133: Bai Li Returns to Her Heart

Exiting the handicraft shop, the two continued their stroll along the street.

"Wang Chen," Bai Li suddenly spoke up, her voice soft, "let me tell you about My Older Brother."

"Okay."

"My brother's name is Bai Yanqiu. He's seven years older than me." Bai Li gazed at the distant sunset, her eyes distant. "When we were kids, he was the ringleader of all the children in our compound. He was especially mischievous, but he was always very good to me."

"When I was five, I secretly ran off to play by the river and almost fell in. My brother pulled me out. But when we got home, my dad was about to spank me. My brother took all the blame, saying he was the one who took me there. My dad gave him a beating; his backside was swollen for days."

She smiled faintly, the expression tinged with nostalgia and sorrow.

"Whatever I wanted, he'd always find a way to get it for me. Once, I really liked a doll a classmate had and wanted one desperately, but my mom said I was too old and wouldn't buy it for me. When my brother found out, he used his saved-up allowance to buy me an identical one."

Wang Chen listened quietly, not interrupting.

"He joined the army at eighteen. The day he left, I cried my eyes out. He said, 'Don't cry, Xiao Li. Your brother's going to the army to train, so he can come back and protect you.'"

"He excelled in the army. He became a squad leader in his first year. In his third year, he passed the selection and joined the special forces. Every time he came home, he'd teach me some self-defense moves, saying girls need to learn how to protect themselves."

Bai Li's voice gradually grew lower.

"The year I turned eighteen, my family sent me to the army too. My brother was my drill instructor, and he was especially strict. While the other female recruits did a hundred push-ups, he made me do two hundred. While the others ran five kilometers, he made me run ten."

"I cried from exhaustion, even cursed him, hated him at times, but he never went easy on me."

"But he'd always say, 'Xiao Li, you're a daughter of the Bai family. You can't be worse than anyone else.'"

"After training ended, he'd secretly slip me chocolate and give me massages to help me relax. That's when I realized he was the one who cared for me the most."

The street was bustling with people, but Bai Li seemed to exist in another time and space.

"Three years ago, he led a team to the border for a training exercise. It was almost over. But then they encountered Death God and his gang of armed militants who had infiltrated from across the border. They were using live ammunition."

"My brother and his team were on an exercise, using only blanks. They were caught completely off guard by Death God's group. In the end, to cover his comrades' retreat, he stayed behind alone to hold the rear. By the time reinforcements arrived, he was already..."

Bai Li's voice choked up.

She stopped walking, looked up at Wang Chen, fighting back tears.

"He was stabbed thirty-seven times. Not a single wound was fatal. The medical examiner said he died from excessive blood loss. Those bastards... were deliberately torturing him."

Wang Chen reached out and gently patted her shoulder.

"I swore at his grave," Bai Li said, word by word, "no matter the method, no matter the cost, I will avenge him."

"Whoever helps me achieve this, I will marry them."

She looked at Wang Chen, tears finally falling, but her gaze was unwavering.

"Wang Chen, thank you. Thank you for avenging my brother."

"I keep my promises. From now on, I, Bai Li, am your woman."

Wang Chen looked at the girl before him, her face tear-streaked like a rain-soaked pear blossom yet her back stubbornly straight, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.

He was genuinely moved.

But not because of her beauty, nor because of her family background.

It was because of her deep loyalty, her determination to avenge her brother at any cost.

A girl like this deserved to be cherished.

But... "Bai Li," Wang Chen began, his voice turning very gentle, "I avenged your brother not because I wanted something from you. That was a matter of personal vendetta between me and Hades Hall, which just happened to coincide with your brother's case."

"You don't have to bind yourself to me because of a vow."

"You're still young, still outstanding. You can pursue real happiness. There's no need..."

"You think I'm not sincere?"

Bai Li cut him off, wiped her tears, and stared directly at Wang Chen.

"Wang Chen, I'm not a child. I'm twenty-five, spent seven years in the army. I've seen life and death, I've seen people's true nature."

"I'd already thought it through before I came."

"Not because of the vow, and not out of gratitude."

She took a step forward, closing the distance between them until they could feel each other's breath.

"It's because of you."

"You're strong enough to protect yourself and those around you. You're ruthless enough to never show mercy to enemies. But you also have principles; you won't kill indiscriminately. You take responsibility for women, willing to give them a home."

"All of this, I've witnessed with my own eyes, felt with my own heart."

Bai Li's voice was soft, but each word carried weight.

"In my eyes, you're stronger than any other man."

"For this lifetime, I'm sticking to you."

Having said her piece, she just looked at Wang Chen, waiting for his answer.

The last rays of the sunset bathed her face. Her reddened eyes held an undeniable certainty.

Wang Chen remained silent for a long time.

Then, he smiled.

Not a polite smile, nor a helpless one.

It was a smile of relief, tinged with a bit of resignation and a bit of doting affection.

"The way you put it... if I refused, wouldn't I be incredibly ungrateful?"

Bai Li's eyes immediately lit up. "You agree?"

"I didn't say I agree," Wang Chen teased her on purpose. "I just said, if you're determined to stick to me, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Then that means you agree!"

Bai Li's tears turned to laughter. She linked her arm with his again, this time holding on even tighter.

"I'm telling you, Wang Chen, from now on, I'm your girlfriend. If you dare bully me, I'll... I'll tell my grandpa!"

"Your grandpa?" Wang Chen raised an eyebrow. "Old Master Bai?"

"Yes!" Bai Li lifted her chin. "My grandpa is very formidable. If he knew you bullied me, he'd definitely not let you off."

Wang Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "You haven't even married in yet, and you're already learning to pull rank?"

"Of course."

The two looked at each other and smiled.

In the distance, Chen Long and the others watched the scene and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Looks like it's settled," Rabbit said.

"Mm," Snake nodded, her expression somewhat complex but mostly filled with blessing.

Tiger scratched his head. "The boss's harem... has gained another formidable member."

Chen Long glared at him. "Stop talking nonsense. The boss is sincere with every girl."

"I know, I know," Tiger hurriedly said. "I was just remarking on it."

The sun had completely sunk below the horizon.

The city lights began to glow.

Wang Chen and Bai Li walked side by side on the foreign street, their shadows merging under the streetlights.

And in the shadows not far behind them, a pair of eyes was fixed intently on them.

Those eyes were filled with venom and hatred.

It was Doctor.

He had escaped.

And, he had recognized Wang Chen.

"Dragon King..." Doctor muttered under his breath, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "We'll meet again."

"When the time comes, I'll make you understand... what true despair is."

He turned and vanished into the darkness.