“Yes, yes…” Zhou Jinglan nodded, his expression still somewhat embarrassed.
[What the heck? Did Qiao Lao Er eat some kind of explosive today? Why is he talking to Zhou Jinglan so rudely?!]
This is so embarrassing! My old habit of feeling embarrassed for others has kicked in again!
My big toe hurts so much, I've dug a whole magic castle out of it!
Qiao Gaoyang: "..."
He mustered up the courage to mention the Little Goddess, but did not get the answer he wanted. Instead, he was reminded that his concern was a bit presumptuous, which made Zhou Jinglan much more silent.
Until he dropped her off at the military base, he didn't mention Qiao Xinruo again, only saying that the two units should maintain friendly relations.
When discussing official business, Qiao Gaoyang became much gentler.
"Comrade Qiao, thank you for coming to our area to provide guidance today!" Zhou Jinglan said politely.
"It's not really guidance, just an exchange. Thank you for your help, Deputy Commander Zhou!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Qiao Gaoyang and Leng Yingying got into their car and left.
Zhou Jinglan stared blankly at the exhaust fumes escaping from the car, his mind replaying Qiao Gaoyang's words.
Yes, to him it was a precious life-saving grace; but to the little goddess it was just a casual rescue, which she didn't take to heart at all.
Qiao Gaoyang's words were not an exaggeration; otherwise, the little goddess would not have forgotten him completely, and would not have only found out the truth in such an unexpected way later.
Zhou Jinglan touched his face; it still felt rough to the touch.
Those shallow, uneven marks are his medals of honor, but also the dark moss that makes him insecure.
However, one should be more positive in life.
Since being discharged from the hospital, Zhou Jinglan has been using Qiaorentang's scar removal cream, which is much more effective than other scar removal creams on the market. In fact, the scars on his face are much better now than when he was first discharged from the hospital!
If we're talking about really scary things, it's when the bandages are removed at the hospital that's truly frightening.
He himself looked in the mirror and was so disturbed that he might have nightmares about it; imagine what it would be like if someone else saw him...
The little goddess had actually seen him like that before, and in fact, she was the one who initially treated his injuries.
"It still can't compare to before," Zhou Jinglan murmured.
It's not fully healed yet. The current condition of my skin is worlds apart from what it used to be.
Zhou Jinglan felt that meeting the Little Goddess in such a state was a desecration of her.
No, not yet...
Zhou Jinglan's hands, hanging at his sides, unconsciously clenched into fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, showing how much effort he was using to suppress his inner desires.
The time is not right.
Going to see his sweetheart now would only scare her away and have the opposite effect. He needed to be calm, collected, and more patient. But—
Can Zhou Jinglan afford to wait?
He asked himself, what if things don't go well and drag on for another three or five years, and his sweetheart starts dating another man? How would he face that?
It's a real dilemma!
We cannot advance; we cannot retreat.
Even when standing still and working hard, one fears the passage of time and being deprived of the right to wait.
After Qiao Gaoyang and Leng Yingying got into the car, the driver took them directly back to the military base.
Inside the car, Leng Yingying remained on high alert.
Qiao Gaoyang simply couldn't stand it anymore.
"You're all back now, nothing will happen. You should sit down and rest for a while," Qiao Gaoyang said. After all, maintaining high concentration is very mentally taxing, no easier than training, and even more tiring.
"No, we can't let our guard down. We mustn't let our guard down at the last minute," Leng Yingying said.
She's a survivor of the apocalypse, so she's very experienced.
The feeling of being caught off guard and losing your boat is awful.
The closer you get to the end, the more you need to be on your guard. Otherwise, if you fail at the last minute, all your previous efforts will have been in vain.
Qiao Gaoyang couldn't persuade him, so he stopped and chose to respect his decision.
But Leng Yingying's serious attitude did teach him a lesson.
With this understanding and awareness, it's no wonder Leng Yingying was able to climb so fast; everything she has is what she deserves.
Leng Yingying only relaxed after the car drove into the heavily guarded military compound.
"I need to report on the mission first, you should too, right?" Qiao Gaoyang asked.
"Yes, definitely." Leng Yingying nodded, thinking to herself, "Isn't that obvious?"
Although it was just a "small task," no task is too small to be considered a big one. After completing it, the first thing to do was to report the situation to the superior.
"Well then, after the report, shall we meet at the cafeteria? Shall we go eat together?" Qiao Gaoyang extended an invitation, seemingly afraid that Leng Yingying would disagree. He even pretended to be casual and explained on his behalf, "I have plenty of meal tickets, more than I can use by myself. Would you mind helping me use them up?"
Listen to this! Listen to this! Is this even human language? Where is justice? Where is justice?!
Leng Yingying felt a deep sense of disdain for Qiao Gaoyang's boasting, but she didn't reject it, because the best way to deal with such boasting was—
Eat all his meal tickets, really eat them up!
Qiao Gaoyang: I couldn't ask for more!
“Sure, see you in a bit,” Leng Yingying said.
[Qiao Lao Er, you invited me yourself, so don't blame me...]
Qiao Gaoyang: "..."
After agreeing on the terms, the two went to their respective supervisors to report on the completion of their tasks.
Leng Yingying's side went very smoothly. After all, the difficulty of this mission was what it was, and Leng Yingying's abilities were what they were. It would have been strange if things hadn't gone smoothly.
But for Qiao Gaoyang... well, it wasn't exactly bad, he just got teased by his boss again.
"Well, Comrade Leng has protected you quite well?" The leader asked with a playful expression.
It's rare to find someone like Qiao Gaoyang. He's great in every way, and he's also very outgoing. He's very popular in the intelligence group, but no one has ever heard of him being interested in any girl.
This time, he took the initiative to ask someone to protect him, and the leader felt that there was definitely a chance!
"That's good, I'm back safe and sound," Qiao Gaoyang replied.
The leader is very approachable, and the team members are also quite relaxed. They usually get along like buddies, but they know what's important when it matters.
"So, nothing else?" the leader asked again.
"Boss, what do you think we should include?" Qiao Gaoyang threw the question back at his boss, lifting his eyelids and looking at him with a half-smile.
He felt wronged!
He was the one who most wanted something, but since he was on a mission, he couldn't go too far. Besides, even if he wanted it, it wasn't necessarily going to happen.
As for Leng Yingying, she hasn't figured it out yet, so what can she do?
"Qiao Gaoyang, you're good-looking, smart, and from a good family. Although that Comrade Leng is indeed very outstanding, you don't have to be so slow in pursuing her, do you?"
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