Chapter 81: Fond of Gentle and Intellectual Ones

In the afternoon, Lu Yunzhou instructed Lu Fifteen to stay with her.

But Shen Chaoxi was truly bored.

Lu Fifteen stood at the doorway, glancing inside from time to time to ensure her safety.

After all, the captain had given him strict orders before leaving—if anything happened to her, he would be held personally responsible.

Naturally, Lu Fifteen was nervous.

He kept feeling as though the captain was taking revenge for his earlier decision to send Miss Shen to the freshman training dormitory at Beijing University without permission.

Shen Chaoxi noticed his behavior, raised an eyebrow, and suddenly asked, “What does your captain like to do in his free time?”

Lu Fifteen was caught off guard. Why was Miss Shen suddenly inquiring about their captain’s preferences?

Did that mean she liked their captain?

After a moment’s thought, Lu Fifteen answered earnestly, “I don’t think the captain has any particular hobbies.”

Shen Chaoxi arched her brow in surprise.

So ascetic? There’s nothing he likes?

But what Shen Chaoxi truly wanted to know was what Lu Yunzhou disliked.

If she could figure that out, she could plan her next move accordingly.

“What about women? What kind of woman does he like?”

Lu Fifteen frowned.

In his mind, the captain was always busy with military affairs at the base—when would he have time to like women?

Besides, everyone knew the captain was distant with women. Even when girls approached, he remained cold and indifferent.

Lu Fifteen looked at Shen Chaoxi with some difficulty and said, “I don’t know what type the captain prefers, but to be honest, Miss Shen, you’re definitely not his type.”

Shen Chaoxi frowned again.

What a thing to say—so dismissive. But she found it amusing.

“Not his type? In what way?” she asked, feigning ignorance.

“Well…” Lu Fifteen hesitated.

Should he really say it out loud? Wouldn’t that hurt Miss Shen’s feelings?

A delicate, gentle girl like her—someone who needed constant care and attention—how could the captain be interested in her?

Their captain was intelligent, wise, heroic—a person who should be with someone equally bright, beautiful, talented, and capable. Someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him; just seeing such a pair side by side would be pleasing to the eye.

As for Miss Shen, other than her innocent and lovely looks, she matched none of the ideals in his mind.

Lu Fifteen was certain the captain wouldn’t like someone like her.

And besides, rumor had it that Old Master Shen had once been their captain’s teacher—perhaps the captain only looked after her out of courtesy. That would explain why he treated her differently from others.

That’s what Lu Fifteen thought—but he didn’t dare say it aloud.

Shen Chaoxi smiled.

She read everything from Lu Fifteen’s expressive face—she could see through all his thoughts.

Of course, a fragile flower like her—how could Lu Yunzhou possibly like someone like that?

It seemed she would have to continue acting like a troublemaker, just so he would dislike her.

Then, perhaps, he would avoid her altogether.

Although Lu Fifteen was clueless about most things, Shen Chaoxi managed to coax quite a bit of information out of him.

For instance, Lu Yunzhou couldn’t handle spicy food.

Or that he disliked physical contact and was something of a germaphobe.

“But I do remember something,” Lu Fifteen said, his gossipy spirit awakening. In truth, he was quite the chatterbox; some of what he said was true, but other bits—who knew where he’d picked them up.

He began to embellish, “I think our captain once had someone he liked at the base—a female military doctor in the unit. She was gentle, intellectual, and very beautiful.”

“I see,” Shen Chaoxi replied, pretending not to grasp the implication, but watching Lu Fifteen thoughtfully as he spoke.

Now she understood.

Gentle, intellectual—those were his preferences.

He didn’t eat spicy food, disliked physical contact, and was a germaphobe.

So, when she’d hugged his waist earlier, had she annoyed him?

No wonder he’d looked so cold, his brows knit tightly.

Seeing the girl's eyes curve as she smiled faintly, Lu Fifteen began to doubt his own eyes.

Could it be? Did she really like their captain?

Was that jealousy?

Lu Fifteen didn’t understand.

Little did he know, he would later come to deeply regret everything he’d said today.

#

After half a day of training, some of the groups in the freshman intensive camp at Beijing University were dismissed, allowed some free time to rest.

Sitting in the shade, Jiang Qiqi suddenly saw a military vehicle drive in from outside the base.

When it stopped by the field, a young woman in uniform stepped out, holding a camera in her right hand—she looked like someone engaged in the arts.

“Thank you,” she said with a gentle smile to the driver.

“Wanwan, look! Who is that?” Jiang Qiqi instantly set down her water bottle and gazed into the distance at the young woman in uniform, who seemed to be just over twenty.

Wearing a military uniform, stepping out of the car, she immediately drew the attention of most people on the field.

Especially for the female students, who had never seen a woman in uniform before; they couldn’t help but feel both envious and curious.

“She must be Reporter Mu,” said a staff member from the base, stepping forward to shake her hand in welcome.

“That’s me.”

“Ting Mu, literary soldier from the Tenth Military District, reporting in!”

A so-called literary soldier was simply someone engaged in literary work within the military—they might be a reporter, or perform other tasks, traveling to different places for assignments or exchanges.

“Welcome, welcome,” the staff member said warmly.

He first gave her a brief tour, then let her explore on her own.

Ting Mu accepted with a smile.

As she wandered, she made her way from the freshmen training field toward Area A, on the eastern side of the base.

Area A was dangerous, as many teams trained there regularly.

Some high-difficulty exercises were off-limits to outsiders to prevent accidents; in the sand and on the concrete, figures struggled relentlessly.

Some groups were engaged in shooting drills—a handsome man in uniform stood nearby, calmly observing, watching them push themselves to their limits as swiftly as possible.

Ting Mu raised her camera, narrowing her eyes slightly to capture the distant scene.

But when she pressed the shutter and lowered the camera to check the image, her expression changed instantly.

In the frame she’d intended to capture, under the blazing sun, a girl in training uniform suddenly appeared—facing the man.

Wasn’t that—Lu Yunzhou?