The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 24

Stepping out of the dimly lit cinema, the mall outside was much brighter. Jun Jue noticed Ruan Wei’s eyes were red and pitiful.

“Don’t look at me,” Ruan Wei muttered, lowering her head as if sulking.

Jun Jue wasn’t sure why Ruan Wei was upset. Holding the unfinished bucket of popcorn for her, she reached in, picked up a piece, and held it to Ruan Wei’s lips. Ruan Wei didn’t refuse the popcorn, instead, she took the opportunity to bite Jun Jue’s finger lightly.

Jun Jue glanced at the faint teeth marks left on her finger, then fed Ruan Wei a few more pieces.

The cinema was on the top floor of the mall. As they rode the elevator down, Ruan Wei spotted a crowd gathered in one area and tugged at Jun Jue’s sleeve.

Jun Jue took her hand and led her toward the commotion.

“Not angry anymore?”

“I wasn’t angry to begin with.”

Jun Jue thought back and realized Ruan Wei might have been upset because she hadn’t seriously answered that hypothetical question about vampires earlier.

With so many people around, it wasn’t the best place to discuss it, so she let the topic drop.

She held Ruan Wei’s hand as they approached the crowd, discovering it was a bubble tea stand. The air was thick with a sweet, milky fragrance.

In the past, Jun Jue would have walked right past without a second thought, she wouldn’t even have come to the mall. But she figured Ruan Wei might like it, so she pulled her into the line. “Weiwei, do you want some bubble tea?”

Ruan Wei nodded, her eyes fixed eagerly ahead, as if she’d already forgotten her earlier mood. The customers in front had recognized them, turning to look repeatedly, and some even offered to let them cut in line.

“Are you General Jun Jue and her wife?” a girl wearing a pink-and-white rabbit-ear hat asked excitedly.

Ruan Wei pressed her lips together and stayed silent. Jun Jue tightened her grip on Ruan Wei’s hand and responded formally for the first time.

“I’m Jun Jue. Weiwei is my girlfriend. We’re not married yet.”

“Will you and Miss Weiwei get married?” the rabbit-ear girl asked. Ruan Wei also looked up at her then.

Jun Jue lowered her gaze, meeting Ruan Wei’s eyes with tenderness. “I believe we definitely will.” Then she watched as Ruan Wei ducked her head shyly, avoiding her gaze.

“Weiwei?” Jun Jue squeezed her palm gently. She had noticed Ruan Wei’s mood had been off since they left the cinema.

“It’s nothing,” Ruan Wei said, forcing a small smile. She was just thinking about being a vampire again and couldn’t help wondering: if Jun Jue knew, would she still want to be with her?

“General, are you in a hurry? Would you like to move to the front?” Another girl holding a bouquet of roses asked kindly.

Jun Jue had dedicated her life to protecting the Federation and was practically a national icon. Many people didn’t mind her enjoying certain privileges, believing she deserved them.

“No need, thank you,” Jun Jue declined. She wanted to experience dating like any other ordinary couple, wasting time on things she once thought trivial.

When it was finally their turn, the cashier asked eagerly, “General, what would you and your wife like to drink?”

“Weiwei, what do you want?”

Ruan Wei bit her lip, staring at the two-page virtual menu. Tapping on a name would bring up its description, but her mind was elsewhere.

Jun Jue turned to the cashier. “What’s your bestseller?”

“Winter Love Song. We’re actually running a couples’ promotion today, the second cup is half-price. Would you and your wife like two?”

Jun Jue looked at Ruan Wei, who nodded in response.

While waiting for their milk tea to be made, Ruan Wei lowered her head to play with her light brain. Jun Jue noticed she seemed to be searching for something, catching sight of a keyword: rabbits.

“Thinking of keeping a rabbit as a pet?”

Ruan Wei said no, then raised her hand to her ear and pulled down, gesturing a few times. Jun Jue understood, Ruan Wei had taken a liking to the rabbit-ear headband worn by a girl they’d seen earlier. They had already come across several girls wearing them that night, and each time, Ruan Wei couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances.

After getting their milk tea, the two sat in the shop to drink. Ruan Wei quickly finished hers, while Jun Jue, finding it too sweet, only drank a quarter of hers. Ruan Wei watched her sip.

“General, can’t finish it?”

Jun Jue immediately grasped her meaning and said, “I’ll buy you another cup.”

“I can just drink yours. No need to waste.”

Jun Jue paused, then asked, “You don’t mind?”

Ruan Wei shook her head, recalling their two kisses from the night before, a far more direct exchange of saliva, one that Jun Jue had seemed to enjoy.

“Do you mind when you kiss me, General?” Ruan Wei asked.

Jun Jue’s temple twitched. Nearby customers turned to look, prompting her to quickly push her milk tea toward Ruan Wei. Happily clutching the cup, Ruan Wei drank eagerly, too occupied to speak further.

Once she finished, Jun Jue took her hand and led her out of the shop. No sooner had they stepped outside than Ruan Wei began fiddling with her light brain again, she had received a message from Tian Tian.

[General’s wife, did you and the General go to the movies?]

Ruan Wei replied with a voice message, “Yes! We watched the inter-species romance you recommended. So, heartbreaking and touching, I cried until my eyes turned red.”

“Oh, and I’m the General’s girlfriend now. We’re not married yet, so you can still call me Weiwei.”

Tian Tian also sent a voice message, her voice trembling slightly, “R-really? Is the General with you?”

Ruan Wei glanced at Jun Jue beside her and giggled mischievously. “Nope.”

“Wei… Wei?” Tian Tian stammered.

The “not-present” Jun Jue: “…”

“By the way, Weiwei, that inter-species romance isn’t heartbreaking at all. Did you watch the wrong one?”

“Huh? Wasn’t it the one about humans and vampires?”

“No! I meant the other one, about humans and cats!”

Jun Jue rested her hand on the transparent railing at the edge of the mall, listening to Ruan Wei and Tian Tian’s conversation while her eyes wandered. Across the way, she spotted a shop selling rabbit-ear headbands.

Finally ending her chat with Tian Tian, Ruan Wei sighed gloomily, “I’m so silly. I watched the wrong movie.”

Jun Jue patted her head. “Not your fault. Both films share the same title and were released at the same time.”

Ruan Wei nodded. “Exactly! Why would they have the same name?”

“If you want, we can come back another time to watch the right one. It’s getting late, we should head back now,” Jun Jue said.

“Will you come with me again next time?” Ruan Wei looked up at her, eyes sparkling like they were filled with stars.

“Mm.”

That promise kept Ruan Wei in high spirits all the way back. She even hummed a tune as they rode the escalator down.

At a turn on the second floor, Jun Jue tugged Ruan Wei to a stop. “One last place before we go.”

“Where?” Ruan Wei turned.

Jun Jue tilted her chin toward the shop across the way. Ruan Wei’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed Jun Jue’s hand, sprinting toward it. Jun Jue ran alongside her.

She really does love those rabbit-ear headbands, Jun Jue thought.

The shop had a variety of rabbit-ear hat styles, and Ruan Wei tried them all one by one but couldn’t decide. Jun Jue asked, “Should we just buy one of each?”

“I only want one,” Ruan Wei insisted.

In the end, Jun Jue picked out a rabbit-ear hat for Ruan Wei, primarily pink and white with a hint of purple, and Ruan Wei immediately put it on her head.

When Jun Jue went to pay, the shop owner refused to accept the money, saying that with them visiting, the rabbit-ear hats would sell out by tomorrow.

Jun Jue said that was a separate matter and insisted on paying.

Ruan Wei played with the rabbit ears on her head and said, “Auntie, if you don’t take the money, we won’t take the hat.” As she spoke, she tugged on the two dangling straps, making the ears flop up and down. Paired with her expression, she looked both charming and adorable. The shop owner laughed and finally accepted the payment, then gave Ruan Wei a small alpaca plushie as a gift.

Ruan Wei was engrossed in playing with her rabbit-ear hat, while Jun Jue carried the white alpaca for her, drawing many curious glances.

In this era of advanced interstellar technology, neural interfaces could capture all kinds of information. As a high-profile public figure, Jun Jue’s every move was under scrutiny.

Humans are emotional creatures, so Jun Jue’s personal life was of particular interest. Many had once believed she was destined to be alone forever, after all, she had even turned down the daughter of the Chief Executive, so rejecting a political marriage was understandable. But she had never been seen with anyone else, and after so many years without any romantic involvement, not even a hint of ambiguity, people couldn’t help but speculate. Some wondered if she was simply asexual.

Over time, even the speculation faded.

But surprises come when least expected. Who would have thought that General Jun Jue, while away on military campaigns and securing two consecutive victories, would return with a wife?

Now, the favorite pastime of Federation citizens was discussing the love story of Jun Jue and Ruan Wei. There were already over a hundred different versions online about how they fell in love.

As Ruan Wei played with her rabbit-ear hat, she recounted one of the versions she’d heard while working at the hospital.

Jun Jue listened attentively, only speaking up once they boarded the hovercar: “I need to focus on driving now, Weiwei. Rest for a bit and have some water.”

Jun Jue unscrewed a bottle of purified water and handed it to Ruan Wei, who took a sip and said, “There’s just one last version, let me finish first!”

The hovercar had just lifted into the air when Jun Jue set it to hover in place. “Five minutes.”

“Okay, five minutes.”

Ruan Wei launched into the story again, as excited as if she were talking about someone else’s life, using the third person.

“The last version goes like this: That night, after General Jun Jue annihilated all the space pirates, she felt a slight feverishness. She opened the mech cockpit, searching for her usual suppressants.

A full moon hung high in the sky as General Jun Jue sat atop a field of ruins. The suppressants… the suppressants were gone.

It just so happened to be General Jun Jue’s rut that day. Brutal warfare doesn’t adjust its timing for a soldier’s condition. As Jun Jue writhed in agony amidst the wreckage, Ruan Wei appeared, a maiden in a flowing white dress, her long hair dancing in the wind, so beautiful under the moonlight she looked like a painting.”

At this point, Ruan Wei paused and said, “They got it wrong. When we first met, my clothes were tattered, no white dress, and my hair wasn’t loose. I had it in a bun.”

Then she continued with the story.

“Ruan Wei noticed Jun Jue suffering from her rut period and approached to ask with concern, ‘Who are you? What’s wrong?’ General Jun Jue pushed Ruan Wei away, forbidding her from coming closer. But unable to bear seeing Jun Jue in such distress, Ruan Wei helped her.”

This version ended here. Jun Jue listened attentively and said it was a bit absurd.

Ruan Wei nodded, “I think so too, but I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What is a rut period?” Ruan Wei asked naively. “And how can I help you during your rut period, General?” This version wasn’t detailed enough, so Ruan Wei didn’t quite understand.

Seeing the intense curiosity in Ruan Wei’s eyes, Jun Jue took a deep breath.

“Do you really want to know?”

“Yes.” Ruan Wei nodded emphatically. “I asked Tian Tian, and she said the General would tell me. General, will you tell me?”

Jun Jue averted her gaze from Ruan Wei’s face, her breathing becoming uneven.

Ruan Wei pressed on, “Will you?”

“Yes.”

“When?” Ruan Wei asked eagerly.

“During my next rut period.”

“When is your next rut period?”

“Tomorrow.”