Chapter 37

Going to the Cinema Together

Military District Eight-One Building, Office.

Lu Yuetang pushed a stack of photos on the desk aside, his face full of impatience as he spoke into the phone, “I don’t want to go. There’s still chaos at home that hasn’t settled yet. You’re forcing me.”

It had been a week.

Yang Jiaojiao was making a huge fuss. Accompanied by Shen Fubai and Gu Wanru, she toured the entire city of Beijing, indulging in all kinds of delicacies, attending banquet after banquet, hosted by the young ladies of Beijing’s elite circles.

She had turned the Lu household upside down.

Now, not only was Qingfen lost in her own dreams, but even Yang Wei wanted the Lu family to arrange an official position for him as if it were a casual favor.

Utter nonsense.

They had become unbearably arrogant.

Just thinking about these three people gave him a headache. How could he be in the mood for a blind date?

He would rather apply for a transfer away from Beijing, head to the Northwest, and take on the most challenging missions.

“Relax. In three days, they’ll start breaking apart internally. I’ve put up with this mess for so long, endured like hell—it’s not for nothing. All you need to do is watch a movie and help Mom complete a task.”

As Gu Wanru nagged on, Shen Fubai handed over two movie tickets.

“Brother Lu, this girl is the Air Force Commander’s daughter. You can’t stand her up. She’s got confidence, she’s got presence. If another brawl breaks out between the military families, you’ll be the one to blame,” Shen Fubai said.

The girl had specifically requested to meet Lu Yuetang, just to see how many eyes and noses he had that could make so many women swoon over him.

Lu Yuetang’s face turned cold. He had nothing to say.

At the Cinema

Li Suyun arrived at the cinema with a group of young people.

The event had moved from the square to here. Before coming, she laid down three ground rules: no matter what happens, no fighting. If things can’t be settled, people can leave on their own.

Everyone agreed.

Except for Xu Mindong, who was quietly brewing resentment.

Wherever she appeared, men fighting over her was a common occurrence.

Verbal agreements meant nothing.

Once they saw her shine on stage… she refused to believe the men would hold back.

Qian Xiaolei, back at his unit, checked the screening schedule and saw that another theater wouldn’t start for another half-hour, so he gathered everyone in this one.

Below the movie screen was a small stage.

Xu Mindong stepped up without hesitation. “I demand that Shang Rongrong and I wear identical dresses and have our faces covered with veils. That way, it will be fairer.”

A female military doctor swapped dresses with Xu Mindong.

Two salesgirls, seeing the fun unfold, provided the most fashionable white gauze scarves to cover their faces.

When the lights dimmed, the entire theater went pitch black.

Click.

A single spotlight turned on.

Everyone saw the two young women standing on stage, indistinguishable from each other, even the embroidered patterns on their chests were hidden.

The girl on the left stepped forward.

She picked up a pair of clappers and began her performance, launching into a tongue twister:

“Eight hundred soldiers rush to the northern slope,
Artillery troops line up in the north,
The artillerymen fear bumping into the soldiers,
The soldiers fear being hit by artillery fire…”

With the clappers accompanying her, she flawlessly delivered the tongue twister—articulate, clear, full of energy—without a single mistake.

Finishing, she stepped back.

The girl on the right stepped forward, also performing a tongue twister:

“Brother and little brother sit before the slope,
A goose lies on the slope,
A river flows below,
Brother says: the river is wide,
Little brother says: the goose is white.
The goose wants to cross the river,
The river wants to ferry the goose.
Is it the goose crossing the river,
Or the river ferrying the goose?”

Her pronunciation was clear, her voice as melodious as a lark. She spoke faster and faster, captivating everyone in the audience, who burst into applause and cheers.

Under the veil, Xu Mindong clenched her teeth in frustration.

Were military hospital nurses this skilled?

She had only said the tongue twister once, and Shang Rongrong had already memorized it, flawlessly performing it on stage…

Furious at her defeat, Xu Mindong refused to back down.

She had overheard from a male military doctor that Shang Rongrong came from the countryside—a poor peasant who had gotten into their unit by accident.

That meant her artistic skills couldn’t possibly be refined.

She twisted her waist, ready to make use of her years of dance training.

Hu Ouhua hesitated upon hearing there would be a dance-off.

“You’re serious?” she asked.

That hesitation, that slight uncertainty, in Xu Mindong’s ears, was nothing but fear. It only strengthened her resolve. “This is the final round. The movie is about to start, so stop stalling.”

With that, she leapt onto the stage.

In the darkness, Hu Ouhua adjusted her veil, revealing her eyes. Leaning against the wall, feeling a bit tired, she let out a quiet “hmm.”

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the corridor.

Lu Yuetang!

What was he doing here?

Just as Hu Ouhua was about to remove her veil, he rushed over, grabbed her wrist, and pinned her against the wall, his tone fierce:

“Yang Jiaojiao, will you ever stop? Using these cheap tricks to seduce me again?”

In the dim light, his dark eyes flickered strangely. They looked exactly like the ones in his mind…

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, Lu Yuetang couldn’t help but wonder—was the woman in the bath that night really Yang Jiaojiao?

Her skin was soft.

Her waist was delicate, like cotton, as if too much force would shatter her.

She wasn’t bony like Yang Jiaojiao…

But the woman before him now felt exactly the same as that night. As if trying to confirm his suspicions, his large hand slid down, landing on her slender waist.

Soft. Smooth.

Lu Yuetang’s breathing quickened.

He didn’t know why, but the moment he touched her, all he could think about was Hu Ouhua’s face. To rid himself of this suffocating thought, he suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

“Mmph—”

Hu Ouhua felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Was Lu Yuetang sick?

Just as she was about to clarify her identity, his lips pressed against hers through the thin veil, hesitant yet possessive.

He seemed lost in his own illusion, greedily and torturously brushing against her lips.

“Lu Yuetang, where are you?”

A crisp voice rang from outside, instantly snapping Lu Yuetang back to reality. He quickly covered Hu Ouhua’s mouth, afraid she’d shout.

“Hey, you’re here to meet me, not play hide and seek. If you’re unwilling, I’m leaving.”

The woman outside sounded irritated.

Hu Ouhua’s heart jolted.

When she had left the Lu family, Yang Jiaojiao was still there. Had Gu Wanru already taken drastic action to get rid of her in such a short time?

Was Lu Yuetang now in a hurry to marry someone?

For some reason, a sour, aching feeling swelled in Hu Ouhua’s heart.

So, just as Lu Yuetang was about to leave, she instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Lu Yuetang turned back in surprise.

Then, he saw the woman cling to him like a cat, standing on tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck, rubbing against him.

Boom.

It was like setting fire to dry wood.

Lu Yuetang, already burning with suppressed desire, could no longer hold back. He grabbed Hu Ouhua, lifted her veil halfway, and kissed her fiercely.