Chapter 232: Oh My God, This Soldier Is So Handsome!

Originally, Grandpa could have easily stayed in that position for another ten years, as long as his health held up.

But now, he was forced to step down due to illness.

Li Tingxuan knew that “illness” was just an excuse—the real reason was the impact of the “Li Shuyao” incident.

As for himself...

He’d applied to be transferred to the Northwest Military District, and although his request was approved, he’d been demoted from a regimental-level officer to a battalion-level one.

In other words, he’d been knocked down a rank.

Not only that, but his future promotions would likely be much harder than for others.

From an outsider’s perspective, with his grandfather’s retirement and his own demotion, the Li family seemed to be on the decline.

Because of all this, his grandfather, whose health had just started to recover, fell ill again.

It was only recently that he’d gotten a bit better.

And now, Li Tingxuan had finally arrived at the Northwest Military District.

“Commander Li, your dorm is over there. Let me show you the way,” a young soldier saluted him.

“Alright.”

Soon, Li Tingxuan was led into the military compound. Along the way...

He ran into quite a few people.

And quite a few military wives.

When the military wives saw Li Tingxuan, their eyes lit up.

Oh my God, this soldier is so handsome!

So refined and elegant—really good-looking.

I wonder if he’s married? Does he have a girlfriend?

Looks like I’ll have to find a chance to ask.

Li Tingxuan had no idea that, as soon as he arrived, he’d become the ideal marriage candidate in the hearts of many military wives.

He might even face all kinds of matchmaking attempts from the leadership in the future.

As Li Tingxuan looked around the base, he quickly noticed something unusual.

“What’s over there? There seem to be a lot of people,” he asked, pointing in a certain direction.

“Oh, that’s the auditorium.”

“For the next few days, Dr. Gu will be giving lectures there. Doctors from all the other military districts have come.” The young soldier’s eyes were full of pride.

“Dr. Gu?” Li Tingxuan was taken aback. “You mean Dr. Gu Jianing?”

He spoke her name softly, lingering over the syllables.

The young soldier’s eyes lit up. “Hey, Commander Li, you know Dr. Gu?”

“Oh, right, you transferred from the Capital Military District. Dr. Gu gave lectures there before—she was even in the papers.”

“You have no idea how amazing Dr. Gu is.”

“And she’s really beautiful, like a fairy. Deputy Commander Sheng is so lucky.”

...

The young soldier couldn’t stop praising Gu Jianing.

Even though Gu Jianing was a woman,

As long as someone was capable, gender didn’t matter—they all admired her.

So now, in the Northwest Military District, whether among the military wives or the soldiers, Gu Jianing was an idol.

She was the pride of the Northwest Military District.

Listening to the young soldier, Li Tingxuan learned that Gu Jianing had given birth to a pair of adorable twins.

That’s right.

Back when she was in the capital, she was already heavily pregnant.

He hadn’t expected that she’d already given birth—and to twins, no less.

“Truly enviable.”

Sheng Zexi was so lucky.

To have a wife like Gu Jianing, and for her to give him twins.

Li Tingxuan was genuinely envious, but there was a hint of bitterness in his heart.

Sometimes, if you fall behind by a single step, you fall behind every step after.

“Of course it’s enviable,” the young soldier said. “Everyone here is jealous of Deputy Commander Sheng.”

“But then again, Deputy Commander Sheng is amazing. Only a man like him is worthy of Dr. Gu.”

Li Tingxuan fell silent.

The young soldier seemed to notice his interest in Gu Jianing and Sheng Zexi, so he shared even more.

Li Tingxuan: No, I’m only interested in Dr. Gu, not Sheng Zexi.

But the young soldier didn’t know that, and went on about how considerate Sheng Zexi was, how he took care of Gu Jianing, how he doted on their children, even mentioning how he washed diapers.

“All the military wives in our compound say Deputy Commander Sheng is a great dad and a great husband!”

Li Tingxuan had never really known whether Sheng Zexi treated Gu Jianing well, but judging by the glow in her eyes before, she seemed to be doing well.

Now, he finally had a concrete picture of Sheng Zexi’s devotion to Gu Jianing.

He felt both relieved and a little bitter.

He was glad that Sheng Zexi treated Gu Jianing well—he truly wished her happiness.

But the bitterness came from that small, selfish hope buried deep in his heart.

Still, he could only suppress that bitterness for now.

Soon, Li Tingxuan was shown to his dorm.

After putting away his luggage and tidying up a bit, he was free for the day—formal training would start tomorrow.

After finishing the onboarding procedures, Li Tingxuan headed to the auditorium.

Before he even entered, he heard a familiar, pleasant voice.

The auditorium was packed.

Besides the doctors attending the lecture, there were plenty of military wives, and even some off-duty soldiers had come to listen.

Even if they couldn’t understand,

Even if they didn’t need to be there,

It didn’t matter.

They had nothing else to do anyway.

Besides, Dr. Gu Jianing was beautiful—just watching her on stage was a treat, even if you didn’t listen to a word.

That’s why the auditorium was so lively today.

There were so many people that Li Tingxuan could only stand at the door.

Just like the last time he’d attended her lecture at the high school in the capital.

Li Tingxuan looked up at the woman on stage. After a few months, she was still just as dazzling.

He stood there quietly, watching.

For a moment, it felt as if he’d gone back to that lecture in the capital a few months ago...

...

Gu Jianing had no idea that Li Tingxuan had arrived.

At noon, the lecture was paused.

Gu Jianing packed up, ready to head home.

Just as she was about to leave the auditorium, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar face.

“It’s you? Comrade Li, right?” Gu Jianing asked.

She remembered Li Tingxuan.

First, because he was Li Shuyao’s brother.

Originally, because of that connection, Gu Jianing’s impression of Li Tingxuan was just so-so. But now that she knew Li Shuyao was a fake and the Li family had been deceived, she couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for them.

Second, he really did have a handsome face and a gentle, refined air—like a true gentleman.

Although Gu Jianing now liked Sheng Zexi, she still appreciated this type.

Of course, the reason she stopped to talk to Li Tingxuan wasn’t because of either of those reasons, but because...

“Last time, you mentioned your comrade had the same illness as Comrade Hua. That’s a psychological condition called PTSD. How is your comrade doing? My lecture these days is about that.”

“You can have a doctor from the local military hospital treat him.”

Li Tingxuan hadn’t expected Gu Jianing to remember him.

He was delighted.

He knew she’d stopped because of the “comrade” he’d made up, but so what?"