Chapter 16

Neither Chen Baozhen nor Gao Jianguo knew that the person Qin Yao had a blind date with that day was Gu Cheng. Qin Yao didn’t tell them. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it—after all, she still had to work at the Military Hospital.

Nurse Head Ge and Nurse Little Ma didn’t say anything either, so the incident became a secret known by very few people.

Now, facing Zhou Jingjing, who knew nothing about it, Qin Yao couldn’t hold it in any longer and jokingly spilled the beans.

Even if she said it, Zhou Jingjing wouldn’t believe her.

Sure enough, Zhou Jingjing burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. “YaoYao, you might not believe this, but I’m already the mother of three kids.”

The two of them laughed together.

Qin Yao only felt awkward for a moment when she saw Gu Cheng. When she didn’t see him, it didn’t matter much. After all, men and women are different. What could Gu Cheng possibly do to her?

Even now, Qin Yao wasn’t sure what kind of man Gu Cheng was, but he was young and had already reached this position. He was probably not a petty man.

To him, she was just a tiny, insignificant episode in his life.

After that, Qin Yao stopped going with Zhou Jingjing to “accidentally” run into the “head instructor.” Under the setting sun, she ran, her chubby figure looking cute, but she wished to lose the extra weight and regain a slim figure as soon as possible.

Gu Cheng stood on the third floor, watching her run.

Under the sunset, she looked like a little swallow that was always struggling. Other swallows were nimble, flying south and north without a problem, migrating south in winter and north in summer. But this little chubby swallow stayed in one place all year round, running in circles for no reason.

In Gu Cheng’s eyes, Qin Yao was running very slowly, almost failing to meet the standards. Why was she running? Gu Cheng didn’t expect her to last this long.

Thinking back to the day on the boat when Qin Yao looked gloomy, was she upset because others mocked her for being fat?

From that day on, Qin Yao stopped trying to be around him.

Was she feeling insecure about her body, afraid that others would say she wasn’t good enough for him?

Qin Yao, tired from running, wiped the sweat from her face. She had to admit that after running, sweating felt like detoxing—it was quite comfortable. She was just about to find a place to stretch when a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

Gu Cheng was standing in front of her.

She wasn’t going to run into the head instructor, but the head instructor ran into her.

Instructor Gu’s face was stern, showing no expression. He didn’t say a word but handed her a folded white paper.

Qin Yao took it, confused. Gu Cheng glanced at her and left.

“A man who comes and goes like the wind.” Qin Yao shook her head, wondering if her best friend had asked Instructor Gu to look after her.

Qin Yao took a white towel to wipe her face and opened the white paper in her hand. She was stunned by the three lines of words.

“Twenty-eight, not a full cycle.”

“You are like the stars at sea.”

“Visible every night.”

Qin Yao looked puzzled, as if she was holding not a light piece of paper but a heavy, hot potato.

The sky darkened, and even with the night lamps on, everything was blurry and indistinct. Qin Yao couldn’t believe her eyes, so she walked to the light, rubbed her eyes, and read the three lines again. The words hadn’t disappeared.

She could understand the first line, but the following two seemed increasingly fantastical.

The font was a very standard print of this era, making it almost impossible to tell who wrote it. It was vastly different from Gu Cheng’s signature she had seen before.

If he hadn’t handed it to her personally, the first line, which indicated his identity, would have made her doubt whether it was Gu Cheng’s writing.

After taking a shower and changing into dry clothes, sitting in the large classroom for night class, Qin Yao still couldn’t figure out what the white paper meant.

Did it mean what she thought it meant?

Was Gu Cheng writing her a love letter? No, a love poem!

Qin Yao looked at the three lines on the paper again. Instead of feeling sweet, she felt a chill.

She asked the person next to her, Zhou Jingjing, “Do I look like a star at sea?”

And visible every night, how annoying.

Zhou Jingjing looked confused. “Qin Yao, you’re a mermaid.”

Qin Yao: “……”

After that day, Qin Yao “accidentally” ran into Gu Cheng a few more times, each time receiving a new note from the cold-faced instructor.

The note was folded several times, with only three small lines of printed text in the vast center.

The last one was:

“A swallow flew into my dream.”

“Caught in the rain.”

“Landing on my shoulder.”

This time it was:

“The tide rises and falls.”

“The beach is full of your footprints.”

“Washed away but not erased.”

Certainly! Here is the revised translation:

---

Was he a poet of the new era's stream of consciousness romantic school? His words were so blunt, so blunt that they made one's scalp tingle.

Nearly three months of training had passed, and the accumulated notes could fill a small candy box.

Qin Yao did not stop her behavior. She wanted to see just how awkward a sentence Gu Cheng could come up with.

Every time they met, he wore a cold, handsome face, like a cold little boy, dropping a coin into the savings box named "Qin Yao" in front of him.

Qin Yao took his notes. She was quite stubborn. She hadn't checked Gu Cheng's favorability towards her for these three months.

Maybe she was afraid of something.

Afraid that it would be a negative number again.

Something like "He suspects you are a spy and is actively throwing out bait to lure you in."

Or "This girl hasn't replied yet. When she takes the bait, I'll play with her emotions."

How could a normal person write love poems in such a printed font, leaving no evidence? If Gu Cheng didn't admit it himself, no one could claim these notes were written by him.

What a cunning man.

*

With the desk lamp on, all of Gu Cheng's brain cells were battling. His brain had always been sharp, with a memory better than average. He couldn't be called having a photographic memory, but it was close enough.

Especially after joining the army, he had undergone special shorthand training. Thousands of equipment model parameters were firmly remembered in his mind, making him a "living textbook" of sorts.

He had always trusted his brain, but recently, he had felt somewhat overwhelmed.

He could remember the most complex data, so why couldn't he piece together a simple three-line sentence?

"What exactly is going on in a woman's mind?"

Why, after receiving so many notes from him, did this girl remain expressionless, accepting them without refusal?

According to Gao Jianguo, after hearing so many "sweet words," the pretty sisters in the village would marry a local thug and have two children.

Although he didn't sing it, writing it down should have the same effect, right?

Gu Cheng rubbed his temples, racking his brains. Finally, he thought of three sentences. He looked around; it was quiet, with no one else in sight.

He breathed a silent sigh of relief. His face remained as cold as ever, but his ears were burning red.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

"Captain Gu, you've been too exhausted lately," the concerned voice from outside said. In the past, Gu Cheng had always appeared calm and composed when facing important tasks, but recently, he had shown signs of concern, worrying those around him.

"Cough—" Gu Cheng pretended to cough.

"Captain Gu, you're not as young as you used to be. You're not like those seventeen or eighteen-year-old kids anymore. Take care of your body."

Gu Cheng's face darkened.

Was he that old?

*

After the short training period, Qin Yao had slimmed down. Her figure became slender and well-proportioned. Her small face had become a little darker but was still the fairest among the young girls. Her features were striking. Wearing an ordinary sailor training uniform, she looked incredibly beautiful.

Instructor Li had witnessed Qin Yao's transformation over this period. It was a miracle, and she had seen the hard work and sweat this young girl had put in. In the final comprehensive results, Qin Yao ranked first.

Whether it was physical performance or academic and professional course scores, Qin Yao might not have been the best, but she excelled in everything, making her the overall top performer.

True to her reputation as a girl from the big city, her academic performance was outstanding, followed by her professional courses. Her physical fitness was a bit lacking, but she had lost a lot of weight!

She had transformed from a plump, voluptuous beauty of the Tang dynasty into a stunningly handsome and heroic beauty.

Many people in the training area had heard of Qin Yao's fame, and quite a few male soldiers had come to catch a glimpse of her.

"Qin Yao, you're truly a miracle."

Zhou Jingjing exaggerated, "If I hadn't seen your transformation over these two months with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."

"We've all become uglier, but you've become more beautiful!"

Qin Yao couldn't help but laugh. "Don't say nonsense."

As they chatted, not far away, Tian Shuyun threw her mirror aside. She had ranked last in the comprehensive scores. If it weren't for her cousin putting in a good word, she would not have been employed.

The others who were employed packed up to begin their rotational training at the Military Hospital, while Qin Yao, having achieved the top score, and another girl who ranked second were scheduled to board a training ship for a transport mission. They weren't entirely sure what the mission was, but they had learned some basic maritime medical knowledge from the old military doctor in the medical room.

The "X-ray vision" skill Qin Yao had obtained through the favorability system gave her an edge in medical practice. At first, she found it hard to stomach, but she eventually got used to it, remaining expressionless as she observed internal organs.

However, her "X-ray vision" didn't last long, and now she only had two hours left. She could only extend the duration by spending more time with Chen Baozhen.

Qin Yao had considered trying to win over another person to reach a high favorability and receive gifts, but was there really such a thing as "having your cake and eating it too"?

Chen Baozhen saw her as her best friend in the world. If Qin Yao developed more close friends, could she still maintain her old friendships? There weren't that many opportunities for grand, shared experiences.

She should focus on maintaining this relationship.

Qin Yao didn't want to rely too much on her so-called cheat ability. She preferred to trust in her own abilities. The skills she had learned were her own and couldn't be taken away, remaining with her forever without any time limits.

With the fierce sea breeze, Qin Yao changed into a new sailor uniform, white on top and blue on the bottom. The baggy pants and tight-necked shirt made it convenient for movement and gave a sense of security.

Now, Qin Yao had theoretically mastered the skill of turning her pants into a life-saving device. At least she had a life ring with her at all times, providing some psychological comfort when boarding a ship, not fearing falling into the sea.

If she did fall into the sea, swimming alone wouldn't be enough to save her. Her dog-paddling might only give her enough time to take off her pants and create a makeshift life ring.

Although the description of the scene sounds less than elegant, anything that can save a life is acceptable to do.

She boarded the ship with another young girl by her side. A row of people stood on the deck, and she saluted the uniformed man leading the group in front of her. He returned her salute.

The sea breeze blew the hem of his snow-white clothes, and Qin Yao looked at him expressionlessly, truly wanting to spit out one word: Pretentious.