The moment the girl’s last words fell, Lu Qiming’s breath caught slightly, as if a spring thunderclap suddenly rang in his heart.
Last night, she said she needed a night to think it over, and he had agreed.
On the surface, he appeared calm and composed, but only Lu Qiming knew how anxious and uneasy he had been during those few hours last night.
He had tossed and turned all night without sleep.
Finally, as the deep night was about to end, he got up to wash and dress, with only one thing on his mind: to ask Qian Duoduo for her answer after thinking it over.
It was still before six o’clock.
The corridor was pitch black and silent; every door was tightly shut. Except for Lu Qiming’s room 408, not a single room on the entire floor had its light on.
After changing shoes and stepping out, Lu Qiming walked steadily to room 406. Just as he was about to knock, he stopped abruptly, recalling something.
He remembered Qian Duoduo had said she usually liked to sleep in.
Since moving into the PLA Camp, the daily military songs and reveille had already disturbed her sleep enough. Would it be making things worse if he knocked so early now?
Thinking this, a faint crease appeared between his brows.
His arm, ready to knock, lowered slowly. After a moment’s hesitation, he turned back to his own room.
Lu Qiming’s hearing was sharp. The 406 and 408 rooms shared only a single wall. Every time Qian Duoduo washed her face or brushed her teeth in the bathroom, even the light tapping of her makeup brush against the powder compact could be heard clearly.
Sitting alone back at his desk, he stared blankly at the TV’s black screen. After a while, his eyes caught the sports drink beside him. He picked it up and took a sip.
Lu Qiming loved sports and normally exercised one to two hours daily.
When had he bought this bottle? He couldn’t recall.
But it was probably more than two days ago.
Science videos said once opened, beverages spoil quickly, growing bacteria overnight and becoming undrinkable. But at that moment, Lu Qiming had no time to worry about that.
His palms were sweaty, his back stiff and straight, even the movement of his Adam’s apple swallowing the drink felt unnatural compared to usual.
Inside, he was deeply conflicted.
One part of him was eager to hear the final answer; the other was overwhelmed by an uncontrollable nervousness and unease.
Thus, Lu Qiming trapped himself in this complicated and strange emotional cage until the eastern horizon outside grew pale grayish-white, and the military song echoed through the speakers, an Order of the Day heard only every few years.
The night ended, and light was about to dawn.
The entire Dormitory Building came alive from the silence. Gradually, sounds of all sorts filled the air.
It was Monday; all the soldiers were out for morning exercise.
Listening to footsteps outside, Lu Qiming pressed his lips together.
Life in the camp was like this: collective living. One moment, the dormitory was quiet as a tomb; the next, it was full of moving shadows—corridors, stairwells, crowded with people.
A few familiar young soldiers stretched their necks and shouted loudly to friends, their voices echoing sharply: “Jiang Chao, why are you dawdling? Last time you almost got late! Move it! Stop dragging your feet like a slow duck!”
“…” Lu Qiming closed his eyes, frowned, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
No wonder she always got woken up.
What a bunch of rowdy kids.
Now, there was no chance to go knock on her door and ask for the answer.
Lu Qiming mulled this over; the restless anxiety in his heart thickened. Two seconds later, he tossed the empty drink bottle into the trash, got up, and left for morning drills.
He had planned to wait until noon.
According to their previous bet, Qian Duoduo and he were supposed to have meals together in the canteen for several days. He intended to ask her about the answer at lunch.
Lu Qiming never expected the “result” to come early.
She calmly said a few words and effortlessly shattered all the psychological preparation he had spent the entire night building.
Under the morning light, the PLA Camp was solemn and tranquil.
Two figures, one tall and one short, stood facing each other, a few steps apart.
Only faint shouts and clear birdsong filled the ears.
About five seconds passed.
On this side, seeing the man across silently staring at her with deep, dark eyes that seemed to have absorbed the stars of the previous night, Qian Duoduo felt increasingly nervous.
Her head lowered slightly, even breathing became labored.
Her heart thumped wildly, irregular and racing at the limits of human heartbeat.
Still, the man across remained motionless.
Qian Duoduo frowned involuntarily, mustered courage to steal a glance, and nervously asked in a wavering voice, “Didn’t you hear what I just said?”
“I heard it,” Lu Qiming replied.
Qian Duoduo: “Then why didn’t you answer?”
Lu Qiming was silent for half a second, then said, “I was organizing my thoughts.”
That made Qian Duoduo pause, confused. Organizing what thoughts?
“Last night you said you needed to think it over, so you went back and imagined multiple possible outcomes,” Lu Qiming looked at her, his eyes clear yet deep, voice carrying a faint hoarseness of suppressed emotion. “You imagined your acceptance, refusal, or a request to consider longer—and prepared responses for each.”
Qian Duoduo was even more puzzled. “I simulated all those scenarios in my head. What else do I need to organize?”
“If you were to refuse or ask for more time, I could immediately respond,” Lu Qiming said, pausing slightly before continuing, his stern expression showing a trace of awkwardness, “Only when you agreed directly did I feel a little at a loss.”
She was stunned.
Lu Qiming’s long, thick lashes lowered slightly, partly shading his melancholy gaze. “Because in my analysis, your agreeing outright was the least likely scenario. So my preparations were insufficient.”
“You just prepared well, that’s all.”
This serious, earnest yet slightly awkward statement made Qian Duoduo want to laugh.
She suppressed the smile curling her lips and softly asked, “If you knew I would agree, what were you going to say back?”
Lu Qiming: “Just say ‘okay.’”
At those words, a fresh sweetness rose to Qian Duoduo’s heart, like bamboo shoots breaking through moist earth after spring rain.
“That works,” she said, smiling with a crescent at the corners of her eyes. “You’d just say that.”
Lu Qiming stared straight at her and said, “Just that one word. Would you think I’m serious?”
Qian Duoduo shook her head but continued to smile warmly and charmingly at him: “I would.”
She thought to herself: How could I not? From your eyes and expressions to every subtle gesture, every part says you’re earnest and serious.
*
Afterward, Lu Qiming had to rush back to the training ground to handle matters, which was on the way to Qian Duoduo’s dormitory building.
The two walked side by side for a while and stopped at the small pavilion by the artificial lake, preparing to go their separate ways.
Neither spoke much along the way, for reasons unknown.
Just before parting, Qian Duoduo quietly puffed out her cheeks and exhaled, gathered her courage, then broke the silence.
“Um…” she hesitated, glanced quickly at him then looked away, trying to sound composed, “Team Leader Lu, is your work busy today?”
Lu Qiming answered, “There are a few meetings.”
A few meetings? That sounded very busy.
Qian Duoduo didn’t fully understand, feeling a faint, barely noticeable pang of disappointment. She lowered her voice, “Okay then.”
Lu Qiming looked at her gentle profile and softly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Catching herself slipping, Qian Duoduo quickly composed her expression and smiled at him, “Before you went on the last mission, I told you I recently started watching a movie I’m interested in. I was thinking that if you came back early last night, I’d take you to see it.”
Lu Qiming’s gaze lingered on her face briefly before he asked, “You didn’t see the movie last night, so you want to invite me today?”
Caught off guard, Qian Duoduo felt a little embarrassed. After hesitating a moment, she nodded slowly.
Within less than a second, Lu Qiming’s pulse skipped a beat.
“I have a lot to do today and might not get off work,” he said calmly, face like a peaceful lake. After a short pause, he gently proposed, “How about tonight?”
Qian Duoduo blinked in slight surprise and instinctively lifted her lashes to look at him.
Lu Qiming lowered his gaze, his pupils deep and shining like obsidian. Seeing no reply, he repeated softly, “Shall we tentatively plan to watch the movie together tonight?”
“I’m definitely free,” Qian Duoduo replied hesitantly, then hesitated again before adding, “But if you’re busy, what if you still have work tonight?”
Lu Qiming: “That’s why it’s tentative.”
Qian Duoduo realized this and couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Teasingly, she said, “Your wording is so precise. If you emphasized that once more, I’d definitely notice.”
Lu Qiming was infected by her lively laugh and smiled slightly. “In our line of work, unexpected situations and urgent missions can always come up. So we can’t make definite promises. But I’ll try my best to free up time tonight.”
“Team Leader Lu, no need to explain so much,” Qian Duoduo said in a relaxed, casual tone, smiling, “I’ve known about your work’s nature for a while now.”
Sunlight was dazzling, flickering lightly on the tips of her thick but not overly curled lashes, casting gentle shadows on her cheeks.
Lu Qiming’s gaze unconsciously followed the light, distracted for a moment.
“Netizens always joke that you’ve already been handed over to the country,” Qian Duoduo squinted against the sun, raising her hand to shield her eyes, turning to look at him. Her slightly narrowed eyes sparkled with laughter. “National affairs are much more important than watching a movie. I get it.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Lu Qiming said calmly, looking at her.
“You’re welcome.”
At that moment, a solid figure in casual clothes came walking toward them. About 1.8 meters tall, short hair, muscular build, handsome features with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a straight nose.
The only fierce thing about him was a faint scar from between his brows to the bridge of his nose. At first glance, he looked like a “big brother” from a Hong Kong movie.
Qian Duoduo caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye and stiffened slightly, feeling a bit scared. She instinctively stepped a couple of paces closer to Lu Qiming.
Wondering how a “big brother” could be roaming around the camp.
Unexpectedly, the “big brother” spotted the man next to her and immediately broke into a broad smile, loudly greeting, “Team Leader Lu!”
There was no trace of menace in his demeanor now.
Qian Duoduo: “…”
“Gao Yu!” Lu Qiming also smiled and strode forward to shake the burly man’s shoulder, sizing him up. “Good kid! When did you get back?”