Section 3

Lu Yancheng asked Qin Mingyu to drive Xiao Cai's car with three men inside, while he drove his own car carrying Xiao Cai and Gui Xiao, taking them back to the hotel. The snow was heavy and the road was slippery; despite it being late at night, Lu Yancheng did not drive fast.

Lu Yancheng took out a cigarette case from his pocket, bit down on a cigarette, and then reached for the storage box under the central console, his fingers sliding back and forth as he searched for something. Gui Xiao extended her hand, picked up a lighter, and handed it over.

Gui Xiao also attended a trade fair for Chinese, Mongolian, and Russian goods, but could not understand what the Mongolians were saying

She has always wanted to see him again, without any concealment

Aunt Gui Xiao, my dad and Uncle Lu have both had too much to drink. Please come quickly, everyone else has left, and I can't handle them by myself

However, who does not have a past? It is understandable that Gui Xiao does not wish to speak of it

Qin Xiaonan sighed softly: "Aunt Gui Xiao, you were Uncle Lu's first love, weren't you?"

Lu Yanchen shrugged his shoulders, feeling quite helpless: "I have retired from the military, and now I have too much free time."

Outside the door, there are several young men in their twenties who are drunk, sitting on the steps and crying. Some of them, even without crying out loud, are wiping their tears and have red eyes. Guixiao recalls having seen such a scene in the courtyard when she was a child. Although she has not experienced it herself, she can somewhat understand that "brotherhood in arms" is a very profound emotion

Thus, I endured until two days before leaving Inner Mongolia

Over there, a man from Northeast China is protesting against his wife praising another man

Behind him, Qin Mingyu blocked the way of Xiao Cai, who wanted to follow and see the commotion

"The Sunite side wants to capture them, which is good, as it saves us some trouble," the police said as they escorted them out the main gate, patting Xiao Cai on the shoulder. "Your car really deserves a banner, ha, it helps us save police resources and conserves resources for the country."

What is most precious is finding a place that still has public KTV, where a man is singing Jeff Chang's "Brothers," which has a unique sense of nostalgia

Hurry, hurry, they are having a farewell dinner for good brothers today, a group of veterans is in the urban area of Erlianhot City

In the room filled with nostalgic melodies of golden oldies, someone also picked up a harmonica and began to play.

Gui Xiao did not understand whom she was referring to

Does he want to go by himself

As dawn breaks and hesitation lingers, isn't it true that you have come here to see him?

Text messages come and go, and Xiao Cai occasionally complains. In the end, Gui Xiao becomes more sensitive to the sounds of Xiao Cai's phone than to her own incoming calls. She feels that if this continues, her heart will definitely not be able to take it, so she decides to wander around with the other three men who came with her. In fact, this place is not large, but quite unique, with many shops featuring Chinese and Mongolian characters.

Xiao Cai and her husband sweetly exchanged a few words, then she broke off the conversation and mysteriously leaned in: "Gui Xiao, have you ever been involved with Lu Dui? Speak honestly. The energy between you two sitting side by side in the car just felt completely off."

This collaboration of searching and delivering is too familiar

This was her greatest impression before the police car arrived

Later, the police responsible for clearing the scene, who were initially quite serious, couldn't help but laugh when they saw each other again: "We meet again, I am only on duty tonight for one night, and I have encountered the traffic team twice."

Gui Xiao could not imagine such a scene

Xiao Cai suddenly became happy while holding his phone: "I thought he had given me a fake number, as there was no response for a long time. Being a soldier is really not easy. The message was sent three days ago, and he only replied today"

Returning to the hotel room, Gui Xiao took a hot shower. When she came out, Xiao Cai was on the phone with her husband, vividly describing this legendary day. Xiao Cai is a carefree girl from Northeast China, and even after the event, she was not afraid; instead, she was cheerfully praising "Gui Xiao's friend" for being so manly: "Honey, you have no idea, he looks like a delicate young man, yet he carries a sense of righteousness. Indeed, a man must have served in the military to be good. Even if it’s just two years in the army, it can transform a person completely."

That night, Qin Mingyu clearly did not recognize Gui Xiao, completely unable to understand the situation between Gui Xiao and Lu Yancheng. But now, in this moment and place, his gaze towards Gui Xiao was somewhat subtle: "The team is inside, keep walking straight along the right side."

Two men beside Lu Yancheng were initially surprised to see a woman's figure appear. As they focused their gaze and recognized Gui Xiao's face, they hurriedly pushed back their chairs, saying, "Captain Lu, we will go get some more wine."

Gui Xiao's eyes turned red with anger as she stared at him fiercely, the scene before her gradually becoming blurred by the rising mist of water.

Gui Xiao nodded slightly, having finally managed to temporarily forget him

Lu Yancheng could tell from his demeanor that he had guessed correctly. He fished out the cigarette box and shook it in front of him; it was empty. His temper inevitably flared up again, and he said in a low voice: "Apologize"

Due to the "gratitude for finding a car" and additionally the "gratitude for saving a life," in the following days, Xiao Cai specifically purchased a number of valuable gifts, intending to present them to Lu Yancheng.

Gui Xiao handed the phone to Xiao Cai and said, "Get an address from him."

"Come here," Lu Yancheng said, glancing at him through the dim light filtering in from the window, "Get a little closer to me."

After much effort, it is but a fleeting illusion

"Do you think I am so inconsiderate? It was the team leader who called for you, wanting to see you. I am doing this to repay the team's kindness, and I must complete the task," Xiao Cai said, pulling out a pile of expensive items that had long been prepared. "On the way, I will deliver the gifts"

In the evenings, when she has some free time, she also sits by the window in her hotel room, admiring the night view of Erlianhot.

She hesitated and declined, telling Xiao Cai to go by himself. Xiao Cai felt quite frustrated and wanted to persuade her again, when a phone call came in. After answering with a "hello," Xiao Cai immediately pressed the phone to Gui Xiao's face

Gui Xiao was choked to the point of being unable to speak

She steeled herself and walked inward along the right side

At first glance, that relationship seemed to have hurt him more deeply, but perhaps only she and Lu Yancheng, the two parties involved, truly understood that it was a separation that left both sides wounded

The ups and downs throughout the night have left everyone feeling somewhat exhausted

However, this time they did not anticipate that the one following the car owner was not an ordinary person, but rather a recently discharged counter-terrorism squad leader and one of his most capable subordinates

Ke Lu Yan Chen's attitude is also quite clear; it is best to have no further entanglements in the future

Gui Xiao fell silent.

Gui Xiao, sitting in the passenger seat, unfastened her seatbelt and glanced at Lu Yancheng

Gui Xiao fell silent for a moment and softly called out to him: "Lu Chen"

She felt a heaviness in her chest and, holding back her breath, said: "If you do not call me, I will not come either"

No, Guixiao was brushing her long hair, "It's just an alumnus, not familiar... It's awkward because there's nothing to say.

Qin Xiaonan mumbled: "My eyes are all red, talking to my dad about your past."

Sinking all the way down

Lyu Yancheng raised her middle finger resting on the steering wheel slightly, indicating: no need to thank her, she could leave.

This name has not been called for ten years

to ! ''

Upon arriving at the destination, Qin Xiaonan was already sound asleep in the back seat. Xiao Cai clasped his hands together towards Lu Yancheng and said in a hushed tone, "Team Leader Lu, thank you very much, let us meet again another day." After finishing his words, Xiao Cai got out of the car first

"What exactly do you want to do?" Lu Yancheng firmly brushed off the ash from his hand.

Fortunately, this day has come to an end

That group of people was seething with anger, searching everywhere for a place to eat in order to vent their frustrations with a meal. Unexpectedly, they came across this car... A gang of thugs could hardly contain their excitement, wanting to intimidate the car owner to release their pent-up anger, and conveniently take the car away.

Gui Xiao approached

... ...

Mongolians can be seen everywhere, and their customs are simple and unpretentious

However, after purchasing some items, they mentioned that they could drive and deliver them to the hotel. The seller's car was quite similar to the one belonging to Lu Yancheng, both being unfamiliar to Xiao. It was a Russian-made vehicle. The delivery person casually remarked: "Russian cars are more resilient to winter weather and can carry a lot of cargo"

Xiao Cai hurriedly explained that he had asked for Qin Mingyu's phone number that day during dinner

Three men were sitting around a small square table. Lu Yancheng leaned his chair back against the window, enjoying the last moments of revelry before their separation, smoking a cigarette, with the ashtray beside him piled high with cigarette butts of various sizes. Lu Yancheng had not drunk any alcohol at all; he was watching the snowy night outside, contemplating that after all the commotion of the evening, he would need to drive someone to the train station the next day.

Gui Xiao directly exposed: "Auntie, when you were my age, you no longer told such lies."

Once again, I am reminded

It is simply a frigid and icy world, with a bucket of icy water splashed mercilessly.

When they previously stole Xiao Cai's car, that group of people did not realize that the car was worth over 1 million. They simply left it on the grass and walked away. During dinner, they showed a photo of the car to the person who deals in stolen goods. The other party recognized its value and exclaimed, "Good stuff, buddy! Hurry, let's go pick up the car." Everyone thought they had struck it rich, but when they returned, they found the car had been taken away and they reported the incident to the police.

Returning to dawn

"Road team." Gao Hai instinctively took half a step back, his face beaming with a smile

The scalp tingles: "They are having a meal internally, what are we supposed to do?"

A dimly lit corner

Later, they went for routine matters and conducted the second record

Xiao Cai, having been slow to realize, has come to an understanding

There is a large piece of glass next to the back door, facing the back street. Hanging beside the glass are hastily rolled-up dark red velvet curtains, which are somewhat dirty

Gui Xiao's attitude softened considerably, advising: "You... keep an eye on them. It's so late, I won't be going over."

Pushing open the glass door, it is evident that the interior has been arranged.

Lu Yancheng noticed something was off about her demeanor. He furrowed his brows and remained silent for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Gao Hai!"

I called you? '' He laughed as if it were a joke

After all this fuss, it is already close to midnight, twelve o'clock

Even if he has retired, he was once a squadron leader, and his many comrades would never truly abandon him there

Gui Xiao was not very convinced; that night, his attitude was quite clear

Everyone laughed heartily as Liso led the way

Two words, pulling at her heart relentlessly

The first action of Lu Yancheng was to reach for the cigarette box on the table. Unexpectedly, in his haste, he knocked over the ashtray. Realizing his own lapse in composure, his temper flared up: "What do you want from me now?"

Lu Yancheng bit down on the cigarette, not answering. After a few seconds, he took the cigarette from between his teeth and threw it into the storage box

Then, he finally looked at his own master and asked, "What happened? Is it a convoy?"

Qin Mingyu emerged from the corner and said, "You have arrived."

Qin Xiaonan's voice was filled with grievance: "Uncle Lu has had too much to drink, how pitiful."

Xiao Cai still felt that something was amiss

Lu Yanchen noticed, turned his head slightly to look back, the shadows on his face deepened further, and those pitch-black eyes scanned her from top to bottom.

As soon as she finished speaking, his voice came from the phone, not very clear, vaguely calling out "Gui Xiao".

Xiao Cai was quite surprised to see Gui Xiao wearing a down jacket. That little boy is indeed quite clever for his age; how did he manage to persuade her? However, Xiao Cai was quite pleased and thought that perhaps he could help Gui Xiao and her savior form a connection. Without further ado, he grabbed a few bags of items, asked for the address, and immediately took Gui Xiao out.

The warm air from the air conditioner blew out, and only after dawn did she realize that he had taken the initiative to close the window this time. On a snowy winter night, it instead stirred her memories of summer during her youth, when she loved to hitch a ride in his car, consuming his gasoline under the scorching sun of over 30 degrees, with the car doors tightly shut, enjoying the air conditioning.

A land of wailing

In the southeast corner, there was a young man in his twenties running over from an open KTV round table. He had also had some drinks, his face flushed as he curiously glanced at the side profile of Gui Xiao, who was standing in front of the table, blocking his way.

Gui Xiao stood at the dimly lit entrance, hoping to find him among the lively crowd inside the house

A small restaurant was booked exclusively by Qin Mingyu, and it was specially arranged.

I did not expect that after sending the message three days ago, I would only receive a reply today

After all, I am just an unemployed drifter; it wouldn't be bad to send them off one by one. Spending a few days at the train station, they should all be sent away.

Gao Hai, amidst the nostalgic sound of the harmonica, shyly turned to look at Gui Xiao and, after a long pause, softly said: "I apologize, Miss Gui Xiao, it was me... I was the one who pretended to be in the queue. I have always been quite good at mimicking voices, just joking with you, with you."

That night, when she shouted like that, he thought it was just an auditory hallucination

Did not gain any benefits, but instead was completely taken away, and it was delivered right to the door.