Seeing her about to move him, Han Qingmo quickly spoke up to stop her. “Comrade, it’s a bit inconvenient for me right now. As you can see, these are gunshot wounds. Could you please not alert the rest of the village? Maybe get your brother or father—someone strong—to carry me down the mountain?”
He Yanchu’s heart skipped a beat. I was so distracted by his good looks that I forgot to check his identity! she thought.
Fixing a stiff smile on her face, she asked, “And may I ask, Comrade, why exactly is it inconvenient?”
Seeing how quickly her expression changed, Han Qingmo had a strong gut feeling that if he didn’t come clean, this woman really might just leave him there to rot.
Enduring the searing pain, he reached into his innermost layer of clothing and painstakingly pulled out a military ID, handing it to He Yanchu.
“This is my military identification. My name is Han Qingmo, I’m 20 years old, and I’m a soldier. I was wounded on a mission that I can’t discuss. For now, I can’t reveal my status or the fact that I’m injured. I need your help to keep this quiet. Once I’ve recovered, I’ll find a way to repay you.”
He Yanchu took the ID and examined it closely. When she saw the rank listed as Battalion Commander, she was secretly thrilled. Her “future boyfriend” was looking better by the second.
Not only is he exactly my type, but he’s a soldier too! she mused. And he’s clearly successful if he’s already a Battalion Commander at his age. Truly a match made in heaven!
Her grin was so wide it nearly reached her ears, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons. She handed the ID back and asked in a coy, sweet voice, “So, Comrade Han, which month were you born in?”
Han Qingmo was baffled. He had no idea why she was asking such a thing.
Nevertheless, he patiently replied, “Isn’t it written on the ID? July.”
“Oh! I didn’t catch that. Well, my name is He Yanchu. We were born in the same year, but I was born in June. That means you have to call me Jiejie!” She gave him a playful, somewhat roguish wink, blinking her eyes with exaggerated affectation.
Looking at this “femme fatale” who was clearly out of her depth with her own flirting, Han Qingmo found himself thinking she was incredibly cute.
A sudden, powerful impulse to marry her and take her home surged within him. Han Qingmo, who usually found women a nuisance, suddenly wanted nothing more than to stay by her side.
He forced what he thought was a charming smile and said hoarsely, “Comrade He, I think I’ll stick to ‘Comrade He.’ I have enough sisters at home. Or, if you don’t mind… how about I call you Chuchu?”
He Yanchu’s eyes lit up. “Sure! I don’t mind at all. I actually quite like you. You said you wanted to repay me, right? I’ll head down the mountain now and get my two cousins to carry you back to my house to recover. But in exchange, I want you to ‘repay’ me with your hand in marriage. What do you think, Comrade Han?”
Han Qingmo asked, slightly unsure, “You want me to marry you?”
“Mm-hmm,” she hummed. “Why? Unwilling?”
Han Qingmo thought to himself: She’s direct. I like that. We really are a perfect match.
He immediately replied, “How could I be unwilling? One should always repay a life-saving debt with their body!”
The moment the words left his mouth, He Yanchu smiled radiantly. “You agreed too fast! You haven’t even asked about my family or anything else…”
“I’ve always been a good judge of character, and I’m not wrong about my future wife,” Han Qingmo said, a grin tugging at his lips despite the pain. “Besides… didn’t I just say I’d repay you? A real man keeps his word. I’m marrying you!”
He Yanchu knelt down and gently poked his shoulder. “Hey, I’m being serious. When I say ‘marrying,’ I mean the whole deal—wedding, kids, the works. Think it over before you commit. Even if you say no, I won’t leave you stranded; you’re a soldier, after all.”
“Chuchu,” Han Qingmo said weakly, “I am agreeing to marry you and have children. But… maybe we should stop talking about this for a second. If we wait any longer, I’m worried I won’t live long enough to become your husband!”
“Oh my gosh!” He Yanchu snapped back to reality. She had been so caught up in the conversation she’d forgotten he was bleeding out. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? You were talking so normally I forgot you were nearly dying!”
Panicked, she hurriedly dragged him behind a thick patch of grass to hide him. “Wait right here. I’m going to get my cousins to carry you down.”
Han Qingmo was speechless. Did this woman think he was made of steel? He was gravely injured, and she was dragging him across the ground!
Taking a deep breath to block out the pain, he whispered, “Thank you… Chuchu. My life is precious, so for the sake of our future marriage, please hurry back. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on!”
He Yanchu handed him her military canteen. “Don’t worry, I’m not about to let a handsome guy like you die out here in the wild. I’ll be back in a flash. I haven’t touched this water; keep it.”
Han Qingmo took the canteen and tried to open it. He was parched, but seeing she only had one bottle, he hadn’t felt right asking for a drink.
“Sss—!” He hissed as the movement sent a jolt of pain through him.
“Look at the state you’re in! Why didn’t you just ask me to open it instead of trying to be a hero?” He Yanchu snatched the canteen back and twisted the cap off for him.
As he took the water, he reached out and caught her wrist, looking at her with an innocent expression. “Chuchu, I just forgot I had a wife now! Don’t be mad.”
He Yanchu pulled her hand away as if she’d been electrocuted. “I… let’s just focus on the problem at hand. I’m going down now. You stay put and be good…”
“Chuchu, are you blushing?” Han Qingmo asked with a teasing glint in his eyes.
He Yanchu looked up to retort, but her gaze locked with his. Looking at his roguish, rugged expression, she almost forgot how to breathe.
This man is way too charming! her inner voice screamed.
Taking a breath to steady herself, she said honestly, “Fine… maybe a little. But it’s your fault for being so handsome!”
Before he could respond, she waved at him. “I’m going! Be patient, see you soon!”
She turned to leave, then looked back one last time to nag him. “Don’t move around! I’ll be back before you know it!”
Han Qingmo watched her hurried departure, his lips curling into an unconscious smile.
He touched the wound on his leg and muttered to himself, “Getting shot… might actually have been worth it this time.”