The bitter smile on Gu Chenzhou’s lips deepened at the memory.
…She likes refined, gentle men.
And he wasn’t one.
So that night, had Lin Yuqing mistaken him for Zhong Shuwen?
A cold chuckle cut through the air.
Hearing it, Lin Huaiyuan turned toward him, his heart tightening.
Disbelief flashed across his face.
His little sister had run away with a man?
Then this wasn’t just about fleeing the wedding…
There might be something more.
He didn’t dare continue the thought.
He knew Zhong Shuwen.
The young man had been Lin Yuqing’s neighbor, attended the same high school as her, and had accompanied Su Jinjin to their house several times when they came to invite her out.
At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it.
Who could have imagined this?
Caught between his best friend and his little sister, Lin Huaiyuan was furious beyond words.
“Chenzhou, don’t jump to conclusions yet. Tomorrow I’ll bring her back and get the full story.”
“Mm.”
Gu Chenzhou lowered his gaze and responded quietly, revealing nothing of his emotions.
Lin Huaiyuan’s heart skipped.
After swallowing nervously, he asked,
“…You didn’t ask me out here because you want to cancel the engagement, did you?”
The marriage application had already been approved.
The entire military compound—and practically the whole army—knew about the upcoming wedding.
If the engagement were broken now, regardless of the reason, Lin Yuqing’s reputation would suffer.
And what if this really was his sister’s fault?
The Lin family would never shamelessly shift responsibility onto the groom.
So the engagement could not be called off.
Lin Huaiyuan stared at Gu Chenzhou, his jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.
The white smoke from the cigarette curled between them and slowly drifted away.
Gu Chenzhou stood motionless like a statue, eyes lowered.
Lin Huaiyuan tightened his fists and waited anxiously.
Leaves rustled in the night breeze.
After a long silence, Gu Chenzhou finally moved.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
When he lifted his eyes, they were bloodshot, yet filled with unwavering determination.
Looking into the distance, he said hoarsely,
“I won’t cancel it.”
“Don’t worry.”
The cry of cicadas filled the summer night.
Light from the living room spilled through the doorway and landed across his shoulders.
Lin Huaiyuan watched his chest rise and fall heavily before he continued,
“Bring her back.”
“The wedding will proceed as planned.”
At the Gu residence, the elderly couple were also unable to sleep because of their son’s marriage.
“I don’t care what other people say. I adore that girl from the Lin family.”
“What spoiled? That’s just nonsense people make up because they’re jealous.”
“Besides, plenty of people in the compound already look down on us. As long as our son is happy and I’m happy, who cares what they say? We’ll just shut the door and live our own lives.”
As she massaged her husband’s legs, Madam Gu smiled warmly.
Five years ago, their family had moved into the military compound.
At the time, Father Gu had merely been Commander Lin’s personal guard, holding the rank of battalion commander.
At his age, promotions were unlikely. His physical condition was declining, and he had been preparing to transfer to an office position.
Before that transfer could happen, a special operation changed everything.
While protecting Commander Lin, Father Gu suffered a severe injury.
His spine was damaged.
The doctors declared that he would never stand again.
To recognize his sacrifice, the military granted him a special promotion to regimental commander and arranged for the family to move into the military compound so he could recover.
He was the first officer ever admitted there because of a disability.
Many residents secretly looked down on them.
Madam Gu saw through it all and never cared.
The family of three lived peacefully enough.
As the couple chatted, Madam Gu suddenly heard movement downstairs.
At this hour?
She got out of bed and opened the door.
At the same moment, Gu Chenzhou was climbing the stairs.
Mother and son were equally surprised to see one another.
“Mom, why are you still awake?”
He glanced into the room.
“Is Dad’s leg hurting again?”
Because of nerve damage, the doctors had warned that phantom pain was something every patient would endure.
“No.”
Father Gu shook his head.
“Your mother’s just excited about your wedding. We’ve been talking.”
Madam Gu, always attentive, immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Why did you come home in the middle of the night? Did something happen? Is it Yuqing—”
“Nothing happened.”
Gu Chenzhou shook his head.
“I’m off tomorrow, so I thought I’d come back and see you two.”
Only then did she relax.
“Then go get some sleep. Tomorrow, take Yuqing shopping.”
She hurried him along.
Gu Chenzhou nodded tiredly.
He pushed open the bedroom door.
A sea of red greeted him.
Red paper-cut decorations.
Red flower vases.
Matching red cups on the bedside table.
Aside from the red wedding bedding that had yet to be put on, everything else had already been prepared.
Most families in the compound lived together in crowded homes.
The Gu family consisted of only three people.
Gu Chenzhou was an only child.
Before they moved in, Madam Gu had knocked down the wall between two rooms, giving him an unusually large bedroom.
He had never thought much about it before.
Standing in the doorway now, however, he felt the room was unbearably empty.
The emptiness stirred endless anxiety inside him.
Why had he come home in the middle of the night?
Because he had a dream.
Everything in the dream was exactly the same as reality.
But more than that—
He saw the future.
He saw Lin Yuqing run away with Zhong Shuwen.
He saw himself find her and force the wedding to proceed.
He saw that Lin Yuqing was never happy after marriage.
At first she rejected his touch.
Later she insisted on living separately.
He fulfilled every request she made.
All he wanted was for her to be happy.
Yet she never was.
Like a delicate flower raised in a greenhouse, she visibly withered day by day.
He gave her the greatest freedom and the most comfortable life he could provide.
And in the end, it led to disaster.
The blood-soaked scene in the dream had felt horrifyingly real.
Gu Chenzhou woke up drenched in sweat.
He sat on the dormitory bed for more than half an hour before finally separating dream from reality.
The military barracks were quiet at night.
The windows had been polished spotless.
In the moonlight, he stared at his reflection in the glass.
His gaze settled on the bite mark on his left shoulder, where a fresh scab had formed.
Lin Yuqing had left that mark on him that night.
In both lifetimes, she had bitten him in the exact same place.
And she had said the exact same words:
“I agree to marry you, but after we’re married, we stay out of each other’s lives. I won’t do housework, but I’ll manage the money.”
Just like in the dream, he had been overjoyed, believing she had finally accepted him.
Now he understood.
It had merely been an excuse to lower everyone’s guard.
The snores of his sleeping comrades rose and fell around him.
The dream left him deeply unsettled.
Needing confirmation, he had driven back from camp overnight.
Lin Huaiyuan feared he would break off the engagement.
No.
He never would.
On the drive home, he had already made up his mind.
Even if the dream was real—
He would still keep Lin Yuqing by his side.
He would protect her peace and safety for the rest of her life.
Dawn broke.
Lin Yuqing was the first person in the household to wake up.
A sharp scream echoed through the apartment building.
The sparrows dozing in the trees took flight in a startled black cloud.
In the corridor, Aunt Li had just returned from the market.
The scream startled her.
Grumbling under her breath, she shuffled toward the Su family’s door.
“What’s wrong with your family these past few days? Every day there’s some kind of commotion from morning till night—”
Her legs weren’t what they used to be, so she walked slowly.
When she reached the doorway, she froze.
The Su family’s front door was wide open.
The living room was a complete disaster.
“Good heavens!”
She let out a shriek and immediately backed away.
“Thieves! Thieves! Somebody come quick! The Su family’s been robbed!”
The apartment building had paper-thin walls.
The moment people heard the word thief, doors flew open all over the floor.
“Auntie, are you sure?”
“Where are Su Yong and Yang Lan? Why haven’t we heard anything from them?”
“Oh my God… they’re not dead in there, are they?”
Nobody dared enter.
Several quick-footed children threw on jackets and ran to the police station.
The adults gathered outside the Su family’s apartment but remained rooted in place.
“Su Yong! Yang Lan! Are you in there?”
Lin Yuqing waited inside for a while.
Only after hearing people calling did she leisurely emerge from the bedroom, fully dressed.
She yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
“Aunts, uncles, what are you all shouting about?”
“Oh dear! Your house has been robbed!”
Relieved to see someone alive and unharmed, the neighbors finally entered.
The three members of the Su family were shaken awake.
The moment they saw the wrecked apartment, they were stunned.
Instinctively, Su Yong looked at Yang Lan, his eyes full of blame.
“If you were going to steal, did you really have to tear the whole house apart?”
Yang Lan was even more confused than he was.
Not understanding his look, she assumed he had secretly acted during the night and was signaling her.
With an exaggerated gasp, she jumped out of bed and hurried toward Lin Yuqing.
“Yuqing, quick! Check whether anything is missing!”
“Something is missing.”
Lin Yuqing raised her eyes calmly.
“My money is gone.”
“What should we do? Call the police?”
“Of course we call the police!”
Su Yong immediately roared with righteous indignation.