Chapter 28

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The murmurs of those people weren’t loud, but Shen Nanqing caught most of what they said.

The grapes you can’t reach are always sour.

She didn’t care what others said. She quite enjoyed being served; if she didn’t have to lift a finger, she wouldn’t.

Why suffer just to please others’ eyes?

It had to be said—men who take cooking seriously were really handsome, even when washing dishes.

He bent over slightly, broad shoulders naturally sloping down, his posture steady and focused. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong arms. Water ran down his arms, splashing sparkling droplets, filling him with a vibrant and masculine charm.

Occasional sunlight filtered through the leaves, shining on him, making him look radiant and dazzling.

Such a dazzling man was now hers.

After washing the lunch boxes, Song Huaiwen turned and came to Shen Nanqing’s side. Seeing her slightly flushed cheeks, he couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Not feeling well?”

Shen Nanqing shook her head and smiled, hooking her arm through his. “Nothing’s wrong, let’s go.”

Song Huaiwen stiffened slightly, as if not used to such intimacy yet. He instinctively lowered his gaze and met Shen Nanqing’s eyes.

She was smiling warmly, her eyebrows curved softly.

His lips lifted unconsciously. His usually stern face was now full of tenderness and affection, the smile in his eyes almost overflowing.

When he saw her off at the dormitory building, Song Huaiwen asked, “What do you want to eat tomorrow?”

“There’s quite a lot I want,” Shen Nanqing looked a little troubled, as if torn.

Song Huaiwen said, “No problem, tell me whatever you want. For the next few days, I’ll make sure it’s all different.”

Seeing him so serious, Shen Nanqing stopped teasing him. “What a pity. For the next few days, I probably won’t get to eat your cooking. Tomorrow we have to perform for the grassroots troops; we might be gone for a week.”

Hearing this, Song Huaiwen’s bright eyes suddenly dimmed, his lips parted but no words came out.

A soldier’s duty is to obey orders.

Soon after his leave ended, he would have to return to the unit.

Thinking about this, he bowed his head slightly. He had always thought romance was just a trivial distraction, a waste of time.

Seeing comrades suffer for love, he thought they were too sentimental. But now that it happened to him, he truly understood the feeling.

Shen Nanqing, who had only fallen in love once in two lifetimes, was now also in the heat of love. But love wasn’t everything—she had her own mission to complete.

Not wanting him to feel too down, Shen Nanqing suddenly thought of something. She put on a serious face and said with a sudden seriousness, “Comrade Song Huaiwen, I have a very important mission that I need you to complete.”

Song Huaiwen was still immersed in the sadness of parting when he unexpectedly saw Shen Nanqing’s deliberately stern expression. His gloomy mood was instantly disturbed, and his lips twitched upward uncontrollably.

He understood the joke and saluted properly, replying in a serious tone, “Please give the order, I guarantee to complete the mission.”

The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Then suddenly, they both burst out laughing.

“We’re so childish!” Shen Nanqing laughed until she was bent over, clutching her stomach, tears sparkling in her eyes.

Song Huaiwen grinned widely, laughing as he gently ruffled her hair.

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Her hair was black and smooth, quite different in texture from his buzz cut—soft and delicate like silk.

After a moment, the laughter died down, and Shen Nanqing, unusually shy, said, “Um… could you help me write my love report?”

“Hm?” Song Huaiwen was stunned. He had never heard of someone needing a love report written for them.

“I’m busy with the performance preparations and don’t have time to write it. If you don’t want to, I can write it when I get back.”

Shen Nanqing definitely wasn’t going to tell him she didn’t know how to write it—she had pride too.

“Okay, I’ll write it for you.” Although he didn’t quite understand, Song Huaiwen agreed at once.

In the evening, Shen Nanqing left the rehearsal hall and once again saw Song Huaiwen.

“Why are you here?” Shen Nanqing was puzzled. Usually, Song Huaiwen only showed up during lunch.

There were many girls in the cultural troupe; it was fine during the day, but not convenient at night. After all, he wasn’t part of the troupe and needed to avoid suspicion.

Song Huaiwen handed her a warm lunchbox and a large kraft paper bag, saying, “Take good care of yourself during the performance. Rest if you get tired. Don’t carry everything alone. Remember to contact me immediately if anything happens.”

He was like a parent worried about their child going far away, endlessly nagging and reminding.

He couldn’t help it—Shen Nanqing had a history. When she had baited Xu Baofeng, he had been very worried.

The messages were always the same, but Shen Nanqing surprisingly didn’t feel annoyed listening to them.

She was 1.55 meters tall, while Song Huaiwen was 1.88 meters—over a whole head taller.

Shen Nanqing could only look up at him. Her gaze fell on his opening and closing lips. She had heard people say men with thin lips are often untrustworthy; she didn’t know if Song Huaiwen would be, but at that moment she really wanted to kiss him.

She quickly glanced around, saw no one nearby, and on impulse tiptoed up to quickly press a kiss on Song Huaiwen’s lips, then quickly ran away.

“Kiss” might not be the right word—it was more like a brief bump.

That soft touch, the warm breath—Song Huaiwen’s mind went blank. He felt frozen in place, completely stiff.

It was like an electric shock hit him, sending tingles all over his body. His heart felt like it was about to leap out of his throat, pounding nonstop.

After a long while, he gradually came back to his senses, instinctively touching the spot that had just been kissed. The sensation seemed to linger, but the culprit had long since disappeared.

Shen Nanqing was no better. Her steps were hurried and clumsy, and her heart was pounding wildly as if a little rabbit was running inside her chest.

She rushed into the dorm like a gust of wind, tossed the things in her hands onto the table, covered her burning cheeks with both hands, and buried her head in her pillow, twisting her body like a pretzel.

Zhu Xiaomeng and Liu Huixin exchanged a glance, both bewildered. Shen Nanqing was so fast they didn’t even catch what had just happened—they had no idea what she was up to.

After an afternoon of gossip, everyone in the troupe knew Shen Nanqing had gotten close to the “high branch” Song Huaiwen. The girls’ hearts were shattered.

Liu Huixin was one of them. She looked at the pile of things on the table, jealousy nearly driving her mad. She dared not speak up, because Li Zhen had repeatedly warned her before leaving that Shen Nanqing was under her protection and must not be bullied.

Actually, even without Li Zhen, Liu Huixin wouldn’t dare to mess with Shen Nanqing—Xu Ruoyan was a living example.

Shen Nanqing stayed cocooned on her bed for a long time, the bed in complete disarray.

She took a deep breath and slowly sat up. Apart from the redness on her face, she looked almost back to normal.

She opened the lunchbox. Inside was tomato scrambled eggs, bright in color and very appetizing.

“Did he… Song Huaiwen personally make this?” Zhu Xiaomeng suddenly asked.