Outside the room, Howard stood still, like a silent statue.

The chair that had fallen over on the ground was still tilted there.

He could faintly hear the clicking sounds coming from inside the door—the rapid turning of instrument knobs and the scratching of pens on paper.

The emotions churning in his eyes slowly subsided, eventually settling into a deep pool.

He slowly bent down, lifted the chair, and meticulously placed it back in its original position, as if performing some kind of ritual.

An indescribable bitterness suddenly gripped Howard's heart.

He took one last, deep look at the tightly closed wooden door of the storage room, a sliver of pale light shining through the crack in the door.

The faint humming of the instruments and the clicking of buttons inside continued, as if the person inside was engaged in a tense battle with an invisible enemy.

Howard turned around abruptly without saying a word.

His military boots clattered heavily on the concrete floor as he walked step by step toward his dark and cold bedroom.

In the living room, only the bowl of braised pork, long since cooled and covered with a layer of white grease, remained, silently emitting its last bit of greasy aroma under the dim light.

The next morning, Howard had already cooked porridge and made egg pancakes, waiting for Mingzhao to get up and eat.

Mingzhao still seemed a little uncomfortable when she saw Huo Hua, her eyes darting around.

Howard offered no explanation for what happened last night.

They did not press Mingzhao further.

I just told her to hurry up and eat breakfast.

Mingzhao ate very slowly, occasionally sneaking a glance at Huo Hua.

Her acting was so bad that Howard couldn't bear to expose her.

After finishing his meal, Mingzhao packed his bags.

"where are you going?"

"I'm going to the research institute to report for duty today."

"Wait for me a moment, I'll wash the dishes and bring them to you."

Mingzhao paused, his fingers rubbing against the shoulder strap of the cloth bag.

She lowered her eyelids: "I can go by myself."

Howard has already washed the dishes.

His tall figure drew near, radiating a heat that belonged to the opposite sex, his clothes clinging tightly to his body.

For some reason, Mingzhao suddenly remembered seeing Howard shirtless before.

Her gaze drifted toward Howard's bulging chest, and she took two steps back.

Howard took two more steps closer.

“Zhaozhao…”

It was too close; Mingzhao felt a little uncomfortable.

She reached out and placed her hand between the two as a barrier.

Howard looked at the small hand, a smile in his eyes, and took another step forward.

Mingzhao placed her small hand directly on Huo Hua's chest.

Beneath his palm was a burning body, accompanied by a steady heartbeat that transmitted to Mingzhao.

Mingzhao's hand seemed to be burned, and he immediately withdrew.

Howard grabbed her hand and pressed it firmly against his chest.

"Shall we continue with yesterday's topic?"

"Zhaozhao, do you want to be my husband?"

Mingzhao frowned. This wasn't what she asked yesterday.

Looking up into Howard's eyes, all she saw was Mingzhao's blushing face, completely unaware of her own state.

"I……"

Howard awaited the little girl's answer: "Hmm?"

"I'm going to work now."

This statement caught Howard off guard.

The focus in his eyes turned into a hint of helplessness.

The large hand that held Mingzhao also gently rubbed Mingzhao's small hand.

Howard released Mingzhao's hand.

Let's go.

The feeling of being kneaded was still lingering in my hands.

Mingzhao withdrew her hand and subconsciously rubbed it against her other hand a few times.

Howard felt a tickle in his hand again after seeing it; he missed the soft, warm touch.

The way he looked at Mingzhao was extremely aggressive.

After sending Mingzhao to the research institute, Howard patted her head.

"I'll pick you up tonight."

Warm breath brushed against Mingzhao's ear, stirring up a fine layer of hair and causing it to turn a rosy blush.

Mingzhao ignored the curious and teasing looks from those around him.

With a blank expression, he walked back to his research lab as if in a daze.

When she finally came to her senses, she realized that the drawing she was making was of Howard, whom she had seen the night before.

Mingzhao hurriedly destroyed the evidence.

"Comrade Mingzhao."

There was a knock at the door.

At this moment, Zhang Mingyuan sent someone to take Mingzhao to the conference room for a meeting.

Inside the meeting room, the air was thick with smoke, yet the atmosphere was somewhat delicate.

Dean Zhang Mingyuan, with his gray hair and thick glasses, cleared his throat and introduced himself to the seven or eight core researchers present.

"This is Comrade Mingzhao. He's a family member of Commander Huo, but don't underestimate him; he's very insightful when it comes to communications."

All eyes turned to Mingzhao.

She was wearing faded old work clothes, slender, and stood quietly next to Dean Zhang, her eyes clear and calm.

Facing so many scrutinizing eyes, he showed no unease or nervousness, as if he had simply changed locations.

"Young comrade, you don't look very old."

A man in his forties with a square face spoke first. He was Lao Zhao, who was in charge of material supply. His tone carried a hint of scrutiny from an elder.

"Comrade Mingzhao had some ingenious ideas before, which helped the troops solve a small problem of communications security." Zhang Mingyuan tried to lay the groundwork.

"Oh? Just a small-scale skirmish?"

Sitting in the first seat on the right, next to Liu Wenjun, a woman who looked to be about thirty-five or thirty-six years old raised her chin.

Her name is Wang Ai. She was originally a key member of the weapons research and development team. Her eyes and brows carried the sharpness unique to technical backbones and a hint of barely perceptible arrogance.

"Communication security is not something that can be solved with trivial matters. Director Zhang, what specific project are you referring to?"

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