Qin Xutao was silent for a moment, his gaze settling on Su Su. He said, “It’s not that I changed my mind—it’s the commander. He said he needs to observe for a while longer.”
Qin Xutao didn’t elaborate on the reason for the observation.
But Su Su knew exactly why—it had to be because of her identity as a capital girl!
After all, Qin Xutao came from an old revolutionary family, and he himself was exceptional; promotion was only a matter of time. The commander, out of care, naturally didn’t want anyone to hold him back.
Su Su felt deflated, like a balloon losing air, and helplessly asked, “Did the commander say how long the observation period would be?”
Qin Xutao shook his head.
Seeing that Su Su looked a bit upset, he quickly added, “You wanted me to teach you to ice skate, right? Let’s go to the rink now—there are fewer people.”
Su Su’s attention immediately perked up. She quickly put on her skates and the protective gear Sister Xiu’e had made for her, bundled into a thick winter coat, and followed Qin Xutao to a frozen lake where the military held its skating competitions.
The ice was thick and solid.
After confirming it was safe, Qin Xutao said, “Put on your skates. Don’t be afraid—I’ll be right behind you.”
Su Su nodded and tentatively stepped onto the ice.
No problem!
She cautiously took a couple of steps forward and turned to Qin Xutao with delight. “I think I can skate!”
Gaining confidence, she tried skating a little further, and Qin Xutao stayed closely behind her the whole time.
Gradually, Su Su regained the feel of skating from her childhood. She became bolder, even turning to Qin Xutao and shouting, “Come catch me!”
Suddenly, her skate caught on a protruding patch of ice.
Su Su lost her balance and fell forward, closing her eyes in fear, her only thought being not to hit her face.
But the imagined pain never came. Instead, she landed in a warm embrace.
It was Qin Xutao!
His strong arms held her tightly.
Su Su cautiously opened her eyes, exhaling with relief, still shaken. “Good thing you’re here!”
“Be careful,” he said. Once she stood firmly, he released her hands but stayed right behind her, his gaze never leaving her.
Su Su skated a few more laps in the middle of the lake, then stopped to rub her rosy, cold cheeks.
If she caught a cold, that would ruin everything. It was better to head back first.
So they ended their evening skating practice and walked back toward the dormitory.
The stars twinkled overhead, and the surrounding silence was so profound it felt like they could hear each other’s heartbeats.
Back at the dorm, Qin Xutao said, “Go take a hot shower first, don’t catch a cold.”
Su Su nodded. Her nose was already a bit blocked; a hot shower was definitely needed. She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom.
Listening to the sound of running water, Qin Xutao suddenly felt thirsty. He frowned and took several big gulps from the glass on the table.
In the bathroom, the hot water poured over Su Su, opening her pores and making her feel completely relaxed.
After finishing her shower, she dressed and came out to see Qin Xutao still sitting on the sofa.
“You should take a shower too!” she said.
Qin Xutao nodded.
By the time he finished, Su Su was already lying in bed. She suddenly felt unable to sleep and turned to the man beside her.
“Do you think I can win the ice-skating competition tomorrow?”
After a moment, Qin Xutao’s deep voice sounded beside her ear: “Participation is what matters, safety first.”
Su Su pouted in displeasure. “That won’t do! They already challenged me. I can’t back down. But… it’s your fault I got into this!”
Qin Xutao was silent for a moment, then added, “I believe in you.”
Su Su let out a small huff. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this!”
The next day, Su Su got ready early. As soon as she arrived at the rink, she drew a lot of attention.
“Yingqiu, this is Captain Qin’s fiancée—she’s really pretty!”
Fang Yingqiu sneered. “She’s just okay, in my opinion.”
“Wait and see. Today I’ll make her look foolish in front of everyone.”
A nearby girl exchanged a glance with her and said, “Yingqiu, that’s enough. Don’t make it too humiliating.”
Fang Yingqiu’s mind completely ignored her words. All she could think about was how to leave Su Su far behind, so that all eyes—and Captain Qin’s—would be on her.
She held her head high, put on her skates, and noticed Su Su doing some warm-up exercises nearby.
She curled her lips. “Hmph, what a show-off.”
With a gunshot signaling the start, several people shot forward. Fang Yingqiu leaned forward, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Su Su right beside her.
She panicked and tried to speed up.
Suddenly, the ice ahead collapsed.
Neither Fang Yingqiu nor Su Su had time to stop—they both fell into the lake.
Su Su had learned to swim as a child, so she wasn’t afraid. Just as she began swimming upward, she noticed Fang Yingqiu struggling desperately.
It was clear she couldn’t swim!
Su Su frowned and swam toward Fang Yingqiu to help her out.
After all, it was a life at stake—she couldn’t just stand by.
But Fang Yingqiu panicked, clinging tightly to Su Su, trying to use her body to stay afloat.
Eventually, they climbed onto the ice surface.
People immediately gathered around.
Qin Xutao’s expression darkened as he asked, “Where’s Su Su?”
Fang Yingqiu didn’t dare admit she had used Su Su to float, and tearfully said, “Su Su tried to pull me down! She was going to hurt me!”
Everyone around gasped.
The icy water sapped Su Su’s strength, and she felt herself being pulled further below.
Suddenly, a figure swam toward her—it was Qin Xutao!
His gaze was deep and swirling. He pressed his lips to Su Su’s, giving her the air she needed, then with a powerful sweep of his arm, brought her to the surface.
He pressed on her chest repeatedly until she coughed out water and regained consciousness.
The first thing Su Su did upon regaining consciousness was to stand up and face the still-crying Fang Yingqiu.
“You say I was going to hurt you?”
Fang Yingqiu felt nervous but, seeing everyone’s gaze, forced herself to say, “Yes! If you hadn’t been holding onto me, I’d have swum up on my own!”
Su Su sneered but said nothing. She grabbed Fang Yingqiu, ready to jump into the ice hole again.
“Words aren’t proof—we’ll try again!”
Fang Yingqiu turned pale and refused to move an inch.
The onlookers immediately realized Fang Yingqiu was lying.
But this prank had gone way too far.
“Today, I will get to the bottom of this!” Qin Xutao said as he picked Su Su up and carried her back to the dormitory.