The two huddled together by the fire, slowly sipping their hot soup.
Su Tang looked at the bandage on Qin Ye's arm and asked softly:
"Qin Ye, when you were on missions in the army, did you often encounter dangers like tonight?"
Qin Ye paused in his soup-drinking motion, then looked up at Su Tang. Her eyes shone brightly in the firelight, filled with undisguised worry.
He was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice:
"It's alright. It's common for us soldiers to encounter some danger when we're on missions. Sometimes it's chasing spies who have crossed the border, sometimes it's dealing with emergencies on the border, and sometimes... we're patrolling in no man's land, where we encounter all sorts of wild animals, avalanches, swamps... There have certainly been times that were more dangerous than today."
He picked out what he could say and recounted a few fragments in a lighthearted manner.
For example, once when they were chasing an armed drug trafficker in a remote high-altitude area, they lay in ambush in the snow for two days and two nights in temperatures below minus thirty degrees Celsius, and almost froze into ice sculptures.
On another occasion, during a patrol, we encountered a rare blizzard with visibility less than half a meter. We almost got lost in the vast snowfield, but we managed to find our way out thanks to our compass and our strong will.
Listening to Qin Ye calmly recount those near-death experiences, which he described as relatively fortunate.
These experiences are remarkably similar to the days she spent navigating through gunfire in her previous life.
She felt the same way almost instantly.
She knew that every time he seemed to be alright, it might actually be a brush with death.
For the first time, she discovered how much she longed to understand another person, to learn the story behind his silence.
The temperature dropped sharply at night, and the mountain wind brought a biting chill.
Su Tang was only wearing a thin coat and couldn't help but shiver.
Qin Ye immediately noticed, and without saying a word, he took off his thick military overcoat and wrapped it around Su Tang.
"Hey, what are you doing! You're still injured! Put it on quickly!" Su Tang was anxious and wanted to return the military coat to him.
"I'm strong and I'm not afraid of the cold! Don't say anything more, hurry up and put it on!" Qin Ye pressed her hand down domineeringly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
But his eyes held a tenderness as he asked, "If you catch a cold, who will take care of me?"
The army coat still carried his distinctive scent of sunshine, enveloping her completely and making her feel warm and cozy.
Su Tang felt a warmth in her heart, and unable to refuse, she stopped insisting.
She silently pulled her coat tighter around herself, leaned on Qin Ye's shoulder, and felt the solid warmth and reassuring aura emanating from him.
Qin Ye looked down at Su Tang, who was nestled against him like a kitten.
Smelling the faint fragrance emanating from her hair, he unconsciously tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer into his embrace.
Qin Ye helped Su Tang adjust the collar of her coat, his fingertips unintentionally brushing against her slightly cool cheek.
Su Tang's body stiffened slightly, and her cheeks instantly felt hot, but she did not dodge.
She could clearly feel her heart pounding, thump-thump-thump, as if it were about to jump out of her throat.
"Qin Ye," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "does your wound... still hurt?"
Qin Ye shook his head, gazing at her face so close to his own. Her eyelashes trembled gently in the firelight, like two small fans.
His voice was a little hoarse as he suppressed some emotion: "It doesn't hurt anymore. With you here, it feels like... I'm not afraid of anything anymore."
This sentence, which came out almost spontaneously, surprised even Qin Ye himself.
The atmosphere became incredibly ambiguous in that instant.
Qin Ye felt his mouth go dry; the person in his arms was so soft and sweet.
He couldn't help but lower his head and slowly approach Su Tang's lips.
His breathing was heavy and hot, spraying onto Su Tang's cheeks and sending a shiver down her spine.
Su Tang did not dodge. Instead, she tilted her head back slightly, closed her eyes, and her long eyelashes trembled gently in the firelight.
She could clearly feel Qin Ye's lips, with a hint of awkwardness and hesitation, gently landing on her lips.
Soft and warm.
And his unique masculine hormones, mixed with the crisp scent of snow-capped mountains, instantly enveloped her.
Su Tang's heart skipped a beat at that moment.
Immediately, Qin Ye seemed to be encouraged by something, and the kiss, which started as a light touch, gradually became deeper.
He was somewhat inexperienced, yet full of strength, his movements fluid and persistent.
Su Tang subconsciously reached out and grabbed his collar.
Su Tang didn't know how long the kiss lasted.
All she knew was that when Qin Ye finally released her, slightly out of breath, her cheeks were burning hot enough to fry an egg, and her breathing was unsteady.
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