In the living room, the three children sat in a row on the long sofa, with Shen Pingchuan in the middle, and Jin Xi and Bo Yan on either side of him. They were there to help explain Shen Pingchuan's "criminal actions" to Shen Shishan.
"How long have you been together? How old is the girl? What does her family do? You said her father is ill, what's the situation? How have you helped her?"
After so many years of power and influence, Shen Shishan had keen senses. With just one earful, he could tell something was off in what Shen Pingchuan said.
Shen Pingchuan would rather die than let his father know the truth, so he just said she was a schoolmate from an ordinary family.
"Dad, if you must know, I'll bring her home to meet you, so you won't go snooping around behind my back."
"Why would I snoop around? Do you think I'd stop you from having a girlfriend?"
"That's exactly why I didn't dare say anything. I know you all too well. A single old man with an empty nest, bored out of your mind, you love gossip more than anything."
Before Shen Shishan could react, Jin Xi got angry instead. She kicked Shen Pingchuan's knee.
"How could you talk to Dad like that! Don't be so rude!"
Shen Pingchuan was forced into this situation and spoke recklessly. He was genuinely worried that Shen Shishan would look into it, so he tried to provoke him first.
"That's exactly it. You and Bo Yan dated for almost two years before telling Dad. Wasn't that because you were afraid he'd randomly investigate?"
Jin Xi glanced guiltily at Shen Shishan. "I wasn't sure yet back then. What if I started seeing someone else?"
Shen Shishan felt both angry and hurt by Shen Pingchuan's words. "Fine, you siblings discuss everything between yourselves, even dating. You keep it all from me. Alright, you've grown up. You don't need your dad anymore. Do as you wish!"
He went back to his study after saying that.
Seeing her father's dejected back, Jin Xi felt awful. She chased after Shen Shishan, "Dad, no, he doesn't mean it. I still need you!"
Shen Pingchuan, who just breathed a sigh of relief, quickly grabbed her. "Hey, don't go!"
Jin Xi shook his hand off angrily. "What is wrong with you? Why did you have to say those things? Dad must feel terrible."
"I was just worried he'd really investigate Xia Qing."
"He cares about you. If he knew about Xia Qing, he definitely wouldn't just stand by."
"No, if he finds out, Xia Qing and I are done for. Jin Xi, don't mention this to him again. Pretend you know nothing."
Jin Xi looked at him dubiously. "Brother, did you do something bad?"
Shen Pingchuan glanced uneasily at Bo Yan. Bo Yan shook his head helplessly and went to knock on the study door. "Uncle Shen, may I join you for a game of chess?"
"Come in, come in. At least I have a good son-in-law. Having a son is useless. All he does is upset me."
Jin Xi and Shen Pingchuan were left alone in the empty living room, staring at each other.
Shen Pingchuan didn't even know how things ended up this way. Bo Yan said he made a mistake that night.
Did he really make a mistake?
That evening, Shen Pingchuan found Xia Qing. She was training in the gym. Leaning against the door, he watched her do pull-ups.
She always had a hot figure, with evenly sculpted muscles that weren't too bulky. She didn't look skinny in clothes either, since she had ample breasts. He had seen her in a tight tank top before. It was enough to give a man a nosebleed.
Watching her back, Shen Pingchuan knew that if he hadn't given her father hundreds of thousands for medical treatment, this girl wouldn't be his now.
Thinking of this made him feel awful.
A girl whispered to Xia Qing, "Your boyfriend is here."
Xia Qing hurried off the pull-up bar and went to Shen Pingchuan, smiling. "You came to see me. Why didn't you let me know ahead of time?"
For training, she had her hair in two braids. Her face was flushed red and she was steaming with body heat. Sweat had dampened her shirt.
"Why do I always have to let you know ahead of time?" Shen Pingchuan asked.
Xia Qing wiped her sweat with a towel. Caught off guard, she said, "Because I'm usually training. If you tell me we're meeting up, I'll go home, shower, get dolled up, put on some makeup, etc."
In the hallway, Shen Pingchuan's face darkened. "You put on makeup to see me?"
Xia Qing was quite embarrassed. She had only recently learned to apply makeup, to make her darker complexion look nicer.
"What's wrong? If you don't like it, I won't wear makeup."
Before she even finished speaking, Shen Pingchuan suddenly pressed her against the wall. He lowered his head to kiss her, his hands falling to inappropriate places.
Xia Qing was frightened by the abruptness. Her instinct was to grab his wrist in an arm lock, but she quickly realized she couldn't do that.
She released him and let him roughly lick her face and neck. "Pingchuan, don't do this. I haven't showered yet." She pleaded in a small voice.
"If you don't like it, why not push me away?" His head was buried in her neck, but he didn't continue. His voice was scarily low: "You can push me away. You can refuse anything you don't want."
"I don't dislike it... Ah!"
His hands were already at her pants, doing even more inappropriate things.
Xia Qing's face was flushed with embarrassment, but she still didn't...push him away.
"You don't like it!" Shen Pingchuan suddenly gripped her shoulders and shoved her against the wall, yelling loudly, "Hit me! I'm so despicable. Why don't you hit me?"
"Shen Pingchuan, don't be like this. You're hurting me."
Passing students walking from night study pointed and whispered at the scene.
Xia Qing's face burned red with shame. Finally, she lifted her leg and kicked his knee. "If you keep this up, I really will get angry."
She didn't use much force, but it still threw Shen Pingchuan off balance. He stumbled back and fell on his bottom.
Xia Qing felt bad but steeled her heart and didn't help him up. She turned away sullenly.
This kick seemed to have a miraculous effect. Shen Pingchuan was suddenly delighted. He stood up and dusted off his pants, then went over to grab her hand. "There we go, that's better."
"You're crazy." Xia Qing shook his hand off and covered her face with the towel as she walked away. "So embarrassing."
Shen Pingchuan skipped after her. "Xia Xia, remember this from now on, okay? Tell me if you don't like something. Don't force yourself."
Xia Qing didn't know what was wrong with him. She just didn't feel like dealing with him right now.
"I like seeing you angry with me. Hey, get angry more often. I'd love if you gave me the silent treatment for a few days."
"..."
"Are you hungry? You must be after training all afternoon. Let's go, I'll treat you to steak."
"..."
Xia Qing's stomach growled a few times. She turned back reluctantly, "I'll have the energy to teach you a lesson after I eat my fill."
Shen Pingchuan was in great spirits. He affectionately pinched her cute little nose. "How many steaks do you want today? Three or five?"
"Five. Two with black pepper sauce, one with tomato sauce, and two with mushroom sauce. And I want a bowl of pasta too."
The mention of food made Xia Qing forget about being angry. She happily hugged his waist and snuggled up to him obediently.
"Tsk, my girlfriend's appetite every day..."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. Very cute."
**
With graduation nearing, Bo Yan would soon face job allocation. One April evening, in front of Jin Xi, Grandpa Bo asked about his plans after graduating. As always, Bo Yan's attitude was unambiguous—
"I'm not going anywhere."
It was quite difficult to stay in B City, an important military base. But with Bo Yan's grades, he could go to any city he wanted.
"You're a special forces cadet. Instructor Yan hopes you'll participate in anti-drug operations on the border. You'll be promoted faster there than staying put. With your capabilities, you can achieve great things."
Old Master Bo didn't try to persuade him, only weighing the pros and cons so Bo Yan could decide his own path in life.
Of course Bo Yan knew staying would mean fewer promotion opportunities.
Marrying and having children would be a safe, smooth life.
Bo Yan looked at Jin Xi beside him. She immediately held his hand and considerately said, "Don't think about me."
A real man's ambition lies in the four directions. No matter which path he chooses, she will support him.
Bo Yan shook his head.
Here there was not only the girl he loved, but also his aged grandfather and grandmother. It would be truly difficult for Bo Yan to leave them behind and travel far away by himself. No matter what, he could not do it. Jin Xi would not understand, but he had a deep understanding, because since he was little he had tasted too much bitterness from separation.
Whether it was in front of his grandparents or Jin Xi, or later when Instructor Yan talked to him many times, Bo Yan's decision never changed from the beginning to the end—
"I will not leave my family."
Instructor Yan did not say anything more, just patted him on the shoulder and left, shaking his head in regret.
Unlike Bo Yan, the other three boys in Room 409 chose to go to the borderlands.
On the night they filled out their aspiration forms, after listening to the rousing speeches from the instructors, the boys lay on the grass looking up at the stars in the sky.
They were all hot-blooded youths. When they joined this profession, which of them did not harbor grand ambitions to shed blood for the frontier?
They knew that Bo Yan was reluctant not just because of Jin Xi, but more because of the early loss of his parents, leaving him with an obsession for his family. So they did not try too hard to persuade him - to each his own aspirations.
Even though Xu Chaoyang really, really wanted to pull Bo Yan into his circle and shed blood together, establishing achievements.
Bo Yan just laughed lightly. "Forget about shedding blood, even if I die, I want to die on top of my woman."
What a shameless wasting of your gifts.
Xu Chaoyang looked again at Jing Chi beside him: "I'm single, so wandering for a few years means nothing to me. But what are you thinking, are you really willing to just leave like this?"
Jing Chi leaned back, chewing on a blade of wild grass. He muttered, "I have no choice. Promotions come faster over there. I'll go for a couple years then come back, and when I return I can find a good future."
Bo Yan looked at Jing Chi: "If you want to come back after two years and find a promising future, you'll probably have to be on the frontlines."
"Of course I'll be on the frontlines. I'm not afraid of anything."
By the time he returned to the dorm, his roommates had already gone back. Jing Chi was a bit late since he had to deliver goods to each dorm. This would probably be the last delivery of his four years of college.
He dragged his heavy footsteps up the stairs. In the dim stairwell, he saw Chu Zhao wearing a small floral nightgown, sitting on the steps reading a book with a lunchbox next to her.
Seeing the girl, Jing Chi's expression softened a lot. He went up the stairs in two or three steps.
"I told you not to always wait for me outside."
Chu Zhao adjusted her glasses. "You must be hungry after training. I made you a midnight snack, didn't I? My roommates are all asleep so I had to come out early to avoid disturbing them."
"If I were hungry I could find food myself." Jing Chi sat down beside her and said tenderly, "You didn't need to sit here waiting for me."
"It's so late after you finish training, and you have to deliver goods to all the dorms before curfew. Even the school store is closed now, where would you find food?"
Chu Zhao opened the lunchbox, inside was a steaming hot serving of chicken rice. It was still piping hot. She used chopsticks to pick up a small piece and brought it to Jing Chi's mouth. "You must be starving."
Jing Chi lowered his head to chew, but found it hard to swallow. He felt awful inside.
"Is it delicious?"
"Delicious." His throat felt sore. In a low voice he said, "Really delicious."
"Then eat by yourself, I won't feed you anymore." Chu Zhao put the lunchbox in Jing Chi's hands.
Jing Chi took the lunchbox and wolfed it down. Chu Zhao hurriedly took out a thermos from behind her and handed it to him, "Have some water, don't choke."
"Zhao Zhao, from now on I won't deliver goods anymore. On nights when I don't have training, I'll go with you to the library to read books. Okay?"
"Okay!"
Chu Zhao's eyes instantly filled with smiles. She hugged his arm. "That's so great, why are you suddenly being so nice and even offering to go to the library with me?"
"You make it sound like I never went with you before. As long as I have time, I'll go with you."
"Let's count, how many days in a week do you actually have time? Two days? Hmm...no, one day a week max."
Jing Chi was silent for a moment, then said to Chu Zhao, "I'm sorry."
"Hey, why are you suddenly being so serious? I wasn't blaming you."
He put his arm around her, and she obediently leaned against his shoulder, enjoying this rare moment of intimacy.
"Actually, lately I've been thinking, if you had gotten together with Xu Chaoyang instead, would you be happier."
"Nonsense!"
"Just hear me out." Jing Chi placed her hand to his lips and gently kissed her palm. "I promised you I would treat you well, and make you feel happy being with me. But Zhao Zhao, do you actually feel happy?"
"If you're going to say things like this, I won't listen." Chu Zhao stroked his rough jaw stubble. "Since I chose you, then I chose your past, and the possibility of separation, and also your future. I have no regrets, and won't think about Xu Chaoyang anymore. Who you date, the pieces are down with no takebacks..."
"What a 'no takebacks' you say."
Jing Chi picked her up and sat her on his lap. He closed his eyes and passionately kissed her lips. Her lips were cool and soft. Only when he parted them did he find her scorching tongue.
Chu Zhao clutched his collar tightly as she enthusiastically responded.
The night light on the stairwell was somewhat murky. She wore only a thin nightgown, with a frilly lace trim around the neckline. Jing Chi put a card containing all his savings from these years into her purse, and said resolutely—
"Wait for me two years. I'll get a first class service medal and come back to marry you."
