This kind of relationship continued for nearly a month.
Both of them tacitly avoided mentioning the future, as if it were something very distant for them. Lu Huaizheng dared not bring it up for fear of hurting Yu Hao, while Yu Hao didn’t mention it because she knew he wouldn’t easily agree, so she didn’t want to pressure him further.
As the end of May approached, the weather became thoroughly hot, with only half a month left before Lu Huaizheng would return to his unit.
Yu Hao stopped making efforts. She no longer went to couple’s restaurants or set up “blind dates.” Every day, she punctually rode in Lu Huaizheng’s car to and from work. Most of the time, she remained silent, quietly staring out the window, watching the passing traffic, often reminded of those high school years.
It felt distant, untouchable. In her memory, the boy was tall, clean, cheerful, and sunny.
When she turned her head to look at the man driving beside her, he still had his sharp and vibrant appearance from the past. Yet in moments of confusion, she always felt that between him and her lay a thick layer of gauze, making everything appear hazy. No matter how she prodded, poked, or tried to reach out and grasp him, it was as if he were formless—the moment her hand touched, she caught nothing.
After passing two more days in this daze, seeing her condition deteriorating, Professor Han gave her three days off, suggesting that Lu Huaizheng take her out to relax.
Yu Hao hesitated. In three days, she could finish organizing Di Yanni’s materials, and the paper she was working on was almost complete.
Nearby, Zhao Dailin saw through everything. Watching these two dragging on day after day, half-dead, she grew anxious. With a slap to her forehead, she took over all of Yu Hao’s work: “Leave your work to me. Go out and relax with Captain Lu. I can see your mental state hasn’t been good lately. Lu Huaizheng has his preliminary selection in a week. You two should go out and have some fun.”
“But…”
Zhao Dailin made a swift decision: “No buts. Professor Han still needs to get approval from the dean for you. If he doesn’t mind the trouble, you shouldn’t keep hesitating. If you keep whining, then don’t take the time off.”
Since returning from Yunnan, Yu Hao hasn’t gone back to the military area, and Zhao Dailin has been covering her clinic duties. She really couldn’t bear to burden her with all the current work—being single didn’t mean she deserved to work overtime for her. So, Yu Hao sincerely said, “Sister Zhao, how about I treat you and Brother Ye to dinner later?”
Zhao Dailin suddenly flicked her forehead, not holding back her strength, and fiercely said, “Thankfully it’s Lu Huaizheng who likes you. With your emotional intelligence, you could annoy someone to death!”
After that, Zhao Dailin hugged the materials, her high heels clicking thunderously, as she angrily left Professor Han’s office.
This left Yu Hao bewildered, standing in place.
In the evening, Lu Huaizheng came as usual to pick her up from work. As soon as the young woman got in the car, he noticed a small red mark the size of a fingernail on her forehead. With her fair skin, it was quite noticeable, though it had faded somewhat by now—it had been more obvious in the afternoon.
Lu Huaizheng paused, leaning back in his seat, and pointed at her forehead with his chin. “What happened there?”
Yu Hao glanced at the rearview mirror, realizing what he meant, and said softly, “Sister Zhao flicked me.”
Lu Huaizheng casually turned on the center console light, leaned over slightly, held the back of her head, and turned her face toward him. After carefully examining it, he let go of her. “Why did she hit you? Is she crazy?”
Yu Hao thought Lu Huaizheng had misunderstood and hurriedly said, “No, no, Sister Zhao didn’t use much force. I didn’t even feel pain at the time. It only turned red when I looked in the mirror in the afternoon. My skin has always been sensitive since childhood; it bruises easily with just a light pinch.”
“Nonsense. Bruising from a light pinch indicates a platelet problem,” Lu Huaizheng said calmly, smoothing her hair before leaning back with his hand on the steering wheel.
“There’s nothing wrong with my platelets. I have physical examinations every year,” Yu Hao said. “I’m just more sensitive.”
Outside, dusk was falling. The car’s interior light gleamed, highlighting the man’s handsome and elegant features. Hearing this, he lowered his head and smiled, seemingly agreeing with the word “sensitive.”
“Did you offend your senior?” he asked.
Yu Hao was still completely confused, so she told Lu Huaizheng everything that had happened earlier, including Zhao Dailin’s final meaningful words.
While listening, Lu Huaizheng took a cigarette from the pack and held it in his hand, kneading and playing with it.
Finally, after hearing Yu Hao’s complete account.
He broke the cigarette, threw it into the armrest box, sighed, and gently rubbed her head, saying resignedly, “Next time if she flicks you again, tell her that Sun Kai doesn’t like rough women.”
Yu Hao’s response progressed from a simple “Oh.” Then, “Oh?” Finally, “Oh!!!!!!”
“What does Captain Sun have to do with this?!”
Lu Huaizheng started the car, looked at the rearview mirror, controlled the steering wheel with one hand, and slowly backed out, while patiently explaining to her: “Your Sister Zhao likes Sun Kai, you blockhead.”
Yu Hao turned to look at him in surprise, shocked and incredulous.
“When did it start?”
Lu Huaizheng closed the car window. As the car drove onto the main road, he stopped at a right turn, put on the turn signal, casually glanced out the window, then looked back at her and said, “When it started, I don’t know. I just know that after I returned from Beijing, your Sister Zhao was acting strange, always being sarcastic toward Sun Kai. When a woman starts being sarcastic to a man, what do you think the reason could be?”
Yu Hao was puzzled. “But isn’t Sun Kai about to get married?”
How painful it must be for Sister Zhao.
Lu Huaizheng made an affirmative sound, released the brake, and the car slowly glided forward. Then he said, “Sun Kai recently broke up with Fang Yan. But don’t tell your Sister Zhao about this yet. Their situations are different, and it might not be appropriate for us to matchmake. Besides, Sun Kai still has feelings for Fang Yan. I’m afraid your Sister Zhao might get hurt.”
The day Sun Kai broke up with Fang Yan, he came to find him for a drink, with Fang Yan following closely behind, probably afraid that Sun Kai would do something foolish. She only left after seeing him get into his car. Sun Kai was very contemptuous at the time, looking in the rearview mirror and saying:
“A woman’s guilt is the worst. Look at her now, who is she feeling sorry for? In any case, she’s just afraid I’ll feel uncomfortable. She won’t have a peaceful life with that guy. It hasn’t been a full year or half yet. Does she think I, Sun Kai, am the kind of man who would live or die for a woman?”
But that night, Sun Kai got completely drunk, not only throwing up all over his car but also constantly mumbling “Fang Yan, Fang Yan.” It was then that Lu Huaizheng realized Sun Kai had truly developed feelings. When he had asked him earlier, Sun Kai had said the Political Commissar’s introduction was suitable, and he was at the right age, so they could make do.
After spending so much time together, feelings had naturally developed.
During those days, Yu Hao was still in the hospital, and Lu Huaizheng himself had a pile of things to deal with. The next day was the rank-conferring ceremony, and he had to return to his unit. He didn’t delay much that evening, carrying the completely drunk man back to his bachelor apartment—the one he had bought when he first moved out from Zhou Siyue’s place. It wasn’t big, just enough space for a bed and some miscellaneous items, making it feel crowded.
Sun Kai was a typical bad drunk. Not only did the 1.8-meter tall man take over his bed, but when drunk, he became extremely talkative. He jumped on the bed like a little girl—a 1.8-meter-plus giant, almost breaking his bed, and then, still drunk, gritted his teeth and asked him word by word: “How did you get through your heartbreak?”
Lu Huaizheng was changing clothes with his back to him at the time, bare-chested, with smooth chest lines and defined back muscles, just putting on a t-shirt. When he heard these words, he paused for a while, then pulled his head through the collar and said flatly: “Sleep. Play basketball.”
After Yu Hao left.
In the first few days, he either slept or played basketball. He never mentioned anything in front of others. During that period, everyone was afraid of him. The usually gentle young man became inexplicably irritable on the basketball court, pushing and shoving people at the slightest disagreement. Jia Mian and the others said he was like a young master at that time, very difficult to serve.
That was the first year.
In the second year, he gave up basketball and prepared for the college entrance examination. It was only in his senior year of high school that he seriously studied. His junior high foundation was good; his language, math, and English were all decent, and history was his strong suit. After choosing the arts, his advantages became obvious. His grades leaped from the middle-lower ranks to the middle-upper ranks. Sometimes, when he performed well, he could even squeeze into the top hundred.
Sun Kai asked a bunch of scattered questions. Lu Huaizheng, having changed his clothes, regarded him as a true brother and stayed with him without saying a word, listening to his complaints. Finally, after Sun Kai fell into a deep sleep, he got up, took his car keys, and went to the hospital.
For Lu Huaizheng, Zhao Dailin was a person mature enough in emotions, very clear about what she wanted. Unlike Yu Hao, who was inexperienced, slow, and dull. Without a few reminders from others, she might still be in a daze with a drum over her head.
For such a person, if others tried to hint too much, it might backfire.
Yu Hao remained silent for a long time. Lu Huaizheng looked over while driving, running his hand over her head, and said, “Don’t worry, your Sister Zhao will handle it well.”
Yu Hao nodded and said, “Professor Han gave me three days off…”
Before she could finish, Lu Huaizheng picked up the thread: “Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“How did you…”
Yu Hao was startled.
Lu Huaizheng turned the steering wheel, smiling: “Professor Han called me.”
Yu Hao didn’t have any particular place she wanted to visit. She was interested in those peculiar places he had mentioned before, but a three-day period wasn’t enough for a round trip. Calculating carefully, she had no idea.
Lu Huaizheng had just parked the car at her home. He turned off the engine, looked ahead, and asked her, “Would you like to try skydiving?”
……
Near the Thirteen Tombs of Beijing, there was a flying club nestled among the mountains, surrounded by lush green trees in a secluded valley. Not many people in the ancient city enjoyed this activity, and most were regular customers. When Lu Huaizheng brought Yu Hao there, someone immediately recognized him, came over with a smile, and hooked his arm around Lu Huaizheng’s neck. “What wind blew you here?”
Lu Huaizheng smiled, allowing himself to be nudged, and looked around. “Is Jia Mian not here?”
The man wore a baseball cap and had a weasel-like face, though his features were well-proportioned. He gave Lu Huaizheng a hard punch in the chest. “He just called, and said he’d be here later. Everything’s ready for you. When do you want to start?”
Lu Huaizheng glanced at Yu Hao. “Let’s wait a bit. I’ll show her around first, let her get used to the environment.”
The man finally turned his gaze to Yu Hao and exclaimed, “Why does this beauty look so familiar?”
Lu Huaizheng was holding a flying device, examining it, then turned to take a sun hat from the rack and tried it on Yu Hao to check the size. Only then did he say, “This is Yu Hao. You know her, from Class 5 before.”
The young man instantly realized.
His astonished eyes darted back and forth between the two, and his shocked gaze finally locked onto Yu Hao. He waved his hands excitedly. “Damn, you’re Yu Hao?! Do you remember me? I was from Class 8, they all called me Fat Hui!”
Fat Hui’s real name was Lin Yihui. Yu Hao hadn’t recognized him at all, but hearing him say this, she slowly matched the face with the name. Still, she found it a bit incredible. The outline was still the same as before, but as for his physique…
“I remember you used to be…”
“Fat, right? I lost eighty pounds in college. Now I’m 140.” Lin Yihui paused, his gaze moving suggestively between Yu Hao and Lu Huaizheng as if trying to pierce a hole between them. “I never expected, never expected that our school heartthrob Lu waited all these years and still ended up with you.”