Chapter 27: Second Update

The two of them held hands and embraced under the starry sky, hiding in the shadows of the wall corner until someone passed by and they suddenly separated.

"It's getting late, I'll head back first. I still need to boil water for a bath tonight."

Gu Cheng nodded, "I'll see you off."

"No need."

Gu Cheng insisted, "I'll see you to the downstairs."

"Alright, alright."

Gu Cheng glanced down at the watch on his wrist, wishing the second hand would move slower. They hadn't done anything tonight, just watched the "star quarrels" for a while, and time slipped away before they knew it.

Compared to the results when he trained new soldiers in ship drills, Captain Gu rated himself a failure in terms of efficiency tonight.

After the last blind date, Gu Cheng had discreetly asked around about what topics should be discussed during a blind date between a man and a woman. It was mostly basic stuff like "hobbies," "family background," and "income." Additionally, there was the question of "how many children to have after marriage"… ahem.

They had already reviewed each other's profiles, so there was no need to worry about those things for now. For other issues, they could wait until the Year of the Tiger to consider them; for now, they would just watch the stars.

Before parting downstairs, Qin Yao stood firm against the wind. They were still some distance away from the dormitory building, and the sounds of children playing in the family area could be heard faintly.

Gu Cheng wore a hat, having already taken off his mask earlier. In the darkness, only his silhouette was barely visible.

Qin Yao had long known that his posture was handsome. It was incredible that she could recognize him just by his shadow. She also noticed that unless Gu Cheng deliberately slouched, his posture was straight and striking.

When he wasn't speaking, Gu Cheng habitually maintained a serious expression, his facial features rigid, giving off a cold and somewhat unapproachable vibe.

Seeing him like that, even Qin Yao herself found it hard to imagine him using a squeaky voice to call her "Sister" just moments ago.

Thus, Qin Yao said insincerely, "I prefer you like this, dignified and handsome, someone to admire. Many young girls like men like Captain Gu."

"Really?" Gu Cheng's gaze intensely locked onto her eyes.

Qin Yao nodded.

To add credibility to her words, she took Gu Cheng's left hand with both of hers and shook it gently, blinking her eyes, "Really."

"Good taste." Gu Cheng adjusted his hat with his other hand, his expression unchanged, his chin slightly raised, but the rising tone in his voice betrayed his thoughts.

Qin Yao pressed her lips together, silently thinking: Narcissist.

"Go upstairs, I'm leaving."

The light in the stairwell elongated their shadows. Gu Cheng stood in place, watching Qin Yao ascend the stairs step by step. She reached the third floor, waved at him, and entered the room.

The warmth beside him disappeared. Gu Cheng looked up, and the stars were still twinkling in the sky.

Those quarreling stars had all turned into the figure of his beloved girl, her hand shaking his just moments ago.

Unable to resist, Gu Cheng savored the moment, his lips curling. He strode into the shadows, and when his entire body was completely hidden in the tree shadows, he took two steps forward like a child.

The sound of a man's leather shoes was different from a child's sneakers, landing with a heavy "thud," as if a weighty object had fallen, causing the world to spin.

Once out of the shadows, he became that cold and serious Captain Gu again.

Gu Cheng had a baby face since childhood, or rather, he was born handsome. As a child, his appearance resembled a girl's, but his personality was rough, mischievous, and naughty. After growing up and joining the military, his youthful face made him look too tender. During his teenage years, he was tall and thin like a bamboo pole, and many people didn't respect him, mocking him as a "little milk kid." Gu Cheng, being strong-willed, worked to increase his authority and credibility. His personality became more steady, his expression serious, and a single raised eyebrow could make people fear him. His personal abilities were off the charts, and no one dared to challenge him again.

Only during leave or when pretending did he intentionally relax himself.

As for pretending, he couldn't tell which version was the act anymore, only that he could perfectly adapt to both states.

After being tense for so long, it was time to relax.

Unexpectedly, during his relaxation, he met this chubby girl, the one he liked. She seemed to like both of his states, and they were truly a match made in heaven, a destiny bestowed by the heavens.

On the way back, Gu Cheng's mood was exceptionally good. During roll call that night, he didn't say much. Political Commissar Zhou emphasized discipline at length, and after the team dispersed, Gu Cheng and Political Commissar Zhou walked into the office chatting.

After entering the room, Political Commissar Zhou took a sip of tea and asked how the date went with the girl.

Gu Cheng also took a sip of water, blowing on the steam, meeting the serious eyes under the commissar's glasses.

There was no shortage of gossip hidden in those eyes.

Political Commissar Zhou smiled kindly, his face radiating amiability, "Do tell. If there are any issues, my wife can help give some advice."

With limited entertainment activities on the island and monotonous training in the military, the fresh topic of matchmaking was a welcome change.

Political Commissar Zhou hoped Gu Cheng would resolve his family and marriage issues soon. He was already thirty, and it wouldn't look good if he didn't get married. Some officers of similar age already had children old enough to run errands.

He had heard that Gu Cheng was still evaluating the girl. It remained to be seen if this nurse, Xiao Qin, could successfully capture Captain Gu's heart.

Gu Cheng was known to be a tough nut to crack.

"I don't need any advice," Gu Cheng said confidently, casually playing with a pen on the desk, "Nothing I was worried about happened, but unexpected things kept popping up."

He wouldn't tell Political Commissar Zhou that all his pre-prepared plans had failed, and none of the contingency plans were used. Captain Gu had rated himself a "fail" for his performance.

However, Gu Cheng was optimistic. Given the current situation, the main factor was that he was still unfamiliar with the "enemy." He didn't know her specific equipment, the battlefield environment was strange and complex, and he had no idea what tactics she would use or the situation of her allies.

A "fail" meant there was still a lot of room for improvement. He believed that after a few specialized training sessions, he would eventually achieve an excellent final score.

Political Commissar Zhou pondered, "Worried about things? Unexpected things?"

He gave Gu Cheng an inexplicable glance, thinking to himself, "What kind of riddle are you trying to solve, kid? What could someone like you possibly worry about?"

With his arms crossed and one eyebrow raised, Gu Cheng thought, "How could I let people just watch the fun for free? Some things need to be left as a tease, to keep them guessing."

In this world, no one else would know that Gu Cheng was afraid of being publicly scolded and shouted at with, "Yes!" by his partner.

"There are many stars tonight," Gu Cheng said.

Commissar Zhou clicked his tongue. "The smell of sourness is overwhelming. Even you, Captain Gu, can't escape it. I heard the girl is very pretty."

"She's also very good at arguing."

Commissar Zhou: "???"

"There's something precious hidden in the sand."

Gu Cheng quickly recited his freshly minted "three-line love poem." This time, it wasn't just a mechanical effort. The verses flowed naturally without him having to rack his brains.

Captain Gu began to feel a poetic inspiration.

Suppressing the urge to write it down with a fountain pen immediately, he looked at Commissar Zhou, who was now eyeing him with an even stranger expression.

Gu Cheng: "?"

He remembered that Commissar Zhou was also someone who liked to show off his literary skills. He had even written a nonsensical doggerel before and insisted on showing it to him.

Now, he was merely returning the favor, offering a modest attempt to encourage better work.

Commissar Zhou frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," Gu Cheng shook his head and took a deep breath. "I think I smell seafood. I feel like eating something from the sea."

Commissar Zhou's face almost cracked.

Something from the sea? Haven't you had enough of that after all these years on the ship? How many days have you been off the ship? He's had enough.

How does this guy handle relationships? Is he having trouble getting along with the girl and ended up arguing? Does he prefer the single life at sea?

Commissar Zhou, at a loss for words, walked with his hands behind his back to the desk, pulled open a drawer, and took out a hand-copied booklet. "This was confiscated today and will be destroyed tomorrow. Why don't you take a look at a few pages?"

Officers' dormitories were regularly checked for privately held contraband. Over the past two days, this hand-copied booklet, a romance novel circulating secretly, was discovered. It wasn't clear who the author was, and it was being passed around in this manner.

Commissar Zhou flipped through a few pages. It wasn't anything significant. He was a man from an earlier era, and who hadn't read a few romance novels when they were young? Gu Cheng was at an age where he needed to open his heart to love and realize the benefits of having a wife.

Gu Cheng outright refused. "I won't read it."

"Just take a look," Commissar Zhou said, nudging his arm with the booklet.

With a reluctant and wrinkled expression, Gu Cheng took it. He wasn't interested in such sentimental stuff. He casually opened a page, and the slightly messy handwriting caught his eye.

"Absurd," Gu Cheng said, closing the booklet and throwing it onto the table.

Commissar Zhou shook his head and didn't push further.

Gu Cheng struggled to maintain his composure, suppressing the surging heat that rushed to the top of his head. The crooked characters seemed like branding irons drilling into his eyes.

When he opened it, the description of a woman's body was on the page.

It wasn't crude sentences, just a few phrases, but when those words could be linked to real people, the branding irons instantly transformed into mesmerizing spells.

Back in his dormitory, Gu Cheng lay on the bed. He had originally thought he would have a more vivid and pleasant dream that night.

In fact, he did have a vivid dream.

However, there were factors unfavorable to his physical stability, affecting reality.