An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 20: Easing?

As you descend the mountain, the once dense and seamless layers of vegetation gradually become sparser, and the moonlight no longer hides, but pours through the horizontal branches, casting large swaths of light on every corner of the mountain, giving the rocks, grass, and paths a dreamlike, hazy silver glow.

Neither of them spoke the rest of the way. At first, there were intermittent sobs from Meng Youyou... Gradually, after Meng Youyou calmed down... all that could be heard was the crunching sound of Huo Qingshan's feet on the pebbles.

Meng Youyou wrapped her arms around Huo Qingshan's neck, sniffed, and broke the silence: "Give me the flashlight, okay?"

His tone still had a noticeable nasal quality, lacking his usual energy and cheerfulness.

Huo Qingshan kept his head down, carefully examining the road conditions, and kept walking forward, casually replying, "It's okay, it won't affect anything."

Meng Youyou shifted her head slightly, finding a more comfortable position, and blurted out, "Huo Qingshan, do you really dislike me?"

Huo Qingshan paused for a moment, then quickly resumed his normal pace.

Meng Youyou waited for a while, and seeing that he had no intention of answering the question, she was not annoyed. She just started talking to herself: "To be honest, I really disliked you at first. I even thought, how can there be such a strange person in this world?"

But later, I gradually discovered that you actually have some... a lot of good qualities! Sometimes, I feel you're a really nice person, like now, and like last time when you brought me medicine.

Huo Qingshan still didn't respond, and Meng Youyou continued to ramble on: "Let me tell you, I've always been very popular since I was little, and I have a lot of friends, all of them are true friends, not the kind of fake, superficial friends. Do you know what that means?"

After posing the question, Meng Youyou didn't wait long, as if she didn't expect an answer, and quickly gave her own: "It shows that I still have many advantages."

His tone carried a hint of smugness.

For some reason, Meng Youyou seemed to have been suddenly switched on, and she went into a chatterbox mode from then on, leaving Huo Qingshan feeling his head buzzing...

“If you get to know me, you’ll realize that I’m not the kind of person you imagine—an ignorant, incompetent, and all show and no substance. I’m not here to gain prestige.”

And I can endure hardship.

When I was a child, I often fell and got injured while learning to dance. It was also very painful to stretch my legs and bend my back every day, but I never thought of giving up.

Later, when I went to school, some classmates said that because I studied dance, people who studied art were stupid and had poor grades, which I found very unacceptable. But in fact, I was not the kind of student who was particularly smart or who learned easily. I wanted to prove my ability, so every day after my dance class, I would study until midnight when I got home, and if I was really sleepy, I would pinch myself.

You might think that this is nothing compared to the hardships you've endured... and that's true... the hardships I've suffered are nothing compared to yours, but what I want to say is that everyone has a different role. I'm studying foreign languages, you're a soldier, you have your responsibilities, and I have my tasks. As long as I stay here for one more day, I will do my best to complete the tasks assigned to me by the team.

I admire your profession and respect the value of your work. I also hope that, setting aside my prejudices, you can see the learning achievements I've worked so hard to attain, recognize my professional abilities, and acknowledge my value within the 624 Border Defense Force.

……

Meng Youyou's mouth got a little dry as she spoke, so she took a break... Finally, she whispered something in Huo Qingshan's ear: "And also... if you don't hate me so much in the future and treat me a little better, I'll treat you a little better in return, even better than you treat me!"

And so... Meng Youyou talked on and on, while Huo Qingshan remained silent the entire time, keeping his head down and hurrying on his way. But Meng Youyou had a strange, strong intuition that he was listening to her attentively.

……

Unbeknownst to her, Meng Youyou realized that Huo Qingshan had already carried her to the foot of the mountain.

The pebbles that used to hurt your feet on the ground gradually decreased, and were replaced by increasingly soft soil.

Not far away, several tall locust trees stretched their branches, and occasionally a breeze would blow, bringing down a few fallen leaves that twirled and landed by the roadside. Meng Youyou followed her gaze into the distance, where several small villages were scattered in a well-organized manner on the open plain.

Night had fallen over the entire world, with only a few lights shining from the windows of each house, like scattered stars on earth.

Wisps of smoke rose slowly from the chimney, carrying the aroma of cooking and food into the air.

After finally calming down for a while, Meng Youyou seemed to suddenly remember something important and perked up. She patted the man's shoulder a few times and asked excitedly, "Hey, when do you think Zhang Yong will be promoted back to company commander?"

Huo Qingshan surprisingly answered her question: "It depends on his future performance."

Meng Youyou complained with a slight hint of dissatisfaction, "Tch, what's the difference between saying nothing and saying nothing at all?"

Meng Youyou may never know how much punishment Huo Qingshan silently endured to protect Zhang Yong during that night's events.

She would never have known that if it weren't for her reckless and impulsive behavior back then, the battalion commander who was carrying her back would now be a deputy regimental commander.

Meng Youyou turned her gaze and noticed a black ladybug on Huo Qingshan's collarbone. She subconsciously opened her mouth and let out another "Ah!"

Huo Qingshan was speechless: "What is it now? What did you see on the ground this time?"

"Not on the ground, but on you."

Huo Qingshan: "..."

"There's a black bug on your collarbone, didn't you feel it?"

Huo Qingshan bent his neck, trying to look down, but the insect was probably in a blind spot, and he didn't see it.

Meng Youyou volunteered: "Your hand is not convenient, I'll help you get it off."

Huo Qingshan acquiesced to the suggestion.

Then... he felt the person on his back suddenly press their head against his, followed by a warm breath brushing against his collarbone, and Huo Qingshan's breath hitched.

The rough skin, hardened by the sun and wind all day, suddenly became unusually sensitive. A tingling sensation instantly spread from the collarbone, making the entire neck itchy.

Huo Qingshan: "Shouldn't it be done with your hands?"

He feigned composure and urged, "Haven't you gotten it off yet?"

"It's clinging too tightly, maybe because I'm a bit far away and I'm not getting enough air."

As he spoke, he subtly adjusted his posture again, moving even closer.

Day two of the trial PK! Thank you all for reading and for your support!

Thank you to everyone who voted for me!
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(End of this chapter)