“Marriage?” Yu Hao raised her head, murmuring.

Seeing her staring at him in a daze, the man couldn’t help but smile, lowering his head to tease her: “Haven’t you been wanting to marry me all along?”

“Not all along,” Yu Hao objected.

“Fine, not all along.” Though Lu Huaizheng said this, his shoulders were already trembling with laughter.

At this moment, Chen Rui’s voice came through Lu Huaizheng’s earpiece. He pressed the line, concentrated for a moment, and responded with a sound, “Coming now.”

After disconnecting, he looked down at Yu Hao, who reacted quickly: “You have to go?”

He nodded, telling her truthfully: “Zaza’s father has been sent to the town hospital. There’s still a pile of things waiting to be handled. I need to go now.”

Then, he bent down slightly, his hand brushing her hair, gently tucking it behind her ear, saying: “Don’t worry, I heard there are antiretroviral drugs. The leaders have already sent for them.”

Yu Hao suddenly looked up, “Really?”

He nodded, his hand moving to pinch her ear, rubbing it gently: “Feel better now?”

Before she could respond,

A clear cough came from the doorway. Zhao Dailin was standing there properly.

Lu Huaizheng awkwardly withdrew his hand, unconsciously scratching behind his own ear, then tucking it back into his pocket, pretending to cough, “I’m off.”

Yu Hao stood up quickly, “I’ll go with you. I’m going back to my department.”

Zhao Dailin rolled her eyes, “You two are acting like you’re talking about me behind my back.”

Hearing this, Yu Hao hurriedly said: “No, we’re not.”

Zhao Dailin rolled her eyes again, deliberately teasing her: “It’s fine, even if you did talk about me, I wouldn’t be angry. After all, you have Captain Lu backing you up now, don’t you?”

Yu Hao instinctively glanced at Lu Huaizheng. Before she could speak, he raised an eyebrow and drawled: “I can’t say I’m backing her up, but she’s my person from now on, and I can’t let anyone bully her, can I?”

Yu Hao’s heart skipped a beat when she heard “my person.” This man could make her restless with just a casual remark—it was truly incredible.

The two walked downstairs side by side. Yu Hao, beside him, said softly: “Haven’t you noticed Senior Zhao has been acting strange lately… always likes to counter people…”

Lu Huaizheng had his hands in his pockets, turned his head to look at her, placed his hand on her head, and ruffled it: “Your Senior Zhao probably encountered emotional setbacks and is looking for an outlet.”

Yu Hao was stunned, murmuring: “I haven’t heard that she’s dating anyone.”

Lu Huaizheng pressed down on the top of her head, sighing profoundly: “After studying psychology for so many years, your emotional intelligence really hasn’t improved.”

“I’ve been tested for emotional intelligence, it’s not low.”

Lu Huaizheng didn’t believe her, raising his eyebrows as he carefully examined her from top to bottom.

“Really?”

“You don’t believe me?”

“Hmm, I believe you.”

Lu Huaizheng stepped down the last stair, withdrew his hand, put it back in his pocket, and casually remarked in a tone suggesting he’d believe anything she said.

At eleven-thirty, the helicopter arrived but didn’t land. It directly dropped a medical package from the air, saluted them, and departed. The enormous roaring sound circled around the mountaintop for quite some time. Chen Rui received the medicine and ran back to the team quarters.

Watching Lu Huaizheng take the medicine, Yu Hao still felt anxious and asked Shao Feng: “Does this medicine have side effects? What’s the blocking probability?”

Just as Shao Feng was about to speak, he noticed Lu Huaizheng leaning against the headboard, giving him a slight look. He truly felt that some people in love could be sickeningly sweet. He turned to Yu Hao and said with a smile: “Dr. Yu, you studied medicine too. You know that all medicines have side effects, and you should also know that doctors never guarantee probabilities. No one knows if the patient under their care is among that unfortunate percentage.”

While speaking, he stole a glance at the person on the bed, who was turned away from Yu Hao, poised to throw his paper cup forcefully. Shao Feng promptly stopped talking: “But Captain Lu has always been lucky since childhood. You don’t know, there was another time even more intense than this…”

Shao Feng felt a pain in his forehead.

The paper cup hit him squarely on the forehead, followed by someone’s bland remark: “Too much nonsense?”

Shao Feng nodded.

Fine, young master, I won’t serve anymore. I’m leaving, I’m leaving, okay?

Before leaving, he “kindly” turned back to remind them: “These antiretroviral drugs need to be taken for twenty-eight days, and during these two weeks, you need to observe carefully. If acute symptoms appear, notify me immediately—cold, fever, cough, any acute symptoms indicating decreased immunity could occur. One month after finishing the medication, get screened again. If it’s confirmed you’re not infected, don’t be too happy, because you need to be rechecked at three months and six months. Only if the six-month recheck is negative can suspicion be completely ruled out. By the way, let me educate you both: HIV is transmitted through blood, mother-to-child, and sexual contact. So for the next half year, Captain Lu still needs to restrain himself. Kissing is fine; saliva doesn’t transmit it, as long as you don’t use too much force and break Dr. Yu’s lips. Education complete.”

Lu Huaizheng casually grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at him. Shao Feng, quick-eyed and nimble-handed, slipped away swiftly.

The pillow silently hit the doorframe, directly slamming the door shut with a “bang.”

Blocking the light, the room instantly darkened.

Yu Hao picked up the pillow and put it back on the bed. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her arm, pulled her down, and half her body fell across his chest. He was half-lying on the bed, the corners of his mouth slowly spreading into a smile, his eyes gradually becoming profound, like a deep pool, as if to draw her in, fixating on her intently.

Yu Hao unconsciously looked away.

He twisted her chin, pulling her back, locking her gaze, forcing her to face him:

“Why do you always avoid looking at me?”

After a moment of silence.

Yu Hao said: “Then don’t look at me so lecherously.”

Lu Huaizheng felt he had been quite restrained.

“This is considered lecherous?” he smiled.

It wasn’t really lecherous.

In fact, Lu Huaizheng, as a man, was always quite attractive to her because in all these years, she truly hadn’t met another man who could be like him—gentlemanly yet sensual, flirtatious but not vulgar.

“Your lecherousness is not unpleasant,” she looked at him and said honestly.

Unexpectedly, Lu Huaizheng was taken aback. “Who else has looked at you like this?”

Yu Hao sat up straight. “Many,” she said, giving him a sidelong glance, saying indifferently: “Didn’t those boys in your class look at me this way? I’m not just talking about myself. I mean, they looked at other girls the same way, especially when looking at Hu Siqi. Weren’t they all like that? Didn’t they even encourage you to sleep with Hu Siqi? It feels like there’s nothing decent in your minds.”

As she spoke, Yu Hao casually cast a glance at him.

Lu Huaizheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He lowered his head with a smile, saying nonchalantly: “I didn’t agree.”

After saying this, he shifted his body upward, changing from half-lying to half-leaning, reaching out to smooth her hair, coaxing her in a low voice: “If you don’t like it, I won’t hang out with them anymore.”

Yu Hao asked him: “So are we together now? Are you my boyfriend?”

Lu Huaizheng nodded.

Yu Hao: “What about after half a year?”

He casually said: “After half a year, if I really am that unlucky one, then we’ll break up.”

Yu Hao was eager to speak.

But he interrupted her, “I just researched a lot of information. Currently, China doesn’t have a drug that completely cures AIDS. The treatment process is very painful, not just for the patient, but friends and family around them must also bear the various pressures of this disease. At that time, I’ll certainly have to transfer from military service. At twenty-eight, the past eight years as a special forces soldier have completely isolated me from society. Think about it—after being isolated from society for so many years, returning with this disease, I don’t even know what I’ll have to face in the future. I couldn’t possibly let you accompany me.”

His voice gradually deepened.

“What if I don’t agree?” Yu Hao said.

He was stunned, looking at Yu Hao.

“What if I say, either we’re together, even if you have AIDS in the future, I’m not afraid, I still want to be with you, or we don’t get together now at all. What would you choose?”

Lu Huaizheng thought for a moment, very cleverly stating: “I won’t choose.”

“Then let’s just be in limbo,” Yu Hao turned her face away.

Lu Huaizheng discovered this girl was formidable, already learning to threaten people. He calmly stated:

“Then we’ll be in limbo. I won’t choose anyway.”

Yu Hao, angered, grabbed a pillow from the side and threw it at him, fuming: “Limbo it is!”

…

The boyfriend that was almost hers flew away.

Yu Hao stayed in her department for several days, not going out. When she had nothing to do, she searched online for information about AIDS.

Zhao Dailin found her behavior strange these days—not going out at all, not looking for her “boyfriend,” always hiding in the office, mysteriously facing a computer, closing web pages as soon as she entered.

Sometimes Zhao Dailin would hide outside the window and observe, only to discover that she was chatting with someone in a chat window, back and forth, intensely.

Has she cheated?

Zhao Dailin found it increasingly suspicious, and she hadn’t seen Lu Huaizheng come looking for Yu Hao these days either. Could they have broken up?

One day.

After Zhao Dailin finished lunch, Lu Huaizheng, who had just finished training, came down from the training field covered in sweat. He was wearing a short camouflage t-shirt and loose camouflage pants that billowed in the wind. His t-shirt was soaked front and back. He was lifting the fabric over his chest to dissipate heat while chatting casually with Sun Kai as they walked toward the dormitory building.

Zhao Dailin called out to him: “Lu Huaizheng.”

Sun Kai also stopped, but Zhao Dailin said to him: “Captain Sun, please go further away. I have something to discuss privately with Captain Lu.”

Sun Kai couldn’t be bothered with her, acknowledged with a sound, and left.

Lu Huaizheng put his hands in his pockets: “What is it?”

“Did you and my junior have another fight?” Zhao Dailin asked.

The man was tall, standing in front of her and blocking most of the light. Against the backlight, Zhao Dailin found his features even more handsome—much better-looking than Sun Kai.

Lu Huaizheng turned his head slightly, looking into the distance, “Did she tell you that?”

“She doesn’t tell me anything. Lately, she’s been locking herself in the department alone, then chatting with who knows who.”

Lu Huaizheng narrowed his eyes: “With whom?”

Zhao Dailin shrugged: “I don’t know, online friends, I guess.”

Lu Huaizheng leaned against the wall, glancing elsewhere casually, snorting: “What kind of online friends could she have? Hope she doesn’t get scammed.”

Just as he finished speaking, they saw Yu Hao coming from another small path.

Lu Huaizheng leaned against the wall, nudging Zhao Dailin with his shoulder. Zhao Dailin played dumb: “What?”

Lu Huaizheng coughed once, his eyes glancing in that direction.

The two schemers together, exchanging glances, knew what the other wanted to do. But Zhao Dailin just smiled, “Why should I help you?”

Lu Huaizheng lowered his head, his expression inscrutable: “Don’t you want to know about Sun Kai and Fang Yan’s affair?”

Damn, when did he figure that out?

Zhao Dailin looked at him askance, then finally, reluctantly, called out, “Yu Hao!”

Hearing the call, Yu Hao paused, looked in their direction, hesitated, then slowly walked over.

“Senior.”

Zhao Dailin asked: “Where are you going?”

Yu Hao said: “To town.”

“For what?”

“To meet someone.”

“I’ll take you,” Lu Huaizheng coughed, interrupting.

“No need.”

“Who are you meeting?” Zhao Dailin asked.

“Shen Xiyuan. He’s coming to Yunnan for research, and Professor Han asked him to bring some things over.”

After Yu Hao finished speaking, she saw Lu Huaizheng staring at her with a meaningful look for a while, then nodding in a very puzzling way.