Chapter 26

Youyi said this lightly, and the other three people didn’t take it seriously.

Since they had known Youyi, they had never seen her with any guy. Before she moved out, they had lived together and spent time together daily.

Huang Youyi touched Youyi’s forehead.

“You don’t have a fever.”

What nonsense is she talking about?

“I’m serious,” Youyi clarified, “It was in July, on my birthday.”

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Youyi never tells lies, but when she does tell a lie, she likes to touch her nose.

“My grandfather and his old comrade-in-arm arranged the marriage many years ago. Before he passed away, he hoped I would fulfill his wish.”

It was true.

Youyi would never joke about her grandfather’s wishes.

Youyi’s roommates were stunned, their processing speed struggling to keep up.

“With whom?”

Youyi had kept this matter hidden before, wanting to remain in her comfort zone and avoid any change.

Marriage, for her, seemed like a sudden decision. She hadn’t considered the pros and cons of marriage or the changes it would bring to her life. After getting married, she still wanted to stay in her old life.

Just like Fu Cheng said, the three rules were her idea.

She had been the one avoiding reality.

She suddenly thought that maybe it was time for her to take this step.

“Wait, what does ‘also’ mean?” Tian Ning, struggling to think, caught the subtlety in her words.

Why was there an “also”?

Had they mentioned anyone else? The only person mentioned was the chief instructor.

Youyi nodded seriously, “Yes, I married Fu Cheng.”

Sheng Sheng: “Are we talking about the same Fu Cheng?”

Youyi: “Yes, it’s him.”

Boom—

The world seemed to collapse.

The three of them stared at each other, their eyes nearly popping out.

Even if their eyes had popped out, it wouldn’t help. Their limited brain capacity was struggling to process the information.

Youyi’s birthday was in July, and they knew Fu Cheng’s term started in September. He had even trained them at the end of September. This meant she had been secretly married for several months!

They had previously thought Fu Cheng was a good match for Youyi in appearance, but in terms of height, build, and even personality, they were completely different.

Moreover, Fu Cheng was so intimidating—something that must have scared Youyi.

It didn’t seem like they could exist together in a three-dimensional sense.

“We really didn’t know each other well before, and it was the same after we got the marriage certificate. We rarely saw each other.”

Youyi paused, her voice dropping significantly. “A few days ago, we had a bit of an argument. I’m feeling a bit down.”

‘A bit’ was an understatement.

Even a minor disagreement, not really an argument, had left her feeling very upset.

“Ah?” Huang Youyi frowned.

“Did he punish you by making you run five laps? Did he punish you by making you do frog jumps?”

During their training at the base, Fu Cheng had been unyielding, always stern with Youyi, making her do extra training and run laps. He was like a stone-hearted tyrant.

Youyi shook her head.

“I just wanted to say, don’t try to match me with Wei Jing anymore.”

As for the rest—

“Right now, my emotions are a bit messy. I’ll tell you more next time.”

Youyi promised to treat them to a meal next time and explain everything clearly.

When she got home, it was past eight. She remembered Fu Cheng had asked her to help organize things. Looking across the hall, he wasn’t home.

Youyi hesitated for a moment. Since she had promised Fu Cheng, she entered room 902.

Actually, his place wasn’t messy. There weren’t many things, and it was spacious. No matter how messy it got, it wasn’t a big deal.

In the center of the living room was a red wooden box, which Youyi had seen in Fu Cheng’s room before.

She didn’t know when he had moved the box back here.

Fu Cheng had said that all his belongings were in this box.

Youyi decided to use the robot vacuum cleaner to tidy up, and since the box was in the middle, it was in the way. She looked at it and decided to move it to the bookshelf.

She expected it to be heavy.

She gritted her teeth, grabbed the side straps, and found that the box wasn’t heavy at all.

It seemed to be only the weight of the wooden box itself.

She easily lifted it.

Youyi moved it to the bookshelf, carefully placing it down. As she let go, the lid accidentally popped up, and she saw what was inside.

A set of green military uniforms, and next to it, a pink and white scarf.

Youyi was stunned and opened the lid further.

The scarf was pink and white with red pom-poms, and on one section was a white bear—snow white and plump.

Beneath the scarf were a pair of gloves.

Thick, plush dog-shaped gloves, extremely large and warm, the kind that could fit both of Youyi’s hands.

She reached out to touch the plush fur.

It was warm and smooth, freshly washed, and very clean and snow white.

There was also a faint scent.

A sudden sinking feeling hit Youyi’s heart.

It was as if something was stirring in her heartstrings, secrets unearthed from long-term memories slowly becoming clearer, and she started connecting many things.

The robot vacuum cleaner bumped into her foot, causing her to let go of the lid, which fell back with a “thud.”

Youyi stood there in a daze.

She blinked, her eyes stinging, her throat choked with inexplicable emotions.

Looking at the time, it was already nine o’clock.

She suddenly didn’t know what to do. She felt like she had done something wrong.

After standing for five minutes, ignoring the robot vacuum cleaner still roaming around, she tightened her grip on her phone and turned to leave.

*

Fu Cheng had just had another argument with his grandfather.

Both the grandfather and grandson had stubborn temperaments, each more obstinate than the other, with cold expressions and hearts.

Even though he was being discharged tomorrow, the old man was scolding him and picking up a broomstick from the hospital room to hit him.

Fu Cheng could take a beating, but the old man was still strong despite his illness. The blows made his bones creak, and he didn’t hold back at all.

Fu Cheng maintained a cold face, saying nothing.

After leaving the hospital, it was drizzling outside. The rain pattered on him, not bothering him much, but the wounds on his back were painful.

The old man’s blows had left him with cuts and bruises.

Fu Cheng stood outside for a while, then went to a nearby pharmacy to buy iodine, cotton swabs, and bandages.

The wounds, though not severe, needed treatment. It wasn’t good to bring them home, so Fu Cheng decided to go to the office instead.

When he received Youyi’s call, he had just arrived.

Her voice on the phone was trembling as she asked, “Where are you now?”

Fu Cheng: “What’s wrong?”

Youyi: “I came to the hospital. The nurse said you’ve already left. Did you go home?”

Fu Cheng was surprised, “You came to the hospital?”

Her voice was tinged with the coldness of the wind as she responded, “Mm.”

“I’m at the office.” Fu Cheng paused, quickly grabbing his car keys. “Stay where you are. I’ll come get you.”

He hadn’t even had time to tend to his wounds. He put on his jacket and headed downstairs, quickening his pace.

Youyi, who had left in a hurry, wasn’t aware of the rain outside and didn’t have an umbrella.

The emergency department was right at the intersection. The door was open, and there were several rows of chairs inside. At this time, many patients were coming and going, so Youyi didn’t want to take up someone else’s seat and stood outside instead.

The large red sign reading “Emergency Department” was illuminated at night, casting a red glow over the area. The rain hitting the light created fine, thin lines—one after another.

The wind was cold, and she instinctively hugged her shoulders, rubbing them lightly.

After only ten minutes, Fu Cheng’s call came in.

“Where are you?”

“I’m at the emergency entrance.”

Youyi said, “Isn’t it difficult to park here? Where are you? I’ll come over now.”

Just as she was about to step out into the rain, Fu Cheng said, “Don’t move. I’ll come over right away.”

So Youyi stopped.

Fu Cheng hadn’t brought an umbrella either. His car was temporarily parked across the street. As he walked over, he immediately spotted Youyi standing at the entrance.

The temperature had dropped today, and it was raining at night. She was only wearing a thin knit shirt and a short jacket that revealed her belly button when she lifted her arms.

She was shivering from the cold.

Fu Cheng quickly walked over, took off his coat, and draped it over her shoulders.

When Youyi’s hand was held by him, she looked up and saw Fu Cheng in front of her.

“What are you doing here so late?” Fu Cheng asked, not accusingly but with concern. He tightened his grip on her hand, which was icy to the touch.

“I’m here to find you,” Youyi said, looking at him.

Fu Cheng didn’t ask further and pulled her across the street.

“Get in the car.”

Fu Cheng opened the passenger door, placed a hand on her waist, and gently lifted her into the car. He then bent down, reached into the glove compartment, and handed her a packet of tissues.

“Dry yourself off.”

As he handed her the tissues, Fu Cheng was about to close the door when Youyi stopped him. Sitting inside, she tilted her head back, her eyes fogged with tears mixed with rain.

“I need to talk to you,” Youyi said cautiously.

Her tone was serious. Fu Cheng’s expression darkened slightly as he adjusted his position to shield her from the rain and asked, “What is it?”

Youyi noticed his subtle gesture.

Her gaze paused, and she suddenly went silent.

She curled her legs up onto the seat, sitting straight so her head almost touched the car ceiling. Fu Cheng leaned down closer to her and asked again, “What do you want to say?”

Feeling a bit sad, Youyi reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

With her arms resting on his neck, she could smell his scent, and she couldn’t help but bury her head against him, savoring how his scent seemed to envelop her.

She held on for a while. When she felt Fu Cheng’s lack of movement, she loosened her grip slightly and moved forward.

He always seemed to be like this.

Even with her inexplicable actions, he calmly went along with her, not asking or saying anything extra.

It seemed to him that as long as he complied and made her happy, that was enough.

“Fu Cheng, let’s go book a hotel room,” Youyi said in a muffled voice.

Fu Cheng asked, “Where to?”

He thought he might have misheard.

Where to? She didn’t know.

Youyi held his hand, reluctant to let go. After a moment, she whispered, “A nearby hotel.”

“Okay,” Fu Cheng agreed.

“Sit tight.” He bent down to help her sit properly, adjusting her legs and fastening her seatbelt.

Then he closed the door and went to the driver’s seat.