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The next morning, Gu Xiaoxi shouldered her bag and returned to Z Department.

Ai Xiang personally drove her there.

She rarely took the road from A city to Z Department.

In the past, when she was with Quan Shaoqing, they would travel back and forth by helicopter.

Now that she had Ai Xiang to send her, Gu Xiaoxi was already very grateful.

Land of Kings.

The ten new recruits and the other veterans had officially become one.

They had already gotten along very well during the maintenance period.

Now that they were back in the unit, their relationship was even closer.

In the meantime, Qin Chu was sent out on a mission.

She returned to the Land of Kings earlier than Gu Xiaoxi and the others. This indicated that she had completed her task very well.

In the morning at the Land of Kings, everyone tacitly shouldered their packs, embarking on a weight-bearing morning run.

This was a habit for every soldier.

When Yun Xiao and Zhao Zilong saw Gu Xiaoxi return, the two immediately stopped their pace and walked towards her.

"Finally back," Zhao Zilong said, seeing the indifference on Gu Xiaoxi’s face and being unable to guess her thoughts.

Regarding her and Quan Shaoqing’s affair, everyone followed Lin Mi’s instructions; as long as they knew about their relationship, they were to never mention a word of it.

"Gu Xiaoxi, you still have us in the future, we are friends forever," Yun Xiao came forward, taking Gu Xiaoxi’s hand.

Gu Xiaoxi’s lips revealed a brilliant smile, "Don’t worry, everyone, I’m fine."

It’s not like she and Quan Shaoqing were separated by life and death. They just couldn’t be together...

"Then let’s train together! Everyone wants to compete with you, Gu Xiaoxi, to see if the little monster can always be first," Zhao Zilong immediately concurred, obviously trying to distract her.

However, Gu Xiaoxi looked at the running track in front of her and sighed, "I no longer want to be the first."

From now on, she just wanted to be an ordinary soldier.

She didn’t need to be so outstanding because she didn’t want him to notice her anymore.

"This isn’t like you, Gu Xiaoxi!" Shao Changfeng suddenly came over and interjected.

He would never forget the first time he saw Gu Xiaoxi at the training ground, standing tall and speaking confidently, "If you’re going to do it, be the first."

Afterward, she did it.

In all respects, she was always the bravest to be the first.

The Land of Kings, isolated from the world.

Gu Xiaoxi trained with everyone every day, waiting for missions.

As for the villa where Quan Shaoqing lived, she and Yun Xiao had moved all their things out.

There were no traces of her existence left inside. Just like Quan Shaoqing had forgotten her, she had taken away all of her own footprints as well.

Half a month of training.

Everyone at the Land of Kings had gotten used to it. No one complained of hardship or tiredness. All understood each other tacitly, persisting and advancing to become qualified soldiers.

Gu Xiaoxi did not deliberately inquire about Quan Shaoqing’s affairs, but at the Land of Kings, people spoke of him every day.

What he did every day, who he met, what changes he made to the troop’s regimen.

Somehow, the story of Gu Xiaoxi’s past with Quan Shaoqing spread. There were even rumors around the department that Gu Xiaoxi had swindled Quan Shaoqing out of ten billion yuan as a breakup fee.

That day, after training, Gu Xiaoxi felt a bit tired.

She walked toward the dormitory with Yun Xiao, Qin Chu, and Zhu Yin.

At the entrance of the dormitory building, the four of them came face-to-face with Zeng Yuying, whom they had not seen in a long time.

It took Gu Xiaoxi a long time to remember this woman.

"I’m looking for Gu Xiaoxi!" Zeng Yuying’s tone was very arrogant, and even carried a hint of contempt when she looked at Gu Xiaoxi.

Gu Xiaoxi casually touched her short hair, stepping forward with an emotionless expression, "What do you want with me?"

"I always said that Young Master Quan was just a whim for you. Now it seems I was right, a shotgun wedding and a quick divorce. It’s not so easy to be Young Master Quan’s Wife. Also, I came to see how you are doing now," Zeng Yuying said with arms crossed and a mocking look in her eyes.

"Sorry to disappoint you. Marrying him was only for the breakup fee, didn’t you already know that? You’ve even made a big fuss about it... Besides, I’m doing very well right now. There’s no need for you to worry."

Clearly, Zeng Yuying had come to gloat over her.

"I can’t believe Shaoqing would fall for a shameless woman like you who dares to admit it.

I really feel he doesn’t deserve it. Gu Xiaoxi, you should stay far away from him.

You know? I am now Shaoqing’s assistant.

We recently got a case, and we’re preparing to send you undercover.

.. the most dangerous kind..." Zeng Yuying said with a gleeful smile.

"As long as it’s a task assigned by my superiors, I accept it, Assistant Zeng, mentioning this now seems pointless. I’m very busy, please don’t disturb me," said Gu Xiaoxi as she turned around and strode away.

Quan Shaoqing couldn’t like her, and naturally, he couldn’t like Zeng Yuying either.

Even if she became an assistant, so what!

Gu Xiaoxi had just returned to the dormitory.

Yun Xiao walked up to Gu Xiaoxi and surveyed her, "I think you’ve changed."

"Changed? How have I changed?" Gu Xiaoxi retorted.

"Everything has changed. If it was before, I think you would have punched that woman. She’s so annoying just to look at!" Yun Xiao said angrily, clenching his fist.

Gu Xiaoxi shook her head and smiled without saying a word.

Getting angry over that kind of woman is unnecessary.

Because Quan Shaoqing wouldn’t like her, and he would never marry her.

"There’s no training tonight, let’s go play at the command center’s recreation area together.

KTV - I’ll treat, how about it?" Zhu Yin said, beaming with joy.

The reason being, there were only four female soldiers in the entire Z Division, and they all enjoyed spending time together and got along well.

"Sure! Xiao Xi, you’re coming too!" Yun Xiao said with a laugh.

Gu Xiaoxi, holding a towel and ready to wash up, nodded indifferently, "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s get ready quickly."

In the evening, the four women dressed up beautifully and took the instructor’s car to the command center.

Before they got out of the car, the instructor instructed, "Return to the base by eleven o’clock, and don’t miss the time. I’ll wait here for you."

"Yes, thank you, Instructor Chen!" Gu Xiaoxi said cheerfully.

Instructor Chen was somewhat interested in Zhu Yin, so he was very nice to all of them.

Walking on the familiar paths of the Z Division, Gu Xiaoxi felt an unprecedented sense of estrangement.

Everything with Quan Shaoqing, it was like a dream that had ended.

It made the past seem so elusive and intangible.

"The KTV is over there. Being a soldier in the Z Division is really great. I’ve heard there’s also a Lover’s Valley here. After singing, shall we go take a look?" Zhu Yin proposed, still smiling.

Gu Xiaoxi nodded faintly, "Sure!"

In the evening, the command center’s recreational venue was crowded, and even the KTV was fully booked.

Zhu Yin went there happy but came back disappointed because every spot had been reserved.

Standing outside the entertainment venue, Zhu Yin looked unhappy. "We have to make reservations for this place? Aren’t we all patriotic soldiers who think about having fun?"

"This is what makes the Z Division special, combining work and leisure. Not only do we need to learn military skills, but we also need to understand the society and keep up with its progress," Gu Xiaoxi said nonchalantly. Since we can’t sing, let’s walk outside together.

"Okay!"

The four women came out of the entertainment venue together.

On the roads of the command center at night, orderly patrols passed by one after another.

Vehicles also passed by them occasionally, and they all saluted respectfully.

Just then, Gu Xiaoxi looked up and saw a familiar car driving past her.

The moment she looked up, she locked eyes with the driver.

Lin Mi hadn’t expected to encounter Gu Xiaoxi here, and instinctively looked at Quan Shaoqing through the rearview mirror after passing by.

Luckily, he was reading documents and didn’t notice the woman outside.

At that moment, Gu Xiaoxi turned her back to them.

When Quan Shaoqing looked up, he only saw several female soldiers with their backs to him.

"Just now, that must have been the superior officer’s car. He must be sitting in the back..." Zhu Yin was saying when her voice abruptly stopped.

She might not know the exact nature of Gu Xiaoxi’s relationship with Quan Shaoqing.

But since her return,

the base had been filled with rumors about Gu Xiaoxi and Quan Shaoqing.

At this moment, she couldn’t help asking Gu Xiaoxi with curiosity, "Xiao Xi, did you really take ten billion from the superior officer as a breakup fee?"

Gu Xiaoxi’s expression instinctively stiffened for a moment before she looked up at the person beside her and nodded, "I did, what about it?"

"Men are indeed no good," Zhu Yin immediately said angrily, raising her fist. "I would not have guessed that even such an abstinent man like the superior officer could be so ungrateful."

"You’ve misunderstood. My relationship with him was arranged by his parents. Since he didn’t like me, I asked him for ten billion as a breakup fee," Gu Xiaoxi explained. Even though it wasn’t true, she didn’t want others to know the actual facts.

"Holy shit! Gu Xiaoxi, you are so badass to actually demand ten billion from the superior officer for a breakup fee," Zhu Yin exclaimed, her eyes widening as she felt like she had encountered someone incredibly audacious.

"I’m not here to gossip with you all. I have other things to do! I’m going to Lover’s Valley for a walk, are you coming?" Gu Xiaoxi said. Obviously, she was deliberately avoiding the topic.