Shopping Mall.
Walking through the mall, Ruan Ruan was thoroughly enjoying herself when her phone suddenly rang. The screen lit up, clearly displaying a name - 'Feng Mo.'
"Where are you?"
"I'm shopping with Cen Cen. I will go home later by myself, so you don’t need to pick me up, Brother Feng Mo!" A hint of guilt passed through Ruan Ruan's eyes, but she tried to keep her voice calm and composed.
"Hmm." Feng Mo, a man of few words, responded indifferently through his nostrils.
Just as Ruan Ruan felt a sense of relief, thinking that she had managed to keep her activities secret, a male voice unexpectedly popped up beside her, "Little junior, I have already booked the restaurant for tonight…"
"Ah!"
The sudden voice scared Ruan Ruan, making her hand shake. She hastily pressed the end call button several times, terrified that Feng Mo would realize something was off.
But her nimble fingers were no match for the speed of sound! The sycophantic voice of her senior had already reached Feng Mo's ears.
Feng Mo gripped his phone, his knuckles turning white. His already stern face grew a few degrees colder.
Fortunately, since childhood, Ruan Ruan had never lied to him. Feng Mo quickly repressed his flash of anger, dismissing the man over the phone as a random passer-by.
If he wasn't going to pick Ruan Ruan up today, he might as well go home.
"Let's drive."
"Yes, Chief."
At Feng Mo’s cold command, the guard Meng Lu immediately started the car and drove away from the military district.
At dinner time.
Madam Feng, sharp-eyed as always, noticed that her beloved son, Feng Mo, was eating less than usual and emanating a colder aura than normal. Just as she was about to tease Mr. Feng and Feng Mo, she caught his eyes scanning the empty spot where Ruan Ruan usually sits.
A flicker of understanding crossed Madam Feng's eyes.
She always knew her son had feelings for Ruan Ruan!
"Sigh..."
With a mournful sigh and heavy heart, Madam Feng put down her chopsticks.
"Is the food not to your liking?" Mr. Feng, the loving husband, asked with concern.
"My precious Ruan Ruan went for a blind date, how could I still have the appetite to eat!"
As soon as Madam Feng's words fell, Feng Mo's emotionless face darkened instantly. His chopsticks stopped mid-air, his narrowed eyes coldly staring at his mother.
"You must be mistaken, isn't Ruan Ruan accompanying..."
Seeing Mr. Feng's bewildered expression, Madam Feng quickly pinched him to signal him to stop. An exchange of glances was all Mr. Feng needed to understand her act.
"You heard it too when Ruan Ruan called just now. She was gushing about the blind date like she had lost her soul. I really can't bear the thought of her getting married so soon!"
Feng Mo tried to act unbothered, pushing a piece of vegetable into his mouth, but the lack of taste pissed him off.
Although his face remained expressionless, the fury burning in his deep eyes unnerved even Madam Feng.
Just as Madam Feng doubted if she might have overacted, the sudden sound of chopsticks and bowls landing on the table broke the silence in the air.
"I have matters to attend to with the troops. Eat slowly!" Suddenly, Feng Mo stood up, banging his chopsticks and bowl on the table, his muscular legs carried him swiftly out of sight of Mr. Feng and Mrs. Feng.
Mrs. Feng covered her mouth and laughed, finally relaxing her tense nerves.
"If it still doesn't work at this stage, then my surname isn't Zhuang!"
Mr. Feng raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of doting, "Your surname isn't Zhuang to begin with, your surname is Feng, Southern Feng Clan."
Leaving the Feng residence, Feng Mo floored the accelerator, intending to find Ruan Ruan before Meng Lu did, following his intuition to her favorite restaurant.
As he sped down the road, his memories surged instead of calming down.
Eight years ago, a nearly twelve years old little Ruan Ruan sat alone under the rain on a stone bench in the military compound, her gaze blankly cast towards the direction of the big iron gate. She knew she had no family left in this world, but she waited hopelessly nonetheless.
At that time, Feng Mo approached her coolly, crouched down, wrapped her in his heavy military jacket, brought her back to Feng's house, and made a decisive commitment to her unique to soldiers, "From now on, I'll protect you."
And he did just that, for eight years.
Submerged in his memories, Feng Mo clenched the steering wheel, exerting too much force causing the veins bulging along his neck, exuding an intimidating air. If this was simply the affection of a brother towards his sister, he might not even believe it himself.
Just as expected, as soon as Feng Mo reached the restaurant, he spotted the 'ringleader' who was thoroughly enjoying her meal, and the two men with flattering expressions on their faces.
This young girl was getting bolder!
She dared to go out for a meal with other men without his permission! Even dared to lie to him about going on a blind date!
Feng Mo steps out of the car, his overwhelming fury causing him to slam the car door shut with a deafening noise.
In the restaurant.
Ruan Ruan, who was halfway through her steak, somehow senses a massive shift of energy, causing her to grip her cutlery too hard. With a "clack", a large piece of steak falls onto the table.
"What's going on with you? Even the tasty piece of meat now flies off?" Bai Ci Ci teases as she shares some of her steak with Ruan Ruan.
"Just focus on your date, ignore me who only came to keep you company."
Ruan Ruan verbally denies while her actions indicate otherwise as she starts to slice the steak on her plate.
As the meal is drawing to an end, the two men propose a toast to commemorate their meeting.
Bai Ci Ci is not a drinker, and neither does Ruan Ruan usually drink, but for the happiness of her best friend's rest of her life, she takes on this burden and holders up her glass of wine. However, just as she was about to drink, the sudden appearance of a man in her line of sight startles her, causing her to set down her glass and spring up from her seat.
Even the passers-by feel a sudden chill...
"Feng Mo?! You... how come you're here?" Ruan Ruan, flustered and confused, couldn't even articulate her words properly.
"Have you been drinking?"
Feng Mo's sharp gaze sweeps over the two men before he effortlessly picks them up as if they were mere chicks.
"No, no! Put them down!" Ruan Ruan immediately waves her hands in panic, but glancing at the conspicuous glass of wine on the table, she couldn't help but add timidly, "I... I haven't had a chance to drink it yet..."
But in Feng Mo's perspective, whether Ruan Ruan has drunk the wine or not wasn't the point—the fact is, if he hadn't arrived in time, wouldn't the wine have already been down her throat?
"Does this girl ever take his words to heart?"
With a heavy throw, the two men landed on the ground, their howls of pain echoing as if they were broken all over.
"Go home!"
Feng Mo tried to control his temper, dropping the two words to Ruan Ruan and turning away.
Ruan Ruan knew very well that this was a signal of Feng Mo's imminent temper outbreak. If she didn't comply, the consequences would be severe.....
But she wouldn't just take it today!
On any other day, Ruan Ruan would have immediately admitted her mistake and obediently followed Feng Mo home, without uttering another word. But today, she was not the main character. From the expression of the blind date man and his friend, it was evident they were "scared beyond belief". She knew she must have messed up the blind date for Fen Fen.
A mix of guilt and indignation rushed to Ruan Ruan's mind, and in a fit of rage, she charged towards Feng Mo, blocking his path with a "daring" stride.
