Wu Heping was mortified. For the next month, he would run the other way whenever he saw Yu Hao.

That being said, Yu Hao's method seemed to have had some effect. Wu Heping wasn't as afraid of Lu Huaizheng anymore. During a break from training, he couldn't help but ask to play a game with Lu Huaizheng, who then pressed down on his head and roughly ruffled his hair.

Yu Hao was on duty on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The rest of the time, she was back at the institute. There was a seminar every Saturday, and when she had nothing else to do, she would sit in her office reading literature or lean on the windowsill to watch them train.

Yu Hao had never expected that Lu Huaizheng on the training ground was a completely different person she had never seen before. The joking, laid-back man from her daily interactions seemed to be an illusion. His stern face was as if it were stretched taut with tape, making even a smile seem forced. His gaze was deep and as sharp as a knife when he looked at people.

Behind her office was a shooting range. A row of elite soldiers, newly selected this year, were all lying prone on the ground with Type 95 Assault Rifles propped up in front of them.

Lu Huaizheng stood behind the row of soldiers. He lowered his head and kicked Wu Heping's foot. "Load the magazine. What are you spacing out for?"

Wu Heping did as he was told.

He kicked again. "Pull the bolt."

Wu Heping was actually a good shot, just slow. It took him longer than the average soldier to aim at a target. He must have trained under some instructor who was particularly meticulous about standard procedures.

Lu Huaizheng couldn't stand it anymore. He raised his foot and kicked him again. "Are you putting on a show!"

Yu Hao leaned on the windowsill and sighed. 'Does liking someone make them this timid? Oh, Wu Heping.'

At the end of March, the entire Airborne Brigade underwent psychological evaluations. All three assault teams in the brigade, including the one led by Lu Huaizheng, had every member evaluated.

Lu Huaizheng was the last one. He had just returned from outside and was still in his regular uniform. As soon as he entered, he tossed his hat on the desk, pulled up a chair in front of her, and raised an eyebrow. "Let's begin."

Yu Hao acted as if she didn't see him, lowering her head and routinely making marks on the evaluation form.

"Name."

"Lu Huaizheng."

"Position."

"Captain of Team One, XX Airborne Brigade Assault Team."

"Have you been sleeping well recently?"

Lu Huaizheng leaned back in his chair and smiled. "Is this you showing concern for me?"

Yu Hao lifted her eyes and gave him a cold glance. "This is a test question."

Lu Huaizheng was rebuffed and licked the corner of his lips.

His smile gradually faded, and he glanced to the side. "Not too well."

"Have you had sex recently?"

Lu Huaizheng abruptly turned his head back. "Is this also a test question?"

Yu Hao nodded. "Yes. Poor sleep can be related to hormonal imbalances. For example, being single for too long, with no sexual release, can easily lead to irritability and poor sleep."

"...No." After speaking, he resentfully turned his head away again.

"Have you lied to anyone recently?"

Lu Huaizheng looked over again.

This time, Yu Hao explained beforehand. "Feeling uneasy after lying is one of the causes of poor sleep. You're young and full of vigor, with pent-up desires, and you like to lie and spout nonsense. It's normal for you to have trouble sleeping."

Lu Huaizheng stared at her for a long moment, then lowered his head, his tone somewhat helpless. "Yu Hao, I was just...teasing you that day."

Yu Hao lowered her gaze and drew a big X on the paper. "Call me Dr. Yu. I'm not familiar with you."

"What's wrong with you?"

Yu Hao ignored him and moved on to the next question.

"Have you been indecisive when making decisions recently?"

"Yes."

"Work-related?"

"No." Lu Huaizheng leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him. He looked at her intently for a moment, then looked away at the large tree outside the window, his gaze falling on the scattered golden specks of light filtering through the gaps in the leaves. "I'm hesitating whether or not to win you back."

Yu Hao lowered her head, drew another big X, and continued with the next question.

"Has your memory declined?"

"No, I remember things from the past very clearly."

"What about physiological functions?"

...

"Insomnia can easily lead to memory loss, and over time, physiological functions will gradually decline. You're not married yet, so be careful not to stay up late at night."

"Have you done anything you regret?"

"Yes, very much so. It has to do with you. Do you want me to repeat it?"

Yu Hao raised a hand to stop him.

"I don't want to hear it."

He lowered his head and smiled. "You know what I'm going to say."

It was actually about the time they hid on the rooftop to play games. Yu Hao had helped him beat the game and even broke all his records. Lu Huaizheng leaned against the wall smoking, feeling rather puzzled. His long-standing game records had been so easily broken by a little slip of a girl. The key was that she even remembered every map she had cleared.

Yu Hao tossed the game console to him, her tone genuinely mocking: "You're too weak."

Back then, boys were proud and competitive. Being teased like that by the girl he liked made him even more unconvinced, so he thought about getting back at her and taking her down a peg.

Lu Huaizheng casually stubbed out his cigarette, grabbed Yu Hao's wrist, and pinned her against the wall, threatening in a low voice: "Who are you calling weak?"

At first, he purely wanted to teach her a lesson, but then the atmosphere somehow changed.

Few people usually went up to that corner. The sun was warm. It was evening, the sky crimson, the afterglow scattering like brocade, warmly enveloping the entangled pair of youths in the corner.

Yu Hao's back was against the wall, her head reaching the hollow of his neck. When he pressed his whole body over, the tip of her nose poked into the crook of his neck. It was like an electric shock. His breathing was in her ear, one deep breath after another.

His voice grew even lower as he looked down to find her eyes. "Getting carried away? Hmm?"

Yu Hao's heart pounded like a drum. The atmosphere changed in that instant, an undercurrent surging with extreme ambiguity. The evening glow tinted his eyes with a faint red.

Lu Huaizheng looked at her reddish ears, his lips close to her ear, breathing hot air. On a whim, he tentatively brushed his lips against the soft, delicate curve of her ear.

Yu Hao subconsciously flinched to the side, placing her hands on her chest to push him away.

Lu Huaizheng caught her hands and pressed them against the wall. He was looking down at her with an intriguing expression. After a while, the sunlight at her back made her feel weak, and Yu Hao felt like she could barely stand.

The atmosphere was warm, even more so than his breath. When Lu Huaizheng lowered his head again, he found that she had closed her eyes. But then, a mischievous thought surfaced. He tilted his head and whispered with a laugh in her ear: "Didn't you say you don't like me? You're closing your eyes while I'm taking advantage of you? Who are you cooperating with?"

Yu Hao snapped out of her daze, opened her eyes, and kicked him hard. Under the setting sun, the boy leaned against the wall, laughing so hard he was bent over, his body shaking.

...

Lu Huaizheng came out of Yu Hao's office and washed his face at the entrance. He cupped some water and scrubbed his face hard, then lowered his head and leaned on the sink with both hands, letting the water from his bangs drip down.

After the college entrance exams, he got into a second-tier university on the outskirts of the city. He went all the way to Tsinghua University to rent a place with Zhou Siyue, assuming she was either at Tsinghua or Peking University.

When he had no classes, he would squat at Wudaokou with a cigarette in his mouth, sometimes for the whole day.

He felt like a fool, but he didn't dare ask Zhou Siyue to find out for him. He was afraid to find out she wasn't there. But he felt it was her dream, so even looking at the magnificent school gate felt familiar.

During his sophomore year, he impulsively enlisted in the army during a recruitment drive. Time in the military passed quickly, and he barely had any time to think about women. He thought he should have forgotten her.

But when he saw her again, he understood. He hadn't forgotten. It was just buried deep, and he couldn't dig it out all at once. It would take time.

He was actually a lazy person; if there was something he couldn't figure out, he wouldn't bother thinking about it.

Lu Huaizheng splashed another handful of water on his face. Someone came up from behind and put an arm around his shoulders. His head was still dripping wet. He turned to see it was Sun Kai, the captain of Team Two.

He was a bit shorter than Lu Huaizheng and two shades darker, but his features were well-proportioned, and his smile was sunny. He grinned at him. "Old Lu, I'm getting married."

Lu Huaizheng was stunned for a moment, then wiped his face with his hand. "That's great news."

Sun Kai said, "I'm telling you in advance, so get your red envelope ready."

Lu Huaizheng smiled, turned and leaned against the sink, and hummed in acknowledgment. "Met on a blind date?"

"The Political Commissar introduced us. She's that female doctor from our Air Force Hospital."

"Not bad."

Sun Kai hooked an arm around his neck. "You're the only one left."

He propped himself up on the edge of the sink with his hands behind him, his expression relaxed. "I'm not in a hurry. Maybe when I'm thirty."

Just as he finished speaking, a series of urgent bugle calls suddenly rang out. The expressions on both men tensed. They exchanged a look, quickly put on their hats, and shot off like arrows towards the assembly point where the bugle was sounding.

Sun Kai cursed. "Is there a drill today?"

Lu Huaizheng shook his head. "Probably a mission."

As Yu Hao was coming downstairs, she saw the two of them sprint past her like the wind. Lu Huaizheng only glanced at her once, his feet flying, and his handsome back quickly disappeared around the corner.

They returned a week later.