As soon as John left, Lin Chan and He Teng started talking without any hesitation. John may not speak much Chinese, but he could understand some of it.
"What does Lieutenant He think?" Lin Chan looked at He Teng, who seemed to have no obvious discontent on his face. He knew then that He Teng must have agreed.
Kang Xing glanced at the wall clock and gently reminded He Teng. They both needed to return to the army that day. He had bought their return tickets ahead of time out of fear that it would be too late to buy train tickets. Now, looking at the time, they should be heading to the train station soon.
Whenever it came to He Zhilan, Lin Chan was all heart. He decided to drive both men to the train station himself.
At this time, the train station was much busier than when He Zhilan had picked up Madam Tan. The farther they walked into the station, the more crowded it became.
"Brother." He Zhilan called out to He Teng, reaching out to hold his hand and said, "Brother, don’t worry. I can take care of myself in the capital. After the restaurant closes for the New Year, I will come to the army to celebrate New Year with you!"
He Teng nodded, and for the first time, he held He Zhilan’s hand instead of pulling away in front of others. His grip was gentle, with no force applied. He only held her hand because her fingers felt as cold as an ice pop when she touched his palm.
"Just make sure you’re not short-changing yourself. If you’re not happy, come and find me in the army. There’s some money we can afford not to earn," He Teng warned her trustingly, fearing that she was stubbornly pushing herself too hard for the sake of money. After a pause, he continued, "Just be good."
Lin Chan crossed his arms and smirked maliciously, treating the whole scenario like a play. Turning to Kang Xing, he taunted, "How long do you think Lieutenant He and his wife are planning to say goodbye? They’ve finally spent a little over two months together, now they have to separate for over ten days again. The young couple must be reluctant to leave each other."
With a scornful look, Kang Xing confidently retorted, "No more than a minute."
As he spoke, over there, He Teng had turned and called out to Kang Xing, urging him to line up for ticket checks. This caught Lin Chan by surprise, almost causing him to stumble.
How did that happen? Was He Teng breaking the rules?
Even after Bian Xiulin and Xing Ye parted, they always lingered for a while!
He Zhilan watched the backs of He Teng and Kang Xing fading into the crowd until they were out of sight. Only then did she leave the train station with Lin Chan.
"Ah, my brother is back in the army, and I feel so empty," He Zhilan sighed, sitting in the car. She looked like a deflated puppy, her head slumped. However, she quickly regained her spirits, "But, it’s okay. I can go to the army in just over ten days!"
"You feel empty after just a few days apart? Your brother was in the army for several years without coming home, you must’ve had your heart completely flown away then?" Lin Chan teased He Zhilan before getting to the point, "John is easy to get along with. However, he’s also a businessman and is quite shrewd. He is bound to take special care of those he likes. You don’t need to worry about not getting along with him or about people who like to flatter him. Just be yourself, He Zhilan, without having to change. That’s enough! Getting to know John can be extremely beneficial for your future, especially considering your field. He has numerous industries and resources overseas. If he’s willing to help you, you might even get a chance to work abroad."