Chapter 6: I Have a Girl I Like

At one in the morning, Yang Xichen emerged from the bathroom, damp and cool.

The dream he’d had about Haitang had left him with a lingering sense of unease, a murderous aura hanging over him when he woke up.

A cold shower not only washed away the fiery desires but also cleared his mind of the negative emotions that had filled it.

For over twenty years, he had been stoic and apathetic, and for him, girls equaled trouble. He had no patience for dealing with them.

But Haitang was the exception. He had first met her when she was twelve and he was eighteen.

She was the type of person who easily lost herself in whatever she was doing.

Because he often went to his company commander’s home for meals, he quickly became familiar with Haitang.

She was unlike any other girl he had ever interacted with. Her thirst for knowledge was strong, she asked many “whys,” and her perspective on problems was fresh.

The girl was also lovely and interesting to talk to, so he grew very fond of her, seeing her as a younger sister.

This was how he defined his relationship with Haitang.

Over the next three years, he watched Haitang transform from a little girl into a slender, graceful young woman.

This transformation, even though he saw her as a sister, left a subtle impression deep within him.

During the three years they were out of touch, he worried about her constantly, and this brotherly affection for Haitang unknowingly evolved into something more.

That’s why when he had his first close contact with her, his body instinctively reacted.

He was captivated by her, and he felt a primal desire for her.

Once he understood his feelings for Haitang, Yang Xichen’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

He let out a sigh of relief, lay back in bed, and quickly fell into a deep sleep again.

Yang Xichen’s internal clock was set for 6 a.m., and he always woke up on time.

After he got ready, he went out, bought some steamed buns with meat filling and soy milk, and left them on the dining table with a note. Then he drove back to the military base.

He first returned to his own dorm, wrote out the report he had thought of last night, and after checking it to make sure it was correct, he took it to Commissar Wu’s office.

He handed the report to Commissar Wu and was about to bring up taking a leave of absence.

Commissar Wu took the report, placed it on his desk, and spoke first. “Xichen, you can’t keep putting off your personal life. Come to my place for lunch today. Your aunt wants to introduce you to a girl.”

Yang Xichen immediately refused. “Uncle Wu, I won’t be able to make it for lunch. Please don’t arrange any more blind dates for me. I already have a girl I like.”

“You have a girl you like? Who is she? Do I know her?” Commissar Wu asked, clearly not believing him.

Yang Xichen saw the look on Commissar Wu’s face and knew he was skeptical. He became serious and earnest. “Uncle, you know I wouldn’t lie. If I didn’t want to go on a blind date, I would just say no; I wouldn’t make up an excuse. As for who the girl I like is, once our relationship is official, I will bring her to meet you right away.”

Once he was sure the young man wasn’t lying, Commissar Wu stopped pressing him. Instead, he looked relaxed and said, “Alright, then I’ll wait for your good news.”

Yang Xichen then took the opportunity to say, “Uncle Wu, I’d like to take all the leave I’ve accumulated.”

Commissar Wu looked like he understood completely and quickly approved the request. “Take it. You deserve a good rest. I hope that after your leave, your personal problem will also be perfectly solved.”

A rare, awkward smile appeared on Yang Xichen’s face, and he didn’t dare to speak too confidently. “I’ll do my best.”

Commissar Wu didn’t take his lack of confidence seriously.

This young man, though cold, hard, arrogant, and sharp-tongued, was good-looking. His rebellious nature gave him a certain wildness that girls found particularly attractive.

With that thought, Commissar Wu picked up the report he had set down and changed the subject back to business.

About ten minutes later, Yang Xichen left Commissar Wu’s office and eagerly drove home.

When he arrived, it was only around nine o’clock. Haitang had just finished getting ready and was coming out of the bathroom, running right into Yang Xichen as he walked in the door.

Yang Xichen quickly wrapped his arm around the girl’s soft, slender waist, steadying her. After he helped her regain her balance, the hand that had held her waist instinctively went behind his back and clenched into a fist.

He couldn’t help but think, Why is the girl’s waist so thin and soft? I hope I didn’t hurt her.

After she was stable, Haitang quickly grabbed his hand and asked with concern, “Brother Xichen, didn’t you go back to the base? Why are you back?”

Yang Xichen tentatively held her delicate, boneless hand as he replied, “I just went back to turn in a report. I’m on leave now.”

Seeing that the girl didn’t pull her hand away, but instead led him toward the dining room while asking, “Brother Xichen, have you had breakfast yet?”

Yang Xichen shook his head. Haitang then pulled her hand away and told him to sit at the dining table.

As she turned to go into the kitchen, she said, “I put the buns on to steam before I got ready. Let’s eat together.”

After they finished breakfast, Yang Xichen’s gaze fell on her white shirt with the frayed collar. He suggested, “I’ll take you out to walk around and get to know the capital.”

Haitang also wanted to go to the bank to withdraw some money, but she was afraid of what might happen if she went alone.

Now that she had Yang Xichen with her, she happily nodded. “Brother Xichen, can we go to the bank first? I want to withdraw some money. I’ll give you the tuition for school, and I also need to keep some cash for daily expenses.”

Yang Xichen didn’t refuse. He guessed that Aunt Tong had left Haitang a sum of money before she passed away, but it likely wasn’t a lot just enough for Haitang to get through college.

Now that she was redoing a year of high school, it meant an extra expense, and he feared the money Aunt Tong left wouldn’t be enough.

Thinking about this, Yang Xichen asked, “Tangtang, school doesn’t start for more than a month. What are your plans for this month?”

“I’ll keep writing fairy tales and sending them to publishing houses,” Haitang said after thinking for a moment.

She wasn’t worried about her studies. The memories from her past life and this life had merged very well.

The most urgent task was to make money. The money her mother had saved for her before they left the capital was only enough for her to attend college.

Now that she was repeating a year of high school, that money wouldn’t be enough.

She already had her own fairy tales, and she only needed to write them down and send them to a publisher.

Besides, this was her area of expertise. Before she moved back to her hometown, she was already a well-known fairy tale writer.

“Speaking of publishing, I was always puzzled as to why you never submitted anything to a publishing house after you returned to your hometown. I even made some inquiries at the time.”

After saying that, he couldn’t help but think to himself that if she had continued submitting her work, he might have found her sooner, and she wouldn’t have had to endure so much hardship.

Haitang said with a bitter smile, “My mom specifically told me not to let my uncle and the others know I was earning money from writing before I got into college. She was afraid they would take advantage of me.”