[Pupa: Hey, buttbrain, did you know that Han Shun has been following you since the moment you left the teashop?]

[Aish, of course, I know! But what would I do anyway? Should I confront him now? That would leave a bitter taste to General Fei. He would think that Han Shun is not a good kid for following me everywhere like a stalker!]

[Pupa: Yeah, you're right. There is no way you could confront him right now.]

[Let's just end this quick and return home. I also pity this young general. I gave him false hope just to make sure that Han Shun would be alright in the military.]

Meanwhile, Han Shun watched Bai Gege and Young General Fei sitting side by side, playing Guqin, and watching the firework. Of course, it was romantic, but he couldn't help to get jealous because of how close Bai Gege got with General Fei.

Bai Gege kept telling him that he had no interest in General Fei. But the jealousy still lingered in his heart.

He was envious because he also wanted to watch the firework festival with Bai Gege. He wanted to spend time with Bai Gege alone.

But he knew his limit. He was just a street kid picked up by Bai Gege out of pity. He was still too young and too weak to even stand side by side with Bai Gege, let alone protecting him from harm.

So all he could do right now was to watch from afar, hoping that one day he could be the one sitting on General Fei's position.

'Train hard, Han Shun. You must train hard so Bai Gege will accept you!' 

**

General Fei escorted Bai Shijue back to the residence. Han Shun was already standing outside the residence's gate with a small bag Bai Gege had bought for him before.

He was ready to leave.

"Ah, Han Shun, you're so eager to leave. Are you not happy living with me?" Bai Shijue asked jokingly.

But Han Shun looked serious. He shook his head in response, "No, Bai Gege. But I want to be strong, so I can protect you in the future."

Both Bai Shijue and General Fei were surprised by Han Shun's determination. 

"You have the spirit, kid," General Fei praised. He didn't expect the scrawny kid to actually have such bravery. Usually, when someone around Han Shun's age was sent to the military training, they would cry and beg to be sent home. 

"Well, General Fei, you see that Han Shun is a great kid, right? Please train him well, and I will keep sending food for the soldier in the garrison to compensate as well," Bai Shijue said. He lowered his gaze and patted Han Shun's head. "No need to worry about the teashop, and you can still meet me every weekend, right?"

"Un…." Han Shun nodded. He loved getting a pat on the head by Bai Gege, though this would be the last. Because he would be a hardened soldier in the future.

"Gege, I will be strong. I promise."

"I will keep that promise, Han Shun," Bai Shijue said. He gently pushed Han Shun towards General Fei. "General, please take care of him."

"Don't worry, I will make sure that he will be a great soldier in the future. I quite like his spirit as well. This kid has potential."

Young General Fei grabbed Han Shun's hand, a small gesture to show that he accepted Han Shun.

"I will be leaving now. Please tell me if you need anything, Young Master Bai."

"I will, and thank you, General Fei."

General Fei bowed his head slightly and left with Han Shun. The young boy turned his head and looked behind, staring at Bai Gege, who smiled at him, and the body of Bai Gege slowly got smaller until he was too far to see Bai Gege.

For the first time in his life, he felt lonely.

He never felt lonely, even when he lived in the orphanage or on the street. He had accepted his fate before as a kid that nobody wanted.

But now that he had tasted how it felt to have a family, to have someone who cared for you, he refused to let it go.

'Bai Gege…'

[Aww, this is so heart-wrenching! I feel like a dad who let go of his son to be trained as a warrior or something.]

[Pupa: He will still return every weekend, you know. You're being dramatic for no reason.]

[Hehe, knowing him, he probably would do that. But I'm still happy that I've raised Han Shun well. He will be a great man in the future!]

**

Meanwhile, Young General Fei and Han Shun walked to the garrison quite far from Bai Shijue's residence. 

General Fei started asking Han Shun about a few stuff about Bai Shijue.

"Kid, do you know what kind of flower that Bai Shijue likes? Or maybe he has other hobbies? Jewelry?"

"No, General," Han Shun replied curtly. "Bai Gege doesn't have any interest in flowers or jewelry. Bai Gege is a scholar. He reads a lot of books, plays his Guqin, and also does flower arranging."

"I see, then how about his favorite food, maybe. You should help me deliver something that he likes when you return to his residence every week, okay?" General Fei said he wanted to use Han Shun as his little helper to get Bai Shijue's heart.'

…

"General, I don't want to be your little helper to obtain Bai Gege's heart," Han Shun looked up to General Fei's scary eyes with determination in his heart. He feared nothing in this world except to be left alone by Bai Gege. 

"I am here to train martial arts. You don't need to treat me kindly just because Bai Gege told you so."

General Fei was surprised by Han Shun's cold behavior. His gaze darkened, "Kid, do you know who you're messing with right now?"

"I know, General Fei. But I will never be your little helper for Bai Gege. You can beat me whenever you want, but I still refused. Bai Gege should not be touched."

General Fei wasn't that angry actually because he knew that Han Shun must've harbored a feeling for Bai Shijue as well. In fact, he was appalled by Han Shun's bravery.

"You're courting death if you dare challenging me, kid."

"General Fei, with all due respect, I will never back down no matter what. So please, treat me like a soldier, not a little helper to get Bai Gege's heart," Han Shun added.

"If that's what you want, then I will not be so kind. I will treat you like the rest of my soldiers, and I will not ask for your help to get Bai Shijue's heart. I can do it myself anyway," Young General Fei said. "Prepare yourself, kid. Because you will be in a hell that will change your life."

Han Shun didn't even falter after that kind of threat. There was only one thing in his mind right now. 

'I will never let any man touch my Bai Gege. No matter what, I will protect him, even if that means I will break my own body!'