“Yes!”
Guo Jia answered very firmly. She thought that as long as two people stayed together for a long time, feelings would develop. She would treat Wen Liang doubly well, so that sooner or later, Wen Liang would fall in love with her.
“Alright, as long as you’re willing, I can agree.”
Wen Liang tapped Guo Jia on the nose. “But we need to agree on something beforehand. If I meet a girl I like, I will break up with you.”
Guo Jia hesitated for a moment, but still nodded. “Okay.”
She wouldn’t give Wen Liang that chance. She would keep a close watch on him and not let him get near any other women.
“Also, you can’t control me. I’ve been used to being free and unfettered. And don’t bother me. Can you do that?”
Guo Jia tentatively asked, “Can’t I even just stay by your side?”
“It depends on the situation. For example, if I go out drinking with my roommates or my childhood friends, it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to tag along. We’re a bunch of grown men, what would you do there?”
“If they bring their girls, then I’ll bring you too.” Wen Liang lightly traced his finger across Guo Jia’s cheek.
Guo Jia was surprised, shy, and secretly overjoyed all at once.
She was surprised because she had never seen Wen Liang like this, and couldn’t help but wonder if he had been drinking.
She was shy because Wen Liang’s gesture made her heart flutter.
The secret joy, of course, came from Wen Liang acknowledging her as his.
On the other side, Ling Hang and Ye Jiawen arrived at the martial arts school where Ye Jiawu attended.
Except for those whose homes were far away or had special circumstances at home, most of the kids at the martial arts school had gone home for the day.
Ye Jiawu and He Bin had gone back to He Bin’s place together.
The two had just returned to school after eating when Ye Jiawu saw Ye Jiawen and happily ran over. “Sis.”
He knew that Ye Jiawen and Ling Hang were together. Although it was his first time meeting Ling Hang, he really liked him because he felt Ling Hang was the same kind of person as Yue Mingyuan.
“Brother Xiaohang,” Ye Jiawu greeted Ling Hang.
Ling Hang took an armored vehicle model assembled from bullet shells out of the car and handed it to Ye Jiawu. “Xiaowu, this is a welcome gift for you.”
Ye Jiawu’s eyes instantly lit up. “Wow, Brother Xiaohang, this is really for me?”
“Your sister said you want to join the military when you grow up. Train hard, and when you’re old enough, go sign up,” Ling Hang said, patting Ye Jiawu on the shoulder.
Ye Jiawu nodded vigorously. “Yeah!”
“Xiaowu, come on, I’ll go with you to ask your coach for leave so we can take you out to admire the moon,” Ye Jiawen said, stepping forward.
After they had taken a few steps, Ye Jiawu tugged on Ye Jiawen’s arm. “Sis, can we bring Xiaoxiang too?”
“Alright.”
After the coach agreed, Ye Jiawu went to call He Bin. He Bin just shook his head. “You guys go ahead, I’m not going. I have other things to do later.”
“What other things?”
“I really have something to do. You go with Sister Xiaowen.”
Not long after Ye Jiawu and the others left, He Bin rode off on his bike, heading straight for the compound.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to see Lu Shuangshuang, but even so, he couldn’t control the urge to go there.
Ling Hang drove Ye Jiawen and Ye Jiawu to a mountain on the outskirts.
The terrain here was high, with nothing blocking the view. Looking up, they could see the bright, full moon and the sky full of stars.
Ling Hang took out mooncakes and drinks from the car and handed them to Ye Jiawen and Ye Jiawu.
The wind was strong on the mountain, but their hearts felt warm. Each of them talked freely about their ideals, dreaming of a wonderful future. All three were full of drive and energy.
They stayed on the mountain for about an hour before Ling Hang drove Ye Jiawu and Ye Jiawen back separately.
Ye Jiawu returned to the dormitory. Seeing that He Bin wasn’t there, he searched the entire martial arts school but couldn’t find him. He couldn’t help murmuring, “Where did that Xiaoxiang run off to?”
By this time, He Bin had already arrived outside the compound.
To get inside the compound, someone had to come out and get him. He didn’t want to bother his sister, nor did he want to use this way to see Lu Shuangshuang, even though he had missed her terribly during this time.
After leaving the sports school that time, he had lost contact with Lu Shuangshuang.
Whenever he called her at the song and dance ensemble, his sister answered. She said Shuangshuang was training, had performances, and her tasks were very tight.
But he knew it was because Shuangshuang didn’t want to answer his calls.
He had seriously thought about what Shuangshuang and his sister had said to him. He had also tried to give up on his feelings for Shuangshuang.
But if he could give up so easily, he wouldn’t have confessed in the first place.
It was precisely because he couldn’t let go in his heart that he couldn’t help but say it.
He was really too impulsive. If he had known it would turn out like this, he should have bitten his tongue and never said a thing.
“Xiaoxiang?”
Lu Shuangshuang had come out for a walk and hadn’t expected to see He Bin.
She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Getting closer, she saw it really was him.
He Bin was squatting there, holding his head, lost in regret. When he heard Lu Shuangshuang’s voice, he looked up. He thought he was hallucinating because he missed her so much.
He raised his hand and gave himself a hard slap on the face. “Ouch, that hurts.”
“It’s real, it’s real.”
Lu Shuangshuang was just about to lower her head to see what was wrong with He Bin when, whoosh, He Bin suddenly sprang up. Luckily, she reacted quickly, coupled with her flexible and nimble body. Otherwise, he would have slammed right into her chin.
“Xiaoxiang, have you lost your mind?”
Lu Shuangshuang put one hand on her hip and naturally twisted He Bin’s ear with the other. “You almost hit me, you know that?”
“I know, I know. Granny, ouch, ouch, let go first!” He Bin grimaced in pain, but seeing Lu Shuangshuang, he couldn’t help wanting to laugh. His expression was as ridiculous as it could get.
Lu Shuangshuang burst out laughing. “Your face, hahaha, that’s hilarious.”
He Bin rubbed his ear. “It’s all your fault, and you’re still laughing!”
Seeing Lu Shuangshuang laugh, He Bin couldn’t help but laugh along. “I was planning to leave, I didn’t think I’d actually get to see you.”
Lu Shuangshuang belatedly remembered their current awkward situation, suddenly felt uncomfortable, and took a step back, putting distance between them. “You came to see Zhiqiu, didn’t you? Why didn’t you go in? Did the guard not let you? I’ll go talk to them.”
Saying that, she started walking towards the guard post. He Bin grabbed her sleeve. “I didn’t come to see my sister. I came to see you.”
He Bin was so direct, Lu Shuangshuang couldn’t pretend to be dense anymore. “Did you come to see me about something?”
“No, I just wanted to see you today. Now that I have, I’m content.”
He Bin let go of Lu Shuangshuang on his own and changed the subject. “Did that little jerk bother you again? I know he got released.”
“No. As soon as he got out, my dad sent him to a frontier army unit.”
Lu Shuangshuang hadn’t expected Lu Guangrong to do that. She originally thought her father favored Lu Xu. Now it seemed he cared for his children the same, without much difference. What he truly cared about most was always his own reputation.
“And your stepmom?”
“She hasn’t come looking for me either.”
“Good.”
He Bin didn’t really know what to say to Lu Shuangshuang, so he just asked about her recent situation. “How’s the injury on your wrist?”
