Chapter 11: We’re Even Now

In a secluded corner of the train.

A tall, imposing man was pinned in the corner by a slender, graceful woman—unable to move an inch, his entire body frozen stiff.

Chu Yue’s expression remained calm throughout, with a sharp glint hidden in her otherwise serene eyes.

Her hand slipped under his black trench coat, tracing upward along the man’s chest until it reached his right shoulder.

Her palm tightened and pressed down firmly.

In an instant—

Hiss—

The man in military uniform furrowed his deep brows tightly, letting out a cold gasp. The pain he was enduring was evident.

“Just as I thought.”

Chu Yue’s gentle voice rang out, carrying a maturity beyond her years and the certainty of someone who had expected this.

From the moment she boarded the train, she had noticed something was off with the man’s shoulder.

He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed against the cabin wall, but in reality, he had turned slightly to give his right shoulder more room to move.

When the conductor came to check tickets, the man retrieved his ticket—which was in his right pocket—with his less-dominant left hand.

Earlier, when he was squeezing through the crowded train car, he’d used his tall frame to shield his right shoulder, clearly trying to avoid any contact.

That was when Chu Yue confirmed the man’s shoulder was definitely injured.

But what kind of injury? She couldn’t be sure without checking it herself.

Chu Yue always acted quickly and decisively—she simply reached out and examined him.

From chest to shoulder, a few presses were enough for her to draw a conclusion:

Dislocation.

The man’s shoulder must have taken a heavy blow, causing the joint to slip out of place.

Dislocation pain isn’t something the average person can tolerate. It’s not just the moment of injury that hurts—it’s the ongoing, sharp, twisting pain in both bone and muscle.

Given the circumstances, the man likely didn’t have time to see a doctor and boarded the train while enduring the pain.

She had been on board for quite some time, and he hadn’t made a sound—not even furrowed his brows once. He sure had a high pain threshold.

Chu Yue placed one hand on the man’s shoulder and gripped his wrist with the other.

She warned, “Relax your body. Don’t tense up. Follow me—lift your arm.”

With that, she lifted his arm while pushing at his shoulder.

Then—click! click!

Two distinct sounds echoed—like bones grinding against each other.

The man’s tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Because… the pain was gone!

His right arm, which had been agonizing to the touch and impossible to move, now felt completely normal.

He had braced himself for intense pain when she lifted his arm. Yet somehow, Chu Yue had found a precise angle—and there was no pain at all.

Not only was there no pain lifting it, but even the lingering dull ache had completely vanished.

The man in uniform stared at Chu Yue in stunned disbelief.

Chu Yue withdrew her hands. “You should be able to move now. Try rotating your shoulder.”

The man moved his shoulder—smoothly, effortlessly—as if he had never been injured.

He fixed his gaze on her. “You know medicine? Are you a doctor?”

“Can’t say I know much. Just some basic bone-setting techniques,” Chu Yue replied casually.

She had picked up all these skills by necessity during the apocalypse—patching herself up, treating injuries, and sometimes helping others. After doing it enough times, she became proficient.

“You helped me act earlier, and now I’ve fixed your shoulder. We’re even now—call it settled.”

Since things were even, there was nothing more to say.

Leaving those parting words, Chu Yue didn’t spare him another glance and turned to leave.

Her mind was still on Lu Yuanbao, who was sitting alone back at their seats.

The man in uniform watched her slim figure disappear into the crowded carriage, a flicker of interest gleaming in the depths of his dark eyes.

He had seen many pretty and delicate girls — the cultural troupe in the army was full of them.

But a girl like Chu Yue, who looked fair and delicate on the outside yet exuded inner strength, was rare.

More importantly, the man in the military uniform had seen Chu Yue before.

There was a one-inch photo of her attached to his marriage application report.

In that photo, Chu Yue looked even younger and more naive, with two braided pigtails just like today, looking timidly at the camera.

At the time, he thought she was just an ordinary girl, full of a student’s aura, and still hadn’t grown into her features.

But the Chu Yue of today was like a lotus emerging from water — about to bloom in the midsummer sunlight with dazzling beauty.

And this man in uniform was none other than the so-called “disabled and disfigured old man” in Chu Yue’s story — Lu Zhanlin.

Lu Zhanlin was out on a special mission this time.

A minor accident during the mission had resulted in an injury to his right shoulder.

Pressed for time to report back, Lu Zhanlin couldn’t afford to get off the train to see a doctor, so he endured the pain, planning to visit the military doctor after returning to the base.

Unexpectedly, he ran into his wife and child on the train.

The moment he saw Chu Yue, he recognized her immediately. Combined with the little boy named “Lu Yuanbao,” there was no doubt.

The boy calling him “Dad” wasn’t taking liberties — he was calling his rightful father.

Lu Zhanlin remained where he stood; Chu Yue was already gone from sight. But where she had touched him on the chest, his heart was pounding.

It was the first time he’d been this close to a girl, close enough to smell the sweet scent on her.

For a man who had been in the army for ten years, surrounded by sweaty, rough men, this feeling was extremely novel.

And this little girl was his wife.

Lu Zhanlin momentarily lost in thought, the corners of his lips slightly lifted, a soft smile appearing in his deep black eyes.

Click!

The train car door behind him was suddenly pushed open. Another man in uniform stepped out from the carriage.

Looking ahead to the next car, it was packed with soldiers — all of them wearing red silk rosettes on their chests, clearly new recruits about to join the army.

There were only a few southbound trains, and aside from military-exclusive trains, recruits often traveled on regular green trains.

This was one of them.

The man who emerged was Xu Feng, company commander of the 3rd Regiment, a subordinate of Lu Zhanlin’s, and also his long-time comrade.

They had been through life-and-death situations together — calling them brothers wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Xu Feng, with his rugged and heroic appearance, came out and immediately winked at Lu Zhanlin, grinning broadly to show his white teeth.

“Commander Lu, I saw everything just now! That little girl practically threw herself into your arms and even bumped into your chest! It’s one thing for the girls from the cultural troupe to chase after you, but now you’re even catching attention on a train? You’ve got some serious luck with women! If any woman becomes your wife, I bet just dealing with love rivals would drive her mad~”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Lu Zhanlin composed himself, his eyes sharp as he warned Xu Feng.

What had just happened was hardly Chu Yue throwing herself into his arms — she had pinned him down.

As for “his wife”… wasn’t that her, just now?

Lu Zhanlin glanced at Xu Feng. “Why did you come out? Are the recruits causing trouble?”

Xu Feng was in charge of escorting the recruits back to the base. He and Lu Zhanlin were not on the same mission — it was just a coincidence they were on the same train.

“Cause trouble? Not with me around! They wouldn’t dare!” Xu Feng said proudly, then turned serious and handed Lu Zhanlin a small square paper packet. “Commander Lu, I asked around and got a painkiller. Don’t tough it out — take it.”

“No need. I’m already fine.”

Lu Zhanlin refused calmly.

Right in front of Xu Feng, he flexed his shoulder and moved his arm as if nothing were wrong.

He could even throw a punch at Xu Feng if needed — no problem at all.

“You’re fine? Just like that? What, was there a doctor on the train? Lu Zhanlin, don’t walk away — explain this properly…”

Xu Feng’s eyes widened in shock as he looked at Lu Zhanlin.

But Lu Zhanlin didn’t answer his question. Instead, he brought up something else.

“Xu Feng, in the first few rows of this carriage, on the left side, there’s a middle-aged woman around fifty. Short hair, wearing a dark blue work jacket, black pants, and cloth shoes. Assign someone to keep an eye on her. Don’t make a move on the train — it’ll cause a commotion. Wait until she gets off, then arrest her and take her to the train station police office. She’s a human trafficker. Have them interrogate her properly — they’ll definitely get something.”