The matter was resolved satisfactorily today; at least the comrades in the unit completed their mission.

Everyone was very happy, and no one felt tired even though it was late at night.

After a while, feeling sleepy after eating, I felt a wave of drowsiness.

The leader thoughtfully arranged a room for Song Yan and Wei Aiguo.

As soon as the door closed, Wei Aiguo hugged Song Yan tightly. "You must have been terrified today, right?"

"Hmm!" I've seen dead people and corpses before. But the feeling is different from seeing Cui Jian and Big Scar die in front of me. And today, I also brushed shoulders with death.

Wei Aiguo: "They deserved it, don't think about it anymore. I'll go get you some water so you can wash up."

Song Yan grabbed Wei Aiguo's clothes, "What about you? Aren't you scared?"

Big Scar was killed by Wei Aiguo himself; it was probably his first time killing someone!

"I'm not going to think about it anymore, I'm going to fetch water." Wei Aiguo's evasiveness indicated that he was also not at peace with himself...

Although the bedding in the dormitory looked quite clean, Song Yan was unwilling to take off his clothes to sleep.

Wei Aiguo: "You're unusually clean. Just wear your clothes and make do for the night."

Song Yan: "Isn't it good to be hygienic?"

"Okay, of course it's great! I've learned to be clean from you." Wei Aiguo kissed Song Yan.

…

Song Yan is as obedient as a kitten.

Wei Aiguo put his arm around her and said, "If you encounter something like this in the future, try to avoid it."

"And what about you?" Song Yan asked in return.

"I'm a soldier. I can only move forward, not backward. Besides, I don't want to, and won't, be a deserter." Wei Aiguo didn't plan to do anything tonight, but being affectionate would be fine.

Song Yan's skin was as smooth as white porcelain. Wei Aiguo kissed him once and couldn't help but kiss him again. His hands also became restless.

Song Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable being touched.

Wei Aiguo realized that the more compliant Song Yan was, the more uncomfortable he felt. He suddenly sat up.

"What's wrong?" Song Yan asked.

"It's okay, I'll sleep on that bed in a bit." There are two single beds in the room. I should sit for a while first, otherwise Song Yan might notice…

The two people were talking face to face, bed to bed.

“It would be great if Hu Zi could come to our county. Don’t you think so?” Wei Aiguo asked.

“If he goes to our county, it’s closer and I can go see how he’s doing. It’ll save you from worrying about him.” Song Yan doesn’t reject such a lonely and helpless child.

Wei Aiguo's words did indeed have a testing element to it; he wanted to see if Song Yan resented his kindness towards Xiao Hu. He felt that he shouldn't force Song Yan to do something he didn't want to do.

"You've exceeded your leave limit, haven't you?" Wei Aiguo asked.

"It's over, but it's okay. Being over by one day is still being over, being over by two days is still being over, so let it be."

And so it went, with words coming from all directions. Wei Aiguo would ask questions, and Song Yan would answer, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

"Ah!" In the dream, Cui Jian, with blood streaming from his mouth and nose, and Da Ba La, with a bullet hole between his eyebrows, followed behind Song Yan in those same forms. Song Yan was so frightened that he ran away...

"Song Yan, Song Yan!" Wei Aiguo woke Song Yan up. A fine layer of sweat appeared on Song Yan's forehead; she was truly terrified. Upon opening her eyes and seeing Wei Aiguo, she rushed into his arms without hesitation.

Wei Aiguo looked perfectly awake; he clearly hadn't just woken up. "You haven't slept at all?"

"I can't sleep." Shooting the criminal dead on the spot is the best course of action. But this is his first time killing someone, and Wei Aiguo's heart is not as calm as it appears on the surface.

Song Yan: "Actually, they deserved to die. If they had succeeded today, who knows how many more people would have died?"

Wei Aiguo grasped Song Yan's cold hand. "The comrades who defuse the bomb said that if those explosives detonated, they could collapse the entire Cultural Palace. Even the detonators on Big Scar's body would be quite destructive. They were planning to plant the bomb and run away. They set the watch for Xiao Hu back by ten minutes to give themselves time to escape. They only stopped running away because they ran into the two of us."

Why did they do that?

"According to the investigation, they have connections with overseas entities. Deputy Director Du and his team should have uncovered other things as well, but they didn't reveal anything that I shouldn't know."

Do they know how fast their country will develop, how stable it will be, and how peaceful their lives will be decades later?

They had the opportunity to see it. They squandered that opportunity themselves.

Wei Aiguo then talked about his life in the army.

Song Yan listened to him talk about the competition. "Will you still participate in the competition after you go back?"

"I feel that Deputy Division Commander Zhao is very good to me, the kind of good that goes beyond the hierarchy. He said that I'm guaranteed a third-class merit this time, and he'll apply for it for me to try and get a second-class merit..."

"My God, such a big thing, and you talk about it so calmly. You're still a new recruit, right? How many people are green with envy for this?" Whether Wei Aiguo continues to serve in the army or retires in the future, with this merit, what he can gain will far exceed those with the same qualifications.

He'll definitely get a promotion; he'll be the first one considered for awards; and he'll be given a good job after his military service…

Wei Aiguo: "I can still participate in the competition if I go back now. But Deputy Division Commander Zhao does not recommend that I go."

"What are you thinking?" Song Yan stared at Wei Aiguo, who had mentioned the competition he was participating in. If he could achieve a ranking, the title of "King of Soldiers" would be a certainty. Could he bear to give that up?

"With the merit I've earned, I'll receive honors and rewards. I don't need the opportunity to win honors and rewards by participating in the competition. Besides, even if I go, I might not win. Why take up that spot? I'll leave the opportunity for someone who needs it more." Wei Aiguo said calmly, without a trace of reluctance.

"A tree that stands out in the forest will be felled by the wind; a mound that rises above the bank will be eroded by the current." Song Yan patted Wei Aiguo on the shoulder. "This is an age-old truth."

"I understand what you mean. You graduated from junior high school, and so did I. And my grades were pretty good back then. But I'm wondering why I've never heard of what you're saying before. Is it in your junior high school textbook?"

I'm a fake middle school student, can you compare to me? "That's why I make you study, that's why I make you read more books!"...

The two nestled together, without any romantic thoughts.