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

Chapter 36 "I don't understand your sorrow, but..."

Meng Youyou looked at the day's activity schedule in her hand and blinked in disbelief.

"No way! This is what adults do at matchmaking events these days?"

"How can doing these things possibly cultivate feelings?"

Morning: Drop the handkerchief + Pass the flower while drumming (Location: Cultural Palace)
Meng Youyou: "Isn't this the game I played in kindergarten?"

Afternoon: Picnic on the grass (Location: Grassland)
Meng Youyou: "I'm starting elementary school now, and we're going on a spring outing!"

Evening: Ballroom dance party (Location: Second floor of the state-run hotel)
Meng Youyou: "Finally, some projects for adults!"

"Drop, drop, drop the handkerchief, gently place it behind the child, everyone don't tell him, don't tell him~"

Inside the hall of the Cultural Palace, cheerful singing could be heard continuously...

In the center of the hall, groups formed several circles. Meng Youyou looked at the circle where Huo Qingshan was and laughed so hard she almost fell over: "Tsk tsk tsk, a green leaf amidst a sea of ​​flowers, how lucky! That's quite the crowd!"

There were a total of fifteen people in Huo Qingshan's circle, thirteen of whom were girls.

Huo Qingshan sat there reluctantly with a dark expression on his handsome face. The thirteen girls in the circle had all come for him, and at first they had all scrambled to grab a spot in his group.

Even Chu Yao couldn't secure a spot in this group.

But when it came to actually playing the game, the girls were all a bit timid and hesitant, probably intimidated by his aura of keeping strangers at bay, and dared not take a step forward to interact with him.

But she would steal glances at Huo Qingshan every now and then. If it were just one person stealing glances at him, it wouldn't be a problem. The problem was that girls from this circle and girls from other circles were also stealing glances at him, which made the scene quite strange.

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Huo Qingshan began to regret how he had let Meng Youyou go so easily back then.

The game continued as usual, but what was supposed to be a social game was turned into a girl chasing after another girl.

Until the handkerchief was passed to a girl with shoulder-length short hair... The girl took a deep breath, then boldly walked slowly behind Huo Qingshan and threw the handkerchief down.

The girl turned to run away, but a large, "ruthless" hand grabbed her arm. She winced in pain, and Huo Qingshan immediately apologized, "Sorry, I didn't hold back."

The girl with shoulder-length hair blushed slightly and said softly, "It's okay. You're a soldier, and you're used to such strength during training. I can understand."

Huo Qingshan nodded in acknowledgment, and then explained to everyone that out of some professional instinct, he was afraid of accidentally hurting everyone by going too far, so he decided to withdraw from the game so that everyone could have fun.

Meng Youyou watched from afar as he suddenly left his seat: "Big brother, what are you doing? Why aren't you following my script again? Don't you like any of these beautiful women?"

She followed Huo Qingshan's footsteps to a history exhibition hall inside the Cultural Palace.

The man stopped in front of one of the historical display boards and lingered there for a long time.

Meng Youyou was a little confused, so she stepped forward and asked softly, "What are you looking at?"

Huo Qingshan's eyes did not leave the display board. "He was my comrade-in-arms and also the first batch of new recruits I led."

His voice was calm, seemingly devoid of much emotion.

But when he said that, Meng Youyou clearly saw the lingering pain in the man's eyes. In fact, she had seen it just now, but Meng Youyou was not quite sure.

Meng Youyou followed the man's gaze and looked up... Eight striking red characters: "Deeds of Border Defense Heroes".

Next up is a black and white photograph. The man in the photo is very young, or rather, a boy. It was probably taken when he was a new recruit. He has short, neat hair, a smooth forehead, and a slightly chubby face. His eyes under his thick eyebrows are clear and bright, and he has a set of white teeth that are neatly arranged. His smile has an innocent and naive quality, as well as the unique innocence of a young man.

Further down… Xie Minglang, his name and photo gave the same first impression: bright and cheerful. Meng Youyou didn't say anything more. Although she hadn't had time to continue reading about his glorious deeds, what did it mean that a border guard's photo appeared behind the scenes in the history exhibition hall?
The answer is self-evident.

……

Meng Youyou read it word by word, without saying another word from beginning to end.

Perhaps it was because she couldn't think of anything to comfort him at the moment, or perhaps even if she did, the words felt too pale and powerless to express, so she didn't say them and just stood there with him in the exhibition hall...

When the staff came to inform them that the event was over and the venue would be closing at noon, they left. When they came out, Meng Youyou didn't know how long she had been inside.

The sky was clear and blue in the morning, but now, at noon, so many dark clouds have appeared out of nowhere, layer upon layer, quickly covering the entire sky, blocking out the sunlight, and the sky has darkened.

……

On the bus, Meng Youyou, unusually, didn't keep her mission in mind all the time and chose to sit next to Huo Qingshan.

After leaving the Cultural Palace, Meng Youyou noticed that he seemed somewhat depressed.

He is currently sitting with his eyes closed, his head resting against the back of the chair, completely still.

His hands, resting on his knees, were trembling incessantly.

Meng Youyou seemed to be bewitched. Seeing him like this, she felt inexplicably sad. As if an invisible force was pulling her, she reached out and grasped his right hand without thinking.

She felt the man's body freeze for a moment with her left hand, and fearing he would pull his hand away, she instinctively gripped it tighter.

At the same time, she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Your hands are so cold. Let me warm them up for you. I'll let go once they're warm. I won't take advantage of you."

Even Meng Youyou herself didn't realize that this was the first time she had spoken to him in such a gentle tone.

Huo Qingshan did not react at all.

The journey to the meadow in the suburbs that afternoon was quite long, and the car bumped along the way. Meng Youyou had gotten up exceptionally early today, and gradually drifted off to sleep amidst the rhythmic bouncing.

Huo Qingshan felt a weight on his right shoulder, and he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear.

The first thing he saw was the person sleeping soundly with her head resting on his shoulder. A few strands of hair playfully fell across her cheeks, rising and falling slightly with her breath. Her long eyelashes cast a shadow under her eyelids. In the light and shadow filtering in from the window, her face looked exceptionally serene and charming.

The person who had tried so hard to make sure he wouldn't take advantage of him just half an hour ago is now not only holding on tightly, but is even going so far as to treat him like a "human pillow".

Huo Qingshan stretched out his left hand and pushed the slightly drafty window gap forward a little tighter.

The car continued its bumpy journey forward, the dust kicked up by the tires rising and falling, but it never truly stopped...

First of all, this book is still in the promotion phase, so I hope everyone can give it their support!

Secondly, I recently received a reader's review saying they didn't like the female lead's personality and behavior, and I have some thoughts I'd like to share:
The female lead's character is indeed not perfect, and everyone can see that she has some flaws. This is consistent with her background setting: a girl who was well protected and pampered from childhood. In the early part of the book, she has a strong sense of self and agency.

When I was creating this character, I was well aware that she had flaws, but I still didn't choose to erase her edges because I felt her strengths were more valuable; her core nature was pure kindness. It's like what a woman on a job-seeking program once said: "I believe women have some natural advantages in the workplace; they naturally possess strong empathy and compassion. For example, the male protagonist's personality wouldn't naturally lead him to do things like helping Xiaofeng make brooms or buying clothes for Xiaobei."

However, the story takes place in an era and a special setting that the female protagonist is unfamiliar with, but conversely, this is the male protagonist's home turf. Therefore, the female protagonist will definitely show strong maladjustment and limitations at the beginning.

In short, in my eyes, Meng Youyou is a charming character. She is real and three-dimensional, with both strengths and weaknesses, but she will grow. Just like a real person in real life, she cannot be liked by everyone, and there will always be people who dislike her.

Finally, to borrow Fu Hang's words, "As long as you dare to be yourself, there will always be someone who loves you!" — To Meng Youyou, and also to Huo Qingshan.