CH 91

Ling Changfeng froze slightly at the sudden embrace carrying the fragrance of flowers.

His brain fell into a momentary trance, while his body had already responded-

He stretched out his hand and wrapped his arms around Xu Xinghe’s waist.

Turn a one-sided hug into a hug between two people.

Lowering his head, the hair on his temples gently brushed against his lover’s neck, and Ling Changfeng let out a satisfied sigh.

As legal spouses, it’s not that they haven’t done anything more intimate than hugging, but that it’s always happened when Xu Xinghe’s asleep, or when he was drunk.

It seems that his little spouse has never embraced him when sober and conscious.

Marshal Ling’s mind flitted through past events.

The only time it seemed to be to prevent him from injecting inhibitors…

But that didn’t really count.

Ling Changfeng lowered his eyes, thinking to himself, the pheromone emanating from his body at that time was very different from now.

In other words…

AD

Ling Changfeng buried his head a little lower, and sprayed hot breath over his spouse’s fair neck.

In other words, this should be his little spouse’s first, real, active hug.

This realization made Ling Changfeng’s thoughts stagnate for a short time.

It seems more like a signal, heralding a new chapter, rather than an ordinary hug.

He selfishly wanted this hug to last longer, but after all, they were still in front of the operating room door, so it was not appropriate to hug for too long.

Ling Changfeng sighed softly, patted his lover’s back lightly, and finally stood up and comforted in a low voice, “Okay, I’ll sit with you for a while.”

At three o’clock in the afternoon, the winter sun passed through the clouds, scattering with fine gold spots everywhere.

In the gray-blue sky, white patrol boats flew over, like flocks of white doves, mighty and soaring in the wind.

AD

Xu Xinghe took a deep breath and smelled that person’s unique, sea-like smell.

The distant chime of another hour sounded. Everything was so normal, but the world seemed different from usual.

What’s the difference?

Before Xu Xinghe had time to think more, the person on the opposite side had already let go of his arms.

In an instant, a faint, subtle emotion called “loss” came to mind.

Xu Xinghe’s heartbeat gradually calmed down, and he nodded slowly. “Yes.”

“Don’t worry, Lu Sen told me that the success rate of the operation is very high.” Ling Changfeng sat side by side with him in the corridor of the hospital, bathing together under the warm winter sun.

Xu Xinghe’s eyes lit up, but he held his breath again, and said cautiously: “But Dr. Lu Sen told me…”

“The risk is always there, so doctors won’t say too much when facing the patient’s family.” Ling Changfeng turned his head to him and explained patiently. “I don’t dare to say too much, but…” He stretched out his right hand and held Xu Xinghe’s left hand. “Trust me. Everything is developing better and better.”

Xu Xinghe looked at him and nodded. In the gentle gaze of the pair of mismatched pupils, his voice trembled from joy and excitement. “Okay.”

AD

“What about the two little ones?” Ling Changfeng’s eyes swept around quickly.

“A Fei took Lily out for a walk.” Xu Xinghe said. “You know, in front of Lily, we won’t say anything too serious about my mother’s condition… After all, she’s still so young.”

“You’re not that old.” Ling Changfeng turned his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, “Don’t think about resisting everything yourself.”

Having said that, Marshal Ling pursed his lips and brought up the previous topic again: “The surgery time has changed, why didn’t you notify me?”

Xu Xinghe: “…”

He opened his mouth and was struggling with what kind of rhetoric he was going to make up. Out of the corner of his eyes, he suddenly caught a glimpse of his siblings returning from their walk. He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, and quickly got up and waved to the pair at the end of the corridor. “You two are back.”

Chu Yufei saw this scene from a distance and stopped.

Lily held her brother with one hand, stretched out the other small hand and waved at Xu Xinghe. “Hey, Brother Changfeng is here too.”

As a result, just as she was about to rush forward, she was pulled back.

Chu Yufei glanced at Xu Xinghe, who was waving enthusiastically at them, and then glanced at Ling Changfeng, who was beside him with a faint expression.

Feeling that the atmosphere was not very good, he decisively pulled his sister around. “Let’s go, I’ll take you around again.”

They quickly disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Coming and going like a wisp of smoke, leaving no trace behind.

Xu Xinghe: “???”

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. This younger brother can’t be wanted anymore…

AD

As soon as he turned around, he met Ling Changfeng’s meaningful gaze again.

Xu Xinghe smiled embarrassedly, and he suddenly felt the righteous and awe-inspiring reasons he planned to give felt superfluous.

Secretly looking at Ling Changfeng, he sat back beside him and whispered: “I thought you had a meeting this afternoon, and was afraid that you would be worried…”

Ling Changfeng’s face was expressionless. “Just because you don’t say it means I won’t worry?”

“…” Xu Xinghe thought for a while, then tentatively asked: “Then I will inform you next time?”

“En.” Ling Changfeng replied lightly, but his eyes still fixed on him.

Xu Xinghe felt inexplicably guilty facing his stare, so he simply threw his body on the bench and asked him, “What else have I done wrong?”

Ling Changfeng sighed silently, opened his mouth and said, “There isn’t anything else. I didn’t mean to blame you for doing something wrong…”

“You have.” Xu Xinghe said with his head lowered.

“…” Ling Changfeng turned his head and looked at his little spouse speechlessly.

Xu Xinghe leaned to the side silently, and whispered, “Okay, you continue.”

Ling Changfeng saw his small movements in his eyes, calmly retracted his gaze, and then moved closer unhurriedly. After a moment, he sat next to Xu Xinghe again.

He looked straight ahead and said without squinting: “I want to say that whenever you need me, you can come to me at any time. Although due to the nature of the military, I cannot guarantee that I will be by your side at all times, and can’t guarantee that I will show up in time when you need me, but I will try my best not to miss every moment when you need me.” 

As he spoke, the autumn wind blew the wind chimes hanging on the eaves. A crisp and melodious jingle sounded.

Xu Xinghe only felt his heart pound madly. His heartbeat seemed to sway along with the string of wind chimes.

Shaky, thumping.

An indescribable feeling slowly melted from the bottom of his heart. Fiddling with his fingers, he finally spoke up again after a long pause. “I don’t want to delay your business because of private matters.”

“First of all, your business may be a private matter, but it’s also a business matter.” Ling Changfeng turned his eyes slightly, his tone was serious, but not strict. On the contrary, it contained a rare patience and gentleness.

“Secondly, you should know that if this afternoon’s meeting is really that important, then I wouldn’t be here at all. I know what ‘business’ you’re referring to, and you don’t need to worry about me delaying them for any reason.”

Xu Xinghe was silent for a moment, then nodded.

After getting along for so long, he knew what kind of person Ling Changfeng was. This man might discuss honeymoon arrangements in one moment, and a moment later, change his face at the drop of a hat when a confidential communication line rings, apologizing that he has to avoid him due to military’s regulations.

“If you have any needs or encounter any trouble in the future, you can let me know with confidence without worrying if I will face a dilemma. I have overcome too many of those so-called dilemmas in my life. How to choose and how to decide, I have my own considerations. Taking a step back, even if one day I do make a bad judgment for some personal reason, that’s not your fault, and you don’t need to be responsible for it, let alone feel guilty about it.”

Xu Xinghe turned his head and stared at Ling Changfeng in a daze.

The two looked at each other wordlessly. The latter’s eyes were magnanimous, and a pair of dual-colored pupils were gentle like the evening breeze in the moonlight.

These words felt like a promise.

Or rather, a sincerity that is more precious than a promise.

Then…

Maybe he should respond with something.

Xu Xinghe’s eyes fell from those clear eyes to his pale thin lips.

He approached slowly.

If it weren’t for the sudden ring of Ling Changfeng’s communication device, Xu Xinghe felt that he would’ve probably done something.

It’s a pity that the adjutant’s news came at such an untimely time.

Ling Changfeng glanced at the communication sent by Qin Yuan, raised his head and looked at Xu Xinghe apologetically: “Sorry, I have to leave first.”

He got up before speaking and brushed off the folds of his clothes. “I will deal with the matter as soon as possible and come back.”

“It’s alright, go get busy.” Xu Xinghe got up to see him off, and before leaving, he gave him another hug. “I’ll wait for your return.”

The estimated time for the entire operation was eight hours.

By the time Ling Changfeng finished processing things and rushed back to the hospital, it was already past eight o’clock in the evening.

The light indicating “surgery in progress” remained bright.

Although they were warned in advance, a long wait will always magnify people’s worries. The more time dragged on, the worse Xu Xinghe was at holding back his anxiety, and his whole person was a little restless.

Ling Changfeng knew that it was useless to say too much at such a time, so he just stayed by his side quietly, waiting for the final result of the operation.

Finally, after seven and a half hours of surgery, at nearly ten o’clock in the evening, Mother Xu was pushed out of the operating room.

All of a sudden, everyone got up and gathered around.

The attending doctor took off his mask, first nodded to Ling Changfeng, then turned around and said to Xu Xinghe with a smile. “The operation went well. The patient is currently in stable condition, and a minor operation will be performed in a week, but don’t worry. …”

All the voices drifted away from Xu Xinghe. After he heard the words “the operation went well”, he felt that the world suddenly became quiet.

It wasn’t until Ling Changfeng touched his arm lightly that he regained his senses. His nose was instantly sore, but his star eyes were filled with joy.

It worked!

Xu Xinghe almost yelled out, but in the end he just held the doctor’s hand tightly and said thank you again and again.

Ling Changfeng stood behind him, with a clear smile in his blue and gold eyes.

In the next few days, Xu Xinghe was unexpectedly busy.

Mother Xu’s condition improved and her consciousness gradually became clearer. She was able to chat normally with her sons and daughter during the day, so Xu Xinghe spent more time with her. In addition, he had to arrange schooling and long-term accommodations for his siblings. Although Ling Changfeng’s staff handled the execution, the decision of which school and the choice of security was left to Xu Xinghe.

So, Xu Xinghe simply asked Ark to take another week’s leave, intending to fully arrange everything before going back to work.

As for Marshal Ling, there was a lot of work piled up from his break, so for a week, the two of them barely saw each other.

When Mother Xu’s condition improved significantly and she could walk on the ground, it was already late November.

The temperature in Xingfu City finally broke above zero, allowing people to breathe a sigh of relief when strolling outdoors.

Xu Xinghe was also finally relieved from the busyness.

His long vacation was coming to an end, and work was about to resume, so he planned to cherish the remaining two days of beautiful vacation and relax.

In the winter afternoon, in the marshal’s mansion, he hugged Xiaoqi and lay down on the sofa, calling his smart housekeeper: “KEY, give me some songs that are suitable for listening to now.”

“Okay, “Winter Sonata” will be played for you soon.”

Xu Xinghe: “…”

Ling Changfeng’s face flashed across his mind.

After that day, he actually had something to say to Ling Changfeng.

But firstly, the two of them were very busy these days, and secondly, he hadn’t organized his words properly, resulting in things dragging out.

A beautiful and moving melody echoed in the bedroom as Xu Xinghe looked up at the ceiling in a daze.

Sometimes a thousand emotions flashed through his mind, and sometimes it was blank.

At this moment, a chat message in the Capital University F4 group suddenly popped up –

Lin Qi: “Friends! Are we going to get together tonight?”

Vincent: “Didn’t you read the weather forecast?”

Lin Qi: “What weather forecast? Is it possible that there will be thunder and rain in the big winter?”

Cheryl: “Tonight, Xingfu City will usher in the first snow of winter.”

Lin Qi: “So?”

Vincent: “The first snow night, how romantic! Everyone with a partner will be on a date, so why do you choose this time to have dinner?”

Xu Xinghe: “Where to meet?”

The two messages were almost sent out at the same time. Less than five seconds later—

<Xu Xinghe withdrew a message>

Lin Qi: “…I saw it”

Lin Qi: “Why did you withdraw it??”

Lin Qi: “Brother Xu are we getting together?”

Xu Xinghe: “No get together”

Xu Xinghe: “Where do you go on a date? Give me some ideas @Cheryl @Vincent”

The group was quiet for a while.

Lin Qi slowly sent a question mark: “?”