Chapter 11: Target Located

Chapter 11: Target Identified

The hands of the wristwatch had already passed midnight. Lying in her dormitory bed, Meng Youyou still didn't feel a hint of sleepiness. She tossed and turned, her thoughts tangling in her mind.

"CY? Is there a female comrade in the army named CY?"

She thought and thought... and thought some more, but Meng Youyou eventually called out to Doudou: "Hey, can't you give me a bit more of a hint? What is the name of that wife of his who is going to cheat on him in the future? I don't even know her name, how am I supposed to do anything? This is like fishing in the dark!"

Doudou: [Host, do you not sleep at all? I already told you the system has regulations and cannot say! Cannot say!! Cannot say!!! Host, you must rely on your own wisdom and hard work to complete the mission; you cannot rely excessively on the system's golden finger hints.]

Meng Youyou bargained: "Just for the sake of our currently terrible relationship and the extreme difficulty coefficient of completing this mission, make an exception for me~"

Doudou refused: [You used that exact same excuse this afternoon. I already made an exception by telling you the initials of that woman's name. Don't think you can use the same old trick again. I am going to rest.]

With that, the system shut down mercilessly.

Meng Youyou stared at the black screen before her: "...Hmph, so stingy."

*

The next morning.

On the training field, Meng Youyou caught Zhong Heng while he was undergoing physical training. She pulled him into a corner and asked mysteriously, "I want to ask you something... Um... that... your Battalion Commander Huo... does he... have someone he is currently seeing?"

Zhong Heng's eyes instantly widened. He looked at Meng Youyou with a face full of disbelief: "Translator Meng, you wouldn't happen to have eyes for..."

"How could that be!" Meng Youyou became instantly agitated, loudly interrupting Zhong Heng's subsequent guess.

"I just... uh... have a friend. She admires soldiers very much and has always wanted to date a soldier, so I'm just asking around for her."

"A friend?" Zhong Heng's eyes were suspicious.

"Uh..." Zhong Heng coughed awkwardly a few times. "Ahem... I've been following our Battalion Commander since I was a recruit, and it's been six or seven years now. As far as I know, our Battalion Commander has never been in a relationship."

Meng Youyou: [Not surprising! He looks like a straight man who has never been in love. It might also be because of that awful attitude of his—always wearing a sour face, and his speech is so blunt he could probably kill someone with fewer than three sentences. It's no wonder he can't find a partner.

However, it's much easier if he hasn't started dating yet. Cutting the trajectory at the source is much easier than intercepting it halfway.]

Meng Youyou continued to press: "Then do you know what type of girl your Battalion Commander likes?"

Zhong Heng struggled to digest the incoming flood of information. After his gaze circled Meng Youyou several times, he replied hesitantly, "Probably someone pretty? Maybe with fairer skin?"

Hearing this, Meng Youyou showed a look of disdain: "Your Battalion Commander is so superficial!"

Zhong Heng quickly added, "And educated! Yes, that's right, our Battalion Commander definitely likes educated women!"

Meng Youyou: "..."

"By the way, where is your Battalion Commander?" Meng Youyou looked around. "He's not in the office, and I didn't see him at the training ground either."

"Oh, he was just called to the infirmary by Medic Chu to change his bandages. The two of them left just a few minutes ago."

'Chu? Medic.' Alarms immediately went off in Meng Youyou's mind.

She hurriedly pressed further: "What is Medic Chu's full name?"

"Chu Yao."

'Chu Yao! CY! Great! The truth has come to light!'

"Go back to your training, I have some business to attend to."

Watching Meng Youyou's hurried retreating figure from a distance, Zhong Heng fell into deep thought.

'Could it be... the reason the Battalion Commander treats Translator Meng so poorly is because... Translator Meng likes him, but the Battalion Commander has no such feelings for her? The concubine has feelings but the lover is indifferent, so he is intentionally acting extra cold to avoid suspicion?'

Zhong Heng was first startled by his own bold speculation, but then he calmed down. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed; the more he thought, the more sense it made. He couldn't help but feel proud of himself for uncovering such a massive secret.

'Actually, Translator Meng and their Battalion Commander are quite a good match. A handsome man and a beautiful woman; they would look great standing together. It's just a pity, why doesn't the Battalion Commander like Translator Meng?'

*

The infirmary.

Chu Yao had specifically applied a delicate light makeup today. Two jet-black braids hung over her chest, tied with light blue ribbons at the ends that swayed gently with her movements, exuding a gentle and sweet charm.

Her cheeks bore a faint blush, like peach blossoms blooming in spring—rosy and exceptionally endearing.

At this moment, she looked at Huo Qingshan with eyes as clear as autumn water, her tone familiar: "Battalion Commander Huo, your wound has reopened again. Didn't I warn you last time not to engage in strenuous exercise during this period, otherwise it will affect the healing process? Why won't you listen to advice?"

She scolded with a smile: "If you keep this up, I'll have no choice but to play the villain and report you to Chief of Staff Lu."

Huo Qingshan remained expressionless, replying in a flat, emotionless tone: "I'll trouble Comrade Chu to help me change the dressing again. I will be careful later. There's no need to go to the Chief of Staff."

It sounded polite, but it was not a tone of negotiation.

Chu Yao was embarrassed for two seconds, but quickly recovered. She had met Huo Qingshan a few times in her previous life, so she wasn't surprised by his consistently cold and distant reaction toward men.

After changing the dressing, Chu Yao walked to her locker and took out a thermos. Upon opening the lid, wisps of hot steam rose from the mouth of the container, and a rich fragrance drifted straight into her nostrils. Chu Yao looked at her masterpiece with considerable satisfaction.

Chu Yao walked slowly toward Huo Qingshan, putting on a shy and timid appearance, and reached out to hand it to the man: "Battalion Commander Huo, this is the black fish soup I simmered this morning. Black fish is rich in collagen, which is good for wound recovery. I also added honeysuckle and red dates to the soup; honeysuckle can reduce inflammation, and red dates can replenish qi and blood.

I simmered this specifically for you, hoping your body recovers quickly. Since the soup is still hot, you should drink it here before you go back."

Huo Qingshan lowered his eyes to look at the shy woman before him. He did not reach out to take it, refusing in a flat tone: "Medic Chu is thoughtful, but there is no need. It is not suitable to stew red dates together with fish soup; the warm nature of red dates paired with fish can easily cause adverse gastrointestinal reactions."

Chu Yao was momentarily stunned, surprised that his research into ingredients was so profound, and felt a secret sense of shame for her own ignorance.

After a moment's thought, Huo Qingshan added: "Furthermore, my acquaintance with Medic Chu is quite shallow. Naturally, I have no standing to accept soup simmered by you. There is no need to send any more in the future."

The heart that Chu Yao had been holding in suspense instantly sank to the bottom of a pit, but she still wanted to fight for something: "Battalion Commander Huo... Battalion Commander Huo... I..."

When Meng Youyou rushed to the scene, she saw a man and a woman standing facing each other. The man had his back to her, so she couldn't see his expression.

However, the woman was holding a thermos, her head lowered as if too shy to look at the man in front of her, her voice stammering as she repeatedly called his name in a low tone.

'Affection between them? How can this be? If she delivers this soup today, it'll be a disaster! Is the empire's foundation crumbling before it's even built? Absolutely not! I won't allow it!

But... that soup smells so good!'

Meng Youyou's little brain whirred rapidly, thinking of how to stop the development of the characters' romance.

(End of Chapter)