c80 - A Bold Move
By late October, temperatures in the Free Federation had begun to gradually decline.
Both in the base and on the streets, the phenomenon of “dressing in confusion” was playing out simultaneously.
Some Omegas with poor constitutions had already wrapped scarves around their necks, while many physically robust Alphas were still wearing summer t-shirts.
So, when the guard team members saw their Captain Shen enter the duty room wearing a scarf, everyone’s eyes widened.
At this time, the guard team hadn’t even switched to thick winter training uniforms yet.
Shen Han wore a single camouflage garment, fiddling with the soft fabric around her neck while observing everyone’s reactions.
But the result disappointed her somewhat, as everyone was just surprised and no one asked about her scarf.
She had been waiting for this day of cooler weather for a long time!
Gu Junwan had given her the scarf half a year ago, but she hadn’t had a chance to wear it before the temperature had soared.
Now that the cooler weather had finally arrived, she was determined to show it off quickly!
Shen Han first turned her gaze to Jiang Xinyue’s face, speaking to her in a tone of concern for a subordinate: “The weather has been turning cooler recently. Your body isn’t as robust as the other teammates, so you must take care to stay warm.”
She figured that Omegas generally paid more attention to accessories, so if she brought up the topic of “cooling weather” first, wouldn’t it naturally lead to the other asking about her scarf?
If it had been any other Omega, perhaps the plan would have succeeded.
But as an Alpha-fearing Omega, she didn’t want to have too much interaction with Alphas outside of work.
Jiang Xinyue nodded sincerely, then only replied: “Alright, thank you, Captain.”
Shen Han sighed inwardly and turned her gaze to Ma Haoyu.
Receiving the signal conveyed in his boss’s expression, the small man immediately spoke up curiously: “Oh? Captain Shen, your scarf is so unique!”
“Simple and elegant, with an understated high-end feel beneath its plainness!”
Shen Han was beaming inside.
She raised her hand to wipe away the sweat on her brow, casting an encouraging look at Ma Haoyu while modestly saying, “Ah, Little Ma, you’re exaggerating. Don’t be so over the top!”
Ma Haoyu secretly rolled his eyes, continuing to play along with this performance.
“So, where can one buy such an exquisite and stylish scarf?”
Shen Han casually waved her hand, smiling somewhat bashfully, “My girlfriend knitted it for me. You can’t buy it.”
The guard team members: “!!!”
Your move is so bold! Does your girlfriend know about this?
By this point, if the team members still couldn’t understand the intention behind their captain’s maneuver, they might as well have lived these years in vain.
So, the team members began to speak up one after another, some praising the captain’s girlfriend for her skillful hands and kind heart, others teasing and asking when the captain would bring her girlfriend out to introduce to everyone.
For a moment, the duty room was extremely lively.
Among the thirty-odd people, most members were just enjoying the novelty and having fun.
After all, a girlfriend knitting a scarf wasn’t that big of a deal.
But the small group who knew the truth were genuinely envious.
That was handmade by the Empress herself!
If they could have such an item, they’d want to wear it all the time too, reluctant to take it off even while sleeping!
Just as the group was in high spirits, Instructor Liu’s angry rebuke suddenly came from the doorway.
“Are you all still children? What’s all this commotion! Get back to your seats and sit properly!”
Although the guard team members had long since left behind their trainee status and each had achievements to their name, they were still very wary of Instructor Liu’s dragon-like roar.
In less than 15 seconds, the teammates surrounding Shen Han scattered like birds and beasts, returning to their original seats.
Instructor Liu glanced sidelong at the captain quickly walking to her seat and immediately snorted coldly.
“Shen Han! Are you very afraid of the cold?”
Shen Han sat up straight in her seat, grinning at Instructor Liu: “Well, I’m not really that afraid of the cold. It’s mainly because this scarf was knitted by my girlfriend, so I thought I’d wear it out to test the temperature.”
Hearing such a response, Instructor Liu was momentarily speechless.
Test the temperature? Are you preparing to take a bath?
And! The Empress would actually do such a thing for her Alpha? It’s truly enviable.
At the same moment.
Gu Junwan, located in the special administrative area of the base, was making a voice call in her office.
The call recipient was Prince Joris of the Ksenrode Kingdom.
Although Ksenrode’s territory was far smaller than the Free Federation, it was one of the wealthiest countries on the entire planet, with considerable international influence.
After entering the country, Prince Joris had not visited the “Little Peace Palace” to meet the Federation Empress.
After completing the routine foreign affairs registration, the team had settled into a hotel in the bustling commercial district.
The entire itinerary seemed as if they had just come for tourism and sightseeing.
Gu Junwan had always wanted to strengthen cooperative relations with the Ksenrode Kingdom, so how could she let such a great opportunity slip by?
It’s worth noting that Prince Joris was a hot candidate for the next king’s successor.
The call was quickly connected.
Gu Junwan greeted him in impeccable Ksenrodian.
“Your Highness Joris, I hope I’m not disturbing your vacation. What places do you plan to visit today? If you need anything, I can arrange the most suitable guide and reception for you.”
On the other end of the phone, hearing Gu Junwan’s voice, as melodious as a babbling brook, Joris’s mood instantly became very cheerful.
He had been in the Free Federation for three days, and she had been calling twice a day, morning and evening, to politely inquire.
If it weren’t for his grandfather the King’s strict instructions beforehand, he would have certainly brought his sister to visit the base at the first opportunity.
Although Joris was already engaged, this didn’t prevent him from admiring other excellent Omegas.
He had long heard that Gu Junwan was a very beautiful and elegant S-class Omega, and not being able to see her in person had always been a regret in his heart.
Now, receiving Gu Junwan’s call again, Joris indeed couldn’t heed his grandfather’s instructions anymore.
To express his friendliness, he replied in halting Federation language: “Respected Empress, you don’t need to be so formal. You can just call me Joris.”
“Then I’ll respectfully comply. This phrase means I agree with your suggestion, Joris. If you can spare the time, you could come to the base. The Free Federation and Ksenrode have always maintained good diplomatic relations, and I believe we can cooperate more.”
“I’m truly sorry, but due to some personal reasons, I can’t go to the base. However, may I invite you to the Guthrie Conference Center on First Commercial Street?”
“The scenery here is very beautiful and suitable for chatting. If possible, could we have lunch together at noon?”
After setting the meeting time, they each hung up.
Joris was overjoyed and immediately called his servants to start selecting clothes and grooming himself.
Gu Junwan asked Xu Zhao to quickly double-check the document files that had been prepared two days ago.
At the same time, she instructed several other department heads to prepare for the outing.
While efficiently going about her tasks, Xu Zhao secretly observed the busy Empress.
She thought: Prince Joris is staying at a luxury hotel in the Guthrie commercial district. If the Empress goes there to meet him, Shen the dog might get jealous.
Seeing her assistant’s furtive glances and hesitant expression, Gu Junwan, after ending another call, smiled and asked, “Since when have you become so hesitant?”
Xu Zhao cleared her throat and answered truthfully: “Your Majesty, although we’re going to discuss official business, the customs of the Ksenrode Kingdom tend to be more passionate and enthusiastic, often involving hand-kissing greetings and such. Won’t Shen the Jealous King explode?”
Thinking of Teacher Tang’s treatment months ago, Xu Zhao felt it necessary to mention these risks to the Empress.
Gu Junwan, however, smiled gently: “Joris is very respectful of Free Federation etiquette. In his words just now, he specifically expressed his intention to follow local customs. For this meeting, he most likely won’t perform the hand-kissing ceremony with me.”
Saying this, she paused briefly, then added a cautious note: “However, I can’t guarantee my guess is absolutely correct. Let’s do this: during the meeting, I’ll have Beta bodyguards standing guard outside the door, and it would be more prudent to arrange for the guard team to patrol the perimeter.”
“As for the hand-kissing ceremony, if he proposes it, I’ll find an excuse to decline.”
Xu Zhao strongly agreed, giving her Empress a thumbs up on the spot.
To be fair, hand-kissing was very common in many kingdoms on this planet.
Before meeting Shen Han, Gu Junwan had naturally accepted such ceremonies on certain occasions when meeting royal foreign guests.
However, today’s situation was indeed somewhat different.
Firstly, the place where they were about to meet was not a formal diplomatic setting.
Another key point was that the Empress’s Alpha was truly very prone to jealousy.
As the Empress, Gu Junwan had to consider her girlfriend’s feelings while also laying necessary groundwork for the Free Federation’s development, which could be said to be quite challenging.
Around 10 AM, the Empress’s team left the base, heading discreetly towards First Commercial Street in the Fourth District.
All guard team members were dressed in plain clothes.
Because they would be involved in patrolling the commercial area later, everyone had also undergone facial modifications to avoid being recognized directly in the shopping mall.
After receiving the field assignment, Shen Han had already carefully removed her scarf and locked it in her locker.
She wore light-colored sportswear with a baseball cap turned backwards on her head, looking very energetic, like a youthful new college student.
At this moment, she sat side by side with Gu Junwan in the back of the bulletproof administrative vehicle.
Glancing sideways at her girlfriend who kept staring at the documents in her hands, a certain Alpha felt a bit of a cat-claw-like scratching in her heart.
“Pat!”
Gu Junwan was looking at a report when a small candy fell onto the paper.
Without even thinking, she knew it was thrown by the Alpha beside her.
Although the driver and Xu Zhao were both aware of their romantic relationship, the two had never been lovey-dovey in the car whenever they rode together.
Gu Junwan’s temperament had always been cool and reserved, which meant she would never do anything too affectionate with her girlfriend in front of others.
Shen Han had always been mindful of boundaries too, showing off in various flirtatious ways in private, but controlling herself well in situations like this.
Gu Junwan took the small candy into her palm, then turned her head, curiously looking at her Alpha.
Shen Han mysteriously pulled out a slender pendant necklace from around her neck.
After unlocking the round pendant cover with her fingerprint, she leaned her waist, moving herself along with the necklace close to Gu Junwan.
Gu Junwan reached out to pinch the pendant, still warm from the Alpha’s body heat. Looking closely, she found that inside was a photo of the two of them.
It was the one taken at the commendation ceremony a while ago.
Except Shen Han had cropped the group photo into a head shot of just the two of them.
Both were wearing matching military uniforms, giving it a sort of wedding photo feel.
Shen Han was smug, allowing her Omega to hold the pendant around her neck and look at it endlessly.
If she had a tail behind her, it would probably be wagging by now.
Xu Zhao, watching the scene of her Empress holding the Alpha’s chain in the rearview mirror, felt like laughing.
She thought secretly: The nickname “Shen the dog” really wasn’t wrong!