“My house is just up ahead. This is my cousin, Xiangnan, and this is my comrade Gu Chenzhou,” Lin Xiangdong said as he introduced them. He knew that Gu Chenzhou must be here on a mission—otherwise, who would travel this far during the New Year?
“Hello, Comrade Gu,” Lin Xiangnan greeted politely and then stepped aside, knowing that comrades might have something to discuss privately.
“Yes, I have some matters to attend to here. It’s not convenient to talk about it now. I’m staying at the guesthouse next to the Public Security Bureau for the next few days,” Gu Chenzhou replied. He hadn’t expected to run into Lin Xiangdong, who was on leave, so he just told him where he was staying.
“Xiangnan, you can go back and let Mom and Dad know. I’ve run into my comrade, and we need to discuss something,” Lin Xiangdong said.
“Alright, you two go ahead,” Lin Xiangnan said without further comment and left.
Once Lin Xiangnan was out of sight, Lin Xiangdong and Gu Chenzhou headed to the guesthouse together. They didn’t speak along the way, as it wasn’t convenient to talk outside.
At the guesthouse, after informing the front desk, they went straight to Gu Chenzhou’s room.
“Sit,” Gu Chenzhou said, pulling over the only chair in the room for Lin Xiangdong.
Having been through life-and-death situations together, they were brothers-in-arms. Now that the mission was complete, there was nothing to hide, so Gu Chenzhou told Lin Xiangdong about his assignment here.
It turned out that the group Gu Chenzhou had apprehended today was a criminal gang involved in overseas drug trafficking and the trafficking of women and children.
Their operations were extremely malicious, and they were skilled at evading detection. On several occasions, they had slipped away from local police, even framing some of the officers. Because of this, the special operations team led by Gu Chenzhou had been dispatched to track them down.
After locating their residence, they carefully planned and managed to capture the entire gang in one sweep. Whether the gang was exhausted from fleeing or relaxed their guard because it was New Year’s Eve and everyone was celebrating with family, they were apprehended without a single shot being fired.
Lin Xiangdong listened and, while admiring Gu Chenzhou, also felt some sympathy. Being on duty away from home during the New Year was not easy. It reminded him of his own past experiences. Thinking for a moment, he decided to invite Gu Chenzhou over for a New Year’s meal at his house the next day—and he said so out loud.
Gu Chenzhou was initially surprised but agreed to the invitation.
“Well… Old Gu, you should rest now. I’ll head back, and tomorrow I’ll come pick you up for a meal at my house.”
“Mm, you go back safely.”
“Don’t worry. It’s just in my own neighborhood. Back in the mountains, we used to sleep while listening to wolves howl and weren’t afraid, haha.”
“Then go on, hurry up.”
“Ah, Old Gu, you’re really heartless.”
Gu Chenzhou pushed Lin Xiangdong out the door and slammed it behind him.
Outside, Lin Xiangdong froze. Later, he regretted speaking up today—he shouldn’t have opened his mouth.
Lin Xiangdong and Gu Chenzhou had both been assigned to the island troops. At that time, because of his exceptional ability and combat skills, Gu Chenzhou was already a company commander, while Lin Xiangdong was still a regular soldier. Having grown up under his grandfather’s influence, Lin Xiangdong had trained his body and known that his future goal was to follow his older brother into the military.
At first, seeing Gu Chenzhou, who was about the same age, as his leader, he felt rebellious. They challenged each other to contests and competitions, and eventually Lin Xiangdong had to admit defeat. Gu Chenzhou slightly outperformed him in both stamina and tactics. Later, they were assigned to a mission at the border to rescue scientists back to the country. Fighting side by side, they became increasingly close and bonded as brothers.
The next morning, Lin Xiangdong got up early for morning exercise, running several laps around the family compound. When he returned, everyone else was already awake, except for Lin Shiyao, who was still fast asleep. On such a cold morning with no work to get to, her bed was just too warm—she would not get up until meal time.
Everyone knew that Lin Xiangdong was bringing a comrade home for a meal today, except Lin Shiyao.
When Lin Shiyao woke groggily, it was the sound of someone knocking on the door that roused her. “Sister, get up, it’s time to eat!” It was her brother, Lin Zhengbin.
“Alright, I’m coming.”
They lived on the third floor. After brushing her teeth and washing her face at the sink at the end of the hall, she returned to her room to change clothes. Looking at herself in the mirror, her fair, rosy complexion pleased her. She had slept very well last night.
She slowly descended the stairs. Lin Mom saw her and called, “You’re up! Come eat!”
As she was descending, Lin Shiyao felt a scorching gaze on her. She looked up.
What a face! Even though she had seen countless movie stars in the 21st century, none were as striking as this man. His posture was straight and commanding, his facial features sharp and handsome, his eyes deep like still pools, brows slightly arched adding a touch of severity, his complexion pale yet cool—the whole person looked like a drawn military blade.
She stood frozen on the stairs, staring, until Gu Chenzhou cleared his throat, pulling her back to reality.
Feeling embarrassed, her cheeks flushed. Ah, beauty is distracting! She had seen handsome men before, but how could she be so captivated? Would he think she was ridiculous?
Gu Chenzhou felt his heart racing—he must be ill, otherwise why would his pulse be so fast? Normally, he would remain expressionless when female soldiers confessed to him, but today, seeing this girl, his heart pounded.
Although he had never had a relationship, he knew from observing subordinates in the military how they reacted to someone they liked. He realized he had feelings for this girl.
Feeling pleased with himself, he silently thought he might owe his brother later. When Gu Chenzhou desired something, he had to get it. This applied to the girl he liked as well—he must have her.
Lin Shiyao entered the dining room, where the family was already seated. Grandma had saved a special spot for her—on the right was Grandma, on the left was her brother, and next to him was Gu Chenzhou.
“Yaoyao, let me introduce you. This is my brother’s comrade, Gu Chenzhou. He happened to be in the area for some business, so I invited him over. You two should meet. Chenzhou, this is my sister, Lin Shiyao,” Lin Xiangdong introduced them.
“Hello, Comrade Gu,” Lin Shiyao instinctively extended her hand for a handshake. Suddenly realizing it might be inappropriate—gender etiquette was important in the family—she tried to withdraw her hand, but Gu Chenzhou gently held it before letting go.
“Hello, Comrade Lin,” Gu Chenzhou said. Feeling the softness of her hand, he was internally sweetened as if drinking honey. Externally, he remained composed, careful to leave a good impression in front of her family.
Lin Shiyao didn’t realize that he had just called her “Yaoyao.”
While eating, Gu Chenzhou kept sneaking glances at Lin Shiyao. Up close, she looked even more beautiful.
Her face was a perfect oval, skin fair and smooth, lips naturally red, tall figure, hair jet-black tied in a high ponytail, a few strands fluttering across her forehead. Sunlight streaming through the window fell on her, making Gu Chenzhou feel she was glowing.
Every movement of hers was engraved in his heart.
Lin Shiyao also observed Gu Chenzhou discreetly, careful not to be too obvious, fearing he might think she was not modest enough.
Yes, he was handsome and fit her criteria perfectly—tall, long-legged. She couldn’t even imagine what a desirable physique he must have under that military uniform. Definitely beyond any male models she had seen online in the 21st century. Would he feel nice to touch? Realizing her thoughts were drifting, she shook her head and focused on eating.