In the Turbulent Spring of Youth, Only You Captivate (5)

"Marriage?" Yu Hao tilted her head up, muttering to herself.

Seeing her staring at him blankly, the man couldn't help but chuckle. He lowered his head and teased her with a smile, "Haven't you been thinking about marrying me for a long time?"

"Not for a long time," Yu Hao retorted.

"Alright, not for a long time." Although Lu Huaizheng said that, his shoulders were already shaking with laughter.

Just then, Chen Rui's voice came through Lu Huaizheng's earpiece. He pinched the earwire, listening intently for a moment, then grunted, "Coming right over."

After ending the call, he looked down at Yu Hao. She reacted quickly, "You're leaving?"

He nodded and told her the truth, "Zaza's father was sent to the town hospital. There's still a bunch of things to deal with over there, so I have to go first."

Then, he bent down slightly, his hand stroking her hair, gently tucking it behind her ear. "Don't worry," he said, "I heard there's Post-exposure Prophylaxis. The superiors have already sent someone to deliver it."

Yu Hao suddenly looked up, "Really?"

He nodded, his hand moving to pinch her ear, gently caressing it. "Feeling relieved now?"

Before she could reply, a soft cough came from the doorway.

A soft cough came from the doorway. Zhao Dailin was standing primly at the entrance.

Lu Huaizheng awkwardly withdrew his hand, unconsciously scratching behind his own ear before stuffing his hands back into his pockets. Feigning a cough, he said, "I'm leaving."

Yu Hao shot to her feet. "I'll go with you, I'm going back to my department."

Zhao Dailin rolled her eyes. "The way you two are acting, it's like you were badmouthing me behind my back."

Hearing this, Yu Hao quickly said, "We weren't."

Zhao Dailin rolled her eyes again, deliberately teasing her, "It's fine. Even if you badmouthed me, I wouldn't be mad. After all, you have Captain Lu to back you up now, don't you?"

Yu Hao subconsciously glanced at Lu Huaizheng. Before she could speak, he raised an eyebrow and tossed out lazily, "It's not about backing her up, but she'll be my person from now on. Can't let others bully her, right?"

When Yu Hao heard that phrase "my person," her heart skipped a beat again. This man could unsettle her with just a casual sentence. It was incredible.

The two walked downstairs side by side. Yu Hao, next to him, said in a low voice, "Haven't you noticed Zhao Dailin has been acting weird lately? ...She's always snapping at people..."

Lu Huaizheng had his hands in his pockets. He turned his head to glance at her, then placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "Zhao Dailin is probably emotionally frustrated and looking for an outlet."

Yu Hao was taken aback and muttered to herself, "I haven't heard about her being in a relationship."

Lu Huaizheng pressed down on the top of her head and sighed with profound gravity, "After studying psychology for so many years, your emotional intelligence hasn't improved one bit."

"I've had my EQ tested. It's not low."

Lu Huaizheng didn't believe her. He raised his eyebrows and carefully looked her over from head to toe.

"Is that so?"

"You don't believe me?"

"Mm, I believe you."

Lu Huaizheng stepped onto the last stair, took his hand back, and put it in his pocket. He said it casually, in a tone that suggested he would believe whatever she said.

At eleven-thirty, the helicopter arrived. It didn't land, just dropped a medical pack from the air, gave them a salute, and flew away. The huge roar circled the mountaintop for a while. Chen Rui caught the medicine and ran back to the team.

Yu Hao watched Lu Huaizheng finish taking the medicine, her heart still somewhat anxious. She asked Shao Feng, "Does this medicine have side effects? What's the prevention rate?"

Shao Feng was just about to speak when he saw Lu Huaizheng, leaning against the headboard, give him a subtle look. He really thought some people were disgustingly sweet when they were in love. He turned back to Yu Hao and said with a smile, "I say, Dr. Yu, you're a doctor too. You know that all medicines have side effects. And you should also know that doctors never guarantee probabilities. Who knows if the patient in their care will be one of the unlucky few percent."

As he spoke, he snuck a glance at a certain someone on the bed. He saw him with his back to Yu Hao, posturing as if he was about to smash the paper cup in his hand at him. Shao Feng promptly shut his mouth. "But Captain Lu has always been lucky since he was a kid. You don't know, there was another time that was even more thrilling than this..."

Shao Feng felt a pain in his forehead.

The paper cup hit him squarely on the forehead, followed by a certain someone's flat remark, "So much nonsense?"

Shao Feng nodded.

"Fine, Young Master, I'm done serving you. I'll leave, can I leave now?"

Before leaving, he very 'kindly' turned back to remind them, "This Post-exposure Prophylaxis needs to be taken for twenty-eight days. During the next half month, pay close attention. If any acute symptoms appear, notify me immediately. A cold, fever, cough—any acute symptom of a weakened immune system could appear. Get screened again one month after finishing the medication. If it's confirmed there's no infection, don't get too happy, because you'll need follow-up checks at three months and six months. Only if the check after half a year is negative can suspicion be completely ruled out. By the way, let me educate you both: the transmission routes for AIDS are blood, mother-to-child, and sexual contact. So, for the next six months, Captain Lu will have to endure. Kissing is still okay; saliva doesn't transmit it, as long as you're not too forceful and break Dr. Yu's lips. Education complete."

Lu Huaizheng casually grabbed a pillow from the bed and threw it at him. Shao Feng was quick-eyed and nimble-handed, slipping away as if his feet were greased.

The pillow silently hit the doorframe, slamming the door shut with a "bang."

The light was blocked, and the room instantly darkened.

Yu Hao picked up the pillow and put it back on the bed. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her arm and pulled her down. Half of her body was draped over his chest. He was half-lying on the bed, a slow smile spreading across his lips. His gaze gradually deepened, like a pool of deep water, staring at her so intently it was as if he wanted to pull her in.

Yu Hao unconsciously looked away.

He grabbed her chin and pulled her back, locking his gaze on her, forcing her to tilt her face up to meet his:

"Why do you never dare to look at me?"

After a long silence, Yu Hao said, "Then stop looking at me so lecherously."

Lu Huaizheng felt that he was already being very restrained.

"This is lecherous?" He laughed.

It wasn't actually lecherous.

To her, the man Lu Huaizheng was actually quite charming at all times. Because in all these years, she had truly never met another man like him—a gentleman who could be amorous without being obscene, romantic without being vulgar.

"Your kind of 'lecherousness' isn't annoying," she said honestly, looking at him.

Unexpectedly, Lu Huaizheng was taken aback. "Who else has looked at you like that?"

Yu Hao sat up straight. "Many." She shot him a sidelong glance and said flatly, "Weren't those few guys in your class back then the same? I'm not just talking about myself. I mean, they looked at other girls like that too, especially when they looked at Hu Siqi. Weren't they all like that? Didn't they even egg you on to sleep with Hu Siqi? It feels like you guys have nothing decent in your brains."

As she spoke, Yu Hao threw him a nonchalant glance.

Lu Huaizheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He looked down with a small laugh and said casually, "I never agreed to it."

After speaking, he pushed himself up from a half-lying position to a half-sitting one. One hand went to smooth her hair as he coaxed her in a low voice, "If you don't like it, then 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 six months?"

He said nonchalantly, "After six months, if I really am that unlucky bastard, then we'll break up."

Yu Hao was eager to speak.

But he interrupted her. "I just looked up a lot of information. There's no complete cure for AIDS in China yet. The treatment process is extremely painful, not just for the patient, but for the family and friends around them who have to bear all sorts of pressure from this disease. I would definitely have to leave the military. I'm twenty-eight. The past eight years as a special forces soldier have been completely detached from society. Imagine me, after being detached from society for so many years, going back with this disease. I don't even know what I'll have to endure in the future. I absolutely cannot let you accompany me through that."

His voice grew heavy.

"What if I don't agree?" Yu Hao said instead.

He froze, looking at Yu Hao.

"If I say, either we stay together, and even if you have AIDS in the future, I'm not afraid and I still want to be with you, or we don't get together now at all. How would you choose?"

Lu Huaizheng thought for a moment and replied very cleverly, "I won't choose."

"Then let's just stay in this limbo." Yu Hao turned her face away.

Lu Huaizheng realized this girl was something else; she even knew how to threaten people now. He stated calmly:

"Then let's stay in limbo. I'm not choosing anyway."

Yu Hao was so angry she grabbed a nearby pillow and threw it at him, saying resentfully, "Limbo it is then!"

...

The boyfriend who was just within her grasp had flown away.

For several days, Yu Hao stayed in her department and didn't go out. Whenever she had free time, she would go online and search for information about AIDS.

Zhao Dailin found her behavior strange these past few days. She was a complete shut-in, not even going to find her "boyfriend." She just holed up in the office all day, being secretive with a computer. The moment she walked in, Yu Hao would close the webpage.

Sometimes, Zhao Dailin would hide outside the window and watch, only to discover she was in a chat window, talking animatedly with someone.

'Could the girl be cheating?'

The more Zhao Dailin thought about it, the weirder it seemed. Besides, she hadn't seen Lu Huaizheng come looking for Yu Hao these past few days. Could the two have had a falling out?

One day, Zhao Dailin had just finished lunch when Lu Huaizheng came down from the training field, covered in sweat.

Zhao Dailin had just finished lunch when Lu Huaizheng came down from the training field, covered in sweat. He was wearing a camo short-sleeved t-shirt, and his wide camouflage pants billowed in the wind. The front and back of his shirt were soaked. He was fanning himself by pulling at the fabric on his chest while chatting idly with Sun Kai as they walked toward the dormitory building.

Zhao Dailin called out to him, "Lu Huaizheng."

Sun Kai stopped too, but Zhao Dailin said to him, "Captain Sun, could you please step away? I have something to say to Captain Lu alone."

Sun Kai couldn't be bothered with her, just grunted an "oh" and left.

Lu Huaizheng put both hands in his pockets. "What's up?"

"Did you have another fight with my junior sister?" Zhao Dailin asked.

The man was tall and blocked most of the light as he stood before her. Backlit, his features looked even more handsome and sharp—much better looking than Sun Kai.

Lu Huaizheng tilted his head slightly and glanced into the distance. "Did she tell you?"

"She doesn't tell me anything. Lately, she's been locking herself in the department, and I don't know who she's chatting with."

Lu Huaizheng narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

Zhao Dailin shrugged. "I don't know. An online friend, I guess."

Lu Huaizheng leaned against the wall, his gaze shifting elsewhere casually. He snorted, "What online friends could she have? Don't let her get scammed."

Just as he finished speaking, he saw Yu Hao coming down a small path from the other side.

Lu Huaizheng, still leaning against the wall, nudged Zhao Dailin with his shoulder. Zhao Dailin played dumb, "What?"

Lu Huaizheng coughed and glanced in that direction.

The two were sharp; one look was enough to know what the other was thinking. But Zhao Dailin just smiled. "Why should I help you?"

Lu Huaizheng looked down, his expression profound and inscrutable. "Don't you want to know about Sun Kai and Fang Yan?"

'Damn, when did he figure that out?'

Zhao Dailin looked at him sideways. After a long moment, she reluctantly shouted in that direction, "Yu Hao!"

Hearing her name, Yu Hao's steps faltered. She glanced over, paused, and then slowly walked over.

"Senior Sister."

Zhao Dailin asked, "Where are you going?"

Yu Hao said, "To town."

"What for?"

"To pick someone up."

"I'll take you," Lu Huaizheng coughed, chiming in.

"No need."

"Who are you going to see?" Zhao Dailin asked.

"Shen Xiyuan. He came to Yunnan for research, so Professor Han had him bring some things over."

After Yu Hao finished speaking, she saw Lu Huaizheng stare at her for a moment with a thought-provoking expression, then give a very baffling nod.

Author's Note:

The pairings are probably Lu Lu and Senior Sister Zhao in the high-EQ group.

Hao Hao and Sun Kai are in the low-EQ group.