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After the dinner, Lu Zhou took his men out for a night patrol, while Shen Yihuan and Qin Zheng returned to their room together.
The dorms in the military camp were four-person rooms, and there were two empty beds.
When Qin Zheng came out of the shower, Shen Yihuan had just finished importing the day’s photos to her computer.
“Yihuan, how did you meet Captain Lu here?”
Shen Yihuan clicked save, closed her computer: “High school classmates.”
Qin Zheng smiled: “Just old classmates?”
“And ex-boyfriend,” Shen Yihuan didn’t hide it from her.
“I heard that Captain Lu is very capable. When he first joined the team, he was only a First Lieutenant, but later he accomplished many great feats and reached his current position at a young age. His father is a general, and I heard people mention today that it’s a case of ‘like father, like son.’“
“What about being a general?” Shen Yihuan muttered.
He still only cared about work, not even bothering with his son’s daily life.
At that time, Lu Zhou hadn’t come to school for several days due to a fever. Shen Yihuan went to his house and found out that no one was home, not even a domestic helper to take care of him.
Lu Zhou, despite having a high fever, had to go to the hospital by himself and cook for himself. @Jingjiang Literature City
He was utterly pitiful.
Qin Zheng heard the resentment in her words and knew that there might be some unspoken truths about military families that outsiders shouldn’t delve into. She didn’t ask further. Seeing Shen Yihuan get into bed, she said, “I’m turning off the light?”
“Mm.”
________________________________________
After returning from night patrol, Lu Zhou was immediately called into the commander Feng’s office.
He sat at the desk, having just stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and then tossed another one to Lu Zhou.
He caught it steadily.
He knew this wasn’t a formal conversation between a commander and his subordinate; it was just casual chitchat.
Commander Feng and Lu Zhou’s father, Lu Youju, had been comrades for many years. They were truly old friends who had faced life and death together. Although they were separated by vast distances and the two old men rarely called each other to exchange pleasantries, that bond in their hearts would not fade.
So when Lu Zhou first came to the military camp, there was initial dissatisfaction with his rapid rise in rank.
Later, Commander Feng said, “Anyone who isn’t convinced, step out and fight a round. Let your fists do the talking.”
That’s how Lu Zhou earned everyone’s respect and admiration. Now, no one dared to challenge him like that again; he truly commanded respect with his fists. However, after spending more time with him, everyone also realized that while Lu Zhou had a cold temper, he was a genuinely good person.
“Has there been any progress on that arms trafficking group?”
“We’ve instructed all border checkpoints to monitor, but nothing so far,” Lu Zhou said. “After the TV crew finishes here, I’ll lead a patrol along the border.”
“Be careful, or I won’t be able to explain it to your father.”
Border defense here was fraught with danger; every year, during patrols, countless lives were lost.
But only by holding their ground could this land find peace.
Lu Zhou, biting his cigarette, said, “I know.”
“Also, it’s about time you considered your own matters, and put Commander Lu’s mind at ease. You’ve established your career, now it’s time to start a family.”
Lu Zhou looked at him: “Commander Lu isn’t in a hurry about this.”
“I am.” Commander Feng cursed with a laugh. “What do you think of He Can, the new one in our team?”
Lu Zhou remained silent.
“She’s willing to come to Xinjiang, and she has a stable profession as a doctor. Her looks and age are suitable. Why not try to get along?”
Lu Zhou said, “I’m not thinking about that right now.”
“You rascal! You don’t want to now, you won’t want to next year, then later, when you’re in your forties with a body full of injuries, and you finally decide you want to, who’s going to want you then!”
Lu Zhou let out a muffled chuckle.
Commander Feng: “To be honest with you, this He Can is my niece. I’m just telling you straight. She thinks you’re pretty good, and she’s not the delicate type, suitable for your kind of work.”
Lu Zhou took a drag from his cigarette, now understanding why Commander Feng had called him over so late at night.
Their line of work meant they couldn’t always be reached, constantly on the move, lacking a sense of security. Marrying them came with many restrictions.
Lu Zhou wasn’t without female admirers during his years in Xinjiang.
Although he was in a military camp full of men, sometimes when patrolling or on rescue missions, he met a few Xinjiang girls, and there were also some tourist girls. He was good-looking, so he certainly wasn’t short of admirers.
But how many were truly willing to endure this kind of life, he didn’t know.
He suddenly remembered when he first entered military academy. A month later, on his first leave, Shen Yihuan picked him up from school, crying uncontrollably at the military academy gate, filled with anger and grievance.
She shouted at him, righteously, “Lu Zhou! I don’t want to be with you anymore!”
Commander Feng narrowed his eyes at his expression: “What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing.” He pulled back the corners of his mouth and sat up straighter. “If you don’t need anything else, I’ll head back.”
“Did you hear what I just told you?!”
“Don’t waste that girl’s time.”
________________________________________
The training ground was as hot as ever, cloudless, with only a slight breeze that brought even hotter and drier air.
Today’s training content was different from yesterday’s: shooting practice.
Several dozen meters away, at the other end of the field, dozens of targets stood in a straight line, with red bullseyes in the center. The distance was too far to see them clearly.
“Today we’re doing shooting practice, five rounds. If you average eight rings or more, you can rest.”
As soon as he spoke, those with good shooting scores cheered. Today’s training seemed too easy.
They stopped smiling after Lu Zhou uttered his next sentence.
“We’ll rotate, starting from number one, firing one by one. Anyone who doesn’t meet the standard will start the rotation from the beginning. Only when everyone passes with an eight-ring average can we eat.”
“How is that possible!” someone shouted.
Lu Zhou looked over: “Your entry scores were all nine rings. Why isn’t it possible?”
Someone whispered, “That also depends on luck.”
He Min, however, showed no reaction. It was just shooting, and he was the team’s sharpshooter, so he wasn’t worried. His gaze suddenly shifted, seeing a woman emerge from a small door on the side.
Shen Yihuan.
This was going to be interesting.
He spoke up: “Captain Lu,” lifting his chin towards Lu Zhou’s back.
Lu Zhou turned around, then turned back, and said to them, “Ten laps for warm-up, twenty pull-ups, two hundred push-ups. The last one to finish will be at the front of the shooting line later. Start!”
As soon as he spoke, everyone rushed out without even bothering to form a line.
Being at the front of the shooting line would be exhausting; who knew how many shots they’d have to fire throughout the day.
Shen Yihuan walked up to him, holding her camera: “I’m here to take pictures.”
“Training photos?”
“Mm.”
“Shoot.”
Shen Yihuan was very serious about her work.
The sun was strong here, so she wore sunglasses, a simple white T-shirt and jeans, white sneakers. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail, revealing a section of her fair, slender neck, looking very youthful.
She was completely focused, taking pictures of the men running laps on the field. A few of them even waved at her camera as they ran past her.
Lu Zhou stood behind her, his back straight, a slight frown on his face.
She took many photos.
Shen Yihuan fiddled with her camera, then pushed it towards Lu Zhou: “Do they look good?”
He lowered his eyes: “Mm.”
Shen Yihuan looked up at him for a while, her palm cupped over her brow, shielding her eyes from the dazzling sunlight.
Lu Zhou met her gaze.
“I haven’t taken your picture yet. Why aren’t you training?”
Lu Zhou: “Then don’t take my picture.”
“No way. If I take your picture and post it online, there’ll be a lot of female recruits signing up next year.”
Lu Zhou’s lips tightened, and he ignored her.
“I’ll take a picture of you, just for myself to see.”
As she spoke, she turned her head, looking around, as if searching for something. Finally, she took off her sunglasses and extended her hand towards him, “Wear these.”
“No,” he refused flatly.
“I bought these in the men’s style!” Shen Yihuan complained.
She stood on her tiptoes, trying to put them on Lu Zhou.
Actually, she wasn’t short among girls, standing at 1.67 meters, but Lu Zhou was 1.88 meters. He refused to wear them, tilting his head back, making it even harder for Shen Yihuan to put them on.
“Can you stop moving!” Shen Yihuan shouted.
Whether intentionally or not, she swayed unsteadily on her tiptoes, bumping into Lu Zhou repeatedly.
Her body heat transferred through the thin fabric.
In Lu Zhou’s eyes, two fair arms waved in front of him, along with the young girl’s bright smile.
It was a bit unbearable.
He grabbed her wrist, pulled her back, and held her shoulders to stop her from moving, his expression indifferent.
Shen Yihuan struggled, but couldn’t exert any strength. She glared at him.
Lu Zhou: “Aren’t you bored?”
“?”
She was furious. Suddenly, her eyes shifted, and she looked up at him, her fingers hooked around the spectacle frame, and she uttered a crisp—
“Brother.”
Lu Zhou’s movements indeed paused, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he looked down at her.
“Just wear them for a bit, let me take a picture, okay?”
He didn’t move, but he also didn’t refuse.
Shen Yihuan stood on her tiptoes again, deliberately saying, “I can’t put them on. Can you bend down a bit?”
He didn’t answer, only slightly bent down.
All the tenderness made this action play out in slow motion. He was expressionless, yet unhurried, utterly convinced.
On this land, he had been forged into an impenetrable fortress.
But in front of Shen Yihuan, he was filled with boundless tenderness.
She placed the sunglasses on Lu Zhou’s face, picked up her camera, aimed at the man’s face, pressed the shutter, and captured this moment.
________________________________________
After running ten laps, everyone was already drenched in sweat. They had all taken off their shirts, and the sunlight directly hit their wheat-colored bodies, highlighting their fluid muscle lines.
They leapt up, grabbed the bars, their arms tensed, muscles taut, veins protruding.
One, two, three times, they pulled their chins over the bar, sweat dripping down, counting aloud as they did pull-ups.
“Your training volume is that high?” Shen Yihuan asked, looking at the not-so-distant area.
Lu Zhou: “This is a warm-up.”
“...” Shen Yihuan clicked her tongue, “Besides that, is there anything else?”
“Push-ups.”
“How many?”
“Two hundred.”
“...”
Shen Yihuan felt she would never complete their morning’s workout in her entire life.
She watched the men sweating profusely over there. Some fast ones had already finished twenty pull-ups and were now doing push-ups on the ground.
Sweat trickled down their faces, gathering at their chins, dropping onto the brick-red synthetic field below, forming small dark spots.
...
In Lu Zhou’s peripheral vision was Shen Yihuan.
He saw her staring intently at the opposite side.
From his angle, he could just make out a small, light brown mole behind her ear.
That spot used to be his happy place; every time his lips touched it, Shen Yihuan would involuntarily tremble slightly.
Such an action pleased him.
Because of the hot weather, she kept fanning herself with her hand at the side of her face, her chest rising and falling slightly.
His gaze tightened, then followed hers, seeing the shirtless men under the parallel bars.
...
Halfway through watching, Shen Yihuan’s view was suddenly blocked by a tall figure.
She looked up and asked, “What are you doing?”
“Finished taking pictures?”
“Finished.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Then I haven’t finished yet,” Shen Yihuan said.
Lu Zhou frowned.
Shen Yihuan didn’t want to bother with him. She lifted her leg and walked forward: “I’m going to photograph them.”
Just as she took a step forward, her wrist was grabbed.
“No.”
“Why not!”
“I’m in charge here.”
Shen Yihuan had nothing more to say. On her first day here, it was indeed stated that everything must be obeyed.
She actually had to obey Lu Zhou’s orders unconditionally one day.
She raised an eyebrow, finally asking him: “Then I’m leaving?”
“Mm.”
“...”
He watched Shen Yihuan’s receding back.
He had always thought before.
If only he could carry her with him all the time, like a little doll, to take out and look at whenever he wanted, only for him to see.
When he didn’t want to see her... it seemed there was no time he didn’t want to see her.
But he didn’t want more people to see her, nor did he want her to see others, so he could only send her away.
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