The boundless azure of the horizon.
The endless wilderness on either side of the road.
Trees whizzing by.
In the rearview mirror, the old man, bent at the back, watched the direction of the car for a long time, unmoving.
Huo Rou shifted her gaze from the car window and met Qin Ningyi's eyes.
Worried about her condition, Qin Ningyi had moved from the front passenger seat to the back to be with Huo Rou.
He met Huo Rou's gaze, his eyes filled with confusion.
Huo Rou spoke with some fatigue, "Private grudges."
She didn't know how to explain. She had overreacted, and she didn't want Qin Ningyi to know that side of her.
"Can you not ask me?" a hint of pleading entered Huo Rou's eyes. She wanted to retain even a sliver of goodness in Qin Ningyi's eyes.
Qin Ningyi gently embraced her, his solid shoulder supporting her head, fully offering her his support.
He answered obediently, "Okay."
"I won't ask."
He stroked Huo Rou's hair, feeling her shallow breaths.
The old man just now had called her "Xiao You," which must be her nickname. He found the name strangely familiar.
But he saw Huo Rou's unusual behavior. No matter how many questions he had, he was unwilling to upset her.
He narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhao Hengyu in the rearview mirror.
Zhao Hengyu quickly sensed his gaze. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror and then separated.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the military base.
The seemingly ordinary gate had several soldiers on guard.
During this special period, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Qin Ningyi and his group alighted to be inspected.
Huo Rou took the opportunity while in the car to tidy her hair and disarmed herself, leaving her weapons in the car.
As soon as she got out of the car, she heard someone on the phone not far away.
"Old Cheng, when will you get here?" The man, dressed in a training uniform, spoke with a booming voice.
He had his back to Qin Ningyi and his group and hadn't seen them alight.
He listened to the phone call for a while and then asked loudly, "What? You're not coming?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Hengyu's ears perked up, his sensitive cells kicking into gear.
"Didn't you just say you were almost here?" He turned and looked toward the road, his eyes filled with deep confusion and a frown. "You're almost at the gate and you're saying you're not coming? This is a job I specifically applied for and got approved. Aren't you short on money? You're really not coming?"
After his tirade, he saw Qin Ningyi standing by the car, waiting for inspection.
Qin Ningyi nodded at him. They had clearly met before.
The man then hurriedly ended the call. "Alright then, you go back! Be careful on your way!"
"Little Qin, you've all arrived!" He walked forward with a smile and shook Qin Ningyi's hand. "It's been a while, you've gotten even handsomer!"
"The commander is still busy, shall I take you in first?" The man glanced at the soldier in charge of the inspection. The soldier nodded, and then he led Qin Ningyi and his group inside.
Zhao Hengyu edged forward. "Uncle, you said Old Qin is handsome, what about me?"
"Old Qin?" The man looked at Zhao Hengyu and smiled, patting his shoulder. "You're handsome too!"
"But you can't call him Old Qin here!" He winked, teasing Zhao Hengyu.
Zhao Hengyu waved his hand. "Hey, Uncle, your commander, I should call him Uncle Qin. I won't mess it up!"
His words made the man burst into laughter again.
While joking, Zhao Hengyu quickly stepped forward and pulled the man along slightly, asking in a low voice, "Uncle, who were you talking to on the phone just now? Can you tell me?"