“Just arrived,” Gao Yu said, emotions choked his voice and it sounded hoarse, almost like he was about to cry. “Brother Lu, you know, I was gone for two years. I thought I’d never come back in this lifetime…”
“Nonsense, you’re alive and kicking,” Lu Qiming frowned and twisted Gao Yu’s shoulder hard.
That twist was strong, like a scolding but really a familiar joke between comrades.
After exchanging a few words, Gao Yu’s eyes shifted to Qian Duoduo next to Lu Qiming. He paused and asked confusedly, “Team Leader Lu, who’s this?”
Before Lu Qiming could answer, Qian Duoduo smiled warmly and said, “Hello, I’m Qian Duoduo, a food blogger here for the Military-Civilian Exchange Activity.” She paused briefly and politely gestured toward Lu Qiming. “I was just asking Team Leader Lu some questions.”
“Oh…” Gao Yu suddenly understood, reaching out his right hand, “Hello, Teacher Blogger, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you,” Qian Duoduo smiled and shook his hand.
After greetings, Gao Yu’s gaze returned to Lu Qiming with a smile. “Where are you headed?”
“To the training ground,” Lu Qiming replied.
“Oh, I’m going to the Command Post to report to Comrade Xiao,” Gao Yu said, feeling nostalgic. “After being outside for seven hundred days, I almost forgot how to get here after entering the compound gate… Well, Team Leader Lu, Teacher Blogger, I won’t hold you up. See you later.”
“Goodbye.”
After Gao Yu left, Qian Duoduo’s waving hand dropped to her side. She turned to look at Lu Qiming.
He watched Gao Yu’s retreating figure with calm eyes, lost in thought.
Seeing no one else around, Qian Duoduo blinked hesitantly, then bravely bumped his left arm with her elbow and whispered, “Hey.”
Lu Qiming’s attention snapped back.
The gentle impact was like a white feather brushing over his heart.
He glanced sideways at the girl.
“Team Leader Lu,” Qian Duoduo spoke a bit louder, her expression tinged with curious excitement, “Who was that just now? Is he one of your men?”
“Yes,” Lu Qiming said calmly. “Gao Yu is one of the unit’s backbone soldiers. Two years ago, he was assigned by superiors to a mission and officially rejoined today.”
Qian Duoduo’s eyes widened. “Two years? That long?”
Lu Qiming nodded.
“Oh my,” Qian Duoduo looked shocked, stammering, “I thought your missions only lasted a few months at most. They actually count by years?”
Lu Qiming heard the implied concern in her words and felt a sudden panic.
But he showed no sign of it, only curling the corner of his mouth and speaking softly with comforting tone, “That kind of situation is very rare. Usually, it won’t be.”
Hearing this, Qian Duoduo’s tense nerves relaxed a bit. “Okay then…”
She pulled out her phone to check the time.
It was nearly nine o’clock already!
“Ah!” She thought miserably, “Sorry, I talked so much I lost track of time. Team Leader Lu, you better get busy. I’m going back now. Bye-bye.”
With that, she didn’t dare delay a second longer and turned to leave.
But before she could step away, the person behind called out again, “Duoduo.”
Qian Duoduo stiffened slightly; her eyes flickered.
From childhood to now, everyone from schoolmates to close friends had called her “Duoduo” as a nickname.
But if she remembered correctly, this was the first time Lu Qiming used that name in his calm, low voice so seriously.
She slowly turned around.
Lu Qiming stood upright in the morning light. The brim of his military cap half-shadowed his brows, but his clear, righteous eyes looked steadily at her.
Qian Duoduo was stunned to meet his gaze.
“You said earlier we have to hide our relationship in public; you call me ‘Team Leader Lu,’ and I call you ‘Teacher Qian,’” Lu Qiming said quietly, “But you never said how we address each other in private.”
Qian Duoduo’s cheeks flushed faintly. Clearing her throat, she answered, “Right, we haven’t said.”
“I heard from Grandpa Qian and the others that they call you ‘Duoduo,’” Lu Qiming looked at her and asked, “Can I call you that too?”
Qian Duoduo fought the rising emotions in her heart and nodded.
“From now on, when it’s just the two of us, you can use a different form of address for me as well.”
Qian Duoduo thought seriously for a moment. “Then how should I call you?”
“Just by my name, or anything else you want,” Lu Qiming said.
“Just calling your name seems a bit distant…” She pondered for two seconds but couldn’t come up with anything, so said, “You think about it when you get back.”
“Okay.”
*
Earlier, Qian Duoduo’s team and Da Kuan’s team had already divided their duties: breakfast was handled by the Cooking Squad as usual; lunch was cooked by Da Kuan’s team; and Qian Duoduo’s team was responsible for dinner for the camp soldiers.
Since Da Kuan was present at lunch in the canteen with many people, Qian Duoduo’s presence would be redundant and might steal the spotlight.
So she planned not to show up but to return to the Dormitory Building to rest.
After parting from Lu Qiming, she walked alone back toward the Dormitory Building.
Along the way, she faintly heard heavy sniper shots from the firing range. The sounds were muffled and deep, pounding on the eardrums with a weighty intimidation that nearly suffocated.
Qian Duoduo raised her hand to touch her cheek.
Thankfully, the heat had dropped and no longer burned her skin.
Life was truly full of uncertainties.
Not long ago, she had resolutely declared she would never date a soldier.
Who would have thought, so quickly, she would actually confirm a Relationship with Lu Qiming and become his girlfriend?
Thinking of this, Qian Duoduo couldn’t help but shake her head and smile in disbelief.
She let her thoughts wander all the way back to the Dormitory Building. After taking off her shoes and hanging up her jacket, she collapsed onto her bed like a boneless creature and played on her phone.
Suddenly remembering something, her eyes sharpened. She hurriedly found a number in her contacts and dialed.
The first call went unanswered with only ringing tones.
Qian Duoduo frowned and hung up. She thought: It’s been an entire night; even someone very drunk should be more conscious now…
She dialed a second time.
Finally, after several empty rings, someone answered.
“Hello…” Zhao Jingxi’s voice sounded hoarse and tired, weak and lifeless, like a frostbitten eggplant.
Qian Duoduo finally relaxed and said, “You finally picked up. I was starting to suspect your little boyfriend was a monster who sold you out.”
That made Zhao Jingxi laugh.
She chuckled lazily, “Don’t say nonsense. My boyfriend’s reliable. Last night when he came back, he threw up everywhere. He wiped my face, cleaned the floor, even mopped the ground. A real filial boyfriend.”
Qian Duoduo laughed. “Still not good enough.”
Zhao Jingxi, clearly still sleepy, yawned, “Why are you calling me anyway?”
Qian Duoduo’s smile froze for a moment, her voice dropping, guilty, “To apologize. Sorry.”
Zhao Jingxi was confused, “Apologize for what? Did you post our chat online?”
Qian Duoduo: “…”
She embarrassedly said, “Yes. Because of last night.”
“Last night?”
“Yeah. Chen Yu, the owner of Zero Degree Bar—oh, the scumbag who said he could help your boyfriend make an album and got you drunk…” Qian Duoduo bit her lip and earnestly said, “He was someone I went on a blind date with before. I don’t know how he found out you were my friend, but he set this trap. I dragged you into it. Sorry.”
“Ah, I thought you did something worse to me,” Zhao Jingxi laughed lightly, not taking it seriously at all. “I already heard from Liang Yuan last night. That dog’s gotta get what’s coming to him. And why are you apologizing to me?”
“After all, it’s because of me that Chen Yu…” Qian Duoduo’s voice trailed off.
“Enough, don’t take the blame for everything,” Zhao Jingxi scolded her, then suddenly switched to a gossip tone, “Hey, I heard from Liang Yuan that your Number 11 is really something. You know, Liang Yuan rarely praises anyone. He even stamped him as a handsome guy, must be top-notch.”
Qian Duoduo paused and answered objectively, “He’s not bad.”
“Hey.” Hearing this, Zhao Jingxi perked up, shaking off the last of her sleepiness, “You said last time you had a crush on Number 11? Last night he braved the danger with you. With that kind of bond, won’t your Relationship deepen?”
At this, Qian Duoduo’s ears flushed bright red. After careful thought, she calmly told Zhao Jingxi, “It already has.”
Her friend on the other end didn’t immediately react. “Huh?”
“He confessed to me last night, and I agreed this morning.”
“Cough…”
This news was so explosive that Zhao Jingxi coughed in shock for a while before exclaiming, “You mean you’re together?”
“Yes.” Qian Duoduo chose her words carefully, trying to explain, “We agreed to date tentatively and see how it goes.”
Zhao Jingxi was confused. “Tentatively? What do you mean?”
“Before, I refused Lu Qiming several times. Yesterday he said we should try dating. If during that time I find someone I truly like, he will step back anytime,” Qian Duoduo explained.
“Pfft.” Zhao Jingxi burst out laughing. “He’s got a strong mindset.”
“But I have to congratulate you, ending singlehood and starting your first romance.”
“Thanks.”
The two chatted for a while.
Suddenly, Qian Duoduo remembered the matter of couple nicknames and after thinking a few seconds, asked Zhao Jingxi over the phone, “By the way, how do you and Liang Yuan address each other in private?”
“‘Baobao’ (baby),” Zhao Jingxi answered naturally.
Qian Duoduo’s expression subtly shifted, and she asked skeptically, “‘Baobao’… isn’t that a bit too cheesy?”
“Come on, you’re in a relationship! It’s totally normal to be mushy when it’s just the two of you. Men are secretly soft; they look serious on the outside but love to act cute in private,” Zhao Jingxi said lightly, then added awkwardly, “Why do you ask?”
Qian Duoduo cleared her throat, “Nothing, just asking casually.”
*
Around 10:40 a.m., a military off-road vehicle slowly drove out of the camp gate.
In the back seat, a young middle-ranked officer in uniform sat upright on the right side, eyes lowered slightly, face calm, typing a WeChat message on his phone.
Lu Qiming: [Got a sudden public service; I have to go out for a bit. Don’t wait for me at lunch.]
After hitting “send,” he paused, then added: [Should be back before dark.]
Having sent the messages, Lu Qiming didn’t turn off the phone screen but quietly watched the avatar of a little piglet girl opposite him.
Today, Lu Qiming’s driver was Zhang Xiaohai.
Xiaohai was in a good mood and hummed a tune while driving, as if something happy had happened.
Caught up in Xiaohai’s cheerful mood, Lu Qiming felt his heart lighten, as if wrapped in a soft, sweet veil.
After about ten seconds, two replies popped up on his phone.
Qian Duoduo: [Okay]
Qian Duoduo: [Good luck with your work, baobao ^_^]
Lu Qiming: “…”