radicalducati Chapter 78 Aren't you annoying?
Chapter 78 Aren't you annoying?
"What? Tell us quickly!" Gossip is human nature, and the comrades from the technical department immediately formed a circle and asked the comrade who spoke.
The comrade scratched his head: "Well, I didn't really hear very clearly. It seems like it wasn't her who had an accident, but her son. Anyway, it must be something serious, otherwise they wouldn't have called the firing range command."
Some people were puzzled: "But whether it's Su Wan or her son who's in trouble, why is the representative in such a hurry? I saw the representative leave in a panic just now."
"Su Wan is from our technical department! And the representative is our direct supervisor, so if something happens, we'll definitely go to the representative."
"I don't think so. I heard they knew each other before. Could they be relatives?"
Lin Shuyao had heard Su Wan mention her relationship with Cheng Zheng. Cheng Zheng and her deceased husband were comrades-in-arms, so it was only natural for her to take care of her comrade's widow and child.
However, Lin Shuyao is not one to gossip, and even if she knew these things, she wouldn't casually tell others.
She listened quietly to everyone's various speculations.
Just then, Zhao Tiemei suddenly chuckled, and with everyone's eyes focused on her, she casually uttered, "Representative Cheng and Su Wan aren't related at all, but rather..."
She didn't say what she was going to say right away, but instead glanced at Lin Shuyao intentionally or unintentionally. Lin Shuyao was quite puzzled, wondering why she was looking at her.
It has nothing to do with her.
"What is it? Comrade Zhao, tell me quickly!" someone nearby urged impatiently.
Zhao Tiemei then continued, "To put it another way, Representative Cheng and Comrade Su Wan's deceased husband were comrades-in-arms, and even comrades-in-arms who had risked their lives together. The two had a particularly good relationship."
"Oh, I see!"
"No wonder I always felt that the representative seemed to be taking good care of Comrade Su."
"That's right. Comrade Su, as a new employee, doesn't have to participate in military training, and she can even bring her son to stay in the dormitory. It's a single dormitory, and there has never been a precedent of bringing a child to stay there before. I guess it was a special approval granted to her by the representative."
"And have you noticed? Comrade Su still has a braid, and her hair hasn't been cut. Speaking of haircuts, Comrade Shen should remember it most clearly, right?" The speaker looked at Lin Shuyao, "Back then, you absolutely refused to let me cut your hair, but in the end, the representative called you to the office and cut it off with a single stroke."
Suddenly caught up in the conversation, Lin Shuyao awkwardly tugged at the corners of her lips, unsure of what to say. The woman who had spoken continued, "I originally thought it meant that this person was impartial and treated everyone the same, but I didn't expect that she would give Comrade Su special treatment."
"I guess he's taking care of his comrade's wife."
"Hehe, who knows, maybe she'll turn into your wife after you take care of her for a while. Comrade Su and the representative are about the same age, and she's not bad-looking either..."
"I think it's unlikely. It means that someone with those qualities wouldn't necessarily choose a divorced person."
"Who can say for sure about these things? Look at today, as soon as they heard Comrade Su was in trouble, they rushed back without hesitation... Comrade Zhao, don't you agree?"
Zhao Tiemei nodded. "I think it's possible. I heard from my brother that Su Wan and the representative had been on a blind date before. After the date, the representative went on a mission and was gone for almost half a year. When he came back, Su Wan was already married. You know, he used to refuse to go on blind dates no matter what the leaders in the army said, but Su Wan was the first person he agreed to go on a date with. He must have been interested in her to agree to go. It's just that fate played a trick on him. He had to go on a mission, so they couldn't be together. Otherwise, they would have been married long ago! Now that Su Wan's husband has passed away, and they both work in the same factory, maybe they'll have a chance to rekindle their romance..."
Zhao Tiemei's gaze seemed to fall on Lin Shuyao almost imperceptibly.
Lin Shuyao remained expressionless, her face showing the same gossip-loving look as everyone else, but only one thought echoed in her mind: So that's why he rushed back so urgently—it was for Su Wan.
It turns out they almost became husband and wife.
Her heart suddenly felt a little unsettled.
These past few days, Cheng Zheng has been bringing her food and earrings, protecting her in the car and letting her lean on him. Today, he even personally taught her how to shoot a gun. She had initially thought that he wasn't indifferent to her.
Her plan to sideline her was having some effect.
If she beckons again, he might take the initiative.
But now, Su Wan has brought their relationship back to square one.
……
The journey back was still bumpy.
Without Cheng Zheng as a human cushion, Lin Shuyao's back ached from being pressed against the partition of the carriage, and the wind had been blowing against her head the whole way. When she got off the train, she felt dizzy, her legs felt like they were walking on cotton, and she had no strength at all.
"Comrade Shen, are you going to the canteen?" the comrades from the technical department called out to her.
Lin Shuyao waved her hand weakly, "You guys go ahead, I'm going straight back to my dorm to sleep."
"Okay, let's go then."
"Okay, bye-bye."
Lin Shuyao turned and walked back to the dormitory, raising her hand to touch her forehead as she went; it was a little hot.
Oh no, it seems like I'm starting to get a fever.
She lowered her head and quickened her pace, wanting only to get back to her dormitory and lie down as soon as possible. However, just as she was about to reach the dormitory entrance, two figures suddenly came into view.
A few meters away, Cheng Zheng and Su Wan stood there, talking to each other. Su Wan's eyes were red, and she would occasionally raise her hand to wipe the corner of her eye. Cheng Zheng looked down at her and kept saying something, as if he was comforting her.
Lin Shuyao felt a dull ache in her chest, as if something had gripped her hand lightly.
She didn't want to be discovered, so she instinctively wanted to turn around and take another route, going through the back door of the dormitory. But her legs went weak, her vision went black, and she swayed, almost losing her balance.
This subtle movement still caught the attention of two people not far away.
Su Wan looked over first, a hint of surprise on her face: "Comrade Shen?"
Upon hearing the sound, Cheng Zheng also turned his head abruptly.
Lin Shuyao had no choice but to abandon her idea of changing her route and reluctantly walked towards the two of them.
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that Su Wan's eyes were severely red and swollen, indicating that she had just been crying and was still in a very unstable emotional state.
Despite feeling unwell, out of basic concern as a colleague, Lin Shuyao asked in a hoarse voice, "Comrade Su, what's wrong...?"
When Su Wan was asked, tears streamed down her face again, and her voice choked with sobs: "Comrade Shen, my Hu Zi... Hu Zi is missing! This afternoon I took him to the street, and I went into the alley to use the restroom. I asked him to wait for me at the alley entrance. Just a short while later, when I came out, he was gone..." She wiped away her tears as she spoke, her fingers trembling.
"Huh? What's the situation now? Have they found him?" Losing a child is a big deal. No wonder Su Wan is so upset. In this day and age, there are no surveillance cameras or the internet, so it's quite difficult to find someone. Lin Shuyao couldn't help but get anxious too.
Su Wan sobbed, "As soon as Zheng found out about this, he immediately called the police and the military. Now all roads leading out of the city are blocked and checked, and people have been sent to the train and bus stations to keep an eye on things. They're searching everywhere... but there's still no news..."
Su Wan swayed, almost losing her balance, but Cheng Zheng caught her just in time, his expression more serious than ever before.
"We'll find it; we might have news soon."
Lin Shuyao offered a dry word of comfort, her head growing heavier and heavier, her vision blurring, and she felt alternating chills and fever. All she wanted to do was rush back to her dorm and lie down.
"Comrade Su, don't worry too much. Take care of yourself. I'm going back to my dormitory now."
With barely managing to finish speaking to Su Wan, Lin Shuyao turned and left.
She had only taken a few steps when Cheng Zheng caught up and blocked her way.
"Is there something you need?" She looked up, her small face as cold as ice.
Cheng Zheng felt a jolt in his heart, and he opened his mouth to ask, "How did the shooting range go this afternoon?"
"It's alright," Lin Shuyao replied dismissively.
Cheng Zheng paused for a moment: "I'll practice with you more in a couple of days."
"No need." Lin Shuyao walked around him and continued forward, her steps unsteady. A gust of wind blew by, making her shiver. She hugged her arms and rubbed them.
I felt so hot just now, but now I feel so cold.
Cheng Zheng looked at her slender back and, without thinking, stepped forward and took her arm: "Are you not feeling well?"
"It's none of your business." Lin Shuyao shook off his hand.
Cheng Zheng frowned as he looked at her face, which was clearly flushed abnormally. Without saying a word, he raised his hand and covered her forehead—it was burning hot to the touch!
"You have a fever, I'll take you to the infirmary!" His voice suddenly turned serious, carrying a commanding urgency.
"I said I don't need it!" Lin Shuyao forcefully shook off his hand.
"To the infirmary!" Cheng Zheng insisted.
Lin Shuyao tilted her head back, her face flushed crimson. The blush stood out starkly against her porcelain-white skin, creating a breathtakingly sickly beauty. Yet, her eyes were stubborn and cold, as if covered by a thin layer of frost. "What does it matter to you whether I'm sick or not? I don't want you to interfere."
Cheng Zheng tightened his lips, paused for half a second, and said, "Your illness is affecting your work."
Lin Shuyao's lips curled into a half-smile, her expression icy cold, like a celestial goddess looking down upon mortals: "Don't worry, I won't let it affect my work. If it does, you can deduct my salary. Now, please step aside."
Cheng Zheng felt as if something had punched his chest, causing him a dull, sharp pain. He felt indescribably uncomfortable whenever she looked at him with such a cold expression.
"What will it take for you to go to the infirmary?"
"I said I'm not going, it's none of your business. Aren't you annoying, Cheng Zheng?"
Once Lin Shuyao gets angry, she can't control herself at all. She doesn't care about being a leader or any strategy, and she just stabs him in the heart with her words.
As expected, the moment those words left his mouth, Cheng Zheng's face darkened, his jaw tightened, and his dark eyes stared straight at her.
Lin Shuyao wasn't intimidated and stared back with a cold expression.
Don't let her usual delicate appearance fool you; she's actually quite stubborn at heart. She responds better to gentle persuasion than force. If he says a few kind words to her, she might not argue with him and obediently go to the infirmary.
But he had a stern face and a harsh tone, which displeased her.