Tang Tang remembered, the first time she became curious about He Teng when someone mentioned him. Seeing him again afterward, she was deeply impressed by him.
He Teng was not a man of many words, even in the military, he was famously reticent. Many in the military privately joked that He Teng was a stiff, and despite the fact that Tang Tang had met He Teng a couple of times, they never had any communication. He Teng barely even glanced at the cultural and artistic performers.
As a woman, Tang Tang believed herself to be reasonably attractive. Every time she performed for the troops, a sizeable crowd would gather around her. Yet, He Teng was the only one who did not even spare her a glance.
"Lieutenant He, I heard about your promotion earlier, congratulations! I always thought you had potential!" Tang Tang looked up at He Teng, who towered over her by a head and a shoulder, with a hint of joy in her heart.
Although He Teng was not extremely handsome, nor did he come from a prestigious family like the Lan or Gu Family, Tang Tang was realistic. She managed to join the art troupe after high school by spending quite a sum and pulling some strings. Her family had no significant background. Still, everyone said that He Teng had a promising future. Tang Tang thought that if she could marry He Teng, she could share his fortune. If He Teng could become the Commander, she would enjoy the title of Commander’s wife, which would surely make her colleagues from the art troupe envious.
He Zhilan looked suspiciously at He Teng as Tang Tang greeted him familiarly. Was he really close to Tang Tang of the art troupe?
"Hmm." He Teng nodded after Tang Tang finished speaking, then he took He Zhilan’s hand and continued to lead her forward without saying another word.
It wasn’t until they had walked away that He Zhilan looked back. Tang Tang had already left with her colleague. "Brother, do you know Tang Tang? She seems to be a friend of Gu En. She was at the restaurant with him when I got hurt yesterday."
"I don’t know her." He Teng didn’t even remember this Tang Tang, hearing that she was with Gu En, He Teng advised, "Stay away from her. Anyone who can get along with Gu En is likely to have an ulterior motive."
It was the first time He Teng had spoken so ill of someone he had barely met, advising He Zhilan not to associate with her just because Tang Tang was acquainted with Gu En.
"I didn’t like her when she was pleading for Gu En," He Zhilan muttered, "It seems like she didn’t even know I was your wife, she thought you were my brother!"
"Just ignore her." He Teng gave He Zhilan four words, then remained silent for the rest of the journey except for greeting his comrades-in-arms. He didn’t speak again until they reached the performance venue, "It’s crowded here, stay close, protect your hand, don’t let it get squeezed."
He Zhilan did as told, placing her hand on her chest protectively. She obediently followed He Teng, as he led her by her hand like one would lead a dog by its leash, all the way to their seats.
This was He Zhilan’s first time attending such a group event in the military. Compared to the later entertainment shows, she was much more excited about the commendation ceremony.
The commendation ceremony, initially intended to be presided over by a senior officer from the Gu family, was taken over by the regiment commander due to an accident involving the Gu family’s daughter. The excitement and anticipation were clearly visible on the faces of the men below.
The commendation ceremony didn’t take long, just half an hour, and it went through the usual process. As initially speculated, He Teng did get promoted to a lieutenant as expected. What was surprising was that he was directly promoted to a full company position in terms of military rank, which showed just how much the military valued He Teng.