Bei Sining's Adam's apple bobbed, as if she wanted to say something, but then she swallowed her words back.
He opened the box, looked inside, then handed it back to Wen Zheng, lowering his head and whispering, "Help me put it on."
He never took off this pendant during his loneliest, most confused, and most agonizing times. It was a "talisman" given to him by his parents, and also his pillar and armor.
He now hung the chain around Bei Sining's neck.
He didn't need to think much about the future; he only knew that this was the choice he would least regret making right now.
“…I’ll put it on you too.” Bei Sining pursed her lips nervously, not smiling at all, and took out the chip necklace he had gotten from Rick with a serious expression, and put it on Wen Zheng.
Wen Zheng felt a familiar weight and felt much more at ease: "So where did this come from? You can even make a password? Can't you just tell me what you want to say?"
“No.” Bei Sining turned around awkwardly. “I’m hungry.”
He hadn't eaten all day, and he was indeed hungry now.
There were pretty little cakes at the buffet table, and as soon as he saw them, he naturally turned and headed towards them.
Wen Zheng followed after him, but after taking only two steps, the main light in the center of the hall suddenly went out, leaving only a few decorative lights, barely enough to keep the room from being pitch black.
"!" Wen Zheng's vision suddenly went black. He stopped and waited for his eyes to adjust to the light, but at that moment, his hand was grabbed.
The hands of Bei Sining are characterized by distinct knuckles and a wide, dry palm.
"Welcome to Beihai Base." It was Zhang Jincheng's voice, refined yet with a smile: "Without further ado, turn to your sides and invite your lovers, partners, and relatives to dance together."
The violin plays the prelude.
As the musical scale gently ascended, the lights illuminated layer by layer.
Bei Sining stood in front of Wen Zheng, mimicking the awkward invitation gestures around her. She put one hand behind her back, placed her right hand in front of her chest, bent over, and made an inviting gesture. Before Wen Zheng could react, she pulled him towards the center of the hall.
“…This is the posture for waiting for your dance partner to extend their hand.” Wen Zheng staggered a step: “You’ve already pulled her hand, why are you bowing?”
"What do you know?" Bei Sining refused to admit she didn't know, stubbornly saying, "It's a custom where we're from, don't you like it?"
Bei Sining wore a white suit that he had conjured up, looking as glamorous as if he were going to a wedding. Long white hairbands adorned his hair, and light seemed to flow through the unscientific material, creating a surreal light effect costume that looked like something out of a holographic simulation device.
The white uniform complements the crisp black uniform, creating a strange harmony.
The two entered the crowd, creating a three-meter vacuum around them. Many people wondered in unison... Who are these people?
Their gazes fell upon Bei Sining's face again, leaving them speechless—damn, which expert is so good at picking up girls? She's so beautiful!?
There was one person in particular who was standing there dumbfounded, and that was Sun Gaoda.
At that moment, he felt he should change his name to Sun Duoyu.
His face was filled with grief: "Fairy Sister!"
It really is him!
The fairy-like sister usually wears an apron and casual clothes, which makes her much more down-to-earth. Even so, in Sun Gaoda's fleeting glance, she was still a fairy. Now, dressed up, she has lost all her earthy charm and seems to float on clouds.
What shocked him most was that the person next to him was Instructor Wen!
Holy crap, when did Instructor Wen secretly win over that fairy-like beauty?!
"I advise you to shut up." Suddenly, a voice came from beside him, startling Sun Gaoda. He turned around and saw his roommate Xu Qian.
"You scared me!" Sun Gaoda said, pointing over there, "Did you see that? Fairy Sister is dancing with Instructor Wen! What's their relationship?"
"What other relationship could there be..." Xu Qian's feelings were complicated. He was both pleased to see Sun Gaoda's discomfiture and held back as he said, "Of course, it's his family. You really are stupid. With looks like that, he could easily dominate the global economy even if he went into the entertainment industry. Why would he come to our base to steam buns? He must be here for his family."
Sun Gaoda: "………………"
Two figures, one in black and one in white, embraced under the dazzling lights, creating a beautiful and dreamlike scene.
Sun Gaoda was dumbfounded and stammered, "Why does Instructor Wen look shorter than Fairy Sister?"
Xu Qian rolled his eyes: "Because the instructor is indeed a bit short!"
"What should we do then... Hey, you said you wouldn't..." Halfway through her sentence, Sun Duoyu realized the person beside her was empty. Huh? Where did she go?!
On the other side of the dining table, Deng Puyue and Bai Shuang huddled in a corner, watching the commotion while eating small cakes.
"See, I told you there was good news, and I told you not to go near them." Bai Shuang leaned lazily against the wall, holding a tray with a dazzling array of items that Deng Puyu had picked out out of curiosity, waiting for him to finish one before feeding him another.
Deng Puyue hadn't had much time to talk to his brother Zheng yet; the amount of information he'd seen and heard today was overwhelming, leaving him a bit dizzy.
But this dizziness was one of joy and excitement. He felt like he was finally part of Bai Shuang's world, his whole body floating, his eyes and brows brimming with excitement. If it weren't for the fact that this lousy banquet had served a bunch of flashy but impractical sparkling wines, he probably would have joined forces at a round table on the spot, promoting the Xia Kingdom's tradition, and encouraging everyone to "fill their cups and drink until they drop."
“You’re right,” Deng Puyue said with her lips puffed out. “I didn’t expect them to get together so quickly. Luckily, I didn’t become a third wheel.”
Deng Puyue thought for a moment, then suddenly squinted at Bai Shuang: "Why is it that Brother Ning can 'work at the base, live and eat with him every day, and their relationship is rapidly warming up'? You just make me wait, wait and wait, wait your mother's!" Deng Puyue threw the small cake at Bai Shuang's face.
Bai Shuang: "..."
"Hey, let's go be third wheels!" Bai Shuang, driven by a strong will to survive, grabbed someone and tried to go in without saying a word. Deng Puyue refused, but was dragged along and stumbled down the stairs.
"I'm not wearing a dress!" Deng Puyue said through gritted teeth in Bai Shuang's ear, her face flushed. "It's all your fault! You didn't even tell me about the ball. Look how beautiful everyone else is dressed... Aren't I embarrassing you?"
"Hahaha—" Bai Shuang laughed for a long time, then leaned close to Deng Puyue's ear under his murderous gaze, her breath ambiguous: "It's okay, I've already lost all face myself."
…………
If we're talking about being flamboyant, Xia Guo is definitely the most flamboyant. First, they throw a fancy ball, and after everyone finishes dancing, they feel incredibly elegant, like celebrities and nobles, when the leader goes on stage to give a speech.
As the speaker finished summarizing the work, raising questions, and looking to the future, the audience was filled with expressions of anger, drowsiness, or despair.
Coach Zhang Jincheng felt no shame whatsoever, and concluded, "Alright, everyone's hungry. With the Spring Festival approaching, let's sit down and eat!"
...Serve it?
Ten minutes later, the hall was quickly transformed into a New Year's Eve banquet, with more than a dozen people sitting at each table. Deng Puyue was so excited that he wanted to go up to the table and perform a live show: "Brothers, let's drink until we drop!"
Wen Zheng sat at this table with himself, Bai Shuang, and five of his teammates and family members, including Wang Weina.
Once seated, everyone stared eagerly at Bei Sining, then at Wen Zheng, their eyes practically bulging with murderous intent. Wang Weina couldn't hold back any longer: "Captain!" he roared, "I'll toast you!"
Before the drinks even arrived, he stood up with an empty glass, clearly very anxious: "Captain, I'll drink this, you can do as you please. I just wanted to ask, is this... your wife? Captain, why have you never told us about her before!"
Bei Sining slowly raised her head: "...Call me brother-in-law."
Wang Weina's wife was just as gossipy as him, and it seemed she often talked about her captain at home. The pretty young woman stood up with a flushed face: "Sister-in-law, I'll do whatever you want with me, but I just want to ask how long you two have been together? Do you have any relatives? Cousins or other relatives are fine, as long as they're unmarried!"
The other team members cheered and jeered, and everyone took turns introducing the people they brought. Apart from two carefree single guys who depended on each other, everyone else had a partner.
Wen Zheng recognized each person in turn, and finally got the wine he wanted. Unable to resist, he first downed a glass to bolster his courage.
Then he and Bei Sining stood up together, put their arms around the person next to them, and said calmly, "He's mine, let's see how he gets paid."
The table was slammed shut by the team members, and even Deng Puyue's eyes widened as she turned to Bai Shuang and asked, "Damn, when has he ever been so smug?"
Bei Sining held back, her expression shifting erratically between seriousness, displeasure, a hint of joy, and secret delight.
He likes me so much!
Can't others even look at me?
That's too jealous! How can I be like this? I'm so pretty, I'll be stared at whenever I go out!
Does Wen Zheng want me to stay home full-time to take care of the children?
No, I have to go to work!
But since he likes me so much, wouldn't it be wrong not to grant this request?
Wen Zheng had no idea what he was thinking, and dared not look at the expressions of the people around him, so he just drank along. Before he knew it, he had drunk quite a bit.
He hadn't drunk alcohol in a long time. Although his alcohol tolerance was still decent, he couldn't handle the excitement of drinking too much, and his stomach wasn't feeling particularly comfortable.
At this moment, Captain Luo came to the table with his wife and children to offer a toast.
Team Leader Luo, usually serious and resolute, rarely showed a smile. He praised everyone one by one, introduced them to his "family," and when he saw Bei Sining, he paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You're really amazing."
Wen Zheng raised his glass with a smug air, thanking Captain Luo for his usual care before he was about to drink, his left hand subconsciously pressing against his stomach.
It was this action, which he himself hadn't even noticed, that Bei Sining saw, frowned, and snatched the wine glass away.
Wen Zheng emptied his cup and looked out in confusion. "Where's my cup? Where's that big cup?"
“He’s drunk.” Bei Sining stood up gracefully, coldly yet politely pressing Wen Zheng down: “Thank you for taking care of me, I’ll drink for him.”
Luo Yu naturally knew this person. A real, existing monster.
The upper echelons of Xia Kingdom were in an uproar over his existence, but in the end, due to that powerful force, they had no choice but to lower themselves and curry favor, adopting a very humble posture.
Zhang Jincheng handled all the contact with him; Luo Yu only knew Bei Sining by name.
Now all he can say is, seeing is believing.
Zhang Jincheng was, after all, a civilian officer, while Luo Yu was a front-line military officer. Although he couldn't enter the subspace, he still faced the risks head-on and knew how the addition of such an unexpected force might change the course of the battle.
Luo Yu recalled that when he went to a meeting with higher-ups, an elderly leader nearing sixty years old smiled and said, "There's an old saying that goes, 'Heaven never seals off all paths.' We should seize the opportunity, trust young people, and have good intentions... There will be good results."
Luo Yu couldn't treat him as an ordinary soldier's family member, so he solemnly raised his glass: "Thank you, Mr. Bei."
Bei Sining nodded gently and drank the glass of wine for Wen Zheng.
His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and Wen Zheng stared intently at Bei Sining. After she sat down, he suddenly leaned closer and said, "Can I lean on you?"
Bei Sining felt a surge of heat throughout her body, stared at him stiffly, and slowly said, "Okay."
Wen Zheng was a little tipsy, but he comfortably leaned against Bei Sining in front of everyone.
In the game, when he's tired, he likes to lean against the king like this, and sometimes he can even take a nap when he's in a good mood. Bei Sining may seem angry and upset on the surface, but she always lets him sleep obediently; she's a very calm cat.
Wen Zheng closed his eyes.
A warm winter night, a steaming dinner table, drinking with familiar faces, and sleeping next to someone when you get sleepy. This sense of security was given to me by my parents when I was a child; now I have to provide it myself.
Wen Zheng's eyes stung, and he let himself sink into a moment of weakness. He didn't know how much time had passed, nor whether he had fallen asleep, when he suddenly heard a familiar voice.
"How's your meal? Oh, Uncle can do it himself... Is Xiao Zheng asleep?"
"!" Wen Zheng suddenly woke up with a start, his heart pounding. When he sat up, he knocked over the soup bowl in front of him.
Soup and liquid dripped down the edge of the table, getting quite a bit on Wen Zheng and the people around him. Wen Zheng sobered up considerably, stood up, took the paper that Deng Puyue and the others handed him, and wiped the table and his pants.
"Master," Wen Zheng called softly, "Why are you here?"
Xu Ji laughed: "Hey, listen to what this child is saying... Aren't you happy that I'm here?"
The people at the table quickly tried to smooth things over for their captain: "How could that be! The captain must have had too much to drink and was afraid you'd scold him, hahaha—"
“How could that be?” Xu Ji said, both amused and exasperated. “He’s such a grown man, why should I care about these things? I couldn’t control him for a long time. He wouldn’t even let me come and see him… Hey, wait, Uncle, pour it yourself.”