Chapter 12: Cen Shi can take one more look at it, which is the highest standard

Just as the knock landed on the door, a voice rang out from inside, full of energy: “Come in.” He Wei hurriedly opened the door and stepped inside. When Commander Wei saw that it was He Wei, he immediately put down the document in his hand and asked, “Well? Did that kid Cen Shi find anyone he liked?”

Looking at the commander, who seemed more eager to find a partner for Cen than to deal with work, He Wei couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect. He thought to himself, This is going to be a heavy responsibility. If he had any hesitation before entering, now He Wei was fully committed. He opened his mouth and began speaking nonstop:

“Sir, you wouldn’t believe it—during the whole assessment, Commander Cen was basically asleep from beginning to end. He wasn’t interested in anyone at all. He didn’t even lift his eyelids, not to mention changing his sleeping posture…”

Commander Wei’s face dropped halfway through, and he waved his hand, suddenly sounding much older, “Alright, that’s enough. I get it. That kid… he’s just determined not to find a partner! Sigh, how am I supposed to explain this to his late parents?”

Cen Shi’s parents were comrades of Commander Wei in his younger years and had once saved his life. Later, the couple died in a plane crash, and Commander Wei took the initiative to adopt Cen Shi as his godson. However, Cen was already grown by then and had his own ideas. He insisted on joining the army, and not even ten oxen could have pulled him back. He specifically chose the remote northwest region, deliberately distancing himself from Commander Wei’s network.

Now, after years of service, he had returned with honors and carved out a place for himself. But when it came to marriage, it had become Commander Wei’s greatest headache—a knot in his heart.

He Wei quickly said, “Sir, I’m not finished yet! I was just getting to the good part…”

Commander Wei replied, “But I don’t want to hear which contestant danced better than which.” Honestly, this He Wei was just too chatty. Every time he reported something, he had to go on and on. But there was no one else to rely on. At least He Wei and Cen Shi had a decent relationship. Otherwise, seeing He Wei was like Sun Wukong spotting Tang Sanzang—nothing but headaches!

Seeing Commander Wei’s increasingly impatient expression, He Wei pouted and cut to the point: “Then came a girl named Jiang Qingrou. The commander not only watched her performance, he even smiled…”

“Really?” Commander Wei stood up, eyes shining with excitement, staring at He Wei.

He Wei nodded, a bit embarrassed, “Would I dare lie to you? And more than that, the commander even gave Jiang Qingrou a second chance to perform! Doesn’t that prove she’s different from the rest?”

In truth, he was internally panicking. No one could guess what Commander Cen was really thinking. But Commander Wei? He could read him like a book. Sure enough, the man’s face was now blooming like a flower.

Commander Wei nodded with satisfaction, “Not bad. That means Cen Shi must like the girl. What was her name again? Jiang Qingrou?”

“Yes, Jiang Qingrou. Just like her name—pure and gentle,” He Wei replied. Then he thought to himself, So the commander likes this type, huh? No wonder he wasn’t interested in all those fiery female soldiers the commander previously introduced.

Commander Wei made a decisive order, “Look into this Jiang Qingrou’s family background. As long as she’s a decent girl, that’s all we need. No other requirements.”

All he wanted was for Cen Shi to take a second look. That alone was more than enough.

He Wei was dumbfounded, “S-Sir, don’t you want to think this through a bit more?”

This was a marriage they were talking about, yet the commander was acting like Cen Shi had picked out a cabbage on the roadside and he was going to wash it, cook it, and serve it up right away!

But Commander Wei was resolute, “We can’t hesitate. Hesitation leads to defeat. Arrange for them to meet the day after tomorrow. They’ll be married by the end of the year!”

He Wei walked out of the office with a very complicated feeling. When he went in, he just wanted to give a report. When he came out, the commander was already talking about getting Cen Shi married before year’s end.

His heart sank. Commander Cen was far scarier than Commander Wei. But an order was an order—he couldn’t just say no, could he?

With that thought, He Wei felt a growing sense of urgency. The commander had ordered them to meet the day after tomorrow!

Sigh… what a mess. He didn’t even have a girlfriend himself…

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After circling around from the performance theater, Jiang Qingrou spotted her second brother, Jiang Qingrang, waiting outside on a bicycle. She smiled brightly and ran over, calling sweetly, “Second Brother! How come you’re here so early?”

She had come out as soon as the results were announced. Technically, the performance wasn’t over yet, but Jiang Qingrou couldn’t be bothered to hang around with the other girls. She just wanted to go home.

Having finally gained a real family, Jiang Qingrou wanted nothing more than to stay close to them all the time—wrapped in their love.

Seeing his little sister bouncing over like a bunny, Jiang Qingrang worriedly said, “Slow down—it snowed a bit today!”

Jiang Qingrou walked over and patted the thin layer of snow off his shoulders, “You knew it snowed and still came so early, silly second brother.”

Jiang Qingrang scratched his nose. He felt like it had been a long time since his sister showed this kind of concern for him. But it felt really good. He grinned and took off his scarf to wrap it around her neck.

“What’s the big deal? My little sister was performing inside—I’d wait all day if I had to!”

Looking at her brother’s cheerful, carefree face, Jiang Qingrou felt a rush of warmth in her heart—followed by a wave of mixed emotions.

Such a warm-hearted brother, and yet in the original book, he met such a tragic end. As a fictional character, some even thought he deserved it because he sided with her too much and ignored reason. But now, standing before her, he was a living, breathing human being—with blood, emotions, kindness, and laughter.

Seeing Jiang Qingrou’s downcast expression, Jiang Qingrang began to guess how the audition had gone. Her bright eyes were now filled with worry. That carefree face was now clouded with gloom, and it broke his heart.

He patted her head and deliberately used a cheerful tone: “Hop on! Mom made chicken soup! She’s been simmering it since the afternoon—just waiting for you to come home. Perfect for this kind of weather!”

Just then, a cold gust of wind blew by.

Jiang Qingrou’s eyes lit up. She hopped onto the modified back seat of the bike and held onto the bar under Jiang Qingrang’s seat. “Let’s go! Home, home! It’s freezing!”

Instead of worrying about the future, it was better to go home and take things one step at a time—deal with problems as they came.

Most importantly, she had to fix some of her family’s bad habits! Not only could those flaws become weapons in the hands of the future heroine, they weren’t good habits to begin with.