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The midnight moonlight spilled onto the balcony, and Gu Xiaoxi’s gaze fell on the window sill’s sheer drapes, the shadows of trees swaying in the wind, entering her eyes.

It was like a dream when Quan Shaoqing walked slowly toward her, then sat down on the couch where she lay.

She laboriously turned over and clearly saw his handsome features, his dark eyes filled with tenderness.

He leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, whispering seductively into her ear, "Sleep now, I’ll carry you back to your room."

His voice seemed to carry a magic power that could soothe the soul; her bleary eyes blinked, then, with a smile, closed, and her breathing gradually became even.

At some point, she had taken his hand and was holding on tightly.

In her dreams, she wished they could be together for life, never to part.

She also cherished his tenderness, and the little moments they shared.

Quan Shaoqing looked at the small hand in his palm, then slowly squeezed it tighter.

He looked up at the window, his eyes always carrying a strand of melancholy light, obvious, yet no one knew what he was worried about.

Moments later, Quan Shaoqing bent down to pick up Gu Xiaoxi and carried her to her room, placing her on the bed.

Just as he was getting up, her hand was still tightly clutching his sleeve.

Quan Shaoqing then sat by the bedside, looking at her rosy cheeks, his heart rippling. He quickly looked away, but still felt the blood surging backward, his heart pounding.

After a brief flurry of palpitations, he felt a suffocating pain in his chest, a sensation all too familiar.

Quan Shaoqing didn’t have time to think further; he pulled back his hand and strode out of Gu Xiaoxi’s room.

In fact, he didn’t need Ai Xiang to continue investigating what the Second Curse of his Chain Curse was; he had already guessed it.

With the Life and Death Curse broken, the Second Curse was the Love-Forbidding Curse!

Through the ages, the only things humans cannot endure are life, death, and love.

One can escape life and death but not the trial of love.

He didn’t know when, but she had become his trial.

...

When Gu Xiaoxi woke up, it was the middle of the night. She had drunk too much and felt the urge to use the restroom.

After washing her hands and returning, she saw through the crack of her bedroom door that the living room light was still on.

Thinking that Quan Shaoqing had gone to sleep without turning off the light, she opened the door and walked to the living room.

As she passed the sofa, she suddenly froze.

Because she saw Quan Shaoqing lying asleep on the couch, clearly looking unwell.

Turning to look at the clock behind her, she realized it was already four in the morning.

She remembered that it was she who had drunk a bit too much that evening; he hadn’t drunk much at all.

At this moment, Quan Shaoqing lay on the couch with flushed cheeks, his lips pale, and his breathing shallow, as if it had stopped.

Gu Xiaoxi, frightened, immediately went forward to check his breath; thankfully, it was still normal.

Standing in front of him, she saw the empty bottle of baijiu on the table and realized he had drunk so much.

Gu Xiaoxi tried shaking him a few times to wake him, but Quan Shaoqing was so drunk he was unconscious.

He was troubled?

Gu Xiaoxi smoothed out her hair, looking at his features that now appeared vulnerably soft and, without a second thought, bent down and slipped one arm under his waist and the other under his legs. She lifted him up with effort and started walking heavily toward his room.

Throughout the journey, she couldn’t help but complain that Quan Shaoqing was really heavy.

Seen from behind, her petite figure seemed completely disproportionate to his broad and towering silhouette, yet she lifted him entirely into her arms.

Just the sheer strength of it was enough to take one’s breath away.

Gu Xiaoxi placed Quan Shaoqing on the bed, covered him with a blanket, and the man still slept soundly.

She looked at his well-defined features, feeling an inexplicable sense of tranquility in her heart.

It was as if simply watching him was a joy, and compared to the initial aversion, she found herself hoping that their relationship could last forever.

She thought that perhaps this is what liking someone felt like, not a momentary flutter of the heart, but a fondness that grows slowly over extended time together.

Time passed quickly, and it was almost a year since she had met Quan Shaoqing.

In one year, she grew a year older, seemingly becoming more mature than before.

And he seemed never to change, with his fine skin, handsome features, and dignified bearing.

So what was on his mind today that he needed to drink himself into stupor to solve?

Gu Xiaoxi stood in front of the bed, pacing back and forth.

In the end, she touched her chin and decided to go back and bring her own blanket over, then sleep beside him—in case something happened, she could discover it right away.

Gu Xiaoxi set the alarm clock and when she woke up again, Quan Shaoqing was still asleep, showing no reaction no matter how she called him.

She began to worry about him.

If it weren’t for his regular heartbeat and rhythmic breathing, she would have almost suspected that something was wrong.

After getting out of bed, Gu Xiaoxi, still concerned, asked Lin Mi to stay and look after Quan Shaoqing. She also called Yeh Bai and asked him to come to Quan Shaoqing’s place as soon as possible.

Yeh Bai, thinking Quan Shaoqing had fallen seriously ill, rushed over at five in the morning with a medical kit in tow.

By then, Gu Xiaoxi had already hopped into the car driven by Xiao Jiang, heading back to her unit. If she didn’t leave then, she’d be late for her return.

Lin Mi, looking at the bottle of white liquor on the table, was speechless. After Yeh Bai examined Quan Shaoqing, he quickly asked, "What happened to the superior officer?"

"He’s just drunk, no big deal! He’ll be fine after a good sleep. Drinking too much white liquor can harm the stomach—cook some porridge for him later, and when he wakes up, let him have some. If he still feels unwell, call me then," Yeh Bai instructed.

Yeh Bai dared not take Quan Shaoqing lightly; after all, he was the boss of Z department. A single word from him, and Yeh Bai could be driven out of the country.

His mother would chase him abroad, and beat him to death.

After checking on Quan Shaoqing, Yeh Bai took the initiative to call Gu Xiaoxi, informing her about Quan Shaoqing’s situation. "Don’t worry, he just drank too much. He’s fine!"

Reassured by Yeh Bai’s words, Gu Xiaoxi hung up the phone and then returned to her regiment.

On her way back, she was curious about what was troubling Quan Shaoqing?

In the end, unable to find any clue, she had no choice but to let it go.

She could only wait until they met again to ask him.

That morning, in the office of the Fourth Regiment, Chen Zhigang had just received an order.

The Fourth Military Sixth Regiment needed nine of their reconnaissance troopers to help them with an investigation.

In the Primitive Forest of Liuli Country, there was a group of illegal hunters from overseas.

They specifically hunted elks and sika deer, cutting off their antlers, skinning them, and trafficking their meat. Their actions were extremely cruel and heartless, having already claimed the lives of over a thousand deer.

Therefore, the higher-ups dispatched the Fourth Military Sixth Regiment and the Fourth Military First Regiment. Twenty soldiers—both regular and reconnaissance troopers—were combined to enter the dense forest of the Temperate Zone to capture the hunters.

The hunters were armed, which meant that this time going into battle involved live ammunition. It was imperative to select those with real strength.