Ling Zhen still didn’t know that he had managed to annoy Shi Man yet again.
He was always like this—good intentions leading to bad results. It had been the same in his previous life. Clearly, he wanted to do things that would make her happy, yet things always went against his wishes.
Cordyceps was the most precious thing Ling Zhen could possibly give.
In this era, it was even more valuable than gold. He had never been willing to eat it himself, keeping it stored away in a cabinet.
It wasn’t until he went to ask his orderly, “Xiao Zhong, how does one pursue someone?”
Zhong Lin was sixteen years old, a brand-new recruit, only two years younger than Shi Man. He should understand trendy things between young people better.
Zhong Lin was wiping the table when Ling Zhen suddenly asked that question. He was so startled that his whole body jolted. He looked up at Ling Zhen as if he were seeing him for the first time.
Everyone knew that their young and promising commander was famous for keeping women at arm’s length and knowing nothing about romance.
When Zhong Lin had first arrived, he didn’t quite believe it. He secretly observed Ling Zhen for several days and discovered that when female soldiers passed by, Ling Zhen truly didn’t spare them a single glance. The daughters of other senior leaders clearly showed interest in him, yet he remained cold and intimidating, making people afraid to approach.
It wasn’t until Ling Zhen suddenly went on a blind date with Shi Man that Zhong Lin was shocked.
But then he thought about it—Commander Ling was already twenty-six. In the countryside, men that age already had several children. It was normal; he had to get married eventually.
Unexpectedly, news soon spread that Ling Zhen had been rejected by Shi Man, shocking Zhong Lin yet again.
That time, when Shi Man participated in the selection, Zhong Lin had secretly gone to watch as well. He wanted to see what kind of female soldier could be so proud and aloof.
After seeing how beautiful Shi Man was and how well she danced, Zhong Lin put away his indignation and silently wished them both well.
Who would have thought that the commander still hadn’t given up and even said he wanted to pursue Shi Man? Zhong Lin was shocked for the third time.
Just hearing the word “pursue” come out of the commander’s mouth already felt strange.
If he really tried to pursue someone stiffly with that cold, fierce face, wouldn’t he scare people off?
Zhong Lin’s mind was a mess. Stared at by Ling Zhen’s wolf-like, deep eyes, he didn’t have time to think carefully and stammered, “P-pursuing someone… the most common thing is giving food.”
Seeing that Ling Zhen showed no reaction, Zhong Lin was afraid he’d think he was lying and hurriedly added, “Commander Ling, I’ve been giving food to a female soldier lately to pursue her too, hehe.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhong Lin regretted it. Why had he told the commander something like that?
But Ling Zhen was actually interested and even asked, “What did you give?”
Zhong Lin froze for a moment. Being shown concern by the commander for the first time made him very happy. He quickly gestured and said, “Trendy candies.”
Ling Zhen frowned slightly. He recalled that after his blind date with Shi Man, Sister Mei had said she would test the waters and had prepared two jars of candy.
He knew Shi Man didn’t like sweets, but Sister Mei insisted that this was what girls liked, so he went and bought them anyway.
Not long after, he received Shi Man’s letter rejecting him.
In Ling Zhen’s mind, “trendy candies” had already been crossed out with a big X.
He dismissed Zhong Lin and rummaged through cabinets and boxes until he found a box of cordyceps he had treasured for years.
This counted as food too—and it was a top-grade tonic.
Shi Man was afraid of bitterness and hardship, delicate to the extreme. After just a bit of exertion, she would complain of aching waists and weak legs. With all the leg stretches and rehearsals in the art troupe, she really needed some nourishment.
And so, Ling Zhen packed the cordyceps into an iron lunchbox and delivered it straight to Shi Man.
…
Shi Man returned to the dormitory with the cordyceps and complained about Ling Zhen to Wang Dongyun for a long time.
Wang Dongyun listened with her eyes wide, inexplicably wanting to laugh.
It all felt rather interesting. Shi Man was usually very considerate toward her. Toward other suitors, she wasn’t particularly nice, but she was fairly indifferent as well.
Only when it came to Ling Zhen… how should she put it? There was a very intense feeling there.
Wang Dongyun observed Shi Man. When Shi Man finally ran out of steam from scolding, she handed her a cup of tea.
When Shi Man declared, “I absolutely will not marry someone like Ling Zhen,” Wang Dongyun nodded along in agreement.
Finally, after Shi Man had vented enough, Wang Dongyun asked, “Do you want to brew some cordyceps and drink it?”
Shi Man paused. “Brew it!”
If she didn’t drink it, it would just go to waste. Something this expensive couldn’t be squandered.
She’d just treat it as compensation from Ling Zhen for emotional damages.
…
After Wang Dongyun brewed cordyceps for Shi Man for two days, it was time for her to leave for Lunsajiges.
She and Shi Man parted reluctantly. Wang Dongyun said she’d bring back local specialties as gifts.
Shi Man instead reminded her to take good care of herself and not wander around too much—being unfamiliar with the place, she might get lost and not even know where to look for help.
From the looks of it, Wang Dongyun had completely put the matter of Zhao Wen behind her, which finally put Shi Man at ease.
Wang Dongyun wouldn’t be gone long for the exchange—about two weeks, and she’d be back.
During this time, the dance troupe received a new performance assignment and encouraged everyone to sign up enthusiastically.
The newly arrived deputy commander, Qin Junbao, gathered everyone and said, “The performance at the Great Hall of the People requires fifteen people. Wang Dongyun from First Squad has gone abroad for an exchange, so there are three extra slots that can be filled by members from Second Squad.”
This made the performers from Second Squad ecstatic.
The magnificent Great Hall of the People—everyone wanted to go, yet few ever had the chance.
Especially for Second Squad, who were usually just substitutes when First Squad lacked people.
After the previous evaluation, Yao Wenjing had her solo dance canceled. As compensation, she was directly promoted to Second Squad.
Hearing about such a great stage, she was eager to compete with the other female soldiers in her squad for a spot in the performance.
But Qin Junbao called her alone into his office.
“Wenjing, are you planning to sign up for the Great Hall performance?”
Yao Wenjing nodded and asked nervously, “Deputy Commander Qin, do you think I’m qualified?”
“You are qualified,” Qin Junbao said after a moment’s thought, tapping his fingers on the desk. “However, there’s an even better opportunity I plan to recommend you for. I wonder if you’d be willing.”
“I know you’ve always been proactive and eager to stand out. This is definitely a good opportunity,” Qin Junbao added.
But his repeated emphasis gave Yao Wenjing a bad feeling. Opportunities like this didn’t usually fall into her lap so easily.
Sure enough, Qin Junbao told her it was a trip to a quarry on the outskirts of the capital. Only one person would be sent, to perform a solo dance.
He remembered that Yao Wenjing’s solo had once been canceled, so he wanted to give this solo performance to her.
Yao Wenjing felt immediate resistance in her heart.
How could dancing solo in a grand hall before distinguished guests compare to dancing solo at a dirty, remote quarry?
Besides, she wasn’t stupid. With a chance to perform at the Great Hall of the People, she’d have to be out of her mind to choose the quarry.
It sounded nice—“solo dance,” her own stage where she could dance however she wanted.
But would those country folk even understand it? They’d probably just treat her like a monkey on display!
Yao Wenjing’s mind raced. All these thoughts flooded in within seconds of Qin Junbao finishing his explanation.
She lowered her head and said apologetically, “Deputy Commander Qin, thank you for the opportunity, but I… I want to go to the Great Hall of the People.”
She answered decisively. Seeing this, Qin Junbao didn’t try to persuade her further and simply nodded. “Alright, you may go.”
“Oh, right. Who else do you think might want to go to the quarry?” Qin Junbao suddenly asked as Yao Wenjing was about to reach the door.
Yao Wenjing stopped, her eyes rolling slightly. She blurted out, “Shi Man.”
Her算盘 clicked loudly in her mind—if Shi Man went to the quarry, there’d be one more slot at the Great Hall, increasing her own chances.
“Shi Man?” Qin Junbao frowned immediately.
It wasn’t like he didn’t know Shi Man. How could a pampered, vain woman like her give up the brilliant stage of the Great Hall to go to a remote quarry?
Yao Wenjing turned back and patted her chest confidently. “Deputy Commander Qin, why don’t you leave this task to me? When does the quarry team leave? I guarantee you’ll see Shi Man there.”
Qin Junbao didn’t quite believe her and rolled up his sleeves. “They leave tomorrow. What if she doesn’t go?”
“If she doesn’t, I will!” Yao Wenjing gritted her teeth and promised.
“Alright, go try,” Qin Junbao said. With a fallback plan, he didn’t care much, though his face still showed disbelief.
“Got it.” Yao Wenjing grew even more enthusiastic, wishing she could send Shi Man away immediately.
…
Inside Squad One’s room.
Yao Wenjing appeared with a bright smile and greeted Shi Man warmly. “Manman, what are you doing?”
Shi Man spread her palm without much expression, nearly making Yao Wenjing jump in fright.
“Manman, why are you soaking bugs in water and drinking it?!”
Yao Wenjing had no way of recognizing something as precious as cordyceps. After staring at it for a while, she could only make a fuss out of ignorance, thinking it was really insects.
Shi Man lifted her eyelids and said smugly, “This is called cordyceps. Guess how much one piece costs?”
“They’re sold by the piece?” Yao Wenjing was stunned.
“Of course. One piece costs more than your monthly salary,” Shi Man said faintly. She dropped it into the water, took a sip, and added, “Ling Zhen gave it to me.”
Yao Wenjing’s eyes reddened with envy. Sour jealousy churned in her chest as she watched Shi Man drink “gold” sip by sip, enjoying herself. She couldn’t understand how Shi Man could be so lucky.
Still, she hadn’t forgotten her purpose for coming. Leaning closer, she said, “Manman, do you know? Besides the performance at the Great Hall of the People, there’s another place that needs a performance.”
Shi Man held her cup, looking uninterested.
Yao Wenjing continued, “It’s a quarry on the outskirts of the capital. They want a solo dance. Are you going?”
Shi Man’s expression tightened slightly. A quarry?
She remembered that in her dream, there had indeed been such an event.
But back then, Deputy Commander Liu had announced it to everyone: group dance at the Great Hall of the People or solo dance at the quarry—choose one.
Almost everyone wanted to go to the Great Hall. The quarry was harsh—remote, dirty, with jagged rocks everywhere, not suitable for dancing at all. How could it compare to the splendid Great Hall?
Only Shi Man and Yao Wenjing had signed up for the quarry solo.
Shi Man had done so because she was already married to Ling Zhen then and knew he would be going to the quarry on assignment. She signed up to perform there so she wouldn’t be separated from him.
It had to be said that just after getting married, she did like Ling Zhen a little. It was only later that dissatisfaction and manipulation gradually replaced those feelings.
Much of that manipulation came from the person in front of her—Yao Wenjing.
“You’re not going to the quarry?” Shi Man stared at her. She clearly remembered that in the dream, Yao Wenjing had fought hard to go, and she herself hadn’t been able to beat her.
“I’m not going. I’ll give this good opportunity to you,” Yao Wenjing said with a squinting smile.
Shi Man found it amusing and finally understood.
Back then, Yao Wenjing had been desperate to go because she’d heard Shi Man say Ling Zhen would be going to the quarry on assignment to escort a senior leader back to the capital. The performance was arranged for that reason.
But the current Yao Wenjing clearly knew nothing about that. Looking closely, Shi Man could even see the disdain and contempt for the quarry in her eyes.
Thinking of something, Shi Man curled her lips slightly and nodded. “Alright, I’ll go.”
Yao Wenjing froze. She had prepared a whole set of arguments to persuade Shi Man, but Shi Man agreed so readily.
Something was off. Especially when it came to Shi Man, who loved stirring up trouble.
Yao Wenjing didn’t sleep all night, unable to figure out why Shi Man had decided without hesitation to go to the quarry.
She began to suspect she’d missed something.
But before she could think it through, it was already time to depart the next day.
All Yao Wenjing could do was watch as Shi Man had others help carry her large bags and send her to the departure point.
Before leaving, Shi Man gave Yao Wenjing a rare smile.
This only made Yao Wenjing even more uneasy, feeling that something unknown was at play.
What she didn’t know was that this was something meant to happen in the future.
Only Shi Man had seen it in her dream—after returning from the quarry, Yao Wenjing received high praise from a senior leader, was promoted, and gained an even better opportunity.
Once again, Shi Man sincerely thanked Yao Wenjing.