Chapter 74

The officer in charge of their training was strict. With Lu Weiguo’s special attention, he kept a close eye on Shi Tingyu’s progress. Learning some self-defense skills was tough, and Lu Weiguo feared he couldn’t push her hard enough, so he entrusted her training to the cultural troupe.

Once her physical fitness improved, teaching her some self-defense techniques would be much easier.

The officer watched the group running laps, his eyes sharp. In the first lap, they all did fine, but by the second lap, differences in stamina started to show.

Shi Tingyu maintained her speed and breathing evenly. Despite being out of practice, she hadn’t forgotten how to run properly. By the third lap, some were already dragging their feet. By the fourth lap, several could only walk.

Only Shi Tingyu kept running, gritting her teeth. She knew the initial struggle would eventually get easier.

Not far away, beside the 400-meter obstacle wall, Lu Weiguo stood with a stern face, watching Shi Tingyu intently, his brows never relaxing.

Feng Wei, watching with interest, asked, “Can’t bear to see her suffer? Then why have her train? You could train her yourself, you know. Xiao Lu isn’t known for going easy on anyone.”

Feng Wei referred to the officer training the new recruits from the cultural troupe.

Without lifting his head, Lu Weiguo replied, “You don’t understand.”

Feng Wei’s mouth twitched. Since Lu Weiguo got married, he found him increasingly hard to understand.

Meanwhile, Shi Tingyu was the first to finish the five laps and was now walking to cool down. Instructor Lu glanced at her and nodded slightly, then looked at the others still struggling through their fourth lap, his brow furrowed in frustration.

When the group finally completed their five laps, mostly by walking, Instructor Lu blew his whistle to gather them.

He looked at them sternly and said, “First, I want to commend Comrade Shi Tingyu. With remarkable perseverance, she completed the five laps, two kilometers. Let’s give her a round of applause!”

Shi Tingyu felt embarrassed, her face turning red. Her social anxiety flared up, but she stood tall despite the discomfort.

After praising Shi Tingyu, Instructor Lu began his critique. “What’s going on with the rest of you? You’ve been training for a few days now, and look at how you’re running! Even an old lady could run faster!”

The others felt ashamed. Their stamina was indeed not as good as Shi Tingyu’s, nor did they have her determination. They had hoped her presence would make them look better, but she ended up outshining them.

Instructor Lu didn’t care about their excuses. “Your results for this run are void. In ten minutes, we’ll run again.”

Then he turned to Shi Tingyu. “Shi Tingyu.”

Shi Tingyu instinctively responded, “Present!”

A hint of a smile flashed in Instructor Lu’s eyes. He cleared his throat and said, “Good, quick reaction. You’re showing some military spirit. You passed this run. Take a thirty-minute break.”

“Yes, sir!”

Shi Tingyu relaxed instantly at the order to rest.

Lu Weiguo, seeing they were on break, walked over with his large tea mug.

Shi Tingyu, sitting on the ground to rest, was surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”

Lu Weiguo handed her the tea mug. “We’re on a break from our training. Here, have some honey water.”

Shi Tingyu had given him a small bottle of wild honey she had found, which he brought to his office.

She took a sip from the tea mug. After running and sweating, her throat felt parched, and the honey water was refreshing.

Instructor Lu and the cultural troupe members noticed Lu Weiguo’s approach. Instructor Lu, knowing Captain Lu’s usual demeanor, found his current caring behavior quite novel.

The members of the cultural troupe were mostly afraid of Lu Weiguo. His fierce appearance was intimidating, but Shi Tingyu wasn’t scared of him at all.

Shi Tingyu almost drank all the water in the tea mug in one go. Lu Weiguo lifted his hand to wipe the water from her lips and asked softly, “Do you want more?”

Feeling everyone’s eyes on them, Shi Tingyu urged, “No, I don’t need more. You should get back to your training. I’m fine here.”

Lu Weiguo gave her a look before taking the tea mug and leaving. His break was almost over, and seeing that she was adjusting well, he felt reassured.

In the following days, everyone realized what physical endurance meant. No matter the task, Shi Tingyu always managed to complete it on time and with high quality. She had become their benchmark.

During breaks, they frequently saw Lu Weiguo coming over. The members of the cultural troupe were now unsure whether to envy Shi Tingyu for having such a considerate husband or pity her for having such a fierce one. Overall, their impression of the legendary Captain Lu began to change. Despite his stern appearance, he had a good character, and they learned not to judge by looks alone.

Shi Tingyu hadn’t expected this outcome. Feng Wei, observing his old partner, went from initial shock to resignation. Captain Lu’s tough demeanor seemed to have softened because of Shi Tingyu, but he still remained focused on his work, which reassured Feng Wei.

One day, while Shi Tingyu was doing obstacle running, Instructor Lu called her over. She saw Lu Weiguo there as well. She stopped her training and ran over, panting. “Officer, what’s the matter?”

Instructor Lu indicated that she should ask Lu Weiguo. He took her aside and spoke softly, “We need your help with something important.”

Shi Tingyu raised an eyebrow in surprise. What could she do to help the military? Painting, perhaps? She voiced her thought. “Do you need me to draw something?”

Lu Weiguo was surprised she guessed it right. “The spy situation has been confirmed. Wang Ming has been detained for interrogation.” He glanced at Shi Tingyu, worried she might be disturbed by such harsh details, but she remained calm, having undergone professional training and assessments as a sketch artist.

Lu Weiguo continued, “He mentioned another person but only saw half their face, and that half didn’t have any distinct features. Captain Zhao thought of you because he heard there are police sketch artists who can create accurate portraits from descriptions. He was impressed by your last sketch and wants to see if you can help.”

Lu Weiguo knew little about forensic sketch artists, having never encountered one, but Captain Zhao had faith in Shi Tingyu’s abilities.

Shi Tingyu was willing to help the military catch the spy. “Sure, I can do it, but I need to see the person and hear their description to know if I can draw it accurately.”