The White Olive Tree

Chapter 10

Song Ran kept her head down, diligently wiping her fingers with the towel as if there were something urgent that needed to be cleaned off her hands.

Shen Bei handed the tablet menu to Li Zan and said, "Would you like to order some more dishes? Take a look and see if there's anything else you'd like."

He glanced at the menu somewhat absentmindedly and said, "This should be enough for now. We can add more if necessary."

"Okay."

Song Ran continued to wipe her fingers, her gaze fixed on the task at hand.

The colleagues at the table, both male and female, were all interested in Li Zan. A military man like him naturally became the center of attention.

Xiao Chun was the first to ask, "Shen Bei mentioned that you're in the military?"

"Yes."

"When did you start serving?" Xiao Qiu asked.

Li Zan replied, "At eighteen."

"How long have you been in the military?" a male colleague asked.

"Almost five years."

Xiao Xia followed up, "Are there others in your unit who are like you, still single..."

"Ah!" Shen Bei interjected with a laugh, "What are you all doing? It's like you have a professional disease. Those who know are talking about your professional habits, and those who don't might think you're conducting a census."

The colleagues collectively teased her, "Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're quite protective."

Li Zan fell silent for a moment, then turned to Shen Bei with a slightly unclear expression.

However, Shen Bei just smiled at him.

Listening to the laughter and chatter at the table, Song Ran felt a chill in her heart. The hot towel in her hands had long since cooled. She thought it might be because she was sitting too close to the air conditioner, making her feel a cold breeze blowing over her heart.

Li Zan didn't say anything, and the table was quiet for a few seconds. After that, he stood up and said he was going to the restroom.

Once he left, Shen Bei looked at everyone and scolded, "Stop being so nosy!"

Despite her words, the table became lively again.

Xia Xia asked, "Hey, how did you two meet?"

Shen Bei laughed a bit and explained, "My dad attended a high-level meeting once. He was in charge of bomb disposal, and my dad's secretary was a bit arrogant, refusing to let him inspect the suitcase and using my dad's rank to pressure him. Anyway, he was a bit arrogant."

"And then?" Everyone was curious.

"He said, 'The one who can pressure me is military law, and you're not qualified.' The secretary got so angry that he wanted to hit him, but he accidentally dislocated the secretary's hand. My dad was impressed and wanted to introduce him to me. After a lot of inquiries, he was arranged by his instructor. Cool, right?"

"So romantic," Xiao Chun said. "If your dad values him, he must be outstanding."

"Yeah, my dad even wanted to introduce him to me," Shen Bei added. "He has earned several merits. At that time, my dad's secretary wanted to complain about him to the military, but he ended up embarrassed."

A male colleague interjected, "Bomb disposal experts are hard to train. They are considered treasures in the military. Besides, military and politics are two different systems. That secretary relied on some power to apply pressure, but he knocked on the wrong door."