Why?
Xu Zhenyu took a deep breath and was unable to speak.
He was twenty-five-years-old this year and turning twenty-six soon. As a soldier, he had given his pride, glory, life, and most of his time to the country, sweating and bleeding for it.
However, besides being Colonel Xu Zhenyu, he was also the bloodline of the Xu family. As a grandson and a son, he had other responsibilities—to pass down the family line.
From last year, Grandpa and Mother had started to make preparations for his wedding.
He had already been forced to be matchmade and to attend all sorts of private gatherings.
Han Mofeng said that to forget an old relationship, one had to start dating someone new. Thus, he permitted Mother’s various arrangements and met all sorts of women for meals.
However, some things really couldn’t be forced.
Once the woman sitting opposite him wasn’t Wen Xinya, he felt uneasy, extremely vexed, and even had nothing to say.
He had even uncontrollably compared the woman opposite him to Wen Xinya—from her looks, character, mannerism, and even the way she talked.
Only then did he truly realize that his eyes and heart only had a place for Wen Xinya and her alone—there was no way others could replace her, no way he could make do, or force himself.
Applying for dispatch was to avoid being forced into marriage and escape his responsibility as the bloodline of the Xu family.
Xu Zhenyu switched his thoughts and said in a joking and totally casual manner, “Babe, do you suddenly feel that I’m very noble and suddenly have a majestic impression of me?”
He didn’t answer her question merely because he didn’t know how to.
Wen Xinya’s heart sank as she interrupted him with a dry throat. “Dispatched to where?”
She didn’t know if Xu Zhenyu would answer her question—or rather, could he answer her!
Some dispatches belonged to the top secret of the country and couldn’t be divulged to everyone. The fact that Xu Zhenyu came over especially to look for her today and even set up a gamble with the game of dice made her vaguely know that this was definitely not an ordinary dispatch.
The fact that he could tell her the news about the dispatch was already the limit.
However, she still wanted to ask.
Only by asking would her mind be at ease.
Xu Zhenyu went silent for a while and acted all relaxed again as he said jokingly, “Don’t worry! It’s not the first few times that yours truly has accepted a dispatch mission…”
His rapid rise through the ranks was in part due to him frequently accepting dispatch missions.
Wen Xinya interrupted him slightly impatiently. “You can’t tell me?”
Precisely so, Wen Xinya felt even more worried and anxious. She knew that as a soldier, Xu Zhenyu had his mission—she couldn’t and wouldn’t stop him.
However, she only hoped that Xu Zhenyu could be safe for his whole life.
Xu Zhenyu took a deep puff of the cigarette in his hand and said in a low voice, “At the East!”
This was already the limit of what he could say—anything more than this was confidential to the dispatch and couldn’t be made known to anyone.
Wen Xinya’s heart constricted violently. The eastern oil wars had never ever ceased. Over there, internal conflicts, betrayals, armed incidents, terrorism, political conflicts, power struggles, and wars with ammunition were happening all the time.
It was a truly dangerous place.
Wen Xinya asked him, “Roughly how long will the dispatch last this time?”
This shouldn’t be a military secret!
“If everything goes smoothly, around three months.” Otherwise, durations of three to five months were commonplace.
Wen Xinya clenched her fingers tightly without speaking.
Seeing her silence, Xu Zhenyu panicked slightly as he smiled and went up to Wen Xinya. “Babe, as the sharpest knife of the country, if I don’t sharpen myself often, I’ll turn rusty.”
Wen Xinya was also part of the reason for accepting the dispatch.
However, it was definitely not due to him being hung up about this relationship. In fact, from the time Wen Xinya and Ninth Si got engaged, he had indeed already let go.
More importantly, the mission over at the east was rather tricky. Many people had already been sacrificed, including one of his comrades from the northwest battlefield. As a soldier, the knife in his hands couldn’t go blunt!
Wen Xinya landed a slap on his face and pushed it away. “You reek of smoke all over. How disgusting. Stay far away from me.”
Xu Zhenyu sheepishly sat in a corner and said carefully, “Babe, you’re angry?”
Xu Zhenyu wasn’t scared of anything in the world—anything except Wen Xinya.
Whenever Wen Xinya sulked, he panicked!
Whenever Wen Xinya went silent, he got anxious!
There was always something to conquer another—Wen Xinya was born to conquer him, Xu Zhenyu.
He, Xu Zhenyu, was a world above the rest but was really conquered by this babe.
Wen Xinya kicked his leg. “If I say I’m angry, will you cancel your dispatch application?”
To be honest, she didn’t wish for Xu Zhenyu to be dispatched at all. However, she was very clear that it was totally impossible.
Xu Zhenyu hurriedly shook his head. “That won’t do. Military orders are imperative and not to be trifled with.” Saying which, he still felt slightly guilty and uneasy. Thus, he had no choice but to get closer to Wen Xinya again. “Babe, don’t be angry. Other than this, I can promise you anything.”
He was really worried that Wen Xinya would really be angry with his rejection.
Although he knew that Wen Xinya wasn’t an unreasonable person. In any case, he was just a useless man without a backbone in front of her.
Wen Xinya burst out laughing. “In that case, why would I make my own life difficult?”
Since she wasn’t angry, it meant that she felt worried for him!
Xu Zhenyu’s heart was suddenly at ease as he smiled and said, “Here, here, here—babe, show me a smile! It’s totally inauspicious for you to look all like a sullen stepmother!”
He had originally wanted to say, “I’m not even dead yet and you’re looking all like a widow.”
However, he felt that it wasn’t appropriate. No matter what, Wen Xinya wouldn’t become his wife, so these words were too flirtatious.
Wen Xinya stared at him. “What about inauspicious or not—stop spouting nonsense.”
Xu Zhenyu agreed with her incessantly like a woman.
After lots of sidetracking, the two of them were finally over the topic of the dispatch. With his back drenched in sweat, Xu Zhenyu secretly heaved a sigh of relief—dealing with Wen Xinya was simply even tougher than being out on a mission.
Xu Zhenyu got up from the sofa and said, “Babe, the orders for the dispatch should come very soon. I’m going back to make some preparations.”
Wen Xinya expressed her understanding and sent Xu Zhenyu to the doorstep. She watched Xu Zhenyu’s army-green silhouette—all tall and strong under the sunlight, like an unwavering and unmovable mountain, and so majestic that she couldn’t quite take it.
She suddenly shouted, “Xu-er!”
Xu Zhenyu suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked back at her.
Wen Xinya ran towards him, looked at him seriously, and said, “You’ve gotta stay safe.”
With a complicated expression, Xu Zhenyu suddenly took a step forward and hugged Wen Xinya—as close as a friend, restraining like a lover. “Don’t worry. I’ll come back safely.”
He left right after that hug, without being wishy-washy at all or leaving behind any feelings.
