Lu Ze: "Reporting to the commander, no."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ze felt a little relieved.

Commander Zheng narrowed his eyes, watching him silently, his tone growing increasingly cold: "Really nothing? For example, nothing about your lover, Yu Yao?"

Lu Ze was startled; his division commander did indeed know about his transfer of personnel files.

He had already made his decision from the moment he left home.

He believed Yu Yao, believed the reasons she gave for transmigrating into the book, and believed that she could withstand investigation.

"Reporting to the commander, there is indeed none."

Commander Zheng slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Lu Ze, do you know what you're saying? Look at the medals on my desk and answer my question again."

Lu Ze's gaze fell on the medals: "Reporting to the division commander, there are indeed none."

Since he believed in her, Lu Ze didn't just talk the talk; he was willing to risk his future to protect her.

He would share all the consequences with her, even if it meant paying the price with his life.

"Then tell me what this is?" Commander Zheng took a document out of the drawer and placed it in front of Lu Ze.

Lu Ze picked it up and looked at it; his pupils contracted slightly.

The first page prominently displays the file retrieval record.

"Lu Ze, tell me, why did you pull up Comrade Yu Yao's file for no reason?"

Lu Ze put down the documents, his expression calm and his eyes gentle: "Commander, you know that Yu Yao's birthday is in a little over two months. I've never been there for her birthday in the past. This is the first birthday she's celebrated with me since we got married, and also the first birthday she's celebrated since she came to the island with the military."

“I wanted to give her an unforgettable birthday. I checked her file to find out if she had any regrets or wishes in the past, so I could prepare a surprise for her.”

That's true; one of his purposes in requesting the personnel file was to do so.

"Is it that simple?" Commander Zheng didn't speak, his sharp, thunderous gaze fixed on Lu Ze.

Having known Lu Ze for so many years, how could Commander Zheng not know whether he was lying or not?

Lu Ze replied, "Yes."

Division Commander Zheng glanced at Lu Ze, but said nothing. "Alright, I understand. You may leave."

Lu Ze may not have lied, but he must be hiding something.

Water that is too clear has no fish.

Everyone has their own secrets, which is normal. No matter what Lu Ze is hiding, as long as he is confirmed to be no danger to the army, he will not ask any more questions.

After Lu Ze left.

Commander Zheng sat in the chair, his craving for a cigarette kicking in. He reached into his pocket and found only a deflated cigarette box.

That old woman, she's secretly hiding his cigarettes again.

Commander Zheng sighed, took the remaining cigarette butt from the ashtray, lit it again, and started smoking.

He took a few puffs and stubbed out his cigarette. He picked up the phone and dialed that special number: "Have you got any results on what I asked you to investigate?"

"We have the results. I have already sent the encrypted files to the island."

"Okay, I understand."

Family compound.

After finishing breakfast, Yu Yao glanced at the time.

Why hasn't he come back yet?

Today is the Lantern Festival. The two of them had agreed to go to the pier together to pick up someone. There were only half an hour left before Hu Lingyu and her group's ship arrived at the island.

As they were talking, they saw Lu Ze appear on the pebble path outside the courtyard gate. Yu Yao glanced at his expression.

Although Lu Ze's expression remained calm as always, it was obvious that the worry between his brows had lessened, and he no longer seemed as heavy as before, exuding a sense of ease.

"Is the matter resolved?" Yu Yao asked.

Lu Ze reached out and ruffled her hair. "Hmm, it's resolved. I borrowed a jeep today. Let's go to the dock."

Yu Yao called out to him, "Wait, you go get your bicycle first, I'll go inside for a bit."

Lu Ze went outside to wait for Yu Yao in the car.

A minute later, Yu Yao got into the passenger seat with an aluminum lunchbox. "You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? This is a beef and egg pancake, it's still warm. Have some to tide you over. Then we'll set off."

Lu Ze took the aluminum lunchbox, opened it, and saw the golden and fragrant beef and egg pancakes inside. He felt a surge of warmth in his heart. "Thank you, Ayao, for thinking of me."

Yu Yao blushed and looked away. "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm not feeling sorry for you. I'm just repaying you for making me fried rice with eggs."

She hadn't forgotten that the two were still in a cold war, and she wouldn't forgive him so easily until he apologized.

Lu Ze quickly finished the two beef and egg pancakes, praising how delicious they were as he ate.

Yu Yao couldn't help but smile, but she pretended to be cold and said, "There's hot water in the kettle. If you eat it with the pancake, don't choke on it, or I can't afford to pay for it."

Lu Ze swallowed the biscuit in his mouth and suddenly moved closer to Yu Yao.

Yu Yao instinctively leaned back, bumping into the seat back. With nowhere to retreat, she looked at Lu Ze's face so close to hers, her eyes filled with panic. "What are you going to do?"

She was so close that if she moved forward just a little, she could touch his nose.

Lu Ze lifted her chin. "Am I an old person?"

Yu Yao thought he was going to do something else, but it turned out he was just concerned about the words "old man".

Who would have thought that Commander Lu, who was always confident and calm, would one day have to live a life of hardship due to his age?

Yu Yao found it amusing, but pretended to be calm and pushed him away. "You're seven years older than me. There's a generation gap every three years, so there are more than two generations between us. What else could you be but an old man? I didn't say anything wrong."

Lu Ze clearly wasn't going to let her off so easily. He suddenly brought his face close to her ear, his hot breath brushing against Yu Yao's ear.

Her face flushed, and then she heard Lu Ze's deep voice in her ear: "I'm an old man, so what is A Yao? A little old lady?"

Just as Yu Yao was about to retort, she suddenly felt something soft on her ear. Someone had taken the opportunity to kiss her ear and whispered in her ear:

"Ah Yao, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have doubted you. Please forgive me."

For some reason, Yu Yao's eyes suddenly reddened when she heard his sincere apology.

All the worries, anxieties, and sadness from not being trusted that I had been trying to keep calm these past few days exploded at this moment. I felt extremely wronged.

Tears, like shattered silver, fell in a steady stream.

A pang of heartache flashed in Lu Ze's eyes as he reached out to wipe away her tears. "Ayao, it's my fault. I'm such a jerk. I shouldn't have made you sad and hurt you."

Yu Yao buried her face in his chest and cried for a while before her emotions calmed down.

She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "I'll let it go this time, but if you do it again next time, I won't forgive you."

"good."

Yu Yao wiped away her tears. "It's getting late, let's go."

Lu Ze nodded, picked up the seatbelt, and fastened it for her.

The two were so close that from the outside it looked as if they were kissing.

When Commander Lei finished eating and came out, he saw the jeep and thought it was there to pick him up. Just as he was about to go over, Su Meihua pulled him behind a tree and hid him.

Why are you pulling me?

Su Meihua glared at him, gestured with her chin toward the car seat, and whispered, "Are you a blockhead? You have eyes but don't know how to see."