Qiu Ze'an was overjoyed that Zhong Wanwan liked the gift, and his smile widened. He glanced smugly at Ming Xiaoyun and continued climbing the pole.
"Master Zhong, I'm so grateful for your help during my absence. I haven't treated you to a meal yet. Do you have time today? I'd like to invite you to dinner."
Zhong Wanwan didn't think much of it and just felt that Battalion Commander Qiu was really polite. She nodded and said:
"Okay, let's grab something quick. But I'm not done here yet, Battalion Commander Qiu, could you wait for me?"
Before Qiu Zean could agree, Ming Xiaoyun said casually:
"Commander Qiu just got back, haven't you had a proper welcome-back dinner yet? Da Peng and I are free for a bit, how about we host a welcome-back dinner for Commander Qiu?"
Qiu Ze'an... didn't want to agree, but refusing would be too obvious, so he gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, let's eat together then!"
Ming Xiaoyun was happy. He naturally had no interest in Master Zhong, but how could he let Battalion Commander Qiu easily win over such a powerful Master Zhong?
He is the stumbling block on Battalion Commander Qiu's path to winning the heart of the beauty. As long as he is there, Battalion Commander Qiu will not be able to win the heart of the beauty so easily!
Ming Xiaoyun followed Zhong Wanwan even more attentively. Throughout the installation process, Ming Xiaoyun handed over the items faster, without Zhu Dapeng having to lift a finger. The two seemed to work together quite well.
Of course, this was Qiu Ze'an's idea; Zhong Wanwan had no idea that Ming Xiaoyun had switched to handing over the tools.
Because when Zhu Dapeng handed her tools, they would usually pass through Ming Xiaoyun's hands first.
It wasn't that Ming Xiaoyun was trying to steal the spotlight; it was mainly because Ming Xiaoyun disliked Zhu Dapeng's carelessness and was afraid that he would delay Zhong Wanwan's plans.
Qiu Zean increasingly felt that Ming Xiaoyun was interested in Zhong Wanwan. He was so attentive that even his injured leg didn't hinder his actions at all.
Qiu Ze'an felt even more threatened. He felt he had to work harder to win Ming Xiaoyun's favor. If Ming Xiaoyun snatched him away, he would be devastated.
After installing the engine, Zhong Wanwan and the other two connected to other vehicles and successfully started the engine.
Hearing the engine roar, Ming Xiaoyun excitedly hugged Zhu Dapeng.
It was so difficult. Ming Xiaoyun thought the Jiefang CA10 was scrapped and felt particularly guilty.
He was the head of the maintenance team, but he couldn't fix the military vehicles, which was particularly frustrating for him.
Now, with him witnessing it, the car's engine roared to life again—how could he not be excited?
Ming Xiaoyun wiped away her tears and said:
"Master Zhong, can you hear that? The engine is running! The engine is finally running, woof woof woof..."
Zhong Wanwan comforted him, saying:
"I heard you, I heard you! This car will definitely be fixed, even better than before, don't worry!"
Qiu Zean turned his head away in disgust; he really couldn't stand seeing a grown man crying like that.
Especially since this man was also his "love rival," Qiu Zean looked down on him even more.
Seeing that the work was finished, Qiu Zean said at the opportune moment:
"Let's go eat now."
Ming Xiaoyun instructed Zhu Dapeng:
"Quickly push me next to Battalion Commander Qiu. We need to follow Battalion Commander Qiu and Master Zhong; we can't fall behind!"
As she spoke, she winked at Zhu Dapeng, signaling him to push her between Qiu Zean and Zhong Wanwan.
Zhu Dapeng listened to Ming Xiaoyun's words without question and followed her instructions exactly, successfully pushing Battalion Commander Qiu between Zhong Wanwan and Ming Xiaoyun.
The group awkwardly went to have a meal, during which Ming Xiaoyun openly and subtly sabotaged Qiu Ze'an's plans.
Of course, although Qiu Zean was completely exasperated by the two of them, he also noticed something fishy while observing them closely.
Ming Xiaoyun was respectful enough to Zhong Wanwan, but not particularly close to her.
This meant that Xiaoyun wasn't interested in Zhong Wanwan, which put Qiu Ze'an at ease.
Although he didn't think he could compete with Ming Xiaoyun, Qiu Zean was still a little worried about having someone like that by Zhong Wanwan's side every day.
After dinner, Ming Xiaoyun wanted to lead Zhu Dapeng to cause more trouble, but Zhong Wanwan sent her back to rest.
It's already past the time I should have rested. Don't I know my own body?
Qiu Zean was delighted to accept the important task of taking Zhong Wanwan back to the guesthouse.
The two chatted warmly along the way. Upon arriving at the guesthouse, Qiu Ze'an instructed Zhong Wanwan:
"Master Zhong, get some rest early tonight. You've been working too hard lately; you've even got some dark circles under your eyes."
There's no exaggeration in that. Zhong Wanwan has been really exhausted lately. During the day, she teaches Ming Xiaoyun and Zhu Dapeng, and at night she tries to handcraft parts in her space.
Although she was using parts that she had previously kept in her spatial storage, Zhong Wanwan felt that she couldn't rely on the remaining parts in her spatial storage as a cheat code forever.
One must be strong to forge iron; she has plenty of space and tools, so she can definitely try hand-making parts.
From the initial chaos and completely unusable parts, to the gradual formation of the parts, Zhong Wanwan's hand-made parts are now only slightly mismatched when they fit together, but they are still usable enough to make the car run.
She was certainly very happy, but she was also genuinely exhausted.
Zhong Wanwan smiled and replied:
"I've been working on parts by hand too late these days, and I sometimes forget to sleep. I also feel that my dark circles have gotten worse!"
Qiu Zean suggested:
"The engine is fine now, so Master Zhong can rest assured. We can take our time to repair it. There's no need to rush."
Zhong Wanwan learned a lot:
"Yes, that's what I think too. I'll definitely pay attention to that later!"
Fearing that Qiu Zean would ask for more details, which she wouldn't be able to answer, Zhong Wanwan changed the subject:
"Commander Qiu, your family must have missed you a lot this time you came home. Your uncle and aunt must be very happy to be back with your family!"
Qiu Zean opened his mouth, wanting to talk about his family situation, but he didn't know where to start. In the end, he nodded and said nothing.
Zhong Wanwan was rambling on for a long time, but Qiu Zean didn't reply, which made Zhong Wanwan feel a little embarrassed.
Thinking she had asked a question that the other person didn't want to talk about, Zhong Wanwan said goodbye to Qiu Zean:
"Battalion Commander Qiu, I'm heading back now. Thank you for bringing me back, and thank you for the chocolate."
After saying that, Zhong Wanwan ran into the guesthouse.
Qiu Zean hurriedly raised his hand, wanting to explain something to her, but looking at her tired figure, he thought for a moment and then lowered his hand.
Only after seeing the light in Zhong Wanwan's room turn on did Qiu Zean turn around and go back.
Qiu Zean also knew that he should have told Zhong Wanwan about his family situation earlier.
But when the words reached his lips, Qiu Zean couldn't bring himself to say them.
Over the years, he has become accustomed to bearing everything alone, and now that he wants to share with others, he doesn't know how to express it.
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