Before he died, my grandfather forced me to marry the richest man in the capital.

In the cemetery, some of the flowers in Grandpa's garden had withered due to the cold, while others bloomed even more beautifully.

"If it weren't for the captain, I might be the one lying here today..."

After a long silence, Ji Xinhan finally uttered these words.

Neither the couple spoke; they remained silent because Hanhan was telling the truth and was not wrong. However, neither Ji Hancheng nor Tang Junyao intended to tell Hanhan that Captain Hao Jie was actually her bodyguard.

If I told Hanhan, she would feel frustrated. For someone who is trying their best to prove themselves and pursue their dreams, there are always people paving the way for them on their path. This is self-doubt and self-sabotage.

"We waited in that hidden place for three days and three nights, our faces painted with camouflage so we couldn't see them. We didn't wash our faces or brush our teeth for three days, we just drank a little water and ate some dry bread. We did nothing but stare at that exit, waiting for those bastards to come out. I remember it was 12:30 that night. The people came out, but it seemed like the information was wrong. The information from our superiors was 3, but we counted 15 in the dark. That was seriously over the limit."

"We wanted to report the situation to our superiors, but there wasn't enough time. We had about the same number of men as them, and there would definitely be casualties if a fight broke out. If it were just three people, we would be confident."

Ji Xinhanhan recounted the harrowing experience as if she were talking about someone else's story, until she reached the part where she said, "In the chaos, one of the bandits tried to escape. Without thinking, I just wanted to catch him and make him face the consequences, but... I didn't expect him to have a bomb..."

"I chased him for a long way, with two other people with me. I was faster than them, so they lagged behind a bit. Just as I caught him, we started fighting. We fought for a while, and then the other two arrived. We started shooting at each other. That bandit was very skilled and had excellent marksmanship. The other two were shot in the arms. Seeing that he was about to escape again, I grabbed his neck, took his gun, and disarmed him. He kicked my gun down the mountain... We fought for a long time, and we were both injured. My hand was broken, and his hand was broken too..."

Ji Xinhan's description was only general and not very detailed.

Tang Junyao's throat tightened as she listened, and she turned her head away to ease her pain. It was the first time she had heard about her daughter's mission, and her heart felt like it was being cut by a knife.

Ji Hancheng had a dark expression, his lips were tightly pursed, his breath was heavy, and his fists were clenched tightly.

She talked for a while longer, "In the end, the captain fell in front of me to protect me and his head was blown off..." His blood splattered all over her face, and he used his body to shield her even in death.

Ji Xinhan burst into tears after speaking. Ji Hancheng and Tang Junyao hugged her and comforted her. Ji Hancheng asked in return, "Hanhan, if you were the captain, would you have done the same?"

Ji Xinhan nodded in her father's arms. Yes, this was their mission. They would all sacrifice themselves for their comrades. Every time they went on a mission, they would write their wills. She wrote one this time too.

But she's still alive, so the suicide note probably won't reach her father.

But she still felt guilty, thinking that the person who should have been lying here was hers.

Ji Xinhan's mind was filled with images of her face covered in the captain's blood, and her hands stained a shocking deep red. She was exhausted at the time, and when she touched the sticky blood on her cheeks, she couldn't bear it and fainted when the captain collapsed.

It was already past 4 o'clock when I got back to the Ji residence.

Before even stepping into the house, you could hear the joking voices coming from the courtyard: "What's gotten into you? You shaved your head bald. Are you thinking of becoming a monk?"

Ji Xinyu looked at the bald man sitting on the opposite sofa. Under the light, Lu Qingchen's head was reflective, which looked rather funny.

Lu Qingchen rolled her eyes at Ji Xinyu. "Is it any of your business if I like you?"

Su Xue had no idea what had gotten into her son. He went out yesterday and came back bald. The whole family was stunned. When asked why, he simply replied, "Washing my hair was too tiring."

The gloom in everyone's hearts disappeared at this moment. Han Yue leaned lazily against the sofa, crossed his legs, and Lan Yunxi fed him a tomato.

Han Yue said in a cheeky tone, "Just tell me if you need a wooden fish."

Lu Jinnan: "Take a break." He raised his hand and gave his son the back of the head. It felt a little strange when his palm touched the back of the head, like touching an eel. The hairs on his body stood on end. "Make sure you wear a hat tomorrow."

Su Can rested his hands on his mother's shoulders, grinning mischievously, "Brother, you didn't break up with your boyfriend, so you shaved your head to vent your anger, did you?"

"You broke up with your boyfriend? When did you start dating again?"

Guoguo, Han Yichen, and Ji Xinyu asked in unison.

At this moment, everyone's eyes were immediately focused on Lu Qingchen, even Su Xue, his biological mother, looked at her son and waited for his answer.

Faced with countless burning gazes, Lu Qingchen was speechless. Just as everyone was waiting to see what would happen next, three people walked in through the door, successfully diverting the topic of heartbreak.

Su Xue, Guo Guo, and Lan Yunxi all rushed forward, "Hanhan, come quickly."

After crying, Ji Xinhan felt much better, but the knot in her heart was still there. She might not be able to carry out the mission again because of post-traumatic stress disorder. "I just heard someone break up with their boyfriend."

The topic, which was thought to have been covered up, was successfully revived. Lu Qingchen: ".........."

This remark made everyone burst into laughter.

Before dinner, everyone chatted in the living room, creating a lively atmosphere. After Hanhan recovered, Han Yue, Lu Jinnan, and Su Yu went to chat in the yard, leaving the children and women inside.

Inside the courtyard, the three men all had cigarettes between their fingers, but Ji Hancheng refused the cigarette Han Yue offered him, saying, "I'm not smoking anymore. I'll quit once Hanhan wakes up."

"Alright, let me see if Hanhan has completely let go." Han Yue took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring. People who are good at reading people can always see things that others cannot.

As they were talking, the Lan family arrived. After greeting a few people, the Lan couple went inside, and Yan Na also entered the living room. Lan Yunchen went inside to check that his niece was alright, and then came out. He glanced behind him to make sure no one was there, and said in a low voice, "Hanhan probably hasn't let go yet."

As soon as Lan Yunchen came out, he said to Ji Hancheng, "We need to help her completely resolve her inner conflict."

Otherwise, when I'm alone, I tend to overthink things. It's like a hidden time bomb that might explode if something happens.

Ji Hancheng nodded. He had already figured it out. The child seemed fine on the surface, but he was actually still troubled. He just didn't want them to worry, so he acted carefree. But beneath that carefree demeanor was the loss of his former carefree and outspoken nature.

"Jinnan, pick a date for Yueyue and Lele to have their wedding. I'm planning to take Hanhan to live in the snow mountain for a while."

Hearing this, Lu Jinnan took a drag of his cigarette, put his hands in his pockets, and said, "What are you choosing? You know your daughter-in-law well. Yueyue won't feel at ease getting married until Hanhan is truly recovered. The marriage certificate has already been issued, so why do we have to hold a wedding ceremony before we can acknowledge it?"

"That's not what I meant." I just felt that Yueyue had been wronged.

Lu Jinnan naturally understood what his brother meant. "Stop being so fussy. There aren't many good days in the first half of the year. Take Hanhan out to clear your head and we'll talk about it later."

Lan Yunchen: "Do you need me to come with you? You mean that snow mountain overseas? It's a dangerous area where wild animals often roam."

Upon hearing what his brother-in-law said, Han Yue seemed to know which snow mountain it was, but because his child was taking the college entrance examination this year, he couldn't risk his life to accompany him this time, and he felt a little apologetic. "I can't go with you this time. If you're still on the snow mountain after the college entrance examination, I'll come find you again."

"I'm not going to a party." Ji Hancheng was grateful for his brothers' kindness, but he wanted to take Hanhan alone to experience a different way of life and completely clear his mind.

At the dinner table, Ji Hancheng stood up, raised his glass to thank everyone for their help and care over the past long period of time. With his glass held high and his eyes filled with sincere gratitude, he said, "I won't say much more. Let's all talk about drinking. I'll drink this."

Everyone stood up. The children had juice, milk, and soft drinks, the men had alcohol, and even Tang Junyao and Yan Na had red wine in their hands. Yan Feifei had milk.

Su Xue wanted to pour herself some wine, but Lu Jinnan stopped her, advising, "Grandma, I think you should have milk or another drink." He didn't want to tie the balloon knot anymore.

I'll never forget spending the whole night tying knots; I never want to go through that again.

The number 250 is still vividly etched in my memory.

Tang Junyao had obviously remembered this as well, and laughed as she nudged her best friend's shoulder, "Alright, you should just have juice, alcohol doesn't suit your birth chart."

Despite everyone's strong persuasion, Su Xue gave up drinking alcohol and opted for juice instead.

Lu Qingchen was the most conspicuous among the group, sporting a bald head. Ji Xinyu and Han Yinuo would occasionally glance at the bald man and smile, while Su Can and Han Yichen were openly laughing, looking rather irritating.

Everyone toasted and sat down. The adults talked while the children whispered. Just as Ji Hancheng had said, after this incident, Ji Xinhan was no longer as carefree and thoughtless as before, and she spoke much less.

Ji Jiale sat down next to his younger sister, tenderly patted the back of her head with his hand, and asked, "What do you want to eat? I'll get it for you."

Ji Xinhan smiled and said, "Brother, I haven't congratulated you and your wife yet. I'll give you a gift another day."

At the cemetery, her parents had already told her everything, including about her brother's postponed wedding. She knew she would find out sooner or later anyway, and it was better for the couple to tell her themselves than to hear it from others.

Ji Xinhan met Lu Yiyue's gentle smile and was about to apologize when Lu Yiyue beat her to it, saying casually, "Don't feel burdened. I just want all my sisters to come and bless me and be my bridesmaids. I will be very happy."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xinhan smiled and said, "Okay."

Ji Jiale put some food on his sister's plate and said in a low voice, "It's all in the past now, eat up."

"Um."

After dinner, everyone stayed in the living room for a while. During this time, the Han family arrived and stayed until about 9:30. Considering that Hanhan needed to rest, everyone left.

Since the Lan family always stayed at the Ji residence during the Lunar New Year, Tang Junyao suggested that her uncles go to the Han family's residence for a few days to keep Xixi company.

The Lan family couple agreed and left with Lan Zhiyu. Before leaving, Ji Xinhan punched Lan Zhiyu with her fist, and Lan Zhiyu laughed.

Han Yue put his hands in his pockets, walked away, and said, "I'm leaving. Call me if you need anything."

Yan Na, Lan Yunchen, and Yan Feifei were planning to go to the Yan family's house. Lan Yunchen said, "Then I'll head back first."

"Understood." Tang Junyao nodded, putting their minds at ease.