A Young Woman's Heart

"Sister will be very happy." Duanmu Bi said this with great seriousness, cupping Duanmu Ji's handsome face that had grown up. "Little Ji."

"W-What are you doing..."

"If we don't hurry, sister, we'll really get old."

"..."

……

(two)

There was no wedding ceremony; they simply separated their household registrations and then merged them again after obtaining their marriage certificate.

A full year has passed since Duanmu Ji first became a store manager.

This feeling is very subtle.

The person who has been with you since childhood will remain with you after you've gone through one stage of life after another.

From childhood to adulthood, a lifetime.

The meaning of eternity becomes so real at this moment.

"Hey, ma'am."

"What's wrong? Why are you calling me 'sister'?"

"You can't get used to it." Duanmu Ji pouted. "I'm telling you, when you picked me up, you didn't already have this planned in mind, did you?"

"Yes, so it's allowed to have child brides, but not child husbands?"

"...No wonder you always took advantage of me when we were kids."

"Tch, taking advantage of you, my foot! You really think you were cute as a little kid!" Duanmu Bi put one leg on him and scolded him with dissatisfaction, "Back then, when you got to know me, you would run around everywhere, turn things upside down, poop in your pants and still keep playing, and you even took your poop out and threw it on the bed..."

"Alright, alright, alright..." Duanmu Ji waved his hands repeatedly, indicating his surrender.

People who have grown up together know each other very well, especially Duanmu Bi, who is his older sister and knows almost everything about his life.

Good things, bad things, childish embarrassing moments...

It was all stored in her mind.

"You were already in elementary school back then, and you were still so mischievous. I even suspected that you had a problem with your cerebellum development. Otherwise, why would your body be so uncoordinated? You were already in what grade and you were still soiling your pants!"

"Can we please stop talking about pulling up your pants?" Duanmu Ji said helplessly, his interest that had just ended vanishing without a trace.

"Hehe." Duanmu Bi drew circles on his chest. "It's so good to be young, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes...please spare me, sis."

"What? You're not allowed to call me old anymore!"

"Good good..."

……

(three)

After serving as a store manager for two years, Duanmu Ji finally decided to become a journalist.

Let's delve deeper into the darkness of this society, expose it to the public, let the world monitor it, and let the light shine even brighter.

He was so full of passion.

Duanmu Bi also fully supported him.

But the darkness of this society was far greater than he had imagined, to the point that even the camera flash could not illuminate those shadowy corners.

He began to hide, always fearing that he would be followed.

He gritted his teeth, still wanting to expose the darkness, but suffered even more hardship and torment.

All sorts of troubles followed one after another.

After many years apart, he came to Mr. Xue's new home for the first time today.

Cha Li wasn't there; he'd taken the Border Collie out to play. Meanwhile, he poured himself two glasses of white wine, his clean, clear eyes seeming to have already guessed the torment he was going through.

"Xiaoxue..."

"You are just one person, it's hard for you to change many things."

"But... I always want to do something."

"Do you think the stench from the sewer is hard to get rid of, or..."

"Xiaoxue, I understand all the道理 (principles/reasons)." Although he hadn't had much interaction with Mr. Xue during their school days, Duanmu Ji now regarded Mr. Xue as a close friend. "You should know..."

“I know,” Mr. Xue interrupted him. “Go to war-torn countries and take pictures of those amidst the chaos of war.”

"Is this the only way..." he smiled bitterly.

"Keep the spark in your heart. Until then, do what you can without going against your conscience."

"……Um."

I hope this helps.

"Thank you, Xiaoxue."

……

(four)

Duanmu Ji resolutely went to that war-torn region.

He originally intended to go alone, but Duanmu Bi insisted on going with him.

The two ended up traveling together.

And so, they vanished from the country as if they had evaporated into thin air, yet they presented the world with one photograph after another, revealing the cruelty of war.

He knew there was nothing he could actually do.

But at the very least, everything should be presented truthfully.

His opinion is irrelevant, but at the very least, we must tear down the facade that whitewashes war and suffering.

……

(Fives)

"Boom—!" The shells fell almost head-on. Duanmu Ji grabbed Duanmu Bi and scrambled into the trench. They were still covered in dust and dirt from the shock. The continuous artillery fire almost buried them in the dust mixed with the smell of gunpowder.

"Xiao Ji!"

"I'm fine..." Duanmu Ji struggled to raise his arm and captured the moment the shell flew in.

Although he managed to pull his arm back as quickly as possible, a fragment of shrapnel still flew into his arm.

The blood had barely flowed out when it was covered by dust.

Duanmu Bi forcibly dragged him along, running headlong through the trenches to get away from the battlefield, before finally seizing the time to start bandaging him.

This has happened countless times already.

As a result, Duanmu Bi became a well-known battlefield medic in the area.

Why do you always work so hard?

"Only by getting closest to death can one get closest to the truth..."

"You!" Duanmu Bi pressed hard on the wound, causing the latter to turn pale with pain.

She carefully removed the shrapnel, wrapped it with gauze, and forced him into the previously prepared vehicle.

A motocross motorcycle.

Perhaps because he couldn't get rid of the stench from the sewers, he tried his best to reveal the truth about those other dark corners to the world.

……

(six)

On the very day that the so-called Mayan prophecy of the end of the world came true, he and Duanmu Bi, who was both his sister and his wife, boarded a flight back to China.

Although they had only been away for a few years, the two felt as if they had been wandering for decades.

The beauty of peace is something people yearn for and cherish.

When Duanmu Ji paid his phone bill again and installed the SIM card that had been out of service for a long time and was almost reclaimed, he was so excited that he trembled.

"What do you want to do after you come back?"

"This time, I want to accomplish something I haven't done before."

He said so.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, the phone, which had only recently been reactivated, suddenly rang.

"Oh my, Xiao Ji, I finally got in touch with you! Xiao Xue was right, she said you'd be back soon. I postponed it for a whole year because of you."

"what……?"

"It's me, Gao Yuan!!"

"Oh... Gao Yuan?"

"I've heard of your name back then. You were a famous righteous reporter who exposed the dark side of things. I was wondering where you went after that. If Xiaoxue hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have known."

"Gao Yuan?" This name was somewhat distant to him. In his memory, there were too many names of people who had crossed paths with him but ultimately died because of the war.

"It's been ten years since we last met. I'm organizing a class reunion. I've already notified most of the people. It'll be at Yukong High School. Remember to come!"

"……it is good."

……

Chapter 6. The Passion is Gone

(One)

Returning to his homeland, standing on its solid ground, and gazing at the prosperous city and towering buildings, Duanmu Ji once again felt the beauty of peace.