In April, the cold of winter was bid farewell. The night wind turned warm, brushing against one's face with a certain reserve, yet it was sobering.

After Lu Huaizheng spoke, the two seemed to fall into a long silence. It wasn't until the clouds and moon merged on the horizon, gradually dimming, that the light in the corridor became more glaring. Zhao Dailin turned and leaned back against the railing beside her, her hands draped lazily over the bar. She glanced sideways at the man next to her and said, "Alright."

Then, she withdrew her gaze and added in a rapid-fire voice, "Then you have to promise me something."

He lowered his brows and looked over, turning sideways to rest his hand on the railing. "What?"

Zhao Dailin said, "Before you've thought it through, you're not allowed to see her, not allowed to talk to her, and don't give her any hope. Yu Hao isn't as rational as you. Once she falls for someone, I'm really afraid she won't be able to think straight."

Lu Huaizheng lowered his head, his toes tapping lightly on the ground. He didn't say a word, the contour of his side profile blurred and indistinct.

"I heard from Captain Sun that when you get ruthless, you're utterly merciless. If you're really that ruthless, then show some of that resolve. Do you really think that being cruel to her is for her own good? If you keep stringing her along like this, half-heartedly, she'll be the only one who gets hurt in the end, you know that?"

Lu Huaizheng still said nothing. The spring wind, not understanding his thoughts, continued to brush against his handsome, lean face, oblivious and unafraid.

In the silent night, the rustling of the trees seemed to stand still for him.

Zhao Dailin didn't look at him again. She turned her head, lowered her voice, and casually tossed out a sentence: "Before I came here, she gave me a call. She said she wants to marry you."

This was like a sudden clap of thunder, jolting him completely awake. He finally showed some reaction.

Lu Huaizheng had been looking down, his long eyelashes drooping with his eyelids. Upon hearing her words, his eyes snapped open. Those eyes, which rarely showed much emotion, were now filled with an unidentifiable feeling. He stood there, stunned as if struck by lightning. Even the hand that had been resting loosely on the railing was pulled back, so tense he didn't know where to put it, finally placing it back on the railing.

The wind and moon were boundless, but the human heart was a deep and quiet place.

Lu Huaizheng remembered a time when he was in a standoff in the air. After reporting everything to his superiors over the radio, scouting the terrain, and luring the enemy aircraft into their airspace to issue a final expulsion warning in English, he was prepared to ram his own plane into the enemy's if they still refused to leave.

At that moment, his heart had been exceptionally calm. He had even joked with the new recruit next to him, "Take a few more looks at our country's beautiful landscape; you won't have the chance later. Haven't found a girlfriend yet, have you? It's fine, I haven't either."

He hadn't even broken a single drop of sweat.

But now, Zhao Dailin's single sentence had unleashed a tempest in his heart. Like a small boat that had been drifting in storms on the vast sea for years, suddenly seeing a mirage-like island. The dream felt real, yet it was out of reach, causing a deep sense of panic.

Zhao Dailin said, "Yu Hao is twenty-eight this year, but her emotional intelligence might be lower than that of an average child. Even children know how to please adults, but she doesn't. She's also very direct when she speaks. Professor Han said it has to do with her childhood experiences. This is Yu Hao's private matter, so it's not convenient for me to tell you. If there's a chance in the future, let her tell you herself. Because of this, her personality has certain flaws. If you're just a little bit nice to her, she'll fall for you easily. If you really can't give her what she wants, then I hope, before you make your decision, you won't disturb her."

Zhao Dailin left after she finished speaking. She actually felt a little unsure. She had met many men of this age; it was a time when they were all struggling to make a living. Their eyes were often dull, lacking luster, and filled with weariness for this floating world. Yet their jobs were just so-so, and they muddled through their days without knowing what they were busy with, all the while complaining that their families put too much pressure on them.

But he was, after all, a man who walked the line between life and death. His aura was so powerful that even a seasoned bluffer like her couldn't stand up straight in front of him.

But she really couldn't bear to see a girl like Yu Hao get entangled just like that.

Lu Huaizheng called out to her, "What did Yu Hao want to buy at the supermarket? I'll go out and buy it, you can give it to her. Don't let her go out tomorrow."

Zhao Dailin turned her head and said three words faintly, "A sanitary napkin."

A man who'd been single since birth was a bit unfamiliar with these three words. Lu Huaizheng was stunned for a good while before he realized what it was. For some reason, his first thought was of Shao Feng. "Does the military doctor have any?"

Zhao Dailin rolled her eyes. "Next time, are you going to ask Shao Feng to buy you condoms too?"

Lu Huaizheng turned his face away in embarrassment, rubbing his nose with his hand. He straightened up from the railing. "I'll go buy it."

Lu Huaizheng borrowed a car from Old Tang. Old Tang was worried and wanted to send someone with him, but Lu Huaizheng didn't even turn his head. He grabbed the car keys and walked out. By the time he drove to town, the supermarket proprietress was about to close up. Seeing a man in a military uniform, she smiled and made an exception, lifting the pole of the roll-up door. She walked back inside and asked him what he wanted to buy.

Lu Huaizheng said first, "A pack of cigarettes."

The proprietress said "Okay" and bent down to reach under the counter, asking, "What brand?"

Lu Huaizheng casually named the brand he smoked most often. The proprietress pulled it out and handed it to him. "Anything else?"

"A sanitary napkin," he said, his expression unchanged.

The proprietress laughed and came out from behind the counter. The small shop was crowded, with bits and pieces piled up on the floor. She kicked some things aside with her foot and led Lu Huaizheng to the innermost aisle. She pointed and asked him, "Which kind does your girlfriend use?"

Lu Huaizheng couldn't be bothered to explain to the proprietress and automatically accepted her assumption of "girlfriend." His eyes scanned the dazzling array on the shelves. He had no idea which kind Yu Hao usually used.

He forgot to ask before he left.

He always thought he was a meticulous person, but when it came to women's matters, he was still somewhat careless.

...

In the end, when it was time to pay, the proprietress looked at the counter full of items. She'd scan a pack and look up at Lu Huaizheng, then scan another and look up at him again, grinning from ear to ear. When Lu Huaizheng left with the large bag of items, she finally closed her shop, completely satisfied, humming a little tune to herself and thinking: 'There are so many fools in love these days.'

Lu Huaizheng went back and handed the things to Zhao Dailin.

Zhao Dailin squatted on the ground, taking the items out pack by pack to count them. She looked up in disbelief at the man leaning against the corridor railing. "Why did you buy so much? How long is this supposed to last?"

How would Lu Huaizheng know that women's things were so complicated? When the proprietress asked him what brand, he couldn't answer. Then she asked if he wanted cotton or dry-mesh. He asked what the difference was, and she explained it was related to skin type—dry skin used cotton, and normal skin used dry-mesh, and using the wrong one could cause allergies. He didn't know what kind of skin Yu Hao had, so he just told her to put them all in. Then she asked if he wanted thick or thin, with wings or without wings, regular or super long...

He was completely bewildered by all the questions, so he just told her to give him all of them.

Before he left, she also had him grab a bag of brown sugar, saying that it would help with cramps and replenish blood. He had noticed her complexion wasn't great that afternoon, so he took it.

Zhao Dailin felt that no matter how smart a man was, there were times when he could be foolish. But this foolishness was actually a little cute. She picked up the things and patted Lu Huaizheng on the shoulder to show her gratitude.

Leaning on the railing, Lu Huaizheng said, "If she needs anything else, have someone tell me. I'll go out and buy it. Don't let her go out alone."

Without turning her head, Zhao Dailin made an "OK" gesture.

When Yu Hao woke up the next day, she saw the table full of sanitary napkins as if by magic.

Zhao Dailin was propping her legs up while reporting the situation to Professor Han on the phone. Yu Hao gestured with her eyes, asking what this was. Zhao Dailin ended the call, walked over, and leaned against the table, smiling at her. "If I said I bought them, would you be very disappointed?"

Yu Hao lowered her head. "No."

"Forget it." Seeing her lack of expression, Zhao Dailin felt she was being snubbed and told the truth. "Lu Huaizheng bought them. That guy was probably tricked by the proprietress and bought a whole random pile. None of them are the kind you use, either. He didn't even think to call back and ask. So stupid."

Yu Hao said, "He doesn't have a phone. His superior has it."

Zhao Dailin propped her hands on the edge of the table and leaned down to look at Yu Hao's expression. "Tsk, tsk, already taking his side so quickly? Nothing's even happened yet and you're already so devoted? Alright, tell me, what happened yesterday?"

After a night's sleep, Yu Hao felt she had been too petty. She thought she should be more magnanimous, but when she remembered the expression on his face when he was talking to Sui Sitian yesterday, she couldn't bring herself to be. If she told Zhao Dailin about this, she'd probably be laughed at. She pressed her lips together and refused to speak.

Zhao Dailin understood her, so she didn't press further. She ruffled her hair and said earnestly, "Yu Hao, do you know why out of all of Professor Han's students, I like you the most?"

Yu Hao looked up, her dark eyes exceptionally clear. Zhao Dailin was suddenly reminded of how Lu Huaizheng had looked at her yesterday. The two of them, strangely enough, looked a bit like a couple.

She spoke again, her gaze exceptionally serious, "Because you have the sincere and bold heart of a child. You're not hypocritical, you don't flatter people, you don't have a belly full of bad intentions like Song Xiaotao, nor the convoluted mind of Yuan Jing. You're especially sincere and straightforward. You have a girl's delicate nature, but you're not spoiled. Among all the graduate students, everyone complains about their advisors, but you were the only one willing to follow Professor Han steadfastly. You may have your unlikable aspects, but believe me, you are a very likable girl. That's why I hope that when you like someone, you don't lose yourself. Even if you end up falling in love with him, don't change yourself or doubt yourself for his sake, understand?"

"Senior Sister..."

Zhao Dailin interrupted her, "There's one more thing I hope you can forgive me for."

Yu Hao's heart tightened. To her, Zhao Dailin had always been a friend who was both a mentor and a peer. Many times when she felt lost, she would call Zhao Dailin. Of all the things Zhao Dailin had said, the one that left the deepest impression was, "No matter what, you must believe that you are the best in the world."

"What is it?"

Zhao Dailin said, "Last night, I told Lu Huaizheng to stop looking for you. I hope he can seriously consider the relationship between you two, whether to reconcile or to end it. I can tell he cares about you a lot. He told me that it was precisely because of you that he didn't dare to take that step easily. He's afraid of you getting hurt, and he's also afraid he can't give you the future you want. I can see the hesitation in his eyes. I don't know what you two went through in the past, but I feel like there's something that has been weighing on his mind."

Yu Hao knew that Zhao Dailin had always maintained a detached attitude, rarely meddling in other people's affairs. But she had always been particularly concerned about her. She knew Zhao Dailin cared for her, so how could she possibly blame her?

"Thank you, Senior Sister."

It was genuine gratitude. It's rare to find a kindred spirit. Thank you for your kindness.

It seemed that heaven had really heard her wish.

When she was little, Shen Xiyuan told her that only children from the stars could make wishes to the moon; Grandma Moon couldn't hear children from Earth. Yu Hao stubbornly made a few wishes and found that they really didn't come true, so she stopped believing in such things. That was until high school, when she met Lu Huaizheng.

The first time he celebrated her birthday, he told her to make a wish.

She said no, it wouldn't come true anyway.

But that boy smiled and told her, "It will. Just try."

She immediately made a random wish: 'Let it rain tomorrow, so we don't have to do morning exercises.'

The next day, they really didn't have to do morning exercises. But it wasn't because of rain; it was because some little rascal had put a lock on the field's fence. Jin Gang spent the whole morning looking for someone to break the lock but couldn't get it open, which delayed the time for the exercises.

It was only much later that Yu Hao learned Lu Huaizheng was the one who did it. Later, on the rooftop, Yu Hao asked him why he did it. At that time, Lu Huaizheng had his hands clasped behind his head, leaning against the rooftop in an extremely cool posture. After gazing at her for a moment, he leaned over, grasped her shoulders, and lowered his head to meet her gaze. "I just wanted to tell you, you don't have to be a child from the stars to make a wish. No matter what you wish for, there will always be someone who will desperately try to make it happen for you."

...

After that day, Lu Huaizheng really never took the initiative to find her again.

Occasionally, they would run into each other in the canteen. Both would lower their heads and pick at the food in their bowls. The discipline in the military unit's canteen was different from that of an ordinary workplace, where people would chat while eating. Here, they basically didn't talk. They would lower their heads, finish their food, wait for everyone at the table to finish, and then stand up with their trays and leave.

Yu Hao and Zhao Dailin were always arranged to sit at the same table as Lu Huaizheng and Instructor Tang.

Lu Huaizheng was a fast eater and not picky. He would finish the food on his plate in a few bites and then lean back in his chair, quietly waiting for her and Zhao Dailin to finish.

The two girls were naturally slow eaters. Sometimes Yu Hao felt bad for making them wait and would eat so quickly that she choked. As a result, the next day, the overall eating speed of the soldiers at that table dropped. Zhao Dailin noticed this too. When she went to wash her hands after eating, she overheard a few soldiers whispering, "My jaw is sore from chewing so much today. I haven't eaten this slowly in a long time."

A young, dark-faced soldier next to them chimed in, "Why do you guys think Captain Lu is taking such good care of Dr. Yu?"

The other two were both at a loss, shaking their heads.

Suddenly, a ghostly voice interjected.

"Can't you guys tell that your captain's heart is stirring with love?"

Hearing the voice, the three soldiers squatting on the ground turned their dark heads in unison.

They saw Zhao Dailin leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, smiling down at them from a strange angle.

It felt like being a student, engrossed in your homework in the classroom, then suddenly looking up to see your homeroom teacher's unpredictable face pressed against the window.

The three soldiers were so frightened they shot up from the ground, stammered a greeting, and fled in panic.

Zhao Dailin shrugged against the wall. 'So easily scared, tsk tsk.'

On her way back to the department, Yu Hao ran into Lu Huaizheng and Instructor Tang coming down from the Administrative Building.

He was wearing a standard training uniform without a hat. His hair was cut short and clean, and his facial features were well-defined. His face wasn't sharply thin; rather, every line was perfectly proportioned. When he stood in the sunlight with his hands in his pockets, talking to Instructor Tang, his straight eyebrows were slightly furrowed. He inadvertently turned his head and saw her, but his gaze didn't linger and quickly turned away.

Yu Hao felt that he had always been a very clear-headed and self-aware person. He always knew exactly what he wanted to do, his goals were clear, he wasn't afraid to lose, and he refused to admit defeat.

When Yu Hao reached the door of her department, he was still standing there talking to Instructor Tang. From beginning to end, his gaze never once shifted back in her direction.

Yu Hao closed the door.

The moment the door closed, a gaze slid over from that direction, watching quietly for a while.

Instructor Tang noticed something was up and followed his line of sight. "You and Little Yu?"

But Lu Huaizheng was still looking over there. He interrupted him, "I remember there used to be a lot of snakes around here a few years ago?"

Instructor Tang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded, a bit confused, and explained, "There weren't that many the year you guys came. Last year was when there were a lot. We caught several hundred snakes, and they were all taken by the snake farmers in the village. Why are you suddenly concerned about this?"

As if his soul had returned, Lu Huaizheng finally turned his head back and said in a low voice, "This afternoon, have someone go to Dr. Yu's office and sprinkle some sulfur and lime. Then find a few people to seal the windows. Don't let any snakes get in. She's timid, she can't stand seeing those things."