Even sitting beside Tan Zheng, Song Ni's attention was fixed on Cheng Ling and Qin Yang. She was genuinely eager for her two good friends to find their happily ever after. This was the first time that with Tan Zheng present, her focus wasn't solely on him. The man's arm circled Song Ni's waist, he wasn't quite used to this situation. He was accustomed to Song Ni's eyes being entirely on him, and even when other matters arose, she would still glance at him from time to time. "What are you looking at?" Song Ni didn't turn around. "When do you think they'll get together?" Qin Yang was decisive in his work but naive in matters of the heart, even more so than her. Tan Zheng glanced over and then withdrew his gaze. He didn't care when others would get together; what he cared about was Song Ni. "When the time is right, they'll be together." "It's a shame I'm going to England, otherwise, I could keep an eye on their progress." Tan Zheng applied a little more force, and only then did Song Ni notice the man's subtle shift in mood. "What's wrong?" "As soon as we came in, you went straight to Qin Yang, and now you're sitting beside me but still staring at them." Song Ni: ... So, someone felt neglected. "I won't be able to see them for a whole year, what's wrong with me taking an extra look now?" Tan Zheng fell silent, but the hand on Song Ni's waist slowly tightened, so much so that Song Ni couldn't ignore it. Song Ni: ... "Tan Zheng, aren't you being a little petty?" Tan Zheng didn't care about being petty or not. What was wrong with him hugging his wife? Song Ni found him a little amusing. "When did you become so clingy?" Tan Zheng didn't care about being clingy either, but at that moment, he recalled an emoji: Wife, snuggle. He had sent it to her when Song Ni was angry and ignoring him. With that thought, Tan Zheng held her tighter. Snuggling his wife felt even better. Tan Zheng's display of affection made Song Ni lose interest in Qin Yang and Cheng Ling's affairs. Lu Fang and Tang Qin Yun, seeing Tan Zheng like this, couldn't help but make a few comments. "I say, you're going to England too, but you don't have to stick together like this just for a drink, do you?" "You've been married for half a year, why are you still so lovey-dovey?" Song Ni held up her hands, indicating it wasn't her fault. Tang Qin Yun looked at Tan Zheng. "Before, when you encountered women, you acted like you'd seen a ghost. Now, you're like a ghost, unable to bear not touching Ni Ni for a moment." Tan Zheng cast him a sideways glance. "Is it illegal to snuggle my wife?" Tang Qin Yun: ... "If you want to snuggle, others might not be willing." Tang Qin Yun, who was still on Li Shang's blacklist after the previous forceful kiss: ... Song Ni found it amusing watching Tang Qin Yun get the worst of it from Tan Zheng. Tang Qin Yun was usually good with his words, able to win most arguments, but not when it came to her and Tan Zheng. Ah, how could she forget about Tang Qin Yun and Li Shang, that pair? But she thought that pair would be difficult, especially with Tang Qin Yun's sharp tongue. Speaking of which, Tan Zheng had another brother who was the opposite extreme of Tang Qin Yun, that Li family one. Even she had only met him once. It seemed that people in the military really had short vacation times. However, she was curious about how Tan Zheng became brothers with Li Qiao. With that thought, Song Ni turned her head and asked Tan Zheng, "How did you and Li Qiao meet?" Tan Zheng lowered his head, looking at Song Ni, and fiddled with her fingers. "Why are you asking about him?" "I just suddenly thought of him, and I'm curious how you got to know someone from the military." Tan Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling how he met Li Qiao, and took a sip of his wine. "He was my university drill instructor." Song Ni: ???????? "University drill instructor?" If she remembered correctly, Li Qiao was around the same age as her brother, and she'd heard that the Li family member was also quite difficult to deal with. Song Ni suddenly felt that Tan Zheng and Li Qiao's acquaintance might not have been too pleasant. It was indeed not pleasant. When Tan Zheng first entered university, most of his focus was on racing. Young and ambitious, his greatest trait was his defiance of authority. Most university military training in China was tedious, with simple posture drills and marching taking half a month to teach. Tan Zheng detested such useless and monotonous things. He was tall, and his face was unforgettable. He stood out in the formation. His posture was casual, and the look of annoyance on his face was something drill instructors disliked the most during university military training. Yet, Tan Zheng was impervious to their scolding, remaining unfazed even under the battalion commander's anger. At the time, Tan Zheng was the most troublesome in the entire battalion. Then, their company got a new company commander, who was Li Qiao. Li Qiao's role in the army was similar to Tan Zheng's – a troublemaker. Tan Zheng was undisciplined, so Li Qiao would call him out alone. What they said to each other, no one knew, but it ended with Tan Zheng and Li Qiao having a fight. Of course, instructors and students weren't allowed to fight, so they disguised it as a sparring match. That sparring match was the most interesting event during the entire university military training. Everyone assumed Tan Zheng would be beaten to a pulp by Li Qiao, after all, one was just a male university student, and the other was a professionally trained military officer. However, that match was exceptionally exciting, lasting for over twenty minutes. In the end, Li Qiao, with his superior experience, defeated Tan Zheng. Hearing this, Song Ni could barely sit still. Tan Zheng had sparred with someone from the military for over twenty minutes? Terrifying. She, who had once dared to think she could defeat Tan Zheng. Song Ni swallowed. "......" "What did you learn?" Tan Zheng found Song Ni's look of disbelief amusing. "Learned a bit of everything." Of course, Tan Zheng still believed that Li Qiao hadn't used his full strength back then, and he himself had fought with all his might out of sheer passion. People are sometimes like that; they become friends after a fight. Tan Zheng only respected those who were strong. From then on, although he wasn't the most well-behaved during military training, he was at least no longer such a troublemaker. Of course, that sparring match between Tan Zheng and Li Qiao cemented Tan Zheng's reputation as a prominent figure during his university years. Tan Zheng's friends all said that he disliked women getting close to him and didn't like interacting with them. But as a prominent figure, he inevitably attracted many women. There were no shortage of bold and direct girls in university, nor girls who bravely pursued love, so how did Tan Zheng handle them? As Song Ni asked this question, the bar had just quieted down, and everyone in the private room heard her. Lu Fang and Tang Qin Yun, who knew the inside story, immediately started laughing. "Sister-in-law, just Brother Tan's rejection lines could fill a book." Tang Qin Yun immediately added, "If you ask me, Tan Zheng is too much. Those girls just liked him, what was their mistake?" Song Ni became even more curious. "Come on, quickly tell me, how did Tan Zheng reject them?"
Si Mei
Chapter 271 The Camaraderie Forged in Battle