Chapter 44: Promotion

Since starting her relationship, Xiao Qingru’s life felt both unchanged and different. Meanwhile, Xu Muzhou’s affectionate side had fully surfaced, whenever he had free time, he was at her side.

Naturally, Xiao Qingru became the subject of her friends’ teasing.

“Qingru, your boyfriend is downstairs waiting for you. If you don’t go down soon, he’s going to turn into a statue waiting for his beloved!”

Her teammates’ joking tone made Xiao Qingru feel a little shy, and when she noticed it was already the end of her shift, she quickly gathered her things. “Alright, I’m off!”

“Going to the cafeteria again?”

“Yes.”

Ever since she and Xu Muzhou had started dating, she rarely ate meals at home. Xiao Qingru’s mother had suggested she bring Xu Muzhou over for family dinners, claiming her food was far better than the cafeteria’s. But, to make Xu Muzhou feel more at ease, Qingru declined the offer.

After jogging out of the training room, she met Xu Muzhou. “You’re here again? Weren’t you busy this week?” she asked with a smile.

Xu Muzhou raised an eyebrow. “What, you didn’t want to see me?”

“Is that what I meant? Xu Comrade, you’ve got some imagination,” she replied, giving him a thumbs-up. He often twisted her words on purpose, it seemed.

Despite being playfully scolded, Xu Muzhou’s heart warmed. If she didn’t care, Qingru wouldn’t even bother to complain. Reaching out his hand, he instinctively wanted to hold hers, then remembered they were in public and quickly stepped back. During these times, even married couples kept their distance in public, let alone those who were only dating.

They walked to the cafeteria, close enough to be companions but still distant enough to avoid notice. And with the two often appearing there together, people no longer gave them curious looks. Just a glance, and everyone would return to their meals.

That day, the cafeteria had fish on the menu, and Xu Muzhou made sure to get a serving for Xiao Qingru. He also got himself a dish with meat. As they sat, Xu Muzhou gave her a smile. “Qingru, I’ve got good news.”

“Oh?”

“I got a promotion today. I’m now the squad captain!”

Xiao Qingru was genuinely happy for him, though she held back since they were in public. “Congratulations! I hope you continue to excel.”

Xu Muzhou’s eyes were full of joy. “I definitely will.”

Now, he wasn’t working hard just for himself but for their future together. He was determined to give her a better life.

“Wait a second,” Qingru said.

“What for?”

“Today’s a special day, so I’ll add something to your meal.”

Although the cafeteria didn’t offer many choices, Qingru asked the kitchen staff to cook two eggs for him.

“When I was in school, my mom would make me boiled eggs if I ranked in the top three,” she explained with a warm smile.

Xu Muzhou loved hearing stories from her past, the more she shared, the more he felt as though he was part of her life, even back then. “Your mother was very fond of you. If you had a bad test, I bet she’d have given you an extra one to cheer you up.”

Xiao Qingru burst out laughing. “You’re absolutely right. Once, I missed a test because I was sick, and since I was too young to understand why, I felt awful about dropping in rank. So my mom boiled me an extra egg and used half a bottle of soy sauce, claiming that’d make it taste even better.”

In those days, soy sauce was hard to come by, and resources had been even scarcer a few years back. Through these little stories, Xiao Qingru could feel her family’s love.

Peeling an egg, she placed it in Xu Muzhou’s bowl. “Xu Comrade, congratulations!”

Xu Muzhou felt a surge of warmth and gratitude. The girl he loved was putting effort into caring for him and finding her own ways to show her affection.

“Qingru, thank you for giving me a chance to show you my best.”

They shared a quiet smile, fully understanding each other without the need for words.