Section 4

Old Tang and Miss Tian stared at each other in astonishment for a long time, as a flock of crows flew overhead, and then they burst into unrestrained laughter. In their minds, I was still a little girl, naive and innocent, lacking understanding. In reality, I had grown into a young woman, having experienced little, yet my mentality was maturing. I no longer needed to hide under my parents' wings; I could spread my wings and soar, enduring the storms of life.

After entering the third year of high school, weekends became nonexistent for me, and I could no longer cling to him. However, Ye Zhan had already grown accustomed to my presence. If I did not seek him out, he would easily take a day off from school and bring a bunch of delicious food to see me. I suspected he had developed Stockholm syndrome. Yet when he promised that if he ranked in the top five of the class, he would take me to the movies, I prayed that he would never recover.

At that time, I was naive, with a different idea every day. One day I wanted to be a scientist for an essay, the next day I was inspired by a novel and wanted to be a writer. There was a period when I enjoyed Zhao Benshan during the Spring Festival Gala and even considered becoming a sketch actor. After military training in my first year of high school, I seriously told Old Tang that I had determined my ideal: I wanted to be a military wife

I have not wasted a single moment in these three years of high school, because I want to be someone worthy of Ye Zhen

Ye Zhen and Zhuo Yue's father are both military personnel, and Zhuo Yue is three years older than Ye Zhen. They grew up together in a military compound, a childhood friendship that is as deep as it is enduring. Ye Zhen's mother is a high school teacher, excelling in early childhood education. At the age of thirteen, Ye Zhen was admitted to high school through special consideration and was in the same class as Zhuo Yue. During those three years, they did everything together: attending classes, having meals, and going home, which naturally led to the blossoming of their feelings.

Old Tang once said that no effort will go to waste

In this regard, I am excessively intelligent and mature. I wish to cherish everything that my beloved man has given me. What may seem trivial to others is a treasure, an irreplaceable wealth of youthful years.

He has his own matters, and I have my own matters

Looking back now, meeting Ye Zhan during the military training in my first year of high school was a turning point in my life, and entering my first year of university marked the second turning point in my life. The commonality between them is that both are related to Ye Zhan

Zhang Mian, a twenty-three-year-old man, sniffed and had red eyes: "Guoguo, you must listen to Ye Zhen. If Ye Zhen bullies you, just call me." I was only focused on crying, foolishly wiping my nose on Ye Zhen's clothes. That day, Ye Zhen was extremely patient and gentle with me, saying: "I didn't expect you to be so sentimental."

I am acutely aware that no matter how well Ye Zhen treats me, he merely regards me as a child. Regardless of how many times I express my affection, how many times I declare my love, or how many times I insist that I will marry no one but him, he simply smiles and ruffles my hair, responding to challenges as they come, yet he never allows me to enter his heart

I believe I have already established my foothold in Ye Zhen's territory, even if I am in a corner, unable to receive sunlight and rain, living distantly in a shadow. However, I have become an indelible part of his world, his memories, and even his life.

I did not communicate honestly with Ye Zhen, and falling in love with him made me learn to be unscrupulous too early. After Zhang Mian left, he indeed took care of me in a very proper manner, just as he had promised Zhang Mian. He replied to every message I sent, never being perfunctory, and occasionally forwarded me funny jokes. My phone could not store that many messages, so I wrote them down one by one in a notebook. From a simple interjection to a smiley face, noting the date, time, and weather of each day. My phone could not store that many messages, so I wrote them down one by one in a notebook. From a simple interjection to a smiley face, noting the date, time, and weather of each day

Although Old Tang often lives somewhat stifled under the rule of Tian Meinv and frequently acts unreliable, his theories have never been wrong

It is evident that love is indeed a remarkable thing, capable of turning intelligent individuals into fools and fools into mere busybodies

After graduating from high school, I achieved excellent results and was admitted to the medical college in this city to study clinical medicine

I have seen a photo of Ye Zhen and Zhuo Yue in Ye Zhen's wallet, where Ye Zhen is wearing a military training uniform, and Zhuo Yue has her arm around his neck. She has a delicate appearance, not exactly a beauty, but her smile is very pleasant. The two of them are smiling face to face, radiating joy. I am so jealous that it pains me, and I buy every issue of the morning newspaper to look for the news written by Zhuo Yue.

The year Ye Zhen graduated from university, I was in my second year of high school, and he was admitted to our school as a graduate student in military command studies. After Zhang Mian graduated, he went to the army. On the day I went to see him off at the train station, I was crying uncontrollably while holding him, my snot and tears all smeared on his military uniform. Ye Zhen pulled me off him and, holding down my flailing arms, said: "You can go with peace of mind; I will take care of Tang Guo like my own sister from now on."

However, I have never told him that the reason I cried so sadly is that I know Ye Zhan will also leave after graduating from graduate school, just like Zhang Mian. No matter where he goes, it is not a distance that I can reach by simply taking the subway. The death of a rabbit brings sorrow to a fox, and the loss of one species affects another. Even though we are in the same city, I cannot see him often; just the thought of him being on the other side of the city, under the same sky, the same clouds, and the same air, still makes me feel so grounded

His girlfriend is named Zhuo Yue, and she is a reporter for a newspaper

With Comrade Zhang Mian acting as an insider, I have a clear understanding of Ye Zhen's daily routine. I send him messages every day, but they are merely about trivial matters that occur at school. Ye Zhen's replies are quite similar, all expressing sentiments about studying diligently to serve the country, in a bureaucratic tone. Sometimes I truly suspect that our homeroom teacher is a relative of his, as the advice given is strikingly similar.

If one wishes for a lasting companionship, one must first learn to endure the loneliness of separation, and even to enjoy solitude

I am so angry that I could jump high. Perhaps you could go to the Foreign Language College and enroll in the French department, and in the future, go to the Champs-Élysées to drink coffee and flirt with foreigners. Am I not allowed to be as noble as Tang Guo in saving lives and healing the wounded?

However, the words "discouragement," "giving up," and "failure" have never appeared in my dictionary. To put it nicely, it shows perseverance; to put it bluntly, it is simply being thick-skinned. Every weekend, I find ways to visit their school under the pretense of seeing my dear brother, cleverly maneuvering my way in. Within half a year, the entire grade knew that classmate Ye Zhan had a pursuer, code-named "Terrorist." From then on, every time I went to see Ye Zhan, Zhang Mian wisely chose to avoid me. My roommates, who often benefited from my hospitality, would shout: "Terrorist incoming! We, the old, weak, sick, and disabled, cannot withstand this, we must retreat first, Comrade Ye Zhan, the future of our country depends on you!"

At first, Ye Zhen was very resistant, especially under the barrage of gazes from all directions in the cafeteria. However, over time, he became accustomed to it. Habit became second nature. Later, when I went to find him, he was already able to walk calmly with me along the asphalt road lined with phoenix trees, composed and unperturbed.

In certain aspects, Ye Zhen is quite similar to Old Tang, both being adept at using bait to stimulate my fighting spirit. Just as one would dangle a carrot in front of a donkey to encourage it to grind more flour.

Since childhood, Old Tang has been asking me what my aspirations are

It was a long time before I realized that Ye Zhen liked people who are affectionate and righteous, because he is such a person

Every time Ye Zhen smiles with gritted teeth and a face full of sorrow, I can't help but blink my eyes pitifully and pretend to be in need, and he can only take me to the cafeteria for a meal

Xingzi knew that I was about to pick up the scalpel and join the ranks of the angels in white, and with a heart full of compassion, she performed a grand bow towards the West, calling out: "Buddha, please save these countless beings, for when Guoguo takes action, it is either death or injury."

From her words, I can sense this woman's kindness, compassion, as well as her sense of social justice and mission. The six-year age gap looms between us; apart from being younger, there is currently nothing I possess that can compare to her. Xingzi says that my nearly self-destructive behavior has severely affected the normal development of my brain