After Lu Qiming finished speaking, Qian Duoduo was at a loss for how to respond.
Qian Duoduo thought: In this kind of situation, it seems like one’s imagination would run wild— that’s what the script would call for.
But the person sitting across from her looked so open and sincere, with not a hint of teasing or flirtation in his expression or gaze.
Tick, tick, time passed steadily.
At the ninth second, Qian Duoduo finally managed to organize her words and said, “Thank you, Captain Lu, for giving me such face.”
She paused here, then looked at him earnestly, genuinely wanting feedback on the taste, and asked, “I didn’t use white granulated sugar in this Snowflake Nougat. I replaced it with erythritol. The taste shouldn’t be too sweet, right?”
“Mm.” Lu Qiming said, “It’s lightly sweet—better than any dessert I’ve had before.”
This piqued Qian Duoduo’s interest even more.
She raised her brows slightly, her pretty face looking even livelier with the small movement.
Half-joking, she said, “So, is it possible that you think you don’t like sweets only because you’ve never tasted really good ones?”
Lu Qiming casually took a napkin to wipe his mouth. Hearing this, he too raised his brows slightly, mimicking her, “That’s very possible.”
Qian Duoduo picked up her teacup and took a sip, thinking aloud, “Where did you usually eat those sweets in the past?”
Lu Qiming looked at her, “Why are you curious about that?”
Qian Duoduo’s long, thick lashes fluttered twice. She propped her chin on one hand, looking very serious as she replied, “I’m a dessert lover. I want to know about the brands and places that aren’t good, so I can avoid them.”
Of course, that was only one reason.
The other reason, Qian Duoduo didn’t intend to say— in most regions of the country, women who like sweets far outnumber men.
Lu Qiming, a graduate of a military academy in Beifang, had been stationed in the Military Compound ever since graduation, training one day, on missions the next.
If he ever encountered sweets, it was probably because of some girl.
Qian Duoduo usually wasn’t into gossip. But people are like that—when it comes to things and people completely different from themselves, curiosity always wins out.
Across the table.
After hearing Qian Duoduo’s explanation, Lu Qiming lowered his eyes, the corners of his mouth curving slightly in a subtle, almost invisible smile. Who knows if he believed her or not.
After a moment, he spoke as if nothing had happened, “After I graduated, I spent a year stationed at the border. In that compound, single officers lived two to a room. My roommate at the time studied languages— a tall, burly guy from the Northeast, who especially loved sweets. Every week, he’d run to the city and buy a pile of cakes and bread.”
“These days, most desserts are made with animal cream. But back then, most cakes in bakeries still used vegetable cream. The shelf life wasn’t long, so every time my roommate bought a big pile, he couldn’t finish them all and would force me to help him out.”
“For a whole year.”
Recalling those distant days right after graduation, Lu Qiming couldn’t help but curve his lips in a faint smile. “After that, for a long, long time, I felt uncomfortable just seeing sweets.”
“So that’s how it was.” Qian Duoduo listened with great interest, her clear almond-shaped eyes wide and bright, “Then, is your sweets-loving, burly roommate from the Northeast still at your old post?”
Lu Qiming’s lips gradually straightened, and he shook his head, “He’s not in the military anymore.”
Qian Duoduo was surprised, “He was transferred to a civilian job?”
“He was injured during a peacekeeping mission two years ago,” Lu Qiming said. “After a year of rehab with no improvement, he applied for discharge due to illness.”
Hearing the whole story, Qian Duoduo felt a bit uncomfortable, her brows unconsciously knitting together.
The “discharge due to illness” Lu Qiming mentioned was something Qian Duoduo had heard about from Qian Aunt’s Husband.
A soldier discharged due to illness is often someone who, as a result of war or duty, has been injured or disabled to the point of being unable to work.
“Did your roommate go back to his hometown after he was discharged?” she asked softly.
“Mm.”
“That’s really a pity.” Qian Duoduo sighed, feeling a strong respect for the roommate she’d never met. “But after a discharge due to illness, at least his life will be more secure in the future. Now he can focus on recovering and spending time with his family… You have to look ahead.”
Lu Qiming didn’t reply. His eyes were lowered, quietly gazing at the candy wrapper in his hand, lost in thought.
The atmosphere around them fell silent.
After a while, Lu Qiming pulled himself out of his daze and looked at Qian Duoduo again. “Sorry, I talked too much today. Hope I didn’t ruin your dinner.”
“Not at all.” Qian Duoduo quickly waved her hand.
She looked at him, lips pressed together in slight hesitation.
After several seconds, she took a deep breath and said, “I can tell you were close with your roommate. What happened to him must have been hard for you… As long as Captain Lu considers me a friend, I’m always willing to listen if you want to talk.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” Qian Duoduo muttered, “All I can do is chat with you, I don’t really have any other way to help you feel better.”
Lu Qiming looked at her, his gaze deep and unreadable. Suddenly, he spoke again, his tone flat: “At the beginning of this year, his family…”
Qian Duoduo’s eyes flickered, but she didn’t speak, just quietly listened.
“My roommate is actually a very interesting person. He looks like a big rough guy, loves sweets and the color pink. Because his surname is Deng, everyone liked to joke and call him ‘Deng Shaonü’.” Lu Qiming’s tone was calm and matter-of-fact, as if these words didn’t carry much emotion. “Last time I saw Lao Deng in Beifang, he was in a wheelchair.”
“It was snowing that day. He was sitting alone in his yard, not speaking, not doing anything, just staring at the distant mountains. It was as if he couldn’t feel anything from the outside world.”
“I don’t know what Lao Deng was looking at, but I realized he looked older than he did a few years ago—wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, gray at his temples.”
“When we met, he only said one thing to me.”
“He said, ‘From here on, Lao Lu, you have to forge ahead for me.’”
Lu Qiming’s lips curved into a subtle arc, as if a faint bitterness and heartache had seeped into his bones. “All I could do was answer, ‘Okay.’”
Qian Duoduo unconsciously clenched her fingers, feeling as if she’d swallowed half a bitter lemon. The sour taste seemed to rise up into her nose and chest.
Just then, footsteps approached from afar.
A service staff member from the Four Seasons Restaurant came over with dishes.
“Hello, here are your Shrimp Dumplings, Chicken Feet, Rice Noodle Roll…” The service staff placed each dish on the table and politely gestured, “And the Steamed Grouper is a live fish, so it’ll take a few more minutes. Please enjoy your meal while you wait.”
With that, the smiling staff turned and left.
The sudden appearance of the service staff broke the heavy atmosphere at the table.
Qian Duoduo snapped back to herself, quickly collected her thoughts and forced a smile, picking up her chopsticks. “Hot dishes get cold quickly in winter, let’s eat first.”
As it turned out, the crowd really does have sharp eyes—and taste buds.
The Guangdong Cuisine at this Four Seasons Restaurant was indeed delicious. In terms of flavor, it was easily among the top three Guangdong dishes Qian Duoduo had ever tasted.
“This place is really good— the food’s light but not bland.” She picked up a piece of fish, tasted it, and sincerely praised, “Thanks for the recommendation, Captain Lu. By the way, I noticed this place isn’t big and isn’t popular online. How did you find such a hidden gem?”
Lu Qiming replied, “I was brought here by a coworker when I first arrived in Nan City. I liked it.”
“I see.” Qian Duoduo nodded in understanding, then couldn’t help but sigh, “These days, restaurants all follow a set routine: open up, hire some extras to line up, then get a few online influencers to promote it, and boom— it’s an ‘Online Influencer Restaurant’. But places like this, low-key and focused on good food, relying solely on word of mouth, are really rare.”
Lu Qiming smiled, “Teacher Qian seems very familiar with the restaurant business.”
“Yeah. Those extras who line up get paid pretty well—two hundred a day. My mom’s even done it before…” Qian Duoduo said, then paused, suddenly remembering something, her expression turning mysterious as she put a finger to her lips. “But that’s an industry secret, Captain Lu. You can’t tell anyone else.”
“Don’t worry, Teacher Qian.” Lu Qiming’s smile grew a bit more relaxed, “I can keep a secret. Besides, I don’t have anyone else to tell.”
“Mm!” Qian Duoduo’s eyes curved into crescents, her smile full of trust, “I only told you because I trust you. I know you wouldn’t sell me out.”
The two ate quietly for a while.
After a moment, Lu Qiming seemed to think of something and said lightly, “The food here should suit elderly people. Next time, you could bring Qian Grandfather and Qian Grandmother to try it.”
“Oh, right.” With this reminder, Qian Duoduo realized, “My grandpa can’t eat spicy food anymore, and he always complains that nothing has flavor. This would be a good place for him to enjoy.”
During the rest of the meal, Lu Qiming didn’t mention Lao Deng again.
Since he didn’t bring it up, Qian Duoduo naturally didn’t ask. There was a tacit harmony between them.
After dinner, Lu Qiming went to the bar to pay the bill.
Qian Duoduo had just come out of the restroom and saw this scene. She immediately rushed over and stopped him, “We agreed I’d treat tonight— are you trying to pay behind my back? No way.”
Without another word, she pulled out her phone and displayed her payment code. “Scan mine.”
The Boss Lady, in charge of collecting money, looked momentarily troubled, holding the scanner in her hand, not sure whether to advance or retreat. She could only look to the tall young man for help.
Lu Qiming glanced sideways at her.
The girl’s expression was serious, her determined look as fierce as if she were reciting an oath.
It was kind of cute and funny.
Lu Qiming’s gaze lingered on Qian Duoduo’s face. The curve of his lips was flat, but his eyes had softened.
After two seconds, he said nothing and put his phone away.
Seeing this signal, the Boss Lady finally breathed a sigh of relief and, with a beep, scanned Qian Duoduo’s code.
*
On the way back to the barracks, as usual, Lu Qiming drove.
Night had fallen, and the city lights were coming on.
Headlights flowed like rivers of light along the road, the overpasses weaving together like mythic dragons lit by neon.
“All this food for less than three hundred?” Qian Duoduo sat in the passenger seat, staring wide-eyed at the receipt. “We even had fresh Steamed Grouper— just the cost of that fish must be a lot. How can the owner make any money at these prices?”
Lu Qiming kept his eyes on the road and replied calmly, “Business people won’t let themselves lose money— at most, they just make less.”
“With a place this big, you have to factor in rent, utilities, and labor.” Qian Duoduo muttered, her occupational habit kicking in. “But the restaurant is in a pretty remote spot, so maybe the rent is cheap. Probably half of what it’d be in a prime location.”
Lu Qiming considered for two seconds, then shook his head, “Not sure.”
“…That’s normal.”