The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

Suwen lay on Lu Zheng's body, her vision gradually blurring from the long journey.

In the thick fog, the first person she saw was Hao Haiyun. He was sitting on an elephant, a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking down at her with a sour expression and an unpleasant tone: "Didn't I tell you not to run around alone? Can't you just leave me alone?"

Then the person suddenly transformed into Lu Zheng, who stood silently in the mist, his handsome face etched with melancholy.

Suwen suddenly felt a pang of sorrow and didn't know what to say. She missed him, and after everything that had happened, her longing grew even more intensely. She was now certain that all the previous misery was her fault. She stood far away and softly said, "I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I ruined everything."

She knew it was too late to beg for forgiveness, so she lowered her head in despair. Lu Zheng placed his hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her into his arms. There was the sound of water and the scent of plants in her ears, the smell of him during lovemaking.

Suwen raised her misty eyes to look at him, but was shocked to see his twisted smile. Bright red blood gushed from his body, blurring her vision and gradually erasing Lu Zheng from her sight.

She woke up with a start, hearing strange noises.

The trees rustled, and the ground shook.

Hai was still beside her. She helped him up, her hand protecting his wound, as she watched the enormous creature slowly emerge from the morning mist in the distance.

There are two elephants.

"Someone's here to pick us up," she said happily.

The elephants were adorned with magnificent and comfortable saddles, and on one of them sat Xi, a girl who had once harbored hostility towards her.

Xi's gaze fell on Suwen, seeing her covered in blood and gore, and she revealed a gloating expression. But when she saw the person in Suwen's arms, her eyes widened in surprise, and then her face tightened. She said to her entourage, "Take them back."

Suwen had no choice but to release the person in his arms, and two servants came to check his wounds. After speaking for a while in the local language, someone quickly rushed into the forest and brought back medicinal herbs.

Su Wen stared in disbelief at this primitive medicine, and suddenly, with a surge of courage, she lunged forward to shield the man: "You can't do this to him! You'll kill him! He needs modern medical treatment!"

The two servants exchanged glances, then turned to look at Xi with questioning eyes. Xi glanced at Suwen with disdain, took the herbs from the servants, crushed them herself, squatted down in front of Lu Zheng, and pulled Suwen away.

"Get out of my way!" She held up a serrated herb in her hand, its branches and leaves sharp like a small knife. "This is called light bamboo, a miraculous medicine for stopping bleeding and healing wounds, much more effective than your bullshit modern medical skills."

She lifted Lu Zheng's clothes and covered his wound with the crushed stalk. Then she bandaged the wound with a clean white silk cloth.

Suwen stared blankly. She didn't recognize the herbs here, but she still wondered if such a hasty treatment might cause the wound to become infected and cost a life.

After Xi finished doing all this, she got up and mounted one of the elephants. Two other servants came over and lifted Lu Zheng onto the other one. Xi looked at Su Wen, who was covered in a mess, and smiled, "Since you're not injured, you can run and come with us."

With a lump in her throat, Suwen made up her mind and decided to leave!

They rode elephants up the mountain through the dense forest, with Suwen walking alongside their servants. The soil, damp with morning mist, was soft, and each step felt like sinking in.

The mountain herbs worked wonders, stopping Lu Zheng's bleeding and restoring his energy. He sat on the elephant, quietly observing his surroundings.

He suddenly raised his hand, signaling the elephant team to stop. Xi turned around from the front, looking at him with a puzzled expression, but he was looking at Suwen and reached out his hand to her.

Suwen glanced at Xi, then walked over hesitantly. Looking up at him, she asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Lu Zheng reached out and brushed her bangs aside. They were damp with sweat and stuck to her forehead.

They are like birds on a branch, carefully grooming their lover's feathers, their breaths mingling together.

He said, "Come up."

Suwen glanced at Xi and shook his head.

Lu Zheng held her hand tightly, not letting go.

Xi turned her head, and finally a servant came over and dragged Suwen onto the elephant's back. Suwen sat in front of him, feeling his body limply leaning against her back, his breath gently brushing against her ear.

The elephant caravan set off again. As they walked along the river, birds perched on the trees along the bank were startled and took flight in a flurry.

Suwen suddenly looked up and saw a flock of birds flapping their wings and flying out of the woods.

Lu Zheng said, "What do you see? A white parrot? Do you want one? I'll catch one for you."

She shook her head: "What's the point of being in a cage?"

Lu Zheng unconsciously grasped her hand. Only those in cages wouldn't betray him or leave him.

As evening approached, dark clouds gathered, and it looked like it was going to rain again.

Hao Haiyun stood under the eaves and looked into the distance. The mountain peaks stretched endlessly as far as the eye could see.

He and Tang had just returned from Chiang Rai Province, where General Chatchai had reached an agreement with them to supply them with arms in fifteen days.

The price was this season's poppy harvest.

Very fair deal.

Under pressure from neighboring countries, the Thai government is deliberately breaking the agreement to sweep through the mountain stronghold occupied by Tang and destroy the largest drug production base in the Golden Triangle. To confront the government, they need the most advanced weaponry.

Only by surviving can you live a better life.

He turned to look at Suwen lying on the bed. She was unconscious at the moment. The local doctor had come to see her and said that she was just tired and had no injuries.

He remembered the way she looked when he first returned, half her body soaked in blood. His mind went blank. He rushed over and hugged her tightly, his ribs aching from the pressure. She fainted in his arms, her closed eyes forming a curved line, the corners slightly upturned like a waning crescent moon.

There is no moon tonight.

He walked over, his fingers gently tracing her soft face. This Nie Suwen wasn't the guarded, flustered person she always was in front of him, nor was she as arrogant as she had been in Beijing. He remembered how, every second she was beside him, her little head was racing, trying to figure out how to leave him. But now she was sleeping soundly, like a baby, peacefully beside him.

What if she stays like this forever?

What if she stayed quietly by his side forever? Like a painting, a plant, or a lake?

The thought flashed through my mind and then quietly passed by.

The sound of the first raindrop hitting the stone slab.

Suwen opened her eyes.

He looked at her; the room was dark, but both of their eyes were very bright.

He reached out and took her hand; her fingertips were icy cold, but she didn't pull away.

"You're awake? Does anything still hurt?" His eyes were filled with tension and worry.

Su Wen shook her head and withdrew her hand: "I told you, that's not my blood. By the way, how is he?"

She casually mentioned another man's name, and even showed concern for him in his presence.

"He's with Miss Xi. How come you're with Xi's bodyguard?" He smiled at her, as if he wasn't questioning her, but simply chatting about something unrelated in a pleasant mood.

Suwen suddenly fell silent, not saying a word, but just looking at him.

Hao Haiyun brushed her hair aside: "Are you hungry? I'll go and get someone to bring you some food."

Suwen shook her head again, curled herself up in the blankets, and hugged herself tightly.

The rain finally came, pounding on the eaves, the flagstones, and the banana leaves, dripping onto the cobblestone path in front of the house, forming small streams and creating a tinkling symphony.

Hao Haiyun, in the room, looked at Nie Suwen, feeling her breath and warmth. Her eyes and thoughts were inseparable from her at this moment, as if she were in a daze.

The rain stopped after a short while, and the moon had already risen.

In the courtyard of the house, there was a small well and a tall banyan tree. Lu Zheng, with his back to the moonlight, took off his shirt and drew water from under the tree to wash himself. His waist was wrapped in dense bandages, and the water in the ladle avoided the wound and rushed onto his back.

The well was deep, and the water was icy cold, penetrating to his bones. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

With a "thud," a fluffy ball of wood fell from the tree.

Lu Zheng looked up and saw Xi sitting on a branch of the banyan tree, her slender legs dangling down and swaying in the wind.

"You came without even saying hello." He smiled helplessly and then draped the clothes he had taken off over his soaking wet body.

"Why didn't you send her away? I hate her," Xi asked loudly.

Lu Zheng straightened up and fastened his belt: "I ran into some trouble on the way..." He couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly when he thought of the "crime" that led to his arrest by the police at the hotel.

Xi said, "She almost killed you."

"It was a car accident, it has nothing to do with her."

“A car accident could have stabbed you in the body? She should have walked back. If the leader knew you were injured, he would definitely be suspicious.”

Lu Zheng frowned: "Then don't let him know."

"Are you sure you can handle it? Your injuries are so bad, they'll find out sooner or later... Anyway, I hate her, so get her out of the way, she's a nuisance."

"When things are over, of course you will. You will also return to China with us."

Xi suddenly stopped talking and sat on a tree branch, kicking her legs wildly.

Lu Zheng picked up the basin, intending to return to his room at the back, when he suddenly remembered something and asked, "Is she alright?"

“Anyway, she’s better than you.” After a pause, Xi suddenly asked, puzzled, “You said she’s your wife. Then why did she come to the Golden Triangle with another man instead of you? They’re in the same room every day, aren’t you worried?”

Lu Zheng suddenly fell silent. He picked up his things and walked straight into his room. Xi called out to him from behind, "Hey, answer me before you go!"

"It's getting late, go to bed early." The door slammed shut.