Chapter 3

Xia Chuwei had been drinking milk, trying to use it as an excuse to cover up her slightly awkward situation.

However, when she heard Gu Shisheng suddenly say the words asking her to marry him, her heart jolted violently. Her hand trembled involuntarily, and the milk almost spilled out.

She choked hard on the sudden words, coughing so badly her face turned bright red.

Seeing this, Gu Shisheng immediately stood up, walked quickly to her side, and gently patted her back with concern.
“Still the same as when you were little—you can even choke on milk?”

He wiped the milk from the corner of her mouth, his gaze darkening slightly.

His tone carried both tenderness and helplessness.

After a while, her coughing finally subsided.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Xia Chuwei lifted her head and saw Gu Shisheng looking at her with worry. She quickly stood up, trying to avoid his gaze, and said in a deliberately calm voice,
“Brother Gu, that joke isn’t funny at all. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”

As she spoke, she reached into her pocket, took out all the money inside, and handed it to him.
“This is for the meal. I’ll be leaving now.”

Her voice was slightly low, as if she were trying to suppress her emotions.

But Gu Shisheng didn’t take the money. Instead, he simply looked at her, his eyes holding an unreadable expression.

Seeing this, Xia Chuwei sighed inwardly, placed the money on the table, and said again,
“Brother Gu, please step aside. I need to go out.”

However, instead of moving aside, Gu Shisheng stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

She backed away repeatedly until she fell back onto the bench inside.

Looking at him in surprise, she didn’t understand why he was acting like this.

Gu Shisheng then sat down right next to her original seat, closing the gap between them until they were sitting side by side.

Glancing at the money on the table, he picked it up. The corners of his lips curved slightly as he chuckled softly.
“I brought you here to eat, and you still want to pay me? Chuwei, you’re really slapping me in the face here.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. Xia Chuwei flinched slightly and quickly explained,
“No, I didn’t mean it that way.”

But it seemed he didn’t listen to her explanation. He continued,
“You’ve grown up, and your courage has grown too, huh?”

It sounded like a joke, but there was a hint of sadness hidden within.

She became flustered and quickly looked up to explain her thoughts. But when she saw that faint smile on his lips, she froze.

She realized he wasn’t joking—he was genuinely angry.

“Take the money back.” His tone was calm, but impossible to refuse.

Xia Chuwei hesitated for a moment, then obediently put the money back into her pocket, bowing her head like a child who had done something wrong, not daring to look at him again.

Looking at her like this, Gu Shisheng couldn’t help but feel helpless. He sighed, a wry smile appearing on his lips.

Great, he had scared her again.

He gently pushed the pastries in front of her and said softly,
“You haven’t eaten enough. Eat some more.”

She hesitated but shook her head.
“I’m full.”

He didn’t press her. Instead, he watched her quietly for a while before slowly saying,
“Xia Chuwei, I’m not joking with you. I’m serious.”

“You simply don’t have anywhere to go and want a home, right? I can give you one.”

“Do I need to introduce myself again? Gu Shisheng, twenty-five years old, currently a battalion commander, never had a girlfriend before, never liked anyone before. If you marry me, I’ll only like you. My salary, and the wife’s savings I’ve built up over the years, will all be yours.”

“You know my family’s situation—only my father is left, and he likes you even more than he likes his own son. So you don’t have to worry about my family not accepting you.”

On the surface, Gu Shisheng seemed calm, but his hands were clenched tightly.

“Xia Chuwei, I’m no worse than Mu Beichen. Are you really not going to consider it?” he asked seriously.

Back then, if it weren’t for the Mu family bringing up the childhood engagement, and the fact that his mother had passed away and it was just him and his rough, blunt father at home, the Mu family wouldn’t have taken her away.

That engagement was a joke. Mu Beichen, unhappy with his parents’ arrangement, treated Xia Chuwei with indifference. Calling it repaying a favor was too generous—it was more like holding a grudge.

Of course, Xia Chuwei knew Gu Shisheng was a good man—he was the man most of the women in the military compound wanted to marry. His family background was even better than the Mu family’s. He was a soldier, already a battalion commander at only twenty-five, with a clean personal life.

In both looks and ability, he was no worse than Mu Beichen. The two were often compared over the years.

Mu Beichen liked Xu Xueqing, even while engaged to Xia Chuwei, so most of the women in the compound focused their attention on Gu Shisheng instead.

But he was cold and aloof, never close to women. She had never heard of him being close to any woman.

“Why do you want to marry me? Is it to compete with Mu Beichen? Then you’ve chosen the wrong person—Mu Beichen’s feelings have always been for Xu Xueqing, not me.” Her voice carried a trace of hurt, but she had always known this in her heart.

Gu Shisheng didn’t understand what she was thinking.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I want to compete with him, and use you for that? You’re a person with your own choices, not an object.”

He wanted to see exactly what kind of chaotic thoughts were in her head. In her eyes, was he the kind of man who would joke about marriage?

Xia Chuwei looked up at him, frowning slightly, her eyes showing a trace of disappointment.
“Then do you like Xu Xueqing? Do you want to help Mu Beichen and her be together by marrying me, so I’ll step aside for her?”

Gu Shisheng actually laughed in exasperation.
“What are you talking about? How could I like her when I don’t even know who she is?”

“Really? Then it must be because you haven’t met her yet. If you did, you’d like her too—Mu Beichen certainly does, and so do his friends.”

Xia Chuwei looked at him in puzzlement.
“Then why would you say you want to marry me?”

“I’m twenty-five years old,” Gu Shisheng said seriously.

“I know. You’re seven years older than me,” she replied.

The corner of his mouth twitched. So what if he was older? Older men knew how to take care of someone.

“I’m twenty-five. It’s time to get married and have children. Rather than finding someone whose personality and morals I don’t know, why wouldn’t I choose someone I know well and like?”

“The old man has given me an order—if I don’t find a partner soon, he’ll arrange blind dates for me. I don’t like strangers entering my life.”

“You want a home. I want a wife. So why not give it a try? Military marriages have even more security.”

“Try with me, or do you plan to spend your whole life wronging yourself with Mu Beichen? He has someone else in his heart—do you really not care? Can you bear it?” he pressed.

“As for the rest of the Mu family, don’t worry—they treat you well because they want you to be happy. As long as you don’t want to be with Mu Beichen, I’ll handle the rest.” Gu Shisheng wasn’t going to let her be wronged.

After all, it was Mu Beichen who was at fault first, wasn’t it?

Engaged yet still flirting outside—he wasn’t loyal at all.

“Xia Chuwei, he doesn’t like you. Do you think you’ll be happy with him in the future? At best, you’ll be polite to each other—but is that really what you want?”

While speaking, Gu Shisheng noticed someone outside. His eyes flashed with mockery—was Mu Beichen here to slap someone’s face?

Following his gaze, Xia Chuwei looked out the window.

“Don’t look.” Gu Shisheng reached out, trying to block her view.

But she still saw it—Mu Beichen riding a bicycle with Xu Xueqing on the back seat, her arms wrapped around his waist.

Even as his fiancée, she had never had that privilege. Mu Beichen didn’t like her being close to him—if she took one step forward, he’d take two steps back.

Forget about holding hands or hugging.

“I told you not to look.” Seeing her eyes turning red again, Gu Shisheng’s face was full of worry.