Yu Hao was disoriented after getting off the plane, completely unaware of where she was. On the flight, she had heard Shao Feng mention they were at the southwestern border. They were temporarily deployed here for a month every year, ostensibly for intensive training and border duty. This elite unit spent very little time in their military region throughout the year, instead being deployed around the world in rotation among three assault teams.

Lu Huaizheng put on his cap, gave a few brief instructions, and then had the soldiers line up and board the vehicle at the border defense station. Yu Hao and Zhao Dailin were the last to board.

In the front row were four seats. Lu Huaizheng and Sun Kai sat side by side, occupying two of them, with two empty spaces beside them. The remaining seats were already filled with soldiers’ uniformly cropped heads arranged in orderly rows.

Lu Huaizheng leaned back in his seat, glanced at Yu Hao, and nodded toward the empty seat beside him. “Sit here. The mountain roads are rough, and you girls won’t be comfortable in the back rows.”

Yu Hao said, “Thank you.”

Lu Huaizheng replied with a formal “You’re welcome,” and then closed his eyes to rest.

Sun Kai observed the situation with perfect clarity. That day when Lu Huaizheng had driven off in his car, he had returned to the military compound in the early hours of the morning. Sun Kai had sprung out of bed, thrown on some clothes, and waited at the dormitory entrance until Lu arrived jingling his car keys. Under intense interrogation, he discovered that the guy had abandoned him to go on a date.

Sun Kai had graduated from the same military academy as Lu Huaizheng and joined the airborne brigade together. When Lu Huaizheng was appointed the first team leader, Sun Kai was still just a squad leader. But after spending so many years together, no one understood Lu Huaizheng better than he did.

Not to mention dating—Lu Huaizheng spent most of his time surrounded by men, and Sun Kai had rarely seen him date women. Sometimes during group dinners, some fearless recruits would try to probe into Lu Huaizheng’s romantic history, but despite their best efforts, he never revealed anything. It wasn’t that there was nothing to tell; he just refused to talk about it.

He said it would be too embarrassing to share, so he wouldn’t.

But that night at the dormitory entrance, Lu Huaizheng, triggered by something unknown, told Sun Kai about Yu Hao for the first time.

Sun Kai was genuinely surprised. “You mean our Dr. Yu?”

Lu Huaizheng leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, looking embarrassed as he held an unlit cigarette between his lips to satisfy his craving. He told Sun Kai about the past in bits and pieces. Sun Kai was astonished to learn that Lu Huaizheng once had such a bright and cheerful side. In private, he was still quite upbeat, but that carefree, youthful spirit had been refined by the years into an unyielding masculinity.

“So what are you thinking now, brother?” Sun Kai asked curiously.

In truth, Lu Huaizheng hadn’t given it much thought initially. When they reunited at the wedding banquet, he was prepared because he had inadvertently heard Yu Hao’s name from Song Xiaotao when Lin Chang introduced his girlfriend to his group of brothers.

At first, he thought it was just someone with the same name and didn’t pay much attention. But the more times he heard the name, the more curious he became. Finally, he decided to confirm. He deliberately stayed at Lin Chang’s place playing video games until dawn the night before Song Xiaotao had to work, and casually offered to drive her to the research institute the next day.

Even before they reached the institute’s entrance, he was already certain it was her. He casually asked Song Xiaotao a few questions during the ride, and she even showed him a photo.

Her appearance hadn’t changed at all; she was still that clear-featured, cold-looking girl from years ago.

At that moment, he felt a surge of indignation, thinking the girl was too heartless. Back then, he had given her his all, but she didn’t even notify him about her transfer, just leaving without a word.

He was surprised to learn that she hadn’t gone to Tsinghua University after all, but instead to Beijing Normal University to study psychology.

On the day of the wedding, he knew she would be there. When he was chatting with someone, he instinctively reached out to shield her, then quickly withdrew his hand back into his pocket, pretending to be indifferent. In reality, he regretted it immediately. What a servile act!

Later, seeing her distracted the entire evening, he felt quite satisfied and deliberately ignored her.

But back at the base, he felt that he was being unreasonable. So much time had passed—grapes had turned into raisins, and the Yellow River had nearly dried up—why hold a grudge against her?

Besides, they had never been officially together, and he had taken advantage of her. It made sense that she hadn’t told him about her transfer.

Another voice in his head argued: What advantage? That was nothing.

A third voice appeared, wielding a large iron hammer, pounding his head and scolding: “You kissed her ear! Is that how you pursue a girl?! How many times has Grandpa told you to be sincere, not frivolous!”

So when he met her again at the military region, he couldn’t help teasing her, speaking sarcastically, and found that she was still the same—appearing cold on the outside but awkward and a bit silly.

He frankly admitted that he had been emotionally detached for the past eight years, never developing feelings for anyone else, and acknowledged that he still had feelings for Yu Hao. Time is a frightening thing; no matter how heart-wrenching and painful a scar once was, it eventually finds peace in the glow of everyday life.

Sun Kai slapped his forehead. “If you have feelings, why are you hesitating? Go after her!”

He shook his head and smiled helplessly.

The feeling was like having dandelion fluff scattered throughout his heart. When undisturbed, it remained calm, but with the slightest ripple, those fragments filled his chest, making his heart itch, yet he couldn’t recover the intense feelings of the past.

Moreover, although he often told his men that theirs was just an ordinary job, every time he returned from a mission, he knew how extraordinary it was. Before she entered his life, he had always been prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

During the last patrol, he had faced off with someone in the air for over two hours. At that time, he was quite relieved that they hadn’t been together—otherwise, how heartbroken would she be now?

He thought all of this needed time.

After Yu Hao and Zhao Dailin sat down, Sun Kai nudged Lu Huaizheng with his elbow and offered a very understanding suggestion: “How about I switch seats with Dr. Yu?”

Without opening his eyes, Lu Huaizheng replied, “No need.”

Sun Kai understood. Lu Huaizheng was a bit stubborn. In private, he could joke around all he wanted, but when it came to work, he became serious and dignified. Not to mention pursuing a girl in front of the soldiers he had personally trained—he probably couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Sun Kai shook his head but didn’t push the matter.

Meanwhile, as soon as Yu Hao sat down, Zhao Dailin nudged her with her elbow, nodding toward her and Lu Huaizheng with a suggestive look. “He’s being quite considerate of you.”

With an unchanged expression, Yu Hao said, “He’s always been considerate toward female comrades.”

Zhao Dailin scoffed. “What are you thinking? Why did you suddenly propose marriage yesterday?”

Yu Hao lowered her eyes, thinking about her visit to the old house that day.

The Yu family was large, including Yu Guoyang, there were six children in total. Yu Guoyang was the youngest, with three older sisters and two older brothers.

Old Mrs. Yu had been a party cadre in her youth and was still a restless elderly woman after retirement. She required everyone to return to the old house for dinner on the last Sunday of each month.

In the early years, Feng Yanzhi had not been allowed to enter the old house. It wasn’t until Yu Hao was admitted to university that Old Mrs. Yu suddenly relented, allowing Feng Yanzhi to join the family dinners at the old house.

At that family dinner, Old Yu was away at a departmental meeting. Yu Hao’s third aunt was known for her talkativeness, and since her daughter had recently divorced and then married the owner of a listed company, she had a sense of having climbed the social ladder and become a phoenix. She couldn’t go three sentences without bringing up the topic of how to choose a son-in-law. Upon hearing that Yu Hao still didn’t have a boyfriend, she berated Feng Yanzhi: “At this age, why aren’t you worried yet? She’ll be too old to marry soon. Do you want our Yu family’s child to become what people call a leftover woman? That would be a waste. It doesn’t matter how good her conditions are, they won’t help if she’s too old.”

Although Feng Yanzhi often pressured Yu Hao to marry, she absolutely wouldn’t allow anyone else to criticize her daughter. She immediately retorted, “There’s no rush. Even after marriage, people can still divorce. It’s better to take your time and find the right person.”

The third aunt’s face darkened immediately.

After dinner, Old Mrs. Yu called Feng Yanzhi into her bedroom for a lecture. The bedroom door wasn’t fully closed, just slightly ajar and the old lady’s every word rang out clearly, reaching the ears of all the relatives present: “What kind of talk was that? Don’t think that marrying into the Yu family for all these years gives you the right to be disrespectful. The Yu family genealogy doesn’t include daughters-in-law like you. After all these years of struggle, you didn’t even give me a son, just a daughter who is both stupid and dull. She’s never known how to please adults since she was little, not at all likable. And now there’s an excuse for not getting married? If she doesn’t marry, you’ll never be included in the Yu family genealogy in your lifetime.”

The old lady deliberately left the door unlocked, giving Feng Yanzhi and her daughter a show of authority in front of all the relatives. Later, on the way home, mother and daughter didn’t speak.

Just before getting out of the car, Yu Hao asked, “Mom, do you want to be in the genealogy?”

Feng Yanzhi said it didn’t matter; people are born without names, and living is proof enough.

After that day, Feng Yanzhi never discussed marriage with Yu Hao again and stopped the investigation that Old Wang was conducting. It was enough if her daughter was happy.

When getting out of the car, she also told Yu Hao not to tell Yu Guoyang about the day’s events, fearing it would stir up another storm.

But after that day, Yu Hao seriously began to consider marriage.

She turned and asked Zhao Dailin, “Why do you think people get married?”

“To reproduce?” Zhao Dailin looked at her and asked, “Tell me why you want to get married first.”

Yu Hao shook her head. “I just feel that if I have to get married at a certain age, he’s the only person I don’t find objectionable.”

“Miss, isn’t that a bit hasty?”

Though Zhao Dailin said this, she understood. She knew that Yu Hao seemed to have a kind of sexual frigidity, strongly averse to physical contact with unfamiliar men, sometimes even feeling nauseated. So she hadn’t had many male friends over the years and always carried an anti-wolf electric baton. If any pursuing man got a bit too aggressive, she would directly shock him unconscious.

After several such incidents, hardly anyone in the institute dared to pursue her anymore.

“I don’t think it’s hasty,” Yu Hao said honestly. “When he touches me, I don’t feel averse, and my heart beats very fast, almost like I can’t breathe. I don’t know how to describe it.”

Zhao Dailin exclaimed, “He’s touched you?!” Her voice was a bit loud, causing even Lu Huaizheng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, to lift his eyelids and look over.

Zhao Dailin clicked her tongue and lowered her volume: “How far have you two gone?”

Once Lu Huaizheng had looked away, Yu Hao, with a reddened face, whispered in Zhao Dailin’s ear: “No, that was from before.”

…

The journey to the border defense station took nearly four hours.

Halfway through the trip, Zhao Dailin became carsick from the winding mountain roads, repeatedly vomiting into a plastic bag in the car. Lu Huaizheng instructed the driver to stop and rest for half an hour.

As soon as the car stopped, Zhao Dailin rushed out with her plastic bag, crouching by the roadside and vomiting until she saw stars.

Yu Hao quickly grabbed some tissues and followed her out.

Lu Huaizheng also took two bottles of water and went down.

The sun was blazing, surrounded by lush greenery, with the wind whistling through the trees. At noon, the light was somewhat piercing.

Lu Huaizheng squinted as he approached. Zhao Dailin had just finished vomiting and stood up to ask Yu Hao for a tissue. He handed one of the water bottles to her, initially wanting to joke about what happened to be able to endure any hardship, but felt it inappropriate and only asked, “Are you alright?”

Zhao Dailin’s face was pale. She wiped her mouth and nodded to indicate she could still hold on.

Lu Huaizheng opened the other bottle of water, loosely screwed the cap back on, and handed it to Yu Hao. He looked down at her with gentle eyes and asked, “How about you?”

Even at this moment, Zhao Dailin couldn’t resist gossiping. Her hand paused while wiping her mouth, and her eyes darted back and forth between the two.

“I’m fine,” Yu Hao said as she took the water.

Lu Huaizheng nodded, put his hands in his pockets, smiled, and looked elsewhere, saying, “Hang in there a bit longer, two more hours to go.”

Yu Hao obediently replied, “Okay.”

Zhao Dailin thought these two were truly a perfect match. Just standing together without saying anything, one could feel the blush-inducing atmosphere between them. When they made eye contact, sparks flew—it was amazing.

Perhaps all military men carried a sense of security, but this feeling was particularly strong with Lu Huaizheng. Combined with Yu Hao’s thin, small, delicate frame, the stark contrast created a surprisingly harmonious effect.

When boarding the car, Zhao Dailin directly took Lu Huaizheng’s seat and chatted casually with Sun Kai. When Lu Huaizheng and Yu Hao got in the car,

She refused to give up the seat. “You two sit over there. I want to chat with Captain Sun for a while.”

Sun Kai nodded in agreement. “Yes, yes, Huaizheng, you and Dr. Yu go ahead and sit down.”

“…”

“…”

Lu Huaizheng let Yu Hao take the inside seat, then took off his cap and sat down beside her. He said, “Your physique seems better than before.”

Yu Hao shook her head. “Not really, I still get dizzy after running 800 meters.”

Lu Huaizheng crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and teased her: “Staring at computers all day without exercise, who wouldn’t get dizzy?”

“I do exercise,” Yu Hao emphasized.

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. “What do you exercise?”

Yu Hao looked at him innocently and said, “I practice yoga. I have abs.”

Lu Huaizheng, who had been looking at her, suddenly felt his throat go dry. His slender Adam’s apple unconsciously moved slightly.