Wearing soft-soled rivet-embellished rain boots and dressed in a black lightweight tracksuit, with neatly organized tools and several large Ziploc bags packed inside her pretty fanny pack, Luo Ye picked up Dou Dou, took a few steps, then, unconvinced, checked her fanny pack again to make sure nothing was missing, and then softly snapped her fingers: "Dou Dou, let’s go out and play!"
"Hmm... Mmm..." Little Songqiu was grumbling and snuggling around its little master’s ankles, obviously jealous of Dou Dou.
Luo Ye quickly crouched down, stroking Little Songqiu’s soft body to comfort it: "Song Qiu’er, be good, I’ll take you out too when you grow up. Tomorrow I’ll make you your favorite beef soup, alright, go to sleep..."
"Hmm... Mmm... Hmph..." The little guy comfortably sprawled on the carpet, clearly enjoying itself.
"Spoiled little thing, you better behave at home, or I might not like you anymore," Luo Ye said while cradling Song Qiu’s fluffy little head and giving him a vigorous cuddle, and then picked up Dou Dou again to leave, the little guy could only whimper softly but didn’t budge, obviously craving attention. Jeez! Total glutton for punishment!
After tiptoeing out the door, Luo Ye let out a sigh of relief, let Dou Dou down, and started to run faster, only then noticing that her body ached a little.
How could the slight sound of the door closing escape the ears of Jiang Zheng and Ye Xuan? Both appeared in the living room almost simultaneously, exchanged a glance, and quickly followed.
Dou Dou pecked gently at Luo Ye’s earlobe, Luo Ye turned back and glanced with a slight curl of her lips, sure enough, they didn’t disappoint her.
After chasing a good distance and finally recognizing the little figure ahead, Jiang Zheng breathed a sigh of relief but his brow furrowed again: "What’s with this girl, running so fast? What is she up to in the middle of the night? It’s not sleepwalking, is it?"
"Just follow and see, won’t we? Anyway, you can’t wake up someone sleepwalking," Ye Xuan curled his lip slightly.
"I thought it was Zhenggang on some risky mission to gather evidence; turns out it’s this girl. Sigh," Jiang Zheng sighed helplessly: "Ye, I feel bad for dragging you into this, but my good friend really is a rare good official, and I don’t want him to be framed. You understand, right?"
"I do," Ye Xuan said succinctly.
Jiang Zheng shook his head with a smile: "I’ve noticed, aside from speaking more with that little girl, you’re always so terse. Tell me, are you smitten with Ye’er?"
Ye Xuan glanced at Jiang Zheng emotionlessly and sped up.
Jiang Zheng kept teasing: "Ye, if you like Ye’er, just call me Uncle Jiang, and I’ll understand exactly what you’re thinking. I’ll definitely help you out."
"Captain Jiang, there are rumors you’ve been transferred to A Military as Political Commissar..." Ye Xuan’s voiced faintly: "I think that’s a wise decision."
Jiang Zheng nodded: "It’s good, I’m not becoming an instructor. But if I become Political Commissar at A Military, you can’t escape either. How can we do without a general like you?"
"Qing Zhu is in A Military, I have no need to go there."
Jiang Zheng glared at Ye Xuan angrily: "You know I owe that girl a favor. Can’t you yield a little to your superior?"
"I’m speaking the truth. Qing Zhu is doing well in A Military, and for the time being, I have no plans to go there," Ye Xuan’s demeanor towards Jiang Zheng was completely different than in front of others.
"Forget it, there’s no reasoning with you." Jiang Zheng hesitated: "Ye Xuan, tell me the truth, do you have feelings for Ye’er? I don’t want that child to get hurt."
Ye Xuan glanced at Jiang Zheng wordlessly: "You said it yourself, she’s a child, and you’re asking me such questions?"
"Do you really have no interest at all? Your attitude towards Ye’er seems quite different," Jiang Zheng’s face clearly spelled "disappointment."
"Mayor Luo is Captain Jiang’s friend, that’s why I agreed to help, and Ye’er really did me a big favor this time, hence my different attitude. Captain Jiang, you may not fully understand the importance of the Seventh Uncle’s return to the Ye Family..." Ye Xuan sighed, "It directly affects the longevity of my grandparents. How significant is that favor?"
Jiang Zheng nodded: "I understand now, I won’t joke with you about Ye’er again, I certainly don’t want to push her into the fire."
Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched but he said nothing; how did he become a fire pit? What a thing to say, truly speechless.
"Don’t be resentful, just with those eyes of yours, there’s hardly any girl who could resist." Jiang Zheng knew very well what Ye Xuan was thinking.
"Usually, I’m blamed for being too cold to people. Fine, I’ll change that a bit, but now it’s become a fire pit. Thankfully, I’m pretty determined, otherwise, I’d have been driven mad by Captain Jiang. Hey..." Ye Xuan nudged Jiang Zheng gently: "The little girl has stopped."