With a Warm Heart, I'll Walk Beside You

[Marriage First, Love Later · Extremely Slow-Burn · Deeply Devoted]

Su Niantang never imagined that the words "whirlwind marriage" would have anything to do with her life.

Much less that she'd marry Lu Tingxiao, a stern, taciturn, battle-hardened officer who spent his days amid the sounds of gunfire and artillery.

A single marriage contract forcibly intertwined two worlds that had once run parallel.

With her pen and her tenderness, she moved into his spacious, cold military residence, learning to adapt to the blaring bugle calls, the long waits, and the discipline and sense of duty etched into his very bones.

He gave her stability, loyalty, and everything he could offer.

But loving words were the one thing he was stingy with.

She searched for meaning in his silent gaze, lost herself in his occasional acts of protection, and gradually let down her guard as she watched him come home exhausted.

He was the nation's sharpest blade, accustomed to gun smoke and the march to war.

She was the warm sunshine of the world, longing for the gentle comfort of an enduring love.

He thought marriage meant reporting in, fulfilling a duty, and giving his family peace of mind.

But she gradually helped him understand that home meant something to long for, a weakness, and a suit of armor. It was the one pure place he most wanted to protect amid a storm of bullets.