142 Queen of Dates

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“Are you really sure you don’t remember?” Qin Yijian pressed stubbornly.

Tao Yufei slowly shook her head. “I truly don’t remember.”

“Alright then, you should head back to training!”

Unbeknownst to them, on her way back to the training ground, Tao Yufei was quietly pondering how to identify the person who had carried her back to the base.

Yes, when Yang Tang had sprinted with her on his back, Tao Yufei had briefly regained semi-consciousness. She distinctly felt the broad palm pressing against her hips and the firm back pressing against her chest. She was certain it was a young man carrying her, most likely someone from within the base, since outsiders wouldn’t know the water room was empty at that time.

More importantly, her mother was an internationally renowned fashion designer, and under such influence, Tao Yufei had already reached a professional level in “measuring and tailoring by sight” by the age of fifteen.

This skill was born of experience, much like the oil seller pouring oil with precision or the rice merchant using his hand as a scale. Tao Yufei only needed a quick glance to estimate a person’s body measurements with remarkable accuracy. Even in her dazed state then, she clearly remembered the height of the man’s ears, the distance between them, and the width of the nape of his neck—details she could measure down to the millimeter. Unfortunately, fate was unkind: she was soon bitten by poisonous mosquitoes in the forest and lost consciousness again, cutting short her data gathering.

It was clear that in the entire military training base, very few men would match all three precise measurements. With further deductions, Tao Yufei was confident she could soon find the man who had saved her.

“Alright, I’ll get a list first, then start by inviting the instructors out. I refuse to believe I can’t find you.”

Thus, from lunchtime onward, the name of “Queen of Dates” Tao Yufei began to spread like wildfire.

“Hey, did you hear? The history department’s campus belle spent the entire morning chatting with three instructors during the break.”

“Chatting? That’s an arranged date, not just idle talk!”

“Changing partners like a revolving door—isn’t that unreliable?”

“How is it unreliable? Dating is like shopping; you compare three shops before deciding. If you think the campus belle is fickle, just ignore her when she asks you out!”

“Hmph, with such a dating style, it’s obviously not true love!”

“Oh wow, you’re actually worried about the campus belle? Does she even care about you?”

“Exactly! Real love? I don’t think that even exists!”

“Right, so-called true love, like love at first sight, is just hormones playing tricks.”

Yang Tang ate slowly, listening to the freshmen’s gossip about Tao Yufei, showing no trace of the awareness expected of a history freshman.

In contrast, Liu Tong frequently interjected in support of Tao Yufei, but his few voices were drowned out by the overwhelming crowd.

Yang Tang observed everything and finally understood why Liu Tong had targeted him the day before. Had he known then, he might have let Liu Tong have his way—after all, young men often act rashly over love, and Yang Tang wasn’t one to quarrel over such things. But now that they were sworn enemies, there was no turning back. It was a matter of one side prevailing over the other.

Meanwhile, at the National Security Bureau’s Seventh Division, Operations Office, in the Director’s chamber.

“Director Song,” the stoic team leader—referred to by his colleagues as “Cold Brother”—stood before the director’s desk.

The operations director, a seasoned and stoic gentleman, looked up from his writing and said calmly, “Cold Qiong, I’ve reviewed the photos of the bodies you retrieved. For now, ignoring the fact that we can’t find the ‘Flying Flower’ assassin, even if we did, I’d only end up getting beaten.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Director Song?” Cold Qiong asked, bewildered.

“First, the assassin’s lethal strikes come from far beyond normal distance, implying not only profound energy reserves but also mastery of concealed weapons. That’s already a concern,” Director Song explained, shaking his head. “But the critical point lies in the nine wounds on the bloodthirsty killer’s body. Each wound carries a different force; nine variations in total. This means the assassin’s skill is beyond my reach. Even if we find him, I wouldn’t dare meet him face to face for fear of being instantly defeated.”

Cold Qiong broke into a cold sweat. “Then what should we do?”

“Recruiting top-tier experts is a headache best left to the elders in the Ninth Division,” Director Song said decisively. “Cold Qiong, you should report this back to me for signature, then submit it to the bureau chief. Let him coordinate the matter.”

Cold Qiong grimaced but had no choice but to salute. “Understood.”

During lunch break, Tao Yufei lay on her bed, silently reflecting on her morning “dating mission.” “I really didn’t catch that person’s scent. Even though I was semi-conscious, my senses weren’t functioning normally, but it couldn’t be that I didn’t smell it... It must be that his scent was very faint. Otherwise, I would have noticed. But those three instructors I dated this morning? Their smells nearly overwhelmed me! Well, that narrows down my search.”

“Yufei, Yufei,” her roommate called.

“Hm? What is it?” Tao Yufei snapped out of her thoughts and looked over.

“I’ve been calling you for ages. Don’t tell me you’re really, like the guys say, lovesick?”

“Me? Lovesick?” Tao Yufei laughed.

“Then why did you go on dates with three instructors in a row?”

“That’s because you, Xiao Tian, dared to spy on me. Do you want to live?!” With that, Tao Yufei pounced on Xiao Tian and unleashed her queenly wrath.

As the military training days passed, Tao Yufei kept dating more and more people, her reputation as the “Queen of Dates” only growing. Yet the man who had saved her remained elusive.

Of course, nearly every instructor was ruled out due to their overwhelming scent, and some male students feigned superiority to avoid dating her. Aside from these, she had asked out more than half the remaining boys—no luck.

“Damn it, was my analysis wrong, or did I miss someone?”

“Ah, never mind. With two or three days left, I’ll just keep dating as many as possible. Once I rule out the officers, the rest can be handled after the freshmen return to school!”

Deciding this, Tao Yufei finally approached the last male instructor at the base: Qin Yijian. They had met before, but she had never seen the back of his neck, so couldn’t confirm if he was the one.

Over ten days of training, Yang Tang kept a low profile, even concealing his shooting scores, unwilling to show off.

He sensed strangers occasionally lurking near the base, searching for something. The base soldiers ignored them, indicating those strangers were likely military or police personnel connected to the “Energy Wildman” case.

Wanting to avoid trouble, Yang Tang chose silence. After all, he wasn’t aiming to become an elite soldier; passing the training was enough. But this put Qin Yijian in a bind—Yang Tang had deliberately been defeated by instructors vying for the elite unit, filling the ranks and causing Qin Yijian headaches.

Still, Yang Tang’s overall scores were above average, so he was selected for the first formation in the military review parade, positioned near the end of the line, just ahead of the girls’ first formation.

Fatefully, Tao Yufei, with her extensive social circle, strong assessment results, and her 175cm height, was appointed flag bearer for the girls’ first formation.

At the start of the parade, Tao Yufei hadn’t noticed Yang Tang’s figure, but after the chairman’s call, she caught sight of him about four meters away.

“Huh? That guy…”

From then on, she kept her gaze fixed intently on Yang Tang until the parade ended.

Yang Tang, ever perceptive, knew Tao Yufei was watching him but couldn’t very well pluck her eyeballs out. He chose to remain low-key, but the more he did, the deeper Tao Yufei’s suspicion grew.

At the farewell party, most freshmen who had spent nearly twenty days with the instructors had teary eyes—it was only natural, after all, bonds form even among the most unlikely companions. The only ones without any friendship, only enmity, were Yang Tang and Liu Tong.

On the bus back to school, Yang Tang intended to use his usual trick of taking the entire last row for a good sleep. But before he could lie down, Tao Yufei had already crossed the male section and sat beside him.

Seeing Yang Tang glare, Tao Yufei said boldly, “Why are you staring? Is this seat taken?”

Yang Tang bluntly replied, “Please sit up front; I want to sleep!” As he spoke, he lay back, raising his legs to rest on Tao Yufei.

Most girls would have fled at such a move, but Tao Yufei was deliberately provoking Yang Tang today; she wasn’t about to give in.

She sat like a statue, unmoving, watching as his legs nearly pressed against her thighs with an unflinching expression.

Yang Tang didn’t actually place his legs on her—after all, they weren’t close enough for that. Just as his legs were about to touch her, he suddenly rolled up, leaned close to her face, and glared fiercely. “What exactly do you want?”

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