Chapter 83: Feeling Wronged?

The cafeteria was quiet and deserted.

Much like Lu Yunzhou himself.

He seemed difficult to approach.

His demeanor was cold to the extreme.

It was only four o’clock in the afternoon—still an hour before dinner at five—so there was almost no one around.

Shen Zhaoxi couldn’t help but wonder if there would even be food available at this hour.

But the place Lu Yunzhou brought her to was the officers’ mess within the military base, reserved for special forces, and there were always meals prepared, regardless of the time.

“Are you hungry?”

They found a place to sit. Lu Yunzhou fixed his gaze on the pale-faced girl before him and asked.

She shook her head.

He frowned, his dark eyes studying her, as if weighing the truth of her response.

Was she really not hungry?

Or was she simply afraid of troubling him?

This thought brought a deeper look to his eyes.

He looked at the frail, slender girl with furrowed brows and spoke, his voice low and resonant.

“I’ll get you some food.”

She was too thin.

Too weak.

She needed proper nourishment.

With that, Shen Zhaoxi watched as the strikingly handsome man rose, his cool gaze drifting from her, a hint of lingering concern in his eyes.

With an air of chilly detachment, he strode through the dining hall, heading for the food counter.

Four or five staff members, all in uniform, waited there.

Seeing Lu Yunzhou approach, they hurried to serve him.

When he returned, there were four dishes and a soup on the table.

There was meat and seafood soup, but all the dishes were light and mild, not a hint of chili to be found.

Shen Zhaoxi lowered her eyes, quietly gazing at the dishes, her lashes trembling.

Inwardly, she thought, it seemed what Lu Fifteen had told her this afternoon was true.

Lu Yunzhou didn’t eat spicy food.

Not only that—he disliked physical contact and had a touch of germophobia.

Well, that made things easier.

“Don’t like the food?”

Lu Yunzhou arched an eyebrow, rinsing the bowls and chopsticks with warm water before setting them gently in front of her.

But he noticed she was staring at the dishes, listless, her gaze fixed for a long time.

Was she picky about food too?

He watched her, a trace of curiosity and a deep, subtle smile in his eyes, as though guessing her thoughts.

She shook her head.

She lifted her gaze, her eyes limpid and strikingly beautiful.

“Why did you only choose mild dishes?”

Her eyes met Lu Yunzhou’s.

His expression darkened slightly as he looked at her. “Would you rather have something spicy?”

His gaze was so deep and unreadable that Shen Zhaoxi couldn’t fathom his thoughts.

She hesitated inside.

Should she answer yes?

But wouldn’t that be too obvious?

“You’re still recovering. You shouldn’t eat spicy food,” came Lu Yunzhou’s calm, low voice.

Shen Zhaoxi’s eyes dropped, her lashes casting long shadows.

Lu Yunzhou frowned, noticing the obedient way the girl lowered her head, her long lashes trembling as she quietly picked up her bowl and chopsticks.

His frown deepened.

Was she feeling wronged?

He watched her closely.

Pressing his lips together, he met her eyes with seriousness, his gaze unfathomable. “Once you’re better, you can have it.”

At his words, the girl looked up, her clear eyes holding a mist of emotion.

“You promise?”

“I promise,” Lu Yunzhou replied in his husky voice.

“Eat first,” he said meaningfully.

So, she liked spicy food.

Their eating habits didn’t match.

He couldn’t eat spicy food.

And then there was his aversion to germs.

What could she do to make him uncomfortable?

Shen Zhaoxi ate seriously, pondering all this.

But she was truly hungry.

After the meal, Lu Yunzhou escorted her back to the dormitory.

It was the single room he had arranged for her.

But Shen Zhaoxi was reluctant.

Night was falling, and outside the dormitory, a row of leafy trees cast heavy shadows, making the place seem cold and a little eerie.

The evening breeze was chill as it drifted in.

Such was life in the military district.

Most dormitories were empty when the soldiers went out to train, leaving the buildings quiet and lonely.

“I’m afraid to stay alone…”

Lu Yunzhou asked, “Afraid to sleep by yourself?”

She nodded.

He frowned, at a loss.

But his own dorm was a single room with only one bed.

They couldn’t possibly sleep together.

After some thought, he figured he could sleep on the sofa nearby.

And he told her, “I probably won’t be back until very late.”

“Then I’ll wait…” she insisted.

He had no choice.

Lu Yunzhou pressed his lips together, his deep gaze lingering on her, and he agreed.

If Shen Zhaoxi had truly been a pampered and sheltered girl, it would have been understandable.

But she was someone who had grown up through hardship and danger.

Where hadn’t she slept?

As a child, she’d been locked away in a windowless cellar, surrounded by vicious dogs and darkness.

She cried until she had no tears left, wishing her brother would come to save her.

But in that pitch-black cage, no one was coming.

She could only rely on herself to survive.

She’d slept in cellars, in iron cages, endured nights in utter darkness.

She’d always faced it alone.

Was she afraid?

Yes.

And yet, no.

No one is born brave and fearless.

Even staring down the barrel of an enemy’s gun, keeping a calm face and rushing to the front—these things are forged through hardship.

After Lu Yunzhou left, Shen Zhaoxi didn’t stay in the dorm.

Instead, she gathered her toiletries and a change of clothes and went to the women’s bathhouse.

It was communal, but scrupulously clean.

Steam clouded the glass windows.

“Is that her?”

“Yes, I think it’s her!”

“It’s definitely her.”

As Shen Zhaoxi entered the bathhouse, she caught the whispers of several girls who had just left, heads bent together, gossiping about her.

“You don’t know—she’s one of the freshmen here for the training from Capital University. She fainted on the field at noon and was carried off by one of the officers.”

“Someone told me she has an ambiguous relationship with the instructor here. Who knows how many times she’s slept with him, yet pretends to be some innocent university girl…”

“I can’t believe she’s that kind of person.”

“I thought she must be related to the officer—maybe a sister or a girlfriend or something.”

“With her? She doesn’t come from any background. All she’s got is that pretty face to seduce people.”

Shen Zhaoxi set her shower gel on the rack.

Her pale fingers paused for a moment.

She frowned.

Her hearing had always been exceptionally sharp.

So she’d heard every word those girls said outside.

Clearly, someone in the dorms had started spreading rumors about her.