“Your skin is fair, so green suits you better. But your skin is on the yellow side—this dress will only make you look worse,” Lu Ze continued to jab.
“Brother Lu, how can you say that about me?” Zhou Mei said, genuinely hurt.
“I’ve always been like this; you’re not unaware,” Lu Ze replied calmly.
Zhou Mei, frustrated that Lu Ze was embarrassing her publicly and putting her down, pointed at him to scold, but hesitated mid-sentence, worried about her image: “You… I…”
At that moment, Luo Fei suddenly appeared from somewhere. When he saw Gu Rou, his eyes lit up, and he was about to greet her, but his boss’s gaze caught him. He glanced at the spoiled Zhou Mei and said, “Comrade Zhou, your wrist is swollen. Let me take you to have it checked.” He didn’t really want to deal with her, but she was the daughter of their commander, so he couldn’t ignore it.
“Boss, I’ll take Comrade Zhou to the hospital first,” he said, forcibly dragging Zhou Mei away.
Lu Ze didn’t respond, instead turning to Gu Rou and nodding slightly: “Sorry, just now that comrade was acting unreasonably. I apologize on her behalf.”
Gu Rou shrugged, accepting Lu Ze’s apology.
He continued, looking into her eyes: “No one will snatch clothes from you. If you want to buy something, go ahead. I have something to attend to, so I’ll leave first.” Seeing Gu Rou nod, he turned and walked away.
Meanwhile, Zhou Mei was still causing a scene at the department store entrance with Luo Fei. She had been spoiled all her life and had never lost face like this; she couldn’t stand it.
“Luo Fei, aren’t we leaving yet?” she demanded.
Luo Fei glanced inside, wanting to say something, but seeing Zhou Mei there, he remained silent and just continued dragging her along. Zhou Mei didn’t dare vent her anger at Lu Ze and could only glare viciously at Luo Fei: “You’ll pay for this, Luo Fei!”
“And that woman in there too—I’ll settle that score!”
Watching them slowly leave, Gu Rou turned to pay for her items.
“Will this be paid here, or at the counter up front?” the clerk finally snapped out of it, giving Gu Rou a cryptic glance before answering, “I’ll prepare the receipt here; go up front to pay, then come back to pick up your clothes.”
Gu Rou did as instructed, bought the clothes, and left the department store. She found a secluded corner, stored the items in her space, and started walking back in the direction they had gone.
After about ten minutes, just before leaving the city, she was about to retrieve her bicycle from her space when she sensed someone following her.
She immediately held her breath, preparing to pull out a tranquilizer gun from her space.
From a distant bend in the road, someone appeared. Seeing it was the handsome man from before, Gu Rou slightly furrowed her brows in subtle confusion.
“Comrade, I mean no harm,” Lu Ze said, continuing forward.
Gu Rou quickly calculated in her mind: given the difference in size and strength, she probably couldn’t fight this man. She instinctively stepped back.
Seeing her cautious stance, Lu Ze raised his hands in a gesture of peace: “Comrade, I’m one of the soldiers you rescued a few days ago. I mean no harm; don’t worry.”
Hearing this, Gu Rou wasn’t too surprised. She realized the familiarity she felt earlier wasn’t a mistake—she had seen him before. She just hadn’t recognized him at the time because both Lu Ze and Luo Fei were dirty and the lighting was dim, making their features hard to see.
Knowing his identity, she relaxed slightly but remained vigilant: “Why are you following me?”
Lu Ze froze for a moment, then looked slightly embarrassed. He had hurried to catch up to her, but when he saw her from behind, he hesitated. If he approached abruptly, it would seem rude; if he didn’t, he had already chased her this far. In his mind, he was torn—and his hesitation was misunderstood by Gu Rou.
Seeing her still watching him, Lu Ze cleared his throat and handed over a bag: “Thank you for saving the two of us the other day. I couldn’t properly thank you then due to recovery and missions. This is both a token of thanks and an apology. I hope you’ll accept it.”
Gu Rou, watching his expression shift from cold to awkward, was taken aback. This man’s presence and demeanor changed so much in an instant.
She stored her items in her space and took the bag from him. Opening it, she found a dress and some snacks—Big White Rabbit candies, sponge cakes, and peach cookies. Each portion was generous.
She glanced at the exceptionally handsome Lu Ze: “Isn’t this a bit too much? I didn’t even do that much that day.”
Looking at the lovely Gu Rou, Lu Ze quickly replied: “It’s not too much. You saved two lives at once; it’s more than enough.”
“By the way, how should I address you? I’m a soldier from this military district. My name is Lu Ze.”
Seeing that he had gone out of his way to come give her the items, Gu Rou accepted without refusing: “I’m Gu Rou, from Xiangyang Village.”
“Gu Rou…” Lu Ze said, both standing there awkwardly, staring at each other. He curled his fingers slightly and said, “I have other matters to attend to, so I can’t escort you home. Can you manage on your own?”
Gu Rou nodded casually: “Yes, my family will come pick me up later.” She made up a small lie.
“Girls traveling alone isn’t safe; next time it’s better to go together.”
Gu Rou gave a faint smile: “Okay, thanks for the advice.”
“If that’s all, I’ll leave. My family is waiting.”
Lu Ze nodded: “Alright, take care. When Luo Fei and I have time, we’ll definitely come by to thank you.”
They nodded to each other and went their separate ways.
A few steps later, Lu Ze frowned again, touching his face thoughtfully. He considered himself fairly good-looking and polite. Why did Comrade Gu Rou look so cold when she saw him? He had tried to tone down his presence around her—why this reaction?
Meanwhile, Gu Rou, seeing him walk away, exhaled and thought to herself, Finally, he’s gone.