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The verdict for Gu Minghui was in.
He was found guilty of arms and ammunition smuggling, a crime of a particularly severe nature. According to the law, he could have faced a life sentence or the death penalty. However, due to his good conduct and his help to the police and military in solving an international arms smuggling case between China and the US, he was ultimately sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Shen Yihuan and Qiu Ruru went to visit him once.
Gu’s father had made arrangements inside the prison, so Gu Minghui’s life wasn’t too difficult. He looked healthy and was even in the mood to joke with them.
Everyone was filled with emotion.
“Cherry, can you step outside for a moment?” Gu Minghui said.
Shen Yihuan raised her eyebrows, patted Qiu Ruru’s shoulder, and immediately left.
Through the glass, Gu Minghui sat in a chair, his hands in his pockets, leaning back nonchalantly with a smile on his face as he looked at Qiu Ruru.
Under his gaze, Qiu Ruru felt a rare sense of nervousness.
This was the first time they had looked at each other this way since she had revealed her feelings for him.
Gu Minghui said sincerely to her, “Thank you, really.”
Qiu Ruru pretended to be nonchalant. “What for? I told you I’d have your back from now on.”
Gu Minghui’s eyebrows raised in surprise. He clearly didn’t remember when she had said that.
“Back in high school, during that monthly exam, you took me to the hospital. I told you then that I’d have your back.”
Gu Minghui thought back and laughed, teasing her. “You didn’t fall for me back then, did you? That’s some serious devotion.”
Tears began to fall from Qiu Ruru’s eyes without warning, and the rims of her eyes turned red.
Gu Minghui’s composure was broken. He fumbled, wanting to wipe away her tears but only able to touch the glass between them.
He finally gave up, withdrawing his hand, and leaned his face closer, looking at her coaxingly. “Don’t cry, okay? I can’t even get out of here. You’re trying to kill me with worry.”
Qiu Ruru threw the wadded-up tissue she had used to wipe her tears at him. It hit the glass. “Who the hell wants to like you? What’s wrong with me that I have to like you?”
Gu Minghui’s eyes turned red with a smile, and his tone was one of compromise. “Okay, don’t like me.”
Qiu Ruru wiped her eyes. “I’ll be 25 for New Year’s. By the time you get out, I’ll be in my late thirties. Who the hell would wait for you, you bastard.”
“And why should I? Back when you were young and handsome, you were surrounded by other pretty girls. You’ll be an old man when you get out, maybe even bald. I don’t want you then.”
She spoke haltingly but with clear meaning, with every word laced with tears and pain.
Gu Minghui looked at Qiu Ruru silently, as if his heart and breathing had stopped.
“Qiu Ruru,” he said. “You are wonderful in every way. Don’t waste your time on me.”
“Only an idiot would waste their time on you,” Qiu Ruru cursed.
“Okay.”
“I’ll only wait for you for 10 years,” Qiu Ruru finally said. “If you’re not back in 10 years, I’ll find someone else.”
Gu Minghui’s throat tightened, and he frowned. “I’m not worth it.”
“That’s why I said I’d only wait for 10 years!” Qiu Ruru yelled, exasperated. After crying for a while, she rubbed her eyes and said seriously, “You behave yourself, try to get your sentence reduced, and come out sooner.”
Gu Minghui was silent for a long time.
In the end, he only managed one serious word: “Okay.”
________________________________________
After leaving, Shen Yihuan went straight to Lu Zhou’s place.
He had just finished a psychological evaluation. Every time a major mission ended, he had to be tested to ensure he received the necessary psychological counseling.
“How was it?” Shen Yihuan asked nervously.
“The doctor said I passed.”
She raised her eyebrows, half-believing. “Really?”
“When have I ever lied to you?” Lu Zhou leaned against the wall, looking down at her.
Shen Yihuan took his hand and rubbed it in her palm, giving him a thumbs-up. “You’re amazing.”
She was praising him like a little kid who had done well on a test.
Lu Zhou smiled. “Your first exhibition is tomorrow, are you ready?”
“I still have to go to the gallery to do a final check later.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Shen Yihuan was slightly surprised. “Aren’t you busy?”
“I am tomorrow. I can’t go to the gallery with you, but I’ll come over and be with you after I’m done with my stuff,” Lu Zhou said.
Shen Yihuan glanced at his shoulder. “Are you getting a promotion?”
“Yes.”
________________________________________
Shen Yihuan’s solo photography exhibition was quite a big deal. Zhou Yishu had always liked her, and this was a great opportunity to promote the studio, so she made sure to get the best equipment.
In addition, the theme of the exhibition was about border guards, which had the government’s support, so there was plenty of promotion on scrolling screens in subway stations and bus stops.
She later added another set of photos, filling the entire hallway.
The photos were already hung.
Lu Zhou walked inside with Shen Yihuan, looking at them one by one.
There were many familiar faces: He Min, Zhao He, others on the team, and his own.
The exhibition was officially opening tomorrow, and Shen Yihuan still had some things to finalize. She left Lu Zhou to look on his own and went to discuss tomorrow’s details with someone.
Lu Zhou walked down the hallway.
He had actually seen many of Shen Yihuan’s works.
From the random photos she took in high school that were posted on the school bulletin board, to the photos she took when she first started photography, to the ones she posted on social media during the time she was abroad, and now.
On the desert, the Gobi Desert, camping and driving, and on the snow mountain path that day.
About Li Wu’s subordinates they caught on the road, about that explosion.
Unique, visually stunning landscapes.
Lu Zhou had to admit that Shen Yihuan had a special talent for photography.
He walked to the end of the hallway and turned a corner. It was the last piece of work in the entire exhibition. When Lu Zhou saw the massive photo on the wall, his heart skipped a beat.
It was a photo Shen Yihuan had taken of him.
The moment they met again in that desert.
Shen Yihuan was traveling with Qin Zheng and others, but their car had stopped in the middle of a deserted highway. Lu Zhou came to pick them up.
It was summer, and the sun was intense.
A black road stretched straight across the golden desert, as beautiful as a vibrant oil painting. A man got out of an off-road vehicle.
Military boots, camouflage uniform.
He was frowning slightly because of the glaring sun.
There was a small line of text under the photo. Lu Zhou stepped closer to read it.
—”Hello, I’m Lu Zhou, the captain of the Xinjiang Military Region Border Guard.”
—”Hello, I’m Shen Yihuan, a photographer from Beijing.”
He just stood there, not moving, his entire heart feeling a shockwave.
The first line was what Lu Zhou had said at the time, and the line below was what Shen Yihuan was now saying back to him.
Many people had come and gone in that vast desert, including many girls who had a crush on Lu Zhou, but only Shen Yihuan, she hadn’t left.
She had captured the desert and brought it back here for more people to see.
His eyes felt a little hot, and his heart felt like it was on fire.
The man stood there, looking up at the huge photograph, his gaze both firm and tender.
A voice came close to his ear from behind, with a hint of a smile. “Are you impressed by your own handsomeness?”
The faint scent of cream underneath a hint of perfume on the young woman’s body enveloped him.
Lu Zhou reached back and held her hand.
Shen Yihuan also looked up and said, “I thought about it, and I had to take this chance to show off a little.”
She turned her head and saw that Lu Zhou was looking at her.
“Babe.” He turned and hugged her, his arms wrapped around her waist. He bent his back and held her tightly in his arms, a motion that was both forceful and gentle, as if he was afraid of breaking her.
Shen Yihuan patted his back and smiled.
Lu Zhou asked, “Was I not good to you?”
“Huh?”
“Back then.”
“Hmm,” Shen Yihuan thought for a moment and gave her answer with a smile. “I guess you weren’t.”
“...I’m sorry,” Lu Zhou said softly.
He then lifted her chin, raised her head, and kissed Shen Yihuan’s lower lip. His voice was muffled as he said the words he had in his heart. “I love you.”
This phrase was too heavy. It was so heavy that, once spoken, it felt as if he had given his entire heart to her, to be kneaded and tormented at will.
Lu Zhou had said he liked her, and he had said other sweet things, but he had never said those simplest and most pure words: I love you.
Now he had.
And just like what Shen Yihuan had said, he was willing and happily surrendered.
Shen Yihuan wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Her fingers gently caressed the hair on the back of his neck, which was a little longer now and not as prickly. It was a soothing gesture.
Telling him, it’s okay, I love you too.
The person in charge who came in to discuss tomorrow’s matters with Shen Yihuan saw this scene the moment she stepped inside. The man’s face happened to align with the man’s face in the large photo on the wall.
She was stunned for a moment, then deliberately coughed.
Shen Yihuan quickly pulled away from Lu Zhou, her ears slightly red.
The man, however, was calm and composed. He gave a slight nod to the person in charge and said to Shen Yihuan, “I’ll wait for you outside,” before leaving.
“The male lead?” the person in charge asked with a smile.
“Huh?” Shen Yihuan said.
The person in charge gestured around with her hand. “The male lead of this exhibition?”
She smiled and said, “I guess so.”
“He’s so handsome,” the person in charge complimented, then moved on to business. “The exhibition starts at 10 AM tomorrow. If you have time, come over. Some well-known photographers might be coming.”
“Okay.”
After leaving the gallery, Shen Yihuan went home with Lu Zhou.
It was still Lu Zhou’s apartment.
He had been planning to buy another one recently. Although this apartment was spacious enough, the building was quite old, and the facilities weren’t the best.
In the future, when he truly lived with Shen Yihuan, Lu Zhou wanted to give her everything he could.
And he probably wouldn’t sell this apartment. There were too many memories here to let it go.
Lu Zhou cooked dinner. After they ate, they went for a walk under the building since they had nothing else to do.
There weren’t many people in the neighborhood at night. They found a place to sit. There was a swarm of tiny insects around a small lamppost by their legs. Shen Yihuan leaned against Lu Zhou, stretching her legs to shoo away the insects.
Lu Zhou reached out and pinched her cheek. He asked softly, “Are you in a bad mood?”
He had noticed that Shen Yihuan’s emotions were off. When she was in a bad mood, she wasn’t as cheerful as usual.
Shen Yihuan mumbled, “A little.”
She had just visited Gu Minghui this morning. It was impossible for her to feel nothing. After all, he had been sentenced to 12 years in prison, and then there was Qiu Ruru.
Just thinking about it made her sad.
“Are you taking advantage of my good temper and leaning on me while you’re in a bad mood because of another man?” Lu Zhou said.
Shen Yihuan paused, pursed her lips, and tried to get up, but he held her back. Then she heard Lu Zhou say,
“If Gu Minghui behaves well, there’s a chance his sentence will be reduced. I’ve already written a report about his cooperation in the investigation and submitted it.”
Shen Yihuan was stunned and turned to look at him.
Lu Zhou awkwardly looked away. He still didn’t have a good impression of Gu Minghui. The gunshot wound on his right chest, the one Gu Minghui had inflicted, hadn’t fully healed yet. He just didn’t want to see Shen Yihuan upset about it for too long.
Shen Yihuan wrapped her arms around him and cupped his face. “Give me a kiss.”
Lu Zhou bit her lower lip gently.
“Are you tired?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“If you’re tired, let’s go back and sleep,” Lu Zhou said, lightly tapping the back of her head.
Shen Yihuan stayed on the chair, not moving, and stretched her hand up to his neck. Lu Zhou lowered his head slightly, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, playfully and casually asking, “Carry me back.”
Lu Zhou carried her all the way to the bathroom before putting her down.
Shen Yihuan sat on the sink, her feet off the floor.
“How’s your wound?” Shen Yihuan asked him.
Lu Zhou took off his shirt. A bandage was wrapped diagonally around his chest. He bent down, took a pair of scissors from a small basket below, and placed them in Shen Yihuan’s hand.
“Help me cut this open.”
“Huh?”
He urged, “Hurry up.”
Shen Yihuan carefully picked up a bit of the bandage’s edge and cut along it. As she unwound it, she saw a shocking wound underneath.
She had a similar gunshot wound on her body not long ago.
She frowned and gently blew on it, which tickled Lu Zhou a little. He pulled back slightly and asked her, “Want to take a shower?”
“How can you shower like that? Aren’t you afraid of getting an infection?”
“It’s almost healed. It won’t get infected.”
In the end, they showered together. Shen Yihuan was worried about Lu Zhou showering alone, afraid he wouldn’t be careful with his body or avoid the wound.
After the shower.
Lu Zhou carried Shen Yihuan out and put her on the bed. He looked at her for a while, and then couldn’t help but kiss her again.
“You... don’t,” Shen Yihuan said, pushing him away dreamily. “I’m tired. I want to sleep.”
Lu Zhou untied her robe, his voice hoarse. “You sleep. I’m not tired.”
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