The evening sky stretched wide, tinged with the soft glow of sunset clouds.
At the Special Operations Brigade base, located in the outskirts, rows of camouflage gear stood in solemn formation. On the training grounds, soldiers drilled in perfect unison, their thunderous chants occasionally shaking the air.
In the office building across from the training grounds, Lu Yanling received a call from his friend, Guan Chu, inviting him to dinner.
Guan Chu sounded thrilled over the phone, announcing that Old Master Guan’s surgery had been a complete success. He asked if Lu Yanling was free the next day, adding that he wanted to introduce him to a friend.
Lu Yanling had just finished a grueling day. With the lower-level companies currently assigning new recruits, he had been buried in paperwork and unable to visit the hospital.
Still in his tactical training uniform, he stood by the office window. He skimmed the documents in his hand while holding his phone between his shoulder and ear, listening to Guan Chu’s eager voice.
After his friend finished speaking, Lu Yanling glanced at his watch. “I only have two hours tomorrow at noon.”
The Special Operations Brigade was preparing for an upcoming exercise, followed by the military’s anniversary celebrations. His schedule was completely packed.
“Perfect,” Guan Chu said happily. “Tomorrow at noon, Swan Restaurant. Be there.”
***
The next morning, after finishing his duties, Lu Yanling returned to his single quarters at the base.
As he changed his clothes, his hand brushed against a hard object in his trench coat pocket. He realized he’d never dealt with the lipstick he’d picked up in the car days ago; it had simply remained in his pocket ever since.
Lu Yanling held the tube for a moment, his gaze turning cold and mocking. His long, slender fingers turned the lipstick over before he tossed it into the back of a drawer with a scoff.
He stripped off his tactical uniform, revealing a lean, powerful back.
Years of grueling outdoor training had sculpted his muscles into a display of raw, untamed strength. The evening light streamed through the window, falling across his wheat-toned skin and tracing the faint, sharp lines of his obliques.
After quickly changing and throwing on a military-green overcoat, he grabbed his keys and left.
Lu Yanling drove to the city center and stopped at the hospital to visit Old Master Guan. The old man and Lu Yanling’s father had been lifelong friends who had once risked their lives for each other.
After Uncle Guan’s hospitalization, Lu Yanling’s own grandfather had called him several times, urgently asking him to check on the old man.
Lu Yanling spent some time chatting with Old Master Guan, and once the old man settled down to rest, he headed downstairs with Guan Chu.
Guan Chu kept checking his watch. As soon as they got into the car, he turned to Lu Yanling. “It’s almost noon. We need to hurry. It’s bad manners for a gentleman to be late for a date.”
Lu Yanling shot him a frown. “The friend you mentioned… is she a woman?”
“Oh, yes,” Guan Chu replied, his face alight with anticipation. “Did I not tell you? I must have been too excited and forgotten.”
Then he launched into an enthusiastic monologue, describing the beautiful young lady he had recently met. She was charming, kind, and incredibly knowledgeable, with a modern outlook that completely challenged his previous perceptions of women in China.
He wanted to take her out to dinner and pursue her, but after living abroad for so long, he had no idea how to court a girl back home. He hoped Lu Yanling could give him some advice.
Lu Yanling’s brow furrowed deeper with every word. He was swamped with work, yet this guy had dragged him out in such a rush just to help him chase a girl.
If I’d known this, I would never have come, he thought.
After talking for a long while and seeing his friend’s cold expression, Guan Chu realized his request was a bit presumptuous.
“Just this once,” he pleaded. “Next time you need something, I’ll help you too.”
Lu Yanlyng shot him an exasperated glance. “I won’t need it.”
***
The waiter led them to their reserved table.
Guan Chu breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Miss Nige hasn’t arrived yet, he thought. It would be terribly rude to keep a lady waiting.
He had booked a private booth, ensuring a more intimate and quiet setting.
As they sat down, Guan Chu noticed his friend’s expression remained frigid. “This isn’t the army, Lu Yanling. Could you at least try to smile? Otherwise, when she arrives, she’ll think you dislike her just because you’re my friend.”
Lu Yanling shot him a cool, sidelong glance. The fact that he hadn’t turned and walked out already showed him a great deal of courtesy.
“Fine,” Guan Chu sighed in resignation. “Once you meet her, you’ll see how rude your coldness is in the face of her elegance.”
A moment later, a graceful, slender figure entered the restaurant, escorted by a server.
Guan Chu sprang to his feet and waved. “Miss Nige, over here!”
At the same time, Lu Yanling, leaning back in the booth, raised his eyes. As his gaze fell upon the woman walking toward them with a gentle smile, a sharp, dark flicker crossed his eyes.
“Is she the one you invited?” Lu Yanling asked.
Guan Chu, oblivious to the tension in his friend’s tone, kept waving at Zhao Nige with a beaming smile.
He only glanced back briefly to reply, “That’s her. Beautiful, isn’t she?”
Lu Yanling said nothing. He simply watched her approach, his gaze cold and piercing.
Zhao Nige stopped at the booth and smiled at Guan Chu. “I’m sorry I’m late. Rehearsals have been so hectic these past two days.”
“No problem at all,” Guan Chu said, quickly rising to pull out a chair for her. “A gentleman should always be patient when waiting for a lady. Besides, we only just arrived ourselves.”
With a graceful sweep of her skirt, Zhao Nige took her seat and then raised her eyes to meet the gaze of the man sitting opposite her.
Seeing this, Guan Chu hurriedly sat down. “Let me introduce you.”
“This is my best friend, Lu Yanling. We grew up together in the same compound, and later studied in London for three years. After that, Yanling returned to China to attend the military academy, while I stayed abroad. But we’ve always remained close.”
Lu Yanling.
The name evoked the image of a cold wind sweeping across a plum-blossom ridge, yet it also suggested a poised, elegant host. It suited him well.
Zhao Nige committed the name to memory.
“I envy your friendship,” she said, her voice laced with a smile.
As she spoke, she noticed the man’s gaze grow even colder.
She ignored it, keeping her eyes on Guan Chu and waiting for him to introduce her.
Guan Chu gestured toward her. “Lu Yanling, this is the woman I told you about—Miss Zhao Nige. A truly captivating lady.”
“You flatter me, Mr. Guan,” Zhao Nige said with a nod.
Only then did she finally turn her full attention to the man sitting diagonally from her. His expression was arrogant, his aura oppressive.
She extended her hand with a bright smile. “Mr. Lu, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Lu Yanling stared at her outstretched hand.
He remained seated, his piercing eyes scrutinizing her. “Miss Zhao, was it?”
Zhao Nige kept her hand extended, letting out a soft, questioning hum.
“What do you do, Miss Zhao?”
“I’m a dancer with the Military Arts Troupe.”
“And your parents?”
“My father is the chief editor of the Fifth Army Newspaper, and my mother is a cadre at the Art Troupe.”
“How old are you, Miss Zhao? Are you seeing anyone?”
“I’m twenty, and currently single.”
The man’s questions were delivered with a stony expression; the woman’s answers were laced with a playful smile. He interrogated her like a suspect, while she replied as if they were just making casual conversation.
Beside them, Guan Chu watched, stunned.
What is happening?
When he finally snapped back to his senses, he tugged his friend’s sleeve under the table. “What are you doing?” he hissed. “This is incredibly rude.”
Zhao Nige’s hand remained extended. Her gaze drifted across the man’s cold, hard features. “Mr. Lu… you seem to be in a bad mood.”
Guan Chu tugged Lu Yanling’s sleeve again, silently urging him to give her some face for his sake.
Lu Yanling stared at the woman, seeing the cunning she so effectively hid beneath her innocent expression. A sneer formed on his lips as he rested his chin in his hand, then finally raised his other hand to return the gesture.
But just as his hand was about to touch her slightly upturned fingertips, she pulled back.
Her lips curved into a smile. “If Mr. Lu is in such a bad mood, then forget it.”
Her fingertips had grazed his palm like a cat’s paw—soft yet sharp, as if they could draw blood—before pulling away with a casual indifference.
Lu Yanling’s hand clenched into a fist. He shot her a stern glare.
Zhao Nige ignored him completely. Turning to Guan Chu with a smile, she said, “They say good food can cure a bad mood. Let’s order something delicious; maybe it will cheer your friend up.”
“Of course,” Guan Chu said, impressed by her grace. “Miss Zhao, please order whatever you like.”
***
While waiting for their food, Zhao Nige excused herself to the restroom.
When she returned, she found a tall, imposing figure leaning against the marble vanity in the hallway, arms crossed.
The overhead light cast a cold, white glow on his face, sharpening the bridge of his nose and deepening the contours of his features. His olive-green military coat blended into the shadows, making him appear both austere and detached.
It was as if he generated his own magnetic field, chilling the air for three meters around him.
Zhao Nige averted her gaze and walked past. She turned on the faucet, washing her hands with deliberate slowness. After drying her fingertips with a paper towel, she turned and walked away without a backward glance.
Suddenly, the man stepped forward. He blocked her path with the unhurried grace of a stalking leopard, his presence radiating a cold, oppressive pressure.
Zhao Nige stopped and looked up.
His gaze was sharp, his voice cool and thin. “What are you trying to do?”
Zhao Nige chuckled.
She held his stare for a few seconds, then reached into her bag, pulled out a slim cigarette, and lit it with casual ease.
She took a slow drag, exhaling a plume of white smoke from her red lips. Her gaze swept over him, heavy with meaning. “Just making friends. Is there a problem, Eldest Young Master Lu?”
Lu Yanling stood tall, his broad shoulders in the military coat blocking the overhead light and casting her in shadow. The scent of her hair mingled with the smoke, swirling around him.
The mixture grated on his nerves.
He narrowed his eyes, his voice dropping to a low, cold tone. “A moment ago, we were strangers. Now it’s ‘Eldest Young Master Lu’?”
“Just being polite,” Zhao Nige replied, her smile playful as she blinked. “Mr. Guan is such a gentleman. I’d hate to make things awkward for him.”
Lu Yanling lowered his gaze, about to warn her against her schemes.
“After all…” she continued.
Zhao Nige twirled the cigarette between her fingers, then turned and crushed the ember into the ashtray on the vanity. She glanced back at him. “If it were Mr. Guan, he would have been kind enough to drive a helpless girl with a broken heel all the way home, instead of dumping her halfway.”
“Wouldn’t you agree, Eldest Young Master Lu?”