"I can treat you to a meal, but I don’t have time. I can give you money, and you can go eat by yourselves," Qin Jian was not in the mood to deal with these starry-eyed girls whenever they saw him.
The only person he ever wanted to find was An Hao.
"Don’t be like that! An brother, you’ve got the wrong idea, our goal is to have you treat us to a meal, not just to eat!" Gu Shuangshuang said with a lovesick smile on her face.
How could they pass up such a handsome man? And to add to that, he’s a young and promising battalion commander!
"Alright, alright, stop bothering my brother. I’ve already told you he has a beloved and a fiancée," An Hao quickly intervened as Qin Jian’s expression darkened, blocking Gu Shuangshuang.
"Really not going to give us the time of day?" Gu Shuangshuang looked at him, disappointed, "Your fiancée must be really beautiful... Not even sparing us a glance."
Qin Jian glanced at An Hao, who was shyly standing to the side and not speaking, and said indifferently, "His looks leave you streets behind!"
Gu Shuangshuang’s eyes immediately widened: "What? What did you say!"
Seeing that the situation was turning sour, An Hao couldn’t care less, grabbing the sleeve of Qin Jian’s shirt and pulling him toward an empty space.
The two of them arrived under a Chinese parasol tree and stopped walking.
"Since when did I become your brother?" Qin Jian was obviously not satisfied with this form of address.
"Ah!" An Hao sighed, "I don’t want any trouble, especially after what you saw yesterday."
"I think it wouldn’t be a bad thing to make it public, to keep others from scheming on you," Qin Jian said.
"Who would scheme on me?" An Hao looked at him, "I’m already your fiancée."
Qin Jian leaned down to kiss her forehead and said with a sigh, "I can’t wait to marry you and take you home."
"Okay! As long as the organization approves, I’ll go home with you," An Hao said cheerfully.
Qin Jian restrained the urge to pull her into his embrace and said, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. The wife of Chief Ning has invited us to their home, will you have time then?"
"Mid-Autumn Festival? I was planning to go home for a visit since it’s just An Ping and my dad... but you can go," An Hao didn’t plan to attend, keenly aware that the Ning family couple had invited her because of Qin Jian.
"If you’re not going, there’s no reason for me to go either." The only topic they’d probably discuss with the Ning couple was related to him.
If he couldn’t clear up his relationship with the Ning family, he wouldn’t know how to respond to the enthusiastic Chief’s wife.
"I think you should really take this matter seriously..." Instinct told her that Qin Jian was likely related to the Ning family.
There might be a case of mistaken identity!
The underlying reason might require some digging!
Seeing that Qin Jian wasn’t saying anything, An Hao continued, "I think the Chief is definitely investigating this matter, but there must be some unworkable factor since it has been thirty years. This would slow down their investigation. If they can’t figure it out, they won’t stop there. After all, you bear a strong resemblance to a senior officer, and the Chief’s wife feels a sense of kinship with you, believing you to be their son."
What An Hao said made sense.
"Then I’ll pay a visit during the Mid-Autumn Festival," Qin Jian made a decision.
"Hmm. Good," An Hao nodded.
Once Qin Jian had finished with the school’s parade review, he was set to leave. He came over before his departure specifically to discuss this matter with An Hao.
He checked his watch; it was getting late, so he said to An Hao, "I must go! I’ll visit you when I’m not busy."
An Hao teasingly smiled, "Alright, An brother!"
"An brother?" Qin Jian’s eyes darkened, as he stepped forward, clasping the back of her head, and leaned down to kiss her.
"Mm... you bit me!" An Hao’s face was a picture of grievance.
"That’s your punishment! If you don’t stop, there will be more severe punishments later! Feel free to try me!" Qin Jian huffed.