When they went downstairs, the hall was lively.

The young woman surrounded in the middle was Jia Mian’s sister—Xiang Yuan. She was particularly beautiful, with well-proportioned features like a model. Her lotus-root-like slender arms were white and lustrous as jade. To use an inappropriate term, she was like a little enchantress, yet not annoying. Occasionally, she inadvertently revealed a hint of silliness.

At the moment, she was crouching on the ground, taking out packages of snacks from a bag and tossing them onto the sofa.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Xiang Yuan turned to look and smiled: “Brother Huaizheng!”

Lu Huaizheng nodded and led Yu Hao down.

He was an only son, and Jia Mian had only one sister. These men all treated her like their own little sister, cherishing and spoiling her. With a big-brother attitude, Lu Huaizheng asked: “Coming here so late?”

“Our flight team is here for training,” the young woman said. Then, catching sight of Yu Hao behind him, her eyes brightened, and she called out in a clear, clever voice: “Hello, Sister-in-law!”

Neither of them corrected her; “sister-in-law” was almost the default address in this base. Yu Hao also smiled: “Hello.”

Lu Huaizheng walked over, picked up a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to Yu Hao. Looking at Xiang Yuan, he asked: “What flight team?”

Before Xiang Yuan could answer, Lin Yihui came over, arm around her shoulder, and casually teased Lu Huaizheng: “Don’t you know our little sister got her pilot’s license recently?” He then whispered in Xiang Yuan’s ear to stir trouble: “Not that your brother Hui is saying this, but your brother Huaizheng, since he got a girlfriend, has been rather cold toward us.”

The words “rather cold” were almost said through gritted teeth.

Though it was said in a joking tone, Xiang Yuan had a good first impression of Yu Hao and was afraid these words might make her uncomfortable. She elbowed Lin Yihui hard: “When this flight base was established, Brother Huaizheng contributed a lot of money. How is he being cold? Has he ever asked you to pay him back? Ungrateful wolf.”

Lin Yihui clutched his chest, whispering: “Just kidding.”

Lu Huaizheng smiled, pulled Yu Hao over, and introduced: “This is Xiang Yuan, Jia Mian’s sister. She also grew up playing with us.”

Xiang Yuan once again flashed a big smile at Yu Hao, extremely warm and friendly.

There were eight people in the flight team, with not enough rooms to accommodate everyone. The other six were arranged by Jia Mian at the neighboring resort, a private retreat not generally open to the public unless the base was overcrowded. It belonged to Old Man Xiang. Jia Mian was reluctant to use his father’s property and usually kept it closed.

Xiang Yuan had also brought a friend, a very cool man who sat on the sofa the entire evening, barely speaking, occasionally checking his phone or going outside to smoke.

Lin Yihui squeezed next to Xiang Yuan, pointing at the man smoking at the door, and asked: “Who’s that? I haven’t seen him before. He’s not one of our trainees, is he?”

“No,” said Xiang Yuan.

Lin Yihui became anxious: “Then why did you bring him here? Have you lost your mind?”

Xiang Yuan also became agitated: “Ah, it’s complicated! I’ll tell you later!”

Lin Yihui saw through it: “Huh, you just think he’s handsome and want to keep him around. Better be careful, or I’ll tell your brother.”

Xiang Yuan produced a standard eight-tooth smile, looking very seriously at Lin Yihui: “Brother Hui, you’re misunderstanding me. I’m a proper child; how could I have such thoughts, right?”

…

At midnight, Lu Huaizheng finished his shower and turned off the water, hearing rustling sounds from next door.

“Are you leaving tomorrow?” It was Xiang Yuan’s voice, a bit cautious.

“Mm.”

“Don’t touch.”

“Don’t touch what?” The man laughed softly. “Coming to my room, shouldn’t you be prepared?”

“My brother is next door.”

“Then why did you come to see me?”

“I just came to ask if you needed a blanket…”

“Your words say no, but your heart says yes.”

“Xu Yanshi!”

“Yes?” Indifferent and lazy.

“Don’t tear it! If you tear it, I won’t have anything to change into.”

“Already torn.”

“…Bastard.”

The neighboring room was simply toxic. Lu Huaizheng couldn’t bear to listen anymore. He hurriedly dried himself off and came out bare-chested, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He hadn’t even dried his hair, which was still dripping water. His chest muscles were well-defined, his contours rugged, his abdomen bulging like solid hills. His toned muscles made his entire body look long and powerful.

Crystalline droplets of water slid down his chest lines and firm waist, disappearing into the towel at his waist. The protrusion in the middle was particularly noticeable.

He leaned against the bathroom tiles and smoked a cigarette, not allowing that thing to go down. Finally, sighing helplessly, he came out of the bathroom, only to find that Yu Hao was awake.

In the dim room, the young woman was lying on her side on the bed, her bright eyes fixed on him.

Lu Huaizheng’s first instinct was to cover her eyes, but they were too far apart. Hiding back in the bathroom would be too awkward. Before he could react, Yu Hao had already instinctively closed her eyes tightly, firmly covering them with her hands, shifting from lying on her side to lying flat.

Lu Huaizheng took the clothes from the sofa and went to the bathroom to change. When he came out again, Yu Hao was leaning against the headboard, watching him.

Lu Huaizheng went over, sat against the headboard, and pulled her into his arms.

“Why did you wake up?”

Yu Hao didn’t dare to say she had had a nightmare. These years, she always slept restlessly at night. Her dreams were filled with desperate and heart-wrenching scenes. She would dream them over and over, waking up each time in a cold sweat, the room empty, her heart still pounding as she looked at the moon outside the window.

“I feel too happy right now.”

Yu Hao found a comfortable position on his shoulder: “I can’t believe it. It all feels unreal.”

Lu Huaizheng stroked her head.

Yu Hao looked up at him. The man had just showered, his hair still damp, but his eyes were gentle as they met hers.

“When is the initial screening?”

Lu Huaizheng: “The day after tomorrow.”

“If the initial screening is clear, how much can be ruled out?”

Shao Feng had told him that if the initial screening showed negative, it could rule out ninety-seven percent. If it was still negative after three months, another ninety-seven percent could be applied to the original ninety-seven percent basis. If a follow-up examination six months later showed positive, it would mean that two low-probability events had occurred simultaneously, which in probability theory is termed an impossible event.

It could be ruled out after three months.

After Lu Huaizheng explained, Yu Hao nodded, somewhat bewildered.

But to be safe, he still needed to observe for the next half year.

Yet Yu Hao had a thorn in her heart, one she had never been able to remove from beginning to end. She had tried many times to completely pull it out, but it always left her wounded all over.

She couldn’t bring herself to tell Lu Huaizheng.

To this day, she still couldn’t find the courage to open up.

She thought she would never be able to escape this thorn in her lifetime.

She even feared that if Lu Huaizheng knew, would he reject her?

This moment of happiness felt like a mirage to her, just a fleeting dream.

Once awake, it was like a solid south wall, an obstacle she could never break through no matter how hard she tried or how hysterically she raged!

What she hadn’t expected was that this day would come so soon!

…

The next day.

Yu Hao woke up very early, unusually proposing to go jogging. Lu Huaizheng was still lying on the sofa, one long leg on the floor, his hands crossed over his chest. He lazily glanced at her, raising an eyebrow, his voice still a bit drowsy: “Really?”

Yu Hao nodded seriously.

He slowly sat up, his entire body loosely leaning against the sofa back. He tilted his head to wake up fully, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and finally stood up, saying: “Alright.”

When they returned, the base was in complete chaos.

Xiang Yuan and Jia Mian were arguing. Xiang Yuan had been spoiled by these brothers since childhood. Jia Mian, having only this one sister, had never been harsh with her in all these years.

That day, for the first time, in front of everyone, he slapped Xiang Yuan. That slap instantly put a distance between the deep sibling bond built over so many years.

Xiang Yuan’s head was jerked to the side by the slap, five finger marks visible on her delicate, fair face. She had never experienced such treatment before. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, filled with grievance, yet she stubbornly refused to look at Jia Mian.

Lin Yihui, anxious and flushed, stood between them, constantly persuading the two: “Oh my, what a mess. Siblings should be able to overcome any difficulty.”

Jia Mian was furious, gritting his teeth: “This matter isn’t over! From childhood, I’ve indulged you in everything. I’ve spoiled you rotten. How dare you tear up this contract!”

Xiang Yuan seemed deranged, crying with all her might while angrily shouting: “I’ll tear it! I’ll tear it! I won’t let you sell the base!”

Jia Mian roared: “Let go!”

Lin Yihui also tried to persuade her: “Yuan Yuan, your brother discussed this with us. Be good, don’t make a scene.”

Xiang Yuan held onto the contract with all her might. It was already half-torn, but neither sibling was willing to yield, both stubbornly pulling at it. They were like two stubborn mules, both with unyielding tempers.

Jia Mian had consulted with Lu Huaizheng about selling the base long ago, and he had no objections. Jia Mian was very insistent. The base had been operating at a loss, not even recovering the initial investment. Jia Mian had originally planned to persevere for two more years, but now someone was willing to take it over, which was ideal.

Lu Huaizheng suddenly understood why Jia Mian had called everyone together that night.

Talking about the past and ideals, no wonder that night, Jia Mian, after drinking too much, refused to let go of the wine bottle.

When they first built this flight base, they had a far-fetched hero’s dream.

For instance, during the Wenchuan earthquake year, Lu Huaizheng, Jia Mian, and others happened to be traveling in Sichuan. All transportation was blocked, with only planes roaring overhead. They had witnessed those nightmarish scenes: rolling smoke, dust flying everywhere. In an instant, a prosperous world had turned into a landscape of sand, filled with wailing that pierced the sky.

They had originally been heading north, but after the earthquake, they resolutely joined the local volunteer rescue team.

Days and nights without sleep, when they finally came to their senses and saw the continuously increasing death toll in the news reports, that feeling of helplessness and anger was overwhelming. Sometimes, when digging out bodies from the rubble, they’d find a phone falling out of the clothes, with an unsent message: “I want to come, but I can’t make it…”

After returning from Sichuan, Lu Huaizheng joined the military, while Jia Mian and the others went to get pilot licenses and formed this flight team. They didn’t have aspirations to set examples for the ages, but over the years, they regularly performed air shows for left-behind children in mountain areas. The tail wings would leave a “W” mark in the sky as they passed.

This was the hero’s dream in these boys’ hearts.

Never spoken about with others, though insignificant, they were still trying to change the world with their strength.