Duan Yanhao thought that that statement placed her in a tight spot, so he sighed before preparing to move to the sofa to sleep.

But when he rose to leave, Bai Yaoyao spoke up. "Don't worry. I'm no longer a virgin."

Bai Yaoyao's voice was calm, but it was not difficult to tell the pain and emptiness in her voice.

Duan Yanhao's hand clenched tightly. He turned to sit at the bedside before he turned Bai Yaoyao's body over to face him.

Just as he was about to speak up, he saw the tears trailing down on her face. He paused momentarily before saying, "You're still a crybaby. How can you become a soldier like this?"

Bai Yaoyao chewed on her lip. Her face paled as she averted her eyes, not daring to look at him. "Will you—"

Duan Yanhao grabbed Bai Yaoyao's jaw. "Don't tell me that you care what other people think? You need to know that a person's beauty comes from within the heart. Besides, we're no longer living in ancient times. Even so, there are open-minded people in the past as well, right?"

Bai Yaoyao finally raised her head to look at him. She heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing his clear gaze.

Seeing that Bai Yaoyao's expression had finally relaxed, Duan Yanhao continued his lecture. "If you want to be an outstanding soldier, you have to throw away the demons in your heart."

Bai Yaoyao nodded her head seriously. "Yes, I know."

"Alright. It's good that you know."

Bai Yaoyao thought that she would feel guilty if she let this drag on, so she patted the bed with her hand once again, indicating for him to sleep.

When he finally laid on the bed, the two of them shared the blanket. It was a relief that the bed was big, so they would not b.u.mp into each other.

The atmosphere was quiet and a little awkward.

Bai Yaoyao remained lying on her side. At that moment, she did not feel sleepy anymore. Somehow, she just couldn't fall asleep, but more than that, she didn't know what to say to Duan Yanhao.

As for Duan Yanhao, he was calm, but one could tell from his breathing that he was not comfortable as well.

Somehow, he did not want Bai Yaoyao to return to her barracks. He was afraid that she wouldn't sleep well because of the snake-bite wound. Also, he was worried that she would go out and train in the middle of the night. He felt that it's best that he could keep her within his sight.

It was a night filled with silence. When it was midnight, Duan Yanhao looked at Bai Yaoyao, who seemed to be worming her way into his embrace, curling up like a child who did not feel safe. Without thinking, he reached out and wrapped her in his embrace.

Bai Yaoyao mumbled under her breath, "I'm scared… Mum… I miss you…"

Hearing these words from her, Duan Yanhao's heart seemed to shatter into many pieces. He stroke Bai Yaoyao lightly on her back, trying to provide her with a sense of security.

However, Bai Yaoyao still curled herself up tightly, as though protecting herself. She was like a child who lacked a sense of security.

In that way, Duan Yanhao did not sleep much that night. He was curious about what sort of man Bai Yaoyao had met before. He had wondered many times what kind of person she met that would break her, instead of cheris.h.i.+ng her.

Of course, he had never found an answer to that.

He thought about the many things Bai Yaoyao held inside. If he were to ask her about it, it would probably hurt her more, so he could only pretend that he didn't know anything.

Silence continued to fill the night. By the time Bai Yaoyao woke up, Duan Yanhao was no longer beside her.

The sun was still not up, so why did he wake up that early?