She kept Yang Feng in the dark this entire time. She was thankful and glad that he was patient with her, never once forcing her to speak about what happened. She closed her eyes for the briefest second and unknowingly fell asleep, resting on her stomach.
– – – – –
The screams of a woman could be heard in the distance. She was on her stomach, struggling against a force. It was dark and through her mangled hair, she could not see anything except for a pair of arms, clothed in forest green.
Zhao Lifei shot out of bed, startling Yang Feng who had just come home to discover that she was fast asleep on her stomach. He had barely reached out to caress her cheek when she abruptly sat up, her eyes wide and frantic.
She pressed a hand to her chest, gasping for air. Yang Feng wasted no time to haul her into his arms. "I'm fine." She promptly said. Regardless, she hugged him and rested her head on his shoulders, staring at the headrest.
"I still want to hug you." He quietly said, rubbing his hands up and down her back while he pressed tiny kisses to her head. "Will you ever talk to me about your nightmares?" He gently asked her, caressing her hair.
"Which one?" She calmly asked, continuing to rest her head upon him. She relished in his warmth and the comfort he provided. She touched her cheek and was glad that she was not crying. Just because she was good at being independent, it did not mean that there weren't times where she liked to be cherished and cuddled like a teddy bear.
Yang Feng hummed as he thought over their choices. "How about we start with the one you just had?"
Zhao Lifei drew circles on his back. "That's a very long one." She nuzzled her face into his shoulders, breathing in his intoxicating scent that was a mixture of sweet tangerines and the calming ocean shores.
"We have all the time in the world." Yang Feng pressed a kiss to the side of her head before leaning his head upon hers. With each circle she drew, his body relaxed at least tenfold.
"That will be a story for another time…" She trailed off, pulling back from their endearing embrace. She cupped his face and decided it was time to talk about the General.
"But I will introduce to you the person who has caused half of my nightmares." She murmured to him.
Yang Feng slowly nodded his head. He was glad she was going to unravel more about her past. In order to respect her personal space, he did not dig much deeper into her than needed. He wanted her to open up by herself.
Zhao Lifei breathed in deeply and began to explain the story of General Jiang Zihui.
– – – – –
Two years ago.
A young woman ran through the barracks, dressed in her training uniform, a mischievous smile on her youthful face.
"Hey, get back here! You did not finish your remaining eighty push-ups!" An older drill instructor yelled from behind her. He had a bit of belly from all the years of staying in the bases and never entering the battlefield since his glory days as he barely passed the physical standards.
He was one of the more lenient instructors of the company's training cadre and if anyone could outrun him, he would most likely not chase them for too long since he saw it as a waste of time. If they weren't an officer, he'd get them later anyhow.
"I don't need it!" She shouted back.
Zhao Lifei giggled upon seeing he could not catch up to her nimble feet. She was running away from the frequent training that would help her pass the physical fitness tests.
Dashing underneath the pleating summer sun, she could feel the sweat gathering on her forehead. After running for another ten minutes and ensuring he was far out of sight, Zhao Lifei decided to take cover under an enormous tree.
She slumped against the wooden bark, her chest heaving with each heavy gasp of air. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and rested her head on the tree, relishing the shade provided by its enormous branches and ample leaves. She closed her eyes.
In the distance, she could hear the loud chants of her fellow soldiers diligently training. It mingled with the sound of cicadas who could not stand the sun and decided to pester the people with their screaming.
A gentle breeze drifted through the air, carrying with it the sound of something ominous. Jeers and insults were exchanged between a group of men and women to a small lanky soldier who was presumably new, judging by how skinny he was. Most men here bulked up fast, due to the frequent training and exercising.
"Hah, look at them struggling to do ten sit-ups!"
"What a joke." They sighed.
"Tch, why join when you can barely do the minimum requirements?"
"Aw, look, he's about to cry!"
"Are you missing your mommy?"
Taunting laughter erupted in the air, filled with more teasing. It was tough-love. Harsh scoldings were sometimes used to motivate the soldiers into becoming better fighters. Some say it was too overbearing, but many saw the success in it.
Zhao Lifei tried to ignore it whilst she attempted to catch up on some sleep.
A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head. The heat was getting to her and with each passing second, she was growing more and more annoyed by their jeers to train the man. All she wanted to do was take a restful nap beneath the tree. She regretfully could not do so.
One minute passed by, then two, and finally three. Zhao Lifei grounded her teeth and got up to her feet, dusting off her long pants. She tied up her hair and folded her sleeves up to her elbows. She decided to teach those who interrupted her precious sleep, a lesson.
Storming into the training fields, Zhao Lifei was determined to shut them up for the remainder of the day. That way, she could truly enjoy her day under the tree.
She rounded the corner where a group of soldiers was huddled around a man, tall but thin. He looked fragile and brittle. His fair skin clung to his bones and there was no meat or fat on him. Just a puff of air could knock him down.
Zhao Lifei could see why he was being teased. He was the very definition of a perfect and easy victim.
"How annoying." She called out, her lips twisted into a scowl.
At her provoking words, all eyes snapped to her.
A man, she assumed was the leader of the group, narrowed his eyes at her. Perhaps it was because of the glaring sun that he had to squint to see her properly. His eyes flickered to the insignias on her shoulders. Two stars. She was a First Lieutenant.
"Can you take this somewhere else?" She pointed to the tree she was resting on. "I'm trying to take a nap over here. Your childish squabbling is disturbing my sleep."
