Chapter 15 Is our leader still afraid of being seen?

Song Xiao felt that if she stayed with Doubao any longer, she might just die on the spot. Ever since she was little, she’d been pampered and flattered by everyone around her. No one had ever dared speak to her without being overly polite. But today, she’d been angered by a clueless little kid. She was afraid that if she didn’t leave, she might lose control and lash out at the brat—verbally or even physically. In the end, she had no choice but to flee in frustration.

Doubao watched her retreating back, full of repressed anger, and the corners of his lips twitched slightly. What an idiot.

Huo Changzheng didn’t want Doubao to wake Lin Suisui from her rest, so he waited until noon to take him to the cafeteria for lunch, and then returned to the dormitory. After sleeping all morning, Lin Suisui finally felt refreshed and was noticeably more enthusiastic about eating than she had been the night before.

“Doubao, did you have fun today?” Lin Suisui asked while eating.

“It was fun.” Doubao, as if a switch had been flipped, started chattering non-stop, reporting everything that had happened that morning in great detail. Then he added, “Oh, Mom, I also saw that auntie from the hospital this morning.”

Lin Suisui didn’t react at first. It took her a few seconds to realize he was talking about Song Xiao. So she had come to see Huo Changzheng. Luckily, Lin Suisui had mentally prepared for this and felt relatively calm at the moment. She simply smiled and asked, “And did you greet her?”

Huo Changzheng had gone to the office earlier for a drink of water, so he hadn’t seen Song Xiao. Hearing Doubao mention her now, he needed a few seconds to realize who he meant. His heart suddenly tightened, and he reflexively looked at Lin Suisui. Seeing that her expression was calm, he finally let out a sigh of relief—but that relief was immediately replaced with a feeling of unease.
Why is she so calm?

“I did. I called her ‘Big Auntie,’” Doubao said in a crisp, innocent voice.

“…She’s still young and pretty. You shouldn’t call her ‘Big Auntie,’” Lin Suisui said with a slightly helpless smile.

“Was it wrong to call her that?” Doubao turned to ask Huo Changzheng.

Huo Changzheng immediately replied, “Of course not. She’s older than your mom, so calling her ‘Big Auntie’ is perfectly appropriate.”

No matter what Lin Suisui thought, he felt his answer was spot-on.

Lin Suisui looked up at him and said slowly, “Seems like you’re pretty familiar with Comrade Song—you even know her age.”

“…”
Huo Changzheng instantly felt like he’d shot himself in the foot. He quickly explained, “I’m not familiar with her. I just…”

Before he could finish, Lin Suisui cut him off, “Whether you’re familiar with her or not has nothing to do with me.”

“…”

The rest of the day, Huo Changzheng found himself in a state of constant anxiety. Lin Suisui seemed like she wasn’t angry—but maybe she was?
If she was mad, he felt conflicted. If she wasn’t, he still felt uneasy.
Nothing felt right.

Lin Suisui had no idea about Huo Changzheng’s mental struggle. She wasn’t interested in, nor did she have time to worry about his entanglement with Song Xiao. She just wanted to quickly learn more Western pastry techniques from Fang Qianqian.

The next day, she brought Doubao with her and shamelessly went to the Cheng household again to ask Fang Qianqian how to make chiffon cake.

“I’ve been meaning to invite you. I knew you wouldn’t have time since Doubao was sick,” Fang Qianqian said cheerfully. She had always been interested in baking, and now that she had someone to share her passion with, she was happy to teach everything she knew. Besides, Lin Suisui was clearly talented—she grasped things quickly. The two of them might get better and better at it together, and even Western pastry techniques should be constantly evolving.

Chiffon cake used relatively simple ingredients, most of which were easy to get. The hardest or most labor-intensive part was whipping the egg whites. Fang Qianqian first taught her how to mix the batter, then moved on to whipping egg whites.

“Whipping egg whites isn’t exactly hard, but it’s not that easy either. You need strength and a good eye to tell when it’s done right.”

“Just follow my lead and whip in the same direction.”

“Okay.”
Lin Suisui didn’t really understand why they had to whip the egg whites, but she obediently followed along.

She had to admit—it was definitely hard work. Not only did you have to whip quickly, but for a long time. But she was used to manual labor from a young age, and since getting married, she’d taken on all the heavy chores at home—because no one else would. So this level of intensity was no problem for her.

In contrast, Fang Qianqian was panting by the end. “This is the most exhausting part of cake-making—my biceps are about to pop out. Suisui, you don’t even look tired at all.”

“Of course not. I may not have much else, but I’m definitely strong,” Lin Suisui said, a little proudly.

“Yes, yes, you’re super strong. I wonder if you’d dare say that in front of your Commander Huo.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“Go ahead, and then wait for him to put you in your place.”

“…”

The two chatted and joked as they worked. Doubao was being very well-behaved, sitting to the side with a book in hand. It belonged to Huo Changzheng—mostly words with a couple of pictures. Doubao stared at it intently the whole time. Lin Suisui didn’t think he could actually read it—he didn’t know how—but he was probably studying the pictures closely.

Once the batter and the whipped egg whites were mixed, they could pour it into the mold and bake it. Lin Suisui didn’t realize until she saw it—cake molds were more complex than she thought. The bottom could be detached!

Clearly, baking had a lot of intricacies, and Lin Suisui silently resolved to learn it well.

Fang Qianqian managed the oven temperature perfectly, so the chiffon cake turned out great. Once it had cooled, she wrapped one up and handed it to Lin Suisui near lunchtime.

“Qianqian, next time we bake, I insist on buying the ingredients. I’d feel too guilty coming over to learn and eat without contributing,” Lin Suisui said firmly.

Fang Qianqian had provided all the ingredients the last couple of times. Lin Suisui didn’t want to keep learning and eating for free.

“Alright, let’s make cookies next time,” Fang Qianqian said. “I’ll let you know in advance so you can buy the ingredients.”

“Sure, just remember to tell me ahead of time.”

“No problem. Now hurry to the cafeteria to get lunch. Save the cake for an afternoon snack.”

After leaving the Cheng household, Lin Suisui took Doubao toward the cafeteria. As they were nearing the basketball court, they heard a burst of loud cheering from that direction. She looked up and saw a group of shirtless men playing basketball. In the middle of them was one person still wearing a shirt, which made him stand out a bit. The distance was a little far, so she couldn’t clearly see who it was.

Today, Huo Changzheng had given the team a bit of free time and organized a basketball match. He had ended up being roped into joining the game himself.

It was early autumn, so the weather wasn’t too cold yet. For soldiers like them, just a little movement was enough to get them sweating. So, after just a short while, most of the men had taken off their shirts—everyone except Huo Changzheng.

“Commander, aren’t you hot?” someone suddenly called out.

Huo Changzheng was in the thick of the game and couldn’t be bothered to respond. But a seasoned soldier nearby explained for him, “This path leads directly to the cafeteria. Our Commander is worried someone might pass by, so he doesn’t want to take off his shirt.”

“What, is the Commander scared of being seen?”

“He’s not scared of being seen. He’s afraid of being seen by other women. You’re new, so you don’t know. If it’s just us guys around, he doesn’t care at all. But if we’re on this court—he definitely won’t take off his shirt. If you don’t believe me, just watch.”

“I don’t buy it. He’s drenched in sweat—how could he not take it off?”

The veteran and the newbie continued bickering, both now staring intently at Huo Changzheng.

Just then, he made a long three-point shot that swished cleanly through the hoop—perfect form and execution.

Thunderous applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

Lin Suisui looked up at the sound, only to see that the only man on the court who had been wearing a shirt was now taking it off.