The scar’s position was concealed— about four finger-widths below the back of his neck— usually hidden even when wearing light clothing like basketball tank tops.
Seeing the mysterious scar, Qian Duoduo’s curiosity got the better of her. She softly and tentatively asked, “There’s a scar on your back…”
At her words, Lu Qiming paused slightly, then instinctively turned his head to glance over his shoulder. “Below the back of the neck?”
“Mm.” Qian Duoduo nodded.
“A bullet wound.” Lu Qiming answered flatly.
“Bullet wound?” The term sounded unfamiliar, and Qian Duoduo was momentarily confused, unable to immediately grasp the exact meaning.
She furrowed her brows and asked, “What does ‘bullet wound’ mean?”
“It means the enemy’s bullet didn’t hit me directly. It just grazed past, leaving a burn mark from the impact.” Lu Qiming explained.
Hearing this, Qian Duoduo’s chest tightened. “Was this from a previous mission?”
Lu Qiming pulled on his training jacket and looked back at her, his eyes calm like the deep sea, with a faint trace of evaluation, judgment, and vigilance.
He simply answered, “A long time ago.”
Those three words were understated. Clearly, he was unwilling— or perhaps unable— to elaborate.
Qian Duoduo belatedly recalled that he had mentioned their work was highly classified.
She bit her lip, feeling guilty, and quickly said, “I didn’t mean to pry. No offense. Please don’t misunderstand or read too much into it…”
Lu Qiming took in the anxious and embarrassed expression on her face without saying anything.
Glancing at the shredded chicken on the table, he took a set of standard stainless steel bowls and chopsticks from the acrylic storage cabinet, sat back on the bed edge, and picked up a piece to eat.
Seeing this, Qian Duoduo nearly choked on her spicy strips.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s leftover food. It’s meant for the military dogs. You’re really eating it?”
“I’m not stealing from their bowl.” Lu Qiming ate without a flicker of hesitation. “If worse comes to worst, I’ll just buy dog food to make up for it.”
Qian Duoduo: “…”
Is this really about buying dog food as compensation?
Watching the man eat so nonchalantly, she murmured, “You really don’t care about such things, do you?”
Lu Qiming smiled faintly and suddenly said, “When I was in university training on the Gobi Desert, there was a dedicated cooking squad to feed us. Out in the wild, cooking over open fires, the food contained all kinds of high protein ingredients. We still had to eat it.”
Qian Duoduo was a bit puzzled. “There’s that much high protein in the wild? You guys have such good meals.”
Lu Qiming paused for nearly two seconds, then lifted his eyelids to look at her with interest.
“Miss, the high protein I’m talking about is cockroaches, ants, centipedes, and scorpions.”
“…”
Qian Duoduo’s eyes popped wide, and she coughed in shock.
Lu Qiming glanced at her and continued casually, “One time, our entire class found cockroaches and scorpions in our bowls. One guy secretly poured his food away when the instructor wasn’t looking. When we found out, the instructor made the whole class help him pick up every grain of rice mixed with sand. Afterward, we all had to eat it together.”
He chuckled lightly, “Everyone ended up with sand in their mouths.”
Qian Duoduo felt sorry for Lu Qiming and asked, “Why should the whole class suffer for one person’s mistake? That’s unfair.”
“In the army, the individual is the collective, and the collective is the individual.” Lu Qiming said.
Fair enough.
No wonder he didn’t mind eating that cold shredded chicken meant for the dogs…
Qian Duoduo popped another spicy strip in her mouth, chewing slowly as she stole glances at the man eating his chicken.
To be fair, Lu Qiming ate quickly but without any ravenousness or rudeness.
Whether it was his striking good looks or his stoic demeanor, watching him eat was actually quite pleasant.
She edged closer and asked, “Do you think this cold shredded chicken tastes good?”
“Good.”
Lu Qiming gave an objective appraisal. “Squad Leader Cui’s cooking skills are improving.”
Qian Duoduo took a bite of her spicy strips and, after a brief pause, said naturally, “I mixed the seasoning.”
Hearing this, Lu Qiming suddenly stopped moving his hand, then raised his gaze and looked straight at her.
“I was bored this afternoon, so I wandered into the kitchen. I happened to see them cooking.” Qian Duoduo explained, “That shredded chicken had just been boiled and cooled with water, sitting on the cutting board. I casually mixed some sauce and tossed it.”
Lu Qiming stared at her steadily, then slowly said, “No wonder my colleagues said tonight’s canteen food was an exceptional performance.”
Qian Duoduo felt a glow of pride, her lips twitching upwards naturally, but she kept her expression calm. “No, Squad Leader Cui and the others are all professionals. But I noticed most of the cooking squad comrades are just in their twenties, the youngest only eighteen. Locking a bunch of teenage boys in the kitchen all day is really tough on them.”
Lu Qiming smiled faintly at her sweet expression and curled his lips. “Looks like you get along well with the cooking squad guys.”
“Mm!” Qian Duoduo praised the cooks generously, “They’re all very nice, lively and cheerful—like my brothers.”
“You mentioned you’re divided into two groups,” Lu Qiming asked, “Who’s in your group?”
Qian Duoduo answered honestly, “My team members are Squad Leader Cui Yurong, Comrades Xiao Honghua, Wen Hao, Wang Fei, and Zhang Daqian.”
Lu Qiming specialized in combat and rarely interacted with logistics. Among those names, he only recognized three: Squad Leader Cui Yurong, Wen Hao, and Xiao Honghua.
“Little Cui is a veteran in the cooking squad and the head chef. He’s upright and responsible, with excellent management skills. Working with him should be easy for you.” Lu Qiming said.
“Yeah, it’s clear Squad Leader Cui is very capable.” Qian Duoduo nodded. Then she suddenly sighed, slumping her shoulders and exhaling softly, “But the first competition is on Friday, and I haven’t even decided what dish our team will make.”
Her brows furrowed in frustration, her face puckered like a steamed bun, exuding an indescribable blend of innocence and charm.
“It’s only Monday.” Lu Qiming said. “Take your time. There’s still plenty of time.”
“Better to decide early so you can prepare in advance.”
Lu Qiming raised an eyebrow slightly. “You really care about winning this competition?”
“I’m not that concerned about winning. It’s just a military support event, mostly about participating.” Qian Duoduo mumbled softly, “But… it seems Squad Leader Cui and his team care a lot about the results.”
Lu Qiming smiled. “Men in the military have a wolf’s spirit deep down. Not being competitive would be abnormal.”
“Alright, I get it.” Qian Duoduo sighed. “That’s why I feel the pressure.”
Time passed quietly.
Qian Duoduo sat in Lu Qiming’s single dormitory, chatting casually. Before she knew it, it was already ten at night.
Realizing how late it was, she turned on her phone and gasped, “It’s already so late! Team Leader Lu, you guys have morning drills tomorrow. I won’t disturb your rest!”
Saying that, she hurriedly got up from the chair.
There were two packs of spicy vegetarian meat strips. She finished one pack, leaving the other still in the plastic bag. Lu Qiming also stood and handed her the bag. “Take this.”
Qian Duoduo wanted to refuse but hesitated for two seconds, then took it, “Thank you, Team Leader Lu, for treating me to these.”
“You’re welcome.”
Lu Qiming accompanied her to the door.
Qian Duoduo reached for the door handle, about to step out, when her peripheral vision caught something on the side of his neck— a faint blue-gray smudge of wall dust.
She stretched out a finger to gently poke it, kindly reminding him, “You have some dust on your neck.”
Lu Qiming casually wiped it away.
The spot was in his blind spot. His hand missed slightly, and some dust remained.
Coincidentally, Qian Duoduo had a pack of tissues in her pocket.
She took out a clean tissue, unfolded and folded it neatly, holding it in her delicate fingers.
It was just a natural gesture, but she extended her hand with the tissue towards the side of his neck.
Lu Qiming hadn’t expected her to reach out and tensed slightly.
The dust was on the artery near his neck.
Her touch was gentle and soft. Suddenly, her pinky finger lightly brushed over the prominent Adam’s apple.
The cool yet tender contact felt like tiny insects crawling under the skin, tickling through the bones as if gnawing at her heart.
Lu Qiming swallowed and his eyes darkened sharply, focusing on the top of the girl’s head.
In a split second, he felt his body stirring wildly, his soul pulled to the brink.
A feeling called “desire” was battling fiercely inside the walls he had built with restraint and self-control, trying desperately to break free.
So close.
She was dangerously close.
Close enough that with just a slight lean forward, he could tear down the last barrier and capture her lips with precision.
Lu Qiming’s fingers curled tightly, his eyes darkening, on the verge of losing control.
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist firmly.
“…” Qian Duoduo was confused and slowly lifted her eyes to look at him.
Just as she froze in place, Lu Qiming’s grip suddenly relaxed.
He turned his head away, quietly steadying his breathing, and when he spoke again, his voice was calm and emotionless, “Go back. Good night.”
Qian Duoduo awkwardly forced out a smile. “Good night.”
After saying goodbye, she opened the door and left.
Her footsteps were light, not even triggering the motion-activated lights in the corridor.
Only after reaching Room 406, just a wall apart, did Qian Duoduo lean against the door in the dark and finally process what had happened.
Just now…
How many times had it been?
How many times had she seen that look in Lu Qiming’s cold, deep eyes?
So direct, so raw, so primal and predatory— like a wild beast on the open plain, locking onto its prey with deadly intent, making one’s heart race in fear.
It must be an illusion, Qian Duoduo told herself.
After all, Lu Qiming was such a proper, courteous, calm man.