Wen Zhiyu went to answer the phone, while Shen Lifeng sat rigidly in the chair, not moving at all.
Wen Zhiyu didn’t think much of it. The call was from Beijing, from her senior brother whom she had known before.
“Zhiyu, didn’t you just go home briefly and then come back? Did something happen?” he asked.
Wen Zhiyu thought for a moment and realized why they had found out she was here.
Some time ago, the hospital director had called Beijing to inquire about her. They must have learned about it then.
Fortunately, there was nothing to hide.
“Nothing serious. I just came here to handle some matters,” she said.
“Like what?” her senior brother immediately asked.
“Breaking off an engagement.”
Wen Zhiyu answered seriously.
There was a brief silence on the other end. Her senior brother probably thought he had misheard.
“What did you say?”
“Just that. If you come here, you’ll probably get to meet him.”
After hanging up, Senior Brother Song looked at the people around him.
“How is our junior sister?”
Senior Sister Li was the second senior sister besides him and had always taken good care of Wen Zhiyu. In her heart, Zhiyu was like a younger sister.
When she heard Zhiyu had gone to the border region, she had been worried and waiting for news.
“Zhiyu has a fiancé…”
Before Senior Brother Song could finish, the ten-person group exploded.
“What! A fiancé?! Since when did we know about this?”
“What kind of trash is worthy of our little junior sister?”
Insults flew everywhere.
Wen Zhiyu was their youngest junior sister, but extremely talented—so much so that even their master said she had surpassed him.
But to them, she was still their precious “little sister.”
The whole room of “sister-lovers” completely erupted.
Senior Brother Song, after a long round of chaotic discussion, realized that what was originally just his assignment to provide support had now turned into sending one more junior brother and one more junior sister along.
He had a headache.
These people were not easy to deal with. The fiancé who was about to be “broken off” by their junior sister… was in serious trouble.
…
Shen Lifeng sat there, his gaze unconsciously drifting around the room.
Wen Zhiyu was extremely tidy; everything was neatly arranged.
He remembered that.
Suddenly he sneezed, as if someone was thinking about him.
He turned his head and saw Wen Zhiyu returning through the door.
“Comrade Shen Lifeng, do you need me to take you to the guesthouse?” she asked.
He shook his head.
He had to return. Since Wen Zhiyu had not agreed, he still needed to go back—and in fact, there was a pile of official work waiting for him.
After sending him off, Xiao Jiang, who lived nearby, came over.
“Doctor Wen, was that man Battalion Commander Shen?” Xiao Jiang asked curiously.
Wen Zhiyu nodded.
Xiao Jiang thought for a moment. “No wonder everyone says he likes you. I think so too.”
Wen Zhiyu smiled and denied it. “There isn’t that much liking in the world.”
Xiao Jiang immediately became serious.
“Really, really! Doctor Wen, you don’t know this, but I once did ward rounds for Battalion Commander Shen. He’s very strict with us, barely even gives us a glance—but he’s different with you!”
She seemed to be thinking how to describe it.
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
“When he looks at you, he’s very gentle. Wherever you are, his eyes follow you. Just now! That tenderness—it was almost overflowing.”
“I really didn’t expect someone like Battalion Commander Shen to act like that when he likes someone.”
Wen Zhiyu unconsciously recalled how Shen Lifeng had acted around her.
“Doctor Wen!”
Xiao Jiang’s voice snapped her back.
Only then did Wen Zhiyu realize she had been lost in thought, remembering his face and eyes. She coughed awkwardly.
“Doctor Wen, I just arrived here and want to buy some things in town. Could you go with me tomorrow morning? We’ll be back by noon.”
Xiao Jiang cupped her face in her hands.
“I don’t know anyone here yet. You wouldn’t just let me go alone, right?”
Wen Zhiyu couldn’t resist that kind of plea and agreed.
Xiao Jiang cheered happily.
“I knew Doctor Wen was the best!”
Wen Zhiyu smiled helplessly. Although Xiao Jiang said she had studied abroad, she was not very mature—in many ways, she felt more like a younger sister.
The next day, Xiao Jiang borrowed a bicycle to pick her up.
Wen Zhiyu initially thought Xiao Jiang’s small strength might not be enough to carry her, but Xiao Jiang pedaled all the way, panting but not exhausted at all.
Wen Zhiyu realized—she might be the weak one.
If it were her, she might not even be able to move at all.
Xiao Jiang quickly became discouraged upon seeing the poorly stocked supply store.
Fortunately, with the rise of the private economy, there were more shops around, and they managed to buy a few things.
Wen Zhiyu knew Xiao Jiang’s family was likely quite well-off—after all, she had been able to study abroad.
“You should call home after you go back and ask them to send things,” Wen Zhiyu suggested.
“You don’t know,” Xiao Jiang said, “my parents didn’t agree with me coming here. If I call, I’ll probably just get scolded again.”
Wen Zhiyu understood.
For parents, it would be hard to accept their child studying abroad coming to such a remote and difficult place.
Still, it showed Xiao Jiang was very independent-minded.
“My senior brothers are coming here to support us. If you need anything, tell me—I’ll have them bring it for you.”
Xiao Jiang’s eyes lit up instantly.
She suddenly hugged Wen Zhiyu. “Waaah, Doctor Wen, you’re too good to me! I’ll call you Sister Wen from now on, okay?”
Wen Zhiyu suddenly said sharply, “Don’t move!”
Xiao Jiang was startled. “Sister Wen… what’s wrong?”
Wen Zhiyu’s gaze swept across their surroundings.
Someone was watching them—just unclear how long they had been followed.
“Let’s go,” she said.
She pulled Xiao Jiang’s hand and quickly moved away, heading toward where she remembered the police station was.
Early that morning, Shen Lifeng had finished his work and thought of how Wen Zhiyu’s room seemed to lack some personal items. He decided to go into town to buy some for her.
His hands were soon full of things.
Then he noticed several suspicious figures in the crowd.
Based on his experience—
Those were spies.
And if spies had appeared together in town, it meant they had a target.
Before he even had time to think who their target was, he already saw Wen Zhiyu.