Madam, Your Vest Fell Again

At the same time, Lu Zhaoying was holding his walkie-talkie. Just when he was about to enter the room, his phone rang.

He looked at his phone and saw that it was Qin Ran.

“Are you in the neighboring city?” Qin Ran asked, changing into her protective gear to enter the laboratory.

Lu Zhaoying didn’t head upstairs. He leaned against the wall and fiddled with his lighter as he answered, “I’m keeping an eye on the case. I’m heading to the camp tomorrow.”

There weren’t as many camps here as compared to the capital. They intended to send Lu Zhaoying to boost morale. He would be placed in the Beijing special training camp. Cheng Mu and Shi Liming couldn’t compare to him, but in certain areas, his credibility was very strong.

Qin Ran was done changing. She then paused for a while before speaking. “Let’s talk about Mingyue.”

Lu Zhaoying didn’t investigate what went on between Pan Mingyue and Feng Ci out of respect for her privacy.

Hence, he never knew what went on between them.

It was only after Qin Ran explained to him that he realized what happened between them.

“I should have known,” Lu Zhaoying said as he stopped fiddling with his lighter. As he faced the lamp at the side of the road, he tried smiling but couldn’t.

He was reminded of the homeless guy at the opposite of the Inspection Institute.

They had a long chat.

But all Lu Zhaoying remembered from the conversation was two sentences. “I’m alive so that I can witness the rising run for my family. I want to see this world that they can’t see anymore.”

He understood that the homeless person was no longer living for himself.

Lu Zhaoying could never understand what she went through. When a policeman died in his line of service, the public would perceive it as losing a hero. However, to their family, they lost a loved one. They lost a father, a son, or a husband.

“She…” Lu Zhaoying was reminded of the first time they met. She was standing outside of the school doctor’s office, asking for medication to treat mental illness.

The more he thought about it, the more it hurt.

“Her dream was to travel the world as a photographer,” Qin Ran said as she leaned against the door frame while looking at the end of the hallway. “She became an inspector so that she could continue her father’s work. She opened up so much to you. I’m relieved that she’s with you now.”

Qin Ran didn’t want to be too explicit. During her term break that lasted half a year, Lu Zhaoying was the one taking care of Pan Mingyue. Qin Ran was relieved.

Furthermore, Qin Ran felt that she was a boring person. Lu Zhaoying was the better candidate to take care of her as he was caring and funny.

Lu Zhaoying squatted down and lit a cigarette. He then waited until the smell disappeared before heading upstairs.

…

“Young Master Lu, look at this. Sister Tong has shot six bags. No wonder she’s from the military school, she’s great at this.” They crowded around Lu Zhaoying after realizing that he had returned.

Tong Yan was highly regarded among this group of people.

Even though she wasn’t looking at him, she was still paying attention to him.

Lu Zhaoying kept his hand in his pocket. He didn’t bother with them and walked towards Pan Mingyue. He then realized that she drank more than the milk. She drank a beer as well.

Pan Mingyue wasn’t much of a drinker because of her father’s influence. Lu Zhaoying had never seen her drink before.

She was a really stubborn girl.

The first time Lu Zhaoying realized how stubborn she truly was, was when the teacher asked her to call her parents in for a conference and she refused no matter what the teacher said.

Lu Zhaoying didn’t want to admit it, but he was secretly happy when he heard that Pan Mingyue broke up with Feng Ci.

She grew up with Qin Ran, after all. Lu Zhaoying knew that Pan Mingyue would never get back together with him.

“Let’s go, I’ll send you back,” Lu Zhaoying said, regretting his decision. He should have gone to the parent-teacher conference with Master Juan.

The rest of the children would have their parents or boyfriends attend the conference with them, except her.

“Alright.” Pan Mingyue stood up and followed him.

Lu Zhaoying then got his keys and waved goodbye to his friends. “Bye, guys. Have fun without me.”

“Young Master Lu, you have just arrived…”

Lu Zhaoying held the door open for Pan Mingyue. When she exited, he then headed out and said, “I’ve something on tomorrow. I can’t stay tonight.”

The rest of them exchanged glances after they left.

Lu Zhaoying was the most friendly out of the entire circle. But it was the first time they saw him treat a girl like that.

The rest of them kept silent and looked at Tong Yan.

The Lu family had been growing strong in the capital. Even though the Tong family wasn’t as powerful as the Lu family, it was still one of the oldest families. There were even talks about marriage between the two families. However, with the current situation…

Tong Yan slammed the gun and left without saying anything.

The rest of them didn’t dare to say anything.

…

Lu Zhaoying didn’t bring Pan Mingyue to his place. There were no sparks between them.

He bought yogurt and some snacks for her.

Pan Mingyue picked up the yogurt. She realized that they were heading to the countryside and asked, “Where are we heading?”

“We’re heading to the camp. But it will take a while,” Lu Zhaoying said. “I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

He didn’t want her to return to the capital so soon.

Pan Mingyue looked at him and asked, “Would I be chased out?”

Lu Zhaoying answered, “No.”

Pan Mingyue didn’t have a military rank, but she was from the Pan family. Hence, it was alright for her to enter the camp. Furthermore, she was an inspector now.

By the time Lu Zhaoying went through the different checks, three hours had passed, and Pan Mingyue was long asleep in the backseat.

She must have been exhausted. She didn’t wake up even when Lu Zhaoying got off the car to be inspected.

“Captain Lu, should I arrange for a room for Team Leader Pan?” Old Zhang asked after being surprised by the sudden appearance of Pan Mingyue on Lu Zhaoying’s backseat.

“It’s alright.” Lu Zhaoying shook his head. “She can stay in mine.”

The amenities here were really backward, but at least Lu Zhaoying’s lounge had a place for her to take a shower.

Old Zhang thought that he understood what was going on and headed off.

…

By the time Pan Mingyue had woken up, the sun had risen.

She could hear the whistle from outside.

Pan Mingyue headed out and saw Old Zhang sitting next to her window.

“Team Leader Pan, you’re awake. Let me get you breakfast.” Old Zhang stood up immediately and handed her breakfast.

It was a simple meal.

She thanked him and started to look around.

Old Zhang knew who she was looking for and said, “Captain Lu is at the camp now. He’s the inspector for this camp. Shall I bring you to meet him after you’re done with your meal?”

“Can I?”

Old Zhang kept his mess and said, “We’re all family… cough. I mean, countrymen. There’s nothing you can’t do. We have a really open policy here. Finish your breakfast and I’ll take you there.”

One of the guards overheard what he said and looked at Old Zhang unbelievably.

This wasn’t the first time Pan Mingyue was in a camp like this for special training. She had followed Qin Ran here before.

Shi Liming even asked her how to handle a rifle.

The training here was ten times the normal amount. When Pan Mingyue got there, they were training at an obstacle course. They had to get over fifteen obstacles and shoot perfectly.

Pan Mingyue saw that Lu Zhaoying was recording something in his book.

He wasn’t an instructor. He was just observing what was going on here.

“What do you think of them? Will some be selected for the international camp?” Lu Zhaoying asked when he saw her.

Pan Mingyue looked at them and answered, “They might not even qualify for the one in the capital.”

Lu Zhaoying knew that she was trained by Qin Ran. He already knew how good she was from Cheng Mu and Shi Liming. Expecting that she would say something like that, he asked, “How do you think we can improve?”

Pan Mingyue thought for a while before answering, “We can know after they go through real combat.”

Lu Zhaoying understood what she meant.

He then replied thoughtfully, “I understand what you mean.”

He then continued to record things in his book.

Pan Mingyue handed her water to him and said, “Drink some water.”

Lu Zhaoying drank and continued. “Do you have other suggestions?”

He was so thirsty that he accidentally touched her finger with his chin.

Pan Mingyue withdrew her hand and started to drink another drink that Lu Zhaoying bought yesterday night.

She looked at him. He was really handsome.

Lu Zhaoying never knew that when girls visited the school doctor’s office, they weren’t looking at Cheng Juan. They were looking at him.

This was because Cheng Juan was too handsome, making the girls from the First Middle School insecure.

…

The next day.

“I disagree,” Tong Yan said in the training shed in front of everyone. Lu Zhaoying had gathered every instructor and the two commanding officers.

Lu Zhaoying looked at her and asked, “For the past two years, T City had zero candidates going into the capital’s camp. Could you tell me the reason why you disagree with changing the way this camp is run?”

Tong Yan pouted. She looked at Lu Zhaoying and grabbed his book. She then pointed at a portion with very nice handwriting and asked, “Young Master Lu, did you write this?”

“No. It was suggested by someone else. It was planned by a professional,” Lu Zhaoying answered truthfully. “I thought that the suggestions were valid.”

Pan Mingyue had planned it all out overnight. She even consulted Cheng Mu, Shi Liming, and rushed it out with Lu Zhaoying through the night.

“Young Master Lu, not only have you allowed a commoner to enter the camp, you have asked her for suggestions. Does she know what she’s doing? Does she understand what we’re doing in this camp? Does she even know how to handle a rifle? I can’t imagine that you have allowed her to do all this. This is a special training camp, not your home. You must be dreaming to think that I would allow my men to follow your suggestions.”

When Lu Zhaoying came over a few years ago, everyone knew that Tong Yan and he had something on.

Only she would dare to speak to him in this manner.

Everyone just laughed it off and didn’t dare to answer her.

Lu Zhaoying immediately calmed down and realized that he should have said it differently. Pan Mingyue was really just a commoner to them.

He took a deep breath before answering, “I’m sorry, let me report this through the official channels. But do take a look at this.”

He planned to contact Shi Liming for help. It would be more effective with official support.

He was too hasty.

It wasn’t something to joke around with.

Some of the instructors took a look before leaving.

Lu Zhaoying could tell that they didn’t take a proper look at his work.

He pursed his lips. If it was a few years ago, he would have scolded all of them.

“Young Master Lu, I feel that we should let the first group try this,” one of the instructors said. “The first group has always been the lousiest. I want to try.”

…

At the camp.

Pan Mingyue was at a corner looking at Lu Zhaoying discussing something with the team leader of the first group.

The commanders of the base were there as well. Even though they were smiling, they didn’t seem happy. Could they perceive Lu Zhaoying as the god of hell?

Lu Zhaoying was holding onto the schedule and chatting with the first group’s team leader. He looked up and saw that she was looking at them.

Pan Mingyue smiled at him.

She was really fair, allowing her to stand out from the rest. It was a different vibe seeing her wearing just a shirt and short pants on a military base.

Lu Zhaoying suddenly put down the schedule.

The commanders and team leader were confused and asked, “Young Master Lu?”

Lu Zhaoying kept silent. He waved his hand at Pan Mingyue and asked her to come over.

Pan Mingyue didn’t know what he was up to and looked at him.

“Give me some water.” Lu Zhaoying took her water bottle. He then walked to the first row of soldiers, borrowed two rifles, and passed them to Pan Mingyue. He then pointed at the target and said, “Try to hit that.”

The commanders were shocked. “Young Master Lu, erm…”

Lu Zhaoying looked at them and said, “Just you wait.”

If they looked at seniority, even Shi Liming would have to address Pan Mingyue as an older sister.