Chapter 25

“Alright!”

“Huh?” Xue Miaoyun was momentarily stunned by this sudden agreement.

“The debt of saving my life… I’ll repay it with my body. Alright,” Cang Ling said seriously, his gaze fixed on Xue Miaoyun. “Comrade Xue, I am Cang Ling, twenty-seven years old, from the capital. I’m the deputy commander of the Iron Fist Regiment of the T Division H Brigade. I don’t smoke, I don’t like drinking, and I’ve never liked any woman except for you. I want to pursue you with the intention of marriage.”

Cang Ling’s eyes were deep, but gone were the usual coldness and arrogance. Instead, they held a clarity and intensity.

Xue Miaoyun felt nervous and a little lost under his gaze. Honestly, in her past life, she had been confessed to many times, but none of those moments had made her heart race and head spin like this. It was as if her ability to think had disappeared entirely.

“I… you…”

“I think you like me too. Why not give me a chance?” Cang Ling’s voice was gentle, with a hint of coaxing.

“I know you have plans for your future, and marriage might not be something you want right now. But…” Cang Ling glanced at her.

“With your beauty, it won’t be hidden forever. The world is far more ugly than you think. A powerful and influential husband can spare you a lot of trouble.” His tone was calm, as though discussing the weather.

Though she knew what he said was true, hearing it still made her uncomfortable.

“There are other influential people, not just you. Why should I choose you?” Xue Miaoyun retorted.

Cang Ling smiled, his admiration no longer hidden in his gaze. His eyes were warm and affectionate, looking at Xue Miaoyun as if it were a love that would last for eternity.

“Because I admire you, Miss Miaoyun, and I fell in love with you at first sight.” His deep, alluring voice struck a chord in her heart.

For a moment, Xue Miaoyun felt dazed. A man like Cang Ling had an immense charm that could easily captivate any woman.

However, Xue Miaoyun was educated as a modern, independent woman. She had never been naïve—she had seen enough of the world to know what she was getting into.

She understood that once married, she would have to face a series of responsibilities, like family and children. Especially in a military marriage, it meant balancing both home and work. In today’s society, women were expected to sacrifice everything for their children. Xue Miaoyun didn’t have the courage to step into marriage.

In her past life, she was a firm believer in staying single. Even in her thirties, she had no intention of getting married or having children.

And in this life, she still felt the same. The college entrance exams were only two years away. If she got married, when would she have a child? She certainly didn’t want to go to college with a belly.

Moreover, there was the issue of in-laws. Cang Ling clearly wasn’t from an ordinary family. Thinking about the complications of high-status families made Xue Miaoyun want to avoid it altogether.

All these thoughts cleared her mind, which had been clouded by the charm of a handsome man, as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over her.

“Love at first sight is just an attraction to someone’s appearance. Deputy Commander Cang, I have no intention of getting married. Thank you for your affection.” Xue Miaoyun touched her face, trying to cover her embarrassment. She needed to stick to her plans for two more years. She could do it.

Cang Ling lowered his gaze. Just a moment ago, he had thought she was softening, so what happened now?

“…May I ask why?”

Xue Miaoyun certainly couldn’t tell him that the college entrance exams would be resuming in less than two years. She had a whole series of plans based on that, and marriage and children would only interfere with them.

“I’m still young. I don’t have the confidence to be a good military wife and mother.”

Lies.

Cang Ling felt a block in his chest. This girl had dared to come alone to the army to ask for a keepsake, dared to jump into the water to save him, dared to live alone. Her age was nothing but an excuse.

It was a very perfunctory excuse.

“I know you’re young and uncertain, but once you return, your marriage will inevitably be put on the agenda. Even though your parents passed away early, your relatives are still around. They’ll surely introduce a marriage for you. Even for the sake of your house, you won’t have much peace. And if you continue to delay your marriage, rumors about you and Song Zhuanguo will spread wildly.” Cang Ling wasn’t an ignorant young master. He knew very well how troublesome relatives could be.

Xue Miaoyun twitched her lips. She had actually forgotten about that. After her previous engagement was called off, she had been the subject of much gossip. If it hadn’t been for her last name Xue, and her Grandpa Xue ensuring that the engagement with the Song family had been broken due to their lack of trustworthiness, the rumors would have been even worse.

She didn’t usually care about rumors, but if someone suggested that her delay in settling the marriage was because she still had lingering feelings for Song Zhuanguo, she would be absolutely disgusted.

“I don’t know what you’re afraid of,” Cang Ling said, staring at her steadily. “But I can promise you, after marriage, you’ll still be able to do whatever you want. If you don’t want to follow the army, that’s fine. If you don’t want children, that’s fine too.”

Xue Miaoyun looked at him in surprise, and then the intensity in his gaze made her heart flutter.

“Ahem… if everything’s so negotiable, then why even get married?” Cang Ling was the kind of man whose credibility could be fully trusted. He wasn’t the type to lie.

“…I’m twenty-seven years old. For the first time, I’ve fallen in love. I don’t want to miss out.” Cang Ling wasn’t very good at expressing his emotions. Years of military life had made him accustomed to being direct most of the time.

But Cang Ling wasn’t lacking in intelligence or emotional awareness. He knew exactly what to say in this moment to win her over.

“I’m not marrying just to have a wife and a few children,” Cang Ling said, slightly unsure of how to phrase it.

“I believe that. With your background, if you really wanted to get married, you wouldn’t have waited until this age,” Xue Miaoyun replied. In traditional Chinese thinking, a man who hasn’t settled down by a certain age is seen as immature, and it could affect his career. People might find him unreliable.

“Exactly,” Cang Ling said, his eyes lighting up as he gazed at her. His words were firm: “I’m not looking to settle. The moment I saw her, I knew—she’s the one. In this life, in this world, it can only be her. If it’s not her, I’d rather never marry.”

Xue Miaoyun was stunned. Was this man… a romantic? Was he really serious? But if he weren’t, he wouldn’t be speaking with such conviction.

They say sincerity is the sharpest weapon—and in this moment, Xue Miaoyun felt herself falling under its spell.

“I… you…” she stammered.

Then Cang Ling knelt down on one knee, his gaze level with hers.

“I won’t force you,” he said gently. “I just hope you’ll give me a chance. A chance to protect you.”

“…I still have school back home…” she said, searching for an excuse.

“Do you have enough for tuition?” he asked calmly, taking out a passbook and handing it to her.

She stared at it, stunned. Why was he carrying this around?

Cang Ling pressed it into her hands. “It’s all my savings from the past few years. There’s not much to spend on in the army. Use it—buy whatever you want. Don’t worry about saving.”

The passbook felt heavy in her hands—like it was burning with the weight of his sincerity.

“I’ll file the marriage report. Can you wait a few days? I’ll go back with you. The wedding will be held there, and I’ll ask my comrades to take care of everything. At that time, I can guarantee no one will bother you.”