“Young people these days, are so clingy with their romantic partners,” Pan Bohua thought to himself.

“It hasn’t been that long since they last met, yet they’re already yearning for each other.”

Though single Pan Bohua couldn’t relate to the feeling of ‘one day apart feeling like three autumns,’ as long as Zhou Cheng could meet Xia Xiaolan without breaking any regulations, he wouldn’t stand in their way.

He was curious to see how Zhou Cheng would manage to meet Xia Xiaolan!

Having just arrived at Qiong Island, not only Zhou Cheng but Pan Bohua too was exhausted. Everyone was running on pure willpower.

When Zhou Cheng received the watch that Xia Xiaolan had sent through someone, his spirits lifted even higher. Like a traveler who had walked through the desert for ages suddenly being offered a cup of water – how could he not feel refreshed?

He felt wonderful.

That night, Zhou Cheng lay in bed thinking about Xia Xiaolan’s letter. He secretly put on the watch, placed his wrist on his chest, and tucked the letter under his pillow.

His wife was truly clever.

That night, Zhou Cheng’s dreams were filled with color.

On April 18th, Xia Xiaolan left the guesthouse early in the morning and went to play by the seaside.

Zheng Feng couldn’t understand what was so special about the beach here.

Occasionally fishing boats would dock – was that supposed to be special?

It wasn’t special at all; you could find similar beaches all over Qiong Island.

But as a bodyguard and driver, he had no place to voice his opinions. If his boss wanted to put aside million-yuan business deals and leave the AIA and magazine reporters waiting in the commercial district to stay in this remote place, what could Zheng Feng do?

He could only follow at a moderate distance.

Watching as President Xia wore a hat and walked slowly along the beach.

They brought nothing but water and some cash, seemingly walking aimlessly along the coastline.

No, not aimlessly – they were walking in the direction of Squad Leader Zhou’s unit station.

Could President Xia be hoping to see Squad Leader Zhou?

After much internal debate, Zheng Feng finally spoke up: “President Xia, I inquired yesterday about the three-month closed training period…”

Squad Leader Zhou definitely wouldn’t be able to come out.

Xia Xiaolan shook her head, “Let’s keep walking, I’m just taking a casual stroll.”

It seemed that the harder it was to meet, the more anticipation each meeting brought.

Zheng Feng said nothing more. If President Xia denied it, he couldn’t force her to admit anything.

They continued walking and playing nearby. Even as sunset colors appeared where the sea met the sky, Zheng Feng secretly sighed – President Xia still wasn’t giving up.

They’d been out since morning, even having lunch by the seaside, casually buying and cooking some seafood – nothing complicated. What they ate wasn’t important, but how long did President Xia plan to wait by the seaside? Until midnight?

Zheng Feng thought President Xia had incredible psychological fortitude, as not a trace of disappointment showed on her face.

Just when Zheng Feng had lost hope, he heard rhythmic footsteps.

His back straightened immediately.

One-two-one, one-two-one… There was no need to call it out, he knew this rhythm well. Zheng Feng’s left middle finger began to itch.

The footsteps grew louder.

The distance grew shorter.

A sharp whistle sounded – the command to stop.

The running turned to walking.

In a well-trained unit, whether running or walking, the footsteps always maintained their rhythm.

Zheng Feng, as an observer, was even more excited than the parties involved.

Could it be such a coincidence?

How could such coincidences exist in this world?

Most coincidences are carefully planned arrangements. No matter how far the distance or how difficult the situation is when two hearts work together, there’s always a way. Xia Xiaolan respected the unit’s regulations, and within the rules, she wanted to make herself comfortable.

She knew Zhou Cheng was the same kind of person. If they couldn’t even agree on this basic principle, she and Zhou Cheng wouldn’t have made it this far.

Sometimes, her thoughts were Zhou Cheng’s thoughts.

What she wanted to accomplish, Zhou Cheng also strived to achieve.

That’s what led to the current situation.

Zhou Cheng was at the front of the formation.

Xia Xiaolan was thankful for her good eyesight. In the golden sunset glow, she spotted Zhou Cheng immediately.

Zhou Cheng had indeed gotten tanned.

This man could be particular about his quality of life, yet showed no concern for his appearance.

Only attractive people could afford to be so casual.

Even with the tan, he was still very handsome.

Xia Xiaolan inexplicably recalled future debates about “whether fair-skinned or tanned ancient heroes were more handsome,” and she couldn’t stop laughing.

Seeing her laugh made Zhou Cheng happy too.

Zhou Cheng hadn’t left the formation or spoken to Xia Xiaolan. No one had broken any regulations, yet they had eased some of their lovesickness – they didn’t need to do anything specific, didn’t need to embrace or touch, just seeing each other and confirming the other was doing well was enough.

They just looked at each other for three or maybe five minutes, which would be a long take in a movie.

Soon, the whistle blew again, and Zhou Cheng started running with the others.

In that final moment when Zhou Cheng looked back, the usually straightforward Xia Xiaolan was suddenly struck by an impulse and made a heart shape with her hands.

Haha, the formation became slightly chaotic, as more than one person had been watching Xia Xiaolan, perhaps imagining that she was smiling at them, flirting with them – young men with their abundant energy and hormones, prone to wild imagination, what could you do with them?

Xia Xiaolan thought if her heart gesture could have subtitles, it would read “Darling, muah!”…

President Xia was charmed by her actions and turned to look at Zheng Feng:

“Did you see anything just now?”

“…”

How should he answer?

If he answered truthfully, wouldn’t that embarrass President Xia? Zheng Feng shook his head firmly: “Just now the sea breeze blew sand in my eyes. President Xia, it’s getting dark, shall we head back?”

Xia Xiaolan was very satisfied and waved her hand:

“Let’s go. We’ll check out and return to Ye City tomorrow morning.”

The damp bedding at the guesthouse made her uncomfortable. If it weren’t for the hope of seeing Zhou Cheng, Xia Xiaolan would have left long ago.

“You’re amazing!”

How did he manage that?

Did Zhou Cheng violate any regulations?

Not at all.

Those excited youngsters didn’t know who Xia Xiaolan was, but Pan Bohua understood immediately.

Pan Bohua patted Zhou Cheng’s shoulder, “How did you know Xiaolan would appear there? Did she write it in her letter?”

“Intuition. She said she knew about the three-month closed training period, but she wanted to see me, and I wanted to see her. She had already come so close to me, so it was my turn to head toward where she might be waiting. We have to run somewhere anyway, so today we tried a different location. Looks like both Xiaolan and I had good luck!”

Xiaolan probably worried that the letters might be checked, so she hadn’t written anything too mushy, let alone arranged this kind of meeting.

Zhou Cheng had figured out the implicit meaning himself.

His heart was still pounding now.

He felt he needed to calm down, or his heart might explode from his wife’s sweetness!

So Zhou Cheng actively brought up another matter:

“Third Brother, before when we wanted to do certain things, we didn’t have the proper authority, but now it’s different. I have an idea…”

Zhou Cheng spoke a few words in a low voice, and Pan Bohua cracked his knuckles:

“What you’re suggesting isn’t impossible. Let me think about it some more.”