He could only hear Gu Tang's voice coming from a very distant place: "If I were in your position, with so many people behind me who need my protection, my country and my people, I would also choose to make the least sacrifice to save more people from living."
No...that's not it.
Qin Junche wanted to refute, but he gradually realized that...
Not only did Gu Tang's voice become blurred, but his appearance also became blurred.
Back then, someone kidnapped Qin Xiao and then used him to lure Gu Tang out.
Within the empire, powerful figures colluded with enemy states, capturing his partner and son in an attempt to force Marshal Qin Junche of the Star Army to surrender.
Gu Tang said he didn't blame him.
Because if it were him, he would also choose to be loyal to the country and protect more people.
But the person Gu Tang was talking about was the Marshal of the Star Army.
This identity forced Qin Junche to watch helplessly as the person he loved most suffered endless torment, becoming almost unrecognizable.
However, as Gu Tang's partner and Qin Xiao's father, even if he died a thousand times, it would not make up for the pain and suffering he brought them.
Later, they sealed off some of Gu Tang's memories because they couldn't bear to watch him suffer and break down like that.
When Qin Junche discovered that Gu Tang, who had lost the most painful memories, had also lost his love for him, he genuinely considered divorcing him.
However, whenever the moment came, he still couldn't bear to part with it.
He is the most selfish and shameless man in the world!
"No..." Qin Junche felt his thoughts becoming increasingly blurred.
He could no longer hear what Gu Tang was saying; he could only see the other man's mouth opening and closing.
He repeated with some difficulty, "It's not like that... It's my fault... It's my fault..."
In a daze, someone lifted him up, took him upstairs, and placed him on the bed.
In the distance, it seemed someone was calling again: "Xiao'er".
Then a small, warm body, with a faint milky scent, was placed next to Qin Junche.
Then, Qin Junche fell into a deep sleep.
Gu Tang pulled a blanket up and covered Qin Xiao and Qin Junche with it.
He bent down and rubbed Qin Xiao, who had been sleeping soundly all day in the lab.
Then he straightened up, turned around, and walked out of the villa.
As soon as Gu Tang stepped out of the villa, a black hovercar stopped in front of him.
The car door opened, revealing Han Xuan's handsome profile.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Gu Tang got into the car briskly. "Let's go."
Han Xuan nodded silently.
The hovercar doors closed again, and it sped into the night.
The hovercar took them to the training base of the Sun Army, where Gu Tang and his group boarded a Sun Army warship and set sail for another planet.
Until the lights of the planet where the capital city is located are extinguished by the starlight of the vast universe.
Han Xuancai walked to Gu Tang's side.
He stood with him at the stern of the warship, looking out the porthole at the capital city that was no longer visible, and asked, "No regrets?"
Gu Tang chuckled lightly: "A little."
Before Han Xuan could ask, he continued, "I originally wanted to take Xiao'er with me, but..."
He looked down and touched the mecha space button on his wrist: "You said it's too dangerous, and it's indeed unsafe to bring a child along. Let's wait until he's a bit older. But..."
Gu Tang turned to Han Xuan and asked him to confirm, "Are you sure you can record... a video and send it to him to see the scene?"
“…Hmm.” Han Xuan nodded.
Gu Tang shrugged.
He stared at the endless starry sky outside the porthole for a while, then suddenly said, "Thank you."
"I don't need to thank you," Han Xuan said. "What you want to do is also what we want to do."
He paused, then said, "If you really want to thank me, could you answer one question for me?"
"you say."
Han Xuan did not speak immediately.
He stared at Gu Tang's profile for a long time.
As the online reports have covered, the young man in front of us...
In terms of appearance, he wasn't particularly handsome.
In terms of family background, they were not outstanding.
After spending a lot of time with him, Han Xuan even felt that although Gu Tang seemed easy to talk to, no one, except his son, could truly touch the heart of him.
This includes Gu Tang's partner, Qin Junche.
But he couldn't explain why, he just couldn't help wanting to investigate Gu Tang's affairs and want to know more.
Without realizing it, my gaze had become accustomed to following him.
"Although it was a bit reckless, the most painful thing for you when you were enhancing your mental strength was..." Han Xuan closed his eyes, not daring to look at Gu Tang any longer, "was it because of Qin Junche?"
After learning about the relationship between Han Xuan and Qin Junche, he ordered a thorough investigation.
What happened in the Qin family back then was indeed a secret.
But no matter how secretive the matter that Han Xuan wanted to investigate was, someone would eventually find some clues about it.
Moreover, back then, quite a few people knew about this incident on the battlefield.
Later, only after the military issued a gag order did no one continue to talk about the young man who was rescued, whose body was almost entirely covered in unscathed skin.
However, gradually, rumors began to circulate wildly in the capital about the Star Army Marshal's seemingly romantic but actually ruthless nature.
Han Xuan was puzzled when he heard these rumors.
He and Qin Junche were guarding the north and the south, respectively. Although they rarely saw each other after joining the army, he knew his old classmate and old rival well and knew that the other was definitely not that kind of person.
Now he finally understands.
After learning the whole story, Han Xuan even seriously considered what he would have done if he were in Han Xuan's shoes.
Like Qin Junche, will you choose the country and the people?
Or perhaps they forget their responsibilities for the sake of their partner.
"Qin Junche?" Gu Tang paused for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. "It has nothing to do with him."
Han Xuan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze unusually sharp as he looked at Gu Tang.
"Okay..." He opened his mouth with difficulty, his voice hoarse, "Can you tell me what it is?"
His eyes shone with a hope that he himself could not explain.
He didn't know what he was expecting.
It has nothing to do with Qin Junche, but could it be... could it be related to myself...?
“…Alright.” Gu Tang thought for a moment. “You’ve helped me a lot. If you really want to know, then I’ll tell you.”
He leaned on the railing below the porthole, watching them gradually drift further and further away from the capital city.
"I have a friend..."
Han Xuan: "..."
Gu Tang had only said a few words when he turned and glanced at Han Xuan, then laughed, "Do you think the beginning is too melodramatic?"
Han Xuan remained silent, which undoubtedly meant he acquiesced.
“He’s a bit like you in personality,” Gu Tang said. “Not talkative, serious, dedicated, and responsible…and handsome and strong, just like you.”
"Uh..." Although being praised for being handsome and strong is a happy thing, Han Xuan found himself unable to smile.
Gu Tang didn't look at him again.
He stared out the porthole, where the desolate starry sky stretched as far as the eye could see.
Beside him was someone who had never crossed paths with his past.
This place, this atmosphere, and his gratitude towards Han Xuan seemed to give him the courage to pour out his secrets.
“He is a very good person,” Gu Tang said slowly. “When I was very young and weak, and was always bullied, he took me in, took care of me, taught me skills, and made me strong. Gradually, no one dared to bully me anymore.”
"The friend who taught you swordsmanship?" Han Xuan suddenly asked.
"Pfft..." Gu Tang laughed out loud, but still nodded.
He didn't look at Han Xuan again and continued speaking in one breath: "My friend is a polymath. Besides teaching me skills... well, swordsmanship. He is also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and can cook and make tea. He's just a bit too serious and rigid, self-disciplined, just like you."
“I’ve always wondered why such a good person never smiles. So I really loved making him laugh, and I did all sorts of little tricks and embarrassing things. When I was young and naive, I really treated making him laugh as the most important thing in my life. I thought that someone like him must have a very beautiful smile.”
Gu Tang sighed softly: "He was too kind. Later, he couldn't stand me anymore and finally started to smile. I didn't know that this smile... was the beginning of him falling in love, and also..."
He closed his eyes and slowly uttered a phrase that Han Xuan couldn't understand: "The Great Dao is flawed, and ultimately it loses to Heaven."
Han Xuan remained silent for quite a while this time.
Then he suddenly asked, "Is his name... Qingcheng?"
However, Gu Tang did not answer this question.
He remained silent for a long time, and when he spoke again, his voice was hoarse: "I spent a very, very long time trying to find him and bring him back to me. The pain, the despair, the panic of almost giving up and wanting to give up on myself... those were the most painful things for me."
He eventually succeeded.
He spent hundreds of years searching for the other's scattered soul.
Strand by strand, they pieced together a familiar shape for him.
However, what is pieced back together after being broken is no longer him.
Han Xuan listened, seemingly understanding but not quite.