Chapter 105 I've Never Considered You My Sister

Song Yiqiu squinted for a moment, then chuckled softly, her voice tinged with drunkenness:

"Zhang Heze? You busy man, what brings you here today to climb over my wall?"

Zhang Heze walked up to her, looked down at her, and his gaze swept over her:

"I just heard that our mighty General Song almost lost his life while trying to break the ropes and tame the tiger at the autumn hunt."

"I came here specifically to check if all the parts are complete, if anything is missing, so I can find someone to make you a new one later."

As he spoke, he bent down and tried to help Song Yiqiu up from the ground.

Upon touching her, he felt her body was limp and much heavier than usual, and he couldn't help but frown.

"Tsk, drinking so much? I've never seen you drink this much, not even when you were competing with those rough guys in the army camp. Did something incredibly happy happen today? Or... are you drowning your sorrows in alcohol?"

With his help, Song Yiqiu managed to sit up a little straighter, looked up at him, her eyes blurry with drunkenness, but a genuine smile rarely appeared on her lips, and she mumbled:

"A beautiful time...the moonlight...close friends...two of them just left, isn't this a joyous occasion?"

Seeing her unusually dazed state, Zhang Heze's heart stirred slightly. He didn't force her to help him up, but instead sat down beside her and naturally took the half-full pot of wine from her hands.

"Since it's a joyous occasion, there should be someone to drink with us."

As he spoke, he tilted his head back and took a large gulp from the spout of the kettle.

A little wine spilled from the corner of his lips, slid down his chin, and disappeared into the open lapel of his robe.

A glistening watermark was left on that partially visible, muscular chest.

"I'll drink with you. To be honest, it's been a long time since we've sat down like this and had a proper drink together."

He shook the wine jug, his tone tinged with nostalgia.

Song Yiqiu, slightly drunk, didn't mind his act of snatching the wine. Instead, she went along with him, half-closing her eyes and saying:

"Speaking of which... I'd like to introduce you to a business opportunity."

"oh?"

Zhang Heze raised an eyebrow.

"You know the second young lady of the Ruan family, Ruan Tianxin, right?"

Zhang Heze nodded:

"Qingzhu has already given me a general overview. Dealing with the Ruan family's mess isn't too difficult; it's just a matter of asset transfers and money laundering. However..."

He looked intently at Song Yiqiu.

"I, Zhang Heze, always have a reason for doing things. Without sufficient benefits, or... without General Song personally requesting it, why should I help her?"

Upon hearing this, Song Yiqiu, slightly drunk, raised her hand and lightly tapped his forehead, laughing and scolding:

"Slippery!"

After pondering for a moment, as if recalling something from a long time ago, he sighed.

"Zhang Heze... I remember you're about a year younger than me, right?"

When suddenly asked his age, Zhang Heze's eyes dimmed slightly, a bitter feeling welling up inside him. He tilted his head back and took another sip of wine before slowly saying:

"Yes. When I first joined the army, I heard that a genius general had been parachuted into the military, and she was a woman. I was young and impetuous at the time, and I didn't believe it, but..."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"On the first day of training, you mercilessly defeated me. I wasn't convinced, so I challenged you again on the second day, and... I was defeated again. That time, I was truly convinced."

He continued, with a hint of regret:

"It's just a pity... that a sudden change occurred in my family, and I had to leave the army early. Otherwise, I would have stayed by your side, fought alongside you, and returned from the frontier together."

Instead of being forced to protect her in the capital in this clandestine way, as is the case now.

Song Yiqiu sensed the melancholy in his words and paused for a moment:

“Heze, you know, whether in the military or now, I have always regarded you as my most trusted…brother.”

This was a subtle response to the feelings he had already expressed.

Zhang Heze paused, his hand holding the wine pot still.

He suddenly turned his head and looked intently into Song Yiqiu's eyes.

Under the moonlight, she let down her guard during the day, her long hair cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall, her face flushed with the red of wine, her eyes and brows as soft as if veiled by a thin layer of gauze.

Her mouth was slightly open, and the faint scent of locust blossom wine drifted gently with her breath, cool yet alluring.

As he stared at it, he became momentarily lost in thought.

The emotions that had been suppressed for so long, fueled by alcohol, could no longer be contained, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"But, Yiqiu..."

This was the first time he had called her by her name.

"I have never... considered you my older sister."

As soon as Zhang Heze finished speaking, before he could even see Song Yiqiu's reaction, he found that she had already leaned against the tree trunk, her breathing even and deep, as if she had fallen asleep.

Her eyes were closed, her face still flushed, she was both quiet and completely unguarded.

This sight made Zhang Heze chuckle, and the bitterness in his heart was somewhat relieved.

In the military camp, she was like the bright moon hanging high in the sky, dazzling and radiant. Unfortunately, the moon shines on everything, and it is no different for him than for others.

He sighed, lowered his head, and unconsciously moved slowly closer to her face, reaching out to tuck the stray hairs that had been ruffled by the wind behind her ear.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch his hair, a lazy voice came from the thick leaves of the locust tree above, teasingly saying:

"Lieutenant Zhang? Long time no see."

Zhang Heze froze, looked up abruptly, and followed the sound, his brows furrowing in surprise.

Xiao Yongjing was sitting on the thick tree trunk at some point, dressed in neat night clothes, holding a wine pot in his hand, and had already drunk half of it by himself.

He looked down at him with a relaxed posture and a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Your Highness?"

Zhang Heze suppressed his displeasure and spoke.

"In the dead of night, instead of resting in the Eastern Palace, why are you in the inner courtyard of the Song residence? Aren't you afraid of ruining General Song's reputation by being outside the women's quarters?"

Xiao Yongjing nimbly leaped down from the tree, landing silently.

He patted his robes, slowly approached, a smile playing on his lips:

"That's a question I should be asking you, Lieutenant Zhang?"

He glanced at the sleeping Song Yiqiu, then his gaze returned to Zhang Heze's face, deliberately changing the subject.

“My fifth sister, Princess Xingrong, has recently shown considerable interest in you. I’ve heard that she has a number of portraits of Lieutenant Zhang hidden in her palace, and even I have heard about it.”

Zhang Heze's expression remained unchanged as he subtly stood up and shielded Song Yiqiu.

“Your Highness, this is a private matter for me. Your Highness is of noble birth and has excellent taste. Unfortunately, I am unfortunate and already have someone I love. I am afraid I will have to disappoint Your Highness.”

"Let down?"

Xiao Yongjing chuckled and toyed with the wine pot in his hand.

"That's not necessarily true."

His words carried a deeper meaning, which made Zhang Heze even more displeased, but he did not want to argue with him about the princess.

Ignoring him, she squatted down, preparing to help Song Yiqiu up and take her back to her room.

However, a folding fan stood between him and Song Yiqiu, blocking his movements.