Chapter 30: Come to Haicheng with me

“Why are you here?”

Shen Hongxing’s cheeks flushed slightly as she looked at Lu Jiaoyang.

She nervously looked away,

unable to meet Lu Jiaoyang’s gaze.

Lu Jiaoyang took something out of his pocket and handed it to her, “Here, this is for you!”

Shen Hongxing looked up at the paper in his hand, puzzled, “What is this?”

“Open it and see!”

Shen Hongxing took the paper.

A medical examination notice!

Shen Hongxing knew the preliminary examination wouldn’t be a problem; her biggest concern was the political review.

When she was a child, she was switched at birth by Wang Meili.

Wang Meili’s husband was a compulsive gambler who often drank and fought, leaving behind a criminal record.

She was worried that this would cause her application to be rejected during the political review.

She hadn’t expected Lu Jiaoyang to deliver the medical examination notice personally. Overwhelmed with emotion, she hugged Lu Jiaoyang, “Chief Lu, thank you for delivering this personally!”

Lu Jiaoyang froze.

He hadn’t expected Shen Hongxing to suddenly hug him, and for a moment, he was too nervous to know what to do.

After a long hesitation, he slowly reached out, wanting to hug Shen Hongxing back.

But he was worried about ruining the girl’s reputation.

He could only stand stiffly.

Until Shen Hongxing let go, her eyes curving into a smile as she asked, “Aren’t you going to Haicheng tomorrow?”

“Mm!”

Lu Jiaoyang looked at her.

At that moment, her large, round eyes reflected his image, and no one else’s.

He hoped that one day, she would only have him in her heart.

Unfortunately, they hadn’t been together long enough; he hadn’t completely removed Lu Ping’an from her heart.

“Will you really not come to Haicheng with me?”

Lu Jiaoyang mustered his courage to ask.

Last time, Shen Hongxing hadn’t replied, but he hadn’t given up.

He wanted to try again.

Shen Hongxing shook her head, refusing, “I’m not considering it for now!”

Lu Jiaoyang’s heart sank.

He should have expected it. He hadn’t had much interaction with her; why would she agree to go to Haicheng with him?

He nodded, saying in a low voice, “Alright then!”

Lu Jiaoyang left.

Shen Hongxing stood at the crossroads, watching until his car disappeared from sight.

“Boss, why didn’t you tell Chief Lu that we’re going to Haicheng these next few days?” Xu Shuangshuang and Chen Jiayi looked at her with puzzled expressions.

Shen Hongxing.

Shen Hongxing lowered her eyes.

After a long pause, she slowly spoke, “He’s already helped me enough. I don’t want to trouble him anymore!”

He was a high-ranking officer.

If he constantly helped her, she worried it would negatively affect him.

“Boss…”

Xu Shuangshuang had just begun to speak when Shen Hongxing interrupted her, “I have something to tell you. I’ve applied to join the army. The preliminary review has passed, and I’m going to the military hospital for a physical examination tomorrow!”

She had been worried that the others would tell Shen Jiaojiao about her application to join the army.

But after these few days of open and honest communication, she found that Xu Shuangshuang and the others were incredibly loyal. She now trusted them implicitly and believed they would never betray her.

Upon hearing this, the three of them screamed, “Boss, you applied to join the army?”

“Shh, keep your voices down!” Shen Hongxing worried that others would hear them and quickly gestured for them to be quiet.

The three of them covered their mouths.

Xu Shuangshuang put her arm around Shen Hongxing’s shoulder, “Boss, why didn’t you tell us earlier that you applied to join the army? That way, the three of us could have gone with you!”

“Exactly, Boss. We’ve said we’ll follow you for life! What will we do if you go to the army?”

Chen Jiayi’s eyes welled up at the thought of Shen Hongxing leaving soon.

They couldn’t bear to be separated!

“Silly, even if I had told you earlier, you wouldn’t meet the requirements for conscription!” Shen Hongxing playfully flicked her delicate nose, “Besides, the preliminary review has only passed. There are many more reviews to come. What if I fail the next ones?”

Chen Jiayi sniffed, “What if you pass all the reviews, Boss? Won’t we be separated?”

“Exactly, Boss, we really don’t want to be separated from you. Can you not join the army?” Cao Hongxia’s voice was choked with tears.

Shen Hongxing’s eyes were firm, “Joining the army has been my dream. Unless I fail the review, I will never give up!”

“Hongxia, what are you saying? If the boss can join the army, it’s a good thing. We should support her!” Xu Shuangshuang fought back her tears. She turned to Shen Hongxing, “Boss, since joining the army is your dream, I wish you all the best and a smooth entry into the army!”

“Yes, Boss, I wish you the same!”

“Boss, no matter where you are in the future, the three of us will always be here waiting for you. We’ll be best friends for life!”

Shen Hongxing hugged them, moved, “Okay, we’ll be best friends for life!”

The four of them returned home.

The other thugs were sitting outside Shen Hongxing’s room, seemingly waiting for her.

When Aguang saw Shen Hongxing return, he began to sow discord, “Sister Shuang, wasn’t it agreed that if we helped you with the fashion show, you would give us a share of the money? Why aren’t you mentioning the money now? Are you trying to welsh on your deal?”

Shen Jiaojiao had said that if he destroyed the relationship between Shen Hongxing and Xu Shuangshuang, she would give him a large sum of money.

“A Biao, what nonsense are you talking about? When have I, Xu Shuangshuang, ever welched on a deal? It’s just money!” Xu Shuangshuang grabbed A Biao’s shirt, furious, her fist almost connecting, “Believe it or not, I’ll beat you to a pulp!”

“Alright, Shuangshuang!” Shen Hongxing stopped her.

“Take down your bag, I’ll pay them.”

Only then did Xu Shuangshuang take the bag from her neck and hand it to her.

Everyone in the room saw her take out a thick wad of money, their eyes lighting up.

Shen Hongxing pointed to the doorway, gesturing, “Line up outside, ladies first!”

Then, she handed the money to Chen Jiayi, “Jiayi, you’re in charge of handing out the money, I’ll keep the records!”

“Okay!”

Everyone lined up outside as Shen Hongxing instructed.

Chen Jiayi handed out the money, and Shen Hongxing kept the records.

There were 17 people in total.

Each person received 50 kuai.

They earned 50 kuai a day.

Aguang was extremely envious. He secretly lined up last, hoping to blend in.

When the person in front of him finished, he also reached out to Shen Hongxing.

“He’s not on the list!”

Shen Hongxing told Chen Jiayi.

Aguang was unconvinced, raising his head to argue with Shen Hongxing, “Why did everyone else get paid, but not me? That’s not fair!”