Chapter 8 If the banquet is about to end (Two chapters combined)

On the day Qi An arrived at the new base, Yu Shuang was unable to reminisce and have a celebratory feast with him, and ended up getting very drunk.

However, the problem of Zhuang Xiao, which had been a long-standing worry for Yu Shuang, was unexpectedly resolved!

After Zhuang Xiao was forced to step down due to injury, her condition remained poor.

Before Qi An went to the North Base, the doctor had already clearly told Zhuang Xiao that there was no hope for his leg to recover.

After that, Zhuang Xiao did have a brief relationship.

But this relationship was really short, lasting only three months.

By then, Qi An had already gone to the island, and the Ash Priests no longer appeared on the mainland.

All bases, especially the new bases surrounded by many Fallen Insects, frequently dispatched troops to wipe out Fallen Insect strongholds.

Everyone is busy; the battle report wall and battle merit list are refreshed every week.

Zhuang Xiao became increasingly lazy. Outside of work, he spent his days staying at home or wandering aimlessly in the streets, much like a bachelor in the village.

On the evening of the day Qi An arrived, he cured Zhuang Xiao.

Everyone was naturally overjoyed, but on the way back from the hospital, Qi An hesitated for a moment before saying to Zhuang Xiao:

"If I have the means, I will definitely heal you. It's better to be healthy than disabled."

However, each base has many veterans who retired due to injuries, and I have seen many of them.

Many people do become discouraged, but many others find a new direction in life.

That might sound like I'm talking without understanding the situation.

But I still think that if you can't rekindle your passion for life after suffering a setback, it means you're not strong enough inside.

If I heal you, it will only allow you to pick up a gun again and happily go to the battlefield, just like before.

What if you get injured next time?

You lack the mindset to cope with injuries and adapt to setbacks.

"By healing you so easily, it feels like I've harmed you."

Zhuang Xiao was slightly taken aback, and said in a low voice, "I understand, sister. The captain and vice-captain have told me these principles many times."

The captain said I was "all talk and no action," but actually I took it all to heart.

But in the first half of my life, my greatest skill and the thing I was most proud of was being a good shot; nothing else.

Everyone is moving forward; the old days are over, and my sense of loss is truly profound...

Zhuang Xiao felt that his words sounded like sophistry; he was just being weak.

The man blushed, turned his head away, and then lowered it deeply.

But to my surprise, Qi An said, "I know, I know, you have every reason to be in pain."

Your injuries were sustained on the battlefield, when we were defending the South China base.

There is always a process from hearing a principle to internalizing it, and then to developing the will to put it into practice.

You're a bit down right now, but you've done the basic work and haven't bothered anyone.

I don't mean to criticize you; nobody should. You just have your own pace.

Zhuang Xiao stopped in her tracks and looked at Qi An.

Under the dim light of the streetlights, the young man's face, which had just dried, seemed to have water droplets again.

"I'm really impressed, sis. You keep saying 'Don't be moved, don't be moved,' but you're still trying to be incredibly sentimental!"

Qi An couldn't help but laugh and said, "Then be strong, don't cry! Be careful your tears freeze on your face."

"I won't cry anymore. If I cry again, I'll be letting down my sister who has put so much effort into this!"

I know that whether my legs are healthy or not, the life I should live and the things I should do are the same.

Training new recruits, studying the maintenance and design of firearms, and so on—these are the things the captain and vice-captain have asked me to do. I will still do them, but I will do them even more seriously and with more focus.

My leg is healed, but now I can do one more thing: "go to the front lines."

If I need to go to the front lines, I will fight as I always have; if I don't need to go, I will work diligently at the base.

If I were to swear now that I will never give up so easily again, I probably wouldn't have much credibility.

But I hope you'll look at me. I will become stronger, more well-rounded, and... able to take on more, just like everyone else in the team!

A solemn and serious expression was rarely seen on Zhuang Xiao's face.

As Zhuang Xiao himself said, no one knows how long his promise will last.

But Qi An would not vouch for other people's lives.

She was very happy with the result, and clenched her fist at Zhuang Xiao, saying, "Great! Keep it up, I'm watching!"

Zhuang Xiao laughed. He still had that dejected appearance, but his baby-faced, loud-voiced, and cheerful soul had come alive again!

The two walked briskly, laughing all the way.

As they walked, Qi An even squatted down and made a snowball.

But she had just bought one and hadn't even thrown it away yet when she felt a chill down her back.

Qi An looked up and saw Zhuang Xiao standing safely in front of him. He immediately turned around and saw Chen Xi... no, it was Chen Yuezhou.

Chen Yuezhou's gloves were covered in snowflakes.

Qi An felt a chill down his back when he was hit by a snowball.

Although the force was light, Chen Yuezhou had just thrown her!

Qi An turned around and threw the solid snowball, as big as her face, at Chen Yuezhou!

The angle and the force looked like it could have hit him squarely in the chest, but Chen Yuezhou caught it.

Snowflakes fell softly, but the round shape of the snowball remained perfectly preserved in the man's large palm.

Chen Yuezhou, holding a snowball, slowly approached Qi An.

The space closed off, becoming almost exclusive, making Zhuang Xiao feel that any step she took forward would be superfluous.

Qi An looked at Chen Yuezhou and asked what Zhuang Xiao was thinking: "You came to see me? Is there something you need?"

Chen Yuezhou squatted down in front of her, took off his gloves, and with the snowball in hand, deftly and skillfully built a miniature, beautiful snowman.

It has a magical style that is both cartoonish and realistic, and it even looks a bit like Qi An.

Qi An thought of Chen Yuezhou's amazing ability to learn anything and secretly admired him in his heart.

After Chen Yuezhou finished piling the stones and looked at them for a while, he seemed quite satisfied, a smile appearing on his face. He then said to Qi An:

"It's nothing, but I'd like to walk with you."

He glanced at Zhuang Xiao, clearly wanting to leave alone with Qi An.

Zhuang Xiao withstood the pressure and looked at Qi An.

Qi An didn't care: "Fine."

Zhuang Xiao relaxed and said to Qi An, "Then, sister, don't rush to eat breakfast tomorrow morning. I'll take you to a breakfast stall; it's incredibly delicious!"

Qi An gave an "OK" sign and watched him walk away with a smile.

Zhuang Xiao was still happy, hands in her pockets, taking big strides, walking with a bouncy gait.

Chen Yuezhou turned his head and saw Qi An's smile.

“You are so kind to him,” he said.

Qi An raised an eyebrow, then furrowed it again: "You were eavesdropping on our conversation?"

“You didn’t even lower your voices when you spoke,” Chen Yuezhou said calmly.

On a winter night with temperatures dropping to -15 degrees Celsius, there were hardly any people on the streets. Qi An thought about how her conversation with Zhuang Xiao was quite emotional and could indeed be heard far away.

Chen Yuezhou has excellent hearing; he can hear perfectly normally.

Qi An shut up, but Chen Yuezhou said:

"Zhuang Xiao was not seriously injured or disabled, nor was he alone or widowed. He did not have any real life pressure, so he could waste time and wallow in self-pity."

It's not that he doesn't understand reason; he's just wallowing in self-pity and resentment, procrastinating and unwilling to cheer up.

Even so, you still won't scold him, and you'll still be gentle with him?

Qi An frowned immediately: "Why did you say such harsh things?"

As I said before, feeling down, sad, and self-pitying are just normal emotions for normal people.

Not everyone is strong and clear-headed, and not everyone can get over setbacks in an instant.

Zhuang Xiao didn't harm anyone. His excitement came a little late, so is that not something to be happy about?

Chen Yuezhou suddenly grabbed Qi An's hand.

Qi An was walking quite fast, but when he was grabbed like that, he spun around half a circle and was almost wrapped in Chen Yuezhou's coat.

Chen Yuezhou was wearing a military uniform, and the heavy overcoat, which resembled a cloak, was draped over his shoulders, making him look even more handsome.

"If you want people to give up on their feelings for you, don't be so gentle! Don't let anyone see your soul!"

His gaze seemed to hold a hint of hatred, yet it was also burning with intense passion.

Qi An paused for a moment, then broke free from his hand. "My mother and my uncle taught me to see myself, and also to see all living beings."

I simply try to understand others and to see all living beings.

This might seem like 'gentleness' to you, but I didn't do it just for your benefit."

She turned to leave, but Chen Yuezhou took two steps forward and blocked her way:

"But I saw it! I've already seen it!"

Can't you even look at me?

Chen Yuezhou's voice echoed loudly in the empty street.

Qi An was taken aback.

Fine snowflakes were falling around them, but neither the snowflakes nor the mist from their breath could obscure the intense longing in their eyes.

Chen Yuezhou stepped forward, intending to pull Qi An into his arms.

Qi An took a step back.

"The night before I came to the new base, I spent the night with Chen Xi," she said truthfully.

Chen Yuezhou's already pale face went blank for a moment.

He turned his head sharply and stared at Qi An.

Qi An did not avoid his gaze, but said softly, "I'm sorry, but you may need to reconsider your love."

After she finished speaking, she walked past Chen Yuezhou.

Ahead lies a residential area, its lights casting a warm glow.

Qi An took a few steps forward, but then turned back.

The man still stood in the dark snow, like a frozen statue.

The light snow turned into heavy snow, falling incessantly.

......

The next morning, Qi An went to the stall with Zhuang Xiao for breakfast as agreed.

After finishing her meal, Zhuang Xiao went to the barbershop next door to get a haircut and a shave.

At 9 a.m., everyone gathered at the wedding venue to help set up the event.

Zhuang Xiao's appearance caused an uproar.

Yu Shuang put her arm around Qi An's shoulder and laughed, "Little Qi, this is the best wedding gift you could give me!"

Qi An also laughed, but avoided Zhao Bohan, pulled Yu Shuang to a corner, and whispered:

"Captain, the principle behind chronic radiation sickness is that various high-energy rays break down water molecules in the human body and damage DNA."

This is a more microscopic level of repair, and I'm not confident about it yet.

Yu Shuang was stunned. After a long while, she hugged Qi An tightly.

"I was too farsighted. I said you were a 'gem of the world' back then, and you really are!"

This person first praised himself before saying:

"After two years of recuperation, your deputy captain no longer has to go to the hospital every few days."

He also has self-healing and strengthening abilities, which can gradually repair his own damage.

"It's his business. If you can handle it, great; if not, it's okay. We're already very lucky."

"Okay." Qi An smiled, even more eager to get started.

The wedding venue was chosen to be a building in the base's administrative building complex.

Before the apocalypse, this building was a high-end hotel, surrounded by many office buildings.

After the apocalypse, one of the well-preserved low-rise office buildings was selected as the main administrative building of the base, and this equally sturdy hotel building was also included in the administrative building complex.

The hotel has a banquet hall on the 6th floor, which was converted into a large conference room after the apocalypse. But if you move the tables and chairs and decorate it a bit, it will still be a banquet hall!

Qi An thought this day would be very busy with a lot of work, but he didn't expect there to be even more people working.

Team Stars is now a giant team with 30 fully-staffed squads.

Under the precise command of Zhao Bohan and Zhao Bowen, half a team of soldiers arranged every conceivable detail of the wedding venue in just half a day.

Qi An simply walked around on the sidelines and learned a little something.

It is said that the wedding was held to pre-apocalyptic extravagance standards, with a red carpet, ribbons, and flowers of unknown origin as decorations.

There were at least 50 tables gathered from various places in the hall! It was truly an eye-opening experience.

However, it is said that in the wedding before the apocalypse, the bride has to change into several elaborate wedding dresses and get up in the middle of the night to do her makeup, which takes 4 or 5 hours.

Yu Shuang wore a white long dress with flowers and birds embroidered on the hem, paired with a matching white coat with a snow fox fur collar.

As for makeup?

Yu Shuang has grown her hair long in the past six months, and Su Qingran can barely style it for her; that's the limit.

"I didn't want to have such a complicated wedding, but your vice-captain insisted on doing it, and others just blindly followed suit."

It's hard to believe this person is so vain when it comes to important matters.

No need for makeup, I'm allergic to powder. Being able to wear this dress is enough proof that he's my true love!

All the girls in the room laughed.

Qi An was certain that he was the one laughing the most.

Her mom said there was a term before the apocalypse called "shipping," and she's been shipping the captain and vice-captain for years!

When Qi An handed the ring to the captain on stage, she felt that she was even more excited than the vice captain on the other side!

But in fact, Zhao Bohan was the most excited.

When he helped Yu Shuang put on the ring, Qi An noticed that his hand was trembling slightly.

His voice trembled slightly as he held up the microphone and said, "From today onwards, it really will be true that if one of us gets sick, the other will take care of them."

When one person dies, another person will bury them.

I am so lucky that wherever my name appears, you will be there beside me.

I am very lucky and happy.

Yu Shuang, I love you.

They embraced and kissed where the light converged.

Beside the tables of food in the shadows, there were bright, sparkling eyes, soft sobs, lots of maternal smiles, and dreamy "Wow~", and thunderous applause of blessings!

Qi An was filled with emotion, feeling that she had come to understand what her mother had said: if the emotional intensity in one's heart is high enough, singing the corresponding song can directly take the performance to a whole new level!

After the newlyweds stepped down from the stage, a toast was held, and everyone enjoyed the lively meal and drinks.

However, it didn't completely cause a huge uproar.

As agreed with the team leader, Qi An took his guitar onto the stage, and all eyes were once again drawn to him, with silence falling over both the stage and the audience.

Qi An was not nervous about being the center of attention. She gently plucked the strings, and a song flowed from her lips:

Honey, I just woke up from a dream.

In my dream, I had to part from you.

The moment I woke up, I suddenly understood.

Wherever you go, I will follow.

If this is the last day before the end of the world, I want to hold you in my arms.

As the banquet draws to a close, our time will also come to an end.

I want to hold you in my arms until the very last second!

This is a rock song. It starts off tender and then gets passionate, creating a strong and intense feeling together!

Although it was an a cappella performance, if Qi An wanted, her vocal power could resonate throughout the entire base!

And it was probably Tan Fu who did it; halfway through the song, the original accompaniment was played from the corner speaker.

Amidst the vibrant collision of piano, drums, and electric guitar, and the resounding high notes of Qi An, the audience erupted in cheers.

However, there are also places where silence prevails.

At the head table, which was almost directly facing the podium, Chen Yuezhou did not participate in the conversation between the Commander-in-Chief and the two regimental commanders.

He simply stared at the woman on stage, dressed in a white bridesmaid dress, singing rock and roll with abandon, and downed a full glass of very strong liquor in one gulp.