A different kind of Lou Chun - "The Pretender" colleague

It's getting late.

The dim moonlight shone coldly on the empty No. 76 compound.Almost all the people went home to celebrate the New Year, leaving only a few guards on duty, still sticking to their posts with guns and live ammunition.

Gunfire from the northwest corner broke the deathly silence.On the overgrown wasteland, Wang Manchun is practicing target shooting.

Load, aim, shoot...

She repeated this series of actions without stopping, over and over again.Switch from right hand to left hand, repeat, and repeat.

After firing another round of ammunition, she put down the empty gun.On the long table in front of him, five pistols/guns/and boxes of bullets were neatly arranged.

As if she was not enjoying herself, she simply held the gun in both hands and fired from left and right.The rows of ring targets erected under the wall were shot by her one by one, and the guns hit the bull's-eye without fail.

When Minglou followed the sound, what he saw was such a scene.

It's New Year's Eve.People outside are setting off flowers and cannons, playing and laughing; but she is here alone, the moonlight is like water, and she is independent.

Minglou's heart suddenly moved.

What he saw was not her heroic appearance in military uniform, nor her invincible ability.What he saw was clearly the years after he took light of the covenant, endless waiting, and boundless loneliness.

He has hundreds of impulses to hold her in his arms, and he has thousands of words to confide to her.However, thinking about what was about to happen, he suddenly felt that he had no face to face her.He even wanted to turn around and leave immediately, but after all, he was worried about her alone.When the bad news came, he had to bear it with her.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down and called her, "Manchun."

"Brother, why are you here?" She was a little surprised, put down her gun and walked towards him.

He smiled: "Come and see you."

"When did you come?"

"just arrived."

He pointed at the bullet-ridden bullseye: "I didn't know your marksmanship was so good! Do you like to practice?"

"A habit developed while in Japan."

She smiled noncommittally, paused, and asked him: "Senior Brother, why do you think of coming to see me today?"

"Today is New Year's Eve. I know your habit. You don't want to go home on New Year's Eve. So I asked Ah Cheng to reserve a seat at the Lang Tea House in Lepu. I ordered Caotouquan braised pork with thick oil and red sauce. , are all your favorite food. They told me that you are still working, so I came to treat you."

Wang Manchun's heart trembled.

New Year's Eve——she had already lost all feeling.

On the first New Year's Eve after he left, the well-meaning teachers and friends couldn't help but invite her to eat and chat, and various activities in the book club were lined up for the entire first month.

On the second New Year's Eve after he left, she rediscovered the meaning and purpose of life in the beautiful Ruijin.

The third New Year's Eve after he left was really the darkest and most difficult day in her life.The loneliness of wandering in a foreign land, the devil's hellish training, and Mingtai's letters urging her to go home one after another: Big brother is coming back, big brother wants to see you... She misses him and misses Shanghai so much that she goes crazy. I can't hold on any longer.She could only lock herself into the training room and practice desperately, until she was so tired that she fell to the ground and fell asleep. She didn't have any extra energy to think about it...

Then, the fourth, fifth, and sixth New Year's Eve...

The days flowed like water.

Tonight is the eighth New Year's Eve since he left.

He came back, standing in front of her smiling as before.But her heart has already withered in the endless wear and tear of these long years.

"Manchun?" Seeing her answer, Minglou couldn't help calling again.

"Ah, thank you, brother."

She came back to her senses and smiled at him: "Then, then you go to the office and wait for me first, I will come soon."

"Okay." Ming Lou responded, turned around and walked towards the office building.

Wang Manchun watched his back go away, but couldn't see the hands under the cuffs of his coat silently clenched.Just now, the vicissitudes and bleakness that she inadvertently revealed during her brief absence cut across Minglou's heart like a knife.No matter how many years have passed, no matter how she changes and how she disguises, he can still look directly into her heart from every slightest expression of hers.But he understands but doesn't know how to comfort him, this is the most painful helplessness in his heart.

Wang Manchun's office is clean and orderly.Minglou paced back and forth, picked up the military uniform placed on the corner of the table, and looked at it.Then, his eyes were attracted by a small carved wooden box in the center of the desk.The box was not locked. Minglou hesitated for a few seconds, but couldn't help reaching out to open it, and then froze - there were actually two [-]-style pistols/mines inside!

"Brother, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, have you been waiting for a long time?" Wang Manchun pushed the door open and apologized repeatedly.

"Manchun, what are you doing with this thing here?" Minglou looked serious.

"This...it's nothing." She quickly came over and closed the lid, concealing it, "Just in case."

"No!" Minglou snatched the box angrily, "I'll put it back in the ammunition depot for you."

"Brother, give it back to me." Wang Manchun stretched out his hand to take it back: "Maybe it will be needed sometime."

"I said no!" Minglou suddenly became sullen, and his voice was tough.

Wang Manchun's heart softened suddenly, with an indescribably sour feeling.Because she clearly saw from his bottomless angry eyes—fear.Ever since she was a child, she had never seen such an expression of fear in his eyes.

"Okay okay, listen to you."

She had no choice but to give in and smiled flatteringly at him: "Go tell them to return the things to the ammunition depot. I just want to change clothes, so I can't dress like this for the New Year's Eve dinner, can I?"

Minglou's expression softened, and he continued what he said earlier: "I'm not afraid of waiting. I'm just afraid of going late, and Ah Cheng ate up all the delicious food I ordered for you."

"He dares!"

Wang Manchun pushed him out with a smile, as if the scene just now had never happened: "Okay, wait for me a little longer, I'll be there soon. Thank you for your hard work..."

Minglou took the box and walked to the door, then turned around and joked to her, "What? Are you afraid I'll see it?"

Wang Manchun was taken aback for a moment, and then shyly said, "Don't make trouble!"

After closing the door, she leaned against the door, closed her eyes, and covered her hot face with her hands.

Suddenly, an unknown anger rose from the bottom of my heart.

So many years, training, exercising, honing...

Layers of camouflage, endless killings, bloody hands...

Heart, obviously dead, buried, turned into ashes.But he, Minglou, has the ability to make her blush just like when she was a girl, with just a word and a glance.

Minglou, Minglou, what exactly do you want to do?

At this time, Minglou was pacing outside her door very heavily.

Apology, guilt, pity, distress, self-blame...

So many complex emotions surged up and turbulently, almost oppressing him so much that he couldn't breathe.He even wanted to order an immediate halt to the assassination.But, looking at the watch, the arrow has been unsheathed, and it is too late.

The familiar headache struck again, eroding his nerves like a storm.There seemed to be countless Venus dancing chaotically in front of my eyes.He gritted his teeth, stood against the wall, took out the pill and swallowed it.Bear silently, wait silently.

The phone rang suddenly, breaking the silence of the entire building.

Minglou was startled, stood up straight, and looked at his watch habitually—what was supposed to come, finally came.

After a while, a heart-piercing scream came from the room.Immediately, there was a gnashed curse:

"Bastard! I'm going to kill you!"

"Manchun, are you alright? Manchun?" Minglou's heart was broken, and he was about to break in the door when suddenly there was a crackling gunshot in the room.

Minglou was struggling to survive, the sound of gunfire was loud, his eyes immediately went dark, and his mind was buzzing.He gritted his teeth, waved his hand to stop the people who heard the sound, and resisted the dizziness to support the door, constantly shouting in his mouth: "Manchun, are you alright?"

There was no response from inside the door, and there were no more gunshots.

When his vision regained a little clarity, he pushed the door open.Wang Manchun sat slumped on the ground with his back facing him, his right hand holding the gun was resting on the chair, and he bowed his head and wept.

Minglou stepped forward quickly, knelt down, took the gun in her hand first, endured the endless struggle and pain in his heart, and only called her softly: "Manchun! Manchun!"

Wang Manchun's face was full of tears, his eyes were empty, and he muttered to himself: "Why didn't they kill me? Why didn't they shoot me? Why? Why? Why?"

"It's all right." Minglou hugged her tightly, unable to speak out with all kinds of distress and guilt stuck in his throat.

How much guilt, love, pity, sorrow, helplessness, entanglement and entanglement, how to complain?How can I sue?

All he could do was hold her tightly, tightly, in his arms, and warm her with his body.

Her tears dripped down.Congealed into an ice edge piercing the heart, the pain pierced the heart, and it will never melt.

At the scene of Wang Fuqu's murder, Minglou gave Liang Zhongchun a few more instructions and left in a hurry.

Walking quickly to the door of the restaurant, Ah Cheng was already waiting there.

"Man Chun is in the car?" Ming Lou hurriedly got into the car.

"Brother, she...she has already gone to the hotel." Ah Cheng looked ashamed.

"What?" Minglou straightened up, frowning.

"She said she was fine, stopped a rickshaw and left. She also said that it was too late and told us to go home without accompanying her."

Ming Lou said angrily: "You just let her go like this? How did you do it?"

Ah Cheng murmured and explained: "She left as soon as she said, and I couldn't stop her. There are so many people on the street and it's not easy to chase. Brother, you know her temper."

"Wang Fuqu is her only family member in this world. Today is still New Year's Eve. If something like this happens, you just let her go away alone like a girl!"

When Minglou said this, he suddenly couldn't control himself.The heart was cut like a knife, and the pain penetrated into the bone marrow.He pressed his hand on the roof of the car, but his body still swayed a few times.Ah Cheng quickly supported him, and worriedly called: "Big Brother! Big Brother, are you alright?"

Minglou survived the darkness with his eyes closed, and waved his hands weakly.

"Brother, it's snowing. It's cold here. If you have anything to say, let's get in the car and talk."

Ah Cheng felt distressed and blamed himself at the same time, he carefully helped Minglou into the car, Minglou leaned on the back seat extremely exhausted, stretched out his hands to press his temples and said nothing.

"Brother, I'm sorry, I blame me for not being thoughtful. Don't be angry."

Minglou sighed, and said in a low voice, "I don't blame you, I just hate myself."

"Brother, don't do this! Wang Fuqu deserves what he deserves. And I know that you agreed to kill him only when you had no other choice. As long as he is alive, he will keep contacting the War Guidance Section and ask them to send someone to replace you or contain you."

Ah Cheng paused, then cautiously continued to comfort him: "Actually... I remember that at that time, Sister Manchun always despised Wang Fuqu's actions, and they didn't get along well. She moved out of Wang's house when she just entered university. , I would rather go to the student dormitory. And..."

When he said this, he suddenly stopped, as if he was considering whether to say it or not.Minglou couldn't help feeling suspicious, raised his head and asked, "What else?"

"What's more... When the eldest sister opposed you, she even planned to contact the newspaper to issue a statement, change to her mother's surname, and sever ties with the Wang family. It's a pity that we haven't had time to do so, so we..."

Minglou's heart trembled violently again.Quiet, suppressed anger revealed in the cold voice: "How many things are you hiding from me?"

"It's not that I'm hiding it on purpose."

Ah Cheng hurriedly defended: "Brother, you were like that at the time, how could I remember to say these things?"

Minglou was silent.

"So I think, she moved back to Wang's house later, and repaired her relationship with Wang Fuqu, it should be just for the task. Brother, don't be too sad and blame yourself."

Minglou silently looked at the bustling long street outside the car window.The pure white snow fluttered down like petals, colorful neon lights and fireworks lit up the night sky, and people came and went, laughing and joyously boiling the city that never sleeps.

He simply said: "Drive home."

"Brother, why don't you go to the Shanghai Hotel first?"

"No need. She should have already thought about my connection with this matter. Even if she is not close to Wang Fuqu, no matter what, he is the uncle who raised her single-handedly. The last person she wants to see now should be I."

Minglou's voice was low and tired.Helplessness and sadness overflowed from the bottom of the deep black eyes.

In this life, he is worthy of the heaven and earth, his family and country, but he is worthy of the right—the one he loves the most.

When all the hustle and bustle of celebration gradually dissipated with the deep night, Minglou sat alone in the room, without any sleepiness.

The happiness and excitement of family reunion cannot make up for the emptiness in my heart.The past is laid out in front of the eyes like a frame of vivid picture scrolls, as profound and clear as yesterday.

He suddenly couldn't help dialing the number of the Shanghai Hotel and received her room.

It was very late at night, but he knew that it would be sleepless if it was later than her.

Amidst the beeps waiting to be answered, he was full of panic and anxiety.

He had no idea what to say to her, but he just wanted to hear her voice impulsively.

"Hello?" The phone was finally picked up.On the other end, Wang Manchun's voice was a little hoarse, but still stable.

"Manchun, it's me." He said in a low voice.

"I know."

Minglou was silent.

He has a knack for telling anyone what they want to hear.But to her alone, he was full of sincerity, but he couldn't say a word.

"I'm fine, you don't have to worry." She spoke first clearly, as if to comfort him.

Her tone was calm and affirmative, without any trace of resentment or blame.

While Minglou was relieved, he felt even more guilty.

"Manchun, I'm sorry."

This sentence, which has been suppressed in my heart for a long time, is finally said.

"Need not."

Tears slid down her cheeks, she wiped them away with her hand, and simply said four words: "The sun is shining."

Minglou's eyes became hot, and he could hardly control it.National hatred, family hatred, past and present, only hate why Man Chun has to bear all these.

"In the past two days, I may not be able to leave."

He closed his eyes and said in a difficult voice: "I will see you in a few days. Don't be too sad, pay attention to rest."

"understood."

Her voice is as gentle and gentle as before: "Don't worry about me, let's have a good New Year with my family."

"Manchun..." He called her softly, his heart was surging, and he was about to say something.

"Ok?"

He was silent again, and she stopped talking.

The two people at both ends of the phone didn't speak but didn't hang up, each holding a receiver in the dark and looking out the window.

Night, so quiet, so quiet that you can hear each other's breathing.

The heart, as if it had found its home, settled down miraculously.

The darkness is boundless, and I am lucky to have you.