Chapter 37: Belonging is not like a walk, but more like a short elopement...

The bright light spread all over the golden ground, reflecting on the rearview mirror of the military maglev vehicle, refracting into an elliptical bright spot.

Ji He sat in the driver's seat, occasionally turning his head to look at Huo Yubai beside him, and felt that he was surrounded by an incredible happiness.

Military vehicles drove out of the base gate with smooth traffic all the way, which seemed to indicate that this outing would go smoothly.

"Colonel, what are we going to do next?"

Huo Yubai straightened his sleeves and hid the positioning bracelet inside his coat. He was wearing casual clothes today and looked a lot younger.

"You don't have to call me Colonel when we're outside."

Ji He stared at the road ahead. When he heard this, he opened his mouth and said, "Then I'll call you by your name, okay?"

"Yu Bai."

His voice was clean and clear, like the shimmering surface of a lake under the moonlight. The slightly hesitant tone made the title even more alluring.

Colonel Huo turned his head, stared at the man's slightly red cheeks, and commented honestly: "So you sound so nice when you call my name."

"Don't make fun of me."

Ji He felt his ears getting hot. This was the first time he called someone like that in front of Huo Yubai.

"By the way, are you planning to go back to Planet Tong to take a look?"

Two days ago, he saw Ji He take out the suitcase and wipe it, and remembered that he had not yet taken his home visit leave.

"I haven't been back for a long time. I want to visit the place where I used to live."

Huo Yubai remembered Ji He's information database. The columns for father and mother were blank. Only the three words "Ji Mingtang" were written in the emergency contact. He didn't know who he was.

"Colonel, can you accompany me to the Tong Planet?"

Huo Yubai nodded first, then said: "But not right now, let's wait until the situation gets better."

Although the virus is currently only spreading on the desert planet, there is no guarantee what the group behind it will do next.

I don’t know why, but Huo Yubai always feels that everything is not that simple.

Ji He hummed softly, touched the positioning bracelet on his wrist, and said nothing more.

Alpha looked at Beta's profile and continued, "I think I went to Tong Planet when I was still in school. At that time, it was not as well developed as it is now."

Ji He's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked tentatively, "Are we going to play?"

Huo Yubai shook his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "It can be considered as running away from home."

"I was actually quite confused at that time, and I even saved a child on the Tong planet."

"Later, something happened to my mother and Lingyue, so I rushed back."

Ji He was stunned. It turned out that Huo Yubai did not leave without saying goodbye, but it was just something sudden. He felt a little sympathy in his heart.

"And then?"

"After returning home, I fell seriously ill."

“Thinking about myself at that time, I was so naive and ridiculous.”

When Colonel Huo said this, he did not show any vulnerability, and his tone was calm.

"Now that child has grown up, I wonder if he still remembers his dream."

Ji He lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and answered silently in his heart: "He remembers, he always remembers, and he will remember forever."

After several years, when Ji He saw Huo Yubai again, he wondered whether the other party would recognize him at first sight.

But life is not a clichéd plot in a movie. They would not have stared at each other from eight cameras, and Colonel Huo would never have thought that the stubborn child would really fulfill his original promise.

Ji He did not feel any regret about this. He would just take firm steps one after another towards the person he loved until the other person could look at him.

"arrive."

The military vehicle slowly drove into the underground parking lot.

Beta followed behind Alpha, coming out from the darker place, and the view became wider and wider as they walked.

Beta, wearing a cheongsam, came over and said to them, "Gentlemen, please follow me."

The receptionist led them to the window, where there were five lacquered screens, which preserved the privacy of dining while not affecting the guests' view along the window.

Huo Yubai pulled out a chair for Ji He and waited for him to sit down before returning to his own seat.

In the Great Galactic Age when nutritional supplements were rampant, only a few catering companies were able to survive, most of which were high-end restaurants.

Ji He looked at the retro and elegant decoration around him. Apart from him and the colonel, there were only two or three tables of guests. He guessed that the price should be high.

"What are you thinking about?"

Ji He raised his eyes and replied, "Why did you choose this place?"

While they were talking, a waiter served them hot tea and seasonal fruits.

Colonel Huo held the teacup lightly in his hand, but did not drink. He replied slowly, "Didn't you say that?"

"I?"

"The vegetarian restaurant you mentioned is owned by the same owner as this one. I thought you might like it."

No wonder I feel this decoration style is a bit familiar.

Ji He felt a warm feeling when he thought that the other person took his words to heart.

"But this restaurant doesn't specialize in vegetarian food. The menu is more diverse and more suitable for dates."

"Um."

Ji He couldn't help but lower his head. The fact that he and Huo Yubai were on a date would make any dish delicious.

The live piano music passed through the screen and reached here. The soothing and gentle melody made Ji He wish that time would freeze at this moment.

"This is our amber glass honey..."

Each dish is presented very delicately. You can’t guess what ingredients it is made of just by listening to the name, but every bite is indeed delicious.

The only drawback is that the dining environment here is too quiet, and Ji He is too embarrassed to speak.

Fortunately, after he finished one dish, he would move on to the next one, and his mouth never stopped eating.

Huo Yubai stared at the person opposite him and found that when Ji He ate something that suited his taste, he would nod unconsciously and his eyebrows would move upwards, like a little child.

But Ji He was indeed very young, at least younger than himself.

After finishing the meal, Colonel Huo settled the bill and took the elevator down with Ji He.

Maybe it was because he had just eaten a full meal, Ji He felt a little dizzy and felt so happy that he just wanted to sleep.

He was gradually feeling sleepy and didn't want to get in the car, so he reached out and tugged at the corner of Colonel Huo's clothes.

Huo Yubai paused, turned around to look at Ji He, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I feel a little dizzy."

I've heard of people getting blood sickness and motion sickness, but this is the first time I've seen someone getting food sickness.

"Do you have any plans for later?"

Huo Yubai actually booked a nearby holographic movie theater, but he didn't mind the other party changing the original schedule, so he replied: "What do you want to do?"

"I want to take a walk."

Before going out, Huo Yubai searched for what was nearby and remembered that there was a pedestrian street here, so he nodded.

The two walked side by side, exchanging each other's pace, wasting time aimlessly along the street.

Alpha's hand quietly climbed up Beta's, first lightly touching the back of the hand, and then hooking each other's fingers.

Until the two positioning bracelets touched each other and made a sound.

This untimely sound seemed to remind them that happiness also has a time limit.

It wasn't like a walk, but more like a brief elopement.

There were more people on the pedestrian street than they had imagined, and there seemed to be a market ahead that stretched as far as the eye could see.

Ji He was used to hiding in the crowd, but at this moment someone held his hand, and he suddenly felt like he had a place of belonging.

No matter how crowded the crowd is, there will always be a pair of arms holding yours.

This is a common experience for ordinary people, but it is the first time for Ji He.

“This workers’ market is so lively.”

"There are so many people there, is there anything fun?"

"It smells so good. I want to eat this."

Various sounds surrounded them. Most of the stalls sold small handmade items, such as incense, tableware, fabrics, and accessories.

These things were too far away from military life. Ji He would occasionally see something interesting, pick it up and then put it down again.

"Baby, I want this."

A Beta couple walked up to them, and the girl pointed at the earring that Ji He had just picked up and said to the boy.

"Okay, I'll buy it for you."

It was a feather-shaped earring, which was different from the blessing earrings on Tong Planet. It did not have real feathers, but was made of broken diamonds into the shape of feathers, which was delicate and small.

Colonel Huo came up to Ji He and asked, "Do you want it?"

Ji He took one look at the shockingly expensive price tag and felt it was not worth it, so he shook his head.

"Let's go a little further."

There was a stall that looked particularly deserted. No merchandise had yet been placed on the grey, bare cloth. The stall owner was wearing an especially loose robe and had her back to the customers passing by.

Ji He, who was about to move forward, suddenly stopped. Huo Yubai looked forward in the direction he was looking.

I saw the female stall owner hanging up a wooden fortune-telling sign, which was blown by the wind and hit the corner of the table in the stall.

He was not mistaken, that person was none other than Ji Mingtang.

Ji He walked quickly forward, his breathing becoming a little rapid due to excitement. The more he wanted to see the other person clearly, the more nervous he became.

Since Ji He was admitted to the capital star, Ji Mingtang entrusted the orphanage to the elders of the clan and began his wandering life.

She didn't have much money, so she had done feng shui reading for wealthy people and worked as a handyman in various places. The small stall in front of her was provided to her by her previous employer.

Huo Yubai didn't know her, he only knew that Ji He let go of his hand for some reason and walked towards the female Beta.

"Dean Ji."

Ji Mingtang raised her eyes when she heard the voice and saw Ji He walking towards her, with a man next to him whom she had never seen before.

"Ji He, why are you here?"

The copper coins in the Taoist female's hand fell onto the cloth, making a few crisp sounds.

"Dean, it's me."

Huo Yubai stood silently by the side. When he heard Ji He call the female Taoist priest "Dean Ji", he suddenly thought of the emergency contact.

"I was wondering why my eyelids kept twitching when I went out today. It turns out it was a sign."

Ji Mingtang stood up from his seat, his eyes filled with the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

"Who is this?"

Ji He turned his head and glanced at Huo Yubai, thought for a moment, and introduced him in a low voice: "This is Colonel Huo Yubai."

"Hello."

Alpha said as he held out his hand.

Ji Mingtang smiled and said, "Hello, Colonel Huo."

"I think I've heard your name somewhere."