The barber room was very quiet.
Within this small world, only two sets of breathing could be heard.
After waiting for a long time without any further movement from Lu Qiming, Qian Duoduo’s chest tightened.
Beneath the black cape, her slender index finger curled up unconsciously.
She felt a bit nervous.
Earlier today in the canteen, she had heard Major Song Qingfeng say that Lu Qiming could cut hair— and that he was quite skilled.
Thinking back to her mother’s reminder about getting her hair trimmed before leaving, she had acted on impulse and casually asked him to help fix her bangs.
She truly hadn’t expected him to readily agree so promptly.
Just moments before, he had been rejecting every request from Comrade Song Qingfeng…
Lost in her chaotic thoughts, thank goodness the long silence was finally broken by the crisp snip of scissors—click.
Lu Qiming lowered his gaze, his expression cold and calm as still water.
His pinky finger brushed a lock of hair by her ear, using the comb as a ruler to measure the length to trim.
Fine strands of hair fell onto his wrist bone, cool and soft like snowflakes dyed ink-black.
The man’s slender fingers holding the scissors moved with subtle grace, weaving lightly through her hair.
The next second, his fingertips twitched slightly, sweeping away the loose cut hairs from his wrist.
His brows and eyes remained calm, revealing no trace of emotion.
While continuing to trim her long hair, he spoke casually, “You have a lot of hair.”
Qian Duoduo had been quite nervous, but hearing him start a conversation shifted her attention and eased the tension in her mind.
She quickly smiled and replied, “Yes. Both my parents have thick and dense hair. I probably inherited it from them.”
He finished trimming the left side of her bangs.
Lu Qiming put away the scissors and took two steps sideways, his combat boots crushing some dust in the floor tiles as he moved to her right side.
His long fingers twirled a strand of hair on her right side, gently rubbing it between his fingertips with practiced ease.
Her hair was special.
Black, thick, but not coarse or hard— rather soft, delicate, and smooth like the finest Su embroidery silk.
Click.
Another snip.
He trimmed a few split ends and, with a natural motion, scooped a bundle of her black hair with his left hand and laid it gently to the other side.
His gaze traced those enchanting waves, and Lu Qiming’s index finger brushed over them as he asked lightly, “Teacher Qian, are your curls natural?”
“No.” Qian Duoduo kept a gentle smile on her face and answered, “I got them permed at a salon two months ago. It’s a very popular hairstyle now called French Curls.”
Fashion and trends were always Lu Qiming’s blind spots.
He had never heard of the “French Curls” she mentioned.
It was even the first time he realized that girls’ curly long hair could be categorized into many styles and names.
Lu Qiming pondered quietly without responding.
Below, noticing the silence lingered again, Qian Duoduo thought he was at a loss on how to respond to “French Curls” and felt awkward.
Hurriedly, she added, “These are topics girls usually care about; hardly any guys are interested. It’s normal if you don’t know.”
“I’m not uninterested,” Lu Qiming said.
Qian Duoduo was taken aback, looking blankly at the man beside her through the mirror. “Huh?”
Lu Qiming lifted his eyelids slightly, his dark eyes meeting hers in the reflection.
“Our work and living environments are relatively closed off, with few channels to learn about the outside world. Especially compared to you internet workers, we’re more isolated and lagging behind.”
“That’s not true.” Qian Duoduo felt her ears flush red and hesitated for two seconds before continuing, “I’ve never thought you guys were behind. Don’t think that way.”
“But I do learn quickly.”
Lu Qiming continued, “Usually, as long as you’re willing to tell me about something, I’ll make an effort to approach, understand, and adapt.”
Qian Duoduo blinked, a little stunned by his words. After a moment’s thought, she finally replied slowly, “I think I get what you mean. You’re saying you have a high acceptance of new things and won’t reject them, right?”
Lu Qiming nodded.
That stern and serious face combined with the earnest demeanor of a model student created a strangely fascinating contrast.
Qian Duoduo couldn’t help but smile and mischievously teased, “If Team Leader Lu wants to learn about girls’ curly hairstyles, I can give you a lesson.”
Lu Qiming watched her and said, “Go ahead.”
“Girls’ curly hair types can mainly be divided by curl size, hairstyle style, and length.”
Qian Duoduo raised a hand and counted on her fingers patiently like a teacher.
“First, by curl size: there are large curls, medium curls, and small curls. Among the small curls, styles include Teddy Perm, Lamb Wool Perm, and Latin Perm. Medium curls include Water Ripple Curl and Rocking Horse Perm.”
Pausing briefly, she looked up at him with a bright smile and said, “The French Curls I got belong to the large curl category. They emphasize a lazy and casual vibe, are versatile for daily wear, and easy to manage. Besides these, there are many other more detailed categories.”
The girl rattled off a long list, full of exotic and unfamiliar names—all terms Lu Qiming had never heard before.
He lowered his eyelids, studying them carefully, then nodded calmly after a few seconds. “I understand.”
Qian Duoduo tilted her head back, the back of her head brushing against the edge of his combat uniform.
She blinked her bright eyes and smiled sweetly, “Team Leader Lu, what I just told you is only the classification of curls among long hair. I haven’t mentioned the categories for medium or short hair. Do you want to hear those too?”
Lu Qiming: …………
He was silent for a few seconds before replying, “If you want to talk, I’ll listen.”
His words completely amused Qian Duoduo.
She lowered her head and stifled a few laughs, then waved her hand teasingly, “Forget it. If I keep explaining, you’ll probably have nightmares tonight filled with mannequin heads sporting all kinds of curls.”
Early winter afternoon, the sunlight was warm.
The girl sat in the barber chair, the black cape covering most of her body.
Her neck was slender and beautifully contoured; the skin exposed under the sunlight had a soft, subtle glow.
When not smiling, she looked like a still painting; when she smiled, the whole picture came alive.
It wasn’t a fierce kind of beauty, but a tranquil, gentle brook flowing deeply into one’s bones.
Lu Qiming was momentarily dazed by that fresh and radiant smile.
Thus, when facing this girl named Qian Duoduo, his mindset easily became contradictory.
He simultaneously longed to reach out and touch her but was afraid to get too close.
So he set up a line of defense with reason, marking a forbidden zone for himself and warning not to cross it.
However, as he spent more time with her, Lu Qiming found a fierce beast rising within his heart.
Countless times it tore at his reason and collided with his defenses, trying to trigger an explosion in the minefield full of traps.
For a soldier who had endured fourteen years of iron-blooded training, this was extremely dangerous—dangerous to a deadly degree.
But what could he do?
He had already been rejected twice before. A third rejection might cost him even the chance to be “just friends”…
Outside, the roar of armored vehicles’ engines faded away.
The sweet scent on the girl mixed with the faint smell of gun oil carried by the cold wind.
Under the warmth of the heater, the two aromas blended and drifted into Lu Qiming’s nostrils.
Like sweet fruit wine laced with poison, it tempted the beast in his heart to salivate and nearly break his restraint.
Every second was an unbearable torment.
Click.
The scissors snapped sharply again.
The last stray hair fell, landing perfectly on Qian Duoduo’s cape over her knees.
“All done.”
Lu Qiming put away the scissors, turned to organize his tools, and said lightly, “Look in the mirror and see if there’s anywhere you want adjusted.”
Qian Duoduo raised her eyes to her reflection and studied herself carefully.
A glance to the side caught her off guard, and she froze.
Was she seeing things?
In the clear mirror, the young major’s profile was like a painting.
His clean and beautiful left ear was red.
But soon, Lu Qiming’s figure disappeared from the mirror.
Qian Duoduo instinctively turned her head and saw the man silently walking into the washing area of the barber room.
He turned on the faucet and rinsed the cutting tools under the rushing water.
From this angle, she couldn’t see his face or expression—only a tall, strong back.
It must have been a mistake.
Qian Duoduo muttered to herself and looked back to the mirror.
What Major Song Qingfeng said was true: Lu Qiming’s haircutting skills were indeed very good.
Her bangs were the Airy Curtain Bangs style— a seemingly simple style but one that actually requires excellent skill.
A slight misstep and it could look terrible.
Even at professional salons outside, she had suffered bad trims several times— either thick and heavy “curtain bangs” or awkward, choppy “dog-bitten” looks.
But Lu Qiming had trimmed it perfectly.
The length was just right— light, thin, natural, and very much the trendy “girlish” style.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Qian Duoduo smiled happily and sincerely praised, “Thank you, Team Leader Lu. You cut hair very well.”
Just then, Lu Qiming finished washing the tools and came out from the back room.
He casually put the scissors and other items into the storage bag, lowered his eyes, and his lips curved slightly, “As long as Teacher Qian is satisfied.”
“Looks like for the next month, I can save the money I’d spend on haircuts.”
She said with a smile, reaching down to remove the cape, “I’ll use the money saved to buy Team Leader Lu some milk tea.”
“Wait a moment.”
Lu Qiming suddenly said.
Qian Duoduo froze mid-move, looking up in confusion.
Their eyes met— a focused and somber gaze.
He calmly reached out and brushed away a few stray hairs clinging to her neck.
The cool touch of his knuckles slid over her collarbone.
Qian Duoduo felt that rough sensation, blinking as a blush spread across her face and a secret shiver ran through her whole body.
Even her neck stiffened, as if under a freezing spell, sitting still in the chair, unable to move.
After a moment, he finished clearing the hair.
Lu Qiming stepped back half a pace, fingers twitching.
A soft rip sound followed as the adhesive strip on the cape behind her neck was pulled apart.