"What?"

"If we have children in the future, and one child wants to take my father's surname and the other wants to take my mother's surname, will your family agree to that?"

“You see, as your parents and elders, they definitely want you to find someone who is good to you, helpful to you, and who can stabilize everything for you from behind. I can’t do any of those things.”

"Also, my job will remain in this state for three to five years, or even eight to ten years, or even longer. Will your family agree to that?"

"Tell me, what else?" He almost laughed in exasperation. He never knew that being together required considering these things. Wasn't it enough to just have each other in one's heart? Did everything else even matter?

An Moxue felt a little awkward seeing him so close to her and took a step back. "Most importantly, how old are you this year?"

He looked at her, moved a little closer, and replied, "It's the 27th of the lunar year. What's wrong? We've known each other for five years."

"Look, you're so old now, not young anymore, are you?" She looked at him and blinked.

He said expressionlessly, "Yes, go on."

“Many men your age already have children in elementary school. You can’t afford to delay this. I’m doing this for your own good, aren’t I? A stable home front is more beneficial for your career. You see, I can’t give you any of these things.” She sighed. What she didn’t say was that marriage these days is too troublesome. There are so many family disputes, so many relatives and friends, and it even involves career advancement. She finds it a bit of a hassle. Besides, she has so many things to do, but she doesn’t have time to deal with these things.

Is there anything else?

She watched as he pressed his face against hers, sensing an unusual danger. Looking at his long eyelashes, she thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, isn't this enough?"

"not enough."

Why does her face feel so hot? "Stay away from me." She reached out and pushed him, feeling a little regretful. She might never find someone with his looks, who suited her aesthetic so well, again. But she couldn't break her principles.

He saw the fleeting regret in her eyes and felt both angry and amused. Instead of moving away from her, he almost pressed his face against hers: "These are not reasons for me. I disagree. Rejection."

She was somewhat discouraged. She really didn't know how to talk to him. She had said everything she could, and there were some things she couldn't say. She didn't want to waste words with him. He wouldn't listen to reason, so she had no choice but to take action!

She stretched out her hand, channeled her inner strength, and with a move of using minimal force to deflect a great weight, easily pushed the person away by half an arm's length. Wu Sicheng laughed in anger, "Fine! Let's have a contest and see if I can beat her now."

So what was supposed to be a pleasant conversation turned into a physical altercation between the two of them.

An Moxue was both gentle and resilient, while Wu Sicheng was relentlessly tough. The two fought fiercely and were evenly matched for a time. In the end, Wu Sicheng won with a single move, forcing An Moxue back into a corner.

With no way out, he looked at her and said, "You can't go back on your word. I did. You promised to give me a chance. Besides, you weren't indifferent to me, were you?"

An Moxue sighed deeply, genuinely feeling that she wasn't good at handling romantic relationships and was better suited to a career. Wasn't money appealing? Weren't jewelry beautiful?

"But have you thought about it? Sometimes we might not see each other for two or three years because of a mission, which is not good for our relationship. Besides, you're already twenty-seven, and you're in good physical and mental health, aren't you?"

He looked at her, not understanding what she was trying to say, and asked in confusion, "What are you trying to say?"

"A healthy, grown man, what do you think I'm trying to say?" She looked at him, somewhat speechless. He's an adult; does she really have to spell it out for her? Shouldn't we at least save face for each other?

He was genuinely amused and exasperated this time. Was she making excuses or underestimating his willpower as a soldier?

“An-Mo-Xue-” he said, emphasizing each word.

"What? Am I wrong?" she glared at him angrily.

"Yes, I underestimated you. What's going on in your head? Can't you give me some confidence? We've known each other for five years, and this is the first time I've ever seen you have so many thoughts. But why don't you ask me if these things are really problems? Will they be obstacles for us? Tomorrow, let's go to town and call my family. You can listen in, and then you'll know if your worries are really problems, and whether they will be obstacles for us."

He gave her a deep look, and just when she thought he was going to say or do something else, he took a big step back, left her side, and said, "I'm leaving. Go to sleep early."

She was stunned, still somewhat dazed, her heart pounding, her palms sweating profusely. It was the first time in her life that she had been so close to a man while fully conscious, and she was genuinely a little bewildered.

When she calmed down and went out to close the door, Wu Sicheng had already thoughtfully closed it from the inside.

But what she didn't say was that while she admired his looks, the powerful families hanging over her head were all deadly threats, and she feared implicating innocent people. She dared not take that step and bring danger to innocent people; that wasn't her principle. If one day she caused someone else to lose their life, she would never forgive herself.

Wu Sicheng jumped out of the door, but did not leave immediately. Even when An Moxue came out to close the door, he was still leaning against the door and did not leave.

He had a hunch that she was hiding something from him, something very important. He already knew some things about her life abroad, which only strengthened his suspicions. But what could it be? He always felt that she was carrying a heavy burden, but she wouldn't say anything, and he hadn't been able to find out anything. He was completely helpless.

He sighed almost imperceptibly, glanced at the door in front of him again, and slowly left. But no matter how you looked at his back, he seemed lonely and pitiful.

That night, neither of them could sleep. Wu Sicheng lay awake, staring at the ceiling in the room, lost in thought.

An Moxue couldn't sleep, tossing and turning on the kang (a heated brick bed). Finally, she sat on the large bed in the room, holding photos of her mother and father, carefully looking through them one by one. She looked at a photo of her parents when they were eighteen or nineteen years old and murmured to herself, "Mom, I've never seen Dad since I was born. What kind of person was he? What kind of feelings did he have that made you spend your whole life guarding the memories of Dad until your death? Was it worth it? Didn't you feel lonely? Relationships are so complicated. Your daughter can't handle them."

Finally, I don't know when she fell asleep, still holding that photo album in her hands, with a rare look of melancholy in her eyes and brows.