Ji Wanning lowered her head, not daring to look at Lu Changzheng.
She was afraid that the moment she looked up, she would expose the rather inappropriate thoughts she had just been having.
Ji Wanning, oh Ji Wanning, she scolded herself inwardly. Even if Comrade Lu is ridiculously handsome and you’re completely captivated by him, you can’t be thinking things like that.
If Comrade Lu ever found out, he’d probably be scared off by you.
Ji Wanning had always been someone with few worldly desires. No matter how many passionate romances or enduring love stories she had seen, none of them had ever moved her.
Back in her hometown and even after arriving at the military district, there had been no shortage of people who wanted to court her.
She had turned every one of them down.
She had never planned to date anyone.
If possible, she had even imagined remaining unmarried for the rest of her life.
Perhaps it was because she had witnessed firsthand what her parents’ marriage had been like.
This time, however, she had been desperate to move out of the Lin family home. Acting on impulse and not wanting to waste her good friend Chen Xi’s kindness, she went on the blind date at the auditorium.
Her original plan had been simple. If they weren’t compatible, she would never agree to it.
What she had never expected was to meet Lu Changzheng. His rugged, sharply defined face happened to match her ideal type perfectly.
She figured that since she had to find a boyfriend or husband eventually, there was no reason to settle for someone she wasn’t attracted to.
Besides, what Lu Changzheng had said in the corridor had genuinely convinced her.
At the very least, he wasn’t like Wu Zhong, who spoke as though the whole world owed his family something, acting as if he were generously bestowing favors from some lofty pedestal, revealing nothing but arrogance and ugliness.
It was that very impulse that led her to make the bold decision to marry him on the very same day.
Thinking back to those embarrassingly inappropriate thoughts she’d just had, Ji Wanning lowered her head even further, as if doing so would somehow prevent Lu Changzheng from noticing her flushed cheeks.
She shuffled forward one tiny step at a time.
Hurry and cool down already. Changzheng absolutely cannot notice.
From a distance, Lu Changzheng saw the young woman look startled when she spotted him before lowering her head.
For some reason, it felt as though someone had pricked his heart with a needle.
Comrade Ji isn’t about to cry, is she?
His hands and feet practically didn’t know what to do. He had no idea how to comfort her.
After all, he had never encountered a situation like this before.
He had never spent time with a young woman.
Anxiously, Lu Changzheng thought that if only he had met Comrade Ji six months earlier, things might have been different.
Meanwhile, no matter how embarrassed Ji Wanning felt, she still slowly made her way over to him.
Just as she was about to look up and speak, the man’s deep, mellow, yet solemn voice sounded before her.
“Comrade Ji, I’m sorry. I failed to do my job and let you suffer.”
In his eyes, regardless of whether there was love between them, a husband had the responsibility to protect his wife.
Ji Wanning froze. The shy thoughts from moments ago vanished instantly.
All she could hear was what he had just said.
She slowly lifted her head, stunned.
Is he… worried about me?
The next second, Lu Changzheng continued.
“As your husband, I should have protected you.”
His sharp brows furrowed as though he were blaming himself for failing to do so.
Ji Wanning was speechless.
Still, she couldn’t deny that she was touched.
Ever since her father had died in the line of duty and her grandmother had passed away, no one had cared for her like this again. She had friends, certainly, but she couldn’t expect her friends to make her the center of their lives.
Perhaps…
As her husband, Lu Changzheng might be able to.
She had always believed she could live without anyone’s love or concern. Even if no one cherished her or felt sorry for her, she could love herself and take care of herself.
But at this very moment…
She realized that perhaps it wasn’t quite that simple.
Her thoughts became tangled, leaving her strangely restless.
Ji Wanning shook her head.
“No! You’ve done very well. Besides, we only just got married.”
They had only married yesterday. They barely knew each other yet, so how could he possibly understand everything about her?
She couldn’t expect too much from Lu Changzheng.
“What brings you here?” she asked.
“I heard you moved out of the Lin family home and came here.”
“That’s right. I plan to stay here temporarily until your family housing application is approved.”
“It won’t take long. I’ll get it approved as soon as possible.”
Lu Changzheng deliberately avoided asking why she had moved out, afraid of touching upon something painful.
“Come inside and have a seat.”
Ji Wanning took out her key and unlocked the door.
The moment it opened, she remembered that she hadn’t cleaned the room yet. Biting her lip, she said apologetically, “I’m sorry. I only moved in, and I had to rush to the kindergarten this morning before I had a chance to clean.”
“Once I’ve finished cleaning, I’ll invite you over another day.”
“No need.”
Lu Changzheng parted his lips to speak.
She blinked. Is he… upset?
His dark eyes swept across the room, carefully assessing it.
“You go outside. I’ll clean.”
“Ah, no, no. I can do it myself.”
There was no way Ji Wanning could trouble someone else like that.
Lu Changzheng turned around, his tone becoming somewhat stern.
“Comrade Ji, I’m your husband.”
A husband didn’t need to be treated so formally.
Ji Wanning wasn’t foolish. She immediately understood the meaning in his eyes.
“All right, then. We’ll do it together.”
There was no way she could simply stand by and watch Lu Changzheng do everything himself.
Lu Changzheng didn’t object.
“I’ll fetch the water. You go see if you can find a broom, some rags, and a mop.”
“Okay, I’ll go right now.”
By the time Ji Wanning borrowed a broom, some cleaning cloths, and a mop, Lu Changzheng had already carried back several buckets of water.
“The floor’s too dirty. You need to sprinkle water over it before mopping, otherwise the dust will fly everywhere,” Lu Changzheng reminded her.
Ji Wanning wanted to help, but Lu Changzheng stopped her.
“You can wipe down the bed frame later.”
First, he sprinkled water over the floor, table, cabinet, and bed frame. Then, using old newspapers, he quickly swept the dust off the cabinet, table, and bed frame onto the floor.
After that, he picked up the broom and began sweeping.
He worked with astonishing speed. Within moments, the floor had been swept clean. The room was small, which certainly helped, but if Ji Wanning had been doing it herself, it would have taken much longer.
Once he had finished sweeping, he fetched two more buckets of water, rinsed the room, pushed the dirty water outside, then grabbed the mop and began mopping the floor.
Only then did Ji Wanning receive permission to use a cloth to wipe down the bed frame, cabinet, and table.
Housework was nothing to Lu Changzheng.
Compared to military training, it was far easier.
Especially in such a small room where, besides himself, Comrade Ji was also there.
It felt as though the entire room was filled with her delicate fragrance.
Lu Changzheng took a slow, deep breath.
His hands remained tightly wrapped around the mop handle as he absentmindedly continued mopping.
He had already mopped the same patch of floor three times.
The rest of the room remained untouched, still covered in dust.
Behind him, Ji Wanning stood on a chair, wiping the top of the cabinet. It was rather high, so she had to rise onto her tiptoes.
Just as she reached the very back of the cabinet and was about to climb down, one of her feet suddenly slipped off the chair.
Her entire body tipped forward.
“Ah…”
She couldn’t stop herself from crying out.
Hearing her voice, Lu Changzheng spun around.
He saw Ji Wanning falling from the chair, only moments away from hitting the floor.
He reacted instantly, turning and wrapping both arms around her slender, delicate waist, his strong, powerful hands pulling her securely into his embrace.