An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 285 You locked it, and people understood.

At the end of the corridor, two people stood side by side facing the window. Outside, it was pitch black, and their shadows, one tall and one short, were reflected in the glass. This was one of the few relatively private places they could find in the building.

Meng Youyou's eyes traced the contours of the person beside her through the glass, and she asked, "Why are you here?"

"There's a mission that happens to be in this area," Huo Qingshan said without going into details.

"Then what are we doing at the hospital?" Meng Youyou couldn't shake her habit of asking questions she already knew the answer to. It was one thing for her to guess, but quite another to hear it come out of his mouth.

"I want to see you." He turned to look directly at her profile. "I can only feel at ease when I see you standing safely in front of me."

Meng Youyou's eyelashes trembled, then she lowered her eyes and looked down at the ground, her toes casually kicking the wall lightly, a faint smile quietly curving her lips.

"Oh, I've thought it through." The man suddenly became serious, asking with an unusually earnest expression, "Does what you said before still stand?"

"Which ones?" Meng Youyou raised her eyes to meet hers, her gaze seeking clarification. She argued, "I've said too many things." It was unclear whether she was genuinely confused or feigning ignorance.

Huo Qingshan bluntly stated: "You said you still want to be with me."

"Oh, that sentence." Meng Youyou's expression was indifferent, with little reaction. Her eyes no longer met his gaze, making it impossible to discern her true feelings.

After a few seconds, she casually uttered, "I'm not the kind of person who goes back on their word."

Huo Qingshan felt reassured. He turned to the side, placed his hand on Meng Youyou's shoulder, and gently pulled her towards him. The man leaned slightly closer, craning his neck, and said each word solemnly, "Shall we make a promise?"

"What agreement?" Meng Youyou still didn't look at him, her gaze wandering aimlessly.

"No matter what happens in the future, the other person must live a good life." He paused, then added, "Ideally, they should live to be ninety-nine."

Let's see how bright the future will be for the home we've worked so hard to protect.
Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou raised her eyes, gave him a deep look, and asked, "What?" She smiled and let out a laugh.

She tilted her head back and leaned closer, asking, "Do you think I'm the kind of woman who would commit suicide for a man?"

"Huo Qingshan, I love you." Meng Youyou's gaze settled, staring directly into the pair of dark eyes so close to hers. Her voice was calm and steady: "And I've decided I'll never fall in love with anyone else again, but... I also love myself, love my value in this world, and love everyone else in this world who loves me."

Just then, an unidentified sound came from the corner of the corridor. Meng Youyou was on high alert, fearing that it would have a bad influence. She reacted quickly and immediately took a step back, widening the distance between the two. Huo Qingshan's hands, which were gripping her shoulders, also fell to empty air.

Once the commotion had subsided, Meng Youyou breathed a sigh of relief. When she spoke again, her voice held a gentle murmur, as if lost in memories: "I admit... when I first asked you to a movie, when I first touched your hand, when I first kissed you, I didn't realize what being with you would mean, what I would have to face, or what I would have to bear."
Back then, my thoughts were very simple. I did those things purely because I liked you, because I was attracted to you, and because I wanted to be with you.

She turned back to face the glass, looking at her reflection. Her hair was short, and a faint scar could be seen when she turned her head slightly. Meng Youyou's gaze was peaceful and calm as she examined herself, a self that she should be used to yet still felt somewhat unfamiliar with. Her voice was soft, but every word she uttered was exceptionally clear: "It means... implicit responsibility, endless worries, and the possibility of losing you at any time."

"These are things I gradually came to understand later."

“At first, Meng Youyou was very scared.” She seemed to be speaking from the inner thoughts of someone else who was unrelated to her: “She was really scared. She would have a nightmare and not be able to sleep for a week. At that time, Meng Youyou could not accept that you left her and left her all alone.”

“But this time is different.” She suddenly shifted her gaze, her eyes meeting Huo Qingshan’s through the glass. “I, like you, have witnessed the sacrifice of my comrades and fought against the enemy. I clearly understand what taking this step towards you means. I have chosen you again, and I am ready.” Although she had a clear audience to whom she was speaking, and that person was right beside her, it felt more like she was talking to herself.

Huo Qingshan remained silent, simply standing quietly beside her, his gaze following her profile. His eyes were filled with a whirlwind of emotions, his gaze surging and churning, one wave after another, each higher than the last. "Do you know?" Meng Youyou raised her hands to rest on the windowsill, looking up at the night sky outside, her voice rambling as she recounted the past: "When my father first learned that I had applied to be transferred to the front lines, he said I was impulsive, childish, and immature."

But I felt I could do it, so I came. She smiled smugly at herself.

"Huo Qingshan, what do you think?"

She asked him, but had no intention of listening to his answer, as if she already had a firm answer and no one's opinion could shake her determination.

Then, she suddenly sighed, as if lamenting, "This land beneath our feet is not suitable for love right now."

“You and I both have our own missions to accomplish.” She muttered to herself, her words devoid of emotion: “Many great people in the past have said something similar—when faced with important matters, personal feelings should be put aside.”

That's what they all did.

Meng Youyou tilted her head and sincerely commented, "Amazing!"

"I've also considered whether to wait until a so-called appropriate time in the future to discuss these matters?"

Meng Youyou suddenly sighed again, her tone becoming more serious: "But I may not really be that selfless, that great!"

The so-called future, in my opinion, is too vague...

She slowly extended her right hand, opened her palm, then slowly clenched it, and then held it up to her eyes, staring at it, and murmured, "It's like sand, constantly flowing away. I can neither grasp it nor change its future shape."

We can't control what the future holds, so let it unfold according to our own wishes. Meng Youyou spread her hands, her expression showing a hint of helplessness and frustration.

"Do you remember the time we took Grandpa Yang home?" She glanced at him quickly as she said this. "Grandma Liang waited for him for over forty years. Back then, I didn't understand. I thought it was so foolish! So much suffering!"

Why bother?
I even secretly imagined other possibilities. If Grandpa Yang hadn't given Grandma Liang that love lock, a symbol of eternal love, before he passed away, would she have been spared her life's entanglement? Living on empty expectations and fantasies, wasting over forty years of her life.

Is it really worth it?
“Suddenly one day, it was as if I suddenly realized that what trapped her wasn’t that broken copper lock, but her heart.” Meng Youyou said, while poking the heart of the girl reflected in the glass with the tip of her index finger.

"Ever since I figured this out, whenever I have a spare moment, I can't help but start thinking—would the vows and sweet words that Grandpa Yang said to her before he passed away, and that love lock, bring Grandma Liang a little comfort when she felt she couldn't go on?"

Can those cherished memories warm a heart chilled to the bone in the dead of night? Can they make her feel that she is not so lonely after all, that she truly possesses something, that she is not entirely without anything?

Is it worth it? Other people's opinions don't matter.

“Actually, after we part today, we may not see each other for a very long time, or even say a word to each other.” Meng Youyou finally looked him in the eye properly, put her hands behind her back, took a small step forward, and her bright eyes reflected only his image. “But if you also give me a ‘lock,’ even if we are in different places every day from now on, the meaning of these days will be different.”

If you lock it, people will understand.

"So, Huo Qingshan, will you take my hand again?" As she finished speaking, Meng Youyou smiled and raised a hand to the person opposite her, as if to welcome him.

I thought I would have to wait a little longer, but to my surprise, my hand was firmly grasped the next second.