Lin Zhenzhen hummed a song as she walked out of the Grey Pigeon Gate, where she ran into Gu Bosheng, who was returning home.
She waved to the group from afar, calling out, "General Gu!"
Gu Bosheng looked at her upon hearing the sound, seemingly somewhat surprised.
He strode towards her.
Gu Bosheng was still wearing the same clothes he wore that morning, except he had taken off his glasses.
Without the lenses obscuring their view, those obsidian-like pupils shone exceptionally bright in the night.
"Why are you still here so late?"
Lin Zhenzhen grinned, revealing a shy smile: "I've been waiting for you."
In this situation, her words could be interpreted in many beautiful ways.
Gu Bosheng paused, his voice becoming slightly hoarse: "What?"
"I want to thank you for continuing to take me in."
Gu Bosheng chuckled softly: "Just for this?"
"That's not all," Lin Zhenzhen softened her voice, "I also wanted to say goodnight to you."
Gu Bosheng didn't understand the meaning of those words and repeated, "Say goodnight?"
"After saying good morning, you should say good night. It's a custom in my hometown."
Lin Zhenzhen suddenly stood on tiptoe, raised her chin, and whispered in Gu Bosheng's ear, "General Gu, good night."
Then she took off running like a rabbit.
Gu Bosheng stood still.
The night breeze was gentle, but it couldn't dispel the scent and warmth of Lin Zhenzhen that lingered in my ears.
He frowned and silently repeated those two words in his mind.
"General, the video conference is ready," his personal adjutant reminded him.
Gu Bosheng snapped out of his daze and went upstairs with the others.
When Lin Zhenzhen returned to her dorm, Fan Dandan was swooning over a guy again.
"General Gu is so handsome!"
"He stole my heart with his glasses, no, my heart has always belonged to him!"
Lin Zhenzhen put down what she was holding and casually asked, "Did you see him today?"
“I never had the chance to meet him; I saw him on an electronic screen.”
"Electronic screen?"
Fan Dandan explained, "General Gu gave a speech today, didn't you know?"
Lin Zhenzhen shook her head: "I've been busy cleaning all day, I don't know anything about these things."
Fan Dandan looked at her with deep sympathy: "Then you missed a very exciting scene."
"But it doesn't matter, since General Gu gives this speech every year anyway."
Lin Zhenzhen asked in confusion, "What kind of speech is it?"
"You didn't know that?" Fan Dandan's eyes widened. "The year-end performance review report will include statistics on public support rates."
She pulled Lin Zhenzhen aside and gave her a thorough explanation of science.
After listening to Fan Dandan's explanation, Lin Zhenzhen roughly understood.
This post-apocalyptic continent is divided into four major war zones: East, South, West, and North.
They each guard their own territory, but at the same time, they must obey the orders of the head of headquarters.
As the most powerful of the four theater commands, the Eastern Theater Command has a great deal of autonomy.
The war zone lord can bypass the head of state and directly appoint war zone officers.
Gu Bosheng was promoted by the current lord of the Eastern District.
However, including the lord, the high-ranking officials in each war zone are required to give a speech once a year to gather the support of the city's residents.
If the approval rating falls below 80%, headquarters will send someone to investigate.
"General Gu has nothing to worry about; his approval rating is over 95% every year."
Fan Dandan looked rather smug, as if she herself had received this honor.
She suddenly thought of something, looked around for a moment, and then leaned closer mysteriously.
"Let me tell you a little secret: last year, General Gu's approval rating was higher than the lord's."
Lin Zhenzhen's eyelids twitched: "Why are there rumors? Aren't the approval ratings all public information?"
“It’s public,” Fan Dandan pouted. “But who knows if the final figures were falsified?”
Lin Zhenzhen did not speak again.
Regardless of whether the lord falsified his approval ratings, the fact that ordinary people have this kind of skepticism speaks volumes.
It's good to have popular support, but if it goes so far as to overshadow one's superiors, it could be a disaster.
Just as her mind was racing, considering all the possibilities, the system notification sounded in her head again.
[Ding! Stealing Heart Progress Bar +5, Current Progress 41.5/100, Reason for Increased Affection: The Male Lead's Heart Fluttering Has Begun for No Reason]
Hearing the notification that her strategy points had increased, Lin Zhenzhen finally felt a little relieved.
Whatever, she can't get involved in the power struggles at the top anyway, so worrying about it is pointless.
With this thought in mind, Lin Zhenzhen quickly drifted off to sleep.
The next day, when Lin Zhenzhen passed by the painting on her way to work, she couldn't help but stop and admire her masterpiece.
Gu Bosheng arrived a little later than her.
Lin Zhenzhen greeted him with another bright smile: "General, good morning!"
Gu Bosheng slowed his pace and smiled slightly: "Good morning."
"General, have you noticed anything different about this painting?"
Lin Zhenzhen's eyes were sparkling, as if she was waiting for his answer.
Gu Bosheng seemed to raise an eyebrow slightly, his black pupils gleaming: "Hmm?"
"Could you take another look?" Lin Zhenzhen's voice rose at the end, as if she were pleading.
Gu Bosheng looked at the painting, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Why is there an extra little fox?" He was referring to the small fox sketch in the lower left corner of the painting.
"Oh, that's me. That's me."
Lin Zhenzhen used this simple line drawing to replace her signature.
“As you instructed, I took the painting down yesterday.”
"But without that painting, this area looks a bit empty. After thinking about it, I made a copy myself and replaced it."
Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Zhenzhen felt a little uneasy.
She softened her tone: "You won't be upset that I took it upon myself to do this, will you?"
Gu Bosheng shifted his gaze away from the simple fox drawing in the lower left corner of the painting.
"No. You draw very well."
Lin Zhenzhen seemed to finally relax, her two dimples rippled at the corners of her lips, and she smiled happily.
"Thank you for the compliment. As long as the general is happy, that's all that matters!"
Gu Bosheng looked at her, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
After a long pause, he finally spoke: "Now that you're full, you can control your ears?"
Lin Zhenzhen didn't understand his sudden change of topic and thought he was teasing her.
"Yes, I used my strength after eating," she muttered to herself, trying to justify herself. "I've never done this before, it's all because of the General..."
"What if it's not me in the future?"
Lin Zhenzhen looked up, her expression blank: "Huh?"
Gu Bosheng slightly raised his chin, gently lowered his eyelids, and his eyes flashed with a dark light that she couldn't understand.
"If this happens outside, it will be a bit difficult to handle."
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