"It's just a little better than eating raw meat," Huo Rou quipped.
Si Nian chuckled along with her. He looked at the gentle expression on Huo Rou's face, even her eyes were soft, unlike the stern gentleness from years ago.
He couldn't help but say, "You've changed a lot since I last saw you."
"People change," Huo Rou said lightly. "But you seem to be the same as you were back then."
Si Nian shook his head, his eyes filled with nostalgia and a smile. "You didn't say that back then."
He would never forget the ruthlessness and determination in Huo Rou's eyes when he first met her. She could complete even the most difficult missions he assigned without compromise, or even better.
He had deliberately made things difficult for her, but Huo Rou always completed them exceptionally well. When it came to the captain selection, she was a natural.
After receiving her appointment letter from him, she had declared that she would never change.
"Back then..." Huo Rou clearly remembered her own words. She laughed, "I was so young then. It's normal for a child to make bold claims."
If it weren't for An An, she might not have changed so much.
Life was unpredictable. How could she have guessed what would happen later back then?
She turned to look at Si Nian, his eyes also full of smiles. Huo Rou curved her lips, "You have changed too. You smile more now than before."
The smile on Si Nian's lips faltered. He smiled?
The people around them, seeing Si Nian's smile directed at Huo Rou, lowered their voices.
Could there be something going on?
They had wondered before. Every year they invited Commander Si to gatherings, he would refuse with various excuses, sometimes not even bothering to come up with one.
But last time, when Zhao Wen mentioned he had met Captain Huo, Si Nian had proactively suggested a gathering in Yu Chang City.
Later, due to Zhao Wen's sudden secret orders and Huo Rou's sudden unavailability, coupled with Si Nian's own schedule constraints, it had been postponed until today.
Back then, they already felt that Commander Si had more than a platonic interest in Captain Huo. For Si Nian, who strictly adhered to the rule of the strong surviving and the weak perishing, to take a bullet for someone – could that be ordinary friendship?
This was big news!
Everyone felt like bringing over their small stools, lining up, and sitting down, minimizing their presence to better observe the unfolding drama.
Only Zhao Wen was feeling anxious.
Now, with Commander Si's obvious favoritism, it would be rude if he still didn't see it. But he knew Qin Ningyi and Huo Rou were together, and they even had An An...
Wait.
Zhao Wen's eyes widened. He seemed to have forgotten to tell Si Nian about this!
Zhao Wen looked at Si Nian anxiously, hoping he wasn't thinking what they were suspecting.
Si Nian didn't know what they were thinking. He merely moved his lips, and then continued to smile, "Indeed."
His joy was evident.
Huo Rou's phone vibrated. She opened it to find a message from Qin Ningyi.
[Shall I pick you up?]
Reading the message, Huo Rou recalled Qin Ningyi's crestfallen expression at the entrance of the project group and couldn't help but smile.
Si Nian was standing very close to her and saw Qin Ningyi's message.
"How did you meet him?" Si Nian's smile had completely vanished. "He only joined Fenghuo after you left. How could you know him?"
"Him?" Huo Rou looked up, a little confused about why Si Nian had abruptly changed the topic.
Si Nian raised an eyebrow and glanced at her phone. "I saw it by chance."
"Qin Ningyi..." Huo Rou murmured his name, her smile becoming even brighter. To Si Nian's eyes, it looked even more jarring.
"I've known him for a very, very long time," Huo Rou said naturally. "Before Fenghuo."
Si Nian, with a straight face, heard her words and felt even more uncomfortable. "You like him?"
"Yes," Huo Rou admitted readily. "What about it?"
"What do you like about him?" Si Nian was unwilling to accept it. That guy, although he was somewhat presentable and even quite capable. But...
But Qin Ningyi couldn't even hold onto what he loved. How could he be worthy of Huo Rou's affection?
Huo Rou was replying to a message, not noticing the turbulent emotions in Si Nian's eyes. She typed as she answered him, "He's worth it. When you like someone, you don't need to explain it in points one, two, three."
Her voice was very gentle, with a hint of teasing. "Commander Si, are you so lonely that you think liking someone requires a report with reasons one, two, and three?"
The moment she looked up, Si Nian suppressed the emotions in his eyes and expressionlessly picked up his wine glass, drinking it down in one gulp.
Why couldn't it be explained in a report?
He had written one.