You Nainai saw Lin Nuan's expression turn grim, and she wasn't sure if it was because of what she said. She gripped the steering wheel tightly and hesitated for a moment before continuing, "But it depends on the situation…"
"What situation?" Lin Nuan asked.
You Nainai saw the serious expression on Lin Nuan's face and answered simply, "I definitely wouldn't save someone who betrayed the army or their comrades…"
Lin Nuan looked at You Nainai silently and nodded. She then turned to look out the window, not saying a word.
…
The moment Lin Nuan arrived home, without even changing her shoes, she asked, "Where's Sir?"
"Sir's in the gym!" the servant answered her honestly.
Lin Nuan took off her scarf and coat and threw them on top of the shoe cabinet. Still wearing her heels, she walked down the stairs to the basement.
There was no sign of Fu Huai'an in the gym. Lin Nuan walked along the edge of the swimming pool and into the changing room with familiarity. After sliding open the doors to the wardrobe and moving the workout clothes inside, she opened a secret door and walked through it. She then pressed the elevator button.
The elevator traveled down to a basement that only Lin Nuan and Fu Huai'an knew about. The door opened, and Lin Nuan watched Fu Huai'an take off his safety goggles and carefully clean his disassembled gun parts.
It was the gun that Lin Nuan used when Fu Huai'an taught her how to use a gun.
"You're back…" Without raising his head, Fu Huai'an began to assemble the gun.
Lin Nuan stared at Fu Huai'an's tall and broad figure. In that instant, she was suddenly overwhelmed by all the grievances she had, causing her to choke up. "You promised me that you wouldn't put yourself in danger!"
After he finished assembling the gun, Fu Huai'an looked up and smiled as he said to Lin Nuan in his deep voice, "Come here, Xiao Nuan…"
Lin Nuan was standing near Fu Huai'an, but she didn't move… She didn't seem to want to listen to him.
Fu Huai'an put down the gun and walked over to Lin Nuan. He leaned down to grab her hand, but she moved away…
She looked down and refused to look at Fu Huai'an as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I promise that I'll come back home safe…"
"Last time, you promised me that you wouldn't put yourself in danger, but you still did… When you came home injured, I didn't say a word. And now you're going again! That senior colonel said… that the army wants to send someone to go with you, but you're choosing to go alone!" Lin Nuan sounded like she was about to cry. "Even Lu Jinnan knows about this. And you kept all of it from me! If Lu Jinnan hadn't told me the truth, and you let those men take me to the army for some program, were you going to just keep me in the dark forever?"
Fu Huai'an nodded honestly.
Lin Nuan bit her lip, and her eyes were instantly brimmed with tears. The tears then rolled down her face like pearls from a broken necklace as Lin Nuan hit Fu Huai'an's chest with her fists angrily. Her fists pounded his chest without stopping, not stopping until… she couldn't hold herself back anymore and burst out crying. She gripped Fu Huai'an's shirt and lowered her hand as she sobbed like a child. "You promised! You promised that you wouldn't put yourself in danger. You promised you wouldn't lie to me… You promised!"
Fu Huai'an's heart ached upon hearing Lin Nuan's cries. Without saying a word, he raised his hand to take her into his arms.
"Xiao Nuan…" Fu Huai'an's deep voice called out her name as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He couldn't say another word.
"You're not alone. You have Tuan Tuan… and you have me! You've already retired from service! There are so many soldiers in the army, so why must they pick you?" Lin Nuan looked up at Fu Huai'an with tears in her eyes. "Can you not go? They said you know that May Myint Yady person, so you can become their consultant and analyze the situation for them! You don't have to put yourself in danger! You don't have to!"
Fu Huai'an wrapped his arm around Lin Nuan's slender waist and held her palm-sized face with his other hand. He couldn't wipe her tears dry with his thumb, no matter how he tried. The anguish in his eyes was evident as he stared at her…
The look in Fu Huai'an's eyes told Lin Nuan that he had to go!
Lin Nuan lowered her head and gripped Fu Huai'an's collar tightly. She felt like she'd been drained of all the energy in her body.
"Xiao Nuan, I didn't get rid of May Myint Yady back then because I was soft-hearted. Now, the comrades who risked their lives to protect my identity are in danger. I have to go and save them!" Fu Huai'an spoke in a very low voice, coaxing Lin Nuan like he would a child. "My Xiao Nuan is the most magnanimous person I know. Do you think… I should go and save the four of them? If you don't think I should… then I won't go!"
The ball was now in Lin Nuan's court. Fu Huai'an had allowed her to make the decision for him.
He had always known that although Lin Nuan looked indifferent, deep down, she was actually a very kind woman…
If not, Lin Nuan wouldn't have risked her life to protect Tuan Tuan, a stranger not related to her at all, back in Iraq.
Lin Nuan tightened her hold on Fu Huai'an's collar and looked up at him. "What if I don't allow you to go?"
Fu Huai'an wiped away Lin Nuan's tears and nodded seriously. He then responded, "My question is… should I go or not?"
"Aren't these two conditions the same?" Lin Nuan choked up.
"There's a difference, Xiao Nuan. You know there's a difference! If not… why aren't you answering my question? Should I or should I not go?"
Tears rolled down Lin Nuan's face even more uncontrollably. She gripped Fu Huai'an's collar as she lowered her head and sobbed loudly like a child. "Fu Huai'an… you're too cunning! You… you're just too cunning!"
Fu Huai'an hugged the crying Lin Nuan and kissed the top of her head. He didn't say a word, as he knew Lin Nuan's answer…
Although Lin Nuan was magnanimous, she was a little selfish. After all, she was human. But at the end of the day, she had good values and morals!
Someone like Lin Nuan would never have the heart to tell Fu Huai'an that he shouldn't go. Deep down, she probably also felt that he should go and save them.
This was the first time Fu Huai'an had seen Lin Nuan burst out weeping. After some time passed… Lin Nuan was exhausted from crying and fell asleep in Fu Huai'an's arms.
Lin Nuan probably hadn't expressed her feelings in such an intense way before. She didn't know that an emotional outburst could make one so worn out…
Fu Huai'an sat against the wall as he held Lin Nuan in his arms so that she could sleep more comfortably.
Tears continued to roll down Lin Nuan's cheeks in her sleep, causing her eyelashes to become damp. Fu Huai'an sighed and hugged her even more tightly.
After some time passed, Lin Nuan was woken up by the sound of her phone vibrating in her pocket.
She moved. Her neck was stiff and sore. She heard Fu Huai'an's powerful heartbeat by her ear and knew that she was in his arms…
Lin Nuan held her neck with one hand and took her phone from her pocket with the other. She wanted to get a good look at the caller ID, but her sore eyes caused her vision to be blurry.
Fu Huai'an snatched Lin Nuan's phone away before she could answer the call.
"Hey…"
Lin Nuan tried to grab her phone back but failed. Fu Huai'an held the phone higher and hung up immediately. "You don't have to answer Lu Jinnan's call!"