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Psst! We're moving!
The next morning, Shen Yihuan woke up nestled in Lu Zhou’s arms. The moment she stirred, Lu Zhou woke too, a morning physiological reaction stirring between his legs.
Normally, Shen Yihuan would let him have his way, but now they were staying with the Commander and Madam Commander. Even if she had eight hundred times the courage, she wouldn’t dare.
However, the man behind her was clearly audacious, seemingly fearless.
Lu Zhou tilted his chin, gently nipping and kissing her lips, his fingers deftly unbuttoning her pajama collar.
Shen Yihuan’s heart quickened. She immediately kicked him under the covers.
Lu Zhou stopped his movements.
Blushing, she said, “Your dad is right next door.”
“He must be awake,” Lu Zhou’s hand was still inside her clothes.
“What about Madam Commander?”
Only then did Lu Zhou give up, getting up and going straight into the bathroom. Soon, the sound of running water came from inside.
After washing up, the two went downstairs together.
As soon as they descended, they smelled the aroma of food. Madam Commander truly acted like she had a biological daughter, having gone out early to buy various breakfast items from a local shop.
After waiting for a while and seeing that the two hadn’t woken up, she reheated them.
Even Lu Youju was astonished; after so many years of marriage, it was the first time he had seen her like this.
Seeing them come downstairs, Madam Commander quickly greeted: “Come quickly, come quickly, breakfast must be getting cold.”
Shen Yihuan hadn’t expected breakfast to be ready when she woke up. It seemed a bit rude to have slept in so late.
Lu Zhou quickly went down, helped her set the bowls and chopsticks on the table, and led Shen Yihuan to sit beside him.
Shen Yihuan said, “Auntie, please don’t bother. Come eat with us.”
Another “Auntie.” Madam Commander truly wished to hear her call her “Mom,” but on second thought, there would be plenty of time in the future anyway. She couldn’t force the girl to acknowledge her as “Mom” just because of a momentary slip of the tongue.
At the dinner table.
Lu Youju put down his newspaper and asked, “How’s the mission progressing?”
Lu Zhou: “The poaching gang has been caught. Now we just need to use them to lure out the big fish.”
Shen Yihuan paused with her chopsticks, turning her head to look at him.
Under the table, Lu Zhou squeezed her palm.
________________________________________
After eating, Shen Yihuan still followed Lu Zhou back to the military camp.
Because there was a mission in progress, the soldiers involved in the mission did not need to participate in daily drills. Lu Zhou went to the Commander’s office to report on the situation.
Shen Yihuan was familiar with the place anyway, so she wandered around by herself.
Everyone recognized her and greeted her warmly.
Shen Yihuan hadn’t really felt such straightforward kindness and affection since she grew up and started studying.
She wasn’t someone who feared strangers. It was break time at the training ground, so she sat down and chatted with them.
The few she was relatively familiar with were all participating in this mission and weren’t here, but chatting with the others wasn’t awkward either. Shen Yihuan showed them the photos she had taken recently.
A local Xinjiang soldier, who looked very young, asked: “Sister Yihuan, where will your photography exhibition be held?”
“The first stop is Beijing,” Shen Yihuan said. “The rest depends on the situation. If the response is good, I’ll add a few more stops.”
“Will you come to Xinjiang?”
“Yes, definitely. Even if the response isn’t good, I’ll come at my own expense.”
“No, no, no, don’t come at your own expense. How can we let you spend money when you’re helping us promote?”
Shen Yihuan smiled and said nothing.
This was something she had already decided.
The initial plan was for only five stops, and increasing the number of exhibitions was only possible if the response was good. But no matter what, she had to make a trip to Xinjiang.
They chatted for a while, then her phone vibrated.
It was from Lu Zhou; he had just finished talking with Commander Feng.
Lu Zhou: Where are you?
Cherry: Training ground.
Less than five minutes later, Lu Zhou arrived.
Although Lu Zhou hadn’t been leading the training these past few days, when they saw him, they still instinctively stood up, each one uniformly saluting and shouting, “Captain Lu!”
Only Shen Yihuan remained seated; her legs had gone numb, and she couldn’t quite stand up.
Lu Zhou stepped forward and lifted her up.
She didn’t stand steadily and fell into Lu Zhou’s arms. Lu Zhou held her, and whispered in her ear: “I have something to tell you.”
Shen Yihuan was startled. Lu Zhou’s serious tone when speaking to her was unusual.
Behind them, training resumed, the voices of the drilling soldiers loudly calling out numbers. Shen Yihuan followed Lu Zhou to an open space outside.
It had snowed the night before and been cleared early in the morning, but the ground was still damp.
Shen Yihuan asked: “What is it?”
Lu Zhou hesitated, his gaze fixed on her.
Shen Yihuan’s heart stirred, as if she sensed something: “Are you about to set off with the team?”
Although she hadn’t asked much about the mission, listening in, she wasn’t entirely unaware. Li Wu had been apprehended, so the next target was another arms dealer in Xinjiang.
He should be much harder to deal with than Li Wu.
Lu Zhou raised his hand and pinched her cheek: “Mm.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow.”
Shen Yihuan fell silent, slowly and heavily letting out a breath. “Will there be danger?”
“Not necessarily. I’ll protect myself well.”
In this situation, that was indeed the only guarantee Lu Zhou could make.
Lu Zhou said: “Commander Lu and Auntie will be staying here for a while. If you’re willing, you can stay with them. When they’re ready to go back to Beijing, you can go back with them.”
Shen Yihuan frowned upon hearing this. According to Lu Zhou’s words, this was going to be a protracted battle.
“How long do you estimate the mission will take?”
“Uncertain, at least half a month, but it might be faster.”
Half a month.
Shen Yihuan took a step forward, loosely wrapping her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. Lu Zhou could only see the top of the young girl’s head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked softly.
Shen Yihuan said: “You waited for me for three years. This time, it’s my turn to wait for you, Lu Zhou. Don’t make me wait too long.”
Lu Zhou felt his heart soften completely. How could he bear to make Shen Yihuan wait for him? Just like before, when Shen Yihuan beckoned to him, treating him a little better, he would drop everything else.
________________________________________
The next day was for the mission, and they were given the day off, told they could say goodbye to their families.
However, only a few members of the team were from Xinjiang. Xinjiang was too vast; a round trip home wouldn’t even be enough in a single day, let alone for those from other places.
So, saying goodbye to family actually just meant a phone call.
If something truly unforeseen happened, this might be the last call.
In the afternoon, Lu Zhou took Shen Yihuan to town.
The days when snow melted were always exceptionally cold. Fortunately, the sun was bright today. Shen Yihuan wore snow boots, making soft crunching sounds as she walked on the snow.
The traffic and crowds here were nothing like a big city. The snow was white and soft, clinging to her snow boots in fluffy white clumps.
Both of them had striking looks wherever they went. The man was tall and straight, with sharp features that commanded respect without anger, yet at this moment, his lips were casually curved, holding a subtle tenderness.
The woman was exquisitely pretty, her skin radiantly fair, with bright eyes and red lips. In this icy, snowy world, she was breathtakingly beautiful. If one looked closely, one could also discern a heroic spirit in her demeanor that typical young women lacked.
“The photos I took last time have already been published in a special magazine issue,” Shen Yihuan said, holding Lu Zhou’s hand as they walked and chatted.
Lu Zhou: “You’ll see them when you get back.”
“Mm.”
“When is the first stop of the photography exhibition?”
“March.”
“Do you have enough photos for that now?” Lu Zhou asked.
“When I came with Qin Zheng last time, I also took some material that could be used for the exhibition. I originally wanted to follow a mission completely, so I could showcase more.”
“If there’s a chance, I’ll take you along again,” Lu Zhou said with a smile. “This one’s too dangerous; if I can’t guarantee your safety, I can’t take you.”
Shen Yihuan understood what he was thinking.
Tomorrow, Lu Zhou would officially embark on the mission with his team.
“Let’s go, I’ll treat you to a good meal,” Shen Yihuan said.
There were no large restaurants in town. They finally found a local eatery serving small dishes.
Shen Yihuan didn’t like ordering, leaving it all to Lu Zhou, who ordered many small portions of various dishes.
One had to wait at the counter for the food. Shen Yihuan sat down first, pulled out two napkins, and wiped the somewhat greasy tabletop clean.
After a short wait, Lu Zhou came over with the plates of food.
“When you leave tomorrow, you’ll be eating those dry rations again, so eat more today,” Shen Yihuan said, putting a piece of food into his bowl with her chopsticks.
“Mm,” he responded, taking a bite of rice.
Shen Yihuan had changed a lot, yet it seemed nothing had changed at all.
She was still as free-spirited and unrestrained as before. When he said he was leaving for a mission tomorrow, she brought him to eat a good meal, without crying or showing reluctance.
But she was no longer as carefree as before.
She had a more sincere heart than most people.
The phone was on the table, buzzing with a string of vibrations, nearly falling to the ground.
Shen Yihuan picked it up; it was from Qiu Rourou.
“...”
Lu Zhou looked at her furrowed brow and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Shen Yihuan replied while texting: “Our high school class is saying they want to have another class reunion. They’re really a bunch of idle people; it was so awkward last time.”
Lu Zhou smiled: “When?”
“In half a month.”
“If I’m back by then, should I go with you?”
“Hm?”
“Didn’t they treat you badly last time?” Lu Zhou said.
Shen Yihuan looked at him and smiled: “Why, are you going to stand up for me this time?”
“Mm,” Lu Zhou took a bite of food, looking at her seriously, “My little girl, why should they be allowed to say anything?”
Shen Yihuan’s eyes felt a little hot. Her former pride came from Shen Fu’s status, position, and wealth. Later, her pride was built on her own efforts.
Now, she belatedly realized that she seemed to have a backup again.
Not just Lu Zhou, but also brought by Commander Lu and Madam Commander.
She felt a little choked up, but she didn’t want to make the day feel like a farewell. Fortunately, Qiu Rourou called directly.
She answered and put the phone to her ear.
Qiu Rourou: “Cherry, are you going to the class reunion?”
Shen Yihuan: “I won’t go. There’s no point.”
“Why not! I’m telling you, you should drag Lu Zhou along and then just slap them all one by one, and see what they can say next time!”
Qiu Rourou’s voice was indignant, and the surroundings were quiet, so Lu Zhou could clearly hear her from across the table.
Shen Yihuan glanced at him and said, “What face-slapping can a class reunion do? We’ll just invite them to the wedding banquet later.”
When she said this, she was resting her chin in her hand, her tone lazy and casual, her posture not entirely proper, her eyes slightly narrowed, revealing a fleeting glint of cunning and rebelliousness.
It gave Lu Zhou a momentary illusion of seeing Shen Yihuan from high school.
Qiu Rourou on the other end of the phone was also startled, then she started laughing, her tone teasing: “Did Lu Zhou propose to you?”
“No, do we even need that between us?” Shen Yihuan, thinking Lu Zhou couldn’t hear Qiu Rourou’s voice, continued nonchalantly, “It’s going to happen sooner or later anyway.”
Lu Zhou secretly curved his lips.
“Ah, after all these years of twists and turns, you two are finally together,” Qiu Rourou also sighed with emotion.
She had watched the two get together, then break up, go through various entanglements and ambiguities, and finally come back together.
“Then I’ll go to the class reunion by myself.”
Shen Yihuan asked: “Are you not letting Gu Minghui go with you?”
“He’s a busy man now, who knows where he’s run off to. He’s really turning into a CEO, busy with work every day.”
Shen Yihuan slightly raised an eyebrow, then looked up to see Lu Zhou staring at her, his expression quite serious. She mouthed “What’s wrong?” to him.
Lu Zhou shook his head.
Shen Yihuan then said into the phone: “If you’re bored, wait until I’m back and I’ll go with you.”
“We’ll see. I just have a client order I need to get from our old class committee member, so I’m going to take the opportunity to communicate.”
The two chatted for a while longer before hanging up.
Lu Zhou got up to pay, but Shen Yihuan stopped him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I said this time I’m treating you to a good meal.” Shen Yihuan took out her wallet.
Lu Zhou raised an eyebrow, didn’t stop her, and let Shen Yihuan pay.
When they went out, it was evening, the best time for sunlight.
Shen Yihuan tilted her head back, the sunlight falling directly on her face, turning her pupils a light brown. Her long hair cascaded to her waist. In the biting cold wind of the winter street, she was the only radiating light source under the sun.
She stretched, then bonelessly leaned into Lu Zhou’s embrace.
She asked, “What are we doing now?”
“I’m taking you somewhere,” Lu Zhou said, taking her hand.
“Where?”
“Didn’t you say you’d marry me when something was secured on your ring finger?”
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