The airport in Nancheng was located outside the city’s ring road, on the opposite side of Shishui District.
The military vehicle sped along the highway, exited onto the ring road, then onto the expressway, arriving at the compound at 4:30 PM.
Back at base, the three members of the expert team first returned to their dorms to drop off their luggage. Then they met up again to report at headquarters.
“Good.”
Upon learning that Lu Qiming and the others had completed their mission successfully, Xiao Chenghui’s face lit up with a satisfied smile.
He nodded approvingly. “You’ve all worked hard. Take the weekend to rest.”
As soon as the words were out, the three of them turned to leave.
But just as they reached the office door, Xiao Chenghui’s voice called out again, casually: “Oh right, bring Xue Wei to me later. I need to ask him something.”
Xue Wei worked in admin, and his office was on the second floor.
At the elevator, Wang Siqi pressed the down button and smiled. “Captain Lu, Engineer Jiang, my office is on the same floor as Comrade Xue’s. You two head back and rest — I’ll call him up.”
“I’ll go,” Lu Qiming said.
At his words, both Wang Siqi and Jiang Jin looked momentarily puzzled but didn’t press the issue.
They simply nodded and said okay.
Shortly after, a young officer in standard uniform walked into Commander Xiao’s office.
Roughly a few minutes later, the officer exited, now holding a kraft paper file folder.
Xue Wei clutched the folder as he walked toward the elevator, head down and deep in thought.
He didn’t notice the tall figure standing around the corner of the staircase.
Suddenly—
“Comrade Xue.” A voice sounded by his ear — cool and low, immediately recognizable.
Xue Wei stopped in his tracks. He turned back with a polite grin. “Captain Lu? I thought you’d already left. Is there something else?”
Lu Qiming stepped closer and asked, “What did the Commander need just now?”
“Oh. Remember that joint military appreciation event we did with the local government a while back? Two food bloggers are coming to stay at our compound this weekend,” Xue Wei said. “The Commander asked me to handle the reception and coordinate with the tourism group. Told me not to mess it up.”
“Which day this weekend?” Lu Qiming asked.
Xue Wei blinked, not catching on at first. “Which day?”
“You said the two bloggers are coming this weekend,” Lu Qiming said calmly. “Saturday or Sunday?”
“Oh, Sunday afternoon. The check-in window is between three and five PM.” Xue Wei scratched his head and chuckled. “Captain Lu, you usually don’t ask about admin stuff like this. What’s got you so interested in this event?”
“I saw the file you posted in the group. Thought it looked interesting.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Have you figured out where the bloggers will be staying?” Lu Qiming asked, sounding casual.
“One male, one female. The guy — he runs a blog called ‘Kuanshitang’— he’s all set. But for the female blogger, I’m still figuring things out…” Xue Wei frowned slightly. “As you know, we have very few female officers here, and the women’s dorm floor is already full. If it really comes down to it, we might have to put her in the men’s dorm building.”
At that, Lu Qiming’s brows furrowed slightly. “It won’t be convenient for a young woman to stay in a building full of male officers.”
Xue Wei sighed. “Nothing I can do. The guesthouse is under renovation — should take about a month. Even if we put her there now, she’d have to move again soon. Might as well just put her straight into the single officers’ dorm.”
Lu Qiming said nothing, eyes downcast in thought.
Seeing his expression, Xue Wei added, “The dorms were upgraded recently. Every room has its own private bathroom and shower now. I figured once she’s in and closes her door, she can have her privacy—it shouldn’t be a big deal.”
A pause.
Then Lu Qiming said abruptly, “There’s an empty room next to mine.”
Xue Wei was stunned for a moment. “Huh?”
“You can arrange for her to stay next door to me.”
“…Got it.”
*
Zhao Jingxi had lived in the old house on Jinwu Road for over twenty years, and over the years she’d accumulated a mountain of odds and ends.
During this move, half the stuff was either thrown out or given away.
In the end, only four giant cardboard boxes remained.
By Saturday night, the days-long moving process was finally over.
Qian Duoduo lay sprawled on the sofa, utterly exhausted.
“You’re amazing, my baby!” Zhao Jingxi hugged her tight, grinning. “Come on, dinner’s on me at Blue Micro tonight. I’ll even find you three tall athletes — six-foot-two minimum!”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass.” Qian Duoduo stretched lazily, grabbed the car keys off the coffee table, and stood up. “I have to report to the Shishui military compound tomorrow afternoon, so I need to pack tonight.”
Zhao Jingxi looked surprised. “Didn’t you already buy all your essentials? Haven’t packed yet?”
“Almost done. Just doing a final check to make sure nothing’s missing.” Qian Duoduo paused, her bright eyes landing on Zhao Jingxi. She reminded her seriously, “If you do go to Blue Micro tonight, don’t drink too much. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Yeah yeah! I got it.”
“I’m heading out now.”
Zhao Jingxi’s rental was in the city center, not far from Qian Duoduo’s place—about ten minutes by car.
Back home, the TV was playing the latest domestic family drama. Zhang Xuelan was curled up on the sofa, legs crossed, snacking on sunflower seeds while watching the show, clearly enjoying herself.
Qian Duoduo bent down to change her shoes and asked gently with a smile, “Mom, where’s Dad?”
“In the bathroom.” Zhang Xuelan didn’t even look up. After a beat, she turned her head. “You’re heading to the base tomorrow to be a chef. Got your menu sorted out?”
Qian Duoduo winced. “Mom, I’m going there as part of a company-government media project to promote the military — not to be their cook.”
“Same thing.” Zhang Xuelan tossed a black seed into her mouth and raised an eyebrow. “You’ll be living on base for a month anyway. If you don’t like that Lu Qiming guy, find another one you do like in that unit.”
Qian Duoduo said nothing, just smiled sweetly and said, “I’m going to shower and pack. You enjoy your show.”
*
She slept in until she woke naturally.
By 2:30 p.m. the next day, Qian Duoduo rolled out of the house, pushing a super-sized suitcase.
The base had strict rules for vehicle access.
Worried her car might not be allowed in or out freely, she took a cab instead.
Lu Qiming had already told her on WeChat that her assigned unit was a bit remote.
True enough, once the cab left the city center, it headed west, and the scenery outside the window grew increasingly sparse and desolate.
The rows of high-rises disappeared, replaced by clusters of industrial factories.
No idea how long they drove before the cab finally started slowing down.
“Miss, this is about where your address leads,” the driver said. “Where would you like to get off?”
“Could you drive a little further?” Qian Duoduo replied. “I’m looking for a military unit, and it’s not marked clearly on the map.”
“The military base, huh?” The driver frowned. “There is a unit out here, pretty well hidden. I kind of remember where it is — I’ll help you look.”
A moment later, the driver jerked his chin toward the front. “There, that it?”
Qian Duoduo instinctively turned to look.
The first thing that met her eyes was a towering, imposing building.
About seven stories high, with pristine white walls and a massive footprint.
At the top, bold red characters blazed across the façade: Follow the Party’s Command, Win the War, Uphold Excellent Conduct. Below that, the August 1st emblem was mounted at the center, a metallic five-pointed star gleaming brilliantly under the afternoon sun.
Guard booths flanked both sides of the gate.
Two soldiers in full camouflage gear stood armed and alert, their postures ramrod straight like nails driven into the ground. Beside them stood a warning sign: Sentries Are Sacred — Do Not Trespass.
Qian Duoduo blinked involuntarily at the sight.
She was going to live here for a whole month?
Hard to imagine.
While she was still processing it, the cab rolled to a stop several meters short of the yellow security line.
“Private vehicles can’t go past the warning line,” the driver said. “Miss, you’ll have to walk from here.”
“Okay, thanks a lot, sir.”
Two minutes later, the taxi made a U-turn and vanished in a cloud of dust, leaving her and her suitcase behind.
A breeze picked up.
There was a faint smell of gunpowder in the air — not strong, but certainly unpleasant.
Far in the distance, she could hear the sharp pops of gunfire from a shooting range inside the base.
The afternoon sun was warm and golden, casting shadows off the watchtower above.
Qian Duoduo raised her hand to shield her eyes and looked toward the heavily guarded entrance.
The sentries’ faces were young, cold, and expressionless. She pulled out her phone in silence.
She’d planned to walk in herself, but seeing this level of security… better to ask that admin officer to come escort her in.
As Qian Duoduo lowered her head and started tapping away on WeChat, the sound of an engine rumbled up behind her.
She turned to look — and saw a military SUV had pulled up without her noticing.
With a slight jolt, the steel beast rolled over the third speed bump before the warning line, then came to a stop beside her.
Qian Duoduo blinked in confusion and looked up.
As she stood there baffled, the rear bulletproof window slowly rolled down — revealing a cold, handsome face that appeared in her view without warning.
His uniform outlined a tall, lean build. He looked straight at her, saying nothing.
His eyes were dark and deep, as if they held the quiet gravity of snow-covered mountains.
“…” Qian Duoduo stared, stunned, lips parted slightly in surprise — completely frozen.
“You’re trying to get in, aren’t you?” Lu Qiming asked.
Too shocked to think, Qian Duoduo could only nod like a robot.
“Welcome, food blogger Ms. Qian Duoduo, to the military camp — where you’ll carry forward the revolutionary spirit and experience life in red.” Lu Qiming’s usually calm, deep eyes held an almost imperceptible glimmer of amusement as he said coolly, “If you don’t mind, please get in.”
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