Only I Understand His Gentle Heart - Chapter 103.2

That evening, even eating felt like a chore for Zhang Wulin. His appetite was gone. As Cao Ming ate beside him, he glanced over and asked, “Squad Leader, is the food bad or something?”

Zhang Wulin looked at him and suddenly felt like he was looking at his younger self—naive and clueless. With that kind of attitude, how could anyone expect to get a girlfriend? No wonder I deserve to be a single dog too!

But now, in his current state… was he even suited for a relationship?

“Cao Ming,” Zhang Wulin asked after a pause, “if you liked someone, would you pursue her?”

“Of course!” Cao Ming replied without hesitation. “How else am I supposed to get married? I don’t want to be a single dog forever.”

“Oh…”

That made sense. Eventually, everyone has to get married.

With that thought, Zhang Wulin felt a bit more at ease. But then, his thoughts turned back to Lin Ziyu. Love was such a strange thing. He liked her and couldn’t help thinking about her constantly. But at the same time, he worried about everything—worried she might feel wronged, that she was too good for him. She was beautiful and had a great job. What if I’m not good enough for her?

And just like that, he was tangled up in his own thoughts again.

Cao Ming wasn’t any help—his answers only made things more confusing.

After that day, Lin Ziyu didn’t visit Zhang Wulin again.

As he rested in his dormitory every day, waiting for his recovery, his thoughts spiraled. He couldn’t stop worrying. Had he been rude to her that day? Did he do something wrong? Or had Lin Ziyu given him a chance, and he failed to take it, so now she wanted nothing to do with him?

He was left guessing, with no answers in sight.

When it came to relationships, Zhang Wulin was just too inexperienced. He couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he thought about it. Women were a mystery he simply couldn’t unravel.

It wasn’t until his body healed enough for him to move around freely that he finally saw Lin Ziyu again—in the cafeteria, with the production team.

The moment he saw her, he couldn’t help but remember her smiling at him that day and teasing, “Do you like me?” Her tone and expression replayed in his mind. He felt embarrassed but couldn’t resist stealing glances at her.

Lin Ziyu noticed his gaze and looked up, meeting his eyes. She smiled, her lips curving softly.

Zhang Wulin froze for a moment before scratching his head, grinning wide enough to show all his teeth.

She wasn’t mad.

He was thrilled, genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.

Lin Ziyu observed him and thought, Has this guy figured it out yet? She’d given him so many hints—some subtle, some blatant. Did he get it? Looking at his clueless expression, it seemed like he hadn’t picked up on anything.

What a headache. But at the same time… how fascinating.

Why did it feel like dating a high schooler? Somehow, she had unknowingly turned into the older, experienced “big sister” in this dynamic—though she didn’t even have the cool, mature aura of one.

That evening, she intentionally ate slowly, watching Zhang Wulin finish his meal and get ready to leave with his comrades. Only when they were about to go did she walk over.

Cao Ming noticed her first and greeted her cheerfully, “Miss Lin!”

Lin Ziyu smiled and nodded politely, her gaze shifting to Zhang Wulin. “How’s your recovery? Are you feeling better?”

“Much better…” Zhang Wulin replied nervously, glancing at Cao Ming out of the corner of his eye.

Cao Ming was chatting with the other soldiers and wasn’t paying attention to them. After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and called back, “Squad Leader, weren’t you going to the infirmary? Want me to come with you?”

He started walking back toward them.

Under normal circumstances, Zhang Wulin wouldn’t have refused. But for some reason, he blurted out, “No need! You go on ahead. I’ll go by myself.”

Lin Ziyu chuckled softly and added, “I’ll go with the Squad Leader. I hurt my knee earlier and need to grab some medicine from the infirmary anyway.”

Immediately, Zhang Wulin turned to her, alarmed. “You hurt your knee? Did you fall?”

Lin Ziyu nodded. “Yes, just a little accident.”

“Then… I’ll come with you to get the medicine,” Zhang Wulin said quickly.

Cao Ming glanced at them, sensing something was off. Why does it feel like something’s changed with the Squad Leader? He scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. “Alright, you two go ahead, then.”

“Mm.”

At the border, night didn’t fall until around 9 PM. The sky was still bright as the two of them walked toward the infirmary, one behind the other.

Walking behind her, Zhang Wulin asked, “How did you fall? Does it hurt?”

Lin Ziyu turned to glance at him, her tone deliberately slow. “Just carelessness. Of course, it hurt—my knee’s all bruised. Can’t you see I’m walking funny?”

She was wearing a long dress that highlighted her slender figure. It was impossible to see her legs, let alone tell if anything was wrong with them.

Zhang Wulin studied her carefully for a moment before nodding. “A little, yeah.”

Lin Ziyu stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. “Squad Leader, are you dumb?”

Zhang Wulin, “…”

He paused for a couple of seconds before admitting honestly, “I’m… not very smart.”

Lin Ziyu rolled her eyes and huffed. “I didn’t fall. I just wanted to walk with you to the infirmary so we could chat. If Cao Ming came along, it wouldn’t be convenient.”

Zhang Wulin’s face turned crimson. Even someone as dense as him couldn’t miss the hint this time.

Miss Lin… really does seem to like me.

Realizing this, he felt an explosion of joy inside him. He was so thrilled he wanted to shout it out loud—or even run laps around the training ground to burn off the excitement.

Lin Ziyu hummed softly, clasping her hands behind her back as she strolled leisurely ahead.

He didn’t say anything, and she wasn’t in any rush or upset.

This feeling was new to her—something she’d never experienced before. With Zhang Wulin, everything felt easy and natural. She didn’t need to put on a show or worry about losing him.

Turning back slightly, she glanced at him.

“Mm, I’m here.”

Following right behind her.

Zhang Wulin had come to the infirmary to pick up his test results. A couple of days ago, he had undergone imaging tests, and the military doctor had collected his reports from the hospital. Sitting on a chair, Zhang Wulin listened carefully as the doctor explained the condition of his spine, including precautions and how to gradually ease back into training.

Lin Ziyu stood just outside the door, listening intently as well.

It didn’t seem like there was any serious problem. She felt relieved.

On their way back, the sky gradually darkened, the evening clouds painting everything in soft grays.

Zhang Wulin walked behind Lin Ziyu, who strolled leisurely ahead. After a few minutes of silence, she suddenly turned around. “You don’t have anything to say to me?”

He scratched his head, his face flushing red as he stammered, “I-I do…”

Lin Ziyu stopped and faced him, her smile bright and teasing. “What is it?”

Zhang Wulin swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down several times before he finally managed to speak. “You… Miss Lin, when you asked me that question last time… did you mean it?”

“What question?”

Lin Ziyu couldn’t believe him. How is he still too embarrassed to say it outright after all this?

Zhang Wulin’s face turned crimson as he struggled to gather the courage. He clenched his fists, drew a deep breath, and blurted out, “I… I like you! Do you… like me too?”

His voice was loud—so loud that Lin Ziyu immediately glanced around in alarm. Thankfully, there was no one nearby.

Patting her chest to calm herself, she glared at him. “I heard you. No need to shout.”

Zhang Wulin scratched the back of his head, straightening his posture like a soldier at attention. “Sorry… I got too excited and raised my voice.”

Lin Ziyu looked at his nervous expression and couldn’t help laughing. “I’m not mad at you.”

Zhang Wulin chuckled awkwardly, letting out a few sheepish laughs.

Lin Ziyu smiled and lowered her head, trying to suppress her amusement. Then she turned and resumed walking leisurely ahead.

Taking two big strides, Zhang Wulin caught up with her. Now that he’d said it out loud, he was emboldened, and his curiosity got the better of him. In a low voice, he asked, “Miss Lin, you still haven’t answered me.”

Lin Ziyu turned back, her expression amused. “Do I really need to answer? I was the one who asked you first. Isn’t it obvious?”

Zhang Wulin, “…”

Was it that simple? He scratched his head in confusion.

“Does this mean… we’re together now?”

“It does.”

Zhang Wulin could barely contain his joy. He was so overwhelmed he didn’t know what to do with himself. “So… so you’re my girlfriend now?”

The words “my girlfriend” sounded so sacred to him.

He had never imagined that he, of all people, would have a girlfriend after all these years.

Lin Ziyu glanced at him with a teasing smile. “What do you think?”

Without hesitation, Zhang Wulin replied, “Yes!”

Oh? That was unexpectedly clever of him.

Lin Ziyu couldn’t help but grin. She decided to stop teasing him. “Well, there you go.”

And just like that, the two of them started dating—quietly and in secret.

Fortunately, with Lu Zhuofeng and Ming Zhu being such a high-profile couple, most people’s attention was focused on them instead. Even if someone noticed Lin Ziyu and Zhang Wulin, it only earned a knowing smile or a teasing comment about Zhang Wulin before they moved on.

When asked in private, Zhang Wulin often didn’t know what to say. He was just as confused as they were.

It felt like his girlfriend had fallen out of the sky.

One evening, while showering, he couldn’t help bursting into song, ‘A delicate lady, just like Lin Daiyu, fell from the sky…'”

Cao Ming, overhearing from the next stall, chimed in, “Isn’t Miss Lin older than you?”

Zhang Wulin huffed. “She’s only older by age! She’s shorter than me, skinnier than me, weaker than me—she’s a delicate lady, just like Lin Daiyu, someone who needs protection.”

Cao Ming snickered, muttering under his breath, “Protection, huh? I bet you haven’t even kissed her.”

Zhang Wulin, “…”

He hadn’t.

He had thought about it, but he didn’t have the guts.

The timing never seemed quite right.

The two of them often found ways to spend time together discreetly. In the cafeteria, they’d sit nearby while eating. During breaks, they’d take walks together. But being in the military, they had to be careful about appearances.

Occasionally, when they found a quiet spot with no one else around, Lin Ziyu would lean in closer or glance up at him, and he couldn’t help remembering the day she hugged him.

Soft. So very soft.

Last night, he finally couldn’t resist and hugged her.

It felt even better than when she had hugged him—delicate, small, and soft. When she hugged him back, it felt like she was holding his entire world.

Last night, he really wanted to kiss her.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Lin Ziyu knew that Zhang Wulin wanted to kiss her. She also knew he was too shy to take the initiative.

She could have made the first move herself.

But she wanted to see if he would dare.