The next morning, just after An Moxue finished her boxing practice, Wu Sicheng arrived.

"Mo Xue, get ready, let's go to town for breakfast."

An Moxue looked at him, and he smiled and said, "Put away your doubts and give me a chance!"

"But..."

Wu Sicheng interrupted her, saying, "Just give me a chance to give up, okay?"

Looking into the pleading in his eyes, she couldn't bring herself to harden her heart and say no.

"Okay! After the call, if it's as I said, we'll just be good friends."

He looked at her and whispered only a single "okay," as if he had used up all his strength.

Upon arriving in town, the two quietly finished their breakfast and went to the post office, which happened to be open for business.

As soon as she entered, someone recognized An Moxue. "An Zhiqing, it's been a long time since you've been here. Haven't you mailed anything lately? Do you need to buy stamps or stationery?"

"Thank you, but no need. I'm here to accompany a friend on a phone call."

"Okay, this way please."

A short while later, Wu Sicheng dialed the number in Kyoto.

"Hello, Dad, I need to ask you and Mom something. Is she there?"

"Yes, wait a moment, I'll call you."

"good."

"Son, ask away! Your mother and I are both here."

"Think carefully before you answer my questions, as they concern your son's future happiness."

"Ask away, what's with all this nagging and fussing!" Wu Sicheng pulled An Moxue closer, gesturing for her to listen carefully.

"Dad, Mom, if I fall in love with a girl who isn't a stay-at-home mom but a career-oriented woman, would you object?"

Are all the people in your family upright? Are there any bad elements among them?

"No. They are all revolutionary fighters of the Party."

"If you're happy, that's fine. I'm living with you, not with me and your mother."

"What if we can't see each other for several years and can't get in touch? Do you think that's okay?"

“Son, if you think it’s okay, then it’s not a problem. Of course, you have to think it through, after all, it’s not just a day or two or a month or two. Time and distance can either weaken or strengthen feelings invisibly. You’ll only know which one applies to you after you experience it. It’s too early to draw conclusions now. As for not seeing us for several years, that’s normal, it’s nothing. The main thing is you.” His mother grabbed the phone and said.

"What if the daughter-in-law has a more unusual profession?"

"What's so special about it?" Dad asked.

"More secretive than your son's job."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, then the mother said, "Son, as long as you don't see it as a problem, then it's not an obstacle. It's you who won't see each other for years, not your dad and me."

"This is the last question, and you must think it through before answering. Would you object if the child took the mother's surname?"

There was a long silence this time. Just when An Moxue thought the person on the other end of the phone was going to get angry, or even furious, a voice came through the receiver: "Son, will you take your mother's surname for the whole thing?" This time it was the father who asked the question.

Wu Sicheng looked at her and replied, "Two will do."

A mocking voice came through the phone: "Son, are you stupid? You're just like your father, not very bright! You're dumb!"

Wu Sicheng said helplessly, "Mom—"

"I heard you, I heard you, I'm not deaf. Two of them can take Mom's surname, and the rest can take Dad's. What's the big deal? Is there anything else?"

"It's gone."

"Honestly, you've kept your mom and me from going to the movies. We bought tickets for 8:30. What if we're late? You're such a grown-up, can't you handle things yourself? You have to call your parents. It's embarrassing. I'm hanging up."

With a 'click,' the sound of the phone being hung up reached their ears. An Moxue never expected that Wu Sicheng's parents would treat their own son like this. How to put it? It was a bit unexpected.

The two looked at each other, and An Moxue didn't know what to say for a moment.

You want to refuse, but it seems like they've solved all your problems.

I won't refuse! She knows her problem; she'll consider dating, but marriage is something she's never really considered.

After paying the phone bill, Wu Sicheng pulled An Moxue out of the post office without saying a word, got on his bicycle, and drove An Moxue home.

He rode the bike at breakneck speed until they arrived at An Moxue's house. Once inside, Wu Sicheng looked at her before speaking, "Moxue, you see, the problems you were worried about aren't problems at all. What else do you have to worry about?"

An Moxue looked at him and spoke her truest thoughts: "But I'm not ready to get married yet, and I don't want to get married anytime soon. At least I won't consider getting married until things are stable. There are too many uncertainties."

Both of them understood this 'instability,' but they didn't consider it while the undercover operation was still ongoing, so when it would end was an unknown.

"Look, this is the biggest problem, isn't it? You don't want to have a girlfriend and then it's the same as not having one, right? You can't contact her for years, and you can't reach her when something happens. What's the difference between having one and not having one? So, it's unnecessary, right? We need to look at this problem rationally."

"I do."

"What?" An Moxue thought that after she had said so much, he should understand what she meant. Why was he still so stubborn?

"I said I do."

“Hmm—” An Moxue was stunned. Hearing him say that, she was a little touched, but reason prevailed. She made a request, saying, “It’s not impossible for you to be my boyfriend, but I have one condition.”

"Go ahead," he said, suppressing his excitement, ready to agree to any conditions.

"It's a secret. You can't let anyone other than the two of us know about our relationship, otherwise it'll automatically end. Can you do that?"

"Yes." He answered without thinking, then picked her up and spun her around on the ground, put her on the kang (a heated brick bed), looked at her, and said very seriously, "You promised, so you can't go back on your word."

"Of course." She was secretly pleased, but she didn't show it. However, she didn't know that her increasingly gentle facial expression betrayed her.

"Mo Xue, I'm so happy. Thank you for agreeing to be my girlfriend." With his worries gone, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief; he hadn't slept a wink all night.

An Moxue poured cold water on the idea: "If I were to lie low for ten or eight years, you would be in your late thirties or late forties by then. You won't regret it."

"No," he answered firmly. "I swear by my military identity that I will be loyal to my feelings for An Moxue and treat her well for the rest of my life." He stood straight as he spoke to her.

"Forget it! Being a soldier is just a profession; it doesn't represent a person's character or feelings."

"Look at my performance. No matter how well I talk, it's not as good as doing something practical."