AYLS – Chapter 4 Nothing to Live For

“Changing the account is impossible. How could you demand that the big boss in the game has to look like you? This is a clearance game, not a dating sim.”

Lin Qiao: “……” Not a dating sim?

Then what else could an engagement between a fiancé and fiancée be, if not romance?

Lin Qiao just couldn’t accept that the man she was supposed to be in a romance with suddenly became the big boss she had to defeat. Her mind flashed through countless images of terrifying game bosses—all of them non-human monsters.

By comparison, didn’t her own boss look rather… “delicate”?

At that moment, the delicate-looking big boss of the game was chatting politely with two police officers.

“I’m Gu Huayuan.”

Gu Huayuan extended his hand to shake theirs.

The two officers shook it warmly. Officer Wu gestured toward Lin Qiao. “This is Comrade Lin Qiao. About her situation…”

“I already know.” Gu Huayuan nodded. “My family called me about it. I’ve already made all the arrangements.”

Hearing this, the two officers felt reassured. Arranged marriages weren’t really common anymore, and when they came, they had worried that this comrade might not be too happy about suddenly gaining a fiancée.

But now, it seemed he truly was a soldier of the people, filled with responsibility.

“Comrade Lin Qiao, come here.”

Officer Wu pulled Lin Qiao over.

In her mind, Lin Qiao had already reclassified the gentle and handsome officer in front of her—from fiancé to “final boss monster.” Because of this, her mood was actually a little better than before.

Without that fluttery anticipation of romance, she didn’t feel shy like a young woman meeting her intended for the first time. Instead, she boldly sneaked glances at this so-called boss.

Big round eyes, as if they could speak.

Gu Huayuan had only glanced at her, but now he cleared his throat softly, extended his hand, and spoke warmly: “Comrade Lin Qiao, hello. I’m Gu Huayuan.”

Lin Qiao quickly stretched out her hand. “Oh, hello. My name is Lin—Lin Qiao.”

From the officers’ perspective, this meeting between the young couple went quite smoothly. Since they hadn’t met before, a polite formality was normal.

And before Officer Wu could even ask, Gu Huayuan had already brought up Lin Qiao’s housing arrangements.

He had borrowed a house in the military family compound. Later, when their marriage application was approved, he would apply for their own housing.

As for when the marriage application would be filed or when the wedding would be held, he didn’t say, and no one asked.

After all, that counted as a private matter.

Lin Qiao, however, pricked up her ears, eager for the answer.

To her, marriage meant mission accomplished. She could go home after that.

So she asked directly, “Then when will we get married?”

The two officers: “……”

Gu Huayuan looked at her. “…Soon.”

Only then did Lin Qiao look relieved.

Perhaps a bit embarrassed, Officer Wu chuckled. “Yes, it should be soon. Right now, Comrade Lin Qiao’s household registration is still under Suinan County. That’s not a long-term solution. Once you’re married, she can transfer it over.”

Gu Huayuan nodded, and politely invited them to a meal.

But taking advantage of the military’s resources wasn’t right, so the officers declined. They said settling Comrade Lin Qiao was enough, and they needed to head back to report.

Before leaving, Officer Wu pulled Lin Qiao aside and told her to settle in well here. “From what I can see, this Comrade Gu is a good man. Your future life will surely be a good one, Comrade Lin Qiao.”

Lin Qiao sneaked another look at Gu Huayuan, but couldn’t figure out where exactly he looked “good.”

And so, the newly betrothed couple stood together at the military compound gate, watching the two officers ride away in a horse-drawn carriage.

Once they were gone, the two of them turned to stare at each other.

Gu Huayuan thought for a moment, then tried to treat his faraway fiancée with as much gentleness as possible. “You should rest and settle in first. Once things are in order, we’ll talk again.”

“Alright, alright, alright.” Lin Qiao nodded in agreement. “This trip wore me out. I really do need a good rest.”

Gu Huayuan gave her a puzzled look, clearly surprised by her casual tone.

He felt a little doubtful inside, but said nothing, and led her into the military district.

Because this was a production corps, he was able to bring her directly inside. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so at ease leading an unfamiliar person into the compound.

Although the distance wasn’t far, Gu Huayuan still, as before, brought a bicycle to carry Lin Qiao.

Seeing the bike, Lin Qiao immediately thought of those school dramas where the male lead pedaled the female lead around, and a touch of romance rose in her heart.

She gracefully took her seat on the back.

But the moment she sat, it didn’t feel right. The rear was just an iron rack with holes.

Once the bike started rolling over the gravel road, every bump jabbed painfully at her backside.

“……”

I can’t live like this. Absolutely can’t.

“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!” Lin Qiao wasn’t one to endure suffering. She cried out on the spot.

Gu Huayuan immediately stopped the bicycle and got off.

Lin Qiao hopped down too, barely resisting the urge to rub her sore rear.

“Sitting in the back hurts too much. I’m not sitting.” Lin Qiao bluntly stated her demand.

Gu Huayuan raised an eyebrow. It was the first time he’d heard of someone complaining about pain from sitting on a bike. Privately, he thought Comrade Lin Qiao was a bit pampered.

After a moment’s thought, he suggested, “Then let’s walk? It’s not too far.”

“My legs hurt. I’ve been traveling forever,” Lin Qiao said miserably. She was truly exhausted. The only reason she had persevered this far was because she thought her arrival meant she’d start living a good life.

Now she had no hope left, she couldn’t keep going anymore.

She only felt her whole body aching—her hands hurt, her feet hurt, everything hurt. She didn’t want to suffer another bit of exhaustion.

Gu Huayuan: “……” She couldn’t ride a car, she couldn’t walk, was she supposed to fly back?

“I’ll sit on that leather seat, and you push me.” Lin Qiao pointed to the passenger seat behind a bicycle.

Gu Huayuan looked at her in disbelief.

Lin Qiao also raised her head to look at him, her expression saying I’m not joking.

Gu Huayuan froze for a moment, pressed his lips together, narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled, “Alright.”

Only then did Lin Qiao climb onto the seat with both hands and feet, not forgetting to remind him, “Push slowly.”

Gu Huayuan: “……”

There were quite a lot of family members in the Corps. To make their families feel at home, the Corps had also built rows of family housing.

Generally, only those who were married were eligible for a house.

Gu Huayuan’s rank in the Corps wasn’t low, but since he wasn’t married, he hadn’t applied for housing.

But after receiving a phone call from his stepmother Zhang Wenjuan, he made arrangements. He temporarily borrowed a house from the unit.

So nearly everyone in the family quarters already knew he had a relative coming to stay.

Many thought it was just a family visit. But when they actually saw, it was shocking—Captain Gu was pushing a pretty young woman on a bicycle into the family housing area.

That female comrade looked fair and delicate, pretty as a flower.

Her face, however, looked unhappy, as if she were angry at Captain Gu.

A few military wives gathered at a distance, whispering, “When did Captain Gu get a girlfriend? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Neither have I, I was even thinking of introducing someone to him.”

“Maybe it’s his younger sister.”

“What kind of younger sister gets pushed around on a bicycle like that by her brother?”

“Why didn’t he just give her a ride on the bike instead?”

No one could figure it out. So when Gu Huayuan came closer, they simply greeted him warmly.

“Captain Gu, your family has arrived.”

“This comrade looks really spirited!”

Gu Huayuan smiled and nodded, “I’ll have to trouble you sisters-in-law to look after her more from now on. She just arrived, doesn’t understand anything yet.”

Hearing this, the wives immediately understood—if she needed looking after, that meant she was staying long-term.

Who else could live here long-term other than military dependents?

Even as military dependents themselves, they had to admit the conditions here were really harsh.

Those willing to follow their husbands here were truly devoted, coming to take care of them despite the hardships.

Looking again at the girl—though dressed simply, her appearance was so striking, clearly from a good family.

For her to willingly come and endure hardship with Captain Gu, that was really something rare.

They all quickly smiled and responded, “Alright, later we’ll take this comrade—what was her name?”

“Lin Qiao.”

“We’ll take Comrade Lin Qiao around more later. Oh, tomorrow morning we’re going out nearby to dig some wild vegetables, we’ll bring her along.”

Lin Qiao froze. Dig wild vegetables?

Gu Huayuan chuckled, “Not for now. She just arrived, I’ll take her around nearby these days to get familiar first.”

With that, he politely declined.

The wives immediately exchanged looks with each other.

They felt Captain Gu was being protective.

Gu Huayuan, however, didn’t explain further. He couldn’t very well say outright that he simply found this Lin Qiao a bit odd and didn’t dare let her mingle casually.

Meanwhile, Lin Qiao was shouting at Fat Cat, “I have to go dig wild vegetables too?”

Fat Cat replied, “They’re tasty and healthy.”

“I know they’re tasty and healthy, but why should I dig them?”

Fat Cat said, “If you don’t dig, will they fall from the sky?”

Just what kind of player had it run into? It suddenly felt a little sympathetic to the game designers’ mindset.

While Lin Qiao was still sulking over the fact she had fallen so low as to dig wild vegetables, they arrived at the house where she’d be living.

It was a half-earth, half-brick house. Though built quite neatly, it looked dull and gray from the outside.

In real life, Lin Qiao had never even seen such a house. After entering the game, she’d first stayed at the county guesthouse, which she already thought was shabby.

But now, with this comparison, the guesthouse practically looked luxurious.

Once inside, Lin Qiao nearly fainted.

It was one big room without any bed, just a mud-built platform shaped like one.

The place had already been cleaned.

Though he hadn’t yet figured out how to settle his fiancée, in this respect Gu Huayuan had been very thorough.

Daily necessities had all been prepared.

Living there temporarily would be no problem.

Ignoring what Lin Qiao thought, Gu Huayuan pointed around the room, “Everything is here, you can use it as you like. Also, I haven’t had time to buy grain yet, so for now you’ll eat at the mess hall with me. But that’s not a long-term solution. In a few days, I’ll go buy grain, then you can cook at home yourself.”

Lin Qiao: “……” What did that mean? She was supposed to cook? By herself?

She thought for a moment and asked, “Are there any restaurants here?”

At least she could buy food from one.

Gu Huayuan looked at her, “Restaurants? Yes, there’s a state-run restaurant in Suinan County. It’s where you came before.”

That far? Lin Qiao silently imagined the scene of traveling there three times a day for meals, and couldn’t help feeling her whole world darken.

Gu Huayuan stood up. He had originally intended to talk with her about their situation. But now, he didn’t feel it was urgent.

“You go wash up first. We’ll have lunch soon. I’ll get some food from the mess hall for you.”

At the mention of food, Lin Qiao realized how hungry she was.

She’d been vomiting the whole way here. She quickly nodded, “Mm, mm, mm.”

Gu Huayuan picked up his military cap, put it on, and left.

As he left, he didn’t forget to close the door behind him.

Lin Qiao, on the other hand, began carefully inspecting the room. The house was just one single space—cooking and sleeping all in the same room.

“I don’t know where the restroom is.”

Lin Qiao started searching all over the house.

God knows, for the past few days she had been holding it in whenever she could, and only went when she absolutely had no choice. She really couldn’t help it—the toilets outside were just too dirty.

She thought, surely in the army there must be flush toilets, right…

Even if there weren’t, a squat toilet would do. As long as it was clean. It should be clean, right? After all, it wasn’t a public restroom.

But after searching around the house, she still didn’t find anything. So she went outside.

The military wife next door saw her and asked with a smile, “Comrade Lin Qiao, what are you looking for?”

“The restroom, the restroom.”

“Oh, yes, yes, there is one. It’s that building in the back.”

The neighbor pointed down a path, where, in the distance, a red-brick building could be seen. On it, the character “厕” (toilet) was written in white lime, circled in a ring.

Lin Qiao: “…” Another public restroom!

She hesitated for a moment, but still walked over.

Before she even got close, the smell hit her. A bad premonition rose in her heart. As soon as she went inside, she rushed back out, gagging and vomiting up stomach acid.

The military wife next door saw her stumbling back while retching and said, “Oh my, what’s wrong? Motion sickness? Ah, I was the same when I first came here, got terribly carsick. Those long-distance buses are just awful. You should hurry and rest a bit.”

Lin Qiao: “…” This wasn’t carsickness, it was from the stench.

…

In the army canteen, everyone was lining up for food.

Gu Huayuan carried two metal lunch pails, got a bowl of porridge, and a few coarse steamed buns.

He also managed to get one egg.

Right now, grain was scarce across the entire country. Even though they were in the army, the production corps had to aim for self-sufficiency. The harvest here wasn’t good, so naturally there wasn’t much food. Fine meals were impossible—at best, they could only ensure no one went hungry.

But everyone was still content. As soldiers of the people, they knew that many ordinary citizens were tightening their belts just to get by. Being able to eat their fill was already a blessing.

After getting the food, Gu Huayuan was about to leave when he ran into the company’s political instructor.

Instructor Li Wentian smiled as he walked over, “What’s this? Not eating in the canteen today, going to keep someone company instead?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m just bringing the meal over. After all, she only just arrived,” Gu Huayuan said seriously.

Li Wentian chuckled, “I heard today our Captain Gu pushed someone in on a bicycle.”

“The tires were flat, couldn’t ride it,” Gu Huayuan replied.

Li Wentian lowered his voice, “Honestly, what are you thinking?” He had been in the office that day when the Gu family called.

So he knew Lin Qiao’s identity, though Gu Huayuan had ordered everyone not to spread it around. He’d said they weren’t sure of the young woman’s final decision, and it wouldn’t look good if rumors got out too soon. For now, they would just live together. If it didn’t work out, they’d explain later that she was his younger cousin. Afterwards, they could help Lin Qiao find a suitable match either here or back in Suinan.

But in all that, Gu Huayuan had never revealed his true thoughts.

“We’ll see what she thinks. Respect her opinion,” Gu Huayuan said, still giving nothing away. “I’ll go deliver the food first.”

Li Wentian smiled and didn’t press further.

Gu Huayuan quickly made his way to the military family quarters. As soon as he neared the house, the wife of Battalion Commander Wang came out and called, “Xiao Gu, Comrade Lin Qiao seems carsick, she’s been retching just now. You’d better take a good look. If it’s bad, go to the infirmary and get some medicine.”

Gu Huayuan immediately nodded, “Thank you, sister-in-law. I’ll take her over later.”

She smiled warmly, “Don’t mention it. Coming from so far away isn’t easy.”

Gu Huayuan nodded with a smile, “She’s been on the road for days, it really hasn’t been easy.”

Once she went back inside, he carried the food into the house.

Placing it on the table, he turned to look for Lin Qiao—only to see her lying stiffly on the kang bed. She was so still, eyes wide open, not even moving her eyeballs.

Her expression looked completely devoid of hope.