They didn"t expect the old man to be so sensitive. He was really protective of his daughter. Qin Feng smacked his lips embarra.s.sedly, looking to Zhu Fei for help. She very generously said, "I am a girl. I have to find a companion to be safe. Law and order in Tianhe are far worse than in Su City."
"Well… all right."
Zhu Fangguo"s words made Qin Feng a little uneasy. He could feel that although the old man was very satisfied with his prospective son-in-law, after all, he and Zhu Fei lived with each other without marriage. For boys it didn"t matter, but for girls, it did. Reputation, health - all aspects would be affected.
The old man was clearly still a very conservative person, but in front of Qin Feng, he would not show his old-fashioned and inflexible thoughts. After all, Qin Feng gave off a very down-to-earth impression. He was not the kind of person who would cheat or be unfaithful. If Zhu Fei followed Qin Feng"s style, she would be happy.
Zhu Fangguo was tired after the encounter with Jia Dapeng. He lay back in his bed and fell asleep, muttering to himself.
The ward felt too suffocating, so Qin Feng and Zhu Fei went downstairs to a small nearby park. They sat on a bench, smiling coyly at each other.
They both had things to say, but they didn"t know where to begin.
Qin Feng was in a dilemma. He would feel awkward if he let Zhu Fei deal with her problems by herself, but if he kept involving himself, it would only add to his own troubles. Jia Dapeng was troublesome enough on his own, and now they had to deal with Zhou Liang from Su City as well. Those two spoiled brats were both up to no good.
Now everything depended on what Zhu Fei thought. If she just wasn"t interested in love at the moment, but had nothing personal against Zhou Liang and Jia Dapeng, then everything would be OK, but if she had beef with those two boys, things would get more complicated.
They were both spoiled by their rich and powerful families. To them, it was natural that Zhu Fei would be all over them. That she didn"t want to obey them was against their rules and she had to be condemned and criticized for it.
Although this kind of thinking was very strange, from their points of view, it was just the way things worked.
Qin Feng was caught in the middle. He felt quite awkward and did not really want to get involved, but trouble had caught up with him and now there was an injured old man lying in the hospital. How could Qin Feng be so heartless as to ignore that?
If he wanted to cut ties with Zhu Fei, it would be easy enough. He just had to change his mobile phone number and move out of that old rental house. If he unequivocally told Jia Dapeng that he had no feelings for her at all, that"d be the end of it.
But after serving in the military for so many years, Qin Feng seemed to have become accustomed to trouble. He tried to help everyone around him; help them fix their problems and gain a new lease on life.
Zhu Fei was once a poor girl with a very happy family, but her family was torn in half. Nevertheless, she was still luckier than many people. At least she spent most of her formative in the upscale Su City. She didn"t follow her biological father into suffering long days of cold and hunger. She never suffered other people"s cold glances and ridicule. Like a flower in a greenhouse, though she was unhappy, she still bloomed beautifully.
But even so, she still stubbornly chose to leave the golden earth that she did not belong to. She wanted to return to her homeland, looking for a real home.
Qin Feng hoped she could achieve what she wanted. Since they lived together under the same roof, it was fate. If he could help, he would. Even if he had to pretend to be her boyfriend.
But now, Qin Feng"s attention was spread between too many things. He was afraid that one day, when he did not have time to take care of her, Zhu Fei wouldn"t be able to deal with all this.
Nevertheless, Qin Feng thought Zhu Fei was capable of considering things rationally. Jia Dapeng was certainly inappropriate. Making this kind of person her boyfriend would certainly not make her happy. He looked like a case of domestic violence just waiting to happen.
As for Zhou Liang, Qin Feng actually didn"t feel so badly about him. He had a decent temperament and a good upbringing.
"That Zhou Liang isn"t all that bad, actually. Why won"t you think about it?" Qin Feng suggested. "You can try seeing him for a while. If you two can"t get along, you can always break up with him. Is it because he is your stepdad"s friend and you"re afraid he won"t let you get in touch with your real dad?"
"No, I just don"t like him. I always feel like there is another pair of eyes behind him. He is not as clear-cut as Jia Dapeng. But Jia Dapeng..."
Zhu Fei wanted to stop her hesitation. It not only made her feel distressed, but also brought so much trouble down on Qin Feng. "I"m really sorry to have caused you so much trouble. I didn"t think things would turn out like this. I thought they would give up once they realized it"s hopeless, but each is more stubborn than the other."
"Hha, it"s good that they won"t give up on you. It shows that you have personal charm. In fact, if it were me, I would not let a beautiful, attractive girl like you go easily. Men are compet.i.tive. The more compet.i.tive, the more motivated," Qin Feng smiled playfully.
Unfortunately, his world only had tasks and goals. He had never had room for emotions. Ever since he left Li Menglu, Qin Feng had been at ease living in the army. With his lifestyle, he never expected women to worry about him. Getting involved with a girl would not only be irresponsible of him, but also a blasphemy against love. If he wasn"t even sure he himself would live to see tomorrow, how could he protect others?
Getting married and having kids?
Oh, he couldn"t even think about that.
This might be the burden of men like him, but when he held on to the military emblems in his mind and faced the national flag, Qin Feng was very clear in his heart that the security of the Chinese people required the sacrifice of people like him, who worked behind the scenes. Everyone else could rest and relax, but they were the ones who had to stick to the front line at all times. Whether in war or peace, they had to remain vigilant. He was accustomed to it. Although he hadn"t had an opportunity to relax and unwind during his time in Tianhe, it was really the freest time of Qin Feng"s life.
However, he was a little lonely and often remembered the days when the "Golden Four" were still together. If everyone were still around, they would go to a pub to drink and eat together in flowery shirts and flip-flops, chattering to their hearts" content. How nice would it be to drink together, and how many times had they agreed to indulge themselves in this way after the end of a mission? But each time, a new mission was issued, and they never got the chance.
Qin Feng stared gloomily into nothingness. He forced out a smile, "But I don"t dare to think about that kind of stuff. Haha, I know I"m not worthy."
Zhu Fei"s eyes suddenly opened wide, her heart fluttering. She lowered her head and nervously fussed with her suddenly clammy hands as an indescribable feeling welled up within her. She was disturbed by Qin Feng"s words. What does this guy mean? How does he know he"s not worthy? Oh, what a rotten egg!