Li Yaoxin first met Lu Huaizheng when she was very young. He probably didn’t remember—he was carrying a water gun, running wild through the alley with several boys, and sprayed water all over her. None of the boys wanted to apologize except him, who came over with a smile and said sorry. The second time she saw him was at the military base, where he stood stern-faced, disciplining someone, his sharp brows adding to his handsomeness.

He looked best in military uniform.

Tonight he was dressed very casually, not formal at all. Li Yaoxin immediately had a bad feeling. Shortly after they sat down, Li Taiping exchanged pleasantries with Li Hongwen, then steered the conversation toward the two of them.

“Young Lu.”

Hearing himself called, Lu Huaizheng looked up, his gaze honest and composed, neither humble nor arrogant. “Yes.” Perhaps due to his long time in the military, his eyes showed no fear or flattery when looking at anyone, which was quite comfortable.

“Old Li has mentioned you to me more than once, saying you have great courage. Last time on the plane, you handled the emergency very calmly.”

“That’s all thanks to my leader’s good guidance.”

As he said this, he smiled and poured a cup of tea for Li Taiping, his fingers pressing on the tray as he turned it toward the man, stopping just in front of him. Then, without any sign of emotion, he poured another cup and turned it toward her, but without looking at her. Since entering, he hadn’t looked at her once. Li Yaoxin felt conflicted at that moment—angry, yet also feeling that her taste was impeccable. She liked such proud people who showed disdain for everyone, imagining how intense it would be when they finally took an interest in someone.

“Don’t be modest. How many years have you been in the military?”

“Including my time at the military academy, eight years,” he answered truthfully.

Li Taiping nodded with satisfaction and said, “In all these years, have you had a girlfriend?”

Lu Huaizheng thought for a moment and said directly, “Yes, in high school.”

Li Yaoxin was quite surprised, not expecting that he had a girlfriend in high school, though with his looks, there must have been many girls who pursued him. Little did she know that Lu Huaizheng had just decided on the spot to classify Yu Hao as a “former girlfriend.”

After these words, Li Hongwen could no longer maintain his composure. His hand under the table pinched Lu Huaizheng’s thigh hard, signaling him not to go too far and to restrain himself. His eyes were like machine guns, rapidly firing and almost drilling a big hole in Lu Huaizheng’s head.

Li Taiping frowned, glanced at Li Yaoxin, and seeing no change in his daughter’s expression, smiled and said, “What do you understand in high school? That doesn’t count.”

With one sentence, it was dismissed.

Li Taiping smiled again and said, “Young Lu, you’re so young and good-looking, unlike some of today’s chaotic youth. Look, Yaoxin has just returned from abroad. You two can exchange contact information and communicate more. Don’t young people nowadays like to add WeChat? Yaoxin doesn’t have many friends in China, and since you two have known each other since childhood, you should take care of our Yaoxin as an older brother.”

Li Taiping’s words made it impossible for Lu Huaizheng to refuse. If he didn’t add her, it would seem like he had no manners.

But he rarely used WeChat, almost cut off from all social media. Even after adding someone, he hardly used it. With his last bit of politeness, he added her WeChat. By then, Lu Huaizheng’s patience was exhausted. He looked at Li Taiping and said, “Director Li, I won’t beat around the bush. My parents passed away early, and I’ve been living with my aunt. I have quite a few character flaws, and my views on marriage are rather unhealthy. Yaoxin is such a good catch, she can easily find someone better than me. I’m afraid she’d be settling if she were with me.”

Li Hongwen chimed in from the side, making it sound quite convincing: “Director Li, this is my fault. When the Political Commissar mentioned it to me, I thought it was a great idea and agreed right away. I didn’t realize this kid already had his ideas. He says he had seen Yaoxin before and has always viewed her as a little sister, with no other thoughts. All my exaggerated praise should just be taken as a joke. He’s not an honest child, quite rough around the edges, and you can’t force these emotional matters. Tonight’s dinner is on me, consider it an apology to you and your daughter.”

Li Taiping propped his hand on the table, made a hissing sound, and pointed incredulously at Lu Huaizheng: “Wait, Old Li, what do you mean? Are you saying this kid thinks he’s too good for my daughter?”

In the end, they offended Li Taiping, but fortunately, he wasn’t an unreasonable person. Plus, with Lu Huaizheng and Li Hongwen playing good cop and bad cop, they finally pacified him and dutifully sent him home.

When getting out of the car, Li Hongwen and Li Taiping alighted one after another, but Li Yaoxin delayed opening the door. Lu Huaizheng had one hand on the steering wheel and glanced up at the rearview mirror. The young woman’s eyes were staring straight at him. He slightly turned his head, looking out the window, waiting for her to get out of the car with full gentlemanly courtesy.

Li Yaoxin sat stubbornly and stiffly in the car for ten minutes, finally pushing open the door before the air solidified completely. The man in the driver’s seat continued to rest his chin on his hand, his gaze leisurely observing the scenery outside the window.

…

On Sunday, Yu Hao went to the Star Welfare Institute, where she encountered Li Yaoxin again.

The Star Welfare Institute was located in the suburbs. Following the winding mountain road, passing a straight stretch of asphalt, through a small pine forest, the shaded path was like a rugged, winding melon vine, twisting and turning until it extended to the front of the welfare institute.

The white signboard of the welfare institute had peeled under the sun, with uneven pits. A plane tree was planted in front, like a giant oil-paper umbrella, sheltering from wind and rain for years, standing firm.

Behind the heavy iron gate, following a narrow path, there was a small jade-green tree. Its branches were not lush, somewhat bare, with scattered scraps of paper hanging from them. Li Yaoxin stood in front of that tree, wearing a neat professional skirt suit, her back slightly hunched, picking up those scraps of paper and examining them one by one.

Yu Hao walked past from the side, “What a coincidence?”

Li Yaoxin turned her head, somewhat delighted, “Ms. Yu, it’s you.” She looked around and found that Yu Hao was alone, seemingly not here for work: “Do you come here often too?”

“I occasionally come to teach them and provide psychological counseling.” Yu Hao looked at her, putting her hands in her coat pockets, “What about you?”

Li Yaoxin said, “Remember the client I mentioned to you? Her child is here.”

Yu Hao nodded thoughtfully, smiled politely at her, and asked, “May I ask you a somewhat indiscreet question?”

Li Yaoxin smiled amiably, “It’s fine, go ahead.”

“Yesterday, I saw your social media post. Is that man your boyfriend?”

Li Yaoxin waved her hand dismissively, “No, just a blind date arranged by our elders. Why, Ms. Yu, do you know him?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure. He looks like a classmate I haven’t seen for over a decade, so I was just curious.” Yu Hao smiled and turned around, “I’ll go now, take your time.”

Yu Hao was particularly distracted today, and even the children noticed.

“Teacher Yu, this small flower, you only drew three petals…”

Yu Hao looked at the vacant area, and said with a straight face, “That’s a three-colored flower.”

The child scratched his round head, “But you didn’t color it…”

Yu Hao picked up the brush and made a few strokes, “Now it’s colored.”

The child held the paper, tilting his head to look at it from different angles, pointing with his small hand: “But teacher, you only used one color…”

Yu Hao justified confidently: “Who says a three-colored flower must have three colors?”

Just then, the director gave her a light slap on the back of her head, “What nonsense are you talking?”

The small child stretched his short body to pat the director’s leg, “Don’t hit Teacher Yu.”

The director had a caregiver take the child away, then sat down beside Yu Hao, “What’s wrong? Are you in a bad mood? Coming here to misguide children?”

Yu Hao crossed her arms and leaned against the window, gazing at the distant emerald mountains, slightly lowering her head and adjusting her posture: “Nothing.”

The director was elderly, with a plump and unsteady body, looking over fifty, but her voice was as old as a saw: “How is Professor Han’s health?”

Yu Hao nodded: “Quite robust.”

The director nodded: “You once said that after studying psychology, you don’t like talking to adults anymore, preferring to talk to children, so when you’re in a bad mood, you come here to tease these little ones…”

Yu Hao smiled.

The director looked at her, shaking her head, “You child… don’t always shut yourself in your world.”

…

On Wednesday, the day before departing for the research trip, Han Zhichen received a call from Li Hongwen, asking him to bring Yu Hao to the military district for a meeting.

Yu Hao happened to be in Han Zhichen’s office discussing tomorrow’s research.

Han Zhichen hurriedly hung up the phone, gathered all the documents in Yu Hao’s hands into a pile on the desk, waved his hand, and said to Yu Hao: “Go get ready, prepare to accompany me to a meeting at the military district.”

After hearing this.

Yu Hao slowly capped her pen, looked at the twilight outside the window, turned her gaze back, lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a shadow as light as feathers, and said flatly: “I’m not going.”