Chapter 739: Chapter 637-638: My Darling

The two of them sat on the rock for a good while longer, their conversation flowing endlessly. But seeing how late it was getting, they finally got ready, hopped in the car, and drove back to the city.

Xiao Man was quiet on the drive, thinking, ’How am I going to explain getting home so late?’ She had, after all, been on a secret rendezvous, and she couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed. Gu Shaojun, however, was chattering away nonstop, as if he were on a high, calling her "baby" over and over. Xiao Man finally couldn’t take it anymore. "Why do you keep calling me ’baby’?" she asked. "Where did you pick up that weird habit?"

"Oh, that? It probably started back when I was at the military academy in Country M. My roommates would always say ’my baby’ when bragging about their girlfriends."

"So childish. Did you guys have nothing better to do? Don’t tell me you bragged about your girlfriends every single day."

"Of course not. Maybe for them it was just a name, but you really, truly are my treasured darling. When I used to dream about you, I wouldn’t even call you by your name—just ’baby’! You don’t like it? Should I call you ’sweetie pie’ instead?"

"Pfft! You might as well call me ’bunny’ then! But fine, suit yourself. It just makes me feel like I’ll always be a little kid who never grows up. Hmph, and little kids aren’t thinking about getting married, you know!" Xiao Man shot him a coy look.

"Who says ’baby’ and ’sweetie pie’ are just for kids?" Gu Shaojun said, smiling at Xiao Man. He reached out and gently pinched her rosy cheeks, which were still a little chubby. "I just like calling you that. No matter how many years pass, even when we’re too old to move, you’ll still be my baby!"

Xiao Man: "..."

A sweet warmth filled her heart. ’He’s bared his soul to me,’ she thought. ’I’d be going too far if I keep acting difficult.’ She immediately decided to be clever and play along. "Okay, I’ll always be your baby. It’s a deal, then!"

"Of course!"

Gu Shaojun beamed, his smile full of joy and relief. He gazed lovingly at his young fiancée, his eyes twinkling like a starry sky.

Seeing him so distracted, Xiao Man worried he wasn’t watching the road and would get into an accident, so she quickly reminded him to be careful. A rare, childish impulse took hold of Gu Shaojun, and he decided to tease her, intentionally swerving the car from side to side. The road was deserted anyway. Xiao Man yelped in alarm, which only made Gu Shaojun laugh harder. Their joyous laughter filled the air on the quiet, suburban highway in the dead of night.

As the car entered the city proper, Xiao Man noticed that their speed actually decreased. The smile on Gu Shaojun’s face gradually faded until it vanished completely, replaced by his usual dignified and serious expression.

"What’s wrong? Is something up?" Xiao Man asked, thinking he had noticed something strange.

Gu Shaojun paused for a moment before sighing. "Beijing isn’t like the countryside. Mr. Tang is always keeping an eye on me, Shaoyu and Haocheng are inseparable and will probably stay at your house tonight, and now those two little ones, Little Bo and Xiao Fang, can run around. They’re mischievous little troublemakers, and I’m afraid they’ll be clinging to you constantly... So what am I supposed to do tonight?"

’I came all this way back, and I can’t even hold my sweet-smelling little fiancée while we sleep? The thought alone is frustrating. How am I supposed to get through this long, lonely night?’

Tang Qingshan’s cultivation was far inferior to his, making it easy to conceal his presence. Even so, Gu Shaojun had invested great effort into thoroughly mastering the Hidden Breath Technique. During his Artifact Refining and Talisman Making practice, he prioritized and practiced making Invisibility Talismans the most. As a result, his Storage Ring was piled high with a small mountain of them, all of various grades. He did all this for one single purpose: when he returned to Beijing, he wanted to sneak into the Tang Mansion, climb through his fiancée’s window, and sleep beside her. And he needed to do it without leaving a single trace or making a sound, ensuring his future father-in-law wouldn’t suspect a thing.

But plans rarely go as expected. He had returned in high spirits, only to find everything had deviated from his fantasy. Tang Haocheng was back in the country, and to stay close to his sister, he had refused to stay on the third floor, insisting on taking a room on the second floor instead. Gu Shaojun’s own cousin, Shaoyu, always liked to stick with Tang Haocheng. To make matters worse, there were the twins. They slept in the nursery, separated from Xiao Man’s room by just a single wall. Xiao Man had told him over the phone that ever since the two toddlers learned to walk, if she was home and they woke up at night, they wouldn’t even go to their parents. They would run straight to their big sister’s room to sleep with her. Consequently, Xiao Man usually slept with her door unlocked to let the little ones come and go as they pleased, which meant the other adults naturally felt free to enter as well...

How could Gu Shaojun possibly dare to try anything under these circumstances? Even if he managed to use his invisibility to sneak in through the window, the moment he bolted the door, the toddlers would be locked out. Their complaints would immediately draw the attention of Tang Qingshan and Tang Haocheng.

Seeing the utterly dejected look on Gu Shaojun’s face, Xiao Man couldn’t help but laugh. ’And here I was thinking something serious had happened,’ she thought.

"You must be tired from your journey back. Just get a good night’s rest tonight. I’ll come sleep at your place tomorrow night."

"Really?" Gu Shaojun was overjoyed, his spirits instantly lifting. A moment later, he caught on and gave her a light flick on the forehead. "You’re just trying to cheer me up."

"So, did it cheer you up a little?" Xiao Man reached out to stroke his cheek, his ear, and then the back of his neck, as if she were soothing a cat.

"Mmm, a little." A hint of a smile touched Gu Shaojun’s lips. He quite enjoyed being coddled by his sweetheart. "A kiss would make it even better, though."

Xiao Man glanced at him, then leaned over and pecked the back of his hand that was holding the steering wheel.

Gu Shaojun: "..."

’Sigh, this is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline, isn’t it? Half my arm has gone numb, but the longing in my heart is only growing more intense.’

"Baby, I miss you so much! We’re almost home, and I still have so much to tell you."

"We can pull over for ten minutes. You can give me the short version."

"There is no short version. An hour wouldn’t be enough."

"Then, let’s talk tomorrow. I don’t have school tomorrow. I have a three-day break."

"Great! Hey, isn’t it summer vacation? How come you only have three days off?"

"Other people are on vacation, but the Chinese medicine research group at my school has something going on, so I still have to go."

"Still interning at De Ren Hospital? No trouble, right?"

"Of course I have to go. What could happen?" she said. "Hmph, you don’t even know what I’ve been up to. You’ve been out there having a grand old time, carefree and footloose!" As she spoke, she remembered how long it had been since a certain someone had called her, and she began to sulk.

"I wasn’t carefree. I was missing you and thinking about home," Gu Shaojun said apologetically.

"Then why didn’t you call me? In the past, whenever I tried to call you, I could rarely get through. Sometimes the operator would flat-out refuse to connect me, and their attitude was quite harsh. What’s the deal with your military lines? You said you’d be gone a month, but it’s been over a month, and you just left me here to worry myself sick! Besides, you called Grandpa Gu a few days ago, didn’t you? Couldn’t you have dialed one more number? Couldn’t you have said even a single word to me? And you call this a surprise? Hmph!"

His little fiancée was about to go off like a firecracker. Gu Shaojun quickly pulled over to the side of the road, gathered her into his arms, and held her tight. He looked down at her exquisitely beautiful face, flushed a rosy pink like a ripe peach, and felt a pang of heartache mixed with amusement and deep affection.

Only after they had both calmed down did Gu Shaojun explain things to Xiao Man.

Without going into unnecessary detail, a month ago, he had indeed accepted an urgent mission. It was highly confidential and extremely dangerous. His superiors had specifically sought him out for it, and he had taken the assignment.

If someone else had been assigned to the mission, they might have been able to complete it by giving their all, but there would have undoubtedly been casualties. That would have created ripples, attracting outside attention and giving critics an opening to attack. The subsequent clean-up would have been incredibly complex and difficult.

After numerous discussions, the leadership unanimously chose Gu Shaojun. For one, his skills were extraordinary, and he was both daring and meticulous. For another, he had been to that region before. Furthermore, the opponents on several fronts were all graduates of that same famous military academy in Country M. As one of the first students from Huaxia Country sent to that academy for advanced training, Gu Shaojun had graduated with top honors. This advantage, combined with his understanding of his opponents, gave him a much higher probability of success.

That was why Gu Shaojun had given Xiao Man a heads-up, telling her he would be disappearing for a month, that there would be no calls, and that she wouldn’t be able to find him. He knew Xiao Man wasn’t the type to gossip or overthink things, and he had specifically warned her at the time not to pay it any mind, regardless of who might mention seeing him or speaking with him on the phone.

The mission was, of course, completed perfectly, without leaving a single loose end, as traceless as a bird flying across the sky.

The higher-ups were extremely satisfied.

Gu Shaojun received the highest commendation and was decorated for his meritorious service.

After such an important mission, he had to write a detailed report, and his regular duties on the border still required his attention. Of course he hadn’t forgotten Xiao Man’s birthday, but in the rush, he still ended up coming back late.

Gu Shaojun gently rubbed his chin against the top of Xiao Man’s head and said softly, "That call to Grandpa... it was from a specific location, on a secure line. I didn’t want to talk to you from a place like that, understand? The rest of the time, I was genuinely swamped. By the time I got a free moment, you were probably already asleep."

"Mm, I know."

"Are you still angry? I’m right here. You can take it out on me however you like."

Xiao Man pressed herself even tighter into his embrace and let out a yawn. Her voice was soft and intimate. "I’m not angry anymore!"

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