Qian Duoduo glanced at his cap, then surveyed his soaked clothes and pants with a slight frown before turning her gaze toward the firing range.
The sniper teams were lined up neatly, jogging out from the exit.
“Are they continuing training?” Qian Duoduo asked.
“Got caught in the rain. I told them to head back to the dorm to change first.” Lu Qiming’s tone was casual. “After they change, they’ll continue training. No delays.”
Hearing this, Qian Duoduo’s gaze returned to him. “You’re soaked too; you should hurry back to the dorm and change.”
“I know.” Lu Qiming looked at her and said, “But I can’t leave you behind.”
Qian Duoduo was momentarily stunned, then forced a slightly stiff smile. “You could just call me.”
“It’s raining. I have to find an umbrella for you.” Lu Qiming said.
“No… it’s not necessary.” Qian Duoduo declined gently. “The rain’s much lighter now. Besides, I’m going to the Mess Hall. It’s close— just a quick run.”
As they talked under the eaves, a voice suddenly called from nearby in a cheerful tone, “Captain Lu!”
Qian Duoduo and Lu Qiming turned to see a man in olive green service uniform holding a pale blue umbrella.
His shoes were damp; he was the officer who had previously guided the government personnel. His name was Jin Luochao.
Behind Jin Luochao followed a petite figure dressed in white down.
Qian Duoduo focused and recognized the woman— she was the leader of the government publicity department team sent to shoot footage in the compound.
Previously, separated by some distance, Qian Duoduo had only caught glimpses of the woman’s graceful figure at the range but had never seen her full face.
Up close, she was a stunning beauty.
About twenty-seven or twenty-eight, lightly made up with exquisite bone structure, her long black hair casually pinned in a bun.
Her pale-toned clothes and translucent makeup gave her an intellectual, Korean-style aesthetic.
Moreover, the woman appeared small only because all the men around her were tall. On her own, this oxygen beauty stood at least 1.68 meters tall.
The two men each held an umbrella and soon arrived side by side at the rest room’s entrance.
“Captain Lu, you’re still here?” Officer Jin greeted with a smile, noticing Qian Duoduo beside Lu Qiming. “Hello, Teacher Qian.”
Qian Duoduo returned the smile. “Hello.”
“You don’t know me yet? I’m Jin Luochao, from the same department as Xue Wei. Just call me Xiao Jin.” Jin Luochao introduced himself, then pointed to the woman beside him: “And this is Miss An from the Municipal Publicity Department.”
Upon hearing this, the white-clad woman couldn’t help but smile and replied, “Officer Jin, stop joking. I’m no ‘leader’— just a cog serving the people. My name’s An Meng.”
An Meng paused briefly, then gave Qian Duoduo a gentle smile: “Teacher Qian, I’m a fan of yours. I watch your Sleep Aid Video Series every night before bed.”
“Thank you for your support.” Qian Duoduo was relaxed and polite. “If you like it, I’ll make more sleep aid videos.”
After the greetings, Lu Qiming’s expression turned serious and formal: “Miss An, the heavy rain during this test might have affected the scores. Please don’t feel pressured— report the facts as they are.”
An Meng smiled gently: “Actually, a test in the rain only highlights the strong willpower of our soldiers.”
She sighed softly. “It’s a pity I missed seeing Captain Lu’s ten-ring shot in person because of the rain.”
Lu Qiming replied indifferently, “Just luck.”
“All right, enough with the official talk.”
Jin Luochao interrupted, urging, “Captain Lu, you’re soaking wet. You’ll catch a cold if you don’t go change soon.”
“Where are you headed?” Lu Qiming asked.
Jin Luochao was momentarily taken aback, then answered, “I have to review the footage and submit it to the boss and Miss An at the Comprehensive Building.”
Lu Qiming nodded. “Let me borrow your umbrella.”
Jin Luochao was about to ask why but caught sight of Qian Duoduo and immediately understood.
“Where are you going, Teacher Qian? Back to the dormitory?” Jin Luochao asked.
“I’m going to the Mess Hall,” Qian Duoduo replied. “I still have to prepare dinner for everyone.”
“Looks like we’re in for a treat tonight.”
Jin Luochao, straightforward and carefree, handed his umbrella to Lu Qiming. “Here you go, Captain Lu.”
Four people, two umbrellas— it made sense to divide them up this way.
After saying goodbye, Jin Luochao and An Meng shared an umbrella as they headed toward the Comprehensive Building.
Qian Duoduo stayed behind, watching their backs.
The rain had softened, changing from heavy drops to a gentle drizzle, now falling almost silently.
After a moment, she turned to Lu Qiming and urged again, “Captain Lu, you should take the umbrella and go back to the dorm first. I don’t mind getting a little wet.”
But the man seemed not to hear her and raised the umbrella higher.
Qian Duoduo murmured softly, “You go back first. I’ll wait a bit longer.”
Judging by the rain, it would probably stop in a few minutes. No need for him to go out of his way to escort her to the Mess Hall.
Lu Qiming, however, said calmly, “I don’t want to wait. Let’s go now.”
If they waited any longer, the rain really would stop.
A man who had just been soaked through was walking with a dry, clean woman— it just didn’t feel right no matter how you thought about it.
On the way from the range to the Mess Hall, Qian Duoduo kept her head lowered and her eyes cast down, silent for quite a while.
Although Officer Jin’s umbrella was a two-person size, Lu Qiming was tall and broad-shouldered, occupying most of the dry space beneath.
To avoid getting her wet, he angled the umbrella to shield her.
As they walked, Qian Duoduo noticed that half of Lu Qiming’s body was still exposed to the rain.
Alarmed, she whispered: “Your umbrella’s tilted wrong. Your shoulder and arm are still getting wet.”
“It’s fine. I’m already soaked.” Lu Qiming didn’t seem to care as he walked on.
Qian Duoduo bit her lip gently.
Glancing at his rain-darkened clothes with her peripheral vision, she finally couldn’t help but say tentatively, “Thank you.”
Lu Qiming glanced sideways at her. “Why suddenly thank me?”
“For taking care of me…” Qian Duoduo hesitated for two seconds, then sincerely added, “You’ve been really good to me.”
Lu Qiming’s lips twitched slightly, his tone more casual: “Didn’t you say friends should help each other?”
“But,” Qian Duoduo hesitated, “I haven’t really helped you much.”
Lu Qiming raised his right hand slightly. “You have.”
Qian Duoduo looked confused, unsure what he meant. “Huh?”
Her innocent, puzzled expression made Lu Qiming smirk and say softly, “When my hand was scratched by the rearview mirror, you took me to the hospital and got me a tetanus shot.”
“Oh…” The memory returned to Qian Duoduo and she gave an embarrassed, awkward laugh. “I was just doing what I should. Nothing to mention.”
“You helped me pick up my military knife.”
“It just happened to fall on my car, so I picked it up.”
“You introduced me to a traditional Chinese doctor to treat my insomnia.”
“That was just a thought I had and casually mentioned…” Qian Duoduo mumbled, realizing if she kept going, they’d never stop talking. She cleared her throat to change the subject clumsily. “I saw you shoot the sniper rifle earlier— hitting a ten-ring.”
Lu Qiming nodded. “Mm.”
“That was amazing.” Her eyes sparkled with sincerity. “Shooting an 800-meter ten-ring in a rainstorm— that’s something you’d only see in a Hollywood movie.”
Lu Qiming responded flatly, “Art always originates from life.”
After a few rounds of back-and-forth, Qian Duoduo suddenly didn’t know what else to say. She rubbed her nose and fell silent.
Soon, the outline of the military Mess Hall came into view.
Qian Duoduo stretched a hand beyond the umbrella’s edge and clearly felt the rain had thinned to fine strands.
She smiled at Lu Qiming and said, “Okay, Captain Lu, just walk me this far. I can manage the last few steps to the kitchen myself.”
Lu Qiming’s lips moved slightly, about to say something.
Before he could react, the young woman had already dashed off lightly, her long, slender legs stepping briskly, disappearing in a blink more than ten meters ahead.
Lu Qiming watched her slender figure intently.
After running for a moment, she suddenly stopped, as if remembering something, and turned back to look at him.
Even the rain treated her kindly, weaving a thin veil before her eyes. She raised her hands to shield her gaze, squinting with thick lashes fluttering.
Like a grazing animal that stops midway fleeing, her lashes teased at his heart.
“I’m making Steamed Pork with Rice Flour and Spicy Braised Duck Leg for dinner,” she said softly with a faint smile, carrying a teasing innocence unique to youth, “Just letting you know early— remember to come line up early.”
Lu Qiming smiled and replied quietly, “Will do.”
Satisfied, Qian Duoduo’s smile brightened further. She turned on her heel and dashed into the Mess Hall’s kitchen, vanishing from sight.
Lu Qiming stood quietly holding the umbrella for several seconds, then turned toward the office building.
At the entrance, he folded the umbrella, submitted to a full-body infrared scan, and placed his personal phone in the secure locker.
Lu Qiming’s expression remained cold and serious as he walked, until he met a senior engineer colleague face-to-face in the elevator.
The colleague’s eyes widened in shock at Lu’s drenched appearance. “Captain Lu, where have you been? Why are you soaked like this?”
Lu Qiming pressed his lips together, lightly rubbed his brow, and replied flatly, “Caught in the rain.”
He exited the elevator, retrieved his phone from the locker, stuffed it into his tactical pants pocket, and ignored the subtle and peculiar stares from two security soldiers as he strode away.
A few steps away, Lu Qiming couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle softly.
His mind was filled with that face, that smile — completely bewitched, lost in thought. He had even forgotten to change clothes.