“Buy snacks! Gummy candies, dried fruit, coconut water, that store has all the internet-famous snacks,” Zhao Jingxi suggested seriously. “I can even be your Cameraman and shoot a video for you. I already thought of a title: ‘Buying Snacks at Sam’s Club? Duoduo’s Picks Recommended!'”
Qian Duoduo couldn’t help but laugh: “Forget it. Sam’s Club isn’t paying me, I’m not making free ads for some big listed company.”
Zhao Jingxi was speechless: “So, are you coming or not? If you don’t, I’ll ask a cute guy instead.”
That piqued Qian Duoduo’s curiosity. She asked suspiciously, “Which cute guy?”
Zhao Jingxi laughed mysteriously, lowering her voice: “A folk singer, younger than me. Met him at a bar.”
“No way, my girl,” Qian Duoduo gaped, “I’m just starting military training and you’re already dating?”
“Hey, watch your words, not dating,” Zhao Jingxi emphasized. “Just a cute, ambiguous guy.”
Zhao Jingxi and Qian Duoduo were close friends, but their views on relationships were fundamentally different.
Learning that her beautiful, flirtatious friend had added another singer to her collection, Qian Duoduo wasn’t surprised. She just smiled and said, “Then let’s go out now.”
Zhao Jingxi choked, bewildered: “So early? I wanted to sleep till noon and then go out for lunch.”
“That’s too late,” Qian Duoduo said. “I have something to do later, need to get back to the camp early.”
“Stop bluffing. It’s only your first day, what could you possibly have to do?”
Qian Duoduo remembered her agreement with her PLA friend, and replied with a smile, “I have to come back for the basketball game.”
……
After hanging up, Qian Duoduo picked up her shoulder bag and left the dormitory.
Relying on her memory from last night in Lu Qiming’s car, she walked through the corridor, around the training field, and arrived at the camp gate.
From a distance, the armed sentries stood tall and straight, like pines piercing the sky, exuding a powerful presence.
Even though she’d tried to psych herself up, Qian Duoduo couldn’t help but feel nervous. She took a deep breath, pulled out her Card Reader from her bag, and walked toward the gate.
Fifty meters, thirty meters, ten meters…
As Qian Duoduo approached, the sentry and soldiers in the guard room glanced at her, then looked away, showing no extra reaction.
Suppressing her nerves, Qian Duoduo pressed the card to the reader.
“Beep— Hello, Qian Duoduo, please proceed.”
With the cold mechanical female voice, the gate opened and her heart finally relaxed as she hurried out.
She called a rideshare to Sam’s Club.
At this hour, the big supermarket was at its peak.
Sunlight reflected off the glass walls, the automatic doors swallowed crowds pushing shopping carts.
Under the frosted awning, staff promoting membership cards waved flyers, stirring the air.
It was a lively scene.
Qian Duoduo strolled around, holding her bag, and was even stopped by a silver-haired elder asking for directions.
She answered patiently with a big smile.
She waited at the entrance for nearly twenty minutes before a glamorous figure finally arrived, walking over gracefully.
“Come on, my beautiful Ms. Zhao Jingxi,” Qian Duoduo said, her tone helpless yet doting, pretending to scold, “You live closer than me, yet you made me wait so long?”
“I was still in bed when you called,” Zhao Jingxi said, linking arms with Qian Duoduo and acting cute. “I rushed out to see you without even putting on makeup. True love! Forgive me, I’ll buy you beef wraps later!”
Qian Duoduo squinted at her, “I want coconut water, too.”
“No problem!”
Sam’s Club was a large warehouse-style supermarket, with parking underground and shopping on the upper floors.
The two girls headed straight for the food section after entering.
Watching the shopping cart pile higher and higher, Qian Duoduo frowned slightly and said to Zhao Jingxi, “You should buy more vegetables and fruit, these instant foods aren’t nutritious.”
“I’m not like you, good at everything— Chinese, Western, and desserts,” Zhao Jingxi replied, tossing a big box of Chuan De Beef Noodle into the cart. “Instant food is perfect for me.”
Hearing this made Qian Duoduo feel a little bad.
She sighed lightly, then suddenly suggested, “Why don’t you get a boyfriend?”
Zhao Jingxi froze, turning her head, her beautiful face looking as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Didn’t you say men are just bed-warming tools? If you find one who can cook, he can warm your bed and your stomach,” Qian Duoduo said sincerely, “Just find a Chef to take care of you.”
Zhao Jingxi raised her brows, pondering for a few seconds. “You know, that’s actually a pretty good idea.”
Then she pulled her phone out of her Chanel handbag and started typing.
Qian Duoduo peeked over, “What are you doing?”
Zhao Jingxi: “Asking the folk singer if he can cook.”
Qian Duoduo: “…”
After a moment’s silence, she hesitated, “Don’t blame me for saying this, but most unknown folk singers don’t have stable incomes.”
“You’ve never even dated, what do you know? With younger guys, it’s all about the fresh meat, who cares if he’s rich or not,” Zhao Jingxi said, grinning. “And his songs are pretty good, suit my taste. Want me to send you one?”
“No thanks, not interested.”
“Tsk.” Zhao Jingxi tapped Qian Duoduo on the head, “You’re no fun.”
……
After lunch and another hour of shopping with Zhao Jingxi, Qian Duoduo took her haul and caught a ride back to Stonewater in the afternoon.
Sam’s Club’s coconut water was sweet and refreshing; Qian Duoduo always bought a case whenever she went.
On the way back to the dormitory, she happened to run into a couple of Cooking Squad soldiers.
“Hey, Ms. Qian Duoduo?” The Cooking Squad member in camo training gear was surprised, then grinned. “Did you just get back from shopping?”
“Yes,” Qian Duoduo smiled, studying the young soldier’s face apologetically, “Sorry, but you are…?”
“I’m Wen Hao! We met this morning in the Mess Hall kitchen! Haozi!”
“Oh, now I remember,” Qian Duoduo smiled. “Nice to see you.”
“And me, Ms. Qian! I’m Xiao Honghua!” The younger boy piped up, pointing at himself. “Do you remember me?”
Xiao Honghua— she did remember that name. Qian Duoduo nodded, “I remember.”
Haozi glanced at the big bags in her hands and frowned, “Those look heavy, let us help!”
Qian Duoduo quickly refused, “No, no need…”
“We’re all on the same team now,” Haozi said, grabbing the plastic bags. “Ms. Qian, don’t be so polite.”
“…Alright.” Qian Duoduo was grateful. “Thank you.”
Wen Hao and Xiao Honghua helped carry her things back to the dorm.
Qian Duoduo took out five or six packs of Black Truffle Biscuits and handed them over, “Thank you for your help, take these and have some snacks.”
“We can’t,” Xiao Honghua said seriously, “The Three Major Disciplines and Eight Points for Attention say we can’t take even One Needle One Thread from the people!”
Qian Duoduo: “…”
Stuck for words, she stuffed a few packs of biscuits into their camo pockets. “We’re all teammates in the Cooking Squad now, you said I’m one of you. No need to be so formal! Take them, or you don’t consider me a teammate.”
The young soldiers declined several times, but couldn’t refuse in the end, and finally accepted.
Satisfied, Qian Duoduo smiled, then remembered something. “By the way, I heard there’s a basketball game today?”
“Huh? How did you know, Ms. Qian?” Xiao Honghua grinned. “We’re just heading to the Basketball Hall.”
Qian Duoduo said casually, “Are you going to see Comrade Xiao’s Three-Step Layup?”
“Comrade Xiao?” Wen Hao scratched his head, then realized, “Oh right, the Commander is a substitute, so he’ll probably play. But we’re not going just for him.”
Qian Duoduo was curious, “Then who are you going for?”
“Lu Captain, of course!” Xiao Honghua’s eyes lit up. “Lu Captain is amazing at basketball, tons of people here are his fans. He’s famous for his high basketball IQ and accurate shooting, with a three-point percentage over 80%.”
“That precise?”
“Pretty much,” Xiao Honghua continued, “The year before last, he led the team representing the Southern City Military District in the national PLA Basketball League, crushed Ba Yi Team, and won MVP.”
Qian Duoduo raised her brows. “That good?”
Sounds a bit exaggerated.
“Yeah,” Xiao Honghua, worried she didn’t believe, added, “Ms. Qian, are you free later? If you are, come watch the game with us, it’s better than sitting around bored.”
“You guys go ahead, I’ll come in a bit,” Qian Duoduo said.
“Okay!” The young soldiers left, chatting and laughing.
After putting her things away, Qian Duoduo sat and rested for a while, then took a few bottles of coconut water, left the dorm, and headed out.
……
At 4:20 p.m., Qian Duoduo arrived at the Basketball Hall with her coconut water.
Before she even entered, the warm air wafting through the door drove away the winter chill.
Peeking inside, she saw the hall was already bustling with people— players getting ready, spectators gathering.
The sounds of conversation and basketballs bouncing on the floor echoed throughout.
In the center, two teams were warming up.
The heating was on, making it quite warm. The players had all taken off their heavy coats, wearing custom jerseys, and the air was thick with energy.
Qian Duoduo hesitated at the door, then took a deep breath and went in, finding a low-key spot in the stands to sit.
Looking up again, she spotted a familiar figure.
Lu Qiming was running sprints with his back to the stands, his loose shorts outlining his strong legs and glutes, sweat trailing down his long neck, tracing a line over his defined muscles.
He looked… pretty sexy.
For some reason, Qian Duoduo felt her mouth go dry. She exhaled quietly, pretending to check her phone.
As 4:30 approached, the Referee took his position.
Lu Qiming rolled his neck and loosened up, gave some last-minute instructions to his teammates, and took his place.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his gaze swept over the stands.
In just a few seconds, his eyes locked on something, narrowing slightly.
In the corner of the stands, under the bright white lights, the shadows fell across a girl’s fair face and light-colored clothes.
Her lashes were lowered, sitting quietly like a lily of the valley lost on a battlefield.
Suddenly, the whistle pierced the air—the battle began.
Lu Qiming looked away, his face instantly turning cold as ice.
The game started.
Attack, defense, interception.
The teams clashed fiercely. Just seconds in, Lu Qiming faked out the opposing center with a slick move, scoring the opening two points for his team.
The scoreboard jumped, and the stands erupted in cheers.
Qian Duoduo had never been interested in sports, but even she felt her nerves tighten, her eyes glued to the court.
The other team, sensing trouble, launched a strong counterattack.
Lu Qiming, face stern, seized the right moment, stole the ball, and shut down the opponent’s fast-break dunk, then hit another three-pointer.
The scoreboard jumped again: 11:0
“Nice shot!” Xiao Honghua shouted, jumping up in excitement. “Beautiful!”
……
A few minutes later, the first half ended.
Lu Qiming’s team had already stretched the lead to 30 points— victory was nearly certain.
At that moment, a voice rang out from outside the Basketball Hall, laughing: “Busy as always! Guess I can finally play the second half!”
Qian Duoduo looked over—it was General Xiao.
The fifty-something major general entered with a broad smile, changed out of his uniform, and slipped on a matching jersey, jogging onto the court.
He chatted and joked with the younger players, then sat down, giving Lu Qiming a firm pat on the shoulder and saying something.
Lu Qiming smiled, lifting his jersey to wipe his sweat. Under the shifting lights, his eight-pack abs were clearly outlined, the lines disappearing into his waistband…
Qian Duoduo stiffened, mentally chanting “don’t stare at what you shouldn’t,” and hurriedly looked away at her phone.
Halftime seemed to drag on.
She scrolled through short videos, checked Xiaohongshu, but still the whistle hadn’t sounded.
She was just about to check the court when she noticed Lu Qiming had left the bench and was walking toward her.
He wore a loose black jersey, his short hair soaked with sweat and slicked back, revealing a smooth, full forehead.
His features were sharp, his brow high, and there was still a bead of blood from an earlier scuffle.
He really looked like a bold, spirited young man.
Lost in thought, Qian Duoduo didn’t realize the young lieutenant colonel in his jersey was already in front of her.
“Commander Xiao is pretty busy, he usually just plays the second half,” Lu Qiming said, looking down at her. “Ms. Qian, you’ll have to wait a little longer.”
“…Oh,” Qian Duoduo replied instinctively.
Then she remembered something, picked up the coconut water from her seat and handed it to him with a friendly, gentle smile, “Here. I brought some water, have a drink.”