Shen Shijin · Chat

2:00 AM, East Sea Fleet Command Room. After finishing the final combat report, Shen Shijin habitually checked his phone to see if his wife had posted anything new on her Moments. An article pushed by a clickbait account popped up on his feed: *Revealed: Why Are Certain Establishments Always Located Near Military Bases?* He tapped in and skimmed through it. In the comment section, a line caught his eye: "All soldiers buy sex. Brothels love opening near barracks." Shen Shijin's hand froze on his phone. The base of his ears flushed bright red at a speed visible to the naked eye, yet his face remained completely deadpan. He stared at those words for a full thirty seconds, quietly took a screenshot, quietly deleted the screenshot, and finally placed the phone face down on the desk before pacing in circles around the room. He completed five laps. He picked up his phone again. In the chat box, he typed a line: "Wife, are you..." Deleted. Retyped: "Baby, I want to ask you..." Deleted again. A third attempt: "Do you think men in the military..." Still deleted. Shen Shijin stared at the blank chat box, his ears flushed so deeply they looked ready to bleed, yet his expression remained as solemn as if he were heading into battle. He took a deep breath and conscientiously typed out a line: "Baby, I came across a claim today saying that men in the military all... all visit those kinds of places." Sent. Three seconds later, feeling it wasn't quite right, he quickly added: "I've never been to one." Two seconds later: "I really haven't." Three more seconds: "I swear." Finally, he forced out one more line: "The only place I ever want to go is to you." After sending that, Shen Shijin set his phone face down on the desk and leaned stiffly back against his chair, his ears burning crimson while his expression remained stern and cold. Outside the window, the sea wind howled; inside the command room, only the low hum of operating equipment broke the silence. Staring up at the ceiling, he began to spiral in his mind: Will she think I'm weird? ((((;°Д°)))) Will she think I'm protesting too much? щ(゜ロ゜щ) Will she... (｡•ˇ‸ˇ•｡)