The fragrance of flowers wafted through the window. After a moment of silence, while Yu Hao was waiting for Professor Han to ask why she wouldn’t go, Han Zhichen picked up a stack of folders from the table, tucked them under his arm, and walked hurriedly to the door. Without looking back, he waved his hand and said, “If you’re not going, then don’t. You can prepare the materials for tomorrow’s business trip instead.”

“…”

At the Military District.

Han Zhichen was escorted to the conference room, where Li Hongwen and several other officials were already waiting. He smiled sincerely as he apologized: “I’m truly sorry. I have a business trip tomorrow and have been busy all afternoon. I came as soon as I received the notice.”

Li Hongwen stood up and shook hands with him across the table, smiling as he asked, “Little Yu didn’t come?”

Han Zhichen nodded, “She’s organizing materials needed for tomorrow’s business trip, so I didn’t ask her to come.”

Li Hongwen nodded thoughtfully, then introduced Han to each of the officials present. After briefly meeting everyone, Han Zhichen was about to pull out a chair to sit down when Lu Huaizheng, dressed in plain clothes, approached from behind. A single “Professor Han” made him rise from his chair again.

Han Zhichen nodded.

Lu Huaizheng gave a formal military salute to Li Hongwen and the other officials, and only after receiving their acknowledgment did he remove his hat and take a seat.

Li Hongwen asked him, “Is the anti-terrorism drill over?”

Lu Huaizheng pulled out a chair and replied with a simple “Mmm.”

“Did you catch them all?”

“Not a single hair left.” He sat down.

Li Hongwen laughed, “You should at least leave Instructor Li some face.”

Lu Huaizheng glanced at him sideways, “With real guns and bullets, no one leaves you any face.”

Li Hongwen thought about it and had to agree, “After the meeting ends, tell Old Li to come to my office.”

“Mmm.”

Lu Huaizheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze scattered, answering absent-mindedly.

Li Hongwen nudged him with his elbow and suddenly revealed, “Stop looking. She didn’t come.”

Lu Huaizheng scratched the tip of his nose, gave a dry cough, lowered his head, and pretended to say nothing.

Li Hongwen teased him, “Look at you.”

Lu Huaizheng hadn’t thought much about it. Perhaps Yu Hao had other matters to attend to. She had always been cold by nature, caring only about her studies and never showing much interest in other things. It wouldn’t be the first or second time she stood him up.

The two hadn’t seen each other for many years. Apart from that one year in high school, they knew little about each other’s past. They could be described in one sentence: the most familiar strangers.

He lowered his head and smiled helplessly.

“Huaizheng.”

A leader beside him called, and Lu Huaizheng looked up, “Yes, sir.”

“For the three months of Little Liu’s maternity leave, the organization has discussed with Professor Han, and his department is willing to send a researcher to follow up. Additionally, they’ll regularly conduct psychological counseling sessions, annual psychological evaluations, and post-combat psychological monitoring.” The leader paused here, tapping the table with his pen, “Coincidentally, your annual psychological evaluation is also due. It’s scheduled for the end of this month, and we’ll have to trouble Professor Han to accommodate your schedule as much as possible.”

Han Zhichen indicated that it was no problem, “I can have my student follow up on this matter.”

The leader nodded and looked at Han Zhichen with a smile, “Despite their serious demeanor, they’re all just young adults. They’re not very old, and they can be quite mischievous in private, but they’re all elite soldiers in the unit. We’ll trouble you to take care of them.”

Han Zhichen nodded in understanding, “That’s as it should be. Once I return from my research trip, I’ll immediately implement this.”

Li Hongwen looked at Han Zhichen and added fuel to the fire: “Then let Yu Hao come. She’s been here before and is familiar with the soldiers.”

Han Zhichen smiled narrowly and said, “That’s not for me to decide.”

Li Hongwen snorted, “She’s your student, and you can’t decide?”

Han Zhichen: “Yu Hao has many responsibilities. She has several research projects, and students to mentor. I can’t assign her to be your specialist counselor for three months. She can be responsible for this area, and you can consult her for particularly difficult issues, but for ordinary consultations, my other students are also suitable.”

Li Hongwen was about to speak when a leader beside him raised his hand to interrupt, “Is that the student you mentioned? The one who’s exceptional at lie detection?”

Han Zhichen nodded, “Yes. She’s a rather special child, not good at socializing. Your specialist counselor will be staying in the military for too long, and I fear she won’t adapt. Moreover, if she offends your Captain Lu, that wouldn’t be good.” The latter half of his statement had a tone of complaint.

Han Zhichen was very protective of his own, and he still remembered the few times Lu Huaizheng had snubbed Yu Hao.

Lu Huaizheng scratched his eyebrow, saying nothing.

Li Hongwen was also protective, “Old Han, you don’t know this, but Huaizheng has an excellent reputation. Ask any of the leaders here—he’s always kind to others, never loses his temper, and has a first-rate disposition. He wouldn’t be offended by anyone. Do you have some misunderstanding?”

The leader saw through everything and naturally caught the meaning in Han Zhichen’s words. He took off his hat, smoothed the few sparse hairs on top, and asked Lu Huaizheng, “What’s this, you scolded the young lady?”

Lu Huaizheng lowered his head and smiled, “How would I dare?”

The leader knew his temperament and snorted, telling Han Zhichen: “Soldiers are straightforward and not good with words. Don’t take offense. Otherwise, how could he still be single at his age? As for this matter, we’ll follow your arrangement. Whomever you send is fine; we have 100% trust in you.”

Han Zhichen nodded with a smile.

Despite saying this, when he returned, he still assigned this task to Yu Hao.

“I’m entrusting this to you and Zhao Dailin. I’ve already spoken with the leaders. If that little Lu Huaizheng dares to bully you, write a complaint letter, and I’ll forward it to the highest leadership of their Military District.”

Yu Hao stared at him, biting her pen cap.

Han Zhichen gave her no chance to object, immediately pulling over Zhao Dailin for an emergency meeting.

“This is a matter of great importance that cannot be taken lightly. You two are my most trusted students, and I’m at ease entrusting this to you. The military has many taboos; Dailin helps Yu Hao a bit. Old Li originally wanted you to stay in the military, but I firmly refused. You’re both unmarried, and it would be awkward to live with a bunch of men.”

Zhao Dailin seemed quite regretful, “But living together would be nice.”

Han Zhichen glared at her, “Shall I call Chief of Staff Li now and have him reserve a room for you?”

Zhao Dailin hurriedly waved her hands, “No, no, no.”

Han Zhichen turned to look at Yu Hao, who was staring absently out the window at the peach tree. Somehow, a few bright red peach blossoms had appeared on the branches in March. He followed Yu Hao’s gaze but couldn’t see anything special, so he tapped the table with the tip of his pen.

“Girl, stop daydreaming.”

Yu Hao calmly turned back, “Oh.”

“…” Han Zhichen continued: “Coordinate your schedules with Zhao Dailin. You go on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. For the remaining time, return to the institute. I have other tasks for you. Also, don’t forget to attend the weekly seminars, keep writing your papers, and don’t neglect your professional title evaluation this year.”

“Alright.”

This was her life—endless papers to write, professional titles to evaluate.

…

Yu Hao spent a week conducting research in another province. On the last day, she received a text message from Lu Huaizheng.

She was in a meeting at the time, glanced down at it, and then locked her phone.

That night, after racking her brain to finish writing a paper, she got up to pour some water. Her phone lay quietly on the table. She looked at the text message again; the content was very concise.

“When are you coming back.”

Yu Hao lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, thinking, did she still like him?

Yes.

But not as intensely. The feeling was very faint. The three characters “Lu Huaizheng” were like being firmly engraved in the depths of her heart. She feared it being mentioned, feared being hurt, and had covered it with a thin layer of fine sand. When not exposed to the wind and sun, it remained peaceful.

Occasionally, when there was some disturbance, creating ripples, that fine sand would be gently blown away, unable to hide anything. Her feelings would be exposed, and she would hurriedly try to cover them back up, only to find it was futile.

She was angry with him but still wanted to see him.

She saw the text message and still couldn’t resist wanting to reply.

After twelve years, she found that this man still had a strong attraction for her.

Yu Hao idly scrolled through her phone. She had only about fifty friends, and her Moments feed was almost filled with posts from Li Yaoxin, that Moments-obsessed friend. Li Yaoxin truly loved posting in Moments; she would post even about eating a sausage.

However, Yu Hao quite liked it. It made her Moments feed seem more lively, not just full of cold experimental reports. She was quite enthusiastic about liking Li Yaoxin’s posts, having liked almost every single one.

Upon completing her research, the first thing Yu Hao did upon returning to the city was to report to the Military District.

The psychological office in the Military District was on the third floor and was quite quiet, usually with few people around. Yu Hao later learned that Lu Huaizheng’s office was right next door, though he was rarely there. He was usually in actual combat training. Sometimes, when he ran up from downstairs still in his combat uniform, drenched in sweat and carrying his cap, Yu Hao happened to encounter him as she was going down.

However, Yu Hao never acknowledged him, walking down from upstairs in her white coat with her hands in her pockets, completely composed.

This day at noon.

Lu Huaizheng finished his combat training. Today’s training content was emergency bandaging. For realism, he had specially asked the chefs from the air service canteen to smear some pig’s blood on his body and face. However, a rookie soldier got nervous and poured the entire bag of pig’s blood on him, making him look extremely “blood-soaked” and “realistic.”

When he went back to change clothes, he scared several old chefs who thought he had been ambushed.

“That ‘wound’ of yours isn’t light.”

Lu Huaizheng lowered his head and smiled, about to say they were just playing around when he caught sight of someone approaching from the corner of his eye. He changed his tone, pretending to be in pain: “It isn’t light. My arm is almost ruined.”

Yu Hao heard this and stopped in her tracks.

This time, she didn’t ignore him but ran up to him, lifting his arm to examine it from all angles. “How did it happen?”

Lu Huaizheng looked down at her, pretending to wince in pain, furrowing his brow in a façade of stoic suffering, and completely fabricating: “Ambushed during an exercise.”

Yu Hao was a bit skeptical, “Are you making this up?”

She dropped his arm.

Slap, Lu Huaizheng’s hand bent backward.

The man hissed in response, grimacing in pain as he bent over. He lowered his head and groaned in agony: “You hit my wound.”

Yu Hao looked down at him, “Where?”

Lu Huaizheng bent over with one hand supporting his knee, raising his other arm and waving it, “Got injured during training recently, still not fully healed. You go ahead and eat, don’t worry about me.”

Yu Hao obediently walked away.

Lu Huaizheng slowly straightened up, watching her departing figure in disbelief, his hands unconsciously settling on his waist, his eyes wide open.

But after walking a few steps, Yu Hao turned back.

He immediately bent over again, pretending to groan in pain.

“Why did you come back?”

Yu Hao twisted her face and said: “I’ll take you to the military doctor.”

There was no one at the military doctor’s office, and the curtain at the entrance was drawn.

Yu Hao stood behind the curtain waiting, while Lu Huaizheng sat on the doctor’s desk with his arms folded, his gaze leisurely fixed on Yu Hao behind the curtain.

Yu Hao was annoyed by his staring.

“Take off your clothes. I’ll help you look at it.”

Lu Huaizheng looked around, coughed, and picked up a book, pretending to read with a serious face, “That’s not appropriate.”

“Take it off!”

It was the first time in Lu Huaizheng’s life that a woman had demanded this of him. He threw the book on the table, hunched his back, and put his hands in his pockets, feigning modesty:

“Don’t be silly. Men and women should maintain proper distance.”

“Fine, don’t take it off then. I won’t waste time with you. You can wait here by yourself.” Yu Hao said and was about to leave.

As she passed him, Lu Huaizheng reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

Her hand was thin, slender, and cold. Lu Huaizheng’s palm could completely envelop it.

The man’s palm was broad, dry, and full of strength.

He tilted his head and leaned close to her ear, his hot breath warming her ear, his voice clean and magnetic.

“Alright, I lied to you.”

As expected.

Yu Hao suddenly turned her head to glare at him. He was too close, and when she turned, their noses almost collided. Amid entangled breaths, his scent filled her senses, strange yet familiar. He lowered his head slightly, his gaze fixed on hers, unwavering, like a deep, bottomless well threatening to draw her in.

Yu Hao felt that the sand in her heart seemed to be brushed away a little more by him.

Her heart began to race wildly, almost bursting from her chest.

The voice by her ear sounded again,

“Because I wanted to spend some time alone with you, so I lied.”

Lu Huaizheng released her, maintaining the same posture, half-sitting on the edge of the desk, arms crossed over his chest, his gaze honest and direct as he spoke.