"Xiao Guai, come over here!"
Hearing Zhu Huixi’s call, Lin Xiaoguai had no choice but to look away, straighten her bachelor’s gown, and stand between Zhu Huixi and Yang Xiaoli.
"Okay, Xiao Guai, let’s take a photo of just the two of us, and Wang Han, come here, Xiao Li, you take the picture for us!" Zhu Huixi exclaimed excitedly.
"I’m going to take it now! Xiao Guai, smile more happily!"
"Huihui, you and Wang Han should take a separate photo."
Lin Xiaoguai found an excuse to get out of taking photos and was about to go to the school gate, but she was soon surrounded by other people.
"Lin Xiaoguai, let’s take a photo together."
"Lin Xiaoguai, take a picture with me."
"Lin Xiaoguai, you promised me yesterday."
She was weary from dealing with them, and it wasn’t until two hours later that she had finally finished taking photos.
"Xiao Guai, why did Fang Jie come?" Lin Xiaoguai was leaning against a tree, resting with her eyes closed, when suddenly a click sounded in front of her, and Yang Xiaoli’s surprised voice rang beside her ear.
"Lin Xiaoguai, let’s take a photo together." Fang Jie’s smile was brilliant as he reached out to pull her.
Lin Xiaoguai frowned; Shen Chi’s absence was making her a bit irritable. Just as she was about to speak, Zhu Huixi next to her suddenly screamed—
"Xiao Guai, is that Shen Chi over there?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoguai reflexively looked up and saw a face that was all too familiar before her, gazing at her intently, his smile tender and enchanting. Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
Shen Chi was dressed in a somewhat disheveled military uniform, his short cropped hair taking away slightly from his handsome features, his normally pale skin among men now tanned to a bronze hue, his face somewhat thin, and his beard likely freshly shaved, still showing faint hints of stubble.
His appearance was dusty, but his straight posture and firm footsteps made him stand out immediately.
Approaching her, he was about to hug Lin Xiaoguai when Fang Jie suddenly said, "Brother soldier, are you also a suitor of Lin Xiaoguai?"
His heart was, in fact, not as calm as he appeared. Shen Chi was quite unexpected; Fang Jie had imagined what Lin Xiaoguai’s lover would be like—a gentle and steady scholar, a kind and warm rich young master, a frank and straightforward grown man, a mature and responsible elite... anyone but someone like Shen Chi.
Apart from his striking appearance, imposing demeanor, and the surprising military profession, what truly startled him was the message conveyed by his eyes.
He was certain, this man was definitely adept at manipulation and possessed an incomparably strong inner strength.
It reminded him of the old generals his grandfather entertained. There was something subtly similar in Shen Chi, that unruffled confidence of a person in a high position...
He felt he might have miscalculated.
Shen Chi paused his movement, turned his head to look at him, his lips pressed tightly together, clearly displeased by the interruption.
His gaze flickered, about to speak, but was interrupted for the second time, yet this time his mood was the complete opposite of before.
Lin Xiaoguai threw herself into his embrace, clutching his waist tightly, and even though she didn’t speak, her emotions were plainly visible to everyone present.
Shen Chi’s smile curved up, all the emotions in his eyes turning to tenderness and joy as he hugged her, sighing, "Wanwan, I’m back!"
The two basked in the joy of their reunion and only separated after a long while.
Lin Xiaoguai, arm in arm with him, smiled somewhat shyly. Shen Chi reached out to brush her hair from her forehead, turned to Fang Jie, and said, "Hello, I am Lin Xiaoguai’s love, Shen Chi."
Fang Jie stared at them, eyes wide; God knows his astonishment was genuine.
He had speculated that although Lin Xiaoguai and her husband’s relationship was harmonious, it must have been one of mutual respect; but what happened before him proved how utterly wrong he was.
He reluctantly admitted to himself that Lin Xiaoguai and her husband were... deeply in love.
Until Lin Xiaoguai and her group left, Fang Jie still stood there, unable to recover his wits.
He found it hard to accept; his carefully laid plans all came to nothing in the end, making him feel like a complete fool.
At the same time, this being the first time he had ever liked a girl and to encounter such a situation dealt a great blow to him.
"Weren’t you on the train last month? How come you’ve only just arrived?" Shen Chi had driven over, and Lin Xiaoguai, sitting in the passenger seat, asked with some dissatisfaction.
Looking at Shen Chi, one could guess he’d come straight from the train station.
"There was a bit of a mishap."
Lin Xiaoguai almost said something but withheld her words upon seeing his dismissive attitude; she could only swallow back the worry that had reached her lips.