An 80s female translator was spoiled rotten by a rough and jealous man.

Chapter 358 A Grand Wish
In response to the national defense education work plan, the camp plans to hold an open house event called "Visiting the Troops" in early next month.

This event is primarily aimed at middle school students in the city, with an immersive experience theme, allowing young people to get up close to military life and understand the development, changes, and glorious history of the border defense forces.

The event will guide students to enhance their national defense awareness and patriotism through a variety of activities, including visiting new and old weapons and equipment, observing military demonstrations by officers and soldiers, experiencing basic military skills, and engaging in face-to-face exchanges with officers and soldiers.

The preliminary preparations had to begin about two weeks in advance, which was quite a big project for everyone in the team. Everyone was busy, and Meng Youyou even had to work an extra day on the weekend. Not to mention the battalion commander, who was so busy that he barely had time to reply to her WeChat messages, let alone have time to go on dates or date.

At 11:15 PM, Jiang Fu finished washing and hanging the clothes on the balcony and returned to her room, only to find that Meng Youyou hadn't returned to the dormitory yet, breaking her record for being late again. Although the civilian staff apartment building was different from the soldiers' dormitory and didn't have a strict rule about turning off the lights, it was generally agreed that after 11 PM, only a few windows in the entire building would be lit, and after 11:30 PM, almost everyone would voluntarily turn off their lights.

Jiang Fu felt that Meng Youyou had been acting strangely lately. She was unusually diligent and ambitious, voluntarily working overtime until 11 p.m. every night, day after day, and was very proactive, as if she had been injected with chicken blood.

What's even stranger is that every night around 8 p.m., she would take her laptop to the small classroom to work overtime, saying that the place was quiet and no one would disturb her train of thought, so that her mind would be more active when writing lesson plans or processing documents.

Hey, Jiang Fu has been working for at least a few years, and this is the first time she's ever seen someone voluntarily work overtime and then deliberately avoid people. It's unbelievable! Anyway, if she works overtime every day, she'd want the whole company to know. Even if it doesn't have to be common knowledge, her diligent and hardworking demeanor should at least be known to the department head, right?
I've never seen anyone so dedicated to secretly working overtime.

However, none of these are the most bizarre things. The strangest thing is that Meng Youyou comes back every night with her hair and clothes soaked in sweat. Those who know her know that she has come back from working overtime, but those who don't might think that she has been to a sauna or run a marathon.

That evening, Meng Youyou returned to her dormitory with sweat stains all over her forehead. Her bangs were soaked and stuck to her scalp, making her look like she had just been caught in a light rain.

As soon as she entered, Jiang Fu looked over suspiciously. After scrutinizing her for a few moments, she leisurely asked, "Tell the truth, do you hide in the small classroom every day and do something naughty with your Battalion Commander Huo?"

The two had been jogging together at night for a while. They didn't make it public, but their relationship was no secret within the team; everyone knew it.

Meng Youyou casually closed the door, and it took her a few seconds to understand the implied meaning in the other person's words. With a look of disgust, she commented sharply, "What a dirty heart!"

Jiang Fu burst into laughter. Even a fool couldn't possibly think that way; it was just a joke. But Jiang Fu really couldn't understand how she could be all sweaty all by herself in the small classroom.
"Even if I dared, someone wouldn't be able to let go!" Meng Youyou hung her coat, which was draped over her arm, on the coat rack by the wall, and said with a hint of resentment.

You see, even in recreational areas within the camp, this man, as unyielding as a rock, wouldn't even let her hold his hand unless there were special circumstances. His catchphrase was always the same: "It's not a good influence!" Meng Youyou was practically sick of hearing it.

Meng Youyou's back was covered in sweat, her clothes sticking to her skin, making her feel uncomfortable. She walked over and drew the curtains, then turned around and began to take off her shirt, revealing a tank top underneath. She continued, "Besides, he's such a busy man, he hasn't been to the team these past few days, I haven't even seen him."

Jiang Fu grinned mischievously and pulled down her clothes, saying, "Don't pretend to be serious. Haven't you two been living together for a while? It hasn't gotten to that point yet?"

Meng Youyou paused in her search for clothes in front of the wardrobe. Hearing this, she turned to the side and shook her head at the other person.

"Really?" Jiang Fu exclaimed in surprise.

Meng Youyou pouted: "Why would I lie to you?"

Jiang Fu asked curiously, "You don't want to?"

Meng Youyou shook her head again.

"He doesn't want to?" Jiang Fu exclaimed, her voice rising in surprise.

Meng Youyou then nodded.

Jiang Fu's eyes carefully scrutinized the person in front of her from head to toe. The person was only wearing a black tank top, revealing a slender waist that was dazzlingly white. Jiang Fu finally concluded, "This shouldn't be the case!"

"Woman, take your filthy gaze away," Meng Youyou warned, glancing sideways.

Jiang Fu smiled lewdly, then urged her, "Hurry up and take a shower, stop dawdling, it's already so late."

Just then, her phone rang. Meng Youyou didn't even bother looking for her clothes anymore. She quickly walked to the table, picked it up, and opened it to read the message.

Huo Qingshan has been incredibly busy lately, juggling the team's daily affairs with regular business trips, working non-stop and leaving him no time to supervise her daily exercise. Meng Youyou promised him that regardless of whether he was around or not, she would conscientiously follow the "strengthening her body" plan and would never slack off.

So every night, the man would routinely send a message asking: "[Did you exercise today?]"
Arrived late.

Meng Youyou immediately raised her phone, took a selfie of her sweaty forehead, and sent it over.

Meng Youyou: [Report! Mission accomplished!]
Huo Qingshan: [Running?]
Meng Youyou: [No.]
Huo Qingshan: [What is that?]
Meng Youyou: [I'm not telling you, but I did exercise, I really did, and it was a lot of exercise! I'm not kidding!]
Meng Youyou: [Are you coming back tomorrow?]
Huo Qingshan: [Yes, the high-speed train tomorrow afternoon.]
Jiang Fu, lying on her side on the bed with her face propped up, roared speechlessly, "Meng Youyou! Take a shower! The lights must be off by 11:30, you have ten minutes!"

Meng Youyou typed faster: [I'm going to take a shower now.]
Even in a rush, they didn't forget to send a "little girl sending a heart" emoji.

...

Regarding the upcoming open house event organized by the team, Jiang Fu's responsibilities include setting up the auditorium, and she has the key to it.

After turning off the lights and lying in bed, Meng Youyou suddenly spoke towards the bed next to hers, "Jiang Jiang, lend me the auditorium key tomorrow night. I'll use it for an hour and return it to you afterwards."

Jiang Fu was trying to sleep and was half-asleep when she casually asked, "Why do you need the auditorium key?"

Meng Youyou gave a vague answer: "It's useful."

Jiang Fu commented, "You've been acting a bit strange lately; everything you do is weird."

Meng Youyou did not refute: "It's only today. Things will return to normal starting tomorrow."

Jiang Fu: "?" Too lazy to ask any more questions, sleepiness quickly pulled her into a dream.

...

The following evening, when Meng Youyou received the WeChat message from Huo Qingshan, she was still busy in the kitchen of the camp's small canteen, wearing gloves and unable to hold her phone.

After finishing the last step, Meng Youyou bit off her disposable glove, took out her phone from her pocket, and saw several unread messages in her message list: [I'm back with the team.]
Huo Qingshan: [Where are you? Are you busy? I brought you a gift. Should I bring it to you now, or later?]
A few minutes later, Huo Qingshan replied: [You go ahead and do your work, reply to me when you're done.]
After quickly reading it, Meng Youyou typed: [Okay, it'll take a while. Wait for me for half an hour.]
Huo Qingshan replied quickly: [Okay.]
Half an hour later, Huo Qingshan received a message from his girlfriend as expected: [Come to the auditorium.]
Huo Qingshan: [The auditorium?]
Meng Youyou: [Auditorium.]
Huo Qingshan: [Now?]
Meng Youyou: [Now.]
This back-and-forth, like a parrot repeating itself, amused Huo Qingshan. He replied, "[Okay, right away.]"
Huo Qingshan put on his coat and went out the door.

Pushing open the heavy metal doors of the auditorium, he found it completely dark inside, not a single light on. Stepping inside, Huo Qingshan instinctively reached for his phone's flashlight, not because he couldn't adapt to the darkness, but because he wanted to know where she was quickly—she was always a little afraid of the dark, so why were there no lights on inside?

Huo Qingshan's hand reached into his pocket... Suddenly, a beam of warm white light descended from the dome, landing precisely in the center of the stage directly in front of him, as if cleaving a bright space in the boundless darkness. Almost simultaneously with the beam's illumination, a melodious piano tune slowly drifted out from a corner, filling the entire empty auditorium. The melody was a soothing waltz, the notes melodious and graceful.

The stage, bathed in a beam of pure white light, was clearly visible in every detail. Huo Qingshan looked up and squinted slightly, his heart skipping a beat.

She stood in that beam of light.

Wearing a pure white ballet dress, the layers of tulle skirt cascading down like billowing clouds, the waist was cinched so tightly that it accentuated the long, elegant lines of her shoulders and neck. The girl crossed her legs, her knees slightly bent, and gently lifted the tulle on either side of her skirt with her hands, her arms forming a soft curve, like a water lily about to unfurl.

Her head was slightly lowered, her eyelashes drooping, and her long hair was tied in a bun. The soft strands of hair were edged with a warm glow by the beam of light, and she was bathed in that warm light, quiet and gentle. She was so beautiful that he forgot to breathe for a moment. The hand that was about to turn on his phone froze in his pocket, unable to move.

The music's rhythm gently rose, and she moved.

The girl's dance steps were very light, her toes barely making a sound when she touched the ground, ethereal and graceful. As she spun, her arms gently spread out, rising and falling like butterflies fluttering in the air. Every gesture she made created a dreamlike beauty that was beyond words.

The layers of her skirt rippled with her movements, creating concentric circles of arc. In the shifting warm light, her graceful white figure danced and swirled, noble, sacred, and inviolable. Occasionally, when her eyelashes lifted slightly, her gaze seemed to drift almost imperceptibly towards the audience, only to quickly look away again upon meeting his eyes.

Huo Qingshan stood still, his pupils fixed on the person in the spotlight. Everything around him seemed to become a blank backdrop. In his entire world, there was only that white figure in the center of the stage and the melodious notes surrounding her.

As if drawn by something, the man unconsciously lifted his leg and walked down the steps towards the stage.

When he reached the flat ground in front of the stage, only a few meters away from her, Huo Qingshan could clearly see the tiny diamonds adorning the girl's tulle dress, shimmering and sparkling like the dazzling starlight that adorns a fairy.

He stood there motionless, as if under a spell, his breathing becoming lighter and lighter, afraid of disturbing the person in the light. He just stared at her, watching her smile and dance gracefully in the light and shadow.

The piano music gradually slowed down, the notes gently receding, like the last ripples spreading across a lake in the evening breeze. The girl's movements also slowed down, her toes landing slowly, her arms gradually retracting, finally resting gently at her side, her knees slightly bent, assuming a standard bowing posture, her head bowed, the hem of her skirt still swaying gently.

The moment her movement froze, the beam of light suddenly went out, plunging the auditorium back into darkness, and the last note of the piano piece quietly dissipated into the air.

Huo Qingshan looked around anxiously, desperately trying to find the other person. He felt a surge of despair and panic, as if a beautiful dream had been shattered. It wasn't until he heard very light footsteps coming from the darkness, slowly approaching from the edge of the stage, that he calmed down a little.

He wanted to reach for his phone in his pocket again; perhaps humans are creatures with an instinct to be drawn to light.

Then, a faint, warm yellow candlelight suddenly appeared in the darkness, flickering gently a few steps away from him.

It was Youyou. She produced a small cream cake from somewhere, with a lit candle on it. The warm yellow candlelight illuminated her beautiful face, her eyebrows curved, her lips painted vermilion, her smile radiant, and the light in her eyes brighter than the candle wick.

She held the cake and walked step by step to him, softly singing "Happy Birthday to You~"

Happy birthday!

"..."

"Happy birthday to you!" The melody was soft and cheerful, even more beautiful than the piano piece from before. The girl's voice, filled with tenderness, drifted over and lingered in the man's ears.

Huo Qingshan remained standing there, staring at her smile in the candlelight and the tenderness in her eyes. He felt a little dizzy and couldn't help but blink a few times.

She stopped half a step in front of him, her smile widening: "Happy birthday, baby!" Meng Youyou gazed into his eyes and said, word by word.

"Thank you." His mind was blank and overwhelmed; in this situation, he could only utter this pale sentence, like a language-short-circuited idiot. A simple "thank you" was completely insufficient to express the overwhelming emotions he felt at that moment, but he couldn't say anything else.

Seeing his silly expression, Meng Youyou couldn't help but chuckle. She reminded him, "Hurry up and make a wish!"

Huo Qingshan obeyed her and obediently closed his eyes to make a wish. In his heart, he thought, "Yoyo, stop liking him and like me instead!"

"What's so great about him? He's fickle and doesn't deserve your affection at all. Oh, come on, like me! Just like me!"

"I only like you, and I will always like you. I love you."

He made a grand wish, a wish he had always dreamed of fulfilling. At this moment, his anticipation reached its peak, almost bursting forth.

If their beginning was a mistake, then Huo Qingshan hoped that mistake would never see the light of day, never be corrected. But occasionally, he would greedily think that she could fall in love with the real him, all of him, only him. How wonderful that would be.

The man slowly opened his eyes and met a pair of smiling eyes so close to him. She looked at him and asked, "You've agreed so quickly?"

"Ah."

"How many were promised?"

"One."

"You can make three wishes on your birthday."

“One is enough.” He gazed at her with unwavering determination. “I only want this one.” His voice was even more resolute.

"You only have one birthday a year, it's such a waste to have two wishes go to waste," Meng Youyou advised.

He thought for a moment and said, "Then you can grant it."

Meng Youyou pondered for two seconds, then muttered softly, "I'll give you my promise." With that, the girl handed the cake to the other person, closed her eyes, clasped her hands together with her fingers interlaced, and looked devout.

"Huo Qingshan, could you... love me a little more quickly?" Meng Youyou silently wished while looking at the cake.

Because I've seen how "I love you so much" you were, even if you temporarily regress to just "I love you," it's still hard for me to accept.

A tiny cluster of candlelight carries two wishes, known only to the flame itself. The lovers gathered around the candlelight both wish for the other to love them a little more, to love them as much as "I love you."