Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Zhao Dong smiled. "I don't have any special background. Why do you ask?"

"No special background? If you have no special background, how could you make Heilong so respectful toward you? How… how do you know him?"

Zhao Dong grinned. "He learned his lesson after I taught him one. You could say we got acquainted through a fight."

"A lesson? You… taught Heilong a lesson?"

Song Qingwan was bewildered. Did I hear that right? Did Zhao Dong really teach Heilong a lesson?

Who even is Heilong? The two largest underground powers in East Sea are currently Hong Wu and Tiger Ye. Heilong is Tiger Ye's right-hand man. In the entire East Sea underworld, the number of people who outrank him can be counted on one hand! Yet Heilong is so respectful toward Zhao Dong… Doesn't that mean Zhao Dong is on equal footing with those top figures?

Song Qingwan was stunned. I really thought he was just a retired special forces soldier… but could a retired soldier command that kind of respect?

Soon, the food arrived. Zhao Dong said, "Stop spacing out and eat. I never thought I'd get to have dinner with a famous celebrity in my lifetime."

A charming blush appeared on Song Qingwan's face as she smiled sweetly. "If… if you want to have dinner with me again in the future," she said softly, "just give me a call."

Zhao Dong glanced at Song Qingwan, finding her words a little strange. She lowered her head, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her cheeks flushed with a shy embarrassment.

Zhao Dong chuckled but didn't say more. Soon, a bottle of red wine was brought to their table, much to his surprise. "Did we order wine?"

Song Qingwan smiled slyly. "I did. I feel like having a little."

"Ah, well… alright then."

Song Qingwan poured a glass for Zhao Dong before filling her own. He glanced at her. "Why the sudden urge to drink? Is something on your mind?"

A flicker of sorrow crossed Song Qingwan's eyes, but she just smiled silently and shook her head.

Zhao Dong took a few bites before saying nonchalantly, "This is about Zhang Xingze, isn't it? Can you tell me the story? I'm curious about the love life of a famous celebrity like you. I remember Yang Sixue saying you've never dated anyone."

A self-mocking smile touched her lips. "She wasn't wrong. I really haven't."

"Then what about Zhang Xingze?"

Song Qingwan sighed. "You could call it… a naive crush from my younger days?"

Zhao Dong's interest was piqued. He smiled. "Now I'm even more curious."

Song Qingwan glanced at Zhao Dong, then gestured toward the red wine. "I can tell you, but I need a drinking partner."

Zhao Dong downed his wine in one gulp and refilled his glass, smiling. "Drinking's not a problem. Go on."

Song Qingwan smiled, but her smile was tinged with a hidden sorrow.

The restaurant was on the fifth floor of the shopping mall, overlooking the city lights. Song Qingwan's gaze drifted to the view outside the window, her expression becoming distant and dazed. After a moment of silence, she slowly began to speak…

"I met Zhang Xingze in college. At the time, I was just a poor girl everyone looked down on. As I told you, I'm an orphan, and I only got to attend university through the support of kind strangers. But even though I could afford tuition, my life was one of extreme poverty. Zhao Dong… have you ever lived a life where all three meals a day were just steamed buns and plain water? Have you ever experienced a day where eating a single bowl of instant noodles felt like a feast?"

As she spoke, her eyes reddened and welled up with unshed tears.

"Yes, that was my life. Back then, I was like the ugly duckling… I'll never forget it. In the dorm, I'd listen to my roommates talk about all kinds of lipsticks, makeup, clothes, handbags, and the newest tablets and phones. All I could do was hide in my corner, silently eating my steamed buns and drinking water, using the old, battered phone I'd bought with the two hundred-plus yuan earned from my part-time job. That was my life. But in those most painful, darkest days, I met Zhang Xingze."

Zhao Dong looked at her, his expression turning solemn. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize your past was so difficult…"

Song Qingwan gently wiped the corners of her eyes, a tear-streaked smile on her face. "It's okay. It's all in the past. In fact, when I think back on that time now, I realize how strong I was, because I survived it…"

Zhao Dong nodded. "You're right, you did survive. You're a remarkable woman. You must have endured so much pain and injustice over the years. It couldn't have been easy to get to where you are today."

Song Qingwan froze. The next second, her tears, held back for so long, broke through like a dam, streaming down her face in silence. She simply stared at Zhao Dong, letting them fall. For so many years, no one had ever said such a thing to her. His words completely shattered the emotional walls she had built up around herself.

A soft sigh escaped Zhao Dong. His heart ached for her as he picked up a tissue and gently wiped away her tears.

Song Qingwan bit her lip hard, trying to stifle her sobs, but the tears continued to fall like pearls from a broken string.

Zhao Dong said gently, trying to comfort her, "Alright, no more crying. You're going to ruin your makeup."

Song Qingwan closed her eyes, forcing the tears back. When she opened them again, she gave Zhao Dong a profound look, her gaze now filled with an indescribable emotion.

"I met Zhang Xingze on campus. I was working part-time in the cafeteria, and one day, while getting food for someone, I slipped and fell on the recently mopped floor. Laughter immediately erupted all around me, but he was the only one who helped me up… You probably can't imagine how desperate I felt at that moment. The meal on that tray was worth nearly twenty yuan. That might have been nothing to other students, but to me, it was two or three days' worth of food money… I can still remember exactly how it felt, just sitting there on the floor like an idiot, surrounded by condescending stares and ridicule. But in that moment, Zhang Xingze appeared. He helped me up and even got me a new plate of food…"

Zhao Dong asked, "So you two got together after that?"

A wistful, faraway smile touched Song Qingwan's lips. "We started talking more and more after that. We'd walk around the campus track together, just like a couple, and wander through every corner of the school… Yes, that time was so gentle and sweet. Later, I learned about his family background. It turned out he was just like me. His family was also very poor. Back then, we both had feelings for each other, but neither of us dared to say it. Poverty had made us insecure and cowardly…"

"What happened next?" Zhao Dong asked.