She fell silent, not speaking any further. She now realized that He Teng wasn’t much of a talker, especially in public, and expecting a man who didn’t usually talk to explain things as clearly as the young soldier had done was probably asking too much. However, the young soldier’s explanation had somehow soothed her, at least now she knew that He Teng’s sudden coldness wasn’t due to anything she had done wrong.
Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of the local Armed Police station. He Teng and Lan Li needed to press on, so they got out of the car there, leaving the young soldier to drive He Zhilan to the train station.
"Brother!" He Teng had already got off the car and walked a few steps with his luggage. He Zhilan watched his retreating figure from the car window.
Upon hearing her call, the man in front turned around, his gaze resting on her face.
"Brother, no matter what, be careful, take care of yourself, and remember to call me after the mission is over." Because of the distance between them, He Zhilan had to raise her voice slightly.
With that said, she fell silent. The two locked eyes through the distance between them. The emotions she had been suppressing spilled over all at once, collapsing her composure in a heartbeat.
The man on the other side nodded at her before disappearing into the Armed Police station with Lan Li, gradually slipping from her sight.
"Damn you, He Teng! It’s as though speaking a few more words in public is a mortal sin for you!" He Zhilan retorted under her breath. In truth, she had many more things she wanted to say to He Teng, but time was against her.
The long-awaited National Day visit she had been looking forward to had barely begun, and they already had to part. The joy of seeing each other again hadn’t even fully set in yet.
Just as the political commissar’s wife had said, out of fear that her tears would weigh he Teng down while he was on duty, He Zhilan didn’t shed a single tear in front of him, no matter how unwilling she was to part.
"Sister-in-law, He Teng has already gone inside. I’ll take you to the train station now." The young soldier let out a sigh, "Sister-in-law, don’t blame him. That’s just the way he is but, he definitely misses you too."
He Zhilan nodded, "Let’s go to the station."
With a somewhat comforting thought that He Teng might be coming to the military academy in the capital soon, at least she would be able to see him twice a week as long as he was training at the military academy there.
The young soldier accompanied He Zhilan to the train station, helped her retrieve her train ticket, and saw her onto the train. Before his departure, he repeatedly told He Zhilan to visit their base again when she had time, promising that he would come to pick her up next time.
On her return journey, He Zhilan’s emotions were clearly low. The National Day holiday was only halfway through, and the capital’s streets were bustling with activity. Many people from other places had come to the capital for a holiday. After leaving the train station, He Zhilan had to struggle onto a crowded bus, transferring twice before finally making it back to her school.
In the dormitory, Huang Cai and Wang Bingbing were both out. He Zhilan was sorting out her own things alone when the phone in the dormitory rang.
"It’s me." He Teng had calculated the time, knowing that by now He Zhilan should have just about reached the dormitory. If he had called ten minutes earlier, she wouldn’t have been there yet.
He Zhilan was slightly taken aback upon hearing He Teng’s voice from the phone. "Are you about to leave?"