Let me win you over, and you'll become a heartthrob before I even begin?

"Five years later?" Yan Weixi looked up at Lian Yiheng in a daze.

Lian Yiheng didn't dare look her in the eye: "Well, five years from now... or... maybe more than five years, but I'll come back as soon as possible!"

Yan Weixi blinked, hiding her sadness, and quickly raised her head. Her smile was still sunny, but it seemed as if it was about to be hidden by dark clouds and turned gray.

She struggled to hold back her sobs: "So it's a promise, you'll come back to find me, right?"

Lian Yiheng answered eagerly, "Of course! I will definitely come back to find you!"

"It's a promise, you have to come back to find me."

"Yeah, definitely!"

*

Ocean-going.

An isolated island at sea hides a specially renovated base dedicated to training capable individuals, built through international collaboration regardless of national borders.

Back at the base, Lien Yi-heng changed into a special military uniform and stood in neat rows with his future teammates who had been recommended for positions at the same time.

The instructor, with a whip tucked into his waistband, spoke coldly in his native language, disregarding the lives of others: "I don't care where you come from or what your background is. Here, you all have only one identity!"

"Rookie!"

"You bunch of greenhorns, you're no different from rookies, noobs, or useless trash!"

"When you come here, I don't care if you're arrogant or cowardly, you have to follow my rules. If you can't, then wait to be beaten to death!"

As if to testify to his words, the instructor drew his whip and lashed it forcefully.

"Snapped!"

The cold, hard, and muffled sound of the whip exploded like a firecracker, causing some people to involuntarily flinch.

Lian Yiheng, who was already used to it, didn't even blink and remained silent.

This caught the instructor's attention.

"What's your name?"

"Lian Yiheng".

*

"Ah Heng, you're getting taller and taller! Back then you were only this short and always had a grumpy face. In just three years you've become an instructor. You have a bright future ahead of you!"

The man, who had been promoted to chief instructor, was carrying a bottle of chilled beer and wanted to clink glasses with Lian Yiheng.

Lian Yiheng politely clinked glasses with him, saying, "You flatter me, Instructor. I owe a great deal to your guidance over the years. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to become an instructor so quickly. In my heart, you are the best teacher."

"Hahaha, I love hearing that! You can go back on vacation the day after tomorrow, come on! Let's drink until we drop!"

"to make."

*

Returning to my hometown.

Lian Yiheng felt as if he had been through another world, a familiar feeling that was almost unrecognizable after a long time.

The thought of soon seeing the girl he had been longing for filled him with excitement.

He eventually honed himself into a powerful figure, and his network of connections became as vast as the sea.

His enemies were all wary of his power and dared not make any rash moves.

He also has the ability to have even more powerful people protect Yan Weixi at all times, so she is not afraid of those extremists attacking her.

He is now—

Am I qualified to stand by his side?

He mailed his luggage home, bought blue hydrangeas from the nearest flower shop, brought her favorite milk tea, and also bought her favorite peach cake.

Full of joy, he went to the Yan family.

But the butler sensed that Yan Weixi was not at the Yan family home at the moment.

He couldn't get in touch with Yan Weixi, and he couldn't reach anyone else by phone either.

He guessed that Yan Weixi was probably at university at this time and hadn't started her holiday yet.

We had no choice but to go to St. Leah.

Fortunately, St. Leah records the information of every student applying to universities.

He used to be enrolled at St. Lia's School, and apart from class time, he never missed a midterm or final exam. So he could go back and ask for help with an investigation.

He found the administrator who registered the students' information back then and investigated the university information that Yan Weixi applied to.

Just as he was about to head to Yan Weixi's university, he saw a crowd surging towards one place, the sounds of which overlapped densely, and he could only vaguely hear:

"Quick, run! Someone's going to jump off a building!"

Jump off a building?

Lian Yiheng, as if possessed, followed the crowd to the scene, shifted everything in his hands to his left, and prepared to make a phone call with his free right hand.

If someone is really going to jump off a building, he can help call for help.

He went downstairs and looked up at the rooftop. The figure was too thin, swaying in the wind, like a delicate flower about to be broken by the wind and rain.

He calmly told the firefighters the address of St. Leah and waited for them to come and rescue him.

After hanging up the phone, he felt that he had fulfilled his responsibility as a bystander and a passerby, and all he wanted to do was go find his favorite sister as soon as possible.

Just as I was about to turn around—

The figure on the rooftop suddenly jumped down.

Just as he was about to turn his head, he saw the face of that figure with his own eyes.

His head suddenly went blank, buzzing incessantly, as if he couldn't hear any external sounds.

The packaging bag next to me fell off because my fingers were too weak.

The flowers crashed to the ground, their petals shattering as if vibrant life had been smashed to pieces.

He walked shakily toward Yan Weixi.

There stood a strange man.

Another boy was kneeling on the ground, wailing.

He recognized him.

Ignoring Shen Yunchi's heart-wrenching cries, his steps unsteady and barely able to stand, he staggered over and then knelt down with a thud.

He bent his straight back, remembering the teachings, his eyes filled with tears, and his fingers trembled as he stroked Yan Weixi's face.

"Why……"

"Why……"

His pupils trembled with immense grief, and his voice was tinged with sorrowful sobs.

"I...I'm back, sister..."

Lian Yiheng lifted her hand and touched her face, her eyes gentle yet sorrowful. "Sister, please get up and look at me."

Are you upset that I didn't come back sooner?

"Sorry……"

"It was my fault, I shouldn't have come back so late..."

"I'm sorry, sister... If I hadn't gone out, you wouldn't be lying on the ground..."

"Yes... ice on the ground! Ice on the ground..."

"Shall I take you back?"

"Shall I take you back..."

"Woooooooo..."

A low, suppressed sob came from the air.

*

They buried Yan Weixi with their own hands.

Surprisingly, no one from the Yan family helped her.

We left the cemetery.

Lian Yiheng punched Shen Yunchi in the face.

"You promised to protect her while I'm gone!"

"What exactly did you do?!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yunchi collapsed to his knees. The usually cheerful Shen Yunchi was now crying like a child.

"Sorry……"

"Sorry……"

"I don't know what to do..."

"I really don't know how to control myself anymore..."

Shen Yunchi raised his fist high in the air, but ultimately did not bring it down.

Li Yao, who walked past them from the other side, walked away with empty, lifeless eyes and a cold expression.

Her light was mercilessly extinguished, as if she herself had become a puppet toy without electricity.

Lian Yiheng had no interest in asking those questions.

He locked himself in his room for a whole week, looking disheveled, wanting to find Yan Weixi.

Thinking about how pathetic and embarrassed he was, how could he possibly go to Yan Weixi?

He immediately realized what was happening and ran back to his room to tidy himself up.