Chapter 123: Sanitary Pads (Second Revised Version)

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But when she saw the sincerity in the man’s eyes and heard the almost humble tone with which he coaxed her, Shen Chaoxi suddenly pressed her lips together, the furrow between her brows deepening.

Seeing her reaction, Lu Yunzhou assumed she was displeased.

The man stepped forward, concern in his eyes as he frowned and said, “You haven’t eaten anything all day.”

The young girl had been through an ordeal before. She had been kidnapped and injured.

That was why Lu Yunzhou had taken such meticulous care of her from the very beginning.

Because she had been injured and was physically weak, he had cooked her noodles out of fear that she would go hungry.

During their missions, the men in his unit sometimes went several days and nights without eating.

They were men; they could endure it.

But the girl was frail. She would not be able to bear it.

Under the dim yellow light, steam rose from the bowl of noodles, carrying its fragrance into the room.

The bowl on the bedside table had clearly been seasoned with sauce. The broth was clear and golden, and it looked delicious.

At a single glance, Shen Chaoxi could tell that he truly knew how to cook noodles.

A faint, almost imperceptible aroma drifted through the air as the heat rose.

On a rainy day like this, once the rain had eased, the wind outside turned cold, carrying a chill.

Shen Chaoxi had felt cold while showering just now. Now, looking at the steaming bowl of noodles before her, it seemed that her stomach—which had been so hungry it had lost all sensation—suddenly felt a little hungry again.

Shen Chaoxi: “…”

Should she continue sulking?

Besides, the way he looked now…

It was almost as though he were begging her.

Suddenly, Shen Chaoxi pressed her pale lips together. She felt that perhaps she could postpone the divorce for a little while.

Eat the noodles first?

She could not let herself go hungry.

Still, Shen Chaoxi was genuinely surprised.

Lu Yunzhou actually knew how to cook noodles.

While Lu Yunzhou frowned and stared at her pale face, Shen Chaoxi gazed at the bowl on the table. A trace of emotion, so faint it was nearly impossible to detect, surfaced in her clear, light-colored eyes.

At that moment, the man bent down. His eyes were dark, the depths of them thick and inky, as though the darkness could never be diluted. With his long, fair fingers, he placed a pair of chopsticks in front of her.

Afraid she was still angry, Lu Yunzhou straightened and said to her in a lowered voice, “I’m going to take a shower.”

As he spoke, his deep, worried gaze moved away from Shen Chaoxi.

It seemed he was also afraid she would feel unaccustomed to staying there.

That she would be uncomfortable.

But after speaking with such care, Lu Yunzhou gathered his clothes and left.

Before departing, he closed the door behind him.

Shen Chaoxi watched his retreating figure.

Then the door closed.

Only silence remained around her.

She paused.

There was no need for this.

Lu Yunzhou really did not have to go this far.

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There was no possibility for the two of them at all.

That bullet in Dongzhou had nearly taken her life.

And now he had come to make her a bowl of noodles with his own hands, reminding her of the time he had dislocated her arm.

Had she been in the same state then—so agonizingly hurt that, even after using every ounce of her strength, she could not lift her hand to eat?

Shen Chaoxi stared blankly at the bowl of noodles on the table.

An hour later, the rain had eased somewhat.

Lu Yunzhou had gone to help deal with flood-control operations in the unit.

When he returned to the place where they were resting, it was already nearly nine in the evening.

The sky was dark, and soldiers were everywhere.

But when he returned to the room, it was pitch-black inside.

He faintly sensed that something was wrong.

When he turned on the light, he saw the pale-faced girl braced against the bedside table, cold sweat covering her forehead.

“Shen Chaoxi?!”

Lu Yunzhou hurried over and sat beside her, reaching out to support her shoulders.

“I’m fine.”

Shen Chaoxi pressed her pale lips together. Her face was bloodless, and a thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead.

Lu Yunzhou’s expression changed, his eyes darkening.

“Where does it hurt?”

He frowned, the concern in his eyes impossible to conceal.

How could she possibly be fine?

She was in so much pain.

After saying this, his gaze moved downward and settled on the place where Shen Chaoxi was clutching her lower abdomen.

Lu Yunzhou’s expression suddenly darkened, as though he understood.

“You’ve started your period.”

“Mhm.” The girl endured the pain and answered weakly.

“Do you have any sanitary products?”

Lu Yunzhou lowered his voice as he asked.

Supporting her with one hand, he could feel the icy cold of her body even through her clothes. She was sweating from the pain.

He was referring to the product women used during their periods.

Sanitary pads.

But how could they possibly have anything like that here?

This had been an emergency, not a planned trip for sightseeing or vacation.

Shen Chaoxi shook her head, looking weak and drained.

Her period had come early—an entire week earlier than usual.

So she had not prepared anything.

But when Lu Yunzhou saw her shake her head, his brows drew tightly together.

Just as Shen Chaoxi lifted her eyes toward him, intending to say something, he had already risen to his feet.

“I’ll go buy some.”

Lu Yunzhou lowered his head and reassured her.

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Shen Chaoxi frowned.

She was truly in unbearable pain.

When she was young, she had been locked inside a dark, airless cellar. Whenever there was a rainstorm, her entire body would become drenched, as though she were immersed in icy water.

Because of that, her reactions were especially severe.

All these years, she had relied on medication to get through it, but she had not brought any painkillers with her.

Damn it.

Just as the pain left her too weak to speak, she saw Lu Yunzhou glance at her uneasily before walking outside.

Jingnan had only recently been struck by floods, and many supermarkets and convenience stores in the area had closed.

At past nine o’clock at night, there was no chance of finding anywhere that sold such things.

After the rain eased, a fine drizzle drifted down, soaking Lu Yunzhou’s military uniform as he went out to buy sanitary pads for Shen Chaoxi.

Whether he could find any or not, whether he could buy them or not, he had to think of a way.

“Captain?!”

Just then, Lu Fifteen, who had come out after showering with a jacket draped over his shoulders, spotted Lu Yunzhou’s hurried figure heading outside.

His expression changed. He quickly chased after him, putting on his jacket as he went.

“Captain, where are you going?”

“Where’s the nearest shop around here?”

Lu Yunzhou’s voice was low and cold. His eyes were black, their urgency faintly visible despite the restraint he was forcing upon himself.

They were as dark as thick ink that could never be diluted.

“What?”

Lu Fifteen was stunned.

Aside from urgent missions in the military district, he had never seen their usually steady and composed captain look so anxious.

“Captain, has something urgent happened in Jingnan?”

“Or is there an emergency rescue mission?”

“Neither?…”

Following behind him, Lu Fifteen watched the tall, straight figure stride anxiously outside.

Could all his guesses really be wrong?

Then what on earth was going on?

The night deepened outside, and rain pattered softly.

It was not heavy, but the sound of it falling on the eaves could still be heard.

In the middle of the night, Shen Chaoxi was tormented until she broke into a cold sweat.

She leaned against the headboard.

It was as though her entire body had been washed in perspiration.

Her face had gone white from the pain.

It was frightening to look at.

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Edited version.

Sending hugs to all my darlings coming home from school for the weekend.

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