The air in the meeting room instantly quieted down.
The eyes of several team members subtly glanced at Lu Mingyu.
Lu Mingyu’s expression remained unchanged.
It was as if the name “Gu Lina Zha” was no different to him than any other name on the material.
He was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
“Alright.”
He finally spoke.
“Tonight’s assessment will have its intensity reduced by thirty percent.”
“The armed cross-country will be changed to a foot march, primarily evaluating their teamwork and perseverance.”
Upon hearing this decision, Zhou Chenguang visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
“However,” Lu Mingyu’s tone shifted, and his eyes sharpened, “the standards must be uniform.”
“I don’t care who she is, whether she’s a celebrity or an ordinary person.”
“Once they are here, they have only one identity: a reserve member.”
“Everyone must be treated equally and fairly.”
“If anyone dares to act special, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
His gaze swept over everyone present, carrying a strong sense of oppression.
“Understand?”
“Understand!” The team members responded in unison, their voices loud and clear.
Zhou Chenguang’s face showed some hesitation, but he ultimately stood at attention and saluted.
“Yes, Captain! I understand!”
Lu Mingyu nodded and waved his hand.
“Alright, everyone go prepare.”
“In one hour, the first assessment mobilization will be held at the assembly ground.”
“Yes!”
The team members quickly got up, packed their materials, and left the meeting room with neat steps.
The meeting room door was gently closed.
In the spacious meeting room, only Lu Mingyu remained.
He still maintained his previous sitting posture, his back straight.
But the tense jawline quietly relaxed a little.
His gaze unconsciously fell on the material that had been pulled out separately on the table.
At the top of the material was a passport photo of Gu Lina Zha.
The girl in the photo had a radiant smile, with bright eyes and white teeth.
She looked exactly as he had seen her in the video, vibrant and lively.
Treat equally…
Lu Mingyu silently repeated these four words in his heart, a bitter smile rising within him.
It was easy to say, but how difficult it was to do.
He never imagined that his girlfriend would participate in the same program as him.
And it was in the field he was most familiar with and most proud of.
In his heart, although there was anticipation, there was more of an lingering worry.
He worried that she wouldn’t be able to endure the hardships here, worried that her delicate body wouldn’t be able to withstand high-intensity training.
He worried even more about the trouble and controversy that would arise if their relationship were exposed.
Lu Mingyu slowly closed his eyes, his long fingers gently pressing on his temples.
He knew that from the moment he put on this military uniform, he was no longer just Lu Mingyu.
He was the captain of the Megakaryocyte Special Operations Group and the chief instructor of this training camp.
He had to be responsible for all the team members, and also for the discipline and honor of the Military Region.
Personal feelings had to be temporarily put aside.
When he opened his eyes again, the struggle in them had disappeared.
It was replaced by the determination of a soldier.
He picked up the material belonging to Gu Lina Zha, without looking at it again.
Then he stacked it back with the others’material.
For him, now, they were all the same.
They were all his soldiers.
On the other side, at the Lu family home.
Lu Qi finished his work and came out of the study, preparing to get a glass of water in the living room.
As he reached the living room entrance, he saw his father sitting upright, staring intently at the television screen.
This was truly a rare sight.
One should know that his father, Commander Lu Wei, was a true workaholic.
Even though he was older now and had retired to the second line, he was still the pillar of the Military Region.
Every day, besides watching the news broadcast without fail for a while.
The rest of his time was basically devoted to work and various military meetings.
To see him watching TV, and a variety show at that, during the day, was simply unprecedented.
Lu Qi lightened his steps and walked over.
The television screen was playing the currently popular military-themed variety show, “if i were a female special forces soldier.”
In the picture, a group of female celebrities, dressed in camouflage uniforms, were crawling with difficulty through the mud.
And standing at the front of the team, with a straight posture and a stern face.
The chief instructor, who occasionally spoke to train them, was his son, Lu Mingyu.
Lu Qi’s face showed a knowing smile.
He had wondered why his father was so unusual today; it turned out he was specifically watching his grandson.
He sat down on the sofa next to his father and began watching with him.
“Dad, you’re watching this show too?”
Lu Qi spoke first, refilling his father’s tea cup.
Commander Lu Wei’s gaze did not leave the television; he just grunted in affirmation.
“This program was specifically requested by the higher-ups and is considered a key propaganda project this year,” Lu Qi began to explain to his father.
“That kid Lu Hai is in charge of liaising with the production team, and Mingyu was also directly named by the Military Region to be the chief instructor.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Wei’s face showed a satisfied expression.
He looked at his grandson on the screen, who was unsmiling and exuded a fierce, iron-blooded aura, and nodded.
“This kid, he’s somewhat decent, he hasn’t disgraced our old Lu family elders.”
Lu Qi smiled; as a father, he naturally knew how excellent his son was.
Lu Mingyu was his and his father’s pride.
The television screen changed, and the camera focused on the resting female guests.
Among them, Gu Lina Zha and Zhang Zifeng were sitting together.
Both of their faces were covered in mud, yet their outstanding beauty was still evident.
His father’s gaze swept across Gu Lina Zha’s face, with a somewhat inexplicable meaning in his eyes.
He suddenly turned his head and looked at Lu Qi.
“Tell me, this kid Mingyu, spending every day with these pretty girls, do you think he’ll develop some feelings?”
Lu Qi was stunned, not expecting his father to suddenly ask this.
He tentatively asked, “Dad, what do you mean?”
“Do you hope Mingyu finds someone himself, or should our family arrange a suitable match for him?”
Lu Mingyu’s marriage had always been the top priority for the family.
Given the prominence of the Lu family, the prominent families wishing to marry into the Lu family could line up from the capital to the Bund.
It was just that Lu Mingyu himself was dedicated to the Military Region.
He had always been indifferent to these matters, and the family members did not want to push him too hard.
“Nonsense!”
Lu Wei glared at Lu Qi.
“What era is it now, and you’re still talking about arranged marriages?”
“His own matters, let him decide. As elders, we will not interfere.”
His father’s attitude was very clear: respect his grandson’s own choice.
Lu Qi had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his father speak leisurely again.
His gaze fell back on the television screen, on the girl named Gu Lina Zha.
“I think that female celebrity named Gu Lina Zha is quite good.”
“She’s pretty, and her features are proper. She’d be very suitable as my granddaughter-in-law.”
Lu Qi’s hand, holding the teacup, suddenly froze.
He looked at his father in disbelief, a storm brewing in his heart.
What he said was too suggestive.
His father was not the kind of person who would casually comment on the appearance of female celebrities.
A thought instantly flashed through Lu Qi’s mind.
He cautiously looked at his father, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.
“Dad, you… did you already know?”