Ji Wushuang hung up the call with Lu Qianqian.
The room fell silent again.
Only the ticking of the wall clock remained.
Tick, tock.
It was like a countdown to the end of her vacation.
Ji Wushuang held the cold satellite phone.
Lu Qianqian's voice still echoed in her ears.
"I need you."
Like a comrade's call from a distant battlefield.
She knew her vacation was over.
The peace of Tangzhou was like a brief, warm dream.
Now, it was time to wake up.
She had to go back.
Back to the real battlefield that belonged to her.
Back to the real battlefield that belonged to them.
Ji Wushuang walked out of her room.
Her parents were watching TV in the living room.
It was a new TV she had bought for them.
A family soap opera was playing on the screen.
Her mother was watching with keen interest.
Her father was dozing off beside her.
An ordinary, mortal night.
"Dad, Mom."
Ji Wushuang spoke slowly.
Her voice was soft, but enough to make both parents turn their heads.
"I'm going back to Jingzhou tomorrow."
She said.
The smile froze on her mother's face.
Her father instantly became alert.
"So soon?"
Her mother's voice was full of disappointment.
"I thought you could stay a few more days?"
"There's an urgent matter at the company."
Ji Wushuang could only offer this feeble reason.
"The project is launching. I have to go back."
Her mother fell silent.
She lowered her head, looked at her own hands, and said nothing more.
Her father sighed.
He patted his wife's shoulder, then stood up and said to Ji Wushuang,
"Work comes first."
"Go ahead."
"We'll manage things here at home."
His words were exactly the same as when he sent her off to join the army years ago.
Ji Wushuang's heart felt as if pricked, a sharp pain.
Still, she nodded.
That night, Ji Wushuang couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
She sat in the darkness for a long while.
Then, she picked up her phone and sent a message to Chen Lei.
"Are you free? Let's go for a walk."
Soon, Chen Lei replied.
Just one word.
"Okay."
They met by the abandoned railway tracks in the factory district.
The night was deep, the surroundings quiet.
Only the low hum of distant factory machinery and the chirping of insects in the grass.
Chen Lei arrived.
He was wearing a simple T-shirt and trousers.
"What's wrong?"
He asked, a trace of concern in his voice.
"Did something happen?"
"No."
Ji Wushuang shook her head.
"I'm leaving tomorrow."
Chen Lei's body stiffened slightly.
The night hid his expression.
He didn't speak, just took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
The flame illuminated his sharply defined face.
It also illuminated a fleeting glimpse of loss in his eyes.
"T Country."
Ji Wushuang looked at the distant night sky and said softly.
"Our first project is in T Country."
"Seawater desalination, and mobile clinics."
For the first time, she proactively told him about her work, about Lu Qianqian, about that foundation called "Faraway."
About those people struggling to survive in poverty and war.
She spoke calmly.
As if presenting a report unrelated to herself.
But Chen Lei understood.
He understood the danger hidden beneath that calm, the weight of that ideal, and that compassion.
He listened quietly.
One cigarette burned out, and he lit another.
Only after Ji Wushuang finished speaking did he finally speak, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"Be careful."
He said, still these same four words.
Then, he paused and added another sentence.
"I'll be here for the family."
Simple words.
No plea for her to stay.
No complaint.
Only the deepest understanding and acceptance.
Yet, it was these few words that instantly struck the softest part of Ji Wushuang's heart.
In the army, she protected the nation.
She thought that was the greatest protection she could offer this home.
Out there, she guarded an ideal that could change the world.
She thought that was a grander responsibility.
But when she left,
This home was left empty.
It was this man before her.
Who, in his clumsy and silent way, filled the void she left.
Guarding the roots she most wanted to protect, yet had no time to tend to.
An unprecedented impulse surged in Ji Wushuang's heart.
She turned to face Chen Lei.
Looked at his outline, blurred yet incredibly clear in the night.
"Chen Lei."
Her voice was soft, yet unusually firm.
"Let's get married."
The air seemed to freeze.
Even the insect chirps seemed to vanish.
Chen Lei's hand holding the cigarette stopped mid-air.
He turned his head sharply to look at Ji Wushuang.
His eyes held disbelief and shock.
"You said... what?"
"I said, let's get married."
Ji Wushuang repeated.
Her mind was actually in turmoil; she didn't know why she said it.
Was it because of love?
She didn't understand what love was.
She only knew that being with this man felt safe.
Was it because she was moved?
Was it because she wanted to repay his years of devotion with a formal commitment?
Or was it simply because she was heading to a more dangerous battlefield.
She wanted to secure the most stable anchor behind her.
A home she could always return to, no matter what.
She didn't know.
She only knew that as she spoke the words, she felt no regret.
Chen Lei stared at her blankly.
His chest heaved violently.
A long, long time passed.
He finally found his voice again.
He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it under his foot.
Then, he stepped forward, one step, then another, until he stood right in front of Ji Wushuang.
He was a little taller than her.
He looked down at her.
His eyes were bright, even in the darkness.
"Ji Wushuang."
He said, word by word.
"Look at me."
Ji Wushuang raised her head to meet his gaze.
"Tell me."
"Why do you want to marry me?"
"Is it because you pity me?"
"Or because you're grateful?"
"Or do you feel you owe me an answer?"
Each of his questions was like a sharp knife.
Cutting open the chaotic feelings in her own heart that she hadn't even sorted out yet.
Ji Wushuang couldn't speak.
She found she couldn't answer.
Chen Lei looked at her and suddenly smiled.
The smile was full of bitterness and self-mockery.
"I knew it."
He took a step back, creating distance between them.
"Ji Wushuang."
His voice regained its calm.
But beneath that calm was suppressed pain.
"I don't want your gratitude or pity."
"And I certainly don't want your sense of obligation."
He looked at her, his eyes holding an unprecedented seriousness and tenderness.
"You are Ji Wushuang."
"The girl who could leave everyone behind on the training ground."
"The soldier queen who would go to the ends of the earth for an ideal."
"Your world is vast."
"So vast that even this Tangzhou can't contain it."
"You don't belong here."
"You shouldn't be tied down by anything."
"Including me."
"Including marriage."
He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength.
"I refuse."
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
