An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 344 Clear soup with little water
On Monday, Jiang Fu returned to her dormitory after get off work, but no one was home.
On Tuesday, after work, no one was home.
On Wednesday, the house was still empty.
Thursday, nobody was there.

It wasn't until Friday, when Jiang Fu returned to her dorm after get off work, that she inserted her key to open the door. Hmm??? She decisively slammed the door shut, then opened it again. Oh, no, she wasn't seeing things. As she entered the room, taking off her handbag, she called out towards the balcony, "Didn't you sneak out to meet your sweetheart tonight?"

"There's a group movie screening tonight," Meng Youyou called out as she turned around after hearing the voice, as she was collecting clothes.

"I almost forgot about that." Jiang Fu leaned against the wall, standing as she changed her slippers, muttering, "How come you're still staying in the dorm today? You would have been gone a couple of days ago."

Jiang Fu, shuffling in her slippers, plopped down on the edge of the bed, crossed her legs, and asked, "So, you two are officially together?"

"Not yet," Meng Youyou replied without looking up as she folded the clothes.

"Why are you two always so inseparable? Are you trying to be all lovey-dovey?"

"In his words, this is called taking it slow."

Jiang Fu chuckled upon hearing this: "You're really old..." She paused, then changed her words at the last second: "Upright!"

"Inseparable?" Meng Youyou belatedly realized that the word sounded somewhat jarring, which made her even more certain that she absolutely could not tell the guy in the other bed about what she had been doing these past few days. If he knew the truth, who knows how he would laugh at her.

Their current relationship is so ambiguous that describing it as flirting would be an insult to the beautiful and wonderful word "ambiguity."

On the first night, Meng Youyou messaged him: [The scenery in the grove over in the residential area looks really nice~]
He replied: "[I'm in the reading room, want to come over?]"
The second night, Meng Youyou: [What are you doing?]
Huo Qingshan: [Badminton hall, wanna come?]
The third night, ugh, I can't even be bothered to talk about it.

In short, Meng Youyou has reason to suspect that high school students nowadays don't even go through such a "simple" early stage of dating!

The soup was bland and watery... She occasionally tried to touch him inappropriately, but before she could succeed, he would immediately look on guard and stay far away from her, maintaining a safe distance in a physical sense. Then he would say to her with a righteous air, "Oh, we're not a couple yet. Doing some things would be inappropriate and bad for you."

They seemed afraid of being taken advantage of.

These past few nights have been a model of a healthy, positive, and fulfilling daily life for young people. Reading, exercising, face-to-face socializing... I haven't missed a thing. They could be used to make a positive propaganda film titled "Keeping Yourself Clean and Honest."

That's really impressive.

However, to be fair, Meng Youyou admitted that she also had to bear secondary responsibility; she was really quite disappointing for not being able to stand up for herself.

For example, last night, she wanted to get closer to him, and as soon as the man showed the slightest sign of refusal, Meng Youyou immediately put on a stern face. This was a scenario she had planned in advance—she couldn't just let him be like a turtle, sitting here every day doing "Platonic" things without making any progress. It would be strange if they just chatted and didn't produce anything interesting.

She sulked and ignored him, not saying another word. She moved a chair far away and sat down, treating him like he wasn't there.

Meng Youyou kept her head down, playing on her phone and scrolling through Weibo to catch up on celebrity gossip and pass the time. Before she knew it, twenty minutes had passed, and there was still no sound from the other end; there was no indication that they were trying to comfort her.

Wow! They're probably engrossed in their book and have no time to care if you're angry or not. Thinking this, Meng Youyou's feigned temper started to turn into a real one. Frustrated, she quit Weibo, finding all this gossip utterly boring, ridiculously fake, and pointless.

She clicked into her WeChat Moments and scrolled through it casually for a while. As she was scrolling down, her head involuntarily lifted up, only to bump into a pair of eyes watching from the opposite corner of the long table.

The current situation didn't seem like a coincidence; it was more like the other person had been looking this way the whole time, without changing their gaze, but she hadn't noticed because she had been looking down. The man's gaze was now fixed on her, his expression a mix of helplessness and self-reproach. His mouth moved a few times, but he couldn't manage to utter a single loud fart.

He looked just like a wronged big dog that had made a mistake and was being neglected by its owner. Meng Youyou's heart softened immediately, and she blurted out, "I want to drink yogurt." She didn't even look at him when she said this, as if she were talking to thin air.

The man diagonally opposite suddenly stood up from his chair, said he would go buy it right now, and then quickly disappeared.

Within minutes, he returned with two bottles of yogurt, one with green grape flavor and the other with blueberry flavor. He explained that he had been in a bit of a rush when he went out and forgot his phone in his coat. He only remembered it when he got to the supermarket, but he couldn't ask her what flavor she wanted then, so he bought these two bottles. He said he would go buy more if she didn't like them.

Meng Youyou held a bottle of yogurt in each hand. Subconsciously, she felt that something had been overlooked, but she couldn't remember it for a moment. When she licked the yogurt lid, the thick milk stuck to her tongue. Perhaps stimulated by the familiar taste buds, her brain suddenly had a flash of inspiration—weren't these the two flavors she bought when she borrowed his card at the supermarket last time?
It turns out he had deliberately remembered it.

Meng Youyou put down the yogurt bottle, her cold expression remaining unchanged, and casually asked him, "Do you know what dishes Company Commander Zhan likes to eat?"

Huo Qingshan was clearly puzzled by this sudden and strange question. After thinking for a moment, he answered seriously, "He's not a picky eater, and it seems like he doesn't have any particular favorite dishes."

In an instant, the anger that had been building up in my heart vanished without a trace.

...

The camp auditorium is located on the west side of the parade ground. People are entering the venue one after another. The gatepost lights at the main entrance are all lit, illuminating the bougainvillea in the fences on both sides in a bright red.

When Meng Youyou and Jiang Fu walked into the auditorium through the main entrance, it was almost full, with only a few scattered seats. The two stood side by side on the small platform behind the seats and looked around.

Jiang Fu glanced around casually and pointed, saying, "Over there, there are two empty seats next to each other."

After saying that, she tried to pull the person next to her over, but she couldn't get them to move. Jiang Fu turned her head in confusion and met the girl's embarrassed expression, with a slightly guilty look in her eyes.

The girl stood there without saying a word, only grinning at her in a charming way.

Damn! Now what's there to not understand? Jiang Fu rolled her eyes, immediately let go, and threw down a sentence: "You value romance over friendship! You heartless bastard! Get the hell out of here!"

Meng Youyou fawned over him, hooking her arm around his and saying, "I'm just showering him with sweet talk right now. Don't worry, once I've won him over and the novelty wears off, he won't be treated like this anymore. You'll still be the main girlfriend then. Just bear with it for now."

Jiang Fu gave a cold "tsk" and walked away with a haughty wave of her sleeve.

Meng Youyou knew she wasn't really angry, but she still took out her phone, opened the ticketing app, took a screenshot of her idol's concert ticket order, sent it to her, and captioned it: [I'll give you one more chance. Tell me, am I the kind of person who forgets friends for the sake of a pretty face?]
Within two seconds, she received a reply: [No, no! If anyone dares to say that about you, I'll be the first to object! Isn't that utter nonsense?]
Meng Youyou smiled, her eyes crinkling, but didn't reply. She turned off the screen, put her phone back in her pocket, and looked up. Her gaze swept over the rows of heads with similar hairstyles, finally settling precisely on the second from the left in the third row. If you were to ask her how she recognized him, Meng Youyou herself couldn't really explain it, but she just had this ability—it was quite amazing.

Meng Youyou strolled towards the target area, patted Zhan You on the shoulder from behind, and whispered to him, "Company Commander Zhan, I have a bit of astigmatism, and I can't see clearly from a distance. If it's convenient, could you switch seats with me?"

When Zhan You, who was sitting on the far side, turned around and saw who it was, his scalp suddenly tightened. He knew perfectly well what this girl was up to—her true intentions were not what they seemed.

It wasn't that he didn't want to give up his seat; it wasn't a big deal. He could just give it up. It didn't matter where he sat, he could still watch the movie. However, he was still a little unsure about the attitude of the person next to him. After pausing for a moment, just to be on the safe side, Zhan You hesitated before speaking: "Well... over there, isn't there an empty seat in the middle of the second row? It's closer to the front than my seat, and the view is better."

Upon hearing this, Meng Youyou pursed her lips and remained silent, then turned to look at the man sitting one seat away, who was also looking at her.

After staring at each other for a few seconds, the girl's eyes spoke volumes: Aren't you going to do something? Huo Qingshan was the first to give in. He whispered something to Zhan You on his left, and then the two quickly switched places.

The man didn't sit down again, but stood by the aisle, glancing down at the empty seat Zhan You had left, and asked her, "Would you like to sit?"

Meng Youyou wrinkled her nose, her eyes filled with reproach as she looked at the man, as if blaming him for being unromantic. She muttered under her breath, "What do you think?" in an unfriendly tone.

The man, being somewhat perceptive, then asked, "Really astigmatism?"

Meng Youyou gave him an awkward glance but didn't reply. Annoying.

Huo Qingshan immediately understood, and then asked gently, "There aren't any seats left side by side in front. Can we sit in the back?"

Meng Youyou suddenly became docile and nodded at him with a sweet smile. She liked hearing him use the word "we".

Zhan You sat motionless in his seat, only daring to glance back after the two had walked away.

One glance, and I was speechless. Girl, aren't you supposed to have astigmatism and not be able to see clearly? What's with sitting in the last row? Are you kidding me?
Come to think of it, wasn't he just incredibly oblivious? Zhan You shook his head, lamenting that his wits weren't sharp enough to keep up with the two's unpredictable thought processes. But at least this incident made him see things clearly: their battalion commander had succumbed to the allure of a beautiful woman, and the city gates had fallen.

But... how long has it been?! This surrender is too fast! He had previously thought that their battalion commander was unique, a breath of fresh air, a true workaholic, and not tempted by beauty. Alas, in the end, he realized that all men are the same. Zhan You sighed silently to himself.

The overhead lights went out, and the auditorium fell silent for a moment. Only the curtain in front of the stage slowly descended, projecting the movie image onto it, casting a soft glow that blurred the outlines of the dark mass of people in the audience.

The entire auditorium was filled with the stereo sound of the movie's original soundtrack. Tonight, everyone was watching "The Wandering Earth." Meng Youyou had seen it once before at the cinema near her home. In addition, she wasn't particularly interested in science fiction movies, so she didn't really focus on the film that night.

Meng Youyou propped herself up on one arm, resting her head on the side of the seat, staring intently at him. The light and shadow outlined the man's profile, the lines of which were varied and the features were sharply defined, giving him a handsome and distinctive appearance.

Just a few close glances were enough to stir her heart and make her want to kiss him... Ugh, it's better not to think about it, because thinking about it is just awful.

Last night, after the two resolved their disagreement, Meng Youyou sat back down, but instead of insisting on sitting next to him, she sat opposite him and frankly asked him, "Don't you like me touching you?"

The girl asked, puzzled, "How can two people who like each other not like physical contact?"

“There’s nothing I dislike.” He answered honestly, then analyzed himself with extreme candor: “Compared to you and many of your peers, I’m a rather old-fashioned person, even to the point of being rigid. You might find that boring, but it’s part of me that I’ve grown up with, and it’s probably hard to change in a short time. That’s why I said I hope you can fully understand me before making a decision, because I likely have more than one flaw like this.”

Meng Youyou was speechless for a moment: "..."

After a moment of silence, Huo Qingshan suddenly changed the subject: "Yo yo, we knew each other before, right?" He brought up the past, but then quickly added, "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't insist. But you know I lost my memory after I woke up from my injury, so the person I am now is the person I will be in the future. Suppose..." His voice hesitated, "I mean, suppose you didn't know me before, and the first person you met was the person I am now, would you still have different feelings for me?"

At the time, Meng Youyou felt that she couldn't answer the question at all. She felt that it was impossible for people to separate their past self from their present self, especially when it came to emotions, which were the most difficult to distinguish into clear lines. So she just gave a few casual words and moved on from the topic.

Sitting in the dimly lit auditorium, Meng Youyou thought of this question again. With nothing else to do, she began to think about it seriously.

If she hadn't traveled back forty years and fallen irrevocably in love with him, but instead he had come here one day and she had met him for the first time, Meng Youyou, would you have fallen in love with him?
In terms of looks, he would be her type.

As for his personality, not necessarily. He's introverted and prefers to do things rather than talk, which is what Meng Youyou hates most. Not only is he bad at talking, but he's also so tight-lipped that if he doesn't want to say something, you can't pry it open even with pliers. It's infuriating. He's also a bit of a chauvinist, and for a man, he's so stubborn. Once he gets stuck in a dead end, don't expect him to find his way out... Just as he himself said, it's not an exaggeration. He has a whole host of bad habits, and if you were to list them all, it would probably take ten baskets to fit them all.

In terms of profession, Meng Youyou had never imagined having a soldier as a boyfriend before she actually met him. Without experiencing it firsthand, just hearing rumors made her realize how tiring it would be, how he couldn't be with her anytime and anywhere, and how dangerous his job was.

All things considered, it seems unlikely. But the very next second after reaching that conclusion, Meng Youyou completely overturned and denied it. If she hadn't fallen in love with him, the probability of her choosing to study here and work in the military after graduation would be almost zero. She would have had no chance of meeting him at all, let alone falling in love with him.

Therefore, this assumption is completely invalid.

Why waste time agonizing over these meaningless questions? Love can't be approached with methodologies, nor can any patterns be derived from it. She always followed her heart; Meng Youyou firmly believed that one should live with a sense of feeling, rather than adhering to lengthy, rigid rules.

Since she couldn't come to a conclusion, she decided to give up and put the matter out of her mind, focusing instead on appreciating the beauty before her.

Seemingly noticing the direct gaze from the side, the man turned his head and glanced over, asking in a very low voice, "What are you looking at?"

The girl pouted, her attitude arrogant: "What's wrong? Fine, you won't let me touch you, but you won't even let me see you?"

The man was speechless for a long time before turning his face back and continuing to watch the movie.

Everyone has their own independent perspective, which inevitably projects a lot of personal expectations. Over time, this forms a certain fixed pattern, and people will unconsciously and habitually magnify the part they want to focus on, thus ignoring the so-called trivial details. Therefore, it is inevitable that there will be blind spots in their thinking. At this time, Meng Youyou did not understand the other layer of meaning in the man's question.

(End of this chapter)