Chapter 12: Meet

Xie Yan snapped the strap over his sidearm with a crisp “click.” Xue Fengrong smiled gently at the soldier who came to deliver the message. “Alright, thank you,” he said. Then he took a chance and asked, “Xie Yan, would you like to see my little sister?”

Xue Fengrong and Xie Yan knew each other well, and judging by Xie Yan’s expression, he didn’t seem like he was looking forward to seeing his sister. Xie Yan frowned, but ultimately decided not to intrude on the long-awaited reunion of the siblings. Barging into someone else’s happiness was something he knew he shouldn’t do.

“No need. Don’t keep them waiting. It’s not easy to come to the capital, and the train is crowded and chaotic. You’d better go see her,” Xie Yan said, watching as Xue Fengrong ran off without hesitation. Xue Fengrong really cherished his little sister—he couldn’t even bear to make her wait a moment longer.

Dust and sand drifted in the distance, and a strange emptiness stirred in Xie Yan’s chest. What was going on with him lately? Hadn’t he already resigned himself to a lonely life?

Xie Yan didn’t like to expose his private matters to others, so it wasn’t until now that Liu Zhihong found out that Captain Xie was engaged.

“Captain, you’re engaged to Commander Xue’s sister?” Liu Zhihong asked.

Xie Yan could only calm his restless heart through shooting practice. Bang! Bang! Bang!

The first two shots hit dead center. The third missed.

He took off his jacket, revealing a cotton tank top underneath. Sweat trickled slowly down his throat, his arm muscles tense and flexed. He raised the Type 64 pistol again, eyes narrowing with focus, throwing himself fully into training.

“Yeah, it was arranged by the family,” Xie Yan replied during a pause.

Liu Zhihong, still chewing on the compressed biscuits Xue Fengrong had given him, sat idly on a pile of rocks at the range and started chatting again. “Captain, that guy earlier said there was a man and a woman. Was that girl really beautiful?”

“Mhm,” Xie Yan murmured distractedly. He didn’t even register the question clearly. Liu Zhihong’s chatter reminded him of his own mother—always running her mouth.

Liu Zhihong couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful girl he saw on the train. Her bright, expressive eyes looked a lot like Commander Xue’s. That soft, gentle demeanor between her brows was nearly identical. And that guy who was flying down the road on a bicycle with her—he also bore a striking resemblance to Commander Xue.

Could they be siblings? Was it possible they ran into Commander Xue’s family by sheer coincidence on the train?

“Captain Xie, what’s Commander Xue’s birth order in the family?” Liu Zhihong remembered that sweet cry of “Third Brother” from the girl. The way she said it gave him chills and stuck in his mind. If Commander Xue was, say, the sixth or seventh sibling, then he’d know he was imagining things.

“I think he’s the second eldest,” Xie Yan replied flatly. He’d already answered three times—his patience was wearing thin. “Enough questions. I need to focus on shooting.”

Liu Zhihong hurriedly wiped his hands on his clothes, jumped up from the rocks, and exclaimed in realization, “Third Brother!”

So those two were Commander Xue’s younger siblings! And they were twins, no less—a rare sight. He’d guessed right.

Xie Yan’s cotton vest was nearly soaked. He frowned deeply. “Call me ‘Captain’ in the military zone. And my mom only gave birth to me.”

He gave up on practicing for now and went off to take a cold shower. His internal heat had been flaring up lately—he needed to cool off three times a day. He had to wash up thoroughly in the military compound before heading home, or his mother Zhang Shuying would notice something was wrong.

Liu Zhihong called after him, “Captain, your luck is incredible! That girl who helped us on the train—turns out she’s your fiancée!”

Everyone knew Captain Xie didn’t give women the time of day, but clearly he already had a good match arranged.

Xie Yan didn’t know how to respond. How could that girl from the train possibly be Commander Xue’s sister—his fiancée? He had felt a strange tug toward her, but he also knew the reality of his own health—he couldn’t afford to drag anyone down.

“Don’t joke around. Commander Xue would be furious,” he said. But in his mind, he kept replaying everything, comparing that girl to the possibility she really was Xue Fengrong’s sister.

He had left the capital years ago and had long forgotten what Xue Fengrong looked like. Just now he’d been too caught up in his emotions to even study him properly. Besides, why would a grown man stare at another guy?

Liu Zhihong chimed in, “But that girl really called him ‘Third Brother.’ And the two of them looked the same age—must be twins. And twins are rare these days. Commander Xue’s family really hit the jackpot!”

“And that girl’s eyes—they looked just like Commander Xue’s. Same gentle, noble air.”

“Oh, and last time when I bumped into her other brother, the guy saw me and bolted—probably because you were with me.”

“Captain Xie, maybe they don’t want to marry their sister to you?”

A sudden chill breeze swept over Xie Yan’s heated skin, amplifying the strange, growing feeling in his heart.

As much as he didn’t want to admit it, what Liu Zhihong said probably hit close to the truth. That girl’s brothers had seemed quite wary of him—Xue Fengrong included.

Could she really be his fiancée?

His withered heart suddenly bloomed with life. Stars seemed to light up in his dark eyes.

Xie Yan made up his mind. Within six months, he would do everything he could to treat his illness—seek doctors, try medicine, anything.

If it didn’t work… then at least he would know he had tried everything for that one small chance.

He grabbed his uniform jacket and called out behind him, “Xiao Liu, thanks! I’ll treat you to a meal at the state-run restaurant someday!”

With that, he dashed off in the direction Xue Fengrong had gone, his heart pounding in his chest.

“No need to thank me…” Liu Zhihong muttered, still clutching his now-finished biscuit, dry and crumbly.

He was just aimlessly rambling out of boredom—and somehow, against all odds, he’d hit the bullseye.

A few of Commander Xue’s soldiers, who had been about to head out for dinner, were now crowding around the communications office. One bold soldier joked, “Commander, if your little sister was coming, you should’ve told us earlier!”

Xue Fengrong licked his teeth menacingly and snapped, “Get lost, brat. You’re getting extra drills tonight. You think that kind of joke is funny?”

Xue Qingdai placed the pair of shoes she had picked out next to her second brother and looked at him curiously with her bright, watery eyes. So this was what it was like—turns out she really did look quite a bit like her second brother. Those clear, spirited eyes looked just as striking on a man, giving him a bold and heroic air. This was what true blood ties felt like.

Xue Fengrong covered his mouth and lowered his voice to the gentlest tone possible. “Daidai, your brother’s not usually like this. I’m actually a gentle guy. I don’t swear or anything.”

“Yeah, right~” came a chorus of doubtful voices from outside the window, followed by stares that fixated on the famously elusive Commander Xue’s sister.

So pretty—she looked just like a fairy.

Unfortunately, whenever anyone asked about Commander Xue’s sister, he always said she was already engaged, but her fiancé remained shrouded in mystery.

Xue Fengrong gritted his teeth. He had already decided to make those little punks run a few extra laps tomorrow.

“I know, Second Brother,” Xue Qingdai said sweetly. “Try on these shoes, size 45. They said that’s the largest size. See if they fit.”

Standing up, she was just as tall as her seated second brother. Casually, she rested her arm on his shoulder to take a break.

Xue Yongkang, the third brother, realized he had officially lost favor and didn’t want to let Second Brother bask in all the glory. “Second Brother, our little sister bought me a pair too!” he declared proudly, lifting his foot to show off his cloth shoes.

Second Brother Xue Fengrong, who had been basking in the joy of being the favored one, glanced over at the pesky younger brother and quickly reined in his gloating smile.

“Daidai, no matter what you buy, your brother loves it.”

“Third Brother, sounds like it’s been too long since you got your butt kicked. It’s itching for a beating, huh?”

Xue Yongkang replied cheekily, “Second Brother, honestly, I am due for a good scrubbing.”

Seeing the crowd around, Xue Qingdai leaned closer and whispered in her second brother’s ear, “Brother, is my fiancé here in the military district? I want to meet him.”