[COD] Newbie's Rise to Power

Page 21

As soon as you opened the door, you could detect a faint smell of alcohol.

The ghost...he's been drinking?

Seeing the other person lounging on the sofa confirmed this suspicion.

"Lieutenant? Am I bothering you?"

You observe him carefully.

He just glanced at you once, then looked away.

"No, please sit down."

Only after you sat down did he ask why you had come.

"Lieutenant, I've recovered a lot and would like to continue participating in the exercise training tomorrow."

The ghost looked at you, its tone seemingly somewhat displeased:

"You've only had one day of rest."

You smile and say, "One day is enough. I feel good now and don't want to miss training."

After a moment of silence, he nodded: "Okay, if you feel there are no problems, then go back to the exercise. However, I don't want you to force yourself this time."

He seemed somewhat worried about your health, but ultimately chose to respect your decision.

You nodded: "Lieutenant, don't worry, I won't let you worry anymore."

Then, you take out the small gift box you've been carrying all the way.

"I don't know if you liked the jasmine tea last time, so this time I specially bought black tea, which I'm sure will suit your taste better."

We have a history and culture of tea spanning thousands of years, so you must be quite confident in this area.

You glanced at him and suggested, "Since you've had some wine, shall I make you a cup of tea to help you relax?"

He nodded: "Do you know how to brew English tea?"

Sure enough, being British, their tastes are more suited to local flavors.

You nodded: "Probably? You can point it out if I'm doing something wrong."

It's just brewing tea, then adding sugar and milk as needed, you're so confident.

The ghost nodded and pointed to the tea set on the storage shelf.

"Do as you please."

Go over there and boil some water.

Instead of waiting for the water to boil, you started looking for milk and sugar.

But the mini-fridge was empty except for a few bottles of drinks.

You have to ask the ghost for help: "Lieutenant, where are your milk and sugar?"

The ghost didn't tell you the location directly, but walked towards you, stood next to you, and opened a locker.

Okay, he definitely needs to be the one to reach this height.

but...

This was the first time you had stood so close to him, and it was only at this moment that you truly realized how tall he was. When he raised his hand, his figure seemed so large that it enveloped you.

Because you're so close, you can even smell a faint scent of alcohol emanating from him.

He took a packet of white sugar and a carton of room temperature milk from the cabinet, placed them on the counter, and stood there silently, looking at you and gesturing for you to continue.

Just then, the hot water was ready. As you poured the hot water into the teapot and were about to take out the tea leaves, he spoke up to remind you.

"You can discard the first rinse of water, just like you did before."

You raise your eyebrows, somewhat surprised: Are they so particular?

But you still obeyed and did as instructed, then took two small spoonfuls of tea leaves and put them into the teapot.

About a minute and a half later, you wanted to pour tea, but he said to wait two more minutes.

The silence during the wait was a little awkward, so you took the initiative to speak.

"Lieutenant, why are you drinking today? Are you unhappy?"

Drinking alone in a room can't be a happy thing, can it?

Ghost: "There are just some things I can't figure out."

You were somewhat surprised: "There are still things the lieutenant can't figure out?"

He chuckled, seemingly helplessly, "Do you think I'm some kind of superhero? I'm just an ordinary person."

Ordinary people naturally experience troubles and worries.

His words made you want to tease him: "If you're just an ordinary person, then what am I? A fledgling bird that hasn't even grown its feathers yet?"

He looked at you intently: "There are many people more capable than me, and you will become even stronger in the future. I hope that you will all be more outstanding than me in the future."

You don't know how serious he is; you just think he's making empty promises as a leader.

So you can directly use the formula to answer: "But you are already very impressive in my eyes. I always take you as my role model. No matter how much I grow in the future, you will always be the stepping stone standing in front of me."

Ghost was momentarily stunned by such workplace flattery, before bursting into a genuine laugh.

"Your mouth always says hypocritical things, but they sound damn sweet."

Perhaps because he had been drinking, he was more relaxed and less reserved.

The tea is brewed, you pour two cups, and then add a little milk to each cup.

You pick up the sugar and ask him, "Want some sugar?"

He nodded: "Two spoonfuls."

You nodded to indicate that you understood, then poured two spoonfuls of sugar into a teacup, and then poured half a spoonful into your own cup.

You didn't originally intend to add sugar to your tea, but since you've already added milk, you don't mind adding a little more sugar.

Then you pick up a spoon and stir the tea, trying to mix the sugar and milk evenly.

The spoon made a clinking sound as it collided with the cup.

Suddenly, a hand grasped your churning hand, stopping you from moving.

In my ear, there was a deep voice and the smell of alcohol.

"Stop, little cutie, you can't treat it like that."

Then, he guides your hand, stirring back and forth with the spoon.

"Try to do it like this, try not to make any noise, don't let the spoon leave the water, and finally... gently shake it to remove the tea."

His voice was soft, but his long-standing decisiveness and sternness had unconsciously given his tone a hint of command.

You nodded blankly, "Understood, thank you, Lieutenant?"

But I was incredibly conflicted.

What did he just call you?! Little cutie?

Is he drunk? Or are you overthinking it?

After all, English expressions are very complex. "Cute" can be a form of address or a description of something. You're not sure if he's referring to you or describing your actions at the time.

Although I've been at the base for two months, there are still times when I don't quite understand some of the grammar and meanings.

You glance up at the ghost who seemed completely unconcerned, picked up his teacup, and turned to leave, realizing you had really been overthinking things.

The way he called me "little cutie" just now sounded like he was calling me a little brat.

You lowered your head and took a sip of tea; it was sweet and tasted good.

After the ghost turned around and put down the teacup, only half of the tea remained.

You're worried that he might have trouble with his head covering while you're here, so you keep drinking from your teacup, hoping to finish it as soon as possible and leave.

"I like drinking tea and wine; it makes me feel relaxed."

The ghost suddenly spoke.

Is this... a heart-to-heart talk with you?

You nodded in agreement: "Everyone needs ways to relax, and drinking tea and alcohol in moderation can soothe emotions."

Ghost: "Drinking tea with you gives me a sense of peace. I hope we can do it together often in the future."

Do you often get together? You imagine that scene.

You and the ghost each hold a cup of tea. To avoid revealing your face, you turn your backs to each other, take a sip, then turn back, and then turn back again to take another sip whenever you want...

You couldn't help but chuckle, and you did indeed laugh out loud.

"Sorry, Lieutenant, I was just thinking about something happy."

You quickly apologized.

The ghost looked surprised: "I invited you for tea, and it makes you so happy?"

How are you going to explain this? Don't look at me like I'm a close friend!

Okay... let him think that way.

After you finished your tea, you made an excuse to leave.

You originally wanted to clean the teacup, but the ghost tells you not to worry about it.

Seeing that he hadn't finished drinking, you felt it wasn't appropriate to wash your own cup alone, so you left without saying anything.

After you left, the ghost picked up his teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

When he put down his teacup, his gaze lingered on yours.

There was a light pink layer on the white rim of the teacup.