Qiao Muheng asked with a grave expression, "Jingxi, was the place attacked today an ordinary market?"
Ni Jingxi was taken aback, a little confused as to why he would ask such a question, and subconsciously replied, "Of course, it's just a regular market."
“The BBC published a report half an hour ago, but the report said that the attacked site was a Hezbollah military fortress in Beirut.” Jomheng’s voice sounded particularly heavy.
If it is a military fortress, then this attack is a military operation.
This is completely different from a terrorist attack.
A surge of anger rose in Ni Jingxi's heart.
Military fortress?
She almost wanted to sneer. She was right there, in that market, a place full of ordinary people. How could it be a Hezbollah stronghold?
Ni Jingxi knew that some Western media outlets were biased, but she didn't expect that even the BBC, which always claimed to be neutral, would make such a mistake.
She said firmly, "Team leader, I have plenty of evidence in my camera to prove that it was just an ordinary market. It was definitely not a fortress."
So after Ni Jingxi returned to her residence, she put her things down and immediately took out her computer and camera.
She opened her camera and flipped through the pages; the previous photos were all of the Beirut market she had taken—old-fashioned yet somewhat exotic trinkets, and ordinary mothers holding their children in their arms.
The pictures in the camera at that moment were so peaceful and beautiful.
Until the first blood-soaked photo appeared, it was a picture taken after a terrorist attack.
Ni Jingxi flipped through the photos one by one until she finally found the one she wanted. The surroundings had been blown up into a mess, and a little child lay on the ground covered in dust and blood, his small hand bravely raised as the soldiers arrived.
Finally, the hand wearing military gloves joined the child's hand.
Ni Jingxi stared at the photo for a long time.
Screw the fortress, this is an attack on civilians.
Finally, Ni Jingxi uploaded the photos to her Instagram and Twitter accounts abroad, as well as her Weibo account in China. She originally wanted to tell the world about this story of a father and child, but when she uploaded them, she suddenly realized that no words could do justice to it.
That feeling of powerlessness and helplessness.
Only photographs record the whole truth; they tell people what is happening here.
She eventually named the photo LIVE.
Survival or simply living—the boy's father desperately wanted his son to live, while the little boy struggled to open his palms the instant the soldier came to save him.
After uploading the photos, Ni Jingxi rubbed her eyes again.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and when she turned her head, she saw Huo Shenyan sitting quietly in the chair next to her, looking at her. Ni Jingxi blinked awkwardly.
She was so focused on her work that she almost forgot about him.
Ni Jingxi suddenly asked, "Are you hungry?"
For safety reasons, they didn't have time to eat dinner on their way back.
Huo Shenyan thought for a moment: "There really is a bit of that."
Ni Jingxi asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Huo Shenyan thought for a few seconds and said, "Noodles, I'll have them ask the hotel if they still have any noodles at this hour."
Most shops on the street were closed at this time, let alone Chinese restaurants. Perhaps only hotel room service could still manage.
To everyone's surprise, Ni Jingxi suddenly laughed and said, "Whatever hotel you ask, I can make it."
Huo Shenyan genuinely had no idea she could do this until Ni Jingxi took out a small bag of flour from the kitchen and then found a small bowl to mix the flour and water.
Then she started kneading the dough, gradually mixing the flour and water into a ball.
Ni Jingxi said regretfully, "I have nothing in my refrigerator. I was going to be gone for a month, so I emptied the refrigerator. Otherwise, I could make you a tomato and egg noodle soup."
Watching her skillful movements, Huo Shenyan finally couldn't help but ask, "When did you learn this?"
Before they got married, they rarely ate at home. When they did eat at home, their housekeeper cooked. They were both very busy and didn't have much time.
Ni Jingxi thought for a moment and said, "After we came to Israel, you know Chinese food is very expensive here. Sometimes when we really want to eat it, we cook it ourselves."
Huo Shenyan frowned slightly.
Ni Jingxi kneaded the dough and turned to look at him. Seeing his expression, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
He moved closer gently, his body almost touching Ni Jingxi's. Ni Jingxi could almost feel his breath on the skin behind her ear, until he asked in a low voice, "Wasn't I the first one to eat it?"
Ni Jingxi paused in her movements.
She suddenly felt a sense of familiarity wash over her.
Until Huo Shenyan said unhurriedly, "Then you have to compensate me."
Ni Jingxi struggled to say no, but she just couldn't bring herself to lie to him. After all, she had been with her colleagues for a year, and they would cook for them. It was just that she seemed to learn how to make noodles faster than everyone else.
When she first made knife-cut noodles for everyone, several big northern men almost swallowed their bowls whole.
She's from the South and usually eats rice, so she's used to noodles even if she hasn't eaten them for a long time. But it's different for Northerners; noodles are their staple food, and they crave them terribly if they haven't eaten them for a while.
So after Ni Jingxi learned how to make noodles, she was able to make even more difficult-to-make steamed buns, thanks to the eager anticipation of several of her colleagues.
When Huo Shenyan said this, she sniffed lightly twice, deliberately saying, "Let me smell it. Why does it smell sour?"
She truly didn't expect Huo Shenyan to be jealous of even this.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Huo Shenyan leaned closer, his fingertips pinching her earlobe, which was soft and tender.
The movements were so gentle that Ni Jingxi couldn't help but shrink her neck because of the tickling sensation.
Until Huo Shenyan's cheek gently approached, so close that when Ni Jingxi raised her eyes, her trembling eyelashes seemed to brush lightly against his face.
His hand was pinching her waist, and the thin shirt couldn't hide the warmth of his palm at all.
At such close range, Ni Jingxi almost stopped breathing.
Until Huo Shenyan looked down at her, the next second, his lips pressed against hers. Ni Jingxi's hands were still in the basin, and she squeezed the dough tightly.
When his tongue gently parted her lips, Ni Jingxi instinctively opened her lips.
The kiss was so gentle; he traced the shape of her lips little by little, but then suddenly and forcefully pushed them apart, hooking her tongue in his mouth.
In the quiet night, in the secluded kitchen, something seemed to be rising in the air.
The intensity of her scent was so strong it was almost suffocating.
Until he gently released her and his lips moved lightly to her earlobe, she thought he would bite her ear the next second. Under that warm breath, she couldn't help but shrink back.
But Huo Shenyan chuckled softly, a smile playing on his lips, and leaned close to her, asking, "Did you taste it? Is it sour or sweet?"
Ni Jingxi was breathing heavily, and in a daze, she felt as if her mind had exploded.
Why does this person always manage to describe kissing in such a... way?
Ni Jingxi's mind went blank for a few seconds before her brain seemed to gradually return to normal blood flow.
That man's words almost drained the blood from her brain.
She had no idea how he could be so charming.
Ni Jingxi felt that he wasn't someone who hadn't seen the world, but every time he flirted with her, it seemed that she only had the ability to defend herself and was powerless to fight back.
They're not making any progress.
So she quickly composed herself, put on a nonchalant expression, and said casually, "I need to hurry up and make the noodles, or we'll all go hungry."
Huo Shenyan simply leaned against the side. This kitchen was just too, too small. With a tall man like him standing here, it felt like the entire kitchen was enveloped by his aura.
Huo Shenyan nodded calmly: "You may continue."
Ni Jingxi breathed a sigh of relief, prepared her hands again, and continued kneading the dough. But the next second, the man's lips curled slightly, and he said in a meaningful tone, "But you still haven't answered me."
Ni Jingxi felt like she was about to explode.
This time, she completely gave up on herself.
She glared angrily at the basin in front of her, her eyes practically shooting fire, and said resentfully, "Sweet, sweet, sweet."
What should have been sweet words came out with an air of sullenness.
This time, Huo Shenyan couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
Ni Jingxi turned to look at the culprit, but when he turned back to look at her, Ni Jingxi didn't want to look at him anymore. What did she have to be angry about?
In the end, she still couldn't beat him.
This time, however, Huo Shenyan didn't tease her anymore, but quietly watched her knead the dough.
After a long wait, the noodles were finally ready. As Ni Jingxi lifted the lid, steam quickly filled the entire kitchen.
The two carried the pot up to the roof, along with chopsticks and bowls.
This was probably the simplest meal Huo Shenyan had ever experienced in his life. Ni Jingxi picked up the serving chopsticks, picked up the noodles, and divided them into two bowls. Since he couldn't find a spoon, he ended up picking up the pot and pouring the soup into the bowls.
There were still no lights on the rooftop, and the two couldn't even see each other's faces clearly.
But when Ni Jingxi took the first bite of hot soup noodles, although her mouth hurt a little from the heat, the heat instantly spread throughout her body.
She never knew that the warm feeling flowing into her stomach could be so simple.
Ni Jingxi held the bowl contentedly, looked at Huo Shenyan and said, "Actually, this kind of place has its advantages, right? Now even eating a bowl of noodles can make people feel happy."
Huo Shenyan looked at the expression on her face.
After a long silence, he said softly, "Jingxi, are you happy now?"
Ni Jingxi, still holding the bowl in her hands, said softly, "I'm happy."
Because I'm with you, even on this simple rooftop, eating a bowl of plain noodles without any vegetables, I'm still so happy.
*
The next day, when Ni Jingxi woke up, her WeChat almost exploded.
It was only then that she realized that her live photo had gone viral overnight after being uploaded, receiving hundreds of thousands of reposts not only on Weibo in China, but also over half a million reposts on Instagram and Twitter.
This explosive spread of information brought the terrorist attacks in Lebanon to the world's attention.
After all, a similar terrorist attack had occurred in Paris just the day before, and everyone was praying for Paris and mourning for those who lost their lives in the Paris terrorist attacks.
The terrorist attacks in Lebanon seem somewhat insignificant.
Although this statement is cruel, it is very realistic.