When Su Huaijin woke up, her eyes felt sore and swollen—the aftermath of crying far too hard the day before.
Still half-asleep, she rolled over and instinctively reached toward the other side of the bed.
Cold.
“Cheng Beitang?”
She shot upright, panic rising in her chest for no reason at all. Surely that man hadn’t changed his mind overnight and secretly written a report to send her away?
“You’re awake?”
A deep, mellow voice came from the doorway.
Su Huaijin looked up.
Cheng Beitang was sitting on a small stool by the door, holding that military dagger of his… sharpening a pencil?
No, not a pencil. It looked more like an eyebrow pencil.
Today he wore a clean white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, exposing a strong, toned forearm. Sunlight fell across his sharply defined profile, softening some of his usual intimidating aura and replacing it with the warm feeling of domestic life.
“What… what are you doing?” Su Huaijin asked while rubbing her eyes.
Cheng Beitang never stopped moving the blade. The dagger that had killed wolves and tasted blood now behaved obediently in his hand like a makeup knife, shaving the black wooden stick into a fine point.
“I noticed your eyebrow pencil broke.”
Without even lifting his head, he spoke casually, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
“There happened to be a piece of burnt willow charcoal around, so I made you one. Try it and see if it works.”
Su Huaijin froze.
Yesterday, while crying, she really had knocked over her makeup bag, and her favorite imported eyebrow pencil had snapped in two.
She never expected this rough but attentive man to notice.
Cheng Beitang blew away the wood shavings from the tip, stood up, and handed her the simple handmade “willow charcoal eyebrow pencil.”
“You can’t buy the fancy stuff you like around here. Make do with this for now. Once the roads reopen, I’ll go into the city and buy you a new one.”
Su Huaijin accepted the pencil, her fingertips brushing against his warm palm.
It felt as though someone had poured honey into her heart, sweet enough to bubble over.
“Cheng Beitang.”
She tilted her head up, her peach blossom eyes curving into crescents, her voice soft and sweet.
“You’re so good at taking care of people. How come you never had a wife before?”
Cheng Beitang stiffened, the tips of his ears turning suspiciously red.
Keeping a stern face, he answered gruffly, “That’s because my standards were high. I didn’t like any of them.”
“Oh?” Su Huaijin held back a laugh, deliberately teasing him. “Then why do you like me now? Because I’m pretty?”
Cheng Beitang looked down at her.
The woman wore a silk nightdress, her hair a complete mess like a bird’s nest, her eyes swollen like walnuts. She looked utterly unpresentable.
And yet he felt that every scenery in his life paled in comparison to this moment before him.
“Yeah.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he answered honestly.
“You’re beautiful. Like a fox spirit.”
Su Huaijin blushed and threw a pillow at him. “You’re the fox spirit!”
Cheng Beitang caught the pillow one-handed, the corner of his lips lifting into the faintest smile.
“Enough fooling around. Hurry up and wash your face. I’m taking you to the mess hall.”
The moment food was mentioned, Su Huaijin’s stomach growled on cue.
She lifted the blanket to get out of bed, but suddenly paused.
Her eyes landed on the corner of the table.
There, the divorce application that had nearly been crumpled to pieces still lay alone. The bright red fingerprints on it were painfully glaring.
Su Huaijin’s expression sharpened.
Barefoot, she jumped off the bed, strode over, and snatched up the paper.
“Cheng Beitang, lend me a light.”
He had been about to fetch water, but when he saw what she was holding, his eyes darkened instantly.
Without a word, he pulled a matchbox from his pocket, struck a match, and handed it to her.
The flame flickered in the morning breeze.
Without the slightest hesitation, Su Huaijin brought the fire to the corner of the paper.
Fsssh—
The flames instantly devoured it.
Black ashes fluttered through the air like dark butterflies before drifting to the ground and disappearing completely.
Watching the paper that had nearly sent her away turn to ash, the lingering sense of unreality in Su Huaijin’s heart finally settled.
She dusted the ashes off her hands, turned to Cheng Beitang, and smiled brightly and boldly.
“Alright then, Commander Cheng.”
“From now on, we’re tied together for good. Whether you live or die, whether you’re rich or poor, you’ll never get rid of me.”
Cheng Beitang looked at her, his deep eyes surging with scorching emotion.
He tossed aside the burnt matchstick, strode forward, grabbed the back of her head, and planted a firm kiss on her smooth forehead.
Warm.
Carrying his familiar scent of tobacco.
“You won’t get the chance to regret this in this lifetime.”
His voice was hoarse, sounding both like a vow and a dangerous declaration.
…
“Aiya, I’m not walking!”
Ten minutes later, on the path through the family housing compound—
Su Huaijin clutched Cheng Beitang’s shirt and stubbornly refused to move.
She had changed into a different outfit today: a white blouse tied at the waist to reveal her slender figure, paired with a navy blue skirt and little leather shoes. Stylish and flattering.
But at the moment, the fashionable young lady was frowning as she pointed at her feet.
“My feet hurt! We walked so far yesterday, and my heels are all blistered. I can’t walk anymore!”
Cheng Beitang stopped helplessly and looked back at her.
“It’s only a few more steps. The mess hall is just two hundred meters ahead.”
“Two hundred meters is still walking!”
Su Huaijin spoke with complete confidence, spreading her arms like a child begging for candy.
“I want a piggyback ride! Or… I want to ride on your shoulders!”
Ride on his shoulders?
Cheng Beitang’s face darkened instantly.
If the men in his unit saw this, what would happen to the authority of the infamous cold-faced commander?
“Su Huaijin, enough,” he lectured sternly. “This is the military. Watch your behavior.”
“I won’t!”
Pouting, Su Huaijin’s eyes turned red in an instant as she slipped fully into dramatic mode.
“Owww… my feet hurt so much… They must be infected now… Wuwuwu, my husband doesn’t love me anymore. Yesterday you said you’d give me your life, and today you won’t even carry me…”
Cheng Beitang: “…”
He took a deep breath, feeling his temples throb.
This woman really had him completely cornered.
He glanced around.
Everyone had already gone to the mess hall. The road was empty.
“Get on.”
Accepting defeat, Cheng Beitang turned around and crouched down.
Su Huaijin instantly stopped fake crying and cheered. Like a light little butterfly, she leaped onto his broad, sturdy back.
“Giddy up! Faster, Commander Cheng!”
Her arms wrapped around his neck as she giggled beside his ear, warm breaths brushing against his skin.
Cheng Beitang’s body stiffened slightly. Then he reached back and supported her thighs before standing steadily.
She weighed almost nothing.
Too thin.
He needed to feed her properly, make her soft and healthy and rounder.
As Cheng Beitang quietly planned this in his head, his footsteps remained steady and firm.
“Stop moving around. If you fall and turn stupid, I’m not taking responsibility.”
“That’ll never happen! Cheng Beitang is the steadiest!”
Lying against his back, Su Huaijin watched the fine beads of sweat forming along his neck, her heart overflowing with security.
This was her man.
As steady as a mountain—someone who could shoulder the weight of his country and still bend down to carry all her spoiled little whims.