Back Then, I Adored You

In the past, it could be said that she hardly had any interaction with Gu Yusheng, so it was unlikely he would know her.

How would he know me? I’ve hardly ever interacted with Gu Yusheng’s old comrades…

Puzzled, Qin Zhi’ai turned her head and looked at Gu Yusheng.

Still recovering from his serious wounds, Gu Yusheng could not drink alcohol and had replaced his drink of choice with water. He lifted a disposable cup and drank half of the water in it. He remained silent for a moment, before nodding his head at the man sitting across from them. “Yes.”

When Gu Yusheng acknowledged this, other than Qin Zhi’ai, who was increasingly curious, the other people around them also became curious. When the man sitting across from them realized that everyone was waiting for him to say something, he responded, “Well, back then, I’d only been in the army for a short period of time. We were learning how to shoot, and Captain Gu was the best in marksmanship. One time I spotted him fiddling with his gun while I was jogging in the field early in the morning. Out of curiosity, I sneaked a glance at his target. There was one word, “Xiao’ai,” on the bullet hole. I was just making a random guess. I didn’t expect myself to guess correctly…”

So that’s how he knew…

Qin Zhi’ai’s eyes were smiling as she cocked her head and looked toward Gu Yusheng, who knew that she was looking at him but still didn’t respond to her gaze. But she did notice a very faint red glow slowly creeping up from the root of his pale, fair ears.

After eating and drinking, people began preparing to leave the canteen. With the impending farewells, the atmosphere inevitably became slightly sad. Some of the words that were exchanged were well wishes, whereas others were of remembrance.

“When I leave this time, I probably will never return again in my lifetime. I will leave the important duty of protecting the country to you all who are staying behind. With this glass of alcohol, here’s a toast of respect to all of you!”

“I have defused 127 bombs so far, and I am just beginning. But if it were possible, I do wish that I would never have had to defuse one single bomb in my entire life.”

“I do not have any ambitious dreams. I only wish that I will meet my wife next year. And to meet all of you again one day!”

The toasts went on for several rounds, and Qin Zhi’ai could sense the amount of heartache and dedication that the men were sharing, while other family members in the room may not have sensed it. When the toasts ended, it was time to leave.

Gu Yusheng, who had maintained a lazy posture since the moment he had sat down, stood up and raised his glass of water, toasted one round to everyone around him, and then finished his drink in one gulp.

After everyone had placed their glasses down, someone asked Gu Yusheng to say something before he left. After deeply pondering for so long that everyone thought he would not be saying anything, Gu Yusheng began to speak. “I hope that everyone will stay alive and return home with honor.”

Stay alive…

These two simple words made everyone in the canteen turn silent. Behind the honor and glory of their occupation were life and blood. Staying alive was the most luxurious dream that they could have. Standing tall and straight, Gu Yusheng lifted his hand and gave a strong, standard military salute.

Subsequently, everyone in the canteen raised their hand and returned the exact same military salute. When his arm fell back down, Gu Yusheng did not speak a word more. Holding Qin Zhi’ai’s hand, he walked straight out of the canteen.

Once in the car, Qin Zhi’ai glanced at Gu Yusheng. He was staring straight ahead and appeared to have no intention of looking back. After the car had driven slowly for some distance, Qin Zhi’ai could not hold it in any further and turned her head back. The words that she had heard earlier in the canteen echoed in her ears once again, and then suddenly a saying flashed across her mind.

“Behind the peace and stability that we enjoy, there is someone bearing the weight and trudging forward in our place.”