Early morning.
When Gu Ruiyu woke, Zhang Xueming was leaning against the headboard, a cigarette between his fingers. He hadn't lit it, just idly turning it over and over.
Sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains and fell across his sharply defined profile, softening the fierce, decisive edge he usually carried.
"Awake?" Zhang Xueming noticed her stirring and turned his head, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
Gu Ruiyu's cheeks grew warm. She pulled the quilt higher, leaving only her watery eyes peeking out, and nodded.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked softly.
Zhang Xueming set the cigarette on the bedside table and drew her into his arms, resting his chin on the crown of her head. "I was thinking, if that so-called Emperor of Japan had been asleep in the Imperial Palace last night, then opened his eyes to find hundreds of our soldiers crashing through the roof, what kind of expression do you think he'd have?"
Gu Ruiyu laughed at his wild idea and nuzzled against him. "How could soldiers fall from the sky?"
"Why not?" Zhang Xueming warmed to the idea and pinched her cheek. "They're called paratroopers. In the future, our planes won't just drop bombs—they'll drop people, too. Hundreds, even thousands of soldiers, dropped straight into the enemy's heart. Tell me, wouldn't that be thrilling?"
Gu Ruiyu listened, wide-eyed. She couldn't picture it, but she knew this man's mind was always full of things no one else would dare imagine.
"Pack your things," Zhang Xueming suddenly said.
"Hmm?"
"Come back to Fengtian with me."
Gu Ruiyu's heart skipped a beat. She looked up, uncertainty and anticipation in her eyes.
Seeing her expression, Zhang Xueming changed what he was about to say. He sighed and rubbed her hair. "Never mind. Don't come back to Fengtian with me just yet. You... you should go home to Tianjin first."
The light in Gu Ruiyu's eyes dimmed at once. She lowered her gaze without saying a word.
"Silly girl, what are you thinking?" Zhang Xueming lifted her chin, making her meet his eyes. "Go tell your parents that I, Zhang Xueming, want to marry their daughter."
Gu Ruiyu was completely stunned.
She stared blankly at Zhang Xueming, lips slightly parted, unable to utter a word for a long while.
"What, you don't want to?" Zhang Xueming deliberately put on a stern expression.
"I do! I do!" Gu Ruiyu came back to herself, joy washing over her like a rising tide. She threw her arms around Zhang Xueming's neck, tears spilling despite herself. "I... I thought..."
"Thought what? That I'd have my fun and leave it at that?" Zhang Xueming patted her back, his voice full of tenderness. "Whoever I, Zhang Xueming, set my sights on won't get away from me for the rest of their life."
He paused, his expression growing a little more serious.
"But this has to happen soon."
"We may not have much time left."
"Inside the Passes... war is coming."
Fengtian.
The meeting room in the Gongshu Building was abuzz with voices.
A crowd of powerful figures from Outside the Passes surrounded Zhang Xueming in layers, showering him with praise as if the words cost them nothing.
"Second Young Master handled the bandits with thunderous force! Those outlaws who'd lorded it over the woods for over a decade were wiped out just like that!"
"Exactly! Second Young Master brought a cleaver down on a chicken—what a warning to certain blind fools!"
"Second Young Master is young and promising. The Marshal has an heir to carry on his legacy, and the good days for Fengtian lie ahead!"
Zhang Xueming leaned back in his chair, responding to the flattery with only polite nods. He seemed somewhat distracted. He lifted his teacup and took a sip, his gaze passing over the crowd and settling on Zhang Xueliang, who was bragging to someone nearby.
"Big brother." Zhang Xueming lifted his chin. "I heard you came first in your Military Academy graduation exam?"
At that, Zhang Xueliang perked up immediately. He hurried over, dropped into the seat beside Zhang Xueming, and lowered his voice to complain. "Don't get me started! I'm so fed up right now!"
"What's wrong? You came first and you're fed up?"
"You don't know how nasty the rumors are! People are saying the old man gave them a heads-up beforehand, and I only came first because I cheated!" Zhang Xueliang looked thoroughly indignant. "I passed on my own merit, all right? It's infuriating!"
He gulped down a mouthful of tea and bumped Zhang Xueming with his elbow. "You've got it good. You went out and took care of some bandits, and now all of Fengtian says you're amazing. By the way, I heard Guo Songling thinks very highly of you. He said you 'have the bearing of a Marshal, decisive and ruthless.'"
"Guo Songling?" Zhang Xueming's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "I don't know him. And don't bring him up to me again."
"Hey, what's with you?" Zhang Xueliang protested. "He's a real talent! His mouth's just a little foul, and he's always arguing with me! But listen, that guy..."
"I only trust Chief of Staff Yang," Zhang Xueming interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument.
He didn't like Guo Songling, though he couldn't say why. There was too much hidden in that man's eyes, too much complexity. He wasn't like Yang Yuting, whose mind was pure and who could be counted on to get things done steadily.
Zhang Xueliang had hit a wall. He pursed his lips and stopped trying to force the issue.
Just then, the meeting room door swung open, and the noisy room fell silent.
Zhang Yuting strode in, wearing a crisp Military Uniform. His hawklike eyes swept across the room, and everyone instinctively straightened their backs.