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

Panting, Xiao Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead and said hurriedly, "Battalion Commander Bai! Regiment Commander Lu sent me here. He asked me to tell Comrade Qiao Xinxin that he just received an urgent mission and is about to depart. He said he might not be back for several days, so he specifically asked me to tell you. Please inform Comrade Qiao Xinxin."

After hearing this, Bai Zhengyuan's expression turned serious.

He was a soldier himself and knew that this kind of emergency mobilization and departure in the middle of the night was definitely not an easy task. He nodded and said in a deep voice, "Okay, I understand. Thank you for making this trip."

Xiao Zhao saluted again, then turned and ran quickly downstairs.

Bai Zhengyuan closed the door, leaned on his cane, and slowly walked to Qiao Xinxin's room. He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Xin Xin, are you asleep?" Bai Zhengyuan asked through the door.

"Not yet, brother, what's wrong?" Qiao Xinxin's clear voice came from inside the house.

"Just now, Lao Lu's bodyguard, Xiao Zhao, came running over. He said Lao Lu received an urgent combat mission and has already set off overnight. This mission might take several days before he returns, so he specifically asked Xiao Zhao to tell you so you won't worry about him."

There was a two-second silence in the room, followed by Qiao Xinxin's slightly worried voice: "I understand, brother. Thank you, Comrade Zhao, for making this special trip in the middle of the night. Brother, you should get some rest too."

"Okay, you should go to sleep early too." Bai Zhengyuan was about to turn around and go back to the living room, but after taking only two steps with his cane, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

He stopped abruptly, his brow furrowing in a frown, his mind racing: Something's not right! Old Lu took on a super urgent mission and is leaving in the middle of the night. Even if he were to leave a message, it should be for me, his brother. He specifically sent his guard upstairs, repeatedly instructing Xin Xin to know… This tone, this behavior… something just doesn't sound right. This doesn't sound like something a normal friend would say.

Bai Zhengyuan found it increasingly strange, so he turned back, leaning on his cane. "Xin Xin, what's going on with Lao Lu? He's on a mission, why is he in such a hurry to send someone to instruct you? And he even told you to wait for him to come back. When did you two become so close?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Xinxin's heart, which was already racing with worry for Lu Baizhou, started pounding even harder.

Her fair face flushed bright red in an instant, even the tips of her ears turned a striking pink.

She lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes in front of her, and stammered in a voice barely audible, "Brother... um... actually, I was planning to tell you tomorrow. Bai Zhou and I... we just talked things out this afternoon, we're... we're dating."

"What?!"

Bai Zhengyuan was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and the wooden cane he was holding trembled violently, almost causing him to slip and fall to the ground.

He gasped, his voice rising an octave uncontrollably, his face filled with disbelief: "You and Lao Lu?! That cold-faced devil Lu Baizhou?! You two are dating?!"

Qiao Xinxin blushed, nodded shyly yet firmly, and said, "Mmm..."

Bai Zhengyuan stood there, his head buzzing, completely dumbfounded.

Good heavens! He had always regarded Lu Baizhou as his best brother and sworn brother, but this guy, without saying a word, quietly stole his most precious and beautiful cabbage!

This guy usually seems like an unyielding ice stone, never smiling at any woman, but I never expected him to be so quick and accurate behind the scenes!

Bai Zhengyuan opened his mouth, taking a long time to recover from the shock before finally managing to stammer out, "This kid... he's actually going to be my brother-in-law?! This is outrageous! Fine, he even kept it from me. Just wait until he comes back safely from this mission, and you'll see how I deal with him!"

Although he kept saying he wanted to teach Lu Baizhou a lesson, Bai Zhengyuan was actually quite happy and at ease inside. After all, Lu Baizhou's character, ability, and family background were all there, and as the older brother, he was completely at ease leaving his sister with him.

After Bai Zhengyuan left, Qiao Xinxin was sitting upright at her desk. The desk lamp emitted a dim, yellowish light.

Before her lay the thick ancient Chinese medicine book, "Compendium of Materia Medica".

However, ever since she heard her older brother's words, although Qiao Xinxin's eyes were still fixed on the dense words about licorice and phellodendron on the pages of the book, her mind was completely blank.

The pencil she held was suspended in mid-air, and she didn't put it down to write a single word for a long time.

She sat there blankly for a full half minute before finally sighing, realizing that she couldn't concentrate on her book no matter what.

She gently snapped the heavy medical book shut.

She stood up and walked to the glass window at the far end of the room.

The night sky is clear tonight. Although there is no moon, countless stars twinkle with a faint, cool light.

Outside the window, the tall sycamore trees swayed their dark leaves gently in the night breeze.

Qiao Xinxin leaned against the windowsill, one hand unconsciously gripping the front of her clothes tightly. Her bright, watery eyes followed the distant, undulating, dark mountain shadows for a long while.

Her lips moved slightly, and in a voice only she could hear, she murmured a word softly and devoutly:

"Bai Zhou, you must be careful... You must come back safely and soon."

Just as Qiao Xinxin was praying to the night sky, a military truck carrying twenty fully armed special forces soldiers was speeding wildly along the dark mountain road.

The mountain road was rugged and uneven, full of potholes. The truck bounced violently, shaking the soldiers inside so badly they felt like their bones were about to fall apart. But everyone gripped their rifles tightly, gritted their teeth, and remained silent.

The engine roared for nearly four hours, and in the darkest and coldest time before dawn, the truck finally arrived at a hidden spot on the outskirts of the mission area.

"Screech—!" With a piercing screech of brakes, the truck came to a stop.

"Everyone get off the bus! Quickly!"

Lu Baizhou was the first to jump down from the high platform of the carriage. His heavy military boots thudded as they hit the muddy ground. Without bothering to wipe the mud splattered on his face, he immediately made a hand gesture.