The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

He remained silent for a while before trying to make his voice sound calm: "Old Zhou, about this... I really didn't know before that the girl you were pursuing was Xin Xin. If I had known earlier..."

"Enough!" Zhou Liguang abruptly interrupted him, her voice tinged with annoyance and helplessness. "Stop giving me that crap! So what if I knew? Stop pretending. I'm asking you, if you had known I liked her, would you have given her to me?!"

Lu Baizhou was speechless at his question.

He was silent.

Yes, would he back down? He asked himself the question, and the answer was no. He certainly wouldn't.

Even if he could do it all over again, even if he was certain from the beginning that Lao Zhou also liked Qiao Xinxin, he would never give Qiao Xinxin up to anyone. When it comes to feelings, there's no such thing as first come, first served, or the logic of Kong Rong sharing pears.

Looking at his silent and sullen demeanor, Zhou Liguang was more amused than angry.

He shook his head, sighed, and said, "Alright, stop putting on that cowardly act in front of me. I'm not the kind of sore loser. I'm just baffled. You usually seem so cold, like a rock that can't be warmed up, you never even smile. What did Qiao Xinxin see in you? Why did she choose you?"

Lu Baizhou was momentarily speechless when asked such a direct, even somewhat provocative, question.

He touched his nose and cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly: "Ahem... Maybe they think I'm a reliable person."

Upon hearing this answer, Zhou Liguang couldn't help but chuckle, a laugh tinged with both helplessness and relief: "You're quite confident, kid, not humble at all."

Lu Baizhou felt that the dull and oppressive atmosphere in the dormitory was suffocating.

He knew why he had come today, so he carefully considered his words before looking earnestly at Zhou Liguang and saying, "Old Zhou, the reason I came to see you today is to say something. I never expected things to turn out this way, with Xin Xin choosing me. But now that we're officially together, I will absolutely not let her down. I will treat her with my life. You can rest assured about that."

Zhou Liguang listened to his resounding assurance but did not respond immediately.

He remained leaning against the wall behind the bed, his gaze fixed on a spot on the opposite wall where the white plaster had peeled off, as if he were pondering some deep secret.

After a long while, he slowly withdrew his gaze, looked at Lu Baizhou, and slowly said, "Old Lu, I already said, I, Zhou Liguang, am a man, not the kind of person who can't accept defeat. You came all this way tonight to make these promises to me, are you trying to test me? Trying to confirm whether I will hold a grudge against you because of this, whether I will trip you up behind your back, or whether I have any inappropriate thoughts about you?"

Lu Baizhou, having his thoughts read aloud, didn't feel embarrassed. He nodded frankly and admitted, "Yes. I just didn't want this to leave a grudge in your heart and affect the friendship between us brothers that we've had for so many years."

Zhou Liguang looked at him and said slowly, word by word, "Old Lu, let's be frank. I admit, I'm feeling pretty uncomfortable right now, even a bit frustrated. But this discomfort is my own problem; it's because I didn't have the ability to win over the girl I like, and I have to process it myself."

"You being with her is a matter of mutual affection; our brotherhood is a matter of life and death. These two things are separate and do not conflict at all."

He paused, his eyes sharpening. "So, if you feel indebted to me, then it's me, Zhou Liguang, who thinks you're incredibly boring and don't treat me like a brother at all!"

As Lu Baizhou listened to Zhou Liguang's candid and heartfelt words, a surge of inexplicable warmth welled up in his heart.

He looked intently at Zhou Liguang. This tough, hardened man, who usually toiled on the training field and was even more ruthless than him, was now speaking these most manly words in an extremely calm, almost nonchalant tone. This magnanimity, this composure, truly earned Lu Baizhou's heartfelt admiration.

Lu Baizhou sat in the somewhat old wooden chair, listening to Zhou Liguang's heartfelt words. His heart felt as if a warm glow had been placed inside him, comforting yet tinged with an indescribable bittersweetness. He looked up at his good brother sitting on the edge of the opposite bed. Zhou Liguang's eyes were still a little red, but his gaze held the unique strength and openness of a soldier, without a trace of hidden darkness.

Lu Baizhou sighed inwardly. He suddenly felt that if he were to offer any words of comfort or apology at this moment, it would be too distant, too hypocritical, and practically an insult to Zhou Liguang's magnanimous spirit. Between true brothers, sometimes words are superfluous; a thousand words are not as effective as a single, concrete action.

Thinking of this, Lu Baizhou supported himself on his knees with both hands and slowly stood up.

He took two steps to Zhou Liguang and looked at this brother who had gone through thick and thin with him, rolling in the mud and braving gunfire.

Then, he patted Zhou Liguang on the shoulder: "Old Zhou, thank you."

Zhou Liguang, who was sulking with his head down, was hit hard by Lu Baizhou's sudden slap, and his upper body swayed involuntarily.

He frowned, raised his eyelids with annoyance, and looked Lu Baizhou up and down with an extremely disdainful gaze.

"Alright, alright, get those bear paws off me right now!" Zhou Liguang shrank back, dodging Lu Baizhou's hand, and muttered irritably, "Stop patting and hitting me here. We're all grown men leading troops into battle, who are you trying to impress with these mushy, sentimental gestures? I'm not buying it, get off me now!"

Seeing his awkward expression, Lu Baizhou knew that he hadn't completely gotten over his anger, so he wasn't angry.

He obediently withdrew his hand, put it in his pocket, and then looked down at Zhou Liguang for a long time. He thought to himself that since he had already started talking, he might as well say it all at once.

"Old Zhou," Lu Baizhou cleared his throat, his tone becoming very serious, "Putting everything else aside, I have something I really want to say to you from the bottom of my heart. Look at you, you're not getting any younger this year, and your family is definitely hoping you'll settle down. You should really think about your life's important matters. Here's what I'm thinking: after a while, once you've calmed down and are in a better mood, would you like me to introduce you to a few suitable women?"