Lu Huaizheng didn't return to the dormitory, but instead sat on the lawn, chewing on a foxtail grass stalk, his gaze leisurely watching the new recruits next door drill.

He remembered the year he had just enlisted. It was New Year's, and the unit was making dumplings. The Chief Instructor made a bet with him, saying he could eat fifty dumplings in one go. Lu Huaizheng said he could eat seventy. As a result, the two of them made a bet. The entire company gathered in a circle to watch the excitement, bustling with noise, some even cheering them on. The Chief Instructor usually found all sorts of ways to torture them, so the soldiers were all on one side, united by a common hatred, all hoping Lu Huaizheng could take the Chief Instructor down a peg.

The Chief Instructor couldn't swallow after his sixty-eighth one. With his mouth full of dumplings, he looked in astonishment as the kid in front of him ate seventy-eight dumplings without a change in expression.

Defeated, he stared with wide eyes, "You kid must have the stomach of an ox."

Lu Huaizheng had been a good boy who could eat two bowls of rice since he was a child, and he especially loved his mother's dumplings. Every time his mom made dumplings, he would move a small stool to sit beside her and help her wrap them.

After they were wrapped, they would wait for his dad to come home, then toss them in the pot to boil. He could eat dozens of these boiled-and-drained dumplings in one go.

His mother had previously accompanied the army, and her cooking skills were all learned from the masters in the mess hall squad, so when he joined the unit, it felt very familiar.

When he got into the Military Academy in his second year, he never had dumplings that tasted so good again.

After being reassigned, he became one of the Airborne Troops. The Aircrew Canteen mostly portioned food according to his physique, so eating wasn't so casual anymore.

In all his years as a soldier, he had only thought of two women in the Military Unit.

One was his mom.

The other was Yu Hao.

Actually, he rarely thought of Yu Hao; most of the time, he thought of his mom.

The first time he thought of Yu Hao was near the end of his first year after enlisting.

He was on duty in the company. The most painful duty was standing guard at night, on rotation, especially the late-night shift, and in the winter. It was snowing heavily back then, and everything outside was white. Some old veterans had a habit of grabbing a handful of snow from outside while you were sound asleep, stuffing it all down your collar, and then taking off. This method worked every time; there was no fear of you not waking up.

The person who was woken up would be furious, springing up from bed like a carp and chasing the prankster all over the room.

Lu Huaizheng always woke up on time, so he was rarely on the receiving end, mostly just a spectator.

It was just an ordinary night like that.

He got up in the night to prepare for his duty, squatting at the entrance of the dormitory building with a cigarette in his mouth, waiting for his comrade on the same shift to finish teaching the prankster a lesson.

Smoking wasn't allowed in the company, so he just held it in his mouth to satisfy the craving. He casually picked up a tree branch from the ground and, for some reason, started writing Yu Hao's name. He wrote it stroke by stroke, very slowly. He didn't pay attention while writing, but after he finished, he dropped the branch with a clatter and took a look.

The two characters "Yu Hao" starkly stung his eyes.

The characters were written quite well, the strokes vigorous and beautiful. He had learned small regular script from his maternal grandfather as a child, but he had no patience, working by fits and starts. He was also mischievous and was chased and spanked by his grandpa with a feather duster every day. He barely managed to learn the basics before his grandpa refused to teach him anymore. For something like calligraphy, once you've copied enough to get the form and structure, the rest depends on whether you have the natural talent.

Lu Huaizheng obviously didn't have the natural talent. At most, he managed to practice his handwriting to a decent level. Even so, he felt his childhood had been too painful.

So later, when he learned that Yu Hao could play so many musical instruments, while others were worshiping her, a thought popped into his head—

'How many beatings must she have endured as a child.'

After that, for a period of time, he might have been going through puberty, always thinking of Yu Hao. And every time he thought of her, it was never for anything good.

Later, it probably became a habit.

Every year when it snowed, he would write Yu Hao's name on the ground in the various scripts he had learned as a child. After writing it so many times, her name flowed more smoothly than his own.

The last time he wrote her name seemed to be more than two years ago; he couldn't remember clearly.

Thinking of this, Lu Huaizheng leaned back and lay flat on the grass, his hands cushioned behind his head. His eyes were slightly squinted, his legs crossed, and the foxtail grass in his mouth swayed as he chewed it.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and pulled the foxtail grass from his mouth. Lu Huaizheng looked over suspiciously. As he raised his eyes, his forehead wrinkled, and after a glance at the newcomer, he lazily let his eyelids fall again.

The newcomer was a young man, five years younger than Lu Huaizheng, also a soldier in their unit, Chen Rui. He smoothed the grass beside him and sat down with a plop, one leg bent, the other hand resting on his knee. He turned to the side and looked down at him, "Captain, what are you thinking about?!"

Lu Huaizheng ignored him, turning his head to the side.

Chen Rui chuckled at him, "You're not thinking about that woman from No. 6 Canteen just now, are you?"

"Was there a woman in No. 6 Canteen?"

Chen Rui gave him a suspicious look, "Stop pretending. I heard from the squad leader that the higher-ups want to set you up with that woman...Hey, that woman is really pretty and refined, and she speaks so softly. This—you're not even interested?"

Lu Huaizheng ignored him, snatched the foxtail grass back, and put it in his mouth again. This time, he simply crossed his hands behind his head, crossed his legs, and lay comfortably on the grass.

After a while, Chen Rui saw no movement from him and thought he had fallen asleep.

Suddenly, he heard.

"Do you remember when we were first learning to parachute?" he said indistinctly, chewing on the grass.

Chen Rui was confused as to why he suddenly brought this up.

"I remember."

Lu Huaizheng squinted slightly, his voice quite calm, "The instructor said back then that a good paratrooper can only use the reserve parachute when it's confirmed that the main parachute won't open—"

The instructor had repeated this no less than ten times. Chen Rui remembered it very clearly because back then, many people hadn't overcome their fear of parachuting. They weren't decisive when exiting the aircraft, and their body movements were not standard, which led to them being afraid to open the main parachute. Every time they jumped, they would pull the reserve parachute directly. Chen Rui himself had experienced this situation.

"I remember," Chen Rui said leisurely. "The instructor said that if all of us had your guts, no one would fail the parachute jump each year." After saying that, he still found it a bit incredible. He propped himself up on his elbow and leaned his face down closer, "I'm really curious, how the hell did you manage to open your parachute only when your face was about to hit the ground? The brigade commander was so angry his face turned blue. He said if you were one second later, you would've been a goner, and his unit's record of zero mistakes for so many years would have been broken by you."

Although he said that, the brigade commander was particularly fond of him.

"Because the instructor said the success rate for the main parachute is a thousand percent. There are no parachutes that won't open, only soldiers who don't know how to jump."

"Why do I feel like there's a hidden meaning in your words?" Chen Rui looked at him warily.

"There's none. I was just wondering, can all the main parachutes in this world be opened? Are there any main parachutes that truly won't open, where it's not because my technique is lacking, but because there's really a problem with the parachute itself?"

Chen Rui said grimly, "Why do I feel like you're cursing someone?"

Lu Huaizheng shook his head and smiled, saying no more.

Chen Rui realized, "They're trying to set you up with that young lady, and you're here rambling about irrelevant topics."

"It won't work out. With her qualifications, she'd have to be crazy to marry a soldier," Lu Huaizheng said leisurely, looking elsewhere.

Chen Rui said, "Captain, you're acting very strange today."

"Then you must have only met me today."

"You always say that a man shouldn't belittle himself, especially a soldier. Who are you putting down now?"

But Lu Huaizheng suddenly sat up, resting his elbows on his bent knees, and chuckled lightly:

"When I was your age, really. I was thick-skinned as a city wall and full of hot air. Don't take those words to heart."

"..."

...

After lunch, they rested for a while.

The Military Sub-district had a meeting in the afternoon that Professor Han, Li Hongwen, and Lu Huaizheng had to attend. It was about establishing a standard for Air Force mental health examinations. Yu Hao went as well.

The entire Conference Room was very quiet.

Li Hongwen was leaning in, giving Lu Huaizheng work assignments. He listened very attentively with his arms crossed over his chest, perfunctorily scribbling a couple of times on paper for the important parts. His handwriting was like flying dragons and dancing phoenixes, very sloppy. Li Hongwen particularly couldn't stand his style.

Completely disregarding the presence of outsiders, he cursed a few words: "Your handwriting is worse than my two-year-old son's. Didn't you practice calligraphy with your grandpa when you were a kid? Is this all you learned?"

Lu Huaizheng rubbed his nose, an expression of being reprimanded on his face.

He had the same expression when he was scolded by teachers in the past, subconsciously rubbing his nose, neither humble nor defiant, and it was hard to tell if he was listening. Anyway, he had the face of someone who had done something wrong but looked at you with complete sincerity, not blushing in the slightest.

Lu Huaizheng didn't look at Yu Hao the entire time. Even when she went on stage to analyze data, he just stared at the projector behind her.

"Professor Han has already applied to the institute. If you need it, we can provide you with mental health assessments at any time."

"And the timing?" Hearing this, Lu Huaizheng finally slowly shifted his gaze to her, his eyes particularly mocking. "Once every six months? Once a year? Or once every ten years?"

He deliberately emphasized the word "ten."

Hearing that his tone was off, even Li Hongwen gave him a slightly reproachful look. "What's with you? Did you eat gunpowder?"

"No." He coughed, squeezed his neck, and glanced away nonchalantly. "My throat's bothering me."

"A regular check-up once a year. Additionally, we can do follow-ups after combat. We can come over anytime. Of course, if your family members need help or consultation, they can also come to us at any time," Yu Hao explained.

Li Hongwen didn't have any objections, and even if Lu Huaizheng did, it wasn't his place to speak up. So, the matter was temporarily decided by Li Hongwen. The final decision would still have to be made after a meeting with the higher-ups.

After the meeting, Yu Hao went to the restroom. When she returned, everyone had already dispersed.

Professor Han and Li Hongwen were nowhere to be seen.

As for Lu Huaizheng, he was sitting on the edge of the table, his hands tucked in his pockets, his gaze wandering around aimlessly out of boredom. It stopped when she came in.

The moment their eyes met, Yu Hao lowered her head and wiped her hands with a tissue, asking without emotion, "Where's Professor Han?"

Lu Huaizheng also turned his head away, his tone not very friendly, "Left."

Yu Hao felt that was impossible; he was probably teasing her again on a whim. She ignored him and silently began to pack up the notebook spread out on the table.

Dusk. There were no heavy clouds; the sky was a clear, washed blue. The clear afterglow of the setting sun fell in from the window, scattering a beam of pale yellow light dust in the air. Paired with the table full of books and papers, time seemed to have returned to twelve years ago.

Before she transferred schools, the two were already in a cold war. If Yu Hao ran into him on the road, she would turn her head and walk away. Lu Huaizheng was the same; he could be laughing and chatting with someone, but the moment he saw her, his face would immediately turn cold, and the temperature around him would drop by more than three degrees.

Much like right now.

Although sunlight filled the entire Conference Room, making it look warm and pleasant, the atmosphere between the two was as cold as ice. That beam of warm yellow light dust lay between them like an insurmountable chasm.

Yu Hao hugged the notebook to her chest and picked up her bag from the side, preparing to leave.

The person behind her didn't move, still in the same posture with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the desk. He spoke lazily, "Do you know the way?"

"Can you lead the way then?"

This was a bit unexpected for Lu Huaizheng. He thought she wouldn't speak.

He got off the table, hands still in his pockets, nodded, and said magnanimously, "Let's go. I'll take you to the Military Region Gate."

"Did Professor Han really leave?"

Yu Hao was unsure and asked again.

"I don't know. My superior told me to have you go back first," he said truthfully. The moment Yu Hao left earlier, Li Hongwen had dragged Professor Han away in a hurry, telling Lu Huaizheng to arrange for a car to take her back first.

Actually, if Yu Hao had just said, 'give me a ride', he would have driven her himself.

He wasn't that heartless. After all, she was a girl he had once genuinely and sincerely liked.

Lu Huaizheng led her downstairs. He had a habit of taking several quick steps on his toes to leap to the corner landing. When he turned back and saw her still walking slowly behind, he leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and waited. When she was about two or three steps behind, he would then stand up and head down the next flight of stairs.

He repeated this several times without getting impatient, steadily leading her in front. When they were leaving the building, he held the door for her. Because this was his territory, a place he walked through several times a day with his eyes closed, he was familiar with every corner. He could attend to her feelings in every little detail.

Yu Hao felt as if she had returned to high school. He seemed to be familiar with every corner of the school. Every place they passed, he knew where the dog holes were, where you could climb over the wall. He said he was good at observing, but it was probably just an excuse he made for skipping class.

Then the man's voice pulled her back to reality.

"Go past the guard post up ahead, and that's the exit. The car is waiting for you at the gate."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He actually smiled a little, hands in his pockets, and gestured with his chin, "Go on."

As it turned out, when they passed the guard post, there was a security check.

Usually, outsiders entering or leaving the Military Region had to be checked. They would just search bags for any sharp objects, and besides phones and recording pens, they were worried about information leaks. In the morning, Yu Hao and Professor Han had come in Li Hongwen's car, and their belongings were given directly to Li Hongwen's secretary. But now, on her way out, she was stopped. They said there was a black, irregularly shaped object in her bag that hadn't been registered in the morning, and asked her to take out her bag.

The sentry in charge of the inspection was extremely serious. He didn't even let the panty liner in Yu Hao's bag go, taking it out and carefully examining it, afraid that a chip or something similar was hidden inside.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, four or five pairs of eyes stared intently as a grown man held her panty liner and looked it over. Yu Hao's face turned red all the way to the roots of her neck...

A few seconds later.

The panty liner was snatched from the sentry's hand. Several people looked up.

Lu Huaizheng had come over at some point. He stuffed the woman's things back into Yu Hao's bag, held the bag in one hand, and grabbed Yu Hao with the other, pulling her by the shoulder to stand in front of him. He jutted his chin at the men beside them, pointed to the gate, and his voice came from above her head, like a series of beautiful musical notes, leaping lightly onto her shoulder, just like the lean hand resting on it—warm, reaching straight to her heart.

"Alright, I'm taking her with me. Open the gate."