Gu Jianing closed her eyes, trying hard to hypnotize herself into sleep. After a long while, she helplessly opened them again.
She murmured in frustration, “Gu Jianing, you’re not a child anymore. Do you really need someone to sleep beside you to fall asleep?”
“For the past seventeen years at home, you slept alone just fine.”
“Adapt. You need to adapt.”
Tossing and turning, it wasn’t until late into the night that Gu Jianing finally drifted into a deep sleep.
Meanwhile, Sheng Zexi and his comrades were taking a temporary rest in a remote village after a long journey. Exhausted from the march, his comrades were already asleep.
Sheng Zexi gazed out the window, hands tucked behind his head, equally lost in thoughts of his little wife back at the military base.
He wondered if she was sleeping well without him by her side. What if she kicked off the blankets and caught a cold? He had always been the one to tuck her in, but now Ningning was all alone.
…
Northwestern Military Base
The next morning, Gu Jianing woke up to find most of the blanket had fallen off the bed and her nose slightly stuffy.
However, after moving around for a while, she felt better.
She knew her sleeping must have been restless last night—she must have kicked the blankets off again. Fortunately, thanks to the “Pregnancy Holy Body Pill” provided by the system, she was guaranteed not to fall ill throughout her entire pregnancy.
Gu Jianing realized just how frightening habits could be.
In just a few short months, she had grown accustomed to life with Sheng Zexi—or rather, Sheng Zexi had seeped into every aspect of her daily routine.
Now, whenever she did something or thought of something, she would instinctively call out, “Brother Xi.”
Every time the door made a sound, she would hope—had he returned from his mission?
But each time, she was disappointed.
Still, Gu Jianing kept trying to comfort herself.
Until the fifth night after Sheng Zexi’s departure.
Hugging his pillow to sleep, she suddenly realized it no longer carried his familiar scent. At that moment, she could no longer hold back—her eyes reddened.
Pouting, her voice choked with emotion, as if treating the pillow as Sheng Zexi himself, she whispered in grievance:
“When are you coming back?”
“It’s only been a few days since you last used this pillow, and your scent is already gone.”
“Brother Xi, I miss you. Please come back soon.”
Mumbling to the pillow for a long time, Gu Jianing finally fell into a drowsy sleep, a glistening tear still hanging at the corner of her eye.
…
Meanwhile, far away, Sheng Zexi had just emerged victorious from a battle.
As always, he had charged at the forefront, earning the greatest merits and taking down the most enemies.
During their post-battle rest, his comrades praised Sheng Zexi’s bravery, saying that if not for him leading the charge, many of them might have been injured or even shot.
Sheng Zexi raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
The truth was, his boldness stemmed from the invisible bulletproof vest he wore.
Two days prior, they had been ambushed. In the chaos, to protect a comrade, a bullet had shot straight toward Sheng Zexi’s chest—right where his heart was.
At that moment, Sheng Zexi had no time to react.
The best he could do was try to shift slightly to avoid a direct hit to the heart.
But being shot was inevitable.
Except—it wasn’t.
Just as the bullet was about five centimeters away from his chest, it seemed to hit an invisible barrier.
Then, it simply dropped to the ground.
That miraculous moment was witnessed by Sheng Zexi alone.
Sheng Zexi’s shock was beyond words.
He immediately realized—it was the effect of the “invisible bulletproof vest” Ningning had mentioned.
Although he had believed her words, seeing it with his own eyes was an entirely different level of awe.
Throughout the entire incident, Sheng Zexi hadn’t felt anything unusual, nor had he noticed anything else.
He remembered what Ningning had said—this invisible suit covered his entire body, head to toe, wrapping around him completely.
Not only was it endlessly bulletproof, but as long as Ningning didn’t deactivate it, the suit would continue to protect him.
Sheng Zexi thought: *If that’s the case… does that mean I’m invincible in the face of gunfire? Can I charge ahead even more fearlessly?*
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than he acted on it.
And so, Sheng Zexi surged to the front.
While his comrades worried that charging into such heavy fire would surely lead to injury—or worse—Sheng Zexi not only eliminated every enemy but returned unscathed.
Had Gu Jianing been there, she would have recognized this battle from the flashes of the future she had seen—one where lives were lost, where Sheng Zexi himself had been gravely wounded.
But now, because Sheng Zexi remained unharmed and had taken down most of the enemies single-handedly, the battle ended in swift victory—with zero casualties.
As everyone praised Sheng Zexi’s unmatched bravery, any surviving enemies (if they could still speak) would have protested:
*”Yes, he really was unstoppable—like he was wearing some invincible golden armor! Bullets just dropped before they even touched him! How were we supposed to fight that? Who wouldn’t be ‘brave’ in that situation? We barely had time to react before getting taken out!”*
…
To distract herself from missing Sheng Zexi, Gu Jianing threw herself into work.
During the day, she attended training classes. At night, she immersed herself in studying or making medicinal ointments and pills in her space.
The strategy worked—keeping busy did ease her emotions somewhat.
Zhang Shuwan, of course, noticed Gu Jianing’s melancholy. Sometimes during meals or conversations, Gu Jianing would drift into silence, her eyes clouded with longing.
As someone who had been through it herself, Zhang Shuwan understood—Gu Jianing was missing Battalion Commander Sheng.
All she could do was comfort her, reminding her that as a military wife, their husbands were heroes defending the nation, and they had to be strong.
“Sister Shuwan, I understand.”
To lift Gu Jianing’s spirits, Zhang Shuwan made a point to visit often, bringing Guoguo along to keep her company.
One day, she knocked on Gu Jianing’s door.
“Tonight’s the Lantern Festival, and the Beijing Song and Dance Troupe is performing. Want to go together?”
“I heard they’re leaving tomorrow after the show.”
Gu Jianing thought for a moment, then nodded. “Let’s go.”
She still hadn’t settled the score with Li Shuyao over the human trafficking incident—and Gu Jianing had a long memory.
…
That evening, Gu Jianing and Zhang Shuwan walked with Guoguo while Lin Xing led the way ahead. Soon, they arrived at the auditorium.
Sitting in her seat, Gu Jianing couldn’t help but recall the last time she was here—with Sheng Zexi by her side. Now, he was gone.
Suppressing the ache in her chest, she leaned over to chat with Zhang Shuwan while simultaneously browsing the system’s exchange mall in her mind.
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