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For Lu Zhou, Shen Yihuan wasn’t just a slightly special person in the vast crowd.
She was an anomaly in his world.
His very first emotion he truly felt was directed towards Shen Yihuan.
That love, like a raging inferno, burned wildly through his desolate youth, never extinguishing.
In the beginning, he desperately concealed his almost pathological, mad feelings for her. He remained the aloof and noble god in everyone’s eyes.
No one knew that behind the scenes, he loved Shen Yihuan with such precarious, fragile devotion.
This love devoured his rationality.
Finally, he couldn’t resist the temptation of the beautiful sight before him and got together with Shen Yihuan.
But he didn’t know that his love was rooted in a twisted, obscure past. The indifference of his family and Lu Youju’s high expectations from a young age made him equally biased and distorted when facing an emotion that belonged solely to him.
He lacked a sense of security, thus developing a terrifying possessiveness and desire for control.
He had always hidden it well, to keep Shen Yihuan from being scared and leaving him.
The only time he lost control was during their last meeting before the breakup.
He locked her in the bedroom, thick curtains blocking out the light from outside. He tied her hands, her feet, and gently placed her on the bed.
Every night, he held her as he fell asleep and woke up.
He cooked for her, feeding her.
After feeding her, he would feed himself, using her body.
Possessing her again and again.
During that time, Shen Yihuan went from bewilderment, then to anger, and finally, pleading.
But that period was truly Lu Zhou’s happiest time. He no longer had to worry about others taking her from him, no longer had to worry that her beautiful eyes would look at other men.
...
All these years.
Wanting to forget her was true, but not loving her was false.
________________________________________
“What’s wrong with you!”
Shen Yihuan pushed him away, pulling open her collar to look.
It was almost purple.
Still streaked with blood and tiny dots of blood.
Who wouldn’t know what this was when they saw it?
And to make matters worse, it happened in a military camp. Who knew what those uninformed people would think when they saw it?
“What do I tell people if they see it?” She glared at him.
“Just say I did it.”
She rolled her eyes, muttering: “After you punish me, are you going to wait for Commander Feng to punish you too?”
“Come with me.”
He pulled Shen Yihuan’s wrist, walking through the dark corridor with practiced ease, turning two corners.
Shen Yihuan had a terrible sense of direction and simply followed him, long since having no idea where she was.
Through the long corridor, he held Shen Yihuan’s hand and stopped in front of a door.
He took out a key; the metallic sound amplified infinitely in the quiet night, striking her nerves.
Her back was pushed, and she walked into the dark room. Then, with a “clack,” the fluorescent light flickered on, illuminating the room’s facilities.
Shen Yihuan’s eyes widened slightly.
Is this freaking Lu Zhou’s dorm?!
She was pulled to a chair and sat down. Lu Zhou then turned and entered another room.
His dorm was different from theirs; it was a single room. Outside was the living room, and the bedroom door wasn’t closed. She could see the bed inside, the quilt neatly folded into a “tofu block,” very tidy, with no decorations.
When Lu Zhou came out with a first aid kit, Shen Yihuan was still turning her head, looking around the room.
He placed the kit on the floor, knelt down, took Shen Yihuan’s hand, and rolled up her sleeve.
Her elbow was scraped raw, streaked with blood, a raw red patch, also bruised with purple.
It wasn’t serious, actually. Shen Yihuan was prone to scarring; her skin was delicate, and even a slight force would leave red marks for several days, let alone this kind of scrape.
Lu Zhou frowned, his face darkening.
He opened the first aid kit with skilled movements, dabbed cotton with alcohol, and gently wiped her elbow.
Shen Yihuan gasped softly.
His movements paused slightly. He looked up: “Does it hurt?”
She answered honestly: “A little.”
“I’ll be gentler.”
He lightened his touch. From Shen Yihuan’s perspective, she could see his lowered dark lashes, the corners of his eyes narrowed, deep and profound. Her gaze traveled past his shoulder, to his back. Underneath his clothes there.
Was there really a cherry tattoo?
She involuntarily reached out. Just as she was about to touch his back, Lu Zhou pulled her hand back.
Like her other hand, he rolled up her nightgown sleeve and disinfected the wound.
“Why are you moving around?”
“Today I heard someone say you have a tattoo on your back. Can I see it?”
He didn’t show any surprise at having a secret known. He calmly put away the first aid kit, threw the cotton into the wastebasket, and picked up the kit to place it on the table.
Then he said indifferently: “Nothing to see.”
“...”
It was like punching cotton.
So frustrating.
“But I want to see it.”
He remained silent, leaning back against the chair, his gaze calm. Shen Yihuan was just as stubborn, staring at him, waiting for his answer.
Finally, Lu Zhou curled his lips into a slight smile: “No.”
“...” She rolled her eyes and changed the question, “When did you get it?”
“Two years ago, almost three. I don’t quite remember,” he replied.
Two years ago, almost three.
That was right after they broke up.
“But, aren’t soldiers not allowed to have tattoos?” Shen Yihuan asked.
Lu Zhou: “Mine’s different, special circumstances.”
Shen Yihuan couldn’t think of any reason why a soldier would be exempt from the rule against tattoos, especially a large one.
She wanted to ask something else, but Lu Zhou said, “The self-reflection report, don’t forget.”
“...I’ve never even written a self-reflection report before.”
Her eyes stared straight at Lu Zhou, her meaning obvious.
Back in high school, all her self-reflection reports were written by Lu Zhou.
At that time, the class teacher had a perverse rule: the first time you made a mistake, the self-reflection was 500 words, and each subsequent time, 500 words were added. Shen Yihuan frequently violated school rules.
The word count for her self-reflection reports accumulated to 5000 words.
She didn’t want to write, so she’d just sweet-talk Lu Zhou into mimicking her handwriting and writing it for her.
For her, Lu Zhou had always had no bottom line. A few soft pleas, or a kiss, and he’d write however many words for her.
Shen Yihuan saw he had no reaction, pulled down her collar, glared at him angrily, pointing at the red mark.
A silent threat.
Lu Zhou watched her movements; her clothes pulled down, the collar fabric taut and wrinkled.
That single red mark, imprinted on her fair skin and delicate collarbone, was like an allure.
His eyes deepened. Finally, he pulled at the corners of his mouth, and with a low, hoarse voice, a laugh escaped him.
Lu Zhou himself could tell.
Ever since Shen Yihuan came to Xinjiang, his temper and personality had been gradually improving, and he laughed more than before.
But at the same time, he was also afraid that Shen Yihuan would leave again one day.
He got paper and a pen from the bedroom.
He unscrewed the pen cap, his strokes sharp, and wrote “Self-Reflection Report” at the top.
Shen Yihuan lay on his desk, her cheek resting on her arm, watching him write.
He could still easily write in Shen Yihuan’s handwriting, only adding his unique sharp strokes at the end of each word.
He finished quickly, signed at the end, writing Shen Yihuan’s name.
He folded it twice, put it in her hand, and stood up.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you back to your dorm.”
________________________________________
The next few days.
Shen Yihuan focused on her photography, finishing all her content ahead of schedule.
Meanwhile, the TV crew was still filming around Zhang Tongqi. After being punished, Zhang Tongqi had a slight cold and no energy to bother Shen Yihuan.
Shen Yihuan didn’t even want to see her in the first place and had been avoiding her.
She truly wasn’t in the mood to quarrel with Zhang Tongqi.
It was pointless.
She didn’t even consider her a rival; what was there to fight about?
Regarding Lu Zhou, she clearly knew that Lu Zhou had no interest in Zhang Tongqi whatsoever. Regarding work, she couldn’t stand the infighting atmosphere of the entertainment industry. As for family, Shen Yihuan didn’t know about her family situation and wasn’t interested. Regarding looks, although Zhang Tongqi was indeed beautiful these years, Shen Yihuan had always been confident in her own looks since childhood.
She snatched some free time, avoided the crowd, and sat under the shade of a tree playing on her phone.
She had just posted an update on her Moments, with her location set to Xinjiang.
Soon, there were many likes and comments.
She scrolled through them, then received two private messages.
Gorky: No wonder I haven’t seen you for so long, so you ran off to Xinjiang to play.
Gorky: When are you coming back to Beijing?
Cherry: Here for work, don’t know when it’ll end.
Gorky: You’d even take this kind of work? Are you crazy?
Cherry: It’s pretty good, clearing my head.
Gorky: Don’t tell me you’re going to become a monk.
“...”
The conversation ended after a while.
Lin Kaige had once considered pursuing Shen Yihuan, but he had pursued too many people. After a few back-and-forths, he knew exactly which girls were playing hard to get and which genuinely had no interest in him.
Shen Yihuan was the second kind.
So he simply gave up.
They were all adults; it wasn’t an age where one had to have a specific person. If it wasn’t possible, then let go and find the next one.
Just finished chatting with Lin Kaige, she swiped open the chat box, and another message popped up.
It was their group chat with Qiu Ruru and Gu Minghui.
Gu Minghui: Cherry, when are you free?
Cherry: I’m pretty free every day.
Ruru Ball: I don’t have work next week, and Gu Minghui is also going to Xinjiang for work next week. We’ll come visit you together!
Cherry: Sure, let me know when you’ve confirmed the time.
Cherry: Impressive, Young Master Gu, you’re even negotiating work in Xinjiang?
Gu Minghui: The old man at home wants me to help manage the company, so I’m just doing a little bit.
Ruru Ball: Don’t forget us when you get rich.
Shen Yihuan smiled as she chatted.
The young girl’s laughter was clear and bright, lingering at the tail end of summer, quite pleasant.
The weather was also getting cooler day by day.
When she first arrived, she felt hot even in a T-shirt, but now she needed a jacket to avoid freezing.
She was engrossed in “slacking off” during work hours when she suddenly heard a sharp shout behind her, loud and urgent, startling her so much that she dropped her phone.
The phone tumbled down two steps, landing there.
Luckily, the screen wasn’t broken.
“...”
Shen Yihuan bent down, picked it up, then turned to look behind her.
It was He Min.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Don’t tell me he’s here to chat again.
“Hurry, Captain Lu is angry! Quick, quick, go talk to him!”
Although Shen Yihuan didn’t know why Lu Zhou being angry meant she had to go talk to him, she still involuntarily followed He Min, running in another direction.
Before they even got close, she heard Lu Zhou’s voice.
It was full of anger.
This was rare.
His personality was accustomed to忍耐 (endurance), and outward expressions of strong emotion were very uncommon for him.
Shen Yihuan followed He Min inside.
She saw Zhang Tongqi, with her assistant’s manager standing beside her.
The manager had, after all, handled several celebrities and had plenty of resources. In the entertainment industry, she was quite a well-known figure, so she certainly wasn’t used to such scolding.
She retorted defiantly: “We’re doing publicity for you; how is that breaking the rules?”
Shen Yihuan quietly walked to Qin Zheng’s side and clarified the situation.
On their first day in the military camp, they were explicitly told that all filmed content needed to be reviewed by them before publication; otherwise, no photos or videos could be released.
However, Zhang Tongqi’s studio, in order to create buzz, released a set of photos.
They included not only herself but also pictures of the soldiers training.
Lu Zhou immediately frowned: “Say that again.”
The temperature in his words instantly dropped to zero, hanging with icicles. Even the manager didn’t dare to say anything.
Zhang Tongqi said, “Lu Zhou, this time my staff indeed made a mistake. We’ve already deleted all the Weibo posts, and we’re contacting people to immediately delete anything that has spread online.” Lu Zhou: “On your first day here, were you told not to post things randomly?”
“Yes.”
“Then you knowingly broke the rules.” His voice was full of warning, “Pack your things and get out!”
To the side, He Min quietly asked Shen Yihuan: “Aren’t you going to talk to him?”
Shen Yihuan looked at him, speaking truthfully: “I don’t like Zhang Tongqi anyway, why should I plead for her?”
“...”
The young girl was quite honest.
The manager’s eyes widened, furious, her voice sharp: “What are you pulling, Captain? You tell us to get out, and we get out? This program is an equal partnership between the Xinjiang Tourism Bureau and the production team!”
Shen Yihuan frowned.
He Min also frowned.
While releasing those unauthorized photos was indeed wrong, fortunately, no classified information was leaked, and whether they were deleted or not wouldn’t have much external impact.
But Lu Zhou’s temper was what it was, and given this incident and Zhang Tongqi’s second violation, it was bound to escalate seriously.
That’s why he went to call Shen Yihuan, hoping to see if there could be a turning point in this matter.
He didn’t expect to hear such words instead.
Then just get the hell out, He Min thought.
Lu Zhou’s expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the manager: “Then you can see if I can make you get out.”
________________________________________
This was the first time Shen Yihuan realized how much power Lu Zhou wielded in this military camp.
His earlier statement, “I’m in charge here,” was indeed true.
That same afternoon, Zhang Tongqi and her team’s luggage were all carried out of the dorm.
As soldiers, they naturally couldn’t truly kick people out. They simply reclaimed the dorms originally assigned to them. Now, with autumn approaching, the nights were colder, and spending a night outside was not something ordinary people could endure.
In the end, Lu Zhou only did his utmost by providing them with a car, arranging for them to be taken to the nearest airport.
Evening.
Shen Yihuan sat by the bed, chatting with Qin Zheng.
Despite a nearly ten-year age difference, they had no communication gap.
“Will your filming be delayed?” Shen Yihuan asked.
Qin Zheng: “Not really, most of it’s done. Zhang Tongqi was just one part of the content. She insisted on making herself the main character of the video. Her part could have ended yesterday.”
Shen Yihuan smiled: “Your temper is too good, letting her get away with all that.”
“Can’t help it. We’re behind the scenes. We don’t have the same freedom of expression as them. Zhang Tongqi has a lot of buzz lately, so it’s better to avoid trouble than stir it up.”
Shen Yihuan washed her face, slipped on her shoes, said “I’m going out for a bit,” and left the dorm.
The north wind howled.
Lu Zhou had just come out of the Commander’s office.
As he went downstairs, he saw a slender, upright black figure below.
The hoodie was pulled over their head, hands in pockets, back to the stairs. Under the moonlight, strands of hair floated from either side.
Shen Yihuan heard the movement and saw him.
His figure was tall and lean, standing at the top of the steps, exuding a natural sense of intimidation.
This place was far from the city’s hustle and bustle and human lights. Once night fell, it became utterly silent, soundless. Only a few streetlights and the moonlight dutifully cast their rays.
Illuminating the contours of their faces.
“Looking for me?” he walked down the stairs.
“Mm,” she said.
It was cold. As soon as Shen Yihuan stepped out from the cover of the building, the north wind made her sneeze.
Lu Zhou glanced at her.
He took off his jacket and draped it over her, pulling up the collar and zipping it all the way up.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing much,” Shen Yihuan pursed her lips, “Just that person’s words today were too nasty. I came to see if you’d secretly cry.”
Lu Zhou heard her words, extended his long arm, and pulled her into a hug.
The weather was cold, but his embrace was scorching hot.
Shen Yihuan instinctively shrank her neck but didn’t struggle. She just said, “What are you doing? I didn’t come here for you to take advantage of me.”
“Just a moment,” he said softly, “Don’t move.”
...
Who knew how long they embraced.
Suddenly, an alarm blared, echoing across half the sky.
Immediately, the broadcast announced: Emergency assembly for disaster relief! Emergency assembly for disaster relief!
Lu Zhou let go, turning to look in the direction of the alarm. His jawline tensed into a sharp line.
He turned back, looking down at Shen Yihuan.
“Do you know the way back to your dorm?”
She nodded.
“Good, go back immediately,” he said, “I’m leaving.”
________________________________________
Shen Yihuan watched Lu Zhou’s retreating figure.
This was the first time she had seen his back.
Running alongside him were the retreating figures of many soldiers pouring out of their dorms.
Their movements were swift. They opened doors, got into vehicles, and the headlights flashed, illuminating the night.
The vehicles, fully loaded with soldiers, drove on the empty, straight highway. The vastness and grandeur of the desert merged with them at that moment.
In that instant, Shen Yihuan knew.
How Lu Zhou’s impenetrable fortitude and unyielding pride had been forged.
It was this land of yellow sand, the responsibility and duty here, the tempering through day and night, through all seasons.
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