AYLS -Chapter 147

As soon as Lin Qiao got home, Su Weizhen rushed over the moment she heard the news.

Earlier, she and Xu Yuanzheng had also gone to the hospital, but at that time Xiao Qiao was already inside the ward accompanying Gu Huayuan. She didn’t want to disturb their peace, and after hearing that Gu Huayuan was no longer in danger, she returned. After all, the chicken farm couldn’t be left unattended—she had to keep things running.

But even so, she couldn’t stop worrying about how Xiao Qiao was doing.

The moment she heard that Xiao Qiao had returned, she rushed right over.

Lin Qiao was sitting in her chair in a daze. Seeing her arrive, she immediately went over and hugged Su Weizhen. “Zhenzhen, I was scared to death this time.”

Su Weizhen patted her back. “But isn’t everything fine now?”

“I know, but before that, it was really terrifying. I’ve never felt that awful.” When her grandparents passed away, she had been sad too. But her grandparents told her she still had her father and would one day meet the person she would spend her life with. So even though she was sad, she never felt despair.

But this time, when Gu Huayuan was gravely injured, her mind went completely blank—like she couldn’t see any future at all. It was pure despair.

“Zhenzhen, do you think Gu Huayuan will never have any more accidents in the future?” she asked nervously.

Su Weizhen honestly didn’t know if there would be anything else. She felt that even if something did happen, it probably wouldn’t be life‑threatening. After all, Gu Huayuan’s real calamity was supposed to be next year…?

Back then, when something happened to Gu Huayuan, his belongings were sent to the farm by Xu Yuanzheng.

Which meant the Gu family had fallen on hard times at that point.

“Xiao Qiao, I think this was just an accident. For now, Gu Huayuan should be fine. As for the future… no one can guarantee a person’s fate. And besides, we can’t see ahead.”

Lin Qiao pressed her lips together, feeling utterly miserable.

She knew Zhenzhen definitely wouldn’t tell her anything more.

Wiping her eyes, she said seriously, “Zhenzhen, if Gu Huayuan is gone, I probably won’t be able to live either.”

Not even mentioning how heartbroken she’d be—without the big boss, she wouldn’t be able to complete her mission. If she failed, what else was there except dying here?

Su Weizhen was stunned by her declaration. “Xiao Qiao, don’t think like that.”

“I’m serious.”

Su Weizhen was shaken to her core.

She never expected that in this era, in the real world, there could still be such love where life and death are tied together.

If it were Xu Yuanzheng… she probably wouldn’t do the same. She would keep living, holding that person in her heart.

Maybe, someday in the future, she might meet another suitable person.

A lifetime was too long—no one could predict what might change.

But Xiao Qiao’s kind of life‑and‑death devotion was truly shocking. “Xiao Qiao, trust me. Gu Huayuan will be fine. I’ve always believed that no matter what fate may be, it can be changed. Neither of you will come to harm. I’m here—I’ll help you both. I may not be capable of much, but I’ll do everything I can. We will all live well here. Gu Huayuan and Old Xu will guard the border, and we will raise chickens for the soldiers here. Together, we’ll work hard for our dreams.”

Xiao Qiao listened, eyes brimming with tears. Zhenzhen was someone from the future—if she said nothing would happen, then nothing would happen. Zhenzhen was the heroine, after all.

“Zhenzhen, I believe you. You’ve never lied to me.” Unlike a certain fat cat.

Su Weizhen felt a little embarrassed.

In her heart, she became even more determined. She would have to remind Xu Yuanzheng more often, and remind Gu Huayuan whenever possible. This kind of thing couldn’t be taken lightly.

Lin Qiao had originally wanted to cook something good for Gu Huayuan and bring it to him, but now that Su Weizhen was here, she didn’t have to worry. Su Weizhen had already simmered chicken soup at home.

All she needed to do was take it to Gu Huayuan. After delivering it, she could even catch up on a bit of sleep. She hadn’t had a proper rest in so long.

Everything was finally over, everything went smoothly, and Lin Qiao could finally relax. Her mood lifted.

The fat cat watched as the negative energy stopped, while the progress bar still slowly climbed. It panicked at once. “You really have no heart, do you? Gu Huayuan was injured like that, almost died, and you’re not sad at all?”

“But Gu Huayuan is fine now.” Lin Qiao was busy washing her face and combing her hair, not having time to argue with it.

“Zhenzhen said Gu Huayuan won’t have trouble in the future, so why should I stay unhappy? If I’m unhappy, Zhenzhen and Gu Huayuan will be unhappy too.” Lin Qiao was absolutely confident.

Fat Cat: “……”

If it weren’t for insufficient energy, it could’ve made this player suffer miserably by now.

Looking again at its pitifully small amount of energy, the fat cat was extremely frustrated. The returns weren’t even close to covering the costs. It had taken a huge loss this time. If the player hadn’t truly been sad for so long afterward, it would have had no energy left at all.

Next time, it wouldn’t pull such a big stunt—maybe try a smaller accident, see if the rewards would exceed the cost.

At the hospital, the regiment’s officers had also come to visit Gu Huayuan.

Although this conflict wasn’t a major one, it still involved national dignity. So the leaders took it very seriously.

Gu Huayuan had been injured because of it, so naturally they came to offer their regards—and to check on his condition.

Regiment Commander Sheng looked at his head injury and frowned deeply. “I saw those scoundrels. They weren’t anything impressive. How did you get injured like this?”

He understood Gu Huayuan’s abilities very well. When Gu first arrived, to convince the old soldiers, they held a full-regiment competition. Gu Huayuan could take on several people at once without issue—veterans who had actually been on the battlefield, no less. There was no reason he should’ve been taken down by a few young punks.

Even Gu Huayuan didn’t know how to explain it. “My negligence.”

Commander Sheng said sternly, “This won’t do. A moment of carelessness on the battlefield costs lives.”

Gu Huayuan accepted the criticism without complaint. As a soldier, he knew he really had been negligent this time.

Commander Sheng continued, “Once you recover, train properly.”

The political commissar tried to calm him. “Old Sheng, watch your temper. Look at the state Xiao Gu is in.”

“That’s exactly why he needs criticism—so he won’t forget the pain once he heals. Go back and train hard.”

Commander Sheng remained serious.

The commissar quickly pulled him away, even giving Gu Huayuan a look.

Gu Huayuan gave him a small smile of gratitude.

Commander Sheng was a good man, just loud.

By the time Lin Qiao arrived, everyone had left. Gu Huayuan was alone, deep in thought about his physical condition.

As a soldier, he valued his physical capability immensely. If this was a one‑time thing, fine—but if it became frequent, he might have to consider retirement.

Not because he feared death, but because he feared dragging others down in a critical moment on the battlefield.

Thinking about possibly retiring weighed heavily on his mind.

So when Lin Qiao arrived and saw him looking so tormented, she frowned. “Why the long face? Does your wound hurt?”

Seeing her, Gu Huayuan was surprised. “Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to rest at home?”

“Resting anywhere is the same. I went home, washed up, and Zhenzhen made soup for you, so I brought it over. Afterward, I’ll just nap on your bed.”

As she spoke, she took out the chicken soup. Its aroma was so good even she couldn’t help taking a deep sniff. “It smells amazing. Zhenzhen is just too good at cooking.”

Gu Huayuan thought, Xu’s family didn’t even raise chickens. Where did this chicken come from?

He chose not to expose her and obediently prepared to drink the soup—only for Lin Qiao to deny him a spoon, instead holding the bowl herself and feeding him with the spoon.

Gu Huayuan stared blankly at her clumsy movements but didn’t refuse. Instead, he smiled, feeling an indescribable warmth and sweetness.

Lin Qiao blew gently on each spoonful and brought it to his lips. “Tasty, right?”

“Mm. Anything fed by Comrade Xiao Qiao tastes good.”

“…Stop joking around.” Lin Qiao’s face reddened. “It’s all because Zhenzhen cooks well.”

She knew very well—this was authentic space chicken, not the kind they later raised outside. Its nutritional value was high. Once Gu Huayuan drank it, he would definitely recover faster.

“Gu Huayuan, you have to protect yourself from now on. Don’t get hurt again. Look—no one else was hurt as badly as you. Are you… not as capable as you look?” She only dared complain because he seemed in good spirits now.

Gu Huayuan: “……”

He wanted to say she shouldn’t say the last part out loud, but he didn’t want to act indecent in public.

“Comrade Xiao Qiao, even a horse may trip, and a person may slip.”

“Well, I forbid you from slipping. I forbid you from getting hurt!” As Lin Qiao said this, tears began gathering again.

Whenever she thought of yesterday, she couldn’t help feeling heartache—sharp, suffocating heartache.

She didn’t want to eat, didn’t want to sleep, didn’t even want to go to the chicken farm.

Gu Huayuan raised a hand to wipe her tears. “Silly girl.”

“You’re the silly one. I’m very smart.”

Gu Huayuan smiled. “Comrade Xiao Qiao cares about me this much… does that mean you can’t live without me? That you’re destined to worry about me for the rest of your life?”

Lin Qiao froze for a moment, her cheeks turning pink. “Who can’t live without you? Drink your soup.”

Gu Huayuan looked at her and asked softly, “So… are you leaving or not?”

Lin Qiao didn’t answer. She simply kept feeding him the soup in silence. At this moment, she truly couldn’t bring herself to lie to Gu Huayuan anymore. She couldn’t do what she used to—spout lies one after another so easily.

“……”

The soup suddenly tasted bitter in Gu Huayuan’s mouth. He didn’t know whether Lin Qiao wasn’t willing to stay… or whether the people behind her wouldn’t let her stay.

No matter what the reason was, the outcome was not what he wanted.

Right now, he envied Old Xu—maybe even felt jealous.

They’d gone through similar things, but Old Xu was about to become a father. Meanwhile, he might not even get to keep his wife.

…

Gu Huayuan’s physique was good, and he recovered quickly. After staying just one week, he was ready to be discharged.

While he went for his final check-up, Lin Qiao stayed in the ward to pack up their things. Su Weizhen also came with Xu Yuanzheng to help.

In the doctor’s office, Gu Huayuan studied his medical report.

This time, he had gotten a full-body examination, wanting to see if anything was wrong with him.

After hearing his symptoms earlier, the doctor had also been worried it might be something serious. But the results showed that every aspect of his health was excellent—so healthy it could make others jealous.

Gu Huayuan asked, “So… my body actually has no issues at all? But the numbness I felt was very strong. It definitely wasn’t my imagination.”

“Unfortunately, we really can’t find any problem right now. Sometimes the body experiences brief abnormalities—an occasional incident. There might not be any hidden illness. I suggest that after you go home, you continue observing your condition carefully. After all, medicine hasn’t identified every possible condition.”

Gu Huayuan nodded. “I understand. I’ll keep an eye on it.”

Not knowing the cause of his symptoms left a weight on his heart, yet he couldn’t let Qiao know. He could only keep it buried inside.

He wanted to remain, in Lin Qiao’s eyes, the Gu Huayuan who could do anything.

He even tried to cheer himself up by thinking that if his health really forced him to leave the army… then he could raise chickens with Lin Qiao. He just didn’t know if she’d even like that. Maybe one day, she would just disappear.

Thinking about it made his chest tighten even more.

And right then, Xu Yuanzheng patted him on the shoulder. “Brother, you need to train properly when we get back. This won’t do. Look at how badly you got hurt this time—everyone was worried. Forget your wife, even my wife has been thinking about you.”

Gu Huayuan already felt jealous of him, yet Old Xu didn’t even know it and was still happily living his carefree life. No worries at all.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Huayuan punched Xu Yuanzheng lightly. “Fine. When we get back, you and I will train. We haven’t sparred in a long time.”

Xu Yuanzheng: “……”

Who wants to spar with a human weapon? I’m in engineering and construction! Not the military!