At the entrance to the military compound, a deathly silence hung in the air.
Lin Xue’s mouth fell open, her jaw nearly hitting the ground.
She stiffly turned her head toward the direction Commander Zhao had disappeared, then looked back at Lin Wan, who was sitting casually on a little stool as if nothing had happened.
An absurd feeling welled up inside her.
Did she… just hear something strange?
It sounded like a woman’s voice.
And it sounded suspiciously like that wretched girl Lin Wan.
But Lin Wan hadn’t even opened her mouth. She’d been cracking sunflower seeds the whole time!
Lin Xue shook her head. She must have spent too long on the road and started hallucinating.
She shot Lin Wan a vicious glare, trying to recover the momentum she’d lost.
“Lin Wan! Just look at the mess you’ve made!”
“You must’ve disgusted the Commander with the way you’re sitting! He left because you looked so embarrassing!”
“I’m telling you, if Brother Qin Zhan ends up hating us because of this, I won’t let you off!”
Lin Wan didn’t even bother lifting her eyelids.
She was too busy basking in the joy of her system rewards.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the beginner mission!
Reward: 10 jin (5 kg) of premium rice and 2 jin (1 kg) of pork belly have been automatically deposited into your system storage.
+10 points.
So this is the happiness of being the heroine in a wish-fulfillment novel?
All I had to do was sit at the gate eating sunflower seeds and watching the drama, and I got food that ordinary people in this era couldn’t buy even after saving ration coupons for a month.
Lin Wan’s mood improved instantly. Even Lin Xue, who buzzed around like an annoying fly, seemed a little less irritating.
She silently complained in her heart.
Is Lin Xue’s brain filled with tofu scraps?
The Commander ran away because of me? He obviously fled because his wife scared the life out of him.
Still… that two hundred yuan would’ve been much better in my pocket. That’s a fortune these days. I could buy so many meat buns with it. Slurp…
That strange voice appeared again!
The sentry standing in the guard post, Xiao Zhang, suddenly stiffened.
His palms were slick with sweat around his rifle.
As a soldier who had undergone rigorous training, his hearing was exceptionally sharp.
Just now, he had clearly heard the voice of a young woman echoing right beside him.
It even carried a lazy tone… and a craving for braised pork.
But there was no one else around except the two girls in front of him.
The girl sitting there eating sunflower seeds hadn’t opened her mouth once.
Xiao Zhang stared at Lin Wan in horror.
Could she be a ventriloquist?
Or…
Was this place haunted?
No, impossible. Spirits weren’t allowed after the founding of the nation!
Swallowing hard, Xiao Zhang’s gaze darted between Lin Wan and Lin Xue before settling on Lin Wan’s face.
Although her complexion was a little sallow, her features were strikingly delicate.
She looked perfectly harmless.
So why did she feel so… eerie?
Lin Wan seemed to notice his strange stare.
She looked up and flashed him what she considered a friendly smile.
She even held up her sunflower seeds in invitation.
What are you staring at? Never seen a beautiful woman eating sunflower seeds before?
The young soldier’s pretty handsome, but his eyesight isn’t great. Why does he keep staring at my worn-out shoes?
Sigh… my toes are practically sticking out. I’ll have Qin Zhan reimburse me later. This injury happened because of work, after all.
Xiao Zhang: “…”
He heard it again!
And this time it was even clearer!
She was criticizing his eyesight in her head!
She even planned to make Captain Qin reimburse her for a new pair of shoes!
Xiao Zhang’s face instantly turned bright red. He wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, holding it in until his whole body trembled.
At that moment, he realized something.
He could hear this girl’s inner thoughts!
The discovery shattered his worldview before piecing it back together again.
This was the stuff of legends—an actual supernatural ability!
Who exactly was this girl?
Meanwhile, Lin Xue was still chattering away, scolding Lin Wan without pause.
“Stand up right now! Put that stupid little stool away!”
“Brother Qin Zhan will be here any minute! Are you trying to let him see how poor and pathetic you look?”
“I’m warning you—when Brother Qin Zhan arrives, you’re not allowed to talk, you’re not allowed to smile. Just stand there like a mute!”
As she spoke, Lin Xue took a fragrant handkerchief from her bag and daintily dabbed at the nonexistent sweat on her face.
She had specially dressed up today in a white floral dacron dress with red blossoms, braided her hair into two pigtails, and even dusted her face with powder.
In her eyes, her appearance would completely outshine Lin Wan, who was dressed in patched clothes and looked dusty and shabby.
Lin Wan’s ears were starting to hurt from all the nagging.
She slowly stood up and dusted off her backside.
Not because she was afraid of Lin Xue.
But because…
Her butt had gone numb from sitting too long.
So noisy. Was this woman a cicada in her previous life?
Qin Zhan, Qin Zhan… calling him so affectionately. Does he even know who you are?
If she ever finds out that the Brother Qin Zhan she’s been dreaming about is actually a straight-laced blockhead… and maybe even has certain… performance issues…
Hehehe… I wonder if she’ll still throw herself at him then.
Before Lin Wan could finish indulging in her wicked little thoughts—
A deep, powerful engine rumbled in the distance.
Unlike the roaring cargo truck from earlier, this engine sounded much heavier.
An olive-green military jeep came speeding toward them, kicking up clouds of dust.
Lin Xue’s eyes lit up instantly.
“They’re here! A jeep! It has to be Brother Qin Zhan!”
Back in this era, anyone riding in a military jeep was definitely a high-ranking officer.
Lin Xue’s heart pounded with excitement.
She hurriedly smoothed out her skirt and tucked the carefully styled wisps of bangs behind her ear.
Putting on the perfect smile she’d practiced countless times, she leaned forward slightly, ready to welcome him.
Lin Wan, on the other hand, barely reacted.
She simply craned her neck, curious to see what the novel’s male lead—the infamous “Living Yama”—actually looked like.
If he turned out to be some burly brute with a face full of scars…
Then this engagement had to end.
She was absolutely a sucker for good looks. There would be no compromise on that.
Screech—
The jeep came to a smooth stop about five meters away.
The door swung open.
A foot in a black military boot stepped out first.
Then came a pair of long, straight legs.
Finally, a tall, imposing figure emerged fully into the sunlight.
The man wore a perfectly tailored military uniform.
Broad shoulders.
A narrow waist.
A posture as straight as a pine tree.
A military cap sat low over his forehead, casting a shadow across his face.
Even so, it couldn’t conceal his sharply sculpted features.
A high, straight nose.
Thin lips pressed into a firm line.
Eyes as deep and cold as an icy lake.
Though he simply stood there without moving, an unmistakable aura radiated from him, warning strangers to keep their distance.
Handsome.
Seriously handsome.
The kind of rugged, overwhelmingly masculine handsomeness that practically overflowed with raw sex appeal.
Lin Wan couldn’t help whistling silently in her heart.
Well, well… now that’s top-tier.
That body. Those long legs. That cool, abstinent vibe…
Tsk. The original owner actually got pretty lucky. They paired her with a man this incredible.
Meanwhile, Lin Xue could no longer hold herself back.
Her eyes reddened as her voice trembled with three parts grievance and seven parts admiration. She rushed toward the tall man.
“Brother Qin Zhan!”
“It’s me—Xiaoxue! We’ve finally met!”
“The journey here was so hard, and my sister wouldn’t behave the whole way…”
Like a fluttering butterfly, she hurried up to Qin Zhan, reaching out to grab his sleeve.