Back in the dormitory, Shen Yu leaned against the door, her gaze fixed on Gu Huai’an.
With the top two buttons of his collar undone, Gu Huai’an seemed to have shed a layer of restraint. The veins on his neck pulsed with each breath, giving him a wild, untamed look.
“Seen enough?”
Gu Huai’an hung his cap on the wall and glanced back at her. “You were making such a fuss earlier, and now you’ve gone mute?”
Shen Yu ignored his teasing, her mind replaying the scene at the regimental headquarters.
That was the regimental headquarters, a place of discipline.
Gu Huai’an had slammed the table, thrown the phone, and even ordered the guard company to arrest people—utterly lawless.
Yet, despite Lu Zhengwei’s harsh words, his actions were all about protecting his own. He hadn’t even mentioned any disciplinary action, letting them return unscathed.
If there wasn’t something fishy about this, no one would believe it.
“Gu Huai’an,” Shen Yu’s eyes sparkled as she moved closer. “That Lu Zhengwei… he’s not just an ordinary acquaintance, is he?”
Gu Huai’an walked over to the washstand, splashed water on his face, and casually grabbed a towel to wipe it off. “Want to know?”
Shen Yu nodded eagerly. “Of course! Tell me, what’s the story? I am family, after all. Shouldn’t I know about our ‘political resources’?”
Gu Huai’an scoffed.
“Old Lu used to be my father’s guard. We’ve been through life and death together—he took a bullet for my father and nearly lost his life on the battlefield. When I was a kid, I used to ride on his shoulders.”
Shen Yu gasped.
His father’s guard?
In this era, having a guard assigned to you meant a certain rank…
She had guessed this man had some connections. After all, becoming a regimental commander of a main force at such a young age was impossible without some backing.
But she hadn’t expected the backing to be this solid!
No wonder he acted so boldly in the regiment. Was this the confidence of a top-tier military second-generation?
Shen Yu looked at this man, who exuded the aura of a soldierly ruffian, and her mind began to race.
She had thought she had merely found a formidable bodyguard, but now it seemed she had landed a crown prince.
In this era, with such influential connections, as long as you didn’t court disaster, you could practically walk sideways.
If she wanted to do business, make money, and thrive in this special era, wasn’t this the perfect talisman?
At this thought, Shen Yu’s expression changed entirely.
“Oh my!”
Shen Yu’s smile became eight hundred degrees more sincere as she dashed over and unceremoniously pushed the tall man into a chair.
“Are you tired, husband? With so much going on in the regiment and having to worry about my affairs, you must be exhausted.”
Gu Huai’an felt a shiver run down his spine at her coquettish “husband.”
That was a southern way of addressing someone; it wasn’t common here.
But why did it sound so pleasing to the ear?
He raised an eyebrow, looking at the suddenly attentive woman with a half-smile. “Shen Yu, your mood changes faster than a Sichuan opera performance. Weren’t you scolding me earlier? Now I’m your husband?”
“That’s just playful banter. You wouldn’t understand.”
Shen Yu moved behind him, placing her small hands on his shoulders and kneading with just the right pressure.
“Is this pressure okay? Does it feel good?”
Gu Huai’an narrowed his eyes, relaxing his body against the back of the chair, enjoying this rare indulgence.
This woman really knew how to flatter.
As soon as she heard about Old Lu’s connection to his family, her tail was practically wagging.
Still, he didn’t dislike it.
“A bit lower.”
Gu Huai’an commanded like a lord.
Shen Yu obediently followed his lead, her fingers sliding down from his trapezius to knead the tight muscles of his back.
"Honey," she leaned close to his ear, once again courting trouble, "if we have kids in the future, do you think they'll be able to strut around the Compound too?"
Gu Huai'an caught her wrist with a backward grip, and with a slight tug, Shen Yu lost her balance entirely. She let out a startled cry and tumbled directly onto his lap.
With one hand clasping her waist, his dark eyes locked onto her as he chuckled, "Thinking about having kids? In broad daylight, Comrade Shen, aren't you being a bit too eager?"
Shen Yu pushed him away in annoyance, "Who's eager! I was just making a comparison! Don't you understand analogies?"
"I don't understand analogies, I only understand action." Gu Huai'an's large hand rubbed suggestively against her waist. "What can a greenhorn like Cheng Yiqiu do besides fold his blankets neatly? In bed, he'd probably have to file a report just to figure out how to take his pants off."
"I'm different." He blew a breath against her ear, his tone unbearably flirtatious, making Shen Yu's stomach flutter. "I don't need to file reports—I'm a natural. I aim where I'm told. Whether it's mountains, jungles, or swamps, I can clear any terrain for you."
Shen Yu: "…"
Help! What mountains and swamps? What kind of indecent thoughts is this man filled with?
And yet, he wore such a serious expression.
Shen Yu was genuinely intimidated now. She was all talk, but when it came to action, she was a novice.
"You… you're a rogue!" She squirmed, trying to get down, but his iron-like arm held her tightly, leaving her unable to move.
As she fidgeted above, Gu Huai'an suffered below. He had only meant to tease her, but who knew this little minx would be so soft and fragrant, squirming on his lap?
Gu Huai'an's eyes darkened, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. He pressed his hand against the back of Shen Yu's head, pulling her closer until their noses were almost touching, their breaths mingling.
The fire in his eyes danced alarmingly as he stared at her trembling lashes and scoffed, "Scared?"
Shen Yu's throat went dry. She wanted to cling to his coattails, not offer herself up right now. In broad daylight, with the poor soundproofing of the tube-shaped apartment building, what if they made any noise? How would she ever face the military families again?
Just as Shen Yu was about to retort to Gu Huai'an's outrageous words, the loudspeaker outside suddenly blared.
The man clicked his tongue in annoyance, releasing his grip on Shen Yu's waist and giving her backside a light slap. "Wait," Gu Huai'an's voice was hoarse with intensity. "I've got business to attend to first."
Before Shen Yu could react, she saw him turn, snatch the military cap hanging on the wall, and place it on his head. The rogue soldier demeanor vanished, replaced once again by the stern regimental commander.
"…Where are you going?" Shen Yu asked instinctively.
"Leading field training." Gu Huai'an adjusted his uniform collar button, his tone tinged with restless frustration. "Those brats are getting too comfortable. Time to loosen them up."
Shen Yu was speechless. So after all that tough talk, he was just going to vent his frustrations on the training ground?
As Gu Huai'an reached the door, he turned back, his eyes sweeping over her from head to toe. "Don't go running around. If I find out you've been flirting with some pretty boy again, I'll break your legs."
Shen Yu grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him, "That's for self-improvement! What do you know!"
Gu Huai'an caught the pillow with one hand, casually tossed it back onto the bed, and turned to leave the room.
The moment the door closed, his low chuckle could still be heard.
Shen Yu let out a "hmph" at the door before turning and lunging toward the tin box stored in the cabinet.
Aside from Gu Huai'an's stack of money and ration coupons, there was also her four hundred yuan and three mao.
Shen Yu's eyes lit up as she sat cross-legged on the bed and began counting the money.
"Four hundred, plus the one hundred and twenty from Gu Huai'an, and this pile of coupons…"
Shen Yu counted with sheer delight: "I'm a little rich lady now!"
In an era where a worker's monthly salary was only twenty to thirty yuan and a jin of pork cost just seven mao, this was a genuine fortune!
Once policies loosened up in a couple of years, this would become her startup capital.
Whether heading south to flip electronic watches or buying land in Shenzhen, these five hundred yuan could multiply into five million, even fifty million!
Shen Yu carefully stored the money and coupons away again, then remembered Cheng Yiqiu, whom she had just encountered.
Since the future big shot was here, where was the future big shot's wife?
Shen Yu racked her brain, trying to recall the tattered, dog-eared novel she had read.
The original book mentioned that the big shot's wife was named Deng Qin, initially a nurse at a small health clinic.
She was famously soft-hearted—a pushover—and with a slightly problematic family background, she was bullied by colleagues early on until she gradually grew stronger after meeting Cheng Yiqiu.
Shen Yu narrowed her eyes.
A pushover was just fine.