Second watch.

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Zhao Qihui looked at Commander Liu, whose expression was as pitiful as a wounded little rabbit, unable to stop herself from laughing and crying. She was speechless, never having imagined that the man who always prided himself on bleeding and sweating without shedding tears would have such a moment of insecurity.

"What if I said that I’m willing to take care of you, and it has nothing to do with whether you saved my brother or not, would you believe it?"

Liu Lianbao forced a smile: "Huihui, I have at least that much self-awareness. When I tried to explain to you, saving Zhao Qiliang was an instinctive reaction, not for you to feel indebted to me.

Being able to see you the moment I opened my eyes made me really, really happy. But if you feel obligated to be with me because I saved Qiliang, I would live my entire life in guilt.

So, don’t trouble yourself because I saved Qiliang; liking is liking, not liking is not liking. Our one-year agreement isn’t over yet, and I have enough patience to wait.

In fact, not just a year, even if it takes ten or twenty years, I have the patience to wait as long as you don’t get married. Anyway, I won’t give up.

But what I want is for you to be happy every day, so, when my parents come over, just stopping by to see me occasionally would make me content."

"I find you are so stubborn..." Taking a deep breath, Zhao Qihui decided to tell the truth, "Indeed, I initially didn’t want to believe that I liked you and couldn’t sort out my own feelings.

But when I heard that you were injured, I was extremely, extremely worried and suddenly realized that, at some unknown point, you had already occupied a place in my heart.

Of course, I can’t say that you are more important in my heart than my brother or my family. I mean, apart from my family, you are already the most important person to me.

I’m saying this with a responsible attitude and only after I’m completely sure. I’ve also made up my mind that as long as you agree, I’ll stay by your side and take care of you until you recover.

As for school, I’m thinking of taking a leave of absence. For me, graduating a year later doesn’t matter. Being with you when you need me the most is the most important thing; I just hope you don’t get tired of me being around all the time."

"Of course, I wouldn’t get tired of you..." Staring quietly at Zhao Qihui for a long time, Liu Lianbao finally let out a long breath and smiled, "Huihui, I suddenly feel that being injured this time is the greatest opportunity of my life!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhao Qihui blushed and glanced at him, "Stop talking. You’re still weak and need to conserve your strength, or maybe I should call the doctor to come and check on you."

"Don’t go..." Liu Lianbao shouted anxiously and involuntarily twisted his body, scaring Zhao Qihui into stopping in her tracks and reaching out to grab his arm, "Don’t mess around; you’re in an important recovery phase!"

"Then don’t go..." Liu Lianbao looked at her steadily, "I know my own body. The doctors have already got me like this, so there shouldn’t be anything serious.

But in the short term, I can’t even think about going out, so when you can stay here, please spend more time with me and talk to me, okay?"

"I just want to get the doctor, not leave. Why are you so anxious?" Zhao Qihui chided while looking at him, "You know you’re seriously injured, yet you’re still so careless; you really give people a lot to worry about."

"Hehehe..." Liu Lianbao laughed awkwardly, "When you’re here, I don’t want to be apart from you for even a moment. You have no idea; the letters you wrote me have been my greatest mental support during these past few months. Now that we finally met, how can I let you go so easily?"

"Didn’t I say I would stay here to take care of you? If you act like this, how am I supposed to take care of you?"

"Huihui..." Liu Lianbao seriously looked at Zhao Qihui, "I love you, but that doesn’t mean you should center everything around me. I indeed need care right now, but it doesn’t have to be you.

So, don’t take a leave of absence. Just continue attending classes and come see me when you have a break. What I want is to spend a lifetime with you, and that lifetime is one built on mutual respect. Do you understand what I mean?"

It’s true that people need comparison! At this moment, Zhao Qihui genuinely understood the difference between people. Although she felt annoyed by Jiang Wenyuan’s pestering during this period, she had always thought that during their mutual fondness at the start, it was something to remember fondly. But after comparing with Liu Lianbao, she finally understood that what Jiang Wenyuan expressed towards her was possessiveness, not love!