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“Finished, that fast?”
Qin Zheng saw Shen Yihuan coming from the direction of the training ground and asked.
“Got kicked out,” Shen Yihuan twisted open her water bottle and drank.
Qin Zheng was slightly stunned: “By whom?”
“Lu Zhou.”
“Don’t be mad at him. He’s just too straightforward, but he’s a very good person,” a female voice came from behind.
Shen Yihuan turned around, narrowing her eyes slightly, recognizing her as the aid doctor.
She wasn’t wearing a white lab coat today, but her regular clothes. Shen Yihuan hadn’t noticed her sitting there when she came over, she seemed to have just been chatting with Qin Zheng.
The way she spoke made it sound like she understood Lu Zhou better.
Qin Zheng glanced at Shen Yihuan, then smiled at He Can: “This is our collaborating photographer, Shen Yihuan. She was classmates with Captain Lu before, so she won’t get mad at him. You two should be around the same age, unlike me who’s already burdened with a family.”
He Can nodded with a hint of surprise, extending her hand: “Hello, my name is He Can.”
Shen Yihuan shook her hand, nonchalantly: “Hello.”
He Can asked her: “How old are you?”
“24.”
“Then I’m one year younger than you.”
“...”
Shen Yihuan thought, then she’s even younger than me. Lu Zhou is 25, so she’s two years younger than him.
A little annoyed.
She sat next to Qin Zheng on the steps, lowered her head to fiddle with her camera, looking at the photos she just took, and stopped talking.
She scrolled to the last one, which was Lu Zhou’s photo.
He was wearing her sunglasses, covering half his face, his expression very calm. Those eyes, which could be so imposing, were shrouded in shadow, making them indistinct.
Surprisingly, he didn’t look silly; he was quite handsome.
Shen Yihuan stared for a while, then couldn’t help but let out a giggle.
Qin Zheng turned back: “What are you laughing about?”
Shen Yihuan laughed and shook her head: “Nothing.”
So Qin Zheng continued chatting with He Can: “You came here as a doctor, are you treating the soldiers?”
“No, I’m considered an aid doctor. I go to various impoverished counties around here regularly to give check-ups to the villagers, and I volunteer at the health station on weekends,” He Can said. “Some places here have inadequate medical standards, and sometimes even small illnesses can lead to very serious complications.”
Qin Zheng listened and took notes in her notebook, nodding: “It’s truly meaningful for you to do this kind of work at your age.”
“Yes, and it will be more valuable than wealth when I look back later,” He Can said.
“This time, no girls in our station were willing to work in Xinjiang for a few months. Only Yihuan from our collaborating studio was sent over, and it’s thanks to her willingness to come.”
Shen Yihuan heard them mention her name and looked up.
He Can looked at her and said, “Did your family agree to you coming?”
“I just came to enjoy some peace and quiet,” she said honestly.
She didn’t have He Can’s lofty aspirations. She came to escape reality, and also because of Lu Zhou.
But when she arrived here and saw the vast desert, the snow-capped mountains, the grasslands, saw everyone in the military camp, and saw the steadfastness and determination in Lu Zhou’s eyes, she vaguely felt as if she had come to some realization.
He Can smiled and said, “It does feel quite detached from the mundane world.”
Qin Zheng asked her: “Did your family disagree?”
“My mom disagreed. She’s always afraid it’s unsafe, and she’s afraid I’ll suffer,” He Can said. “My dad was quite supportive, though. My uncle is also a soldier, and he has a lot of say in my family, so he pretty much convinced my mom.”
Qin Zheng: “I’m already in my thirties, and I didn’t even dare tell my mom I was coming on this trip.”
He Can smiled and asked Shen Yihuan: “You and Captain Lu were high school classmates?”
“Mm.”
“He must have been very outstanding in school too.”
Shen Yihuan glanced at her and said, “He was alright.”
“I think someone like him, when he was in school, must have had many girls like him. I really want to see what he looked like back then.”
He Can truly made no attempt to hide her liking for Lu Zhou.
This kind of liking seemed different from Shen Yihuan’s.
He Can’s seemed grander; her liking for Lu Zhou contained an element of admiration and reverence. She didn’t demand much from him; if there was a response, that was great, but if not, she would simply stay by his side.
Shen Yihuan was insatiable and petty. She wanted all of Lu Zhou’s affection and attention, capricious and willful, and even now, that hadn’t changed.
And ironically, all these temperaments were cultivated by Lu Zhou himself, little by little.
“Oh, right, do you have any photos from back then?” He Can asked.
Shen Yihuan scratched her eyebrow awkwardly: “No.”
Time flew by in conversation. Soon, there was a sound from the training ground, and the men finally finished their morning training, pouring out of the field.
It was mealtime.
Qin Zheng closed her notebook, stood up, and brushed the dust off her backside: “Let’s go, let’s eat together.”
He Can smiled and said, “You two go first, I’ll wait a bit.”
Shen Yihuan and Qin Zheng walked towards the mess hall together.
After a few steps, Shen Yihuan suddenly turned back to look.
She saw He Can standing in front of Lu Zhou, smiling and saying something. Lu Zhou bowed his head slightly, listening intently.
There was no frowning like when he saw her, nor did he casually send people away.
Shen Yihuan felt the weather was even more stifling, like a ball of fire, stuck in her chest, neither rising nor falling.
Qin Zheng, being older, was clear-headed about these things, and asked Shen Yihuan: “Since you’re unhappy, why didn’t you just say you were Captain Lu’s ex-girlfriend?”
“What’s an ex-girlfriend? It’s not a current girlfriend.”
Qin Zheng shook her head.
Shen Yihuan still didn’t understand, blinded by her own involvement.
Even Qin Zheng, after just a few days of interaction, had already realized.
A man like Lu Zhou, taciturn and stern, only one woman could soften him: Shen Yihuan.
She was his weakness, his fatal weakness.
To protect himself, he had to tightly guard this weakness, which is why he had such strong possessiveness and control. She had witnessed some of it these past few days.
It was merely to make this fatal weakness behave a little better.
But this level was already the result of Lu Zhou’s utmost restraint.
________________________________________
When Shen Yihuan came out of the mess hall after eating, she saw Lu Zhou.
He was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, a military cap hooked on his fingers, eyes downcast, his gaze directed downwards.
She paused, then remembered Lu Zhou sending her away earlier, and how he looked when he was talking to He Can.
Shen Yihuan pouted, not planning to acknowledge him, and turned to leave.
She had barely taken two steps when a low voice from behind called out: “Shen Yihuan.”
She continued walking, another two steps, when an arm encircled her shoulder, pulling her back: “Wait a moment.”
“What do you want?” She was forced to stop.
“I won’t be here tomorrow.”
Shen Yihuan nodded indifferently: “Oh.”
Lu Zhou frowned slightly, ignoring her unusually flat tone: “You’re here by yourself, don’t cause trouble.”
She raised an eyebrow and retorted: “What kind of trouble can I cause?”
Lu Zhou was silent, his eyes fathomless, his deep brown pupils seemingly suppressing some unspeakable emotion, staring directly at Shen Yihuan.
She felt awkward under his gaze, unnaturally glancing around.
Here, everyone knew Lu Zhou’s temper. It was rare to see him standing with a woman, let alone a beautiful one.
So when He Can first arrived, it sparked gossip for a while, but that was different from now.
Now, Shen Yihuan’s expression was impatient, her eyebrows raised, chin lifted, and there was even a subtle hint of defiance.
She noticed the scrutinizing glances from around them and tempered her attitude slightly: “What are you doing tomorrow?”
Lu Zhou didn’t answer that question, saying: “Zhang Tongqi is coming tomorrow.”
Shen Yihuan immediately frowned: “What’s she coming for?”
“The TV station arranged it; we just approved it.”
“Damn it,” she cursed.
Lu Zhou emphasized again: “Don’t cause trouble.”
Shen Yihuan finally understood why Lu Zhou was stressing that she shouldn’t cause trouble.
She had always disliked Zhang Tongqi.
But in Beijing, she was habitually constrained. That was where Shen Fu died, and where her grandmother died. There were her mother, the Shi family, and old friends and classmates from the past.
When a person stays in one place for a long time, the temperament and personality shaped by their past become an invisible shackles, controlling their subsequent behavior.
But now she was in Xinjiang.
Here there was the desert, the dunes, the withered grass and poplars, and this group of spirited and passionate soldiers.
Shen Yihuan felt her past self was slowly reviving.
If Zhang Tongqi really came over to try and trip her up, she might not be able to resist teaching her a lesson.
Shen Yihuan asked: “What if I do cause trouble?”
Lu Zhou looked at her: “This is a military camp.”
She persisted: “I’m asking you, what if I do cause trouble?”
“Both of us will be punished.”
Shen Yihuan turned and walked away.
Back in the dormitory, Qin Zheng was already there. Seeing her enter, she teased lightly: “So you saw Captain Lu, huh?”
“Lu Zhou said Zhang Tongqi is coming tomorrow?” She didn’t beat around the bush.
“That’s right,” Qin Zheng sat up from her bed, looking at her expression, and asked hesitantly, “What? Do you have a grudge with Zhang Tongqi?”
Shen Yihuan: “Something like that.”
“She’s a new actress, and from my previous interactions with her, her temper seemed fine.”
Shen Yihuan snorted coldly.
“Originally, the script had someone else, but due to scheduling conflicts, Zhang Tongqi was temporarily replaced. It’s only for a few days, and I thought it wouldn’t affect you, so I didn’t tell you.”
“It’s fine, Zhang Tongqi is Zhang Tongqi,” Shen Yihuan smiled at her, shrugging, “At worst, I’ll avoid her for those few days.”
________________________________________
Shen Yihuan was true to her word.
The next day, when Zhang Tongqi arrived, she avoided the main group and went to take pictures by herself.
The men in the military camp, hearing that a big celebrity was coming, took advantage of their break during training to run over and watch, then excitedly returned.
Shen Yihuan wandered around and unknowingly ended up back at the training ground.
Lu Zhou was indeed not there today.
She squinted for a while and realized that the man leading the training today was the one she had dinner with last time, if she remembered correctly, his name was He Min.
After watching for a while, just as she was about to leave, she was called by a male voice.
“Photographer Shen!”
She turned around, it was He Min.
“Looking for me?”
“We’re on break. How about we sit and chat together?”
Shen Yihuan was still wondering when she had become casual enough with them to chat. She didn’t know that in their eyes, she was now an enigmatic presence.
Everyone there was straightforward.
In the end, Shen Yihuan sat down on the grass of the training field with everyone.
The grass on this training field wasn’t uniformly manicured turf, but naturally grown, sparse in some places and dense in others.
“These cameras of yours, they must be quite expensive, right?” someone asked.
Shen Yihuan looked up at the person who spoke, whose skin was dark and who had a scar on his collarbone, but his demeanor was honest.
She nodded: “They are quite expensive.”
“Can I have a look?”
Shen Yihuan handed it over.
The person took the camera but didn’t know how to operate it. There were so many buttons, big and small, and he was afraid of pressing the wrong one and breaking it.
Shen Yihuan reached out and pressed twice: “Press this button to view photos.”
“Hehe, got it.”
He busied himself looking down, and the others also leaned in to look.
He Min said: “Many of us here are locals. Many of those from well-off families have gone to big cities for university. Most of the people in the team here come from less privileged backgrounds.”
Shen Yihuan hugged her knees, listening to him speak.
“Judging by your accent, you’re not from around here?”
He Min nodded: “Captain Lu and I are from the same place.”
“Beijing, huh?”
“Mm.”
As they chatted casually, a burst of laughter suddenly erupted from the other end.
Shen Yihuan paused, then immediately realized they had seen the photo of Lu Zhou wearing sunglasses.
“Deputy Captain He, look at this!”
He Min took a glance, almost spitting out his water, then gave Shen Yihuan a thumbs-up: “You’re impressive.”
“...”
“Captain Lu actually agreed to take a photo like that, it’s incredible!” someone said.
Shen Yihuan scratched her eyebrow, feeling like she had damaged Lu Zhou’s image too much. What if he came back after a day out and couldn’t command them anymore?
“I forced him to take it.”
He Min chuckled, joking: “Anyone who dared to force Captain Lu like that is no longer in this world.”
“...” Shen Yihuan was helpless, then after a moment, she smiled again, “Is he usually very fierce with you?”
“Not fierce, just strict, always with a straight face. Nobody dares to joke with him,” said the man holding the camera.
Shen Yihuan glanced at him: “Then you still dare to badmouth him behind his back.”
The man immediately raised his hands in surrender: “No, no, please don’t tell him.”
“I’m too lazy to tell him.”
“If we ever make a mistake in the future, we’ll have to ask you to plead with Captain Lu for us,” He Min said.
Shen Yihuan pouted: “What good would my pleading do?”
“It has to be useful! I’ve never seen Captain Lu treat anyone else like that!” one of them said.
“...”
Shen Yihuan thought to herself, he even kicked her out of the training ground. Lu Zhou wasn’t the Lu Zhou who used to always take her side anymore.
“Doesn’t he treat that doctor, He Can, pretty well too?”
As the words left her mouth, Shen Yihuan detected the hint of jealousy in them, and couldn’t help but feel a little shy.
However, everyone here was a rough and tough man and didn’t pick up on the emotion in the young girl’s words. They just waved their hands and said, “That’s different, how could that be the same?”
“What’s different about it?”
He Min: “How can it be the same when he got a tattoo like that on his back for you?”
Shen Yihuan was stunned: “What tattoo? And it was for me?”
He Min was also stunned; he hadn’t expected Shen Yihuan to be unaware of this.
In his mind, when Lu Zhou got that tattoo, Shen Yihuan should have been his girlfriend, and they only broke up later.
But now it seemed, that brightly colored cherry vine tattoo, was it put on after they broke up?
One of the more talkative members of the team immediately blurted out: “It’s on Captain Lu’s back, a cherry vine tattoo, and it’s quite large.”
Shen Yihuan was dumbfounded.
She never knew.
And in her memory, Lu Zhou never called her by the nickname “Cherry.”
It was always the cold “Shen Yihuan.”
How could he have...
A tattoo like that on his back...
“He...” Shen Yihuan couldn’t help but swallow, “When did he get it?”
“Just...”
Before the person could finish, He Min suddenly stopped him with a sharp “Shut up!”
Shen Yihuan looked at him.
He Min then chuckled: “Regarding mission matters, we can’t just casually tell others.”
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