As Lu Jingheng returned from a military meeting at nearly ten o’clock, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
In the living room, Lu Yongjie and Qin Lan were sitting upright, their expressions unusually serious.
“What happened?”
Qin Lan jerked her chin toward the upstairs room. “Wenwen received a letter from her family. She’s locked herself in her room all afternoon and hasn’t eaten a thing. I knocked twice, and she answered, but she won’t come out.”
Lu Jingheng’s brows instantly furrowed.
He walked to Ruan Wen’s door, raised his hand, then lowered it again. After a brief hesitation, he finally knocked.
“Ruan Wen, it’s me.”
“Mhm.”
After a moment of silence, a muffled response came from inside.
“Open the door.”
A few seconds later, the door creaked open a crack.
Ruan Wen stood behind it. Her face was pale, and her eyes were slightly red and swollen. It was obvious she had been crying.
Something clenched painfully in Lu Jingheng’s chest.
Without asking any questions, he reached out, pulled her out from behind the door, and stepped into the room himself. Picking up the crumpled letter from the desk, he unfolded it.
“What are you doing?” Ruan Wen protested, trying to snatch it away.
Taking advantage of his height, Lu Jingheng lifted the letter out of reach while pressing a hand against her shoulder to stop her.
He quickly scanned the contents, and his expression darkened.
“This is why you’ve been hiding in here all day?”
He folded the letter neatly and placed it back on the desk before turning to face her.
Ruan Wen looked away and said nothing.
“Your father is still thinking about that woman who isn’t even related to him, while ignoring his own daughter. And you’re still upset over that?” Lu Jingheng’s tone was harsher than intended. He simply couldn’t stand seeing her hurt over people who didn’t deserve it.
He had quietly investigated her background before, so he knew something about the Ruan family.
“No.” Ruan Wen shook her head. “I’m not worried about Liu Shufen.”
“Then you’re worried about your father?”
Looking directly into her eyes, Lu Jingheng spoke with unwavering seriousness.
“You’re my wife now. Your father is my father-in-law. His problems are my problems. The Northwest is tough, right? I’ll have people send him food and clothes. His spirits are low? I’ll ask my comrades over there to keep an eye on him. Don’t carry everything by yourself, and don’t hide away crying alone anymore. Do you hear me?”
She stared blankly at him.
He didn’t know how to comfort people gently. He didn’t know how to whisper sweet words.
All he knew was how to shoulder burdens in the most direct, overbearing, and unreasonable way possible.
Yet that stubborn sense of responsibility struck her frozen heart like a heavy hammer, cracking open a fissure in the ice.
In her previous life, she had endured humiliation and suffering all alone.
No one had ever said such words to her.
She had believed that in this life, too, she would have to fight through every hardship by herself.
Her nose stung.
Tears suddenly spilled from her eyes.
One drop.
Then another.
Like broken pearls scattering from a snapped string, they refused to stop.
Lu Jingheng instantly panicked.
He fumbled awkwardly as he tried to wipe away her tears.
“Don’t cry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I’m bad with words. Don’t take it to heart…”
The more flustered he became, the harder she cried.
In the end, she threw herself into his arms, burying her face against his solid chest.
All the grievances, anxiety, loneliness, and pressure she had bottled up for so long finally burst free.
Lu Jingheng froze.
Feeling the soft warmth of her body against him and the dampness of her tears soaking through his uniform, he forgot how to breathe.
His heart pounded like a war drum, deafening in his ears.
Slowly and carefully, he lifted a hand and rested it on her back, patting her gently in the most awkward way imaginable.
Outside the room, the two elders of the Lu family exchanged glances.
Both saw the same relieved smile in each other’s eyes.
Then they quietly tiptoed back to the living room.
The young couple had finally become a real couple.
That night, Ruan Wen slept more deeply than she had in a long time.
There were no nightmares.
No sudden awakenings.
When she opened her eyes the next morning, sunlight was already streaming through the window. She could even hear Lu Yongjie and Qin Lan talking softly in the courtyard.
Sitting up and hugging her blanket, she stared blankly ahead.
Last night, she had thrown herself into Lu Jingheng’s arms and cried her heart out.
She had probably soaked his entire uniform.
Her cheeks instantly burned.
She couldn’t believe she had lost control so completely in front of a man—especially one she had known for such a short time.
A gentle knock sounded at the door.
“Ruan Wen, are you awake? I brought breakfast upstairs.”
It was Lu Jingheng.
Even through the door, he sounded unusually cautious.
Clearing her throat, she replied, “I’m awake.”
The door opened, and Lu Jingheng entered carrying a tray.
On it sat a bowl of rice porridge, two boiled eggs, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
He placed the tray on the table.
Instead of leaving, he pulled over a chair and sat down, staring directly at her.
“You…”
Feeling uncomfortable under his gaze, Ruan Wen hugged her blanket and scooted backward.
“Eat while it’s hot. Mom made it especially for you. She said you skipped dinner last night and your stomach must be empty.”
His voice was gentler than she had ever heard before.
Ruan Wen slowly got dressed, washed up, and sat at the table.
She sipped her porridge in small spoonfuls, stubbornly avoiding eye contact.
The room was silent except for the soft sounds of her eating.
“About your father…” Lu Jingheng finally broke the silence.
Her hand paused.
“I already made some calls.”
She looked up.
“I contacted a comrade in the Northwest Military District—Liu Qiang’s cousin. He went directly to the farm where your father is staying. He delivered some food and clothing, and he also spoke to the farm director.”
“You don’t need to worry. No one will make things difficult for him anymore.”
He finished in one breath.
It sounded like a work report.
Or perhaps he was secretly seeking praise.
There was a hint of expectation in his eyes.
Ruan Wen looked at him quietly.
Having people deliver supplies and speak with the farm director was far more complicated than a simple phone call.
In her previous life, when she begged Huo Guoan to help search for her child, she had exhausted every favor she could think of and offered countless gifts.
All she received in return was a perfunctory promise that he would “do his best.”
Yet this man, while she was still worrying herself sick, had already arranged everything behind the scenes.
She didn’t say thank you.
She simply lowered her head and finished every last spoonful of porridge.
After breakfast, Ruan Wen went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
Lu Jingheng followed behind her like a loyal tail.
One moment he was handing her a dishcloth.
The next he was trying to wipe down the table.
In the process, he nearly knocked over the dish rack.
“Out.”
Ruan Wen finally lost her patience.
“I’m helping,” Lu Jingheng said innocently.
“You’re in the way.”
Even after being rejected, he wasn’t upset.
Rubbing his nose sheepishly, he retreated from the kitchen.
But he didn’t go far.
Instead, he leaned against the kitchen doorway, continuing to watch her with those bright, dark eyes.