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The next day, when Lu Zhou woke up, he stared at the young girl in his arms, unusually lost in thought for a moment.
Since their reconciliation, they had slept together almost every day, but this time, they were sleeping on this bed, in this room.
They had spent countless days and nights here.
For a moment, Lu Zhou thought that many of the subsequent events were a dream, and that he and Shen Yihuan had never broken up. The girl was still the same spoiled and willful girl.
Shen Yihuan’s long hair was spread over her shoulders, half her face buried in the pillow. The light was dim, and the quilt was pulled up to her chin, making her face appear soft and warm.
Lu Zhou lowered his gaze to her, swallowed, and sat up.
His movements were quite small, but Shen Yihuan hadn’t slept well. When he moved, she woke up.
She raised a hand to shield her face: “Why are you up so early?”
Shen Yihuan’s voice, still half-asleep, was very soft and childish. Her throat was hoarse from yesterday, and the trembling, trailing end of her words sent a shiver down Lu Zhou’s spine.
But he didn’t dare to touch her much, as he had indeed been too rough yesterday.
“I need to go to the military zone.”
Shen Yihuan squinted, clearly not fully awake, and subconsciously hooked Lu Zhou’s pinky finger with her index finger.
Lu Zhou’s breathing tightened. He took her wrist, put her hand back under the covers, and leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth. Unfortunately, it was just a drop in the ocean, unable to quench the fire.
He said hoarsely, “When I get back, should I accompany you to see your grandma?”
Shen Yihuan blinked, nodded, and smiled: “Okay.”
“When you get up, wear my clothes. I’ll buy you some clothes when I get back.”
“Mm.”
________________________________________
After Lu Zhou left, Shen Yihuan slept for a while longer.
Her body was still sore, but much better than before. Shen Yihuan sat up and stretched.
She wasn’t wearing pants. Her sweater covered her hips, and the empty sleeves covered half her hands. She shuffled into the bathroom in slippers to wash up. The toothpaste was already squeezed out.
Lu Zhou’s wardrobe was very tidy.
Shen Yihuan put on Lu Zhou’s sweatpants, black with three stripes on the side. The pant legs were too long, so she rolled them up a few times, making her legs look long and straight.
The scar on her calf ultimately remained, but it wasn’t very noticeable, just a faint mark.
Shen Yihuan optimistically thought it looked quite cool.
Like a woman with a story.
She ordered takeout, sat on the sofa munching on an apple, and simultaneously messaged Qiu Ruru.
The doorbell rang.
Shen Yihuan, apple in mouth, shuffling in slippers, opened the door while still replying to a message.
At the door stood a man in his fifties or sixties, with handsome, heroic features. One could tell he must have been a very attractive man in his youth.
Shen Yihuan was startled, staring directly at him. The man also looked at her.
Silence fell between them.
Shen Yihuan glanced at his hands. Huh, where was her takeout?
The man cleared his throat and spoke: “Is this Lu Zhou’s home?”
“...” Shen Yihuan almost instantly realized who the man in front of her was. She took the apple out of her mouth and swallowed dryly, “Ah, yes, hello Uncle.”
Lu Youju frowned: “And you are?”
“My name is Shen Yihuan, and I’m Lu Zhou’s girlfriend.”
Lu Youju remembered. Commander Feng had mentioned it to him—a photographer who went to Xinjiang with the team. Lu Zhou had even been disciplined for fighting because of her.
Shen Yihuan quickly stepped aside: “Please come in.”
She had never dealt with a situation like this before.
She was definitely nervous, but more than that, she felt utterly flustered. She had never interacted with Lu Youju, only getting a general idea of him from Lu Zhou.
Lu Youju, as a father to Lu Zhou, was probably the kind who demanded excellence in everything while neglecting to care.
She poured a glass of water for Lu’s father, awkwardly wiped her hands on her clothes, “Lu Zhou went to the military zone early this morning. He should be back soon. I’ll give him a call to let him know.”
“No need,” Lu’s father gestured to the sofa, “Have a seat.”
Shen Yihuan sat down.
Lu Youju took a sip of water and casually looked around the room.
In broad daylight, the girl was alone in Lu Zhou’s home, dressed like that. Lu Youju knew full well the extent of their relationship without asking.
He just hadn’t expected his son to do such a thing.
He had always thought that, given Lu Zhou’s personality, he would probably eventually be matched with a suitable girl by the organization, and they would marry after a period of acquaintance.
Many military personnel’s marriages were arranged this way.
“I heard from Commander Feng that you even got into a fight in the military camp?”
“...” Shen Yihuan felt utterly resigned, nodding numbly.
“Did that brat Lu Zhou punish you with running laps and writing self-criticisms?”
She continued to nod numbly.
“And Lu Zhou wrote the self-criticism for you in the end?”
“...”
Uncle, since you know everything, why are you asking me about each detail?!
With Lu Youju’s current position as a general, decades of experience made him so intimidating that people barely dared to speak in his presence, exuding authority without even needing to get angry.
“Lu Zhou has been in the military academy until now, leading countless missions, and has never been disciplined. The only time he received a disciplinary action was because of you,” Lu Youju said. “He’s not an impulsive person. I don’t know what you did, but in short, I don’t think you two are suitable.”
Lu Youju took another sip of water, “Lu Zhou still has a long way to go, and his military rank needs to be promoted step by step. This punishment was considered light; if it were serious, demotion wouldn’t be impossible. Do you think you can bear this responsibility?”
When Shen Yihuan first listened to Lu Youju, she felt quite guilty, after all, that disciplinary action was indeed linked to her. But then, she couldn’t help but frown.
“Uncle.”
She said calmly, “That incident was my fault, but when you say these things now, are you speaking to me from the perspective of Lu Zhou’s father, or Lu Zhou’s superior?”
Lu Youju looked at her without speaking.
His expression merely darkened. Given his current status, it had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to him like that.
“Uncle, from childhood to adulthood, how much have you truly understood about Lu Zhou?”
Lu Youju scoffed: “You think you know him better than I do?”
“Lu Zhou and I have known each other since high school. Perhaps I do know him better than you.”
Shen Yihuan’s tone was calm, yet firm: “Do you know when Lu Zhou encountered an armed arms trafficking group on night patrol in Xinjiang, or when he got injured? That punishment was not just a possibly insignificant stain. Did you know he only slept a few hours in three days because of a rescue mission, then ran 20 kilometers under heavy load in the rain, and had a fever of 39 degrees the next day?”
“How many injuries does he have, how much blood has he shed? You want him to climb the military ranks step by step, but do you know how much risk he has to take for each meritorious act? I know you’ve certainly come this far yourself, but he’s also human, doesn’t it hurt when he’s injured and bleeding? If you don’t feel distressed, I do.”
Every time Shen Yihuan recalled Lu Zhou’s bewildered expression when she asked him why he didn’t call after returning from that night patrol, her heart ached terribly.
Lu Zhou had never even considered that someone would worry about his safety.
And he had never had the experience of reporting his safety.
Lu Youju said coldly, “He’s a soldier. Can’t he even endure that much?”
“What about when he was studying? You set such high standards for him, but did you ever care about him? He had acute gastritis once, all alone at home, sweating from the pain. Do you know that? There wasn’t even an auntie to take care of him. He had to take care of himself since middle school, cooking and washing all by himself. He wasn’t even a soldier back then, was he?”
Shen Yihuan was almost at the point of giving up entirely.
“I don’t care if Lu Zhou’s military rank is high or low. I just want him to be safe and not get hurt again.”
She used to be quite sharp-tongued, often infuriating her homeroom teacher to no end with just a few words. Later, after her temper mellowed, she became too lazy to speak up.
She finally refilled Lu Youju’s teacup with hot water, stood up, bowed respectfully, completely putting away her previous fiery demeanor, and politely asked, “Uncle, should I wash some fruit for you?”
Lu Youju: ???
Luckily, when Lu Zhou bought ointment yesterday, he also bought some fruit.
Shen Yihuan went into the kitchen, opened the fridge, took out a little of everything, turned on the faucet, secretly pulled out her phone to text Lu Zhou, all her previous composure shattered.
Cherry: What do I do, your dad’s here!!!
After washing the fruit, Lu Zhou replied.
Lu Zhou: What did he say to you?
Cherry: I think we’re going to break up (:」∠)
________________________________________
Lu Zhou was currently in the senior officers’ office at the military zone.
His phone vibrated, and he opened it.
Shen Yihuan didn’t answer his previous question.
Cherry: I think we’re going to break up (:」∠)
Lu Zhou: “...”
“Take a look. This is the information on Gu Corporation that you asked me for earlier.”
Lu Zhou put his phone away again, took the file folder from the person opposite him, and pulled out a stack of documents about various aspects of Gu Corporation.
He casually flipped through them and put them away.
Of course, nothing illegal or related to smuggling would be found in public records. He could only get a basic understanding now and then investigate deeper.
After leaving the military camp, Lu Zhou went to a mall, bought a skirt similar to Shen Yihuan’s, and immediately rushed home.
Lu Youju had already left.
Shen Yihuan opened the door for him, her face full of woe.
“Where’s Commander Lu?”
“He left after finishing his tea.”
Lu Zhou handed her the bag he was holding; it contained a gray midi skirt.
“You even know my size.”
Lu Zhou said, “There’s nothing about you I don’t know.”
“...” Shen Yihuan choked, her ears reddening, “Even my bra size?”
Lu Zhou was about to speak, but Shen Yihuan interrupted him, “Hey, hey, don’t say it. What about your dad? I think I really... talked back to him just now...”
Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise, then lowered his gaze to her.
His expression showed no urgency: “What did you say?”
Shen Yihuan recounted the earlier events to Lu Zhou.
Lu Zhou curved his lips, reaching out to pinch her face: “Worried about me?”
Shen Yihuan rolled her eyes: “Nonsense.”
He smiled again: “Go change. I’ll call my dad, and then we’ll go see your grandma.”
Shen Yihuan re-entered the bedroom. Lu Zhou took his phone and went to the window.
It rang twice before connecting.
He subconsciously stood at attention: “Commander Lu.”
...
The skirt fit perfectly, as expected. Shen Yihuan zipped it up, tucked half of her sweater in, and came out to see Lu Zhou standing by the window.
His expression was relaxed, with a faint smile. He touched his nose, his gaze lowered.
“Yes,” Lu Zhou replied.
He hung up the phone.
Shen Yihuan nervously asked: “How was it? Did your dad order you to break up with me?”
“No, he said you’re quite bold.”
“?”
Lu Zhou pinched her face: “Quite impressive, young lady. Even General Lu was left speechless by you.”
________________________________________
Lu Zhou didn’t elaborate on the content of that phone call. They had lunch outside, then set off to visit Shen Yihuan’s grandma.
Shen Yihuan only vaguely understood from Lu Zhou that his father seemed to have accepted her.
She found it a bit baffling, secretly wondering if this General Lu had been in a high position for too long, with no one daring to talk back to him, making him lonely at the top. But she didn’t say anything, not daring to, after all, he was a general.
Grandma’s grave was in the suburbs, in a city where every inch of land was precious. Later, after Shen Yihuan won a photography award and received the prize money, she had the grave relocated.
The cemetery here was very well managed, and naturally, the prices were much higher. All of the prize money from that time was poured into it.
Her mother had scolded her then, saying there was no point in spending so much money when the person was already dead.
Lu Zhou drove to the foot of the slope.
In middle and high school, Shen Yihuan often visited her grandma on weekend holidays. The old lady had always been very healthy, and in her youth, she had been a teacher for several years, quite fashionable.
Every time Shen Yihuan went to see her grandma, she dressed as if she were going to a fashion show. The old lady would stare and scold her with a ruler.
Shen Yihuan loved her grandma’s nagging.
“What are those pants for? So torn. Can’t a girl wear something pretty?”
“Look at Lu Zhou. He dresses much better than you! His grades are better, his personality is better. You two are good friends, learn from him!”
Shen Yihuan used to be disdainful, scoffing as she hooked her arm around her grandma’s: “Hmph, you just think I’m inferior to Lu Zhou in every way, but he still likes me.”
Grandma slapped her hand, pointed at Lu Zhou, and asked, “Do you really like my granddaughter?”
Lu Zhou nodded and said, “Yes, I do.”
Shen Yihuan bragged, “See, I told you!”
Grandma pretended not to hear: “He doesn’t like you at all!”
...
“Why did my grandma used to like you so much?” Shen Yihuan walked up the steps, Lu Zhou following behind her.
She mumbled to herself, “But then again, she always liked good students like you, with good grades.”
Lu Zhou curled his lips behind her.
Although grandma was old, her mind was quite open. She also knew about Shen Yihuan and Lu Zhou’s relationship.
The photo on the tombstone was one grandma had taken at a photo studio specifically to be put on her tombstone after she passed away.
The little old lady had grown many white hairs, black and white mixed together. Later, she simply dyed it all white, with short curly hair and a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses, looking quite scholarly.
“Grandma, I brought Lu Zhou with me to see you,” Shen Yihuan said, standing in front of the tombstone.
Lu Zhou bowed slightly: “Grandma.”
Shen Yihuan squatted on the ground, tracing circles on the stone steps with her finger, her other hand propping her chin, completely in a casual chatting posture.
“You used to like Lu Zhou. He’s a soldier now, the captain of the Xinjiang border defense force. He’s really amazing.”
“I’m still a photographer, which is pretty good. I really like it, but it’s a pity I didn’t take many photos of you before.”
She spoke intermittently for a long time.
The young girl didn’t shed tears, her face clear and pale, with a faint smile.
They didn’t stay long; there weren’t many people in the cemetery today either.
It was lightly raining. They hadn’t brought an umbrella when they got out of the car, so Lu Zhou shielded Shen Yihuan’s head with his hand.
“I later went to Grandma’s house,” Lu Zhou said.
Shen Yihuan tilted her head, blinking: “When?”
“The day after we broke up. I went to Grandma’s house, but someone else was already living there.”
At that time, Grandma had already passed away.
________________________________________
It was already dinner time when they got home.
They bought some groceries at the supermarket on the way, and Lu Zhou started cooking.
The man wore a blue and white apron around his waist, his movements skilled as hot, white steam rose around him.
Shen Yihuan walked into the kitchen after washing her face.
Lu Zhou patted the back of her hand: “It’ll be ready soon, go wait outside.”
Shen Yihuan rubbed against his back and shook her head, clinging to him and refusing to leave.
“When are you going back to Xinjiang?”
“Depends on the situation.”
“Can you stay for a full week?”
“I think so,” Lu Zhou turned off the stove, plating the last dish, “What’s wrong?”
“Just asking.”
The two of them carried the food to the living room table together.
Shen Yihuan glanced at the file folder on the table: “Did you get this from the military camp today?”
Lu Zhou paused: “Mm.”
He placed the file folder on the coffee table beside them and put the chopsticks into Shen Yihuan’s hand, “Eat.”
Lu Zhou’s cooking hadn’t declined; all the dishes were to Shen Yihuan’s taste.
After dinner, the two of them washed the dishes together.
...
Shen Yihuan went to shower first. Halfway through, the door opened, and Lu Zhou came in.
She froze in place, steam rising and then dissipating into the ceiling fan light. Shen Yihuan maintained her motion of rubbing shower gel on her legs.
She was bent over, her skin damp, covered in a thin mist.
Lu Zhou moved without stopping, walking over.
Shen Yihuan’s eyes widened: “Hey, hey... I’m wet, you’ll get your clothes wet.”
So Lu Zhou took off his clothes.
Hands clasped, he pulled at his collar, then his belt, which made a crisp metallic sound as he threw it on the sink.
Lu Zhou leaned in and embraced Shen Yihuan.
Shen Yihuan instinctively took a step back, feeling a little awkward, but Lu Zhou wrapped his arm around her waist.
He leaned down and kissed Shen Yihuan’s lips.
Feeling his hands move, Shen Yihuan trembled slightly. She nudged his chin with her damp nose, a somewhat fawning, compliant gesture.
“Lu Zhou...” She gripped his wrist.
“I’ll be gentle.”
Lu Zhou indeed moved extremely gently this time. Hot water cascaded from the showerhead, making the man’s face look incredibly sensual.
A pool of water gathered in the deeply defined hollow of his collarbone, then overflowed as more water cascaded down.
His movements were lingering and tender, almost to the point of being torturous.
Shen Yihuan was pressed against the glass, cold in front, but with a burning chest behind her, perfectly sealed.
By the time she was wrapped in a towel and carried back to bed, she was utterly exhausted.
Shen Yihuan reached out, hugged Lu Zhou’s neck, intertwining her fingers behind his neck, and bit his collarbone.
Quite hard.
Lu Zhou frowned slightly and pinched her chin.
Shen Yihuan released her bite, looked at the tooth marks, and then kissed them again.
Lu Zhou held her and the blanket in his arms: “Did it hurt?”
Shen Yihuan shook her head.
She had no strength at all, even lifting a hand felt too tiring. She lay limply nestled in his embrace.
“Are you taking revenge on me?” Shen Yihuan poked his chest with her index finger, her voice a little hoarse, “Revenge for me not being good to you before?”
Lu Zhou: “You were very good to me.”
Shen Yihuan was startled, then hugged him tighter: “Then I’ll be even better to you from now on.”
Lu Zhou’s lips curved slightly.
His palm smoothed her hair from top to bottom.
The bedroom fell silent for a moment.
Lu Zhou tilted his head and kissed her forehead: “If I ever do something that makes you unhappy in the future, just don’t ignore me.”
Shen Yihuan was unconcerned: “What could you possibly do to make me unhappy?”
Lu Zhou didn’t speak.
The bedroom door was open. From Lu Zhou’s angle, he could see the file folder reflected in the mirror, placed on the coffee table.
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