I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Gu Yan stood on the stage.

He wore a custom-made black tuxedo, and the medals on his chest gleamed in the sunlight.

He wasn't used to wearing this, but Lin Jinyu had threatened him a month in advance: if he dared to wear military uniform on stage, she would burn his wardrobe.

He turned his head to look to his side.

Pei Yuran wore a plain white wedding dress, and she no longer carried her sword, but she stood straighter than anyone else.

Lin Jinyu's wedding dress was golden, like a cloud dyed by the sun.

Chiyomiya Hanyu, dressed in a modified Japanese wedding attire, stood quietly to his right.

Shen Youyao hid in the crowd, but Youwei gave her a mental nudge, and she stood out with a blush on her face.

Fu Wanqing smiled the brightest as she linked arms with Fu Shiwei.

Fu Shiwei didn't smile much, but her eyes were full of light.

Cecilia stood.

She was standing by herself.

Those legs, which had been confined to a wheelchair for over a decade, now stand firmly on the red carpet.

The officiant was Xuanyuan Cheng.

He only has one arm, but his voice is louder than anyone else's.

After he finished reciting the oath, deafening cheers erupted in the square.

The cheers came in waves, like ocean waves, like spring thunder.

Gu Yan stood amidst the cheers, looking at the seven people around her.

He suddenly felt that his life had been worthwhile.

Life after marriage was peaceful and warm.

Gu Yan was elected as the Grand Commander of Blue Star.

He declined many times, but in the end, he was forced to take up his post by several women.

Lin Jinyu said, "If you don't do it, who will? If you don't do it, I'll burn down your office."

He took office.

The office is located in the newly built administrative center in Jinghai City, with a view of the Yangtze River from the window.

Every day, he handles official documents from various countries regarding reconstruction plans, resource allocation, and post-disaster recovery.

Tired, but fulfilled.

Because he knew that the planet was getting better little by little.

New buildings have sprung up on the ruins, crops have been replanted in the barren fields, and children have returned to school with their schoolbags on their backs.

Several women took turns bringing him meals to his office.

Lin Jinyu delivered a meal she had made herself; it didn't look particularly appealing, but it tasted alright.

Pei Yuran gave her a pot of tea, which she said she brewed herself.

Gu Yan took a sip, her expression subtle.

Pei Yuran said expressionlessly, "I only know how to make this kind of thing."

Fu Wanqing sent the most gifts, from snacks to fruits, with a different gift every day.

Fu Shiwei gave her a massage voucher that read "Valid only tonight".

Cecilia delivered meals the least, because she was busy rebuilding the Chen family home.

But every time she came, she would sit in Gu Yan's office for a long time without saying a word, just looking at the river outside the window.

Shen Youyao was the first to have a child.

Gu Yan remembered the way Youyao blushed and handed him the test report that day, her fingers trembling.

Youwei cursed her in her mind for being spineless, but as she cursed, she started to cry.

Then there's Lin Jinyu.

The day she found out she was pregnant, she pulled Gu Yan to the training ground and said that after the child was born, she would teach him how to control fire.

Gu Yan said, "What if it's a girl?"

She said, "What's wrong with girls? Girls should learn even more."

Pei Yuran told him the news on a snowy day.

She stood in the courtyard, snowflakes falling on her hair, and said, "Gu Yan, we have a child."

Gu Yan was stunned for a long time, then picked her up and spun her around.

She was so frightened that she patted his back and said, "Put me down," but he didn't.

The two people laughed in the snow, like two children.

Fu Wanqing and Fu Shiwei also became pregnant one after the other.

Fu Wanqing kept pestering Gu Yan to name the child.

Gu Yan flipped through the entire dictionary and finally said that the boy's name was Gu Nian and the girl's name was Gu An.

Fu Wanqing said, "Gu Nian Gu An, okay, let's call her that."

Fu Shiwei didn't ask for a name; she simply said that after the child was born, she wanted to take the baby to Windsor Gardens.

That's where she was born.

Chiyomiya Hanyu and Cecilia had no children.

It's not that they can't have it, it's that they haven't thought it through yet.

Yuzuru said that she wanted to spend a few years with Gu Yan and rebuild the Chiyomiya family's shrine.

Cecilia said she wanted to earn back everything the Chen family had lost, and that she would consider these things once everything was stable.

Gu Yan did not urge them.

He said, "Do whatever you want, I'll be there."

New Year's Eve.

This is the fourth Lunar New Year's Eve since the end of the war.

Jinghai City was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and every household hung up red lanterns.

Gu Yan's house is very large; it was chosen by the girls together, and it's located right by the river.

The house was unusually lively tonight.

Fu Wanqing was busy in the kitchen, saying she was going to cook a big feast.

Shen Youyao, despite being heavily pregnant, helped her with the tasks.

Lin Jinyu was playing with two children in the living room. Golden flames transformed into various animal shapes at her fingertips, making the children laugh uproariously.

Pei Yuran sat by the window wiping her sword, glancing up at the snow in the courtyard every now and then.

Fu Shiwei hung the Spring Festival couplets at the door, hanging them neatly and properly.

Cecilia was setting up the holographic projector at home, saying she was going to put on a fireworks show for the children.

Gu Yan leaned back on the sofa, watching all of this.

He felt very satisfied.

This kind of satisfaction is different from the satisfaction of killing on the battlefield or defending a city in ruins.

That kind of satisfaction is forged in blood and fire.

This kind of satisfaction comes from the everyday necessities of life.

They all feel very real.

But he prefers the current one.

Doorbell rang.

Chiyomiya Hanyu got up to open the door.

A messenger from the Chiyomiya family stood outside the door, holding an old wooden box in his hands.

Yuzuru took the wooden box, nodded slightly, then closed the door and walked back to the living room.

Her expression was somewhat different.

Gu Yan noticed it.

Her steps were a little slower than usual, and her breathing was a little lighter.

"My husband."

Yuzuru sat down next to him and placed the wooden box on the coffee table.

There's something I've been keeping from you.

"Your condition was unstable before, and the doctor said you couldn't be stimulated."

Now, four years have passed.

"Your memory has been fully restored, and your body is completely healed."

"I think it's time."

Gu Yan looked at her.

There was light in her eyes, but beneath that light lay something very heavy.

"What is this?"

he asks.

"Four years ago, right after the war ended."

"We are clearing away the remains of the battlefield."

"This was found among Ms. Pei Youyi's belongings."

Yuzuru's voice was very soft, as if he were afraid of startling something.

There are two letters inside.

"One letter is from Ms. Pei Youyi to you."

"The other one... was written to you by Elena."

"They've all finished writing."

"It's as if I knew this day would come."

The living room fell silent.

Even the children's laughter stopped.

Everyone looked at the wooden box.

Yuzuru stood up and bowed slightly to Gu Yan.

Her eyes reddened, but she maintained her composure.

"I won't watch it."

she says.

"This is what they wrote to you."

"Only you can see it."

She pushed the wooden box in front of Gu Yan, then turned and walked upstairs.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she paused but did not turn around.

"We'll wait for you upstairs."

"Take your time to look."

"No rush."

The girls exchanged glances, then stood up one by one.

Lin Jinyu picked up the children, Pei Yuran sheathed her sword, and Fu Wanqing turned off the stove in the kitchen.

They all went upstairs.

Gu Yan was left alone in the living room, along with the wooden box.

He sat there for a long time.

The snow outside the window was falling heavier and heavier, and the sound of firecrackers came from afar, one after another.

He reached out and slowly opened the wooden box.

There were two letters inside.