Chapter 84

Chapter 84

The next day, Guan Jianrui departed with Dr. Chen's team, while Huo Changfeng started his new job as a military advisor.

Bai Tu overslept. When he woke up, the villa was already empty. Huo Changfeng had left him breakfast and a note, telling him to heat it up.

After finishing breakfast as instructed, he went to the warehouse to buy groceries. By noon, Huo Changfeng still hadn't returned. His wristband buzzed with a message, telling Bai Tu to eat first and not wait for him.

So, Bai Tu packed up the food and headed for the training base.

The weather in early spring was unpredictable. Sometimes the sun was fierce, especially at noon. The training ground was under a blazing sun, with a dark, orderly mass of people gathered in the center of the square. They had likely just finished intense exercise, as everyone was drenched in sweat, and the smell of perspiration wafted all the way to the base entrance.

"I'm here to bring food for Huo Changfeng," Bai Tu said to the guard.

The guard recognized him but still needed to check his ID.

Bai Tu was wearing a white shirt, but he had gotten a bit warm on the way over, so he simply rolled up his sleeves.

The guard glanced at him and stepped aside to let him pass. "You can only stay for an hour. Leave when the time's up."

Bai Tu nodded to show he understood. Once inside, the smell of sweat in the air grew even stronger. Everyone seemed to radiate palpable heat. Bai Tu quickly walked past them and spotted Huo Changfeng right away at the very front of the crowd.

Huo Changfeng was wearing his usual black T-shirt, military pants, and combat boots. Though not the standard uniform, he blended in perfectly. He stood on a small platform, his voice amplified by a speaker, reaching every corner of the square—neither too loud nor too soft, just right for everyone to hear clearly.

Bai Tu listened for a while and realized he was talking about common pre-apocalypse military doctrines and national defense knowledge. Huo Changfeng wasn't just reciting from a textbook verbatim, but he also didn't spice it up with stories. He simply and concisely presented the most essential parts, his voice steady and unhurried, not at all sleep-inducing.

Although some people below looked impatient, they all stood dutifully in their assigned spots.

Bai Tu watched from a distance, not even realizing when he had become completely engrossed.

His attire was out of place here. Some people at the back noticed him. After seeing his ID number, they glanced at Huo Changfeng on the platform, a weird look inevitably in their eyes.

"Why didn't you wait in the shade?"

Bai Tu snapped back to reality. The lecture had already ended. The people below broke off into groups, heading for shady spots like walls or under trees. Huo Changfeng still maintained his old habit from his instructor days: facing the sun himself while having those below stand with their backs to it. It was unclear how long he had been speaking today, but even his collar was a little sweat-dampened, and beads of perspiration were still forming at his temples.

Bai Tu shook his head, took out a newly bought, carefully washed handkerchief, stood on his tiptoes, and began wiping the sweat from Huo Changfeng's face, starting from his forehead down to his neck. "You shouldn't always stand in the sun when giving instructions. The weather is getting hotter; you could get sunburned."

Huo Changfeng belatedly realized that spring had arrived, but looking around, there was no sign of spring anywhere. Bai Tu was now wiping behind his ears, lowering his gaze to carefully absorb each bead of sweat, looking utterly focused.

Sidelong glances came from all directions. Huo Changfeng raised his hand, took Bai Tu's hand, held it, and led him toward a small building on the other side. "I'll keep that in mind. I have a small office. In the future, if you come, just wait for me there."

It was indeed a small office. A camp bed was placed against the wall, along with a desk, leaving very little room to move around.

Huo Changfeng asked Bai Tu to wait a moment, went out himself, and returned after a while with a second chair. They sat down together to eat.

After finishing, Bai Tu naturally started cleaning up and asked Huo Changfeng how long he needed to come here each day.

"Maybe three or four hours, maybe a whole day, depending on the day's training results," Huo Changfeng said, helping him clean up. After they were done, he suddenly asked, "Bai Tu, can I have a hug?"

Bai Tu was taken aback. Only then did he realize that he and Huo Changfeng hadn't shared their once-frequent hugs for many days. Huo Changfeng had also never asked for permission like this before. This should have been the result he wanted. If he refused now, Huo Changfeng might not even ask for such permission in the future.

But at this moment, looking into Huo Changfeng's eyes, feeling the constant heat radiating from him and the faint, salty scent of sweat, a strange, inexplicable restlessness slowly rose from deep within Bai Tu's body. He couldn't muster even a shred of refusal.

Shame washed over him as soon as he realized this. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Huo Changfeng, but his body moved faster than his mind. He involuntarily nodded, and the next moment, he was swept off his feet.

He gasped slightly in surprise, his arms instinctively searching for something to hold onto, and ended up wrapping around Huo Changfeng's neck.

He mumbled, "Y-you didn't say it was this kind of hug."

Huo Changfeng held him by the waist and behind the knees, sat down on the camp bed in this position, and then looked down at him. "Now you know."

Bai Tu averted his gaze as if burned. He felt there was an indescribable danger in Huo Changfeng's eyes right now, but sitting in Huo Changfeng's arms like this also gave him an unspeakable sense of security. So, in the end, he just raised his other arm to also wrap around Huo Changfeng's neck, shyly turning to bury his face in the crook of his neck.

The camp bed was narrow and couldn't fit two people lying down. Huo Changfeng smiled silently, adjusted his position, leaned back against the wall, and closed his eyes to doze.

He didn't want Bai Tu to worry, so he didn't mention that, whether from lack of sleep last night or truly standing too long in the sun, he had a faint, dull ache in his head.

The thread of reason in Bai Tu's mind twitched just before he fell completely asleep. "I can only stay for an hour..."

In his drowsy state, he seemed to feel something touch the top of his head, and heard a few hushed voices talking, but ultimately couldn't resist sleep and fell sound asleep. When he woke up again, he found himself lying on the camp bed, covered with a jacket. Huo Changfeng was sitting on the chair in front of the bed, arms crossed, head bowed, asleep.

Bai Tu checked the time: 3:30 PM.

After a while, Huo Changfeng woke up. He squinted at Bai Tu for a moment, then leaned down to kiss him. Only when their lips touched did he suddenly jolt awake, standing up somewhat awkwardly. "Sorry, I was still half-asleep."

Bai Tu couldn't tell if he felt relieved or disappointed. He got up to put on his shoes. "Are you done for today?"

Huo Changfeng nodded. "I've spoken to the guards. From now on, you can come in directly. There's no more one-hour limit each time."

After that, Bai Tu came every day to bring Huo Changfeng food. Soon, everyone in the military knew that the new military advisor had a fair-skinned, good-looking Qiang companion, obedient and attentive, who cooked different meals for the advisor every day and orbited around him whenever he visited.

One day, after Bai Tu left, Liu Zihao approached Huo Changfeng. "Got a moment to talk?"

Huo Changfeng paused, put down what he was doing, and followed him out.

Behind the training base was a mud pit, originally intended to be another training area. But the pit kept drying up, requiring frequent refilling with water. Clean water sources were scarce, and natural rainwater was acidic, so the construction of this small training ground was eventually abandoned.

The two walked slowly along the edge of the mud pit. Huo Changfeng had thought Liu Zihao had something specific prepared to say when he called him out, but Liu Zihao was silent at first, seemingly not having organized his thoughts.

They had seen each other often these days, usually on the training ground. Sometimes Liu Zihao and Song Lan would come to listen to his lectures, but they didn't interact. Liu Zihao and Song Lan were inseparable, so this was the first time Liu Zihao had sought him out alone.

Seeing Liu Zihao still hesitant after walking for a while, Huo Changfeng couldn't help but find it amusing and took the initiative to ask, "Did you call me out just to take a walk with me?"

Seeing that Huo Changfeng still had his familiar, relaxed attitude, Liu Zihao breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment's hesitation, he finally voiced the question on his mind. "What's your relationship with that Bai Tu?"

That was a sharp question.

Even Huo Changfeng himself found it hard to define.

Lovers who were fighting or having a tiff? But no, aside from less physical intimacy, his interactions with Bai Tu hadn't changed much from before.

Close friends? But his intentions weren't pure, and he didn't know what Bai Tu thought.

Childhood playmates reunited by fate? Only Bai Tu remembered that part.

These thoughts flashed through Huo Changfeng's mind, and he suddenly froze.

He seemed to understand the root of the current ambiguous state of his relationship with Bai Tu. He carefully recalled their interactions since reuniting and suddenly realized he had never formally confessed.

He actually hadn't confessed, yet wanted to do *that* with Bai Tu.

Huo Changfeng was instantly filled with regret, thinking to himself how messy his first relationship was turning out.

Seeing Huo Changfeng frowning deeply and remaining silent for a long time, Liu Zihao pressed, "Is it inconvenient to say?"

"Nothing inconvenient about it," Huo Changfeng said, his brow relaxing. Having figured it out, he felt much of the gloom that had been weighing on his heart these past days dissipate. "It's exactly what you see."

Now it was Liu Zihao's turn to frown deeply. He said, "Although keeping Qiang companions is popular in the base, and some people use it to show off their strength and status, it's ultimately a losing deal. They don't earn credits; instead, their owners have to provide for their food, drink, clothing, and shelter. And because they're generally weak, they can't even be taken out on missions."

"What Qiangren? What masters?" Huo Changfeng asked in confusion.

Liu Zihao was slightly surprised. "Didn't the person who gave you the wristwatch explain it to you?"

"Explain what?"

"It's the gray wristband..." Liu Zihao vaguely explained a few things, but Huo Changfeng immediately understood. He felt a surge of anger—not directed at Liu Zihao, who was explaining this to him, but at Rong Wazi, who had explained the gray wristwatch so matter-of-factly back then, and at himself for not thinking it through more deeply.

He could guess that the gray wristband meant low status, but he hadn't considered that there might be another, more sordid layer of meaning to it.

No wonder Song Lan had shown such a disdainful expression. No wonder Liu Zihao, who always treated people politely, hadn't proactively asked for Bai Tu's name. No wonder Commander Liu never spoke to Bai Tu when he called for them, even completely ignoring him.

In the North China Base's unspoken rules, the gray wristband signified not just that they were an accessory, a plaything, but also something akin to livestock, devoid of human rights. Their bodies were their only remaining value, and once that value was exhausted, their time was up.

And a person's physical body was the easiest thing to get tired of. So, the fate of Qiangren was either to be passed around among different people, selling their bodies, or to end their lives, unable to bear the humiliation.

In everyone's eyes, Qiangren were beings destined to die sooner or later, so there was no need to care about them, no need to be curious.

Did Bai Tu know? Bai Tu didn't know, but Bai Tu went out to buy groceries and deliver meals every day. Along the way, he must have received strange looks from others to some extent. He seemed a bit slow, but he wasn't obtuse. He must have sensed something, yet he hadn't mentioned a word of it to him.

Was it because he didn't care? Or because he didn't want to cause trouble? Or simply because he didn't want to tell him?

Whichever it was, it was utterly terrible.

Huo Changfeng said with a tense face, "This was my oversight. I'll take Bai Tu to change his wristband to a white one."

Liu Zihao opened his mouth, not expecting to hear such a response. He hadn't sought Huo Changfeng out to correct the color of Bai Tu's wristband, but rather—

"A-Huo, you've misunderstood. What I mean is, you'd better stay away from Bai Tu."

Huo Changfeng frowned, his first reaction being: "What does that have to do with you?"

"I know there's been some friction between you and Song Lan," Liu Zihao said. "But I don't believe you would try to kill him for no reason, and I don't believe Song Lan would betray you. He's not a malicious person. There must be some misunderstanding here."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Bai Tu has always depended on you for survival. He has no real skills, and his face and body are the type that easily attract unwanted attention. To live safely and secure your protection, the things he says and does might all be aimed at achieving that goal." Liu Zihao looked at him seriously, as if seeing someone deceived without realizing it. "Song Lan, like you, is just another victim in this process."

From the moment Liu Zihao started speaking, Huo Changfeng's expression had darkened. He said, "Did Song Lan tell you all this?"

Liu Zihao's eyes flickered. "...It has nothing to do with him. It's my own speculation."

When he heard that Song Lan had almost been killed by Huo Changfeng, Liu Zihao absolutely refused to believe it.

Huo Changfeng, to put it nicely, was kind and righteous; to put it bluntly, he pursued justice to a rigid extent. Even in the apocalypse, he would never kill innocents indiscriminately. But Song Lan had no reason to falsely accuse Huo Changfeng for no reason. After pressing for details, he knew the problem lay with Bai Tu.

That incident of robbery and murder was clearly instigated by the robbers, yet Bai Tu pinned it all on Song Lan. As for his motive, it could be deduced from the outcome of the event—

To drive away the only person in the team who saw his true colors, make the others pity him, and ultimately succeed in clinging to Huo Changfeng.

It was pitiful that when Song Lan spoke of this, he still didn't understand what he had done wrong. He'd almost lost his life. Seeing the grievance on Song Lan's face, Liu Zihao felt moments of genuine resentment towards Huo Changfeng and wanted to settle the score. But Huo Changfeng was also kept in the dark and used as a tool. He didn't want to ruin his relationship with Huo Changfeng over this.

"You don't know Bai Tu. You don't know what kind of person he is," Huo Changfeng said, looking at him as if at a stranger. "The old you wouldn't have jumped to conclusions about a stranger."

"That's because I believe in you!" Liu Zihao said in a low, forceful voice. "I believe in you, and I believe in Song Lan. I genuinely consider you a friend, so I don't want you to be foolishly deceived."

"Enough," Huo Changfeng took a deep breath. "If you truly consider me a friend, then don't slander Bai Tu. He's not some Qiangren, nor is he the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, as you describe. He's simple, dislikes conflict, always says what he thinks, and would never engage in schemes or conspiracies. Besides, I have nothing of value worth him going to such great lengths to scheme for."

Liu Zihao frowned at him, seeming utterly perplexed.

"As for Song Lan," Huo Changfeng paused, "I won't discuss him with you. Whatever grievances Bai Tu and I had with him, they're settled now. Since we each have our own views and neither can convince the other, let's just not bring up the past. Whether it's you and me, or Xiang Yashu, there's no need to argue back and forth. It's pretty pointless."

Liu Zihao was speechless for a moment, then said, "I'm not trying to argue with you. I just..."

Just what? Just hoping that the relationship between Song Lan and Huo Changfeng could improve? Hoping not to lose Huo Changfeng as a friend while also not displeasing Song Lan? Hoping that Song Lan was exactly the person he believed him to be?

Huo Changfeng waved his hand, signaling him to say no more.

"We won't be disturbing you for much longer. If it's not too much trouble, could you please ask Commander Liu for me how much longer the preparations for that task he wants me to do will take?"