CHAPTER 1685: CHAPTER 3: FAREWELL_2

Lu Fan wanted to take advantage of the last moments to write a few reminders, but his right hand disappeared, and the pen fell to the ground with a snap.

"Dad, goodbye!" Lu Fan gave up, turned to look at his father, his gaze filled with deep attachment.

In the guest room, Lu Fan completely vanished, leaving only a faint trace of body temperature and the whispered words "Dad, I love you" to bear witness to the bond between this father and daughter.

...

"What’s the point of buying so many plants? No one will take care of them, and they’ll just die soon." Chu Baichuan complained bitterly as he carried an armful of potted plants. Strolling around the streets on a hot summer day, he was drenched in sweat. "You’re not even someone who likes gardening!"

"I like it now. Is that not allowed?" After greeting the neighbors on her way in, Ai Yixin opened the anti-theft door, changed into her slippers, and headed straight for the balcony. She placed the cactus she carried onto the plant stand. "Be careful, don’t break the leaves."

"Fine, but what’s with this baby stroller then?" Chu Baichuan shifted his weight, the baby stroller strapped to his back swaying. "A few days ago, you bought baby bottles and toys, which I let slide. But today you bought a book bag? By the time we have a child who’s old enough to go to school, who knows how many years it’ll be?"

"I just feel like it. Why do you care?" Ai Yixin shot Chu Baichuan a glare, then, like a blissful young wife, continued watering the flowers with one hand while instructing her husband, "Put the baby stroller in the bedroom."

"Yes, ma’am." Chu Baichuan’s complaints were merely routine; in reality, he would unconditionally follow anything his wife said.

"This book bag is a bit small; it probably can’t fit many books. That won’t do; we can’t let the child lose at the starting line—no, wait, starting to work hard in middle school isn’t too late. Kids, after all, should have a happy childhood." After watering the flowers, Ai Yixin ran into the bedroom again. Over ten days, the room had been transformed into a nursery brimming with baby supplies.

Chu Baichuan wisely chose to remain silent.

"Baichuan, if Chongchong were still here, he would be almost a year old now." Holding a baby bottle, Ai Yixin opened the wardrobe. But faced with the little children’s clothes inside, her eyes turned moist. "It’s all my fault, I didn’t protect him."

"Blame me!" Chu Baichuan embraced Ai Yixin from behind, kissing her hair softly. "I failed to fulfill my responsibilities as a husband."

Ai Yixin stayed silent, afraid that speaking would make her break down and cry.

"No matter how difficult the Holy Land is, I will bring you back alive," Chu Baichuan silently vowed in his heart. Even if it meant sacrificing his life, he would not hesitate.

"Baichuan, let’s have another child, okay? Boy or girl, let’s call them Chongchong!" After what they had been through, the two were too afraid to conceive again. Yet, with the looming Holy Land War and the slim chances of survival, Ai Yixin had nothing left to hold back.

"No." Chu Baichuan decisively refused.

"Please, Baichuan. Even if it’s just to experience the moment of seeing them born in my belly!" Ai Yixin pleaded, pressing a kiss to her husband’s lips.

For 15 days, Chu Baichuan and Ai Yixin lived like newlyweds in the honeymoon phase, cherishing bittersweet, tender moments together.

...

"Dad, are you leaving again?" At dinner, the youngest son seemed to notice something off in the atmosphere and suddenly asked.

"Yes, I’m going to visit a combat mate. While I’m gone, you have to behave, okay?" Lin Weiguo ruffled his son’s hair.

"Eat more." His wife placed a piece of meat on their son’s plate. She wanted to say something but ultimately didn’t. She knew her husband wasn’t going to visit a combat mate—he had used that excuse too many times, and it had long been seen through.

"Alright, but you better not go looking for other women." The boy shoveled a few more bites of food into his mouth before suddenly blurting it out.

"You little rascal, what nonsense are you saying?" The old soldier almost choked.

"The neighbors on the street all say we’re rich now and that you’re out finding women, hardly ever home," the boy said indignantly, casting a glance at his mom. "I know they’re just talking nonsense. Next time, I’ll use my slingshot to shoot out their windows."

"No mischief." The old soldier felt helpless, glancing at his wife. He wasn’t sure how to explain.

"Any woman who fancies you would have to be blind." His wife glared at Lin Weiguo but didn’t press further; she trusted her husband. She knew he wouldn’t do something like that.

After washing the dishes, his wife looked at her about-to-depart husband with sudden reluctance.

"Do you have to leave so soon? Can’t you go tomorrow?"

"I’ve already delayed too much time as it is." Lin Weiguo sighed, taking the travel bag his wife had prepared. Though he didn’t actually need it, the bag was stuffed with her care and concern.

"Whatever you’re doing, just stay safe," his wife said, adjusting his collar even though it was already neat. "I know your combat mates’ families are struggling. Now that we have some money, help them out if you can. I’m not an unreasonable woman."

"Hmm!" Lin Weiguo nodded. He had originally wanted to hug his wife but stopped when he saw his son pop his head out from behind the main entrance.

"Dad, be careful on the road."

"You little rascal, I’ll get you a Transformers toy next time I’m back." Lin Weiguo picked up his luggage, his spirits lifted as he looked at his energetic son.

"I want Gundam." The boy tried to negotiate. "Everyone plays with that now!"

"Alright, Gundam it is." Lin Weiguo, who had piloted actual mechas in his time, smiled inwardly. Glancing at the sky, he noted it was getting late and waved them off. "Go back inside."

His wife nodded but didn’t move.

Lin Weiguo chuckled. He understood her well—she was the kind of person who would watch him walk down the main street until he disappeared from view.

Standing at the street corner, Lin Weiguo looked back at his wife and son, their shadows cast under the streetlights. Raising his right hand, he waved vigorously.

He knew this departure carried grave risks, but he had no choice. He owed Tang Zheng a debt that had to be repaid.

Lin Weiguo glanced at his watch. Each passing second felt like a scar carved on his heart—a pain so deep it would never fade. Yet, he had no regrets.

In this world, some things are worth a man’s all!

...

Mu Nianqi sat cross-legged on the sofa, wiping down the glinting steel of her Tang Sword. She hadn’t turned on the lights, allowing the moonlight through the floor-to-ceiling window to wash the room in silver-gray hues.

The mechanical clock ticked, its ancient bronze chimes reverberating. Memories from the past flowed through her mind like a clear spring.

"I will never be a deserter again. This time, I’ll see it through to the end!" Mu Nianqi sheathed her sword, tearing up the notebook she’d left on the tea table for writing her final words. "Group Leader, everyone, I’m coming."

...

"Tao Ran, ring me up!" Gu Xueqi, busy cooking noodles, called out as she heard the door open.

The campus beauty had said goodbye to her family under the pretense of a part-time job, using it as a reason to leave in the evening without raising suspicion.

Having nowhere else to go and not used to staying at inns, Gu Xueqi had turned to Tao Ran instead.

"Coming, that’ll be seven yuan and eighty cents in total." Tao Ran, who had been organizing the shelves, quickly rushed to the cash register upon hearing her.

"Why are you still wiping them? They’re already spotless." Gu Xueqi emerged with two bowls of noodles, noting Tao Ran’s excessively frequent cleanings of the shelves that day—a clear sign she had other things on her mind. "Didn’t you give your family plenty of money? Why are they still making a girl like you look after the store late at night? It’s too dangerous."

"I’m used to it." Tao Ran didn’t complain about her family. She looked around the supermarket she had run for five years and two months, feeling a mix of emotions. Without Tang Zheng, she might have stayed here her whole life.

"Thinking about Tang Zheng?" Gu Xueqi asked suddenly, biting into her noodles and catching Tao Ran off guard.

"No, don’t make such remarks! You’ll make Sister Meiqin upset." Tao Ran seemed flustered, turning away toward the shelves. "What’ll it be—ham or canned food?"

"Pickled vegetables, then. Save a bit of money so your stepmother doesn’t give you trouble," Gu Xueqi said, simple and pure like a white lotus. "No, wait. We’re about to leave anyway; we can’t make your stepmother happy. Ten cans of canned beef—let her heart ache a little!"

The two girls chatted casually while waiting for the teleport. Although Gu Xueqi joked about the canned food, she didn’t actually eat any. As someone habituated to frugality, she wouldn’t waste even a morsel of food.

...

Dantai sat by the window ledge, taking a swig of liquor. His eyes were fixed on the wall opposite him, plastered with photos—of family, colleagues, and even enemies.

"All of this will become memories," Dantai muttered while watching his body gradually vanish, a faint smile playing on his lips as he tossed the empty liquor bottle away.