Ye Jian didn’t dare to hug him due to his injured waist. She grabbed his hospital gown tightly with both hands. She took a deep breath and replied softly, “I was very afraid when I left, but everyone told me that I had no other choice but to believe that you would return safely.

“I was afraid, but I always believed you would return safely.”

She understood him. She knew exactly how he felt under the tight embrace. She knew he felt guilty. She knew he wanted to tell her he was sorry, and she understood why he couldn’t say it. She knew it all. She understood it all.

The gentle answer made Xia Jinyuan, who was unyielding and never cried even when he was injured, feel the urge to cry. Under the light, tears flickered in his deep and bright eyes.

How lucky he was to have met a lover who knew him and understood him. How lucky he was to have met her.

“You were waiting for me. How could I have let anything happen to myself? Of course, I’d be fine. For you, for myself, for my comrades, for the country I’ve served so faithfully… How can I let anything happen to me?”

His large hand touched the top of her head, caressing it. He comforted her, saying, “Everything’s fine. Don’t worry, Little Fox. You were looking forward to my return. How could I bear to ruin your hopes?

“I said I would grow old with you. That’s a promise. I made you a promise, so I can’t break it.”

How could he bear to break the heart of someone who loved him so deeply? How could he bear to let her live alone in the future? It was so difficult to get her to open her heart. If he was gone, how could her world accommodate another man?

He couldn’t bear to see her sad or lonely. He couldn’t bear to leave her alone. How could he let himself leave her when there was so much he couldn’t bear to do?

Xia Jinyuan held the back of her head tightly and slowly closed his eyes. He lowered his head and kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Ye Jian. I love you with my life until the end of my life…”

He loved her so deeply. She was his lover who made his heart ache and made him pity her. He would go from his prime to his twilight years and go from having black hair to white hair by her side. He would only stop loving her when he stopped breathing.

Ye Jian bit her lower lip and forced back the tears that she wanted to cry.

“Mark my words, Little Fox. I’ll try to live so that I can always come back and see you. Please, you must insist on waiting for me to come back each time. When I leave you on a mission, just wait quietly for me to come back. You must not let yourself be affected because of me, especially when you’re on your mission. You must not be affected because of me.

“You have to do the same. All of you have to work hard to come back alive for me. You can’t let me down. You can’t break my heart. You have to come back alive even if your uniform is stained with blood. Understand?”

Ye Jian, who had stopped crying, nodded. She knew everything.

“I know. You told me before. I remember what you said. I’ve always remembered it.” Ye Jian closed her eyes and sniffed his familiar scent. It was so… reassuring.

It didn’t matter if they were injured. At this moment, Ye Jian understood why the injuries on the special forces soldiers of the Xueyu unit represented new members.

It turned out that coming back alive with injuries represented a new life.