teeth. “We won’t drift apart.”
Since she had taken the first step, he would never let go.
Never.
As for what Wen Yan said… he still didn’t dare.
Those unspeakable secrets—if exposed to her, what would her reaction be? She would probably feel disgusted. He couldn’t afford to gamble on that yet.
People don’t change overnight. Wen Yan said nothing more; this kind of thing could only be figured out by the person himself.
……
“Oh right, I almost forgot something. When your fiancée saw me today, she seemed to recognize me. But I’m sure I’ve never met her. Maybe I just misremembered.”
Wen Yan was a deputy political commissar, and before that, a sniper. He wouldn’t misjudge something like that.
Lu Mingye quickly put the hair tie into his bag.
What exactly happened to her? Does this have anything to do with her change? Is that why she broke off her engagement with the pretty boy and chose him instead?
Before leaving with his luggage, he said, “Old Wen, forget about this.”
“Got it.”
Wen Yan smiled and waved. In life, it’s better to stay confused.
……
Lu Mingye went to pack his things, while Shen Ruanruan sat alone in her room, lost in thought.
What was going on? Even though they seemed to have played together as children, why did she feel so natural around him after all these years? It felt like they were already close friends.
More relaxed than when she was with Su Jingming. Was a single word like “crush” really affecting her this much?
Forget it. Not everything in life needs to be clear. Just follow her heart.
“Shen Ruanruan, come open the door.”
Before leaving, Lu Mingye had told her to lock the gate.
She hurried over and opened it. The man came back carrying a load of luggage and a lunch box.
He placed the luggage in the west room. “Where do we eat?”
“Outside is fine, it’s not cold,” Shen Ruanruan said. Their house didn’t really have proper furniture—just a small, shabby table outside.
Just like at noon, all the meat was placed in front of her, and he finished the leftovers himself.
The first time she felt a little awkward. The second time… she was starting to get used to it.
After eating, Shen Ruanruan thought she should at least maintain a “good wife” image since she was going to marry him, so she stood up to wash the dishes.
But the man’s expression instantly changed, turning dark in an instant.
“What are you doing?” he asked coldly.
“W-washing dishes…”
That made things worse. His face grew even darker in the dim night.
“You wash dishes at home?”