The next day.

Fu Yao and Li Ming were sent back to Qingbei Military Hospital early in the morning.

Li Ming, looking ashen, quickly packed his belongings and left. He had to ask his family to use their connections to leave him a way out.

Fu Yao, on the other hand, immediately made a phone call.

The moment the call connected, she burst into tears.

“Yueyue, Lu Jiansen got married…”

On the other end of the line, Bi Wenyue’s expression froze for a moment.

After a few seconds, she gently responded, “I know. Why are you crying?”

Fu Yao, heartbroken, said, “Lu Jiansen didn’t just get married—he’s also fiercely protective of that woman. Because of them, I was even kicked out of the military hospital…”

Bi Wenyue’s face darkened. Her brows furrowed so tightly that the veins on her hand gripping the phone almost popped out.

“He… really protects that woman?”

Fu Yao nodded fervently. “Exactly! I don’t know what kind of spell that woman cast on him. He was always so indifferent to women, yet he’s treating her so well…”

“I stayed at the military hospital just to be near him, to see him more often, but in front of that woman, he acted like he didn’t even know me…”

“Yueyue, I hate myself so much right now. How could I have fallen for such a cold and heartless man…”

“Today, he even called me trash from the military hospital…”

Bi Wenyue could no longer hear what Fu Yao was saying. Her mind was consumed by one thought—Lu Jiansen had someone he liked!

That man—he actually fell for a woman!

She really wanted to see what kind of person had managed to catch Lu Jiansen’s eye and even earned the favor of his parents.

After a few perfunctory words to console Fu Yao, she hung up.

Half an hour later, she returned to the Gu family home—a place she never wanted to go back to.

She knew that Lu Jianye was home today on leave.

But when she arrived, she found the house completely empty.

She forced herself to wait for over an hour before Lu Jianye finally returned.

The moment she saw him, her habitual cold expression surfaced. “Where have you been?”

Lu Jianye had just lifted the corners of his lips in a smile, but upon seeing her expression, his face fell.

“I had something to take care of.”

“Something to take care of? What could possibly be so important?”

Lu Jianye frowned slightly. “Why are you back?”

Bi Wenyue raised an eyebrow. “What, am I not allowed to come back?”

Lu Jianye didn’t want to argue with her. He sat on the sofa and sighed. “What’s upsetting you this time?”

Bi Wenyue irritably ran her fingers through her hair and sat down beside him. “Fu Yao just called me. She said your brother’s wife is extremely cunning—she got Fu Yao kicked out of the military hospital. She was crying the whole time on the phone.”

Lu Jianye was slightly surprised. “She got kicked out? Why?”

Bi Wenyue snorted coldly. “She was crying so much I didn’t ask for details. Your brother didn’t inform the family before getting married. Aren’t you planning to check in on him?”

Lu Jianye was silent for a few seconds before replying indifferently, “Xiaolin went on behalf of the family. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Bi Wenyue was stunned. “Lu Jianlin went? When?”

“Just now. I put him on the train myself,” Lu Jianye said, watching her eyes, hoping to see some warmth in them when she looked at him.

But Bi Wenyue averted her gaze, her hands subconsciously tightening.

After a brief moment of silence, she suddenly said, “During the National Day celebrations, our cultural troupe will be going to Qingbei Military District for a performance. I’ll check in on him then.”

Lu Jianye didn’t respond right away. He took a deep breath before saying, “I’ll go with you.”

Bi Wenyue frowned slightly. “Won’t you be busy with work?”

“I have plenty of leave saved up,” Lu Jianye said with a hint of bitterness.

Because she rarely came home, he had lost interest in taking leave himself.

“Alright, let’s go together then,” Bi Wenyue agreed.

She needed an excuse to meet Lu Jiansen.

…

At the Same Time

Gu Xiaoxi received a new assignment—to join the First Battalion, led by Lu Jiansen, in a salvage operation to recover lost supplies and minimize public losses.

Their first salvage site was the area where the Supply and Marketing Cooperative was located.

Of course, Lu Jiansen couldn’t bear to let his little girl do the heavy lifting. Her only task was to clean the salvaged items by the stream.

This arrangement delighted Gu Xiaoxi.

The supplies from the Supply and Marketing Cooperative were all brand new. Even if they were now dirty or damaged, she could quietly toss them into her Trade-in System. Swapping old items for new ones wouldn’t seem suspicious at all, and she wasn’t worried about being caught.

In just over an hour, her points had increased by more than 500.

To earn even more, she occasionally ran over to Lu Jiansen’s side, secretly lending a hand to make their salvage efforts more efficient.

By noon, something exciting happened—her Trade-in System upgraded again!

However, when she saw the golden update messages, the smile on her face stiffened slightly.

[Trade-in System Owner: Gu Xiaoxi]

[Transaction Level: Novice Level 3]

[Points: 0/3000]

[Merit Value: 20]

[Occupation Rating: One-Star Waste Purification Specialist]

[Skill Store: Professional Skill Learning Option Unlocked]

So after all this time, the skill store wasn’t training her to be a doctor who saves lives, but instead setting her up for a lifelong career in waste management?

A Waste Purification Specialist?

Why did she suddenly regret upgrading so quickly?

Feeling exasperated, she clicked on the Professional Skill Learning option.

Then, her frustration turned to excitement—there were so many useful things to learn!

Level 1 Temperature Control? Only costs 1 merit point? Okay, learn it!

Level 1 Dust Removal? Also just 1 merit point? Absolutely, learn it!

Level 1 Sterilization? Learn!

Level 1 Deodorization? Learn!

Level 1 Freezing? Learn!

Level 1 Dismantling? Might as well learn that too!

Just as she finished, a golden glow refreshed the skill list, revealing new options.

Master-Level Blade Cutting Technique (Requires 5 Merit Points)

Master-Level Engraving Technique (Requires 5 Merit Points)

Gu Xiaoxi had no idea why a Waste Purification Specialist needed to learn blade skills and engraving, but she diligently learned them anyway.

With 4 merit points remaining, she thought about saving them. But before she could, another new skill began flashing in gold.

One-Star Repair Technique (Requires 4 Merit Points)

Gu Xiaoxi froze for a moment. Was the system determined to drain her merit points completely?

Fine! Skills were meant to be learned.

Whatever she mastered would always belong to her!

Her mindset was solid—she used up all her merit points and became even more motivated in the afternoon.

At 2 PM, Lu Jiansen looked at the tireless little girl and said, “We’ve salvaged most of what we can here. It’s time to move to the next location. Go rest for a bit.”

Gu Xiaoxi immediately asked, “Where are we heading next?”