The next morning, after resting at the guesthouse for the night, Qin Yao woke up early. Following the recommendation of the guesthouse staff, she went to a nearby bay to watch the sunrise, walking barefoot on the light yellow sand.

The golden morning light bathed the entire sea, making the waves appear turbulent up close, while the distant sea seemed incredibly calm. The clear blue water lay still, like a peaceful blanket.

A gentle sea breeze brushed her face. She inhaled deeply, feeling the fresh air cleanse her chest and make her body feel at ease.

So beautiful! So comfortable!

It felt like stepping onto another world as the first light of day illuminated the island in romantic, fairy-tale colors.

Qin Yao carried her shoes, walking barefoot along the beach, leaving a trail of footprints behind. After circling the area, she put her shoes back on. The sight of the tall, crooked coconut trees in the distance added an exotic charm to the place. A smile appeared on her face.

No wonder this island was a popular vacation spot.

With such a great environment, her mood brightened, and she decided to forget about yesterday. She and Gu Cheng had only known each other for a few days—she would just treat it as a fleeting encounter.

Back at the guesthouse, breakfast consisted of simple grain porridge and steamed buns. After eating, she called her friend Chen Baozhen to let her know she had arrived on the island.

“Yaoyao, you’re here! That’s great!”

Chen Baozhen gave her instructions on how to get to the base’s family compound. She would take a diesel bus, and once she got off, a military jeep would pick her up.

Chen Baozhen’s excitement was evident, but Qin Yao’s expression remained calm. She wasn’t the real Qin Yao, so she didn’t feel the sisterly bond with Chen Baozhen. She wasn’t even sure what their real relationship was.

Maybe it was just a plastic sisterhood?

At 8 a.m., Qin Yao boarded the bus with her luggage. Tian Shuyun, who was also on the bus, stared at her in surprise.

Qin Yao wasn’t an educated youth?

Tian Shuyun sat at the front of the bus. Qin Yao placed her luggage in the back and took a seat by the window in the second row. The sunlight was just right, casting a warm glow on the green coconut trees outside, their leaves shining like jade. As the light hit Qin Yao’s face, her skin looked flawless, like jade.

Tian Shuyun turned and saw Qin Yao’s delicate face, her lips instinctively biting down in envy.

The night before, in the ship’s cabin, she hadn’t been able to see clearly, but someone had mentioned that Qin Yao had delicate features. Tian Shuyun had thought, How could a 140-pound fat girl look delicate?

But now, she could see Qin Yao’s fairness—her skin was not just pale, but radiantly white, like a peeled lychee, plump and inviting.

Remembering her own harsh words from the previous day, Tian Shuyun felt a burning discomfort on her face. She turned away, thinking, A fat girl is still a fat girl, no matter how fair she is. She’s just a pale fatty.

Besides, she might not even end up marrying well. Tian Shuyun was visiting her cousin, hoping to marry a military officer, but Qin Yao? She was chatting happily with a fisherman.

The bus was filled with many ordinary islanders, most of them dressed in white clothes. The men wore matching white shirts, with dark, sun-kissed skin and brown straw hats on their heads. Baskets filled with items sat at their feet, and the air was thick with the smell of fish and the overpowering sweetness of tropical fruits.

“Little sister, put this on to block the sun.” A middle-aged woman spoke kindly to Qin Yao. Seeing her pale skin and learning she had just arrived on the island, she worried about her getting sunburned and offered her a straw hat.

“Don’t be fooled by the heat not feeling too strong now; it can be intense,” she added.

The island’s sunlight was scorching, with strong UV rays. Despite the refreshing sea breeze, which made it feel less stuffy, it was easy to get sunburned or tanned.

“Thank you, sister,” Qin Yao said, accepting the hat without hesitation. She tilted it slightly on her head, blocking the sunlight from the window.

The bus had been driving for four to five hours, and Qin Yao couldn’t decide whether it was more uncomfortable riding the bus or the ferry—both felt like being fish trapped in a net, struggling for water.

When they finally got off the bus, Qin Yao spotted a military jeep parked nearby. It was here to pick her up.

Carrying her luggage, she walked over, while Tian Shuyun, quick on her feet, hurried forward. “Comrade, do you know my sister? Her name is Bai Qiuling.”

Bai Qiuling? Sure enough, she was the heroine.

“Oh, it’s Comrade Tian Shuyun, my sister-in-law told me about you. Please get in the car,” the driver, a young man in his twenties, said with a friendly smile. He had a long face, dark skin, and thick eyebrows, looking honest and down-to-earth. He took Tian Shuyun’s luggage and placed it in the trunk.

Tian Shuyun opened the car door, glanced back at Qin Yao, and shot her a smug look.

Qin Yao walked toward the car.

Tian Shuyun immediately stuck her head out of the window. “What are you doing here?”

Ignoring her, Qin Yao turned to the young driver and said, “Hello, comrade, I’m Qin Yao.”

The driver looked at her, his mouth slightly open, and it took him a moment to snap out of it. “Oh, oh, Comrade Qin Yao, you are the only one missing. My sister-in-law asked me to pick you two up. Leave your luggage here, I’ll take it, you get in the car first.”

“Thank you, comrade.” Qin Yao handed him a packet wrapped in oil paper, containing some crispy fried snacks like “cat ears.” “Here’s a little snack. Try some. How long have you been waiting? Eat something.”

“Th-that’s not necessary,” the young driver stammered, though his eyes lingered on the fried treats.

A twenty-year-old young man has a huge appetite. While fish and meat were abundant on the island, these fried snacks were a rare treat, usually only available during festivals.

Qin Yao’s father was a chef, so frying these snacks was much easier for her than for most people, and she didn’t need to wait for a special occasion.

After a bit of back and forth, the young driver smiled and accepted, tasting a few pieces of the fried snacks. Qin Yao got into the car.

Inside, Tian Shuyun couldn’t hide her jealousy as she eyed the small packet of snacks, her mouth practically watering.

After Qin Yao sat down, she glanced at Tian Shuyun, eating a couple of pieces to satisfy her hunger, but she resolutely didn’t share any.

As a control group, they were in natural opposition.

Qin Yao wasn’t interested in befriending the original heroine, and she certainly had no desire to build a relationship with Tian Shuyun, the heroine’s cousin, who wasn’t worth her time.

For now, she was focused solely on “finding a job” and figuring out how to stay on the island.

After a few pieces of fried snacks, the young driver began to open up. His name was Huo Wei, and he had been in the military for three years. His aunt, Ge Yunxia, was the head nurse at the island’s military hospital.

“My aunt likes to introduce people to potential partners.” Huo Wei said, gripping the steering wheel, speaking with some intention.

The two young girls in the back, claiming to be visiting family, might also be looking for potential matches.

The conditions on the island are difficult, but the naval forces have very good benefits and some border defense allowances. There are also sailing subsidies for going out to sea, which are calculated by the hour, so there won’t be too many financial problems.

Qin Yao looks plump and fair. Her family lives in the capital, in a big city. She might not be willing to come here to find a partner. Huo Wei spoke tentatively.

Qin Yao didn’t respond, but Tian Shuyun quickly jumped in. “Who’s the best unmarried officer you have?”

Huo Wei paused. “The best? That would be Commander Gu.”

After saying this, he glanced back at Qin Yao before continuing to look ahead.

Commander Gu had excellent conditions but was a hard nut to crack. According to his aunt, she had enthusiastically tried to introduce him to a few matches, but he remained indifferent. Despite that, young girls from the arts troupe, hospital, and schools all seemed interested in him, begging Ge Yunxia to help set them up. Ge Yunxia was getting frustrated.

Eventually, Commander Gu’s family arranged for a blind date, a delicate girl from the big city named Chen Baozhen. She was elegant and had a remarkable presence, but it still didn’t work out. Commander Gu wasn’t impressed, and the city girl ended up being intercepted by an older officer named Gao Jianguo, who had been there to watch the event.

Gao Jianguo was a child from a rural family. He was young when he joined the army and had only read a few days of books. When he arrived at the army, he lit a lamp and read at night. He was seen by the chief officer, who knew that Gao Jianguo had some education and was handsome, so he recommended Gao Jianguo to attend military school. Gao Jianguo also knew how to seize opportunities. He performed well in the military school and was assigned to the fleet after graduation. He became a deputy regiment commander at a young age and was an outstanding young officer.

Gao Jianguo’s family conditions are not good, but he has excellent personal conditions and high standards. Ordinary girls look down on him. When he meets Chen Baozhen, he seizes the opportunity and takes her down, making other ordinary officers envious.

A city girl from the capital, with fair skin, a good family background, and an education, and whose parents are cadres. How could one not be envious of him for marrying such a girl?

But life wasn’t just about romance and flowers; it was also about the mundane daily grind. Chen Baozhen, though charming, couldn’t handle the practicalities of island life. She struggled with household chores, and the couple often fought, shocking everyone around them.

Many officers couldn’t help but sigh: One should marry a virtuous woman.

A delicate city girl wasn’t enough; a capable wife was necessary to manage the home.

Since then, many male officers became more practical in choosing a spouse. Ge Yunxia often used Chen Baozhen’s story as a cautionary tale, advising officers not to focus solely on a girl’s appearance or family background, but on someone who could handle daily life well.

Huo Wei had heard about this matter many times, but today he couldn’t bring it up in front of Qin Yao. Qin Yao was a close friend of Chen Baozhen.

“He’s definitely an outstanding young man.” After asking, Tian Shuyun smiled at Qin Yao. “Qin Yao, you’re so fair and delicate. You obviously come from a big city. If you want to find someone here, they will definitely introduce you to the best. Commander Gu, Commander Gu, you should take note of him.”

Tian Shuyun hid a knife behind her smile. If Qin Yao made her look bad, she would return the favor. She would flatter Qin Yao to make her develop unwarranted ambition and overestimate herself, only for her to eventually be embarrassed.

“This…” Hearing this, Huo Wei, who was in front, twitched the corner of his mouth.

In front of Tian Shuyun, Qin Yao ate a honey walnut, its sweet crunch filling her mouth. “You can remember him, I don’t need him.”

“What’s this? Do you really like that fisherman?” Tian Shuyun pretended to be shocked.

Qin Yao smiled slightly. “Yes, I do like fishermen, or rather, I like young, good-looking men.”

“You don’t like young men? You prefer mature, steady officers? I think you and Commander Gu would be a good match. Commander Gu has great qualities. He’s older and still hasn’t found a partner. Maybe he doesn’t like beautiful looks. Maybe he prefers someone who knows how to manage a household.”

“Xiao Huo, how old is Commander Gu?”

Huo Wei fell silent for a moment, his hair standing on end. “Commander Gu is thirty.”

“That’s not young anymore.” Qin Yao smiled gently. “At his age, he would prefer a practical woman who knows how to live. If he liked young and beautiful women, he would have found one long ago.”

She patted Tian Shuyun’s shoulder. “You seem like someone who knows how to manage a household. Make sure to seize the opportunity.”

Tian Shuyun: “….”

She pressed her lips together, knowing the odds were slim, but hearing those words still made her unable to resist fantasizing. What if such a possibility existed? What if she married someone even better than her cousin Bai Qiuling?

Up ahead, Huo Wei drove silently, feeling a chill down his spine as he thought about the person they were discussing: Commander Gu.