The Cannon Fodder Roles I Play All Become White Moonlights [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 27.2

Just as he was about to bring up the issue of Su Qingmeng’s meals, Jiang Lingfeng beat him to it: “It’s not convenient for you to cook alone. I have morning drills, so I can come over right after. As for dinner, we can either eat at my place or yours.”

Su Qingmeng thought for a moment. “I practice dancing morning and night. Why don’t you both come here to eat?”

“No problem,” Jiang Lingfeng nodded.

“You’re so kind, Division Commander Jiang,” Su Qingmeng said cheerfully, her voice sweet and pleasant when she wasn’t being confrontational, like a refreshing sip of spring water that warmed the heart.

A faint smile appeared in Jiang Lingfeng’s eyes, but Yang Dongming felt displeased. That compliment should have been his…

“Uncle Jiang, what about tonight…” Yang Dongming started, intending to urge Jiang Lingfeng to leave, but once again, Jiang Lingfeng spoke first: “I’ll sleep on the floor here tonight. Tomorrow morning, Xiao Zhang will come to take you, and Dongming and I will move his things to my place first. Then I’ll take Dongming to school.”

Yang Dongming had missed his chance, and it was hard to bring it up again. Frustrated, he headed to his room.

But he, too, was using Jiang Lingfeng. He knew very well that as long as his household registration was tied to Su Qingmeng’s, there was no hope for him. Now that he and Su Qingmeng had returned to their original relationship, he and Jiang Lingfeng were on equal footing. As for the rest, Yang Dongming didn’t dare think too much. He was afraid that if he showed his feelings too clearly, Su Qingmeng would reject him in his current state.

He still had too little to offer. At the very least, he needed to wait until he became a university student before he could say anything to Su Qingmeng…

This wasn’t Jiang Lingfeng’s first time sleeping on the floor at the Yang residence, and Su Qingmeng didn’t mind. She handed him a quilt.

As a man who had grown up in the military, he didn’t need her help to lay out the bedding. He neatly arranged the quilt in the corner but suddenly called out to Su Qingmeng and asked, “I heard from Old Li that you’re planning to join the General Cultural Troupe?”

“Yes, I’m good-looking and a great dancer. I want to perform on a bigger stage. What do you think, Division Commander Jiang?” Under the glow of the oil lamp, the girl’s eyes sparkled with ambition.

Jiang Lingfeng particularly loved the sparkle in her eyes. When had he started to develop feelings for her? He recalled the first stirrings of his heart, it was probably that time he accompanied her to Yang Dongming’s school. She had been like a little fox, utterly adorable. Even someone as unromantic as him couldn’t help but smile because of her.

He also remembered Old Yang’s words: “A man who has weathered the storms of life will treasure Su Qingmeng’s kind of innocent ignorance.”

But Jiang Lingfeng felt that Su Qingmeng wasn’t innocently ignorant; she was cleverly audacious. Though a little cunning, her cunning was endearing.

“Division Commander Jiang, why aren’t you saying anything? Did I say something wrong?” Under the faint light, the girl pouted, looking displeased yet still utterly charming.

Jiang Lingfeng couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes. Instead of contradicting her, he asked, “Have you ever considered pursuing a more professional path?”

Su Qingmeng looked at him, puzzled.

“I don’t know much about dance, but I do know that the Central Cultural Troupe is full of hidden talents, many of them graduates of the Beijing Dance Academy. As you are now, you wouldn’t have an advantage there.”

He pointed out her current shortcomings and continued, “Next Spring, the Haicheng Dance Academy will be enrolling new students. Are you interested in receiving formal training? If you want to go, you can be recommended under the local military unit’s name. After you complete your studies, you can decide whether to return to the local cultural troupe or join the Central Cultural Troupe.”

“But… I’m already 21…” At her age, she wasn’t considered old in the cultural troupe, but if she went to school and came back, she’d be 25 or 26…

Jiang Lingfeng took a step forward, closing the distance between them. She could clearly smell his scent, intense and domineering, yet not unpleasant or off-putting.

Su Qingmeng thought he might come even closer, but he restrained himself and stopped. His hands were clasped behind his back as if standing at military attention, and he simply looked down at her. “Besides returning to the cultural troupe, there’s another path, joining a professional dance company.”

He watched as her eyes widened, the corners lifting slightly, making her look even more like a little fox. His heart itched with longing, and his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He clenched his hands tightly, suppressing the urge to touch the corners of her eyes. The current political climate was suppressing the development of formal dance troupes, and the factional struggles in the capital were intense. But he believed this situation would soon pass. When everything was revitalized, and given her passion for dance, a professional dance company would suit her better.

He also remembered the dance costumes she had once sketched, they would surely suit her perfectly.

Su Qingmeng’s gaze shifted, deeply swayed by Jiang Lingfeng’s words.

In the end, Jiang Lingfeng couldn’t restrain himself. He reached out and gently touched her dark hair. Before she could look up in surprise, he had already withdrawn his hand, returning to his military posture as if the brief touch had been nothing but her imagination.

Her eyes held confusion, yet she remained utterly adorable, and he felt like smiling again. “No rush. There’s still some time before spring. You can think it over slowly. If you still want to go to the Central Cultural Troupe, I’ll accompany you.”

“Then I’ll go rest now, Division Commander Jiang. You should rest too.” Su Qingmeng turned to leave but suddenly spun back around, rushing toward Jiang Lingfeng. She stood on her tiptoes, trying to reach the top of his head, but he was simply too tall. Even on her toes, she couldn’t reach, and her fingertips only lightly tapped his forehead twice.

Jiang Lingfeng looked down at her, a smile in his eyes. She finally felt a bit awkward and sheepishly withdrew her hand, muttering, “Who told you to pat my head first? It’s only fair that I return the favor.”

“Mhm, it’s fair,” Jiang Lingfeng replied, but before he could finish, she had already dashed back to her room like a fugitive, slamming the door shut. Through the door, her voice rang out, “I’m going to sleep!”

This time, Jiang Lingfeng couldn’t hold back and chuckled aloud.

Early the next morning, Su Qingmeng woke up early, intending to disturb Jiang Lingfeng on purpose. To her surprise, he was already up, his neatly folded quilt forming a perfect rectangle with sharp corners. When he saw her, he poured her a glass of warm water. “Drink some water before your morning exercise. The congee is warming in the pot. I’ll make egg pancakes when I get back from drills.”

“I don’t want egg pancakes today,” Su Qingmeng said, deliberately making things difficult.

Jiang Lingfeng glanced at her. She was probably still sulking over not being able to pat his head the day before, as she tilted her chin up and declared, “I want cured meat with steamed eggs for breakfast.”

Without responding, he left. When he returned, he was holding two strips of cured meat wrapped in newspaper.

Surprised that he had actually managed to get cured meat so early in the morning, she asked, “Where did you get this?”

“Traded for it,” Jiang Lingfeng said casually, not mentioning that he had skipped leading the troops in drills that morning. Instead, he had gone to Li Jianhua’s house, woke him up at dawn, and insisted on trading meat ration coupons for the two strips of cured meat.

At his and Li Jianhua’s rank as division commanders, they didn’t need to personally lead drills. But over the years, Jiang Lingfeng had developed the habit, and even as a division commander, he trained with the soldiers rain or shine.

When Yang Dongming came downstairs and saw the cured meat on the table, he was also slightly surprised. It was spring, and no one was air-drying cured meat at this time of year. Any household that had some would have saved it from the New Year, using it sparingly and rarely giving it away. He had no idea where Jiang Lingfeng had gotten it, but Su Qingmeng was clearly enjoying it immensely.

He exchanged a glance with Jiang Lingfeng, who simply said, “Auntie Su wanted this for breakfast.”

Yang Dongming sat down quietly, perhaps realizing the vast gap between himself and Jiang Lingfeng now. He clenched his fists but remained more composed than before.

After finishing the meal and washing the dishes, he packed his few belongings and glanced back at Su Qingmeng, smiling. “Su Qingmeng, we’re not on the same household register anymore, so stop calling yourself my mom.”

Jiang Lingfeng wasn’t surprised by his words and stood by expressionlessly, though the sharp-eyed Su Qingmeng noticed the corner of his mouth twitch slightly.

Once they arrived at the Jiang family home, Jiang Lingfeng asked Yang Dongming, “Have you decided which university you’re going to?” Though phrased as a question, his tone was firm.

Yang Dongming didn’t hide it from him. “Yes, I plan to go to Ocean University and study shipbuilding.” In the future, he intended to join the navy, and not just as an ordinary sailor, but as a skilled technician.

Their move didn’t delay Xiao Zhang from taking Su Qingmeng to the cultural troupe. That day, the troupe was noticeably quieter without Lin Wangbei’s violin music. Only Teacher An could be heard urging the girls to practice over and over again. Su Qingmeng and Teacher An exchanged a discreet glance, their eyes conveying a mutual understanding, and an inexplicable friendship began to form between them.

During lunch, Teacher An sat beside Su Qingmeng and whispered a hopeful wish: “I hope Lin Wangbei returns to Beijing after he recovers from his injury.”

Su Qingmeng ate while pondering: In the original plot, when did Lin Wangbei leave Nanjiang Island? It seemed there was no mention of it. After provoking Jiang Lingfeng, this character simply vanished without a trace, which was rather odd…

Although Yang Dongming had moved into the Jiang residence, the three of them still had dinner at the Yang family home. Su Qingmeng didn’t feel much about it, but after the meal, when Jiang Lingfeng took Yang Dongming away, the emptiness of the room stirred a faint sense of melancholy in her. She asked the system, “Have I completed my mission?”

[The host has completed the current plot.] The system’s cold voice only amplified the emptiness she felt in the room.

Especially after nightfall, the wind on the island howled fiercely, and there seemed to be footsteps outside the door. Alert, she pressed close to the window to look out and vaguely made out a tall figure…

It looked remarkably like Jiang Lingfeng.

Su Qingmeng cracked the door open slightly and tentatively called out, “Jiang Lingfeng?”

The tall man immediately stepped in front of the door, his tone calm as he said, “Lock the door properly.”

“What are you doing outside in the middle of the night?” Su Qingmeng looked up at him. Perhaps softened by the moonlight, the stern lines of his face seemed to carry a hint of tenderness.

Yet his tone left no room for argument: “I don’t trust Lin Wangbei. I’ll be keeping watch outside for the next few days. Make sure your doors and windows are secured, and no matter what you hear outside, don’t open the door.”