Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Xiao Jing felt that she should intercede on their behalf, but just as she was about to do so, an annoying voice spoke next to her ear.
“Remember, everyone is being punished because of you,” Shen Chengfeng said casually, staring at Xiao Jing’s petite body.
Speechless, Xiao Jing glared at the calm and somewhat clueless man before her. Had she inadvertently become his scapegoat? Wasn’t it already bad enough that he didn’t know how to cherish a pretty girl like her? Did he have to dig holes for her?!
“D*mn you. I feel like smearing your face with period blood,” Xiao Jing thought viciously to herself.
“Why are you standing there in a daze? Do you not agree with what I have just said?”
Still lying on the ground, Xiao Jing continued with the fisted push-ups, while her burning gaze settled on the figure standing in her line of sight. She cursed silently, “Sooner or later, I will have you beneath me, begging me not to hurt you. When that time comes, I will torment you till you plead for me to spare your life.”
At the thought of that happening, Xiao Jing could barely suppress a grin. She was looking forward to being able to do that to him.
“Report to the Class A-War Room at Zone 4, at 7 am tomorrow. If you are late again, you better pack up and go back where you came from,” Shen Chengfeng narrowed his eyes at the small figure lying on the ground before him.
Feeling his intense gaze boring a hole in the top of her head, Xiao Jing could not help but look up at him. Sure enough, the man could not help announcing to the world that she was the slowpoke he was talking about.
One by one, everyone gradually dispersed from the drill ground. Only Xiao Jing remained since she was the one with the worst physique.
She was all alone in the massive drill ground.
Xiao Jing sat up after finishing the hundred fist push-ups, supporting her chin with one of her hands. Looking up at the starry night sky, she wondered what she had done in her previous life to have resulted in her encountering such an unreasonable superior officer in the present one.
Could he be jealous of how beautiful she was? Or was it because when her eldest brother was here, he had not deigned to look at him?
As expected, a man who was secretly in love was bound to act weird.
“What is this?” A cold voice rang out from behind Xiao Jing.
Startled by the voice, Xiao Jing turned around to look at Shen Chengfeng and followed his eyes as they traveled downwards. Although the lighting was dim, a section of the white bandage could be seen peeking out of her clothes.
“Whoosh!” The evening wind swept rampantly across the drill ground.
Xiao Jing immediately tried to cover up, but only succeeded in making it worse. Trying to hide it made it more conspicuous. Before she could even adjust the white bandages, a hand had already grabbed hold of a corner of the dressing and pulled it hard.
“Damn you,” Xiao Jing blurted out as Shen Chengfeng pulled hard at the white bandages, almost killing her in the process.
Staring thoughtfully at the bandage in his hand, Shen Chengfeng scrutinized it, before asking flatly, “You’re injured?”
Xiao Jing coughed slightly to cover her awkwardness. She held her breath and removed his hand without hesitation, clearly giving no regard as to who he was. “It’s nothing. Just a small injury, that’s all,” she answered wryly.
“I know that your Third Brother came over tonight. Your family members come and go as they please so often that my Steel Eagle is about to become your family backyard. Do you guys still have any regard for me?”
“Ah, Commander, you must be joking. How dare we do that to you? You have such an imposing presence. We would have to be blind to disregard your existence. A respectable figure like you ought to be idolized in our hearts, always respected and admired.”
Shen Chengfeng stared calmly at the cheeky Xiao Jing, then removed his gloves and gently touched his wrist. “You should know that flattery will get you nowhere. I hate it when people try to ingratiate themselves with me.”
Worried that Shen Chengfeng was about to slap her in the face, Xiao Jing replied cautiously, “I have always been an honest child. I, too, hate that hypocritical nonsense.”
Shen Chengfeng grasped her chin. The sensation of being so close to someone physically was new to him. It felt so extraordinary that he was kind of getting attached to it.
Xiao Jing’s chin was starting to hurt, so she gently batted away his hand, and said with a smile, “Commander, if someone sees us like this, they will misunderstand. I know I’m so pretty that I could easily be mistaken for a girl, but the gender stated on my ID card is ‘male,’ after all. Such skinship like this isn’t appropriate between us.”
Looking at her amiable expression and the broad smile on her face, Shen Chengfeng finally released his grip on her face and looked away. “There is going to be a match tomorrow. I will exempt you so that you won’t have to participate. I wouldn’t want other people to accuse me of being so harsh and mean as to bully an injured person.”
“It’s just a slight injury, nothing serious. It won’t affect my performance,” Xiao Jing said confidently.
“Well, I did give you a chance. Since you’re so keen to participate, I will not deter you from doing so. However,” Shen Chengfeng paused briefly before continuing, “it’s at your own risk.”
Xiao Jing’s brows furrowed. Why did she have the feeling that a terrible fate was awaiting her tomorrow? Were they planning to go all out in hand-to-hand combat!
“You may head back and rest now,” said Shen Chengfeng, as he headed in the direction of the dormitory.
Xiao Jing was trailing closely behind him, and could not help but ask, “Why are you so different from other people, Commander?”
Shen Chengfeng stopped in his tracks and glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “People who know the answer to your question have either died or disappeared. Which do you prefer?” he asked coldly.
Xiao Jing gulped and nervously cleared her throat. She then ran up the stairs quickly, before turning around to say, “Good night, Commander.” Her voice echoed throughout the stairwell.
Shen Chengfeng stopped in his tracks once again. He looked down at his palms and the defined lines weaving in and out and intersecting. Having lived like a monster for the past thirty-odd years, he finally felt like a human.
The following morning, by the time the sun rose, the entire camp had been enveloped in layers of gunpowder.
Within the Class-A war zone, numerous colorful flags had been hoisted. The officers produced boxes for drawing lots, which split everyone into red and blue teams. The members of the winning team would be rewarded with a custom weapon.
As for the losing team, they would be responsible for chores and logistics for one month.
Jiang Xin rubbed his sore arms. After doing the loaded thirty-kilometer cross country run, his combat ability was on the decline today. He prayed that he wouldn’t draw a lot for the blue team, which was filled mostly with new rookies, one of them being Xiao Jing.
Xiao Jing had a blue band on her wrist. She looked around, and her eyes settled on her favorite teammate, Lin Qi, who was a member of the red team.
Realizing that Xiao Jing was looking in his direction, Lin Qi smiled warmly at Xiao Jing, and said softly, “Don’t be too stressed, this is just a simple match.”