My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Jiang Jinyan didn't realize that he was holding his breath.

Why? Why did she bring this up all of a sudden? He looked at her calmly, yet his mind was galloping madly. However, it was inherently unlike him to show his feelings in a blatant manner. Thus, no matter how shocked he was, his gait remained cool and composed. "What are you talking about?"

Shi Nian's eyes dimmed noticeably.

Jiang Jinyan averted his gaze away and cleared his throat. "Let's go. It's going to get dark soon."

Shi Nian gave a noncommittal hum and trailed behind him as they went home together. Seeing her dispirited self, Jiang Jinyan felt a hint of regret. Should he just be honest to make her happy? But how could he say it so that it didn't seem too eager? 

'Sorry, you're right. I do feel jealous seeing you together with other people. Not only that boy, but also Detective Xu'?

…

That sounded too embarrassing.

Jiang Jinyan thought himself to be a man of action. Instead of flowery words, he preferred to express himself directly. The subway station at this hour was always crammed with people yet somehow, today the number of people seemed much more than usual. 

Jiang Jinyan stood in front of her, muttering "Hold on tight" then used his body as a shield as they dove through the throng of people.

The train was similarly crowded and when Jiang Jinyan caught sight of someone who coincidentally got up from her seat, he tugged on Shi Nian and pushed her to occupy the space.

Caught off guard, Shi Nian suddenly found herself sitting in a secure place while Jiang Jinyan held the metal rail above him, his figure towering in front of her. Shi Nian's eyes widened and she shot up standing. "No!" She whispered anxiously. "You—You should sit instead!"

Jiang Jinyan didn't say anything but pushed her shoulder back down.

The train announcement rang out. "Passengers of Train 004, please pay attention to your step. The gate is going to close soon."

More people squeezed inside and Jiang Jinyan's muscles tensed as he braced through the force crushing on his back. 

Shi Nian stared up at him in distress. She scooted herself in as much as she could and tugged on the hem of his coat. "Come…Come closer…"

The response she got was only a dark stare that bore down at her. Shi Nian fidgeted nervously but in the end, she sighed in relief when Jiang Jinyan relented and closed the distance between them. The train buzzed and started to run at high speed.

Whenever someone pushed his back, Jiang Jinyan would lean forward and in their current position, it was almost as if Shi Nian was burying her head into his stomach. 

She blushed bashfully, peeking up at him through the dense eyelashes and was shocked when she found him looking straight at her too. She hastily averted her eyes and fixed it on her feet instead as if it was the first time she had ever seen it.

A soft chuckle sounded above her head without warning, so faint that it was almost drowned by the hushed conversation in the train and the whistling speed. Shi Nian snapped her head up but could only see Jiang Jinyan's chin.

Fortunately, the journey only took about ten minutes and they could finally get off. Shi Nian's keen eyes caught sight of his slightly off step. She grasped his pinky finger, eyes concerned.

Jiang Jinyan gave an offhanded reply. "I am okay."

She pursed her lips. How could he be? Sometimes, she wished that he could just complain and tell her honestly his discomfort. Yet she knew that the wish was akin to wishing to cup the moon within her palms; impossible.

In the end, Shi Nian could only suppress her worry until they reached the apartment building. Jiang Jinyan's expression never changed the slightest all these times, making her doubt whether it was all only the figment of her imagination.

"So," He said as they waited for the elevator. "Have you thought of where to go?"

Shi Nian was distracted by the sudden question. "Hmm? Where do you want to go?"

Amused, he replied. "Haven't I said it? We will go wherever you want."

Shi Nian retorted. "But I want to go wherever you want."

Her answer caught Jiang Jinyan off guard. It was only then that he realized that he had subconsciously brought up his habit when he was still together with Wei Xiameng. 

In fact, Jiang Jinyan and Wei Xiameng's personalities clashed messily; Jiang Jinyan preferred calmness and quiet, while Wei Xiameng liked boisterous and noisy crowds. Yet, everytime Wei Xiameng pulled him somewhere, Jiang Jinyan never complained. Anyway, she always had destinations to go to, so whatever Jiang Jinyan said would be useless. He only had to drive her and accompany her through her escapades.

And now, he unknowingly applied it to Shi Nian. For the first time in his life, there was someone who prioritized his want. It was quite a...peculiar feeling.

Jiang Jinyan felt soft all over his heart, but still, he wanted to make Shi Nian happy. He thought of the places he had gone to with Wei Xiameng which was generally young girls' favorite. "Amusement park?"

To his surprise, Shi Nian pondered for a short time and decisively shook her head.

Who was she kidding? There would be many people in the amusement park. They would push on each other. It was particularly fine for couples who wanted to use the occasion to stick close to each other, but Shi Nian thought differently. What if the crowd injured Jiang Jinyan's leg? No, no, she couldn't take the risk!

He offered gingerly. "…Aquarium?"

Dark space! Low vision! High possibility of stepping on each other's feet! High risk of injury! "No."

"Window shopping?"

Why would she go shopping with him? Shi Nian frowned. "No."

Jiang Jinyan was half amused and half exasperated. "Then where do you want to go?"

Shi Nian secretly sweated. "I—I will go back and research it." This was their first date ah! She had to make sure that Jiang Jinyan would feel happy, relaxed and comfortable!

"Okay." A chortle bubbled up from his chest and he pushed her back when the elevator arrived on the twentieth floor. "Go on."

Shi Nian nodded and waved him goodbye. Today was Friday so there were still two more days until Sunday. She still had time to do deep research. Shi Nian pumped her fist and strived to plan a date that he would never forget!

Time flew by when one was busy and Sunday came fast.

Shi Nian and Jiang Jinyan lived in the same building thus they only made an appointment to meet at 8.30 in the morning. Jiang Jinyan rode the elevator up at 8.10 and leaned on the hallway as he waited. At 8.20, the door to Shi Nian's house opened and Qiang Fei's voice floated out. "Be confident! Niannian is the most beautiful girl on Earth!"

"Mama…" Shi Nian sighed. "You're exaggerating."

"No, Mama doesn't! How can you accuse me like that ah?"

Shi Nian wore her favorite flat shoes, stepped out and subsequently met with the sight of Jiang Jinyan waiting outside.

The air around them was sucked away abruptly as two pairs of eyes met with each other.

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A/N: ohoho first date (≧∀≦)