Chapter 369 - 368: A Letter from Gu Kai Zhi

After a little while, someone from logistics bustled over with the desks and chairs, explaining repeatedly to Xue Yue, "We were tied up with something just now and couldn’t get away. Next time, just give us a shout, and we’ll definitely bring it over right away."

Xue Yue already knew their tricks. They were the type to treat people differently based on their status, so she didn’t waste her breath on them.

At the regular Monday meeting, the leadership publicly pointed out the serious problem of certain departments failing to do their jobs, especially the logistics department.

Their team leader was immediately demoted, and everyone was left wondering how the logistics department had managed to get on the leadership’s bad side.

One day, Daya suddenly received a letter from Gu Kai Zhi, sent from his military base.

Daya looked closely at the name on the envelope. It was indeed addressed to An Xin.

She opened the envelope, and something that looked like a necklace unexpectedly fell out.

Daya placed it in her palm. Upon closer inspection, she saw it was indeed a necklace, but the pendant was an empty bullet casing.

’What on earth did Gu Kai Zhi mean by sending her this?’

Daya opened the letter. It read:

An Xin, this is Gu Kai Zhi. Last time, when the army came to pick us up, we left in a hurry, so I didn’t have a chance to say anything to you. I’m sorry about that. After getting back, I tossed and turned all night. After much hesitation, I decided to write you this letter.

First, let me introduce myself. I am Gu Kai Zhi, twenty-two years old. I joined the army six years ago and have now been promoted to deputy battalion commander. My family is from a rural part of Yu Province. At home, besides my parents, I have an older brother who is already married. I’m the second child. I also have two younger sisters and a younger brother. The conditions back home aren’t good; you could say we’re very poor.

I’m sorry for telling you all this so suddenly. I just wanted you to know my actual circumstances.

An Xin, I like you. I want us to become partners, supporting each other and progressing together. I don’t know what you think of me, but I feel I have to tell you this. Otherwise, it will continue to weigh on my mind, and I won’t be able to eat or sleep in peace.

An Xin, please take your time to think about it. Don’t worry about my feelings; just follow your heart.

If you like me too, please write back. If you don’t feel the same way, then there’s no need to reply. I’ll understand.

Finally, the bullet casing in the envelope is from the very first time I did target practice. I made it into a necklace and wanted to give it to you as a gift.

The letter was signed, Gu Kai Zhi."

Daya stared at the letter, lost in thought for a long time.

She felt a little lost.

’Did she dislike him? No, not really.’

’Like him? She couldn’t really say that either.’

But the thought of rejecting him also made her feel uncomfortable. Daya was utterly bewildered; she couldn’t make sense of her own feelings.

Clutching the bullet casing necklace, Daya paused for a moment before placing it back into the envelope, along with the letter.

Daya was distracted for the next few days. She agonized over the matter for a while before finally deciding to ask Xue Yue for advice, since she was more experienced in these things.

"Auntie, what does it feel like to like someone?"

Xue Yue was surprised by Daya’s question, but she answered, "When you like someone, you want to see them and hear their voice all the time. You want to do everything with them. You blush, and your heart races. Daya, is there someone you like?"

Daya bit her lip. "Brother Gu sent me a letter. He said he likes me."

Xue Yue looked at her in astonishment. "Gu Kai Zhi sent you a letter? He said he likes you and wants to be with you?"

Daya nodded. "He told me all about his family’s circumstances. He said they’re very poor and that he has a lot of younger siblings... and then he said he likes me."

Xue Yue studied Daya’s expression and seemed to grasp the situation. "You don’t know if you like him or not?"

Daya nodded. "Mhm, but I don’t dislike him, either. It’s just... a feeling I can’t quite describe. Auntie, do you know what I mean?"

Xue Yue smiled. "I understand. It’s often like this the first time. You don’t have to respond directly to his confession. You two can just try starting as friends. Time will tell."

Daya’s eyes lit up after hearing Xue Yue’s advice. ’That’s right! They could just be friends!’

"I know what to do now, Auntie! I’m going to write him back right now."

"Okay."

As Daya turned to leave, she remembered something else. "Oh, right! Brother Gu said he was promoted to deputy battalion commander."

"Really? That’s wonderful." Xue Yue then recalled what her brother had said—Gu Kai Zhi truly had a limitless future ahead of him.

Watching Daya run back to her room, Xue Yue sighed to herself. ’A grown girl can’t be kept at home forever.’

Gu Kai Zhi didn’t receive Daya’s reply until a week later. When the gate guard told him he had a letter, and one from Beijing City at that, Gu Kai Zhi couldn’t hide the smile on his face, which even made the guard stare at him.

Gu Kai Zhi ran back to his dormitory with the letter and carefully opened the envelope.

But as he read the contents, his heart sank.

The letter simply offered greetings to him and his comrades-in-arms, saying she was willing to be friends with him.

That was it.

There was no mention of the question he had asked, no answer at all.

Gu Kai Zhi was silent for a long while. He had been on the verge of despair, but as he looked at the envelope, he was suddenly struck by a thought: An Xin had replied.

’He had made it perfectly clear in his letter: if she disliked him, she shouldn’t write back. But she had! Even though she only said she wanted to be friends, didn’t that mean she had some interest in him, however small?’

The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. A flicker of joy lit up Gu Kai Zhi’s eyes. ’If that’s the case, then we’ll start as friends.’

From that day on, Gu Kai Zhi wrote to Daya almost every week. Sometimes he received a reply, and sometimes he didn’t, but he never lost heart.

Xue Yue and He Lang both knew that Daya and Gu Kai Zhi were exchanging letters, but for now, they just observed from the sidelines.

Xue Yue even joked to He Lang, "You know, Daya is only about ten years younger than I am, so why do I feel more nervous about her dating someone than I ever was about myself? It’s like I’m worrying over my own daughter, scared she’ll be deceived or get her heart broken. Do you think I’m getting sentimental in my old age?"

He Lang looked at her and asked, "You dated someone other than me?"

Xue Yue rolled her eyes. "Could you try to focus on the main point? I’m talking about Daya. Besides, I married you when I was eighteen. Who else could I possibly have dated?"

He Lang let out a laugh. "That’s what I thought. Daya grew up right here with us, so we treat her like our own daughter. Of course we have to keep a close eye on her when she starts seeing someone. If Gu Kai Zhi dares to hurt Daya, I don’t care that our family owes him a favor—I’ll teach him a lesson all the same."

Xue Yue smiled faintly. "My worry is that Daya doesn’t understand anything about romance. She’s completely naive about it. Gu Kai Zhi is obviously much more mature than she is. If he rushes things, it could cause problems."

He Lang huffed. "Is finding a wife something you can rush? It’s useless to be impatient. Feelings between two people have to develop slowly. If Daya can’t develop feelings for him, then it’s ultimately a lost cause. He can go find someone else for all I care."