Second Marriage with the Alliance Marshal

At 7:30 in the evening, in the Yanyan hot pot restaurant.

Wrapped in a small apron1apron for food; to prevent scents/stainsXu Xinghe sat face to face with Gu Nai in front of the yuanyang2hotpot with 2 flavors2 pot, and began to cook a third plate of meat.

“Come, you try this too!”

Xu Xinghe saw that Gu Nai moved his chopsticks infrequently, and only put a few dishes into the mushroom soup pot. Thinking that he was being polite3as in polite and not wanting to spend another person’s money, he generously scooped a large spoonful of meat and handed it to him. “Here.”

“Thank you, no need.” Gu Nai smiled and shook his head, explaining, “I have a bad stomach, so I can’t eat spicy food very well.”

Xu Xinghe had happily ordered a plate of perverted spicy dishes.

Team Leader Xu was stunned for a while, and took the spoon back: “Then you should’ve said so earlier. We didn’t need to come eat hotpot. There are also other tasty restaurants nearby.”

Gu Nai said gently: “It’s okay. I can still eat mushroom pot and tomato pot.”

Xu Xinghe shook his head and looked at him with regret. “Hot pot that is not spicy lacks soul. After your stomach is better, let’s have another meal.”

Gu Nai smiled and nodded: “Okay, then I will treat you next time.”

Xu Xinghe was naturally polite, and thought that Gu Nai was also polite, so he didn’t really care. Nodding his head, he continued to deal with the remaining plates of meat: “Then you can put more in the mushroom pot, the crab roe and fish roe balls are also delicious.”

The two of them worked together to solve the first wave of meat in less than 20 minutes.

Xu Xinghe put down his chopsticks, leaned on the sofa, and planned to take a break to digest.

Gu Neisi gently picked up the square towel and wiped his mouth. He asked in a warm voice, “The Ark doesn’t seem very peaceful recently. Do you usually work overtime?”

Xu Xinghe replied casually, “Actually, it ‘s not bad. It was common to work overtime until 11 or 2 when I first entered the Ark. This year’s much better, we once achieved 9 to 5.”

Team Leader Xu patted his stomach, re-scanned the menu, and planned to order a drink to help cut the greasiness.

“The workload has been more than usual recently, but it’s good. The problem was solved in time, otherwise we might not be able to eat dinner today… What would you like to drink? Is sour plum juice okay?”

Gu Nai asked: “Is there dark beer?”

“Eh?” Xu Xinghe raised his head and looked at him, “You still drink?”

Gu Nai asked with a smile, “I don’t look like someone who can drink?”

Xu Xinghe: “…” Not like that.

He looked at the beer options on the menu, struggled for two seconds, raised his head and persuaded Gu Nai with a serious face: “People with a bad stomach should not drink; drinking will hurt their health. I don’t even drink often with my appetite. There’s some corn juice, why don’t we give it a shot?”

Gu Nai looked at him for two seconds and smiled: “Listen to you then.”

Then he continued the topic just now: “That’s right, the Ark is the largest in the Gamma galaxy after all. There are thousands of hackers staring at the data center every day, and this wave is nothing.”

“Why? Do you still want a bigger wave?” Xu Xinghe’s face darkened. “It can’t be said to be a small mess. This time the hackers had some skills. You know, 99.9% who try to invade will be intercepted by the Ark defense system, but this time they actually found a loophole… However, I heard that it was also because the old team from the second group violated the rules and opened an external email, which gave the virus an opportunity. He is already a long-time employee, so who knows how he made such a low-level mistake. I’m afraid he will be punished this time.”

“Speaking of which, which department do you work in? Front-end R&D department?” Xu Xinghe asked.

Gu Nai replied: “No, I am also engaged in system maintenance, and am in the third group.”

Xu Xinghe asked curiously: “Then why haven’t I seen you before?”

Gu Nai smiled and pushed his glasses up. “It means Team leader Xu doesn’t care much about new colleagues.”

Xu Xinghe: “Oh, are you newly recruited this year?”

The third group is a large group with more than 20 people from top to bottom. They also added two new heads in this year’s spring recruiting wave. It’s normal for Xu Xinghe not to know everyone.

Gu Nai said: “Let’s put it this way.”

Xu Xinghe suddenly remembered something: “Is that new intern also assigned to your group?”

Gu Nai smiled: “It seems that Team Leader Xu indeed doesn’t care much about these things – the intern came to report yesterday.”

Xu Xinghe: “…So it is.”

Since he showed no interest in the gossip of his colleagues, Ajia and the others seldom mention it in front of him. Even the news that the intern was going to join the third group was only because he overheard other colleagues chatting about it during his lunch break.

Xu Xinghe asked, “Then he really studied finance?”

Gu Nai replied, “He studied a double major in finance and computer science.”

Xu Xinghe nodded: “Well, that’s not too outrageous. I heard he studied finance.” After a pause, he added: “But our department didn’t recruit interns before, so it’s quite a surprise for him to come in.”

Gu Nai smiled and looked at him without saying a word.

Xu Xinghe suddenly sighed: “I almost took a double major in mathematics and computer science when I was in college, but then I became lazy and thought I would major in computer science, so it didn’t happen. I should’ve continued.”

Gu Nai asked, “Leader Xu wants to keep improving, so why didn’t you continue to read? With your grades at the time, isn’t it okay to earn a postgraduate degree or a PhD?”

Xu Xinghe suddenly froze.

Silence spread between the two.

After a long while, Xu Xinghe took a sip of the corn juice on the table, and then whispered: “I don’t want to.”

Gu Nai carefully looked at his face, and suddenly said: “It’s okay, there is no end to learning. There’s still a chance if you want to. When I was in high school, I had to drop out of school at one point, and then I read it all the way to the present.”

Xu Xinghe raised his head and asked curiously, “Why did you drop out?”

Gu Nai smiled: “My family is poor. I can’t pay the tuition.”

“…” Xu Xinghe couldn’t tell if Gu Nai was joking. “How could this be? Doesn’t Capital Star already fully cover compulsory education?”

He grew up in the Welfare Institute, and even went to university. With Capital Star’s current education policy, there should be no such thing as dropping out of high school because of a poor family?

Gu Nai replied with a smile, “I didn’t grow up in Capital Star.”

Xu Xinghe was slightly startled, speechless.

Gu Nai looked at him, and suddenly said, “You can start making vermicelli.”

Only then did Xu Xinghe come back to his senses: “Ah yes.”

The two began to eat the second wave of hot pot.

It was almost nine o’clock in the evening when Xu Xinghe received an email from Ling Changfeng, asking if he needed to send someone to pick him up now.

Xu Xinghe thought for a while, then raised his head and said to Gu Nai, “How about we stop here today?”

“Okay.” Gu Nai nodded, his eyes swept over the electronic device on Xu Xinghe’s wrist intentionally or unintentionally, and asked with a smile: “Your family?”

Xu Xinghe: “…”

Considering that no one in the entire Ark wouldn’t know who his “family” was, Xu Xinghe answered truthfully: “It’s not a reminder, it’s just too late, so he asked if I needed a ride.”

“That’s good.” Gu Nai said with a smile. “Team Leader Xu’s married life is really enviable.”

Xu Xinghe was slightly taken aback. Although he admitted that he had a great time eating the hot pot tonight and chatted a lot with Gu Nai, after all, the two of them only met yesterday. Talking about his married life so soon made him feel strange.

What’s more, what envy over his married life?? It’s common for Ling Changfeng to not go home for two or three days.

Xu Xinghe complained in his heart like this, but he opened his mouth and said: “Uh… I guess I won the prize.”

“Then let’s make an appointment next time.”

“Next time.”

Xu Xinghe settled the bill and walked out of the hot pot restaurant with Gu Nai.

“Go back first, I’ll wait for my ride.” Xu Xinghe said.

Gu Nai nodded and waved at him: “See you next time.”

The back quickly disappeared into the night.

Xu Xinghe waited for about four or five minutes when a low-key pure black car came slowly and stopped at the door of the hot pot restaurant.

Without a military license plate, it looks like an ordinary black commercial vehicle.

However, Xu Xinghe recognized at a glance that it was the vehicle of the Marshal’s mansion, so he opened the rear door to get in the car.

As a result, the hand just touched the door handle, and the door opened from the inside.

Xu Xinghe was stunned.

“…Didn’t you say send someone to pick me up?”

Xu Xinghe looked at Marshal Ling who suddenly appeared in the back seat, a little surprised.

Why did he come?

Ling Changfeng turned his head to look at him: “You come up first.”

“Oh.” Xu Xinghe knew that it was not safe to open the door like this, so he quickly got into the car, closed the door, and waited for Ling Changfeng’s reply after he was seated.

“I’m out for a ride.”

Xu Xinghe: “?”

“Why did you use this far? No one is following?” Xu Xinghe asked.

In his impression, whenever Ling Changfeng is out, no matter how flamboyant it is, a marshal’s safety must be guaranteed.

Ling Changfeng replied, “Someone is following, but you can’t see it.”

Xu Xinghe: “…Oh.”

Ling Changfeng asked him, “How was your meal tonight?”

“Not bad. What about you?”

Ling Changfeng: “Nutrients.”

Xu Xinghe: “…” His question was superfluous.

After a few seconds of silence, Ling Changfeng suddenly said: “You seem to like hot pot.”

Xu Xinghe nodded: “Yes, hot pot is one of my favorite foods.”

Ling Changfeng: “You said earlier you have no hobbies.”

Xu Xinghe: “?”

He really couldn’t keep up with Ling Changfeng’s thinking. “Is hotpot also a hobby?”

Well, if you have to say it, it is also a “hobby”.

“Anyway, I really like it. Not to mention that hot pot is delicious, it also has a good atmosphere. It can bring you both physical and mental happiness.” Xu Xinghe interest roused at the mention of his favorite food, and he happily described the experience. “Especially eating hot pot with friends. A few people getting together to chat and drink… uh, tea, is very satisfying.”

Ling Changfeng looked at his high-spirited appearance, and suddenly said: “Then next time, let’s eat it together.”

Xu Xinghe: “Okay, can you eat spicy food?”

Ling Changfeng: “Yes.”

Xu Xinghe: “Then you’re lucky. My colleague had a bad stomach and couldn’t eat spicy food. He ate plain soup today, but spicy hot pot tastes better. I let him nourish his stomach, and next time I will take him to experience the deliciousness of a spicy pot.”

At his words, Ling Changfeng’s mismatched pupils slowly slanted over: “Next time?”

Xu Xinghe shrugged: “That said, his stomach is not good, so who knows when the next time will be.”

Ling Changfeng’s thin lips pursed slightly: “Why is there another time?”

Xu Xinghe was taken aback for a moment. “Huh? It’s normal to have hot pot appointments between colleagues.”

Ling Changfeng asked, “You used to have dinner appointments with your colleagues?”

Xu Xinghe thought for a while: “It’s not very often, but once or twice a month. Adding the appointments with my classmates,  basically one meal a week.”

Ling Changfeng: “…”

Xu Xinghe: “Why are you looking at me?”

For a moment, Marshal Ling wanted to ask why he never received such an invitation.

However, the words passed around his mouth for a while, and finally turned into a light-toned exhortation: “Eating too much hotpot is not good for the stomach.”

Xu Xinghe: “?”

He found that Ling Changfeng can be quite fickle sometimes.

“Then let’s make a hotpot appointment later?” Xu Xinghe was a little confused about what Ling Changfeng meant.

Ling Changfeng: “En.”

Xu Xinghe: “…”

The black car sped through at high speed on the sky rail, passing through the bustling city center.

Xu Xinghe looked at the scenery outside the window for a while, and suddenly remembered another thing: “By the way, how many people will attend the class reunion you mentioned earlier?”

Ling Changfeng replied: “Tentatively five with plus ones, so there are nine people in total.”

“Huh? Who isn’t bringing anyone?”

“Qin Yuan.”

“Huh?”

“He is currently single.”

“Ah??” Xu Xinghe was stunned. “Major Qin is single?”

Ling Changfeng glanced at him sideways: “What’s wrong?”

Xu Xinghe felt a little incredible: “How can he be single?”

Ling Changfeng asked back: “Why not?”

“Because he is very careful and knows how to take care of people, is humorous and talkative, but also has a lot of flowery rhetoric… Doesn’t he call himself an omega’s friend? He should be very liked by omegas, right?” Xu Xinghe asked.

Ling Changfeng: “…”

He pursed his lips and said indifferently: “He’s too flowery.”

Xu Xinghe: “?”

“He’s had many girlfriends.”

“…”

“The news revealed more than five.”

“…”

“Do all omegas like this?” Ling Changfeng frowned slightly, “Delicate mind, humorous and talkative, and flowery rhetoric?”

“Not all of them, but this kind of character is quite good to fall in love with. It has nothing to do with ABO attributes.” Xu Xinghe commented. “You’ll get a good sense of being cared for when dating Qin Yuan.”

Marshal Ling felt that the air in the car was a little stuffy.

He lowered his eyes, his eyes dimmed slightly.

After a few seconds, he heard Xu Xinghe add: “But the marriage experience may not be so good. After all, when one has too much dating experience, it will make their spouse feel uneasy, right?”

“En.” Ling Changfeng looked up.

Staring at his little spouse for two seconds, he replied lightly, “That’s right.”

“Speaking of which—” Xu Xinghe suddenly realized something, and asked him in a low voice, “Discussing Major General Qin’s emotional experience behind the scenes isn’t too good, right?”

Ling Changfeng: “It’s fine, we can talk face-to-face on the weekend.”

Xu Xinghe: “…”

“There will be a group of people who will talk with you.”

“…”

Xu Xinghe’s face was a little strange. “What do you guys usually talk about at gatherings?”

Ling Changfeng paused slightly, as if he didn’t want to continue the topic, so he simply replied, “You’ll know when you go.”

 

XXH and LCF’s conversations are very fun.

One of my fav scenes is coming up – the dinner XXH has with LCF’s colleagues. It’s a few chapters long, and a fun read.

Consider supporting this translation of SMM and get faster updates by buying a ko-fi~ Thank you! Progress for add’l releases, and other ongoing projects, can be found on my ko-fi page.

 

1apron for food; to prevent scents/stains2hotpot with 2 flavors2 pot, and began to cook a third plate of meat.

“Come, you try this too!”

Xu Xinghe saw that Gu Nai moved his chopsticks infrequently, and only put a few dishes into the mushroom soup pot. Thinking that he was being polite3as in polite and not wanting to spend another person’s money3