Su Qingci guessed correctly; the person who relayed the message to Song Jingzhou was indeed Shang Yuping.
The next day, Shang Yuping started dressing up in the middle of the day, applying makeup and combing her hair.
The face cream made the whole dormitory smell nice.
"Yu Ping, where are you going? Why did you specifically ask me to switch shifts?" Guo Rong asked curiously.
Shang Yuping glanced at Su Qingci, seemingly casually, and said, "Let's go eat at my brother-in-law's!"
Yang Hongmei asked in confusion, "Deputy Regiment Commander Zhou asked you to go several times before, saying he would introduce you to someone, but you refused to go each time."
Shang Yuping smiled slightly, "The past is the past, the present is the present!"
"I think if you meet someone you like, you should give it a try no matter what. Everyone has the right to pursue happiness, Comrade Su, don't you agree?"
Su Qingci gave a forced smile, "Your courage is commendable, but it depends on the situation. If it's just wishful thinking on your part, it might cause trouble for others!"
A smug glint flashed in Shang Yuping's eyes as she smoothed her naturally curly hair. "If it were someone else, this might really be a problem, but for me—"
"Perhaps the other party considers it an honor?"
Su Qingci's lips twitched. "Then why don't you give it a try? After all, you're so... outstanding. But a man who doesn't respect himself is like rotten cabbage. If a man has no sense of propriety and is fickle, he's no different from stinking dung. Whoever wants that kind of man can pick him up... Heh!"
Su Qingci's undisguised expression filled Shang Yuping with annoyance. "You—"
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Guo Rong quickly changed the subject, "Yu Ping, your hair is so beautiful, so black and thick with natural curls, just like a celebrity in a poster..."
That evening, Song Jingzhou arrived at Zhou Long's home in the family compound as agreed.
Zhou Long warmly received him, and several of his former brothers were also present.
Song Jingzhou braced himself and dealt with it. Before, when they were all at the grassroots level, their friendship was as strong as iron and pure as ever, and Zhou Long had indeed helped him a lot. But now, well, that was another story.
The factional struggles within the military are even more intense than outside. His current position is very sensitive; not to mention a deputy regimental commander, even sergeants several ranks higher would want to get their hands on it.
It's fair to say that tonight's dinner could very well be a trap, and he might even inadvertently become Zhou Long's stepping stone to advancement.
"Xiao Song, when did you get back? If Xiao Yu hadn't run into you at the army base, the brothers wouldn't have known you were back!"
Another person chimed in enthusiastically, "That's right, Company Commander! You've come back but haven't even come to the battalion to see your brothers. It's a shame we all still remember you!"
When Song Jingzhou was discharged from the army, he had already been promoted to company commander. At this moment, there are two soldiers on the table who were the soldiers he had trained back then.
Because of his good relationship with Song Jingzhou, Zhou Long also invited him over.
The two sisters, Shang Yuna and Shang Yuping, bustled about, carrying dishes to the table.
Zhou Long glanced at his sister-in-law and jokingly said to Song Jingzhou with a smile, "When you were suddenly discharged from the army, Xiaoyu was heartbroken for a long time."
Another soldier, nicknamed Erpang, said sarcastically, "That's right. Brother Zhou asked Comrade Shang to come back for dinner several times before, but he refused. Look at you, as soon as you came back, you took the initiative to come and help."
Erpang was a battalion commander under Zhou Long. He had surrendered to Zhou Long and asked Zhou Long to introduce Shang Yuping to him, but the other party didn't give him face and didn't even come.
The other two soldiers, with knowing expressions, quickly changed the subject and urged Song Jingzhou to drink.
They all knew that Shang Yuping was Zhou Long's tool to win people over. Female soldiers were popular in the military camp, and few people disliked pretty female soldiers, not to mention that 80% of the soldiers in the camp were single.
Long has made connections for quite a few people this week. Whether or not the connections work out, everyone owes him a favor.
However, this time, Shang Yuping actually showed up, so it seems there's hope...
On the other side, Shang Yuping listened to everyone's discussions but did not refute them. She just lowered her head shyly.
Song Jingzhou quickly waved his hand, "Brother Zhou, don't joke around. I'm fine, but I'm not afraid of ruining the girl's reputation."
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Zhou Long's eyes. "What, you've gotten married in the last few years?"
Song Jingzhou smiled and said, "I'm not married yet, but I do have someone I want to marry!"
Zhou Long poured Song Jingzhou more wine and joked, "What girl can compare to our Xiaoyu!"
Shang Yuping stomped her foot in feigned anger, "Brother-in-law, you're joking around, I'm going to get angry."
"Hahaha, I'm not going to say anymore, come on, let's eat, eat, eat."
Song Jingzhou quickly declined, "Brother Zhou, that's enough, that's enough. I have to go back to the barracks later. Everyone knows the rules in this team. I'll just have a couple of drinks to keep the brothers company."
Each person had their own thoughts, and they ate while practicing Tai Chi.
Seeing that Song Jingzhou was unmoved by reason, Zhou Long's smile faded considerably.
When Song Jingzhou was about to leave, she even asked him to take Shang Yuping back.
"It's late at night, it's not safe for a girl to be alone. It's just that I was passing by, so I'm troubling you, brother."
It was indeed something that happened on the way, so Song Jingzhou couldn't refuse and could only nod in agreement.
Along the way, Song Jingzhou walked very fast, and Shang Yuping ran after him.
"Brother Song, Brother Song, slow down! I can't keep up with you."
Song Jingzhou said very politely, "I'm sorry, Comrade Shang, please try to walk quickly, I have things to do when I get back!"
Shang Yuping thought that the two of them could take a leisurely stroll back under the moon and flowers, and then she would shyly and cautiously tell him about her longing over the years. If the atmosphere was right, they might even take things a step further.
Unexpectedly, Song Jingzhou was like a wooden stake, showing no tenderness whatsoever. She almost had to run away in a disheveled state.
When they reached the fork in the road, Song Jingzhou said, as if to avoid suspicion, "Comrade Shang, I won't see you in. It wouldn't be good if someone saw us. There are lights here, so you can go in by yourself."
Without waiting for Shang Yuping's response, Song Jingzhou turned and ran away.
If the little guy sees this, he'll beat him to death.
Shang Yuping watched the other person being chased by a dog, and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead in annoyance, her whole body trembling with anger.
She's always been the one being courted; this is the first time she's ever taken the initiative, and the result...
Back in the dormitory, she couldn't help but take her anger out on Su Qingci. Su Qingci understood what was going on when she heard her sarcastic remarks, and ignored her.
Zhou Long did not give up his plans. He would occasionally have Shang Yuping pass on messages to Song Jingliang, and he would also bring his sister-in-law along when he went to see him.
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