Lu Qiming finished speaking, and Qian Duoduo froze for a moment.
His voice was low and clear, each word striking her burning temples; within a mere fraction of a second, even her ears and cheeks flushed a coral shade.
Embarrassed, Qian Duoduo quickly glanced at Lu Qiming.
He stood quietly beside her, his black eyes lowered to look at her, his sharply defined features and angular face bathed in the shadows of the night.
Qian Duoduo wiped the tip of her nose with a tissue.
If she hadn’t witnessed it herself, she would never have believed it even after days of hearing about it.
Such a stern, cold, and iron-willed man—beneath that austere and iron-blooded exterior—could harbor so many warm and tender cracks.
“Lu Qiming,” Qian Duoduo suddenly called out.
Because she had just cried, her voice was soft and muffled, as if filtered through a cotton-filled quilt. With the tiny tears still clinging to her eyelashes, she looked even more innocent and pitiable, delicately charming.
Lu Qiming glanced at her, and his heart softened. His reply was involuntarily gentler and lower: “Hmm.”
“I really do think you’re quite different.” Qian Duoduo murmured softly to him. “At least, you’re not like any of the other blind date prospects I’ve met.”
Lu Qiming’s gaze shifted, passing over her flushed, charming cheeks and tear-glimmering eyes. He casually responded, “What kind of men were they?”
“They had all kinds of jobs. Some came from well-off families, some were Hai Gui Elites, and some were First Generation Founders who built their own companies from scratch,” Qian Duoduo answered honestly.
Lu Qiming listened calmly: “Sounds like they were all outstanding.”
“They were all pretty outstanding.”
As she spoke, she paused for half a second before continuing, “Usually, excellent boys attract excellent girls. But because they’re so outstanding, there’s never a shortage of girls around them. When I’m with them, I can clearly feel how good they are at talking, how skilled they are at flattering girls, even being able to tell what we like at a glance based on our personalities.”
Lu Qiming stared straight at her, tilting his head slightly, a faint, barely perceptible glint of interest in his dark eyes: “What makes me different?”
Qian Duoduo said, “I think you’re a very upright person.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Qiming’s brow lifted just a little: “So, does that mean you’ve changed your opinion of me now?”
“Yes.”
Qian Duoduo suddenly looked up at him, her expression serious: “I’ve realized that you aren’t as upright as I thought. You’re actually quite smooth-talking and full of sweet words.”
Lu Qiming was silent for a moment, then asked, “Which words were sweet talk?”
“Um… it was what you said just now.” Qian Duoduo’s face flushed again. After nearly a second’s pause, she stammered, “You said that seeing me cry made you feel heartache.”
Lu Qiming said faintly, “That’s not sweet talk. It’s the truth.”
Qian Duoduo: “…”
“I like you. So when I see you smile, I feel happier than you do; when I see you cry, I feel worse than you do. I want to share your joy and I feel heartache over your tears.” Lu Qiming’s tone was very calm. “So when I said that just now, it was just an objective statement of my feelings.”
Qian Duoduo was suddenly speechless.
How could there be someone in the world who could say such flirtatiously ambiguous words with such a serious expression?
That fluttering, flustered feeling came again.
Blushing red because of one sentence from a man—it really was a bit childish.
Not wanting to appear like a naive high school girl, she cleared her throat and, still trying to sound casual, said, “If you feel heartache watching me, then don’t keep staring at me all the time.”
“I can’t help it,” Lu Qiming replied.
Qian Duoduo was stunned, once again completely frozen.
Lu Qiming looked straight into her eyes and said in a low voice, “As long as you’re within my line of sight, my gaze will unconsciously follow you.”
“…”
“That’s why I’m afraid of bothering you, so I’ve tried to control myself,” he continued. “But I found that I just can’t.”
“…”
“You’re a very special presence to me.” He curved the corners of his mouth, a trace of self-mockery in his smile, as if resigned to willingly surrender. “My gaze, my thoughts, everything about my psychological feelings can only be guided by you.”
After he spoke, the surrounding space seemed to fall into silence.
A few seconds later, a group of teenagers on roller skates passed by Qian Duoduo, their laughter and chatter filling her ears and bringing her drifting thoughts back.
Qian Duoduo widened her eyes to look at Lu Qiming.
Her nose was red, her cheeks flushed, and a few thick lashes damp with tears clumped together, giving her a fragile yet delightfully innocent look.
Their eyes met, and silence stretched between them.
After a moment, Qian Duoduo finally regained her voice and, looking at him, sincerely sighed, “Looks like I really misunderstood you deeply.”
Who had told her that?
Listening to these spontaneous words of love, looking at this cold yet focused handsome face.
*
“Today.”
Lu Qiming’s long eyelashes lowered as he looked at her, his gaze piercing yet his tone light and gentle: “Days ahead are long, and we will grow closer.”
The PLA Comrade’s words just now were clear and heartfelt, and Qian Duoduo still felt somewhat dazed.
Hearing this, she didn’t know how to respond, only nodding in a daze: “Mm, okay.”
A night breeze suddenly blew.
A chill crept along the cool wind into the nape of Qian Duoduo’s neck. Feeling cold, she reflexively shrank her neck, burying her entire face into the soft fur collar.
Lu Qiming noticed and slightly shifted his body, blinking, then quickly shielded the petite girl behind his back.
At the same time, he took off his cashmere coat and draped it over her slender shoulders.
The night deepened, the wind grew cold and sharp. Qian Duoduo’s nose started to itch from the cold breeze.
She was rubbing it with the back of her hand when she suddenly felt a weight and warmth on her shoulder, causing her whole body to stiffen slightly.
Turning her eyes to her shoulder, she realized she was completely wrapped in an oversized man’s coat.
The coat was made of cashmere, soft and thick, the crisp scent of detergent mixed with the residual warmth of the man’s body—pleasant and comforting.
Her heart skipped several beats.
Qian Duoduo blushed, embarrassed to find her ears heating up again.
“I’m not that cold,” she mumbled, squeezing out the words, “You don’t have to give me your coat.”
After saying that, she tried to take it off and return it to him.
“Keep it on,” Lu Qiming said. It wasn’t a command; his tone was normal, and the way he looked at her was straightforward and steady.
“But it’s winter now.” Qian Duoduo wasn’t being fussy; she genuinely cared about his health. “In this cold winter weather, no matter how strong your constitution is, it’s easy to catch a cold without a coat.”
Lu Qiming replied, “I won’t. You wear it.”
No wonder her aunt always joked that the Iron-blooded Three Armies produced stubborn types.
This man’s stubbornness was immovable and unyielding. Qian Duoduo sighed quietly in her heart and had no choice but to keep wearing the coat.
Lu Qiming’s car was parked in the underground garage of the mall.
At this hour, the mall was closed and the elevator had stopped running. Luckily, PLA Comrades were reliable; he had already looked up the walking route from the pedestrian street to the garage.
They walked side by side for a minute, Qian Duoduo silent with her head lowered, lost in thought.
At the cinema just now, she had been fully immersed in the protagonist’s tragic love story and hadn’t noticed Lu Qiming’s reaction.
Did he like this movie or not?
Thinking of this, Qian Duoduo cleared her throat and turned to look at the man’s sharply defined, handsome profile.
“What did you think of the movie?” she asked tentatively.
“Not bad,” Lu Qiming said. “The plot was reasonable and coherent, the acting was solid all around, and the lighting composition and color aesthetics were a major highlight.”
His tone was casual, as if chatting, but the content of his answer was serious. It was clear he had genuinely watched the entire film carefully.
This realization brought Qian Duoduo a pleasant surprise.
“Looks like you were really absorbed in it,” Qian Duoduo smiled, her eyes curved. “So you’re not someone who dislikes art films.”
Lu Qiming was silent for a moment, then replied, “Not very interested.”
Qian Duoduo was surprised and puzzled: “If you’re not interested, why did you watch so attentively?”
Lu Qiming looked into her eyes and said, “I watched attentively because I was worried that after the movie, you’d want to discuss it with me, and I’d have nothing to say. That would make you think watching movies with me is boring.”
At that, Qian Duoduo’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.
After a moment, she pretended to look calm and withdrew her gaze, but the faint blush on her left cheek betrayed her fluttering heart: “I think we’re both not that young anymore. Adults don’t need to force themselves to accommodate others in Love.”
“It’s not forcing,” Lu Qiming said. “It’s willing.”
Qian Duoduo’s eyes flickered, her fingertips curling slightly, silent.
“More than the movie itself, in fact, I prefer the experience of being with you.”
His expression was calm and clear as he continued naturally, “As long as I’m with you, whatever we do is pleasant for me.”
The flutter in her heart, once a shallow brook, began to swell with these words.
Qian Duoduo felt warmth in her chest; her cheeks heated even more.
Zhang Xuelan had once told Qian Duoduo that a good relationship should be equal and mutual, not one-sided where one person is the center and the other gives without limit.
Accepting oneself as oneself also means accepting others as others.
But wasn’t Lu Qiming’s behavior now completely centered on her?
Qian Duoduo pondered and couldn’t help but glance at him: “You shouldn’t always think about me. You should pay more attention to your own feelings.”
Pausing briefly, she continued, “I hope that in this Love, we both can do as we wish and be our truest selves.”
Lu Qiming said nothing, expression unreadable.
They walked a few more steps before a Milk Tea shop appeared on the left side of the garage entrance.