Seeing Lian Xiao's unyielding attitude, Xu Xinghe knew that no matter how much she said, it would be a waste of breath.

Without another word, she quickened her pace and walked out of the courtyard gate.

This time, Lian Xiao didn't chase after them; he was also seething with anger.

Why should he always have to bow down and submit?

It's just arranging a matchmaking event, what's the big deal?

He had never been this angry before, not even when he was pranked and thrown into the river back in the military compound!

What made him even more aggrieved was that Xu Xinghe actually said such harsh words to him for the sake of an outsider.

He was clearly trying to help Zhang Cishu find a partner, so how did he get it wrong?

Enraged, Lian Xiao kicked the basin of water beside him, sending it flying with a loud crash, splashing water all over the floor. "Zhang Cishu, if you're so capable, then don't tattle on me! What kind of man are you!"

Xu Xinghe went home in a huff and puffed, and sat down in a chair, unable to calm down.

She didn't want to be so absolute, but Lian Xiao was completely unaware of his own problem.

Disrespectful and willful behavior, if continued to be tolerated, will inevitably lead to disaster sooner or later.

This is a good opportunity for him to reflect on his behavior and change his bad temper.

What did Zhang Cishu do to deserve this?

They kindly invited him to dinner, yet Lian Xiao targeted him at every turn. Now he's been tricked into going on a blind date. Who could tolerate that?

She picked up the remaining malted milk powder on the table, drank it all in one gulp, then crawled into bed and grabbed an old newspaper from beside her pillow to read.

I need to find something else to distract myself, otherwise I'll get angrier and angrier the more I think about it.

On the other side, Lian Xiao's anger had not subsided in the slightest.

He suddenly felt like drinking, but he had training in the afternoon, so he had to hold back for now.

Although I have connections at home, now that I'm in the military, I still have to abide by the rules here.

When he arrived at the training ground, there was still some time before the assembly time. Lian Xiao put on his weighted vest and started running.

Seeing this, the other soldiers began to whisper among themselves.

"Lian Xiao seems particularly irritable today?"

"Isn't he like this every day? He's so aloof and hard to get along with."

"He's not a bad person, he just puts on too much of an air..."

“They have the ability to do so. Who knows, they might be transferred back to a big city someday and won’t have to squeeze in here with us.”

Lian Xiao used to ignore these discussions, but today, listening to them made him feel particularly stifled.

Is it wrong for him to just live according to his own nature?

Why force him to integrate into the so-called group?

Even if he doesn't become one of them, he can still do well in training and live his life well!

Lian Xiao felt increasingly frustrated, so he increased his pace, venting all his emotions through running.

As soon as the afternoon training ended, Lian Xiao threw down his equipment and headed to the cafeteria.

He desperately needs alcohol to numb his emotions.

Back in Shanghai, whenever he was in a bad mood, he would have a couple of drinks. His grandfather had always said that it was fine for a man to drink a little alcohol, as long as he didn't overindulge.

Anyway, I'm off tomorrow morning, so even if I get drunk, it won't interfere with anything.

He found the soldier in charge of brewing the wine and got straight to the point: "Sell me a jug of your wine."

"Comrade Lian, do you want a drink?" a soldier asked casually.

"Nonsense! What would I be doing here if I didn't drink?" Lian Xiao said impatiently.

The soldier immediately shut his mouth, knowing full well that the other party had a fiery temper, so why say anything more?

But in the end, he couldn't help but remind you, "This liquor is made from grains, it's strong, and drinking too much can make you drunk. You should drink less."

Lian Xiao waved his hand, picked up the wine jug, and walked towards the training room.

Upon arriving at his destination, he unscrewed the lid of the flask, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp. The pungent liquor burned his throat, but it slightly calmed the anger in his heart.

Then, he clenched his fist and pounded the sandbag.

"Bang bang bang—!"

The dull thud echoed in the training room.

As Zhao Feng passed by the training room, he heard the commotion inside and couldn't help but frown.

The lights are almost out, who's still practicing boxing?

Jiang Linchuan?

Impossible. Ever since Xu Xinghe came, Jiang Linchuan has gone back to be with her on time every day after training, and he has never stayed in the training room this late.

He pushed open the door, and a strong smell of alcohol immediately hit him.

The training room was already small, and in winter, without a fire or windows, the smell of alcohol lingered inside, making him instinctively furrow his brow.

People with a low alcohol tolerance might get drunk just from the smell.

"Lian Xiao? What are you drinking here?" Zhao Feng frowned, his gaze sweeping over the wine bottles on the ground and Lian Xiao's flushed face.

His face flushed from drinking; his neck was now red, and his eyes were somewhat unfocused.

Lian Xiao looked up, squinted at him for a long time before recognizing him, "Zhao Feng, what brings you here?"

"I heard some boxing noises inside, so I came to check it out." Zhao Feng fanned his nose with his hand, the smell of alcohol was really strong. "Don't drink here anymore, your comrades need to use the training room tomorrow, go home."

Lian Xiao plopped down on the training mat, shaking the flask in his hand. "I'm not going back. I won't be able to sleep if I go back. I might as well drink here and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the mat, so I don't have to overthink things."

He pointed to another empty glass on the cushion. "There's another glass here. Would you like to have a drink with me?"

Zhao Feng lowered his eyes. He had never liked drinking, believing that alcohol would numb his nerves and impair his judgment.

But seeing Lian Xiao's distraught appearance, he couldn't help but be curious.

What could possibly have made this arrogant young master drink alone in the training room?

He walked over, picked up the empty glass, and said, "Okay, I'll have a couple of drinks with you."

Lian Xiao's eyes lit up. He immediately filled Zhao Feng's glass, clinked it with his own, and downed it in one gulp. The pungent liquor made him cough twice. "Zhao Feng, you say I'm not as good as Jiang Linchuan? I admit it! Last time we went on a mission together, his marksmanship was better than mine, his command was more stable, he's a qualified soldier, I admire him. But what makes Zhang Cishu? Besides being fair-skinned and having read a few books, what else does he have?"

Zhao Feng took only a small sip of wine. The wine burned his throat, making him frown. "Why bring him up all of a sudden?"

"It's all because of Xu Xinghe!" Lian Xiao slammed his hand on the cushion, his voice suddenly rising. "Just because I lied to Zhang Cishu, she came over and yelled at me, saying she wanted to break off all ties with me!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the rest of the glass.

Zhao Feng raised an eyebrow; so it was all because of a woman.

He put down his wine glass and said calmly, "So what if Xu Xinghe throws a tantrum? Why are you so angry?"

Lian Xiao stopped mid-sentence, his Adam's apple bobbing, and finally he just muttered, "Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

He believed that his relationship with Xu Xinghe was special, but now, Xu Xinghe was telling him that she would never contact him again for the sake of an outsider.

Zhao Feng saw his hesitant expression and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Doesn't he understand?

He's lived for so many years, he's seen it all.

It seems the wine wasn't enough to fully express his feelings.

He took the initiative to pick up the wine pot, filled Lian Xiao's cup, and pushed it in front of him, saying, "Don't hold back, a good drink will wash away all your troubles. Once you're drunk, you won't remember anything, and you'll be a hero again when you wake up tomorrow."

Lian Xiao looked at the swirling liquid in his glass, then at Zhao Feng, as if he had found an outlet for his emotions. He grabbed the glass and downed it in one gulp.

Who cares? When you're drunk, you don't have to think about anything. Xu Xinghe, Zhang Cishu, Jiang Linchuan, let them all go!

There was still a little less than half a bottle of wine left in the flask, but Lian Xiao was already so drunk that he could hardly stand.

He slumped onto the training mat, muttering to himself, "Why can't Xu Xinghe see my good points... She always says I have a bad temper, but I don't have a bad temper, I just... I just don't like those two guys, Jiang Linchuan and Zhang Cishu..."

Zhao Feng picked up the wine pot, poured another cup into his empty glass, and asked in a calm tone, "Oh? Why don't you like them?"

"Because they all want to take Xu Xinghe from me!"

Zhao Feng paused in pouring the wine, then looked up at him. "You like Xu Xinghe?"

“I like her…” Lian Xiao’s shoulders slumped, and he lay back on the mat, his voice muffled, like a wronged child. “On New Year’s Day, I saw her kissing Jiang Linchuan outside the yard. That’s when I realized that I like her. I also want to… I also want to do that kind of thing with her, to replace Jiang Linchuan, and to be the one standing next to her.”

Zhao Feng picked up his barely touched glass of wine, took a small sip, and felt the spicy flavor spread on his tongue. "Jiang Linchuan and Xu Xinghe are engaged. It's not appropriate for you to think like this, is it? Even if you want to pursue her, you should find someone who isn't engaged."

"I just want to take it! So what?" Lian Xiao suddenly jumped up from the cushion. Although his eyes were blurry from drinking, his tone was unusually firm. "They're not even married! As long as I don't give up, maybe in the end... maybe she'll choose me!"

Zhao Feng didn't refute anymore, but just slowly swirled the wine in his glass.

He's been sitting here for almost an hour, and he's only drunk less than a third of his glass of wine.

Seeing that Lian Xiao was drunk and about to act crazy, he slowly spoke up, going along with him, "Okay, I believe you can beat Jiang Linchuan."

As if he had received affirmation, Lian Xiao grunted in satisfaction, then slumped back onto the mat, closed his eyes, and soon began to snore evenly.

Zhao Feng glanced out the window; it was already past midnight.

The stove in the corner of the training room had only a few embers left, and even the residual heat was almost dissipating. If Lian Xiao were to sleep here like this, he would definitely catch a cold first thing in the morning.

He sighed helplessly, bent down and put Lian Xiao's arm on his shoulder, struggling to help him up, and half-carried, half-supported him as they walked towards the dormitory courtyard.

Fortunately, he was strong due to years of training, and he managed to carry the drunken Lian Xiao back to his residence.

Pushing open the door, Zhao Feng put Lian Xiao on the bed, took off his cotton shoes, pulled the quilt over him, and didn't bother with anything else.

Lian Xiao turned over, and a small black and white photo fell out of his arms.

Zhao Feng bent down and picked it up. It was a picture of a teenage girl with two braids, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Although it was clear that it was Xu Xinghe, the arrogance and liveliness in her eyes were completely different from her current appearance; she was clearly a spoiled young lady.

He held the photo, then glanced at Lian Xiao, who was fast asleep on the bed, and the scene of interrogating Xu Xinghe flashed through his mind.

She was under guard at the time, but she was not flustered at all, and kept her little courtyard tidy every day.

While others were filled with anxiety and panic, she remained calm and composed.

Isn't that kind of vitality that remains vigorous even in adversity a different kind of strength?

Zhao Feng, as if possessed, put the photo into his pocket.

Consider it payment for keeping Lian Xiao company while he drank alone in his sorrow.

He turned around and gently closed the door.