The person in his arms was indeed distracted.
Gu Lina Zha looked up, her eyes teary, and nodded honestly.
"I'm hungry. I was hungry in the car."
Hearing this, Lu Mingyu's face showed some heartache.
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat. I had the chef of the mess hall prepare something special for you."
Gu Lina Zha sniffed and asked curiously:
"Mess hall? Is it your unit's cafeteria?"
"Yes."
Lu Mingyu took her hand and walked towards the living quarters.
"I also had the chef use my allowance to make a few extra dishes that you like."
Lu Mingyu added.
Gu Lina Zha's eyes widened in surprise.
"In the military... can you still order your own meals?"
In her imagination, military cafeterias should all serve large communal meals, uniform and orderly.
Such 'special services' would be absolutely impossible.
Lu Mingyu smiled and explained:
"Normally, it's not allowed, the discipline is very strict."
"But today the Commander gave special permission, so it's an exception."
"I originally planned to take you to an outside restaurant, but I don't often eat out."
"I'm not sure which one suits your taste better."
"So, let's just make do with eating in the unit today, and tomorrow we'll go out to eat, okay?"
"Of course, I don't mind what I eat."
Gu Lina Zha smiled sweetly at Lu Mingyu.
The two walked hand in hand, their figures stretching longer and longer in the afterglow of the sunset, full of warmth.
And just behind them, not far away, from a window in a dormitory building.
Two heads were stealthily peeking out.
Li Xiaoniu held up a high-powered telescope, his mouth wide open.
"Oh my god, look, look, is that our Lu Team's girlfriend?"
Wu Tianlong, next to him, snatched the telescope and put it to his eye to look.
"Let me see... Wow! So beautiful!"
In the telescope's view, Gu Lina Zha's smiling profile was clearly visible.
"More than just beautiful, look at the car she drove, it looks very expensive!"
Li Xiaoniu snatched the telescope back and peered intently at the car in the parking lot.
Wu Tianlong smacked his lips, his face full of envy.
"Lu Team really keeps a low profile. He quietly found such a fairy sister-in-law."
"Look at them, holding hands, so in love."
Li Xiaoniu looked at the two in the distance, his tone full of blessings.
Wu Tianlong nudged him with his elbow.
"Hey, what do you say, should we go over and say hello to sister-in-law, make ourselves known?"
Li Xiaoniu immediately put down the telescope and looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Are you stupid? Didn't you see Lu Team is on a date with sister-in-law?"
"If we go over now, aren't we just being a third wheel?"
"At this time, we should give Lu Team some private space."
Wu Tianlong thought about it and felt it made a lot of sense, nodding vigorously.
"You're right, we can't disturb Lu Team's good time. There will be plenty of opportunities to get to know sister-in-law later."
The two reached an agreement, deciding to continue 'observing in secret' from here, and absolutely not to go forward and disturb them.
Lu Mingyu led Gu Lina Zha by the hand, walking on the concrete road leading to the mess hall.
The Special Operations Brigade's mess hall was a three-story independent building.
Its exterior walls were painted military green, looking simple and solemn.
"This is where we eat."
Lu Mingyu said, pointing to the building ahead.
Gu Lina Zha curiously surveyed her surroundings; everything here was new and exciting to her.
The air was filled with a faint aroma of food, completely different from the high-end restaurants she usually frequented.
Yet, it gave her a strange sense of familiarity and security.
The two walked into the mess hall's first-floor lobby.
Inside, a sumptuous meal was indeed already prepared, steaming hot and fragrant.
A slightly plump middle-aged man in a white chef's uniform stood by the table, smiling broadly.
Seeing Lu Mingyu enter, he immediately came forward to greet him.
"Lu Team, you're finally here, the dishes are getting cold."
The man's voice was loud and his smile was honest.
When he saw Gu Lina Zha beside Lu Mingyu, his eyes instantly lit up, revealing a hint of shyness and surprise.
"Oh, this must be our Lu Team's girlfriend, right?"
"Even prettier than TV stars!"
Master Wu praised sincerely, his face beaming.
Lu Mingyu smiled and introduced:
"Master Wu, this is my girlfriend, Gu Lina Zha."
He then turned to Gu Lina Zha and said:
"Naza, this is Master Wu, the squad leader of our mess hall, the best chef in the entire brigade."
"Hello, Master Wu."
Gu Lina Zha quickly greeted him politely, bowing slightly.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all!"
Master Wu quickly waved his hand.
Being treated so politely by Lu Team's family made him, an old soldier, feel a bit embarrassed.
"Lu Team used his own allowance to add extra dishes for you, so I, Old Wu, must bring out my best skills."
Master Wu pointed to the table full of dishes, saying proudly:
"I heard Lu Team say you're from Jiangdu and prefer light flavors."
So I specially made a few of our specialty Jiangdu dishes for you. Try them and see if they suit your taste."
Gu Lina Zha looked at the braised pork, stir-fried shrimp with clear sauce, and potato stew with beef on the table, her eyes filled with surprise.
These were all her favorite hometown dishes.
"Thank you, Master Wu, you're so thoughtful."
She thanked him sincerely.
"Please sit down and eat, don't be shy, make yourself at home."
Master Wu greeted them warmly.
Lu Mingyu pulled Gu Lina Zha to sit at the table.
Master Wu smiled and said:
"Lu Team, then you two enjoy your meal, I won't disturb you."
With that, he happily turned and went back to the kitchen.
Gu Lina Zha picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of beef and put it in her mouth, her eyes narrowing in happiness.
"It's so delicious, it tastes like home."
She looked around; the entire mess hall was empty except for them.
Hundreds of dining tables and benches were neatly arranged, gleaming clean, but also appearing exceptionally vast.
"Mingyu, where are your teammates? Aren't they eating in the mess hall?"
Gu Lina Zha asked curiously.
"It's not mealtime yet, and..."
Lu Mingyu paused, then explained, "They're currently on a mission."
"A mission? Are they going to carry out some dangerous mission?"
Gu Lina Zha's heart suddenly tightened.
Lu Mingyu saw her nervousness and chuckled, shaking his head.
"It's not the kind of mission you're thinking of."
"They are currently serving as instructors, responsible for the selection and training of new special forces recruits."
"Training?"
Gu Lina Zha's eyes immediately lit up with curiosity.
"Is it like in the movies?"
"Rolling in mud, running while carrying huge logs?"
Lu Mingyu picked up a dish with his chopsticks and put it into her bowl, smiling as he said:
"Something like that, but more brutal, and also more scientific."
Gu Lina Zha's interest was completely piqued.
She put down her chopsticks, leaned closer to Lu Mingyu, and looked at him with expectant eyes.
"Can... can I go and watch?"
She asked cautiously, afraid that her request would cause him trouble.
"I promise, I absolutely won't speak, won't disturb them, just a quick look from afar, okay?"