She swallowed the dumpling skin in her mouth, hesitated for half a second, and finally asked in a very soft voice, “Did… did your mission go well?”
“Hm.” Lu Qiming nodded slightly but didn’t say a word.
Qian Gege didn’t push the matter further, knowing what she could and couldn’t ask.
Her gaze dropped to the dark brown bloodstain on the man’s chest and asked, “You said the injury from the stone was on your chest?”
Lu Qiming paused for half a second before replying in his usual calm tone, “The weather hasn’t been good these past few days in that area, so there was a small accident. It’s nothing serious.”
Qian Gege guessed, “Bad weather… Did you encounter snow?”
“Not far off.” Lu Qiming’s eyebrows twitched as he ate. “A blizzard.”
“…”
Qian Gege’s throat tightened, her mood complex and heavy like swallowing a bitter orange.
She liked camping and knew the basics well.
She naturally understood that encountering a blizzard in the wilderness was life-threatening if you weren’t careful. Yet to him, it was just a “small problem” caused by bad weather.
What kind of life had he lived these past ten years in uniform?
Beside her, Lu Qiming’s expression was steady as he quietly ate.
Looking at his cold and handsome profile, Qian Gege was lost in thought, unable to say another word.
–
A first-tier metropolis was always more beautiful the deeper into the night.
At the city center’s Zero Degree Bar.
On stage, spotlights illuminated a tall, slender male singer. His lowered gaze swept over his guitar strings, and just his sharply defined profile was enough to make the audience scream.
Below, the dance floor was filled with men dancing wildly under the influence of alcohol, their bodies twisting like snakes as the ambiguous, dim laser lights swept across the room like ghostly eyes.
Zhao Jingxi, having just returned from the restroom, was reapplying her lipstick in front of the mirror when a voice suddenly sounded at her ear, smiling as it called out, “Miss Zhao?”
Zhao Jingxi paused and turned around in confusion.
A smiling young man appeared—a red-haired fellow about seventeen or eighteen, medium build and unremarkable looks, the kind she wouldn’t even glance at on the street. But his fiery hair was eye-catching.
“Do you know me?” Zhao Jingxi replied nonchalantly, turning her head away and casually putting her lipstick back in her purse.
“Of course.” The redhead smiled back. “Ever since Liang Yuan started performing here, you come every night. Everyone knows you’re his close friend. People say privately that Liang Yuan is lucky to have such a beautiful, capable friend who supports his career so much.”
At this, Zhao Jingxi’s eyes shifted with some interest. “Are you from Zero Degree?”
“That’s right.” The redhead nodded. “Miss Zhao, fate brought us together. Our boss is here tonight too and would like to invite you for a drink. I don’t know if you’d honor us with your presence?”
Zhao Jingxi gave a polite but insincere smile. “Please thank your boss for the invitation, but I’m here to listen to my boyfriend sing, so I won’t be drinking. Goodbye.”
Saying this, she turned to leave, bypassing him.
“Miss Zhao, to be honest, our boss greatly admires Liang Yuan’s talent. Coincidentally,” the man behind her spoke slowly and deliberately, “our boss’s cousin is the director at Starlight Media in Nan City.”
At this, Zhao Jingxi stopped abruptly.
She turned her head back very slowly.
“Miss Zhao, you’re in the industry, so you must have heard of Starlight Media. They have countless first-tier singers. If Starlight wants to promote someone, that person will become famous.”
“…” Zhao Jingxi frowned, hesitation flickering across her face.
The man continued, “Our boss invited you here to discuss helping Liang Yuan release a solo single. There’s only one chance. Miss it here, and there’s no next time.”
–
Stonewater, the military district compound.
After eating dumplings, Qian Gege and Lu Qiming left the mess hall.
As team captain, Lu Qiming naturally had to report to the highest commander after the mission.
So Qian Gege had to return to the dorm alone, watching that cold, upright figure disappear into the night towards the Command Office Building.
Back in Room 406, her mind cluttered with thoughts, she decided to take a shower, apply a face mask, then sat on the edge of the bed scrolling through short videos.
She hadn’t been in the camp for even a month yet, meaning she wouldn’t be able to record new videos for four whole weeks.
In the era of “content is king,” a video channel with no updates for a month would lose a large chunk of followers.
Luckily, Qian Gege had stockpiled footage that her editor could upload twice a week to keep her account alive.
Her blogger account was managed by a team; she only used a secondary account to browse, mostly following eating and comedy video accounts.
After watching several funny animal-dubbed clips, she chuckled softly, her tangled mood soothed a little.
Her pale fingers swiped down to the next video when suddenly a call came in.
Caller ID: Zhao Jingxi.
Seeing the contact name, Qian Gege paused for a moment before swiping to answer, smiling as she greeted, “What’s up, Jingxi?”
But to her surprise, the next second, a strange young male voice came through the receiver, sounding like a boy just over ten years old.
“Hello, is this Qian Gege?” the boy asked anxiously.
“Yes.” Qian Gege suddenly grew nervous, frowning slightly. “Who is this? Why are you using my friend’s phone?”
“This is Zero Degree Bar. Zhao Jingxi is drunk. She asked me to call you and let you know.” The boy seemed to be nudging someone nearby, whispering, “Miss Zhao? Miss Zhao? Your friend’s phone is connected. Come speak with her. Miss Zhao?”
He called several times with no response. Obviously, the woman was unconscious from drunkenness.
Qian Gege asked, “Where’s Zhao Jingxi’s boyfriend?”
“I haven’t seen him.” The boy answered.
Qian Gege rubbed her forehead and silently muttered, “Men really aren’t as reliable as friends,” then said, “Okay. Zero Degree Bar, right? I’m coming now.”
After hanging up, she changed clothes quickly, put on her shoes and socks, and rushed out.
As soon as she stepped out, she tucked her cold, red ears into a thick scarf and immediately bumped into a shadow carrying the scent of cedar.
She froze and looked up sharply.
Lu Qiming stood in the corridor holding a white food bag. His blood-stained, snow-speckled Zuo Xun Fu had been changed for a cream-colored winter sweatshirt.
His short hair was neat, black eyes clear, his whole demeanor cool and tidy. At a glance, he looked like a male college student who had just finished running a thousand meters.
“Captain Lu?” Qian Gege called out in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I bought some local specialty on the way back— wind-dried yak meat.” Lu Qiming said, handing the white bag to her. “For you.”
“Oh, okay, thank you, thank you.” Qian Gege thanked him repeatedly. At this moment, she couldn’t refuse, so she took the bag and tossed it on the desk in her room before closing the door tightly behind her.
Lu Qiming studied her for a moment, slightly frowning. “It’s so late, aren’t you going out?”
“Yes.” Qian Gege spoke briefly and quickly. “My good friend got drunk at the bar. I have to pick her up.”
“Did your friend call you herself?” Lu Qiming asked.
“No.” Qian Gege shook her head, worry filling her eyes. “Someone else used her phone to call me. She must be too drunk to call on her own.”
Lu Qiming stared at her, sensing something was off. “It’s so late. You’re going out. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“It should be.” Qian Gege thought for a moment and continued, “She’s done this before. Whenever she’s drunk, I’m the one who picks her up.”
Hearing this, Lu Qiming said no more but nodded calmly. “Okay. I’ll go with you.”
Qian Gege was caught off guard and quickly waved her hands. “It’s so late, I don’t want to trouble you. I can go by myself.”
“Let me go with you.”
Lu Qiming’s expression was calm but his tone was firm and unquestionable. “Otherwise, I won’t be at ease.”
–
The night wind grew colder.
A black off-road vehicle sped down the road, neon lights flashing past the window.
Minutes later, Lu Qiming and Qian Gege stood outside the Zero Degree Bar.
The building’s unique architecture stood tall in the night, music thundering inside. Colorful, flashing lights shimmered and twisted mysteriously, like the mesmerizing eyes of the mythical Medusa.
Heavy drumbeats and metal music pounded one after another as the lights shifted in a dizzying display of wine-red and green hues.
Qian Gege entered, looking around. The lighting was dim, and shadows flickered everywhere; faces were blurred, impossible to distinguish.
She pursed her lips and took out her phone to call Zhao Jingxi.
No answer.
Listening to the silent line, her worry deepened. She tried to push through the undulating sea of dancers in the middle of the floor toward the quieter VIP seating area.
Lu Qiming followed close behind her.
However, the moment they stepped onto the dance floor, the crowd surged like waves.
Lu Qiming’s eyes hardened. He reached out to grab her arm, but it was too late.
Qian Gege, small and fragile, stumbled a half-step, pushed several meters by the throng. When she finally regained her footing and turned back, Lu Qiming’s familiar tall figure was gone.
They had been separated.
Qian Gege was bumped left and right several times, swaying unsteadily for a few seconds before finally squeezing out of the chaotic crowd.
Breathing heavily in the middle of a VIP booth, she took out her phone, preparing to find Lu Qiming and reunite.
At that moment, a man’s voice sounded behind her, dripping with mockery: “Yo, am I seeing things? Is this our big internet celebrity, Qian Gege? Long time no see. What wind blew you here?”
That voice—
Qian Gege frowned and turned around.
On the VIP sofa sat a man lazily dressed in a dark gold shirt and snake-skin shoes. His taste was questionable, but the outfit clearly cost nearly six figures.
Within seconds, Qian Gege recognized him as Chen Yu.
One of her blind date prospects.
The loud music pressed down like thick mud on everyone, making it hard to breathe.
Qian Gege focused on finding Zhao Jingxi and Lu Qiming, unwilling to exchange words with Chen Yu. She said nothing and turned to leave.
Unexpectedly, a burly man blocked her path.
A sense of foreboding rose in her chest.
Qian Gege’s heart sank, and she turned back with a cold smile, voice icy. “Mr. Chen, what is the meaning of this?”
“No special meaning.” Chen Yu swirled the whiskey glass in his hand and slowly stood up. “Just want to have a few drinks with you.”
Qian Gege was speechless and didn’t want to waste words on someone like him. She tried to walk around him.
Another big man blocked her again.
Biting her lip, she was about to speak when a voice came from behind, deep and calm without any emotion: “Step aside.”
Qian Gege froze and looked up.
Chen Yu and his henchmen also turned around in surprise.
Lu Qiming stood expressionless in the shifting shadows, sharp and cold, like a white poplar tree covered in frost on the snowy plateau.
Chen Yu was stunned by his presence, hesitating for several seconds before clearing his throat and scowling, “Who are you? What right do you have to interfere here?”
Lu Qiming said, “I’m Qian Gege’s boyfriend.”