The Bravest

The meal took two hours.

"Hey, Haitang, can you do it? I told you that you would get drunk but you didn't believe me. I'll take you home now."

"Oh, I'm not drunk. I was fine just now, but I feel a little dizzy now. Help me, let's go for a ride, you promised me." Liu Haitang was a little shaky when she stood up with a blushing face. Lin Jie realized that she was a little drunk, but fortunately not very drunk.

Lin Jie helped Liu Haitang into the car and drove slowly along the Bund. It was the first time since he came into this world that Lin Jie had the heart to appreciate the scenery of the Bund. For more than a year, almost two years, he had been thinking about how to survive in this chaotic world. Basically, everything he did was pushed and pulled by others, and he had to follow his instinct to move forward. He took one day at a time, and he didn't know when it would end. It was only the end of 1941, and there were still eight years until the founding of New China in 1949. Would he still be alive by then? I don't know, this is Lin Jie's answer.

If you say that at the beginning, as a time traveler, you don't have any big ideas, it's impossible. Create a career and grow with the new China. How awesome it is. Maybe you can even meet great people, living great people. Now, the organization can't be found, but it has become the Military Control Commission. Do you still dare to look for it? Haha.

Lin Jie looked at Liu Haitang who had fallen asleep in the car. Was she? Thinking of this, Lin Jie shook his head. Don't think about it. Just do your best, protect yourself, and take good care of the children in the welfare home. It's good enough. How many people starve to death outside every day? It's not that I don't want to save more children, but I can't afford it. This was because I took a big risk and fished in troubled waters and got a lot of benefits. A month later, the Shanghai Concession was occupied by the Japanese, and life became even more difficult.

"Haitang, wake up. The scenery here is beautiful. The sun is setting. Get up and watch the sunset." Lin Jie parked the car by the Huangpu River and woke Haitang up. It would be boring if there was no one to share the beautiful things with.

"Ah, where is this? Didn't you say you would take me home?" Liu Haitang was confused and didn't know what Lin Jie was talking about.

"Go home? My little beauty, you want to go home after falling into my hands today? Hehe, you don't have to go back. Isn't it good to follow me and enjoy the good life?" Seeing that Liu Haitang was squinting her eyes and was unwilling to get up, Lin Jie threatened her with a gloomy tone.

"Fuck you, I don't look like you at all, and you're trying to scare me. I just have a headache, not drunk to death." Liu Haitang opened his eyes and said lazily. "Also, Lin Jie, who did you call a little beauty just now? Call me again so I can hear it."

"Teacher Liu, you heard it wrong. Also, I am the dean, you can't call me by my name, okay?" Lin Jie seriously tried to cover up his embarrassment.

"Just call me Lin Jie, Lin Jie, humph, quickly pull me up, let's sit on the chair by the river for a while."

Liu Haitang, who was helped out by Lin Jie, was quite awakened by the wind. She stretched lazily while looking at the magnificent Huangpu River. Lin Jie was stunned by her exquisite curves. He didn't notice her small tweed. She was quite well-endowed. Ah, what were you thinking about? How much did you drink and you're already drunk?

"Let's go and watch the sunset over there." To avoid embarrassment, Lin Jie walked in front. Liu Haitang's face suddenly felt a little hot behind him, but she was very happy in her heart, "Tsk, coward, you only know how to peek"

"Lin Jie, wait for me." Liu Haitang trotted after him.

Lin Jie did not sit on the sightseeing chair by the river, but stood on the shore, looking at the red sun that was about to set in the distance, and no one knew what he was thinking.

"So beautiful." Liu Haitang came to Lin Jie and hugged Lin Jie's arms with both hands. Lin Jie wanted to pull his hands away, but Liu Haitang hugged him even tighter and leaned her head on Lin Jie, whispering, "Lin Jie, let me lean on you, I feel a little dizzy."

"Oh, then why don't you sit on the chair for a while."

"No, it's more interesting to watch it this way. Lin Jie, are you worried about something? You seem very unhappy."

"How can I not be happy? I'm so rich and my status is not low. I'm going to marry a concubine soon. There are many people in Shanghai who are better than me, but there are even more people who can't eat. I didn't know that people could starve to death in this world." Lin Jie couldn't help but compare the present with the past. It is impossible to feel it by relying on some written records and a few photos without seeing it with one's own eyes, not to mention that most people have never paid attention to it.

"Lin Jie, you've done a great job. There are 96 children under the age of ten, and more than 100 older ones. All of them have food to eat because of you. Although the food is not good, at least they are not hungry. Don't think too much." Liu Haitang leaned on Lin Jie's shoulder, and her admiration for this man grew deeper and deeper. When she was very young, she lived in the guerrilla zone with her parents for two years. Which child there didn't have to work? Lin Jie used child labor for free to earn money to support the welfare home. Liu Haitang understood this. From Lin Jie's smile when he watched the children working, Liu Haitang felt the helpless bitterness in Lin Jie's smile, and it was the same every time.

"Haha, it's okay. I think it's a positive thing. It's been like this in every dynasty. The people suffer when prosperity comes and when decline comes. It will be better in the future." Lin Jie felt much better after being comforted by Liu Haitang. "Haitang, do you think that sun looks like the Japanese flag?"

"How can it be similar? That's nonsense." Liu Haitang was unhappy. "The Japanese flag looks like a plaster."

"Haha, you don't understand. The sun is spectacular, but it's going to set in a few minutes, doesn't it? Haha, the sun is setting, isn't it beautiful?" Lin Jie laughed heartily. This was his first time.

"Haitang, go back. Uncle Liu will be worried."

"I want to watch it fall before going back. Lin Jie, can you come with me?"

"Okay."

The two stopped talking and watched quietly until the red sun could no longer be seen, leaving only the clouds that were reddened by the afterglow. And then they waited until the last ray of afterglow disappeared in the horizon.

"Dean, I like you." Liu Haitang still leaned on Lin Jie's shoulder and whispered. This sentence has been wanted to be said for a long time, at least in Liu Haitang's heart, it has been a long time.

"I know, but I'm married." Lin Jie responded calmly.

"Dean, you like me, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't be hiding from me."

"Haitang, I'm married." Lin Jie said the same thing.

"Lin Jie, you idiot, what's so good about Ye Wulian, she's just a Military Intelligence Bureau spy." Liu Haitang suddenly let go of Lin Jie's hands and shouted at him.

Lin Jie was startled and looked around. Fortunately, no one was there. "Hey, auntie, keep your voice down. How did you know that?"

"Ah, I guessed it. Humph, I knew she wasn't a good person." Liu Haitang said proudly, "Dean, is this a fake marriage? Don't be fooled by her beauty. And she's not even as pretty as me."

"Haitang, how did you guess that she was from the Military Control Commission?" Lin Jie had to ask this clearly. It was not because he did not believe Liu Haitang, but because he wanted to know where the flaw was.

"Dean, answer me first, do you like me? Then I will tell you." Having said that, Liu Haitang was no longer shy and asked Lin Jie boldly. He wanted a result.

"Um"

"Hehe, I knew that the dean liked me. If you want to ask me how I knew Ye Wulian was a spy, do you believe that I was deceiving you? And what about Agent No. 76? He would be exposed as soon as he was deceived." Liu Haitang smiled triumphantly at Lin Jie.

"Really? How did you guess that?" Lin Jie was also confused. Why was he so honest in front of Haitang? This is not my style.

"This is easy. If you are a traitor and not a spy, which beautiful woman would dare to get close to you? So there must be something wrong with Ye Wulian."

"Hehe, Haitang, if that's the case, then do you have a problem too?" Lin Jie laughed at her in return.

Hearing Lin Jie's question, Liu Haitang was not convinced and hugged Lin Jie's hand and shook it coquettishly. "Humph, I have a problem, so what? You already have two wives, so you can marry me. I want to marry you too."

Lin Jie was really scared this time, "Uncle Liu will beat me to death. Let's be good friends in the future, okay? You are still young and don't understand. When you grow up, you will know that a little bit of liking may just be a compatibility of personality, not love. You don't understand love. Go back."

"I'm almost twenty years old, how could I not understand? If you didn't really like me and wanted to do good for me, you would have been so happy that you wouldn't have the heart to advise me like this. You men are all the same. When you see a young and beautiful woman, you want to marry her home, right?"

"Hey, you're just a little kid, what do you know about men? You gossip with those aunties in the welfare home all day long and you've learned bad things from them. Didn't they tell you about my disease? If you marry me, you'll be a widow for the rest of your life. Do you know what being a widow means?" Lin Jie had no choice but to use his trump card to scare Liu Haitang. He had two spy wives in his family, so he better not hurt anyone.

"Tsk, isn't it just when we're in bed? You really treat me like a child. Ye Wulian and Sun Yuelan are still married to you. You men just think about that all the time. I married you to help you deal with those two spies."

Liu Haitang even said the word "sleep". Who on earth is this person who traveled through time? Are girls of this era so bold? No. Seeing that his trump card didn't work, Lin Jie used another trick.

"Haitang, aren't you afraid of two female spies? They're killing you and you're still counting their money?" Looking at Liu Haitang, who looked like a child, Lin Jie had only this last trick. "If you dare to marry me, you'll be a maid, and you'll be ordered around by two people in turn, and you might even get beaten."

"Dean, I think you have really fallen into the beauty trap. How come you have become stupid? One female spy is not easy to deal with, but two are easy to deal with. One is from the Military Control Commission and the other is Japanese. If we find someone to fan the flames between them, they will start a fight. I know how to do this. I will help you. Hehehe, what do you think, Dean? I'm smart, right?" Liu Haitang looked up at Lin Jie eagerly, as if he was about to praise me. Lin Jie was really moved.

"Nonsense, two is easy to deal with, but three is still without water to drink?" Lin Jie slapped Liu Haitang on the head. "Stop talking nonsense, it's getting dark, I'll take you home."

……

"I won't go in if Haitang arrives, lest Uncle Liu scolds me."

"Dean, come in. My dad wants to talk to you about something." Liu Haitang grabbed Lin Jie who was about to turn around and leave.

"Ah, Uncle Liu, what does he want to talk to me about? Why didn't you tell him in the welfare home?" Lin Jie felt a little guilty. He dragged the girl out and came back after dark. Although he said he didn't do anything, he had something to hide and must be feeling guilty.

"Director, what are you afraid of? Everyone in the orphanage knows about your illness. You still have the guts to eat me up?" What kind of lewd words did Liu Haitang say? Lin Jie didn't dare to move, and pretended to be stupid, "It's too late. It will have a bad influence. I'd better go back."

"Oh, Dean, it's true that my dad wants to talk to you about something. I said before I came to you that I would take you home in the evening."

"Ah, you didn't lie to me, did you? And girls, be careful when you talk to me. What do you mean by taking me home at night? Just say that Uncle Liu asked me out for something."

"Okay, come in."

"Then let go of your hand first. It would be bad if Uncle Liu saw it."

"Hehe, the dean is willing to let me go after holding me for a whole day. Just let me go in like this. It's a done deal. My dad has agreed to let me marry you."

Liu Haitang spoke firmly, but his hands loosened. Before he could knock on the door, Liu Qingshan opened it from the inside. He must have heard the sound of two people talking outside.

Liu Haitang's heart was pounding. She wondered what her father had heard. She would sometimes exaggerate when she spoke, just like when Lin Jie pulled her hand, she said that Lin Jie touched her, which could easily be misunderstood. Now that they had been hugged for a day, it was already a done deal. What if her father misunderstood? There was no such thing in the plan.

There was only a small electric light in the living room, and the light was a little dim. Except for Lin Jie calling out "Uncle Liu" when he came in, none of the three people spoke, and the atmosphere was a little weird.

"Hey, Uncle Liu, Haitang said you had something to talk to me about?" Lin Jie couldn't sit still anymore and spoke first to break the awkward situation.

"Well, Haitang has told you everything, do you have any opinion?"

Lin Jie didn't understand what Liu Qingshan said and just said "Haitang didn't say anything?" Lin Jie didn't dare to say that Liu Haitang wanted to marry him. This was just the impulse words of a young girl who was ignorant of love and yearning for love, and it didn't count.

Liu Qingshan looked at Liu Haitang in confusion. He had asked Lin Jie to go out for a day, but he hadn't told him what he had told him to do? Then why did you bring Lin Jie back?

"Dad, I forgot to tell you, you talk to the dean yourself." After saying that, he quickly ran into his room, closed the door, and hid away without coming out.

Liu Haitang leaned against the door of the room with her hands covering her face, her heart almost jumping out of her chest. Oh, it might be because she hadn't been alone with Lin Jie for too long today, and she was only focused on dating and falling in love with Lin Jie.

Liu Haitang thought that she was dating the dean today, otherwise why would they eat western food and drink red wine, go for a drive and watch the sunset together, and even hug the dean and confess her love. When I was in school, a good friend told me that this is how her brother dated his girlfriend.