“Bah!”
“I really misjudged him. I thought he was a promising man, but I never expected him to be so unable to resist temptation when it came to women!”
Political Commissar Su spat as he ranted, so furious that he nearly smashed his cup!
He Huai glanced toward Su Manning. The young woman sat stiffly on the stool without saying a word, looking as if she had lost her soul.
His brows drew tightly together, and he suddenly crouched down in front of her. “Comrade Manning.”
Su Manning came back to herself. The man blocked the sunlight in front of her, and his military uniform had grown taut from crouching, revealing the solid muscles of his chest through the thin fabric.
Her face flushed. “Regimental Commander He…”
Good grief. She had kept quite a few fish, but that had all been for the sake of selecting a good partner. She had never deliberately flirted with anyone.
She simply hadn’t rejected anyone.
At her age, she had not only never touched a man before, she had rarely even seen a man with such well-defined abdominal muscles.
With those thick, powerful arms, he could probably pick her up with one hand.
Did He Huai know that crouching down like this made his legs look long and his bottom look perky, making him incredibly seductive?
Seeing that her face seemed to have flushed from anger, He Huai felt a pang of pity. “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely give you an explanation for this.”
“He Yan isn’t worth being upset over.”
“And besides, even without He Yan, you can still call me Brother He.”
Su Manning’s mind was full of questions. When had she ever been upset over He Yan?
Although He Yan was indeed outstanding, and losing such a promising stock made her feel a little heartbroken, she wasn’t the sort of person who would hang herself from a single tree.
If He Yan was gone, then he was gone.
It just meant she could start looking for another promising stock.
“By the way, I heard Manning is a doctor. As it happens, I have some connection with the hospital director. Why don’t I take Manning to the hospital tomorrow to have a look? The hospital is short of doctors, so they should be very happy to have Manning take a position there.”
Political Commissar Su had originally wanted to kick him out.
But when he heard this, his heart immediately blossomed with joy. “He Huai, having a younger brother like you must be hard work.”
He Huai rarely smiled. “My younger brother is unruly. It’s good enough that Political Commissar Su doesn’t hold it against him.”
Political Commissar Su still felt it was a pity. After all, officers like He Yan—promising, handsome, and still young—were few and far between.
Of course, he had never considered He Huai. On the battlefield, that man was a true god, codenamed Yama. He could not be judged by ordinary standards, and he was certainly not someone an ordinary woman could subdue.
“By the way, there’s a social gathering next week. Does Manning want to attend?”
He Huai’s gaze had never left Su Manning.
Today she was wearing a pair of trousers. Two black braids hung beside her waist, while her close-fitting top outlined her full figure. She had a charming, delicate air tinged with purity, and seemed even more beautiful than she had been the previous two days.
“But I don’t meet the requirements, do I?”
Su Manning quietly raised her eyes and glanced at him. He Huai’s attitude struck her as somewhat strange.
But there was only a perfectly measured gentleness in his eyes, not the kind of heated ardor Cheng Shuo had shown when he saw her. She assumed she was simply being overly sensitive and did not think much of it.
After all, she was a beauty. People in this world were bound to have a little more patience with beautiful things.
Surely she couldn’t be unlucky enough to run into another perverted stalker after coming to the military district.
He Huai teased her good-naturedly. “Do you have confidence in your medical skills?”
Su Manning lifted her chin, completely confident. “Of course.”
She had studied under her teacher since she was a child and had seen countless patients.
She dared say that although her medical skills could not compare with those of the most renowned doctors, among people her age, she was absolutely superior.
“Then you’ll definitely be able to get into the hospital. Once you do, you’ll be able to attend next week’s social gathering.”
Su Manning’s eyes lit up.
That was right. Once she was employed, and with He Yan no longer being her prospective marriage partner on the surface, she could start keeping fish again.
As long as she was a little more cautious this time, she would definitely be able to choose a refined, well-mannered man of good character to marry.
Thinking this, she raised her head, her charming face filled with gratitude. “Thank you so much, Brother He.”
He Huai’s sharp gaze immediately softened.
So cute. He really wanted to ruffle her little head.
“Then I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”
Seeing that the two of them had reached an agreement, Political Commissar Su had just been about to say something when Zhou Fen pulled him aside.
“What are you butting in over there for? Without He Yan, our Manning can find someone even better.”
Political Commissar Su sighed. “I just think it’s a pity.”
Zhou Fen gave him a meaningful look. “I don’t.”
Political Commissar Su did not understand what she meant.
Nearby, Liu Ming said enviously, “Manning is really lucky. She just arrived and someone is already giving her a job. I brought my child to the military district and it took nearly a year before I got a job. Some people really can’t compare.”
Zhou Fen frowned. “You have a job and you’re still complaining? Are you so idle every day that you have nothing better to do?”
Liu Ming was left speechless.
She had only been making a casual remark. When she found out that Su Manning was a doctor, she had actually been quite pleased.
This way, they would have someone they knew at the hospital. In the future, if they came down with some minor illness or something, they could go directly to an acquaintance for medicine, and the family would have a little more income as well.
Her mother-in-law was being far too particular.
Early the next morning, He Huai rode his bicycle to the Su family’s home.
Su Manning had tied her hair into a single braid that hung to one side. She wore a lace short-sleeved shirt and trousers, with a small military canvas bag slung across her body. Smiling brightly, she greeted him, “Morning, Brother He.”
“Morning.” He Huai’s eyes suddenly brightened. He handed her the steamed buns he was carrying. “Here. Breakfast.”
Su Manning hurriedly waved her hands. “No need, no need. I’ve already eaten.”
Second Aunt had cooked noodles for her that morning and had even added a poached egg.
He Huai stuffed the buns into her hands. “Then give them to Dashitou and the others. I bought too many.”
Su Manning helplessly accepted them. Just then, she saw Dashitou and Xiaoshitou heading to school, so she called them over and gave them the buns.
“Wow, meat buns!” Dashitou swallowed hard.
“Say thank you to Regimental Commander He.”
Dashitou and Xiaoshitou thanked him in their childish voices. “Thank you, Regimental Commander He.”
He Huai rubbed Dashitou’s head. “Just call me Uncle He.”
“Comrade Su, get on. I already spoke to the hospital director yesterday. The Traditional Chinese Medicine Department is short-staffed. As long as you pass the assessment, you can take the position.”
“All right. Thank you, Brother He.”
His bicycle was very tall. Fortunately, Su Manning had long legs. After she climbed on and sat sideways, He Huai said, “Hold on tight,” and pedaled the bicycle forward.
A fresh breeze brushed across her cheeks, carrying the clean, refreshing scent of soap from the man’s recent wash.
She held the documents in one hand and gripped his clothes with the other.
The roads in the military family compound were not particularly smooth. He Huai said helplessly, “Comrade Manning, hold on a little tighter. It’s very easy to be thrown off when you’re sitting sideways.”
Su Manning glanced at his waist, tightly cinched by his belt, and pinched his shirt without moving any closer.
“I’m holding on very tightly.”
Suddenly, they went down a slope. Su Manning cried out in surprise and crashed into him, her arm instinctively hooking around his waist.
The two of them pressed tightly against each other, as if they could feel the rhythm of one another’s breathing.
He Huai’s eyes darkened, but he said indifferently, “See? I told you that you weren’t holding on tightly enough.”
“Comrade Manning, don’t feel embarrassed. We’re both unmarried, so there’s no need to avoid suspicion.”
Su Manning’s chest hurt from the impact. She ground her teeth. Could He Huai have done that deliberately?
Impossible. He Huai looked like the cold, steady type. How could he possibly have such a wicked sense of humor?
Still, his back was really hard.
“If an unmarried man and an unmarried woman are together, shouldn’t we be even more careful to avoid suspicion?”
He Huai chuckled. “Wouldn’t that make it a blind marriage between two people who had never even spoken? We’re living in a new era now. Shouldn’t men and women interact openly and naturally?”
That made some sense.
Su Manning had the distinct feeling that she was somehow being led astray.
She said nothing more. After sitting properly again, she continued holding tightly to his clothes with one hand, doing her best not to touch the flesh around his waist.
For some reason, she always felt that getting involved with He Huai would be troublesome.
Although he treated her much like he treated Dashitou and the others when they interacted, she always felt that something was hidden beneath the gentleness in his eyes.
He seemed even more dangerous than Cheng Shuo.
Fortunately, they soon arrived at the hospital.