No one had ever warmed her hands in the cold winter.

No one had ever given her such a sense of security either.

She wanted to become dependent on it, yet she did not dare to.

There were many times when she was easily moved by him. Her understanding of him deepened through their everyday interactions, and she began to admire him even more.

He knew a lot. Whether it as about geography or astronomy, commanding battles, the art of war, training in army camps… There was nothing he did not know.

If being a soldier was a dream she had in her teenage years, she saw this dream in him. Her admiration for him was mixed with much warmth and heartfelt emotions.

She could not tell how she really felt towards Duan Yanhao.

In her busyness and with him by her side, she had slowly forgotten the sadness of her past. She felt as if she had been reborn.

But, could she still dare to hope for love?

She was a brave girl in her youth. Now that she had grown up, her heart was filled with many scars. It made her scared.

When they entered the house, Duan Yanhao let go of Bai Yaoyao's hand and said, "Sit and wait on the sofa. I'll get some medication for you."

Bai Yaoyao stared at her hand that had been let go of in a daze. The warmth she felt disappeared in an instant. Feeling a little lost, her thoughts lingered on the warmth that just left her.

When Duan Yanhao came back with the medication, Bai Yaoyao was still standing on the spot.

"Didn't I tell you to sit down? Why are you still standing?"

"Aren't I waiting for you now?" As time went by, Bai Yaoyao started to like joking around with him. Despite his strict and imposing appearance as a soldier, she knew that Duan Yanhao was actually a very nice person to get along with and had an exceptionally good temperament.

No matter how much of a fuss she made or what she said, he would not get angry at her. Of course, when she really kicked up a fuss, he would harden his face and chide her a little.

However, she just treated him like a paper tiger.

"How can you still smile like this? If you don't treat your hand properly, it will really be frozen over next time. Nothing can salvage your hands if that happens." As Duan Yanhao said that, he applied the medication on Bai Yaoyao's hands.

Bai Yaoyao c.o.c.ked her head to one side and stared at him. She felt that even a brawn, masculine man like him could have a gentle and considerate side.

Seeing how he carefully applied the medication to her hands and instructed her, a warm feeling rose in her heart.

Staring at his handsome and cool face made her feel more and more pleased. She could not help but say as she thought, "Don't I still have you by my side? My hands will definitely not rot from the cold."

Bai Yaoyao was stunned for a moment when she voiced out her thoughts. Duan Yanhao paused for a moment as he was applying the medication before he continued what he was doing, without saying a word.

After the medication had been applied, Bai Yaoyao raised her hands such that the sunlight shone on them and squinted as she stared at them.

She felt a little dazed. Were these her two hands in winter? Her hands would always be freezing from the cold and turn wrinkled and swollen, looking like pastry afterwards.

No one's heart would ache for her then. Her hands felt painful and itchy, but there was nothing she could do. She would still continue knitting sweaters for Xirong Ziye with all her heart.

Thinking about it now, she felt that she had been really silly back then. Her hands would be frozen badly every winter, and they would not heal no matter what she did.

However, this winter, because of him, her hands were still fine now. She did not know where he got the medicine from, but it was really effective.

"Duan Yanhao, thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"If not for you, my hands would suffer again this winter."

Duan Yanhao held on to Bai Yaoyao's arm as he said, "Don't move, or else you'll smear the medication all over. You used to freeze your hands every winter. You're the one who didn't treat yourself seriously."