Chapter 355
Li Yuren listened to Silver Leaf Academy’s designated proctor when Long Feng caught his eye and pointed to someone. He shifted his head in the direction, seeing a female watching them from afar. He raised a brow and frowned. Although he already expected that he would see his ex-fiancee today, his reaction was one with curiosity.
“One of our platoons will set a camp nearby. Silver Leaf had sent a request for students’ safety. We will provide you maps that you can use, but I’ll advise not to let your students go at the southwest border at this moment. If you encounter problems, just tell it to my assistant.” Li Yuren told the proctor and assured him of their protection.
“Thank you, General Li. It’s really assuring that we can rely on your help.” The proctor shook Li Yuren’s hand and gave a few words before leaving.
Li Yuren then shifted his attention to Lu Xinyi. Long Feng had abandoned him to seek her.
“Hey, Miss Lu! I didn’t know you’ll be here!” Long Feng greeted her.
Lu Xinyi blinked twice, tilting her head on one side. “Eh? Mister knows my name?”
Long Feng then realized his mistake. ‘Oh, shit.’
Of course, Lu Xinyi had no idea that he knew her courtesy of Li Yuren. If she wasn’t his boss’ ex-fiancee, he wouldn’t know her identity. He started to sweat profusely, thinking of a way to dodge Lu Xinyi’s suspicious gaze.
“Lu Xinyi… who wouldn’t have heard this year’s Silver Leaf’s prodigy?” Li Yuren was able to save Long Feng just in time. He stood behind Long Feng and gave the woman a good look.
It had been weeks since he last saw her. With the warm rays from the sun, her smooth alabaster skin had a healthy glow. Her thick long eyelashes framed her deep round brown eyes. It seemed that she gained some weight as she looked rounder than the last time he’d seen her.
“I thought I would never have a chance to thank the two of you properly. Thank you for saving me.” Lu Xinyi gave them a courtesy bow. If the two hadn’t managed to stop Gong Yijun, she knew that she couldn’t stop the man from hurting her.
Long Feng scratched his head, grinning awkwardly.
“It’s not a problem, Miss Lu. We’re glad we could help you. By the way, I’m Long Feng, and this is my boss, Li Yuren. You can just call him General Li,” he replied.
“General Li?” Lu Xinyi was surprised. Her eyes then landed at the three-star mark on Li Yuren’s uniform.
“Isn’t he too young to become a General?” She failed to realize that she voiced out her thoughts. Her eyes widened once she noticed what she had said. She covered her mouth with both of her hands and hid her flushed face.
Long Feng laughed and waved a hand. It was Li Yuren who found and saved her, and he didn’t do much to help his boss.
“It’s okay, Miss Lu. It’s normal that you think that way. You see, my boss just got promoted as Lieutenant General for a special mission.” He explained.
Lu Xinyi could only assume that Li Yuren was exceptionally good on what he was doing to get such a high rank for his age.
Li Yuren stood stiffly. His shoulders were no longer those of a youth but of a man. He had learned so much. He learned to take care of himself and do things that a normal young master of a family wouldn’t do. He could run for hours in mud, over rocks, and through rivers. He knew how to use guns and kill people.
He knew how to get along with others in his troop, male and female. He had learned how to be independent away from home and the Li family. He was taller than Long Feng and as muscular as any other. He could run as far and march for as long as he could. He was able to assemble his rifle in the light or dark in thirty seconds.
Li Yuren was the man one prayed would be at their side when the fighting began. He would have one’s back, he would fight. However, he was not a man to confide in. He didn’t want one’s heartache, loneliness, or fear to be known. He controlled his own, and while his indifference to a comrade’s feelings seemed cold, it was his only means of self-protection.
He gave Lu Xinyi a curt nod before turning his back. “Long Feng, let’s go.” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Long Feng followed after him and waved goodbye to Lu Xinyi. “Miss Lu, we’re staying nearby. If you need some help, this servant is ready to help you!”
Lu Xinyi lifted a hand and waved back. In truth, she didn’t know how to react. She couldn’t understand why General Li was assessing her. There was an awkward atmosphere between them which Long Feng easily filled in.
“Sister Lu!” Her teammate came back with a first aid box on her hand. She spotted Li Yuren and Long Feng walking away after conversing with Lu Xinyi. “Your friends?”
Lu Xinyi shrugged her shoulders and took the first aid kit. “Acquaintance maybe. Not friends.”
—
“Did you notice? Miss Lu is turning to a beauty. Ah, too bad she’s already married.” Long Feng said as he slumped against the cushions in Li Yuren’s tent.
“Even if she’s not married, you wouldn’t be able to steal her gaze.” Li Yuren said nonchalantly while checking the daily reports on his desk.
Long Feng clutched his chest dramatically as stared wide eyes to his commander.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he cried out.
“Just pointing some facts. Stop daydreaming.” Li Yuren threw the papers back on his desk and pinch the bridge of his nose. “Long Feng, make sure no students will go to the southwest border for this week. We got a report that the illegal traders will cross the border anytime soon.”
The country was currently dealing with illegal firearms that were increasing at an alarming rate; thus, they’d assigned Li Yuren and his platoon to gather information about these traders and mercenaries and stop them from infiltrating Jiang City.
They had managed to stop different troupes to enter Jiang City. With all possible entries blocked by Li Yuren’s platoons, sooner or later the traders would be forced to take a dangerous route like the southwest border.
Silver Leaf students should be safe as long as they wouldn’t trek near the southwest border. With their camp located several miles away from the southwest border, their mission and students’ safety shouldn’t encounter any problems.
When they started to discuss possible scenarios and the possibility of a confrontation with illegal traders, their noses encountered a savory smell. Long Feng stopped speaking immediately to inhale the fragrance.
“My goodness, is this torture? We blindly agreed to protect the students, but I forgot that they cook delicious meals.” Long Feng took a huge gulp of cold water from his cup and sighed, but he could still feel his throat’s dryness as his mouth watered from the aromatic scent that permeated the area.
He then looked at Li Yuren who had not been a little disturbed by what they smelled.
“Yuren, do you think we could ask for some meals from them?” Long Feng begged.
“Begging for some food? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself, Long Feng? If you’re hungry, get your field ration for lunch,” Li Yuren taunted.
They were already used on eating field rations that were provided by the government, but once in a while, eating a decent meal like home-cooked meals was almost a luxury for members of the armed forces like them. Most of the field rations they receive were First Strike Ration, an individual ration designed to be edible while on the move and MRE which was the standard individual field ration.
“No…” Long Feng almost whined in desperation. How could he eat his daily MRE while thinking about the meals that Silver Leaf students were making? He didn’t want to munch on his bland meal while smelling the aroma of their dishes.
Just as he was about to give up, the proctor from Silver Leaf came in a hurry.
“General Li, Lieutenant Long, would you mind helping me grade our students’ dishes?” he asked.
Long Feng’s face instantly lit up and turned to his superior. His mind was screaming for Li Yuren to say ‘yes’.