Gu Panpan silently followed behind Qin Zhan with her head lowered, looking exactly like a child who had done something wrong and didn’t dare make a sound.
She had been wronged! This really wasn’t her fault!
If anyone was to blame, it was her mother-in-law, Li Cuihua, for not pointing directly at the person in the photograph and telling her which one was Qin Dazhu.
Still, this counted as an unexpected surprise.
If she had known that Qin Dazhu’s appearance and physique would be so pleasing to her eyes, she would have come running over much sooner.
Why would she have wasted several extra days lingering around Qin Family Village?
What a complete waste of money!
Fox had once taken her to Tgbty to admire male models, and occasionally they had even gotten to touch their abs. But every single minute there cost money.
Now, however, there was a free male model standing right in front of her.
She desperately wanted to take a picture.
She desperately wanted to send it to Fox.
She desperately wanted to share this discovery with her.
Ahhh…
What a pity Fox wasn’t here.
“Hey, Brother Dazhu, slow down a little.”
This man’s legs were ridiculously long. Gu Panpan had to jog just to keep up with him.
He really was stingy and awkward.
Was it really such a huge deal that she had mistaken someone else for him? She had suffered too, alright?
She hadn’t even settled the score with him for changing his name, which had left her wandering outside for hours, swallowing mouthfuls of sand in the northwestern wind.
“Shut up. Don’t call me Brother Dazhu.”
Now, every time Gu Panpan uttered those three words, Qin Zhan immediately recalled the sweet, coquettish way she had addressed Lu Tian earlier.
His heart grew restless.
Damn it! What was wrong with him?
Could it be that Lu Tian’s appearance was actually more to this little girl’s taste?
Gu Panpan pouted resentfully.
This horrible man had actually yelled at her.
And this was only the first day of their marriage.
Originally, considering how handsome he was, she had reluctantly decided to take up her officially licensed position as his wife and spend two happy years together.
Then afterward, she would return to living her best life with her best friend.
Now she regrets it.
This dog of a man could live by himself.
In two years, she was definitely getting a divorce.
Hmph!
…
Qin Zhan led Gu Panpan to the family housing area east of the regiment headquarters.
Curiously, Gu Panpan examined the row of small single-story houses before her. Each one had its own little courtyard, which was already far superior and far prettier than the mud-brick house the original owner had lived in.
Qin Zhan pushed open the courtyard gate.
It was his first time coming here as well.
Back when he was single, he had simply stayed in the regiment’s bachelor quarters.
Although this little girl had been brought to him by his parents to bring him good fortune during his critical condition, if he had never woken up, she would have become a widow at such a young age.
Deep down, he had always been grateful to her.
The very next day after regaining enough strength to hold a pen, he had immediately submitted his marriage report.
When he later heard from his mother that she intended to join him at the military base, he had promptly applied to the regiment commander for family housing.
Gu Panpan stood outside the gate, looking around curiously.
The courtyard wasn’t large, roughly fifty or sixty square meters in size. There was an empty open space and even a small vegetable patch.
The weeds had already been pulled out and spread over the soil, probably to dry out before being burned into fertilizer.
Overall, the little courtyard had been cleaned up very nicely.
Qin Zhan deliberately slowed his pace, waiting for Gu Panpan to catch up before the two of them entered together.
The house was divided into an outer and inner room, separated by a wall.
The outer room contained only a square table and four chairs.
The inner room served as the bedroom, complete with a heated brick kang bed.
Even the bedding on top of it was brand new.
Someone had clearly put considerable effort into preparing everything.
Gu Panpan surveyed the surroundings thoughtfully.
Something felt missing.
Ah, right.
A desk!
Because of her writing habits, she had always maintained the routine of waking up early to read and practice reading aloud. Even if she was only staying here for two years, she couldn’t neglect herself.
“Qin Zhan, what do you think about getting a desk?”
After waiting for a while without receiving an answer, Gu Panpan found it rather strange.
Turning around, she glanced at Qin Zhan.
His face was slightly flushed as he stared blankly at the kang, seemingly lost in thought.
“Qin Zhan? Qin Zhan?”
After calling his name twice without a response, Gu Panpan reached out and poked his firm arm.
The instant she touched him, a tingling sensation spread through Qin Zhan’s body, finally snapping him back to reality.
He practically wanted to slap himself.
What exactly had he been thinking about?
“Huh?”
Seeing the rather silly expression on the dog’s… no, the man’s face, Gu Panpan immediately knew he hadn’t been listening at all.
What had captured his attention so completely?
“Qin Zhan, I said I want to put a desk over there. I’ll use it to read and write. Do you think we should buy one, or can you make one yourself?”
Gu Panpan raised her voice and pointed toward the area by the window.
Just imagining herself writing there, earning her first pot of gold in this era and reuniting with her best friend sooner, filled her with happiness.
Qin Zhan was slightly dissatisfied.
When she addressed Lu Tian, she called him “Brother Dazhu.”
Yet when it came to him, it was always “Qin Zhan.”
“Let’s buy one. A larger desk, enough for both of us to sit together. I can read there too.”
As long as Gu Panpan liked it, anything was fine with him.
Stepping closer, Qin Zhan fixed his gaze on her.
What he really wanted to say was, We can sit there and read together.
The two simply stared at each other.
The atmosphere gradually grew somewhat ambiguous…
Being looked at so intently, Gu Panpan couldn’t help thinking that this dog of a man seemed rather pleased with himself.
Was he trying to compete with her in a staring contest?
She had never lost one in her life!
Summoning all her strength, Gu Panpan widened her eyes until they were perfectly round…
The previously tender atmosphere shattered instantly.
It seemed his wife’s thought process was rather unique.
Clearly, ordinary methods wouldn’t work on her.
Qin Zhan turned away and slowly removed his military jacket, draping it over the edge of the kang.
His broad shoulders, narrow waist, and well-defined muscles outlined a physique worthy of a supermodel.
The inverted triangle of his back nearly made Gu Panpan drool.
If she had a mobile phone right now, she would definitely snap a picture immediately.
Then she would send it to Gu Li so the two of them could admire and discuss this long-legged, narrow-waisted male model together.
She wondered how difficult it would be to win over this dog of a man.
After all, the original female lead was merely an ordinary-looking delicate flower, while she herself was undeniably beautiful.
The male supporting characters in the novel clearly had serious issues with both eyesight and taste.
They ignored their stunning little wives at home and instead devoted themselves wholeheartedly to the plain-looking white lotus female lead.
Every single one of them was foolish and wealthy.
This had been one of the biggest reasons she and her best friend constantly complained about the novel.
Resting her chin on her hand, Gu Panpan pondered thoughtfully.
Could it really be true that wildflowers were more enticing than the flowers blooming at home?
Then she remembered her fate in the original story and shook her head.
No! She needed to make money as quickly as possible.
Once she had money, would she really have to worry about finding male models?
More importantly…
Would this dog of a man hand over his salary to her?
According to the standard formula of period novels, on the very first night the female lead arrived to join the army, the male lead would hand over all his savings.
Some even had thousands or tens of thousands saved up.
Qin Zhan had been in the military for eight years.
Surely he had accumulated quite a substantial amount by now.
Qin Zhan could feel the burning gaze fixed firmly upon his back.
Secret delight surged through him.
It seemed his wife really appreciated this approach.
Turning around, he found Gu Panpan gazing up at him, stars seemingly sparkling in her eyes.
His heart pounded wildly.
If his wife took the initiative, should he accept immediately…
Or hesitate for a few seconds before accepting?
“Qin Zhan, have you forgotten that there’s something you still haven’t given me?”
“Hmm?”