11. Not Lonely

“Where are you going?”

Li Ze’s toe hooked onto Lu Meng’s swimming trunks, and Lu Meng didn’t dare to move again. He ran a hand over his face, voice a little hoarse, “To cool down.”

“Just soak here.” Li Ze spoke firmly, unwilling to let him go deeper into the sea.

“I really don’t get you.” Lu Meng found it ridiculous: “We’ve already been stationed in the southeast for so long and you’re still not used to it? Don’t I always go into the deep sea for battle anyway?” Both their swimming abilities were at the top of the military, but whenever they went on holiday, Li Ze wouldn’t allow him to have fun in deeper waters.

“For that, you don’t have a choice.” Li Ze did not have a good impression of the sea, “Or I could always apply for a transfer to the snow mountain encampment.”

Lu Meng attempted to placate him by hugging his waist, “Li-gege, fine, I’ll just not swim.”

As they remained drifting on the surface of the sea, a blanket of clouds blocked the sunlight.

In the distance, two boys who had probably just started university were flirting with some girls on vacation.

Lu Meng suddenly laughed, “A-Ze, why do I feel so out of touch? When we were their age, we only knew how to train.”

When they attended military school, it happened to be at a time where empire relations were most tense. They were in their third year of studies when they were thrown out onto the battlefield. It was said that war was a soldier’s most effective road to growth. If not for those years of war, it would have been difficult for them to have promoted this efficiently, considering normal training and family influence.

Lu Meng let out a long sigh, he had yet to turn thirty, but felt as if his life had gone completely off-track from that of a young adult.

Li Ze tilted his head slightly to look at him, “Why? Feeling lonely?”

“Why would I? Don’t I still have you?”

A faint hint of amusement coloured Li Ze’s gaze.