Extra Chapter 9:

Fred had never imagined that Lu Yu would hold such feelings for him.

For a moment, it left him at a loss for what to do.

He opened the small notebook, wanting to take a look, but ended up closing it again. He then tucked the photograph inside and called for his adjutant. "Hey, you. Take this and return it to Lu Yu. I just found it. Oh, and don’t you dare peek."

The adjutant looked at the visibly nervous Fred and asked suspiciously, "Are you all right, sir? Why are you sweating?"

Fred raised a hand to wipe his forehead. "Am I? I’m fine. Now hurry up, stop dawdling."

The adjutant nodded. "Are you sure you’re okay, sir?"

"I’m fine, don’t worry about me!" Fred waved his hand dismissively and turned to sit back down. "Now get going!"

The adjutant could only leave, still suspicious. He couldn’t figure out why Fred was acting so strangely, but it was clear that Fred didn’t want anyone to know the reason.

He glanced down at the small notebook in his hand. He hadn’t gotten far when he heard Fred’s voice from behind him: "Wait a second!"

The adjutant stopped immediately and turned around. "Do you have other orders, sir?"

"Don’t tell her I gave you this notebook. Just say you found it."

"...Understood." The adjutant raised an eyebrow. ’So Fred’s strange behavior is related to this notebook? This notebook belongs to Lu Yu, which means Fred’s acting weird because of her?’

’Why?’

The adjutant couldn’t figure it out, but he wasn’t the type to pry. He found Lu Yu, who was having a meal in the dining hall after getting her wounds treated.

When he handed the small notebook back to her, Lu Yu subconsciously patted her pocket, only to find a hole in it. She reached out to take it. "Did you find this?"

"Ah, yes!" the adjutant nodded, putting on a serious face.

Lu Yu glanced at him. "Then do you know what’s in here?"

Startled by Lu Yu’s intense stare, the adjutant felt a pang of guilt. "Sh-should there be something in it?"

"Then how did you know it was my notebook? And where did you find it?"

A cold sweat broke out on the adjutant’s brow. He didn’t know the answers to any of those questions! How was he supposed to make something up?

Fred hadn’t given him any of those details.

Just as he was struggling to find a suitable excuse, Lu Yu smiled. "All right. Thank you for bringing it back to me."

The adjutant didn’t relax at her response. On the contrary, he knew very well that he’d been exposed.

Because Lu Yu had already gotten the answer she wanted from his silence.

"Why are you still here?" Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, noticing the adjutant was still standing in front of her.

The adjutant snapped back to his senses and nodded. "I’ll leave now."

’Ah, what am I going to do? When Admiral Fred finds out, is he going to call me useless? My god, what kind of mess is this!’

After leaving the dining hall, the adjutant sent a message to Fred: "Mission failed. I believe Lu Yu knows I didn’t find the notebook, but she didn’t say anything."

When Fred saw the message, he knew Lu Yu wouldn’t be so easily fooled. ’Of course.’ He replied: "Got it. You don’t need to worry about it anymore. Go on with your duties."

Seeing that Fred had no intention of giving him a hard time, the adjutant breathed a sigh of relief.

Fred stood up, planning to leave for a few days. He needed to think of a strategy.

But just as he got downstairs, he ran into Lu Yu at the entrance. Their eyes met, and he could clearly read the two words "run away" in her gaze.

"Admiral Fred, can we talk?"

"Um, today I..." Fred started to look for an excuse to get away. Right now, he really wasn’t ready to face Lu Yu. He needed to calm down and seriously think things through before he could figure out how to deal with her. But Lu Yu had already held up the notebook in her hand. "You were the one who found it, weren’t you? Thinking back, the only place I could have dropped it was at the infirmary. Even if your adjutant found it, he wouldn’t have known it was mine. He most likely would have given it to you. Whether you admit it or not, you saw what was inside, didn’t you?"

Fred had to admit, Lu Yu was truly clever, not that he had ever denied it.

"So now you’re panicking. You don’t know how to face me, and you want to calm down by yourself, then maybe give me the cold shoulder for a while. Best-case scenario, you just avoid contact with me from now on. Is that what you’re thinking?" After she finished, Lu Yu suddenly chuckled. "Don’t be afraid to admit it. I’m not an idiot; I could guess as much. Don’t worry, I’m not going to force you into anything. There’s no point in forcing you, and besides, I know what it’s like for two people to be together. I’m sure you’ve seen it too."

At this, Lu Yu gently brushed back her hair. "Anyway, I’ve been working hard for so long. I don’t mind waiting a little longer. Fred, I have plenty of patience and time to wait for you. Think it over and give me an answer. We’re both adults. There’s no need to avoid each other over something like this. That’s all. I’ve said my piece. You can relax. I’m off!"

Having said her piece, Lu Yu turned, gave a wave, and left without a hint of hesitation.

Fred had to admit, he was stunned by Lu Yu’s nonchalant confidence.

He never expected that the little female cub from back then would grow up to be so self-assured and carefree. For a moment, he truly couldn’t see her as a child anymore.

Perhaps he really should give this matter serious consideration and give Lu Yu a direct answer.

He could sense how serious Lu Yu was about this.

Although he hadn’t read the diary, he could tell from the yellowed photograph that Lu Yu had treasured it for many years.

Just now, Lu Yu had also said that she worked hard for a long time to get here. The length of that time might be even longer than he imagined.

He couldn’t begin to measure the hardships a person must have endured, striving for so long for someone else’s sake. But that sentiment alone... Fred found it hard not to be moved.

Fred raised a hand to cover his eyes, then let it drop and looked up at the sky.

’This is tough!’

Lu Yu hadn’t expected to lay things bare with Fred just like that. The process had been far simpler than she had imagined.

As for the outcome, Lu Yu smiled. ’Whatever happens, happens.’

She had liked Fred for a long time, but if he ultimately rejected her for a reason she could accept, she would let him go. At least she had tried her best; the outcome wasn’t something she could control.

The one thing she could be sure of was that she would have no regrets.

This was something she had learned from Lu Xiao. Thinking back, Lu Xiao really had taught them a lot.

Fred was a good person, worthy of her affection.

He was also worth her sincere devotion. If possible, she also wanted to be like Lu Xiao and have a happy, blissful family with someone worth spending a lifetime with.

Yes, she didn’t need a large family either. A single partner would be enough.

She believed Fred was worth giving her all.

But at the same time, she would respect any choice Fred made!

She hoped that both of them could have a happy and fulfilling future!