After Shen Cheng filled his stomach, he put down his chopsticks. He thought about it in his mind, looked at Lu Yang, and asked the question he was most concerned about, “Major General Lu, I’ve heard that the pirates have been quite rampant recently. I’m wondering if Ancheng will be in danger?”
Lu Yang put one hand on his chin, raised his head after hearing this, and looked much more serious.
In a deep voice, he said, “Rest assured, safeguarding the citizens of the Empire is our duty as soldiers. We will certainly protect every person in Ancheng. As long as the army is here, you have nothing to worry about. If there is any danger, we will escort you out of the city in advance. We will do our utmost to ensure your safety.”
Upon hearing his words, Shen Cheng felt inexplicably reassured. Lu Yang seemed to naturally possess a compelling and trustworthy aura.
Only then did he feel that Lu Yang was indeed the Major General of Ancheng.
Before coming to Ancheng, he had heard his father mention that the major general of Ancheng was the grandson of Marshal Lu. He had inherited much of Marshal Lu’s style from back in the day—accomplished at a young age and having made a name for himself in the army through his own abilities. He had always admired this major general and looked forward to the day he could see him in person.
However, seeing Lu Yang’s pain-averse demeanor earlier, the image of the major general in his mind had completely shattered. Now, watching Lu Yang say these words, he felt that this was how a major general should be.
He comforted himself, thinking that Lu Yang crying out in pain earlier must have been an exception. After all, everyone has moments of being afraid of pain. Even a major general is made of flesh and blood, and it’s perfectly normal to fear pain.
“Xiao Mian, you better stop bandaging Major General Lu,” Shen Cheng said, smiling gently at Ruan Mian. He felt it was too embarrassing to mention that Lu Yang’s wound was too small, so he simply advised, “This looks too exaggerated. Just apply some medicine to Major General Lu’s wound. It might heal faster that way.”
He thought that Lu Yang might be too embarrassed to refuse Ruan Mian’s kind gesture, which was why he allowed Ruan Mian to bandage his hand so extensively. Considering Lu Yang was a major general, having such a minor injury bandaged so heavily would be humiliating if people found out. Even without bandaging or applying medicine, his small wound would heal in a few days.
Ruan Mian shook his head, lowered his head, and continued to bandage it carefully. He said without raising his head: “Lu Yang’s skin is very delicate. If it is not treated properly, it will leave scars.”
“Scars are a man’s medal. Just leave some scars. They will disappear in a few years anyway.” Shen Cheng said nonchalantly.
A real man doesn’t worry about a couple of scars. The major general of Ancheng is a tough and resilient man; why would he be afraid of leaving scars?
After he finished speaking, he felt a silence in the air. He couldn’t help but look up and saw Ruan Mian and Lu Yang staring at him at the same time.
Ruan Mian held Lu Yang’s hand and stared at him: “Lu Yang is so beautiful, with flawless skin, like a white porcelain doll, how can he leave scars?”
Lu Yang pursed his lips at Shen Cheng from the side, obviously agreeing with Ruan Mian’s words.
Shen Cheng: “…”
This was the first time he heard someone use a white porcelain doll to describe an Alpha, especially this Alpha was a soldier who had been on the battlefield and killed enemy soldiers.
Ruan Mian lowered his head and continued to treat the wound, “Even if Lu Yang is Alpha, he is also the most exquisite Alpha!”
Shen Cheng: “???”
Wang Dali patted his shoulder sympathetically and whispered: “When the two of them are together, never reason with them.”
“Why?” Shen Cheng wondered.
“Ha…” Wang Dali showed a sad expression as if he had been through this before and said calmly: “I have experienced hundreds of battles, so you must do yourself right and listen to me.”
This is the lesson he learned with blood and tears at the cost of countless chicken feathers!
When these two people are together, they are completely unreasonable. Their principle is that the other is always the best!
Wang Dali looked at Shen Cheng with a ‘you’re too young’ look. He stood up and simply packed away the lunch boxes on the table. At the same time, he also packed Shen Cheng’s portion into a garbage bag and walked over with the garbage. Outside the clinic, he threw it into the trash can by the door.
When he came back, Ruan Mian had finally bandaged Lu Yang’s hand and was holding up Lu Yang’s hand to see the results of the bandage.
Wang Dali watched him intently staring at Lu Yang’s hand, as if he were looking at a delicate sculpture. He couldn’t help but suspect that all his hard work studying medicine might just have been to replace Lu Yang’s band-aid.
Clearly, a band-aid would have sufficed, but he insisted on wasting a whole roll of bandage!
“Ai…” He sighed helplessly.
When Lu Yang heard his sigh, he turned his chair, looked back at him, and raised his eyebrows slightly, “Ji’er, what’s that expression on your face?”
“…Happy!” Under the pressure of his gaze, Wang Dali couldn’t help but recall the nightmare of having his feathers plucked in his youth. He forced a smile at him and, in a sycophantic tone, said, “I haven’t seen you for so long. I’ve missed you a lot. So, seeing you now makes me so happy that I can’t stop smiling.”
Ruan Mian: “…” My love rival seduced my fiancé openly and openly in front of me, but he’s also my friend.
Shen Cheng: “…” First love may be wonderful, but friendship is priceless. Dude, wake up… Ah, darn it! Dali, wake up, he’s your friend’s fiancé! You can’t be so insane!
Ruan Mian and Shen Cheng looked at Wang Dali at the same time, their eyes burning with accusations.
Wang Dali: “…” I want to cry, but I can’t wash myself away even if I jump into the Yellow River.
The most confusing thing in this world must be figuring out who my love rival truly is.
Ruan Mian decided not to argue with him for the time being because he was his friend. He picked up the first aid kit, turned around, and put it in the cabinet.
Lu Yang looked at Wang Dali with a half-smile, and suddenly gently raised his finger at him.
Wang Dali had a premonition that nothing good would happen, so he pretended not to understand and stood still.
Lu Yang narrowed his eyes slightly and hooked his fingers again.
Wang Dali felt a chill on the back of his neck. He didn’t dare to pretend he couldn’t see it anymore. He reluctantly moved over and asked in a trembling voice: “Is something the matter?”
Lu Yang’s lips curled into a smile, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at him. “Bend down and bring your ear closer.”
Wang Dali didn’t want to move, lest Ruan Mian misunderstand and glare at him again later.
Lu Yang watched him continue to smile, and words came out of his mouth without emotion, “Do you still want your chicken feathers?”
Wang Dali immediately bent down, raised his ears in front of him, and said respectfully: “If you have any instructions, please tell me. I will definitely do it for you.”
Shen Cheng was dumbfounded from a distance. Could this be the power of love?
He thought Wang Dali was already very good to Ruan Mian, but he didn’t expect Wang Dali to be even more attentive in front of Lu Yang. Could it be that Wang Dali’s affection for Ruan Mian is just a case of ‘loving the house and its crow’[mfn]Chinese idiom that means to love someone or something so much that you also love everything associated with them[/mfn]? Has he misunderstood Wang Dali all these years?
He lowered his head and couldn’t help but fall into self-doubt.
Lu Yang glanced at Ruan Mian, who was putting the first aid kit back into the cabinet. Leaning slightly forward, he moved closer to Wang Dali’s ear and whispered, “Ji’er, if you’re not Mian Mian’s rival in love, then you’re mine. Is your life’s goal to be the third wheel for both of us? This is clearly a movie for two, but you insist on having a name in the credits?”
Wang Dali was suddenly startled and raised his eyes to look at Lu Yang.
He thought he had hidden his feelings for Ruan Mian very well, and Ruan Mian hadn’t noticed all this time. He also believed Lu Yang wouldn’t figure it out either. However, Lu Yang, having spent so much time on the battlefield, had developed keen observational skills and saw through it very quickly.
His body trembled slightly involuntarily, fearing that he might not be able to save any of the chicken feathers on his body this time.
Lu Yang gave a nonchalant smile. There was no malice in the smile. He just warned in a low voice: “Mian Mian truly treats you as a friend. If you want to keep the chicken feathers on your body, don’t make him sad.”
Wang Dali smiled bitterly when he heard this, his expression was a little gloomy, and he said in a low voice: “I know, I never thought about telling him, let alone making him sad. As long as he is willing, I will be his good friend for life.”
After Ruan Mian put away the first aid kit, he turned around and saw Lu Yang and Wang Dali talking together, very close to each other.
He couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, “What are you two talking about?”
They were whispering behind his back, and he felt a sense of betrayal from two friends, along with the sour emotion of someone trying to seduce his fiancé. His feelings became quite complicated.
Of course, it’s more fun to share secrets with all three people!
Lu Yang leaned back in his chair and said with a half-smile: “The two of us just discussed how a chicken can survive the claws of a wolf.”
When Shen Cheng heard what he said, he said without thinking: “Of course the chicken must behave and not get close to the wolf, otherwise it will anger the wolf and eat the chicken in a matter of minutes.”
Wang Dali immediately took a step back and stayed away from Lu Yang. This wolf had become even more terrifying after not seeing him for several years.
Lu Yang gave him a sinister smile, intentionally baring his teeth, but he didn’t make things difficult for him. Lu Yang knew that Wang Dali wasn’t malicious; he just didn’t want him to cause trouble for Ruan Mian. So, he wanted to give him a gentle warning, a little reminder.
Ruan Mian has not had many relatives since he was a child, so he values his friends very much. Lu Yang doesn’t want to make him sad, nor does he want to disappoint him. Since Wang Dali knows what’s going on, he doesn’t need to say anything more.
Ruan Mian felt that Lu Yang and Wang Dali’s reactions were a bit strange. Before he could ask them what was wrong, there was a knock on the door.
The nurse walked in, supporting an injured person, and said in an anxious voice: “Doctor Ruan, there is an emergency patient. Please take care of it quickly.”
“Okay.” Ruan Mian packed up the things on the table and looked up. When he saw the patient’s face clearly, his eyes widened suddenly, and he said in surprise: “Brother Ren!”
Lu Yang frowned and looked up.
The nurse supported Ren Ge as he stood at the doorway. Ren Ge was dressed in a well-fitting suit, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He looked more mature than before, but his temperament hadn’t changed. He still had that gentle demeanor.
His arm was injured, and he bled a lot. His clothes were soaked. His pants were also dirty. They looked like they had been scraped on the ground and were torn in some places.
He looked a little embarrassed, because he had lost too much blood, his face was pale and without any color, but his smile was still gentle, and he was very polite to the nurse, making people feel warm after meeting him.
Lu Yang couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows, alarm bells blaring in his heart.
He looked at Ren Ge, standing at the doorway, elegant and handsome, then at Wang Dali, looking every bit the part in his white coat.
Suddenly, he realized that Ning Mixiang was right. He and Ruan Mian had grown up, and it was time to start planning their wedding.
