Chapter 687: His breathing paused twice (Two chapters combined)
After Gu Yin finished washing up and came out, Lan Yan also came out.
The two sat in the courtyard drinking tea. Gu Yin looked at Lan Yan and said, "You haven't answered my question yet."
Lan Yan nodded upon hearing this: "I just came back from the army. I just finished the exercise and can rest for a while. What about you? Are you free lately? Where's Chu Yan? I haven't seen him. Usually when you're free, he's always sticking to you. Why can't I see him now?"
Gu Yin picked up the snacks Gu Shu had left at home and started munching on salt-baked chicken wings. As she ate, she said, "I've been a bit free lately, so I come back almost every day. Ayan was called abroad by Ale and will be back in a couple of days. Did they win the military exercise?"
Lan Yan sat up straight, slightly raising her chin: "Absolutely! If the team I'm leading doesn't win, we'll lose face internationally!"
Gu Yin gave a thumbs up: "Awesome! How old are you? You can already command military exercises! Impressive!"
Lan Yan sighed, "I risked my life for this before. The military exercise wasn't particularly big, and I was just a small fry. After I go back on leave, I still have to go to the military academy to study. After all, I used to do more individual combat most of the time. No matter how much strategy I had, it was only suitable for a small team. Now my position is different, and the responsibility is much greater. By the way, are you free tomorrow?"
Gu Yin: "I'm free tomorrow morning, but I have a computer exam in the afternoon. What's up? Is something wrong?"
Lan Yan frowned and nodded: "Well, the organization arranged a blind date for me, and I couldn't refuse. It's also to set an example for the soldiers below, so I agreed. The girl is free tomorrow, so I thought we could just arrange it for tomorrow. But this isn't my first blind date, and I don't really know much about it. I'm afraid I might say the wrong thing. She's also in the military, and if I say something wrong, it will affect the reputation of our regiment. So I wanted you to come with me. If I say anything wrong, you can correct me in time."
Gu Yin was speechless: "No, you went on a blind date, and you brought a stunningly beautiful woman with you. What do you mean by that? Are you trying to embarrass us?"
Lan Yan couldn't help but laugh when he heard her words: "Yes, yes, you're a great beauty! But I don't want to go on blind dates! But I can't refuse, so I'm just going through the motions. But I'm afraid I'll say the wrong thing in my haste, so I'm asking you to help me out if I say something wrong! The girl is also from the military. I think she's probably also under pressure from the organization to get married, so she's here. Just go for a bit, I'll treat you to a big lunch! You tell me if you'll help or not!"
Gu Yin sighed helplessly, "Fine, I'll go then. What are you planning to wear tomorrow? Even if you don't want to go on a blind date, you've already agreed, so you can't just go through the motions. You still need to be prepared. If you really don't want to, if the girl is straightforward, we'll say it directly; if she's reserved, we'll say it subtly. But we can't just go there casually, otherwise it would seem disrespectful."
Lan Yan replied, "I understand. I have a suit. I can wear it tomorrow. That should be formal enough."
Gu Yin nodded: "Remember to send the time and location to them in advance."
Upon hearing this, Lan Yan sat down next to Gu Yin and said, "What do you think of this restaurant? I don't want to eat Western food, it's not filling. Chinese food is much better. I originally wanted to go for hot pot, but it would look strange to go in a suit."
Gu Yin thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to Yu Shan Cuisine. It's a private kitchen run by Aunt Zhu. It's low-key, quiet, and the food is delicious."
Lan Yan had stayed at the Gu family for quite a while and had met Zhu Yaqian a few times. Knowing that her ancestors were imperial chefs, she hesitated a bit upon hearing this: "Does Aunt Zhu have any vacancies? Let's go tomorrow. It's too late to make a reservation today. People usually make reservations a month in advance. How about we go to the restaurant opened by her apprentice?"
Gu Yin shook her head: "Don't worry, Aunt Zhu has a private room reserved for her family and another for friends. I'll call and ask if they're available."
After saying that, she took out her phone and called Zhu Yaqian. The call was answered quickly, and Gu Yin explained the situation. She received a reply very soon.
After hanging up the phone, Gu Yin looked at Lan Yan: "It's fine. The private room that we use is empty. We can just go there tomorrow. Now you can send the girl a message."
After sending the message, Lan Yan breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally, part of it is done. To be honest, I'm a little nervous."
Gu Yin sighed helplessly, "If you don't even want to date, why are you so nervous? Get some rest tonight. Don't let the girl say you're not her type as soon as you sit down. That would be embarrassing!"
Lan Yan touched his slightly rough face and nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. If she doesn't like me, I won't have to think about what reason to use to persuade the political commissar's wife. By the way, don't tell your family about this beforehand."
Gu Yin: "..."
Lan Yan arranged for them to go to the Imperial Dining Hall at 11:00 AM, which was lunchtime. The next day at 10:30 AM, the two of them went to the Imperial Dining Hall.
Zhu Yaqian even came all the way from the Chu family.
"Do you want to look at the menu and make arrangements now, or wait until someone arrives?"
Gu Yin looked at Lan Yan.
"Let's wait until the girl arrives. I don't know what she likes to eat. By the way, Aunt Zhu, could you recommend a few dishes for me? I'll give them to her when she comes."
Zhu Yaqian nodded upon hearing this.
The two then went to look at the menu.
Gu Yin had been here a few times. Every month, the people here would go to the Gu family for a week to prepare meals for their family members to improve their health. This was arranged by Chu Yan, so everyone was familiar with each other.
Gu Yin thought about going to school in the afternoon, so she sent a group message to Yu Lulu and the others.
"We ate at Yu Shan Cuisine today. I've packed some food for you. Don't eat it for lunch yet."
"!!!! Quickly pour out the water that just boiled! I was planning to cook noodles in my dorm! I never expected to be able to eat imperial cuisine! I'm so lucky today!" This was Xiang Xingmang's exclamation.
"Imperial cuisine? Is it delicious? It sounds like what ancient emperors ate!" This was Yu Lulu, who had never heard of imperial cuisine before.
"It has to be delicious! The head chef's ancestors were imperial chefs! You have to make a reservation a month in advance if you want to eat there, and if it's Chinese New Year, you have to make a reservation six months in advance!" This is Yu Cheng, who has eaten there twice.
Gu Yin smiled and said, "I promise you'll eat your fill today. Remember to pick me up at the school gate later. I can't carry all that. I'll tell you when I get there. You guys go to class now. I'll talk to you later!"
After Gu Yin finished speaking, she went to the kitchen and told the chef that day to prepare a few dishes so she could take them with her when she left.
After finishing speaking, she returned to the private room, where Aunt Zhu also gave instructions to Lan Yan.
"Then I won't bother you later. Enjoy your meal. If you need anything, just press the call button on the table, and someone will come in." To avoid disturbing the guests' meal and to make it convenient for customers to call for help, each private room has such a button.
After Gu Yin and Lan Yan finished their tea, someone knocked on the door.
Lan Yan looked at Gu Yin, who raised an eyebrow: "Go open the door, they might be here."
Taking a deep breath, Lan Yan stood up and strode over.
Although I don't want to talk about it, I'm still quite nervous.
The door opened, and standing outside was a woman with long, curly hair, wearing a cherry blossom pink cheongsam and a black coat, with exquisite makeup.
"Excuse me, is this the private room reserved by Captain Blue Flame?"
Her voice was soft and gentle, with the characteristic sweet and melodious tone of a southerner. She was very pretty and had the air of a woman from Jiangnan.
"I am Blue Flame, come in." After saying that, she turned around and walked in.
Gu Yin, who had been watching the doorway, saw him walk in first with his back to the girl, and she was speechless.
After the girl came in, Gu Yin stood up and said with a smile, "Hello, I am Lan Yan's younger sister, Zhou Gu Yin."
You Niannian lowered her eyes and looked at Lan Yan. Seeing that he didn't say anything, she smiled and said softly, "Hello, my name is You Niannian. I'm the person you're here to meet with Commander Lan today."
Lan Yan frowned upon hearing this: "You Niannian? Isn't it You Niannian? Are you sure you're not mistaken? Are you a soldier?" He remembered that the political commissar's wife had told him that the other person's name was You Niannian and that she was also a soldier, but judging from the girl's clothes and demeanor, she didn't seem like a soldier at all!
Gu Yin remained silent and looked at the other person.
You Niannian smiled and shook her head: "That's right, it's Niannian, not Niannian. Maybe the person introducing me mispronounced it. I'm an arts and culture soldier."
Lan Yan nodded upon hearing this: "Let's start cooking. Here's the menu. See if there's anything you'd like to eat. This whole row is our specialty dishes." He then handed the menu to the other person.
You Niannian took off her coat, then glanced at Lan Yan. Seeing that he was sitting still, she pursed her lips and put it on the coat rack next to the door.
Seeing her like this, Gu Yin originally wanted to help, but then she thought that the other party might prefer Lan Yan to come, so she didn't move.
You Niannian ordered a few dishes, Gu Yin also ordered one, Lan Yan checked the quantities and didn't order anything else, then rang the bell, and the waiter quickly came in and took the menu away.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Seeing that Lan Yan didn't seem to want to speak, and noticing that You Niannian seemed a little embarrassed, Gu Yin coughed lightly.
Seeing Lan Yan look up at her, Gu Yin glared at him, then looked at You Niannian and smiled, "Miss You's accent sounds a bit like someone from the south. Are you serving in the military there?"
You Niannian nodded upon hearing this: "You could say that. I grew up there and served in the military there. I just returned to Beijing half a month ago."
"So you transferred to this cultural troupe?" Lan Yan asked.
You Niannian shook her head: "No, I've been discharged from the army. I injured my foot and I won't be able to dance anymore."
Lan Yan said apologetically, "I'm sorry."
You Niannian shook her head, smiling as she did so: "It's okay, I'm still young, I can learn other things. What I learned in the army won't be lost just because my leg can't be used anymore. I've already let it go."
Lan Yan smiled and said, "No wonder you're a soldier."
You Niannian chuckled upon hearing this, then looked at Gu Yin: "Little Lan looks quite young, is she still a student? Oh, wrong, her name is Zhou Guyin, it's a very nice name. Do you two siblings have different surnames, one taking your father's surname and the other your mother's?"
Gu Yin shook her head: "No, our two families are godparents."
You Niannian nodded thoughtfully: "I thought I misheard. The matchmaker said that Commander Lan was an orphan. Today I saw Miss Zhou and she said she was my younger sister. I was a little surprised. That's nice. Is Miss Zhou a college student?"
Gu Yin found her words a bit strange. She had just called her "Blue Sister," and even if she had mispronounced the gender, she should have called her "Zhou Sister" instead. But she thought she might be being too sensitive, so she smiled and said, "Yes, I'm a junior this year."
You Niannian nodded: "Which school is it? The Central Academy of Drama?"
Gu Yin shook her head: "Qingda."
You Niannian's eyes sparkled as she looked at Gu Yin earnestly and said, "Amazing! You're so beautiful, I thought you were from Huaxi. If you went into the entertainment industry, what chance would those other stars have! By the way, I know people in the entertainment industry. If Miss Zhou is interested, I can give you their contact information later so you can talk. The entertainment industry is quite chaotic, with many unspoken rules. It's better to have someone introduce you. Some college students these days try to take shortcuts by hooking up with rich and powerful men and women. That's wrong, and it's not a long-term solution."
There was a knock on the door, and the waiter brought in the dishes.
After the person left, Gu Yin smiled and said, "I'm not interested in that." Then she fiddled with the teacup in front of her and stopped talking to the other person.
Lan Yan frowned: "What are you implying? Explain yourself clearly!"
You Niannian pursed her lips, then looked confused: "Am I wrong? What I said is all true! You can easily find all sorts of information online, Miss Zhou, don't you think so!"
Gu Yin put down her chopsticks and looked at her coldly: "I am his sister, no different from a marriage alliance."
You Niannian pursed her lips: "I know, did I say something wrong? I'm sorry, I'm not very good at speaking, and I often offend people in the team by saying the wrong thing. If I said anything wrong, can I apologize to you?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than there was another knock on the door: "Excuse me, is this the private room reserved by Commander Lan Yan?"
A cheerful female voice came from the doorway.
Lan Yan stood up in confusion: "Who is it?"
The moment the sound came from the doorway, Gu Yin saw You Niannian's face turn pale, but she quickly recovered and lowered her head to play on her phone.
Lan Yan opened the door and saw a female soldier in combat uniform standing at the door. She was very tall; he was 190 cm tall, and she reached his shoulder.
Her almond-shaped eyes were as clear as autumn water. When she heard the door open, her gaze followed Lan Yan's. She smiled and extended her hand: "Hello, I'm You Niannian. Are you Lan Yan?"
Her eyes shone with an inner brilliance, adding an extraordinary charm to her cool and aloof face.
Lan Yan paused for a moment, then extended her hand: "Hello, I am Lan Yan."
You Niannian nodded, her smile fading, and gestured with her chin towards the house: "Shall we go inside and talk?"
Lan Yan blinked, thought about the situation inside the room, and smiled: "Okay, come in first."
As You Niannian entered the private room, she saw the two people sitting inside and raised her eyebrows with a light smile: "It's quite lively."
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