Dinner wasn’t particularly lavish, but every dish was something Gu Xiaoxi liked.

After the meal, the two sat by the bed, chatting.

Most of the time, it was Lu Jiansen talking—telling her about life in the army and his comrades.

He hoped she could adjust quickly once she arrived at the military base.

His voice was deep and pleasant, and to Gu Xiaoxi, it sounded like a lullaby. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

Lu Jiansen gazed at her delicate, sleeping face, his eyes softening with warmth.

Because it was her that night, everything felt just right.

The Next Day

Gu Xiaoxi was woken up when Lu Jiansen lifted her from the blankets. The cold air rushed in, and she instinctively clung to him.

“What time is it?”

Hearing her sleepy, soft voice, Lu Jiansen felt a trace of reluctance. “It’s 4:50. We can sleep again once we get on the train.”

Gu Xiaoxi instantly woke up. “It’s so late already? Hurry up then!”

She quickly got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and didn’t even bother washing her face.

Lu Jiansen couldn’t help but reach out and gently smooth her slightly messy, unruly hair. “There’s still time.”

Just as Gu Xiaoxi was about to grab her luggage, she suddenly realized it was missing.

She paused for a moment and looked up at Lu Jiansen. “Where’s my stuff?”

“I put it by the door.”

“Oh!” Gu Xiaoxi quickly opened the door.

Stepping outside, she was surprised to see Uncle Hao waiting there—and he was even holding their luggage.

Feeling a little embarrassed, she scratched her head. “Uncle Hao, why are you here?”

Hao Zhenming smiled and said, “I came to see you off. Knowing that you’ve already gotten married, I feel a bit reluctant to let you go. But fortunately, this kid Lu Jiansen isn’t too bad. You two should live a good life together. If anything happens, just call me. I put my phone number in this little bag.”

As he spoke, he hung a military-green crossbody bag around her neck.

At first, Gu Xiaoxi wanted to refuse, but when she saw the kindness in Uncle Hao’s eyes, she nodded instead. “Alright. Uncle Hao, take care too. Next time I pass through Pingze City, I’ll come visit you.”

Hao Zhenming smiled and nodded. “Good. I also wrote down my home address for you. You can write me letters anytime. And if you ever run into trouble, you must tell me. If this kid dares to bully you, you better let me know.”

Gu Xiaoxi pursed her lips and smiled. “Okay, I’ll remember!”

As they stepped out of the guesthouse, two staff members from the train station arrived to help them with their luggage.

When they boarded the train, the station staff even gifted them a bag of apples and a bag of mandarins.

Before Gu Xiaoxi could make sense of the situation, the train had already started moving. She barely had time to wave goodbye to Uncle Hao outside the window.

For this journey, they were in a sleeper compartment—specifically, one of the rare soft sleeper berths on the train.

Moreover, there were no other passengers around them, and the surroundings were exceptionally quiet.

Gu Xiaoxi sat down and curiously asked Lu Jiansen, “Why did they give us apples and mandarins?”

And such a large quantity too!

Fruits were expensive these days. That bag of apples had at least fifty or sixty in it, and there were even more mandarins!

Lu Jiansen cleared his throat lightly and said in a low voice, “The people who were caught yesterday have already confessed. Based on the clues they provided, more of their accomplices were arrested last night. So technically, you’ve made a great contribution. This is probably a token of gratitude.”

Gu Xiaoxi was a little surprised. “So that’s what it was!”

Two full bags—perhaps they were meant as thanks for both her and Lu Jiansen, one bag each?

And she had to admit, the rewarded fruits were indeed delicious. The apples were crisp and sweet, exceptionally tasty!

She ate an apple and two mandarins in a row before finally opening the package Uncle Hao had given her.

When she saw what was inside, Gu Xiaoxi fell silent again.

Inside the package were a stack of ration coupons, a hundred yuan, two mung bean cakes, and a brand-new notebook with a phone number and address written on it.

The mung bean cakes were her childhood favorite. When her grandmother was still alive, she had been an expert at making them, and every time she made a batch, she would send some over to Uncle Hao’s house.

But the ration coupons and money were far too valuable!

She regretted not checking the package beforehand.

Lu Jiansen was also a bit surprised by the contents. Noticing her troubled expression, he spoke softly, “Next time, send Uncle Hao some gifts in return.”

Gu Xiaoxi nodded. “That’s the only way.”

As daylight broke, Gu Xiaoxi, with nothing else to do, took out paper and a pen to write her first letter home since leaving.

She planned to mail it as soon as they got off the train!

Meanwhile…

At the military base, Gu Dachuan was already counting the hours until he could pick up his sister.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that his battalion commander—Lu the King of Hell—would secretly marry his sister and become his brother-in-law.

Shocked and surprised, he also felt a sense of smug satisfaction!

Lu the King of Hell, known for being cold, terrifying, and supposedly uninterested in women, had still ended up falling for his sister!

But after his initial pride, his worry grew.

His sister was so delicate—could she handle Lu the King of Hell’s bad temper?

Just as his thoughts were alternating between panic and celebration, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder from behind.

“Dachuan, I’ve got some good news for you!”

Seeing that it was Luo Yang from the Third Battalion, his good friend, Gu Dachuan grinned and clapped him on the back.

“Tell me, what’s the good news?”

Luo Yang leaned in mysteriously and whispered, “I just heard from our battalion commander—Lu the King of hell has made another major contribution. He might be promoted to deputy regiment commander!”

“What?!” Gu Dachuan was stunned. “He earned another merit?”

But his mother had just called him, saying that Lu the King of hell was bringing his sister to the base, that they were on the train, and that he needed to go pick them up. How did he suddenly earn another merit?

Wait a minute—merit meant danger.

Did this mean his sister had been in danger too?

At this thought, he panicked.

Grabbing Luo Yang by the collar, he anxiously asked, “What else did your battalion commander say? Was Lu Jiansen injured? What about my sister?”

Luo Yang quickly shook his head. “I don’t know the details, but he probably wasn’t injured!”

Still uneasy, Gu Dachuan let go of Luo Yang and rushed straight to headquarters to ask for more information.

Half an hour later, Gu Dachuan returned from the headquarters, his entire demeanor transformed.

Who would have thought that just taking a train ride, Lu the King of hell would end up both rescuing people from a landslide and capturing spies? Truly eventful!

But what made him proudest was that his sister had also made a contribution!

From what the commander said, higher-ups were even planning to reward Xiaoxi. He could hardly wait to share this news with his parents.

Humming a tune, he returned to the barracks, eager to boast. But to his surprise, the atmosphere in the camp felt off.

He grabbed a passing soldier and asked, “Why does everyone look so gloomy? Did something happen?”

“Captain, Battalion Commander Xiao from the Second Battalion has fallen in battle.”

Gu Dachuan’s expression changed. “Wasn’t he still in critical condition last night?”

“Yes, but just now, the hospital sent word… They couldn’t save him.”

Gu Dachuan let out a heavy sigh and said nothing more.

At this moment, he felt a hint of relief that the train had been delayed by the landslide.

Otherwise, the one leading last night’s mission wouldn’t have been Battalion Commander Xiao—it would have been Lu Jiansen.

Lu Jiansen was strong, no doubt, but he was still human. What if he had been the one to fall?

Before, he hadn’t cared much about Lu Jiansen.

But now, a strong sense of responsibility took hold of him.

He absolutely couldn’t drag Lu Jiansen down.

He had to get stronger, so that during missions, he could protect Lu Jiansen.

His sister must not become a widow.

She deserved to be loved and cherished for a lifetime!

At this thought, he immediately blew his whistle. “Everyone, gather! Extra training starts now!”