Everyone in the college knew about Shao Ze'an and Admiral West yet this person actually dared to speak like that. Chi Zhao couldn't help but glance at him a few more times. After receiving Chi Zhao's calm and innocent look, the other party laughed, "When will you and Admiral West hold the engagement party? Is it happening soon?"
With how tight time was, they may not even have the wedding itself, not to mention an engagement party. Chi Zhao asked the system for this person's name and then remembered that he was the top student of their major, Zheng Qingwu.
Zheng Qingwu and Shao Ze'an have known each other since they were young, but they haven't had much interaction. At most, they are considered ordinary friends. Zheng Qingwu was very talented and would always make Shao Ze'an look bad in comparison so Shao Ze'an never liked him very much. Thinking this, Shao Ze'an only casually said a few words before leaving.
Chi Zhao continued to walk ahead. This time, he wasn't thinking about anything so he walked a little faster than before. At the same time, he noticed that someone was watching him intently.
Chi Zhao looked over at the source and saw someone standing there. He looked very ordinary, and could easily blend in with the crowd, but the atmosphere he gave off was more dignified and colder than most people in the upper class. Seeing him look over, the man hooked up his lips, straightened up and waited for him to come over.
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It was Louis.
Suddenly, Chi Zhao fell into daze. There was once someone who used to come pick him up from school, but that person never got out of the car because too many people knew what he looked like and he didn't want to bring Chi Zhao any trouble. At that time, Li Yihan had said casually that he wished that he could change his face so that when Chi Zhao left school, he could find him with one glance.
He also wanted to try it; standing at the gates, watching Chi Zhao come over to his side step by step.
Chi Zhao pursed his lips. The empty feeling in his heart grew stronger. At this moment, he felt somewhat thankful that the system had filtered out his memories or he really may do something that may be out of character.
[No need for the thanks. We don't need any thanks between us with our relationship.]
Chi Zhao: "...Who wants to thank you."
Walking over to Louis's side, neither of them spoke. It was just a look that was exchanged, and Louis could tell that he had recognised him. After returning to the hovercar and setting it to autopilot mode, Louis asked how school was. Chi Zhao answered them one by one and returned the gesture by asking, "The military isn't busy today?"
Louis understood what he was trying to say and smiled, "Not busy. Recently there aren't any conflicts so I can take some time off."
Chi Zhao was stunned, "What if there are conflicts?"
Louis paused for a second and replied, "Then I will be busy. The conflict can be big or small, and some...may last a long time."
Louis is an admiral and he had always placed a lot of importance on the Empire's safety so his loyalty to the country is a lot stronger than most. Chi Zhao blinked a few times. He seemed to have found a way to get married to Louis more quickly.
"If a long war breaks out, will you always be staying at the front line?"
Louis looked at him for a while and nodded.
Chi Zhao turned his head and seemed to be thinking about something. After a while, he turned his head back and appeared to have made an important decision, "At the end of the month, let's get married."
Louis was stunned, "At the end of this month?"
"Yes."
"But...." Even Louis felt that it was too soon. There are only seven days left before the end of the month. Are they going to plan and organise a wedding in seven days?
Chi Zhao seemed to know what he was worrying about. He said, "Don't worry about the wedding ceremony, we can hold that later. I haven't graduated yet anyway. Right now, I just want to be your legal partner."
Louis didn't understand why he was in such a rush. Just as he was about to ask this, Louis remembered something, and he immediately understood.
The Empire had a rule. If a soldier is stationed on the front line for a long time, only their legal partner can join them. Parents and children can only visit, but they cannot live together.
Louis's gaze turned gentle, "It actually doesn't need to be like this. We can take it slowly. A conflict wouldn't happen in just one or two days."
Chi Zhao raised his eyes, "I don't know when the war will start but what I do know is that you are faced with all kinds of danger every day. I have known you for a little more than ten days and have already encountered two such dangers. In one of them, you even almost lost your life. I can only feel reassured after getting married. Do you understand this feeling?"
Louis looked into Chi Zhao's eyes and saw how serious he was. He lowered his eyes slightly, as if he didn't quite understand.
In fact, even Chi Zhao himself didn't understand.
...…..
Whether they are getting married or not had nothing to do with whether Louis would encounter any danger. The reason why Chi Zhao said this was only to because he was making things up on the spot, trying to justify himself. After he was done speaking, he realised that his words were not only illogical, it also had some serious bugs. Chi Zhao fell silent and began to ponder over what he should say to salvage the situation. When Louis saw his slightly annoyed and slightly frustrated look, he suddenly understood.
He wants to stay by his side and use his power to continue protecting him.
Although his physique was poor, his super spiritual power could make up for it. If the young man can save him once, then he could save him a second time. He wanted to be his protector.
Since the time he enrolled into the Royal Military Academy and became a soldier, fighting to defend his country, Louis had never been protected by others. As a soldier of the empire, he had always regarded protecting the citizens of the Empire as his upmost responsibility. When a dangerous situation breaks out, people would flee in panic and those fighting alongside him fell faster than him because they were lacking in strength. What he had to do during those times was to fight the enemies one against a hundred as their final stronghold.
Many times, he fought alone, both mechanically and fiercely cutting the enemies down. The blood that had just flowed out from the blood vessels were still warm to touch but he couldn't feel it at all. His heart was just like his surroundings; cold, numb and lonely. People often say that Admiral West was born to be a great leader and a protector of the Empire. After returning from the fierce battlefield, his expression would always be unchanged, as if he was just casually visiting a local market.
It was because no one had seen it. No one saw him leaning against a meteorite, exhausted and slightly absentminded after the bloody massacre.
The battlefield is ruthless. Perhaps one day, the roles will be reversed, and he would be one of the many corpses lying on the ground and the person who killed hm would look at him in an equally confused and quiet manner.
...….
Louis wasn't a pessimist nor was he an optimist. He had always been rational and would treat life rationally, making every decision rationally, but when facing Shao Ze'an, this rationality never seemed to work. For example, right now, he didn't want to continue making a calm and rational decision.
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Although they can now live longer, the old saying hadn't changed; tomorrow and the future, no one knows which will come first. Even if he was of high status, this reality cannot be changed. During the time he could still have control over, Louis wanted to follow his heart and be selfish for once.
Chi Zhao was still frantically thinking of a way to salvage the situation when suddenly, he heard an extremely gentle voice sound from above his head.
"When you graduate, let's hold a wedding. How does that sound?"
The cogs in his mind that were still turning around instantly stopped. Chi Zhao quickly raised his head and looked at him with surprise, "You agree?"
Louis's expression was very calm, "Mhm."
He looked very calm but in fact, various emotions were brewing inside him. Compared to this young man's stable life, his life was filled with too many uncertainties and the biggest uncertainty was how long he can live. People get married so that they can spend the rest of their lives with each other until old age but when marrying him, it meant being apart more often than being together, constantly being worried and scared, and it may even be like just now, encountering life-threatening situations as soon as you leave the door.
Louis was naturally an upright person. If he was to be married one day, he would tell his future partner this and let that person carefully consider it first. If after consideration they still want to marry him then they would move on to the next step.
But when he looked into Chi Zhao's eyes, Louis didn't say anything except for a 'mhn'.
Louis also felt that he was despicable but even if he was given another chance to redo it, he would still say nothing.
For some reason, he didn't want this young man to leave him. Even if marrying himself could possibly make him live a life on par to a widow and may actually even make him become a true widow, he didn't want to let him go. He would use everything in his ability to ensure the safety of this young man and make sure he wouldn't have to worry about food or clothes for the rest of his life. He couldn't guarantee anything other than that and could only do his best.
This approach was very selfish, and it could even be said to be wicked. Before this, Louis didn't know that he was someone who could do something like this. Now that he had done it, he had the urge to laugh.
Laugh bitterly.
After all, the boy before him was still young. After encountering a situation where his life was in danger and seeing what the world was like after the veil of peace was removed, it was actually quite easy for him to fall for the admiral who had fought bravely against the enemy to save his life.
Breaking into the rebels starship alone and fighting against them, although Louis couldn't witness that scene himself, he could imagine that if he was in Shao Ze'an's position, even if he didn't fall for Louis, he would have very good feelings towards him.
As the old Chinese saying goes; the grace of dripping water is reciprocated by a gushing spring, and the grace of saving one's life is reciprocated by devoting their life to them. With the development of civilisation, love at first sight still existed but it was very rare and most fall in love over time. He didn't know how long this young man's love for him would last and whether it would fade over time.
But that didn't matter.
Louis gently curled up his lips. He reached out and gently rubbed Chi Zhao's hair before letting his hand slowly move down to the soft hair on the back of Chi Zhao's neck. When he felt that warm and rough touch, Chi Zhao didn't seem to feel uncomfortable. On the contrary, it gave him a familiar and reassuring feeling.
Seeing him obediently lower his eyes and his expression turn softer and more dependent, the smile in Louis's eyes deepened. He leaned over and said in a low voice, "I will treat you really, really well."
So well that you will fall in love with me completely.
Until you can no longer leave me.
And eventually become someone who well and truly belongs to me.