Chapter 88: He Has to Coax Her

Emotions surged quietly between his brows and eyes. Yet his gaze was deep and impenetrable, as if shrouded in inky darkness that would not disperse. His voice was hoarse to the point of breaking.

When these words fell on Shen Chaoxi’s ears, her heart became flustered and confused. How could he, who had been so irritable just a moment ago, suddenly turn gentle? And why did he feel the need to tell her? That he hadn’t liked anyone else.

At dusk, the willow trees by the lake swayed desolately. The young girl sitting on the bench had eyes as luminous as peach blossoms.

“Then you…” She bit her lip, her eyes reddened, her lashes wet as if she had been grievously bullied.

“In the military district before, you never liked anyone else either?”

“No.” His hand fell gently upon her warm skin, and in the depths of his eyes, dark currents surged.

“That’s enough now.” As the girl sobbed, her eyes red, looking like a wronged fawn, his calloused fingertips softly traced the corners of her eyes, wiping away her tears.

“Don’t cry.” His voice sounded low and rough, his gaze profound.

She lifted her eyes slightly, only to meet his, turbulent with suppressed emotion, fixed upon her. Their gazes met.

Lu Yunzhou suddenly realized something. There was no reasoning with a girl like this. If he raised his voice, she would cry. And once she cried, he had to coax her. Therefore, he could only speak gently to her.

“But I saw it.” The girl’s voice was choked in her throat. The tears he had just wiped away welled up again.

Lu Yunzhou spoke patiently, “Saw what?”

His husky voice questioned her.

The girl, still angry, spoke in a jumbled confusion—sometimes mentioning Mu Ting, sometimes the military district. And who had told her he liked someone back in the military district?

“You and her…” The girl hiccupped as she cried.

Lu Yunzhou couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh. How had things circled back to Mu Ting again?

His voice turned cold, “Why didn’t you keep watching, little girl?”

His deep eyes, dark as night, gazed into hers. He continued in that gravelly tone, “Did I pay any more attention to her afterwards?”

Shen Chaoxi: “?”

Whether you did or not, what does that have to do with me? I’m talking about the engagement. My point is, if you have someone you like—be it that female reporter, or as Lu Fifteen said, someone you once loved in the military district, or that gentle, outstanding, capable military doctor—whoever it is, just tell me.

As for the engagement, as long as neither of us wishes for it, isn’t that the end of it?

But what was happening now?

In Shen Chaoxi’s eyes, Lu Yunzhou had always been someone cold and impatient, the sort who would never bother coaxing a willful girl. That was why she had tried everything to wear down his patience, so he would gradually tire of her.

But now, things were not unfolding as she had imagined.

Her face was pale, lashes damp, staring at him, still sobbing, on the verge of tears.

“Can we go back now?” Lu Yunzhou’s deep gaze rested on her pallid face, her wet lashes, looking at him so pitifully.

She didn’t move, nor did she agree.

But in the dusk, the lake breeze grew chilly, and he feared she might catch cold.

Lu Yunzhou’s eyes darkened, his throat tightening. Suddenly, he reached out and lifted the girl into his arms.

From afar, Lu Fifteen stared in shock. “Captain?…”

Was this really their captain? Where had the cold-faced King of Hell from the military district gone? He was actually crouching down to speak to Miss Shen—and now he’d picked her up in his arms, just like that?

And it wasn’t even the first time.

At the sound of Lu Fifteen’s voice, Shen Chaoxi lowered her eyes. Lu Yunzhou carried her over.

As they passed Lu Fifteen, Lu Yunzhou paused, glanced at him, and said, “Take the men for extra training. Twenty kilometers with full gear.”

Lu Fifteen’s eyes widened. “What? Captain, more extra training?”

Lu Yunzhou gave him a cold look. “Didn’t you say you liked it?”

In other words, you must still have energy to burn.

Lu Fifteen was thoroughly baffled. “Like what?”

“Gossip.” Lu Yunzhou’s gaze turned icy.

As he strode past with the girl in his arms, he tossed this chilly remark over his shoulder.

“?...” Lu Fifteen’s mind spun. As someone in his position, coming here to the military base to handle matters with the captain, how had he ended up stuck with extra training too?

Especially since today’s training had already been twice the usual amount. More on top of that? They might as well just finish him off.

But then he reconsidered—gossip? What gossip?

“Captain!” he called, but by the time he realized, Lu Yunzhou had already walked off with her. Lu Fifteen hurried to catch up.

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After coaxing the girl, he realized she hadn’t eaten all day. His brows furrowed, his eyes full of worry.

“Why haven’t you eaten?”

“I’m not hungry.” The girl shook her head.

“Then have some fruit?” Lu Yunzhou was afraid she’d go hungry.

She had just cried; her eyes were still red, and her voice was hoarse.

The dormitory was filled with many new things—most of them purchased at Lu Yunzhou’s quiet instructions, lest she find living here uncomfortable. Even the table now held an array of fruit: yellow peaches, tangerines, green grapes—delicacies he’d learned from Xiao Xiao that Shen Chaoxi liked to eat. He’d had someone drive out of the military base to buy them.

Before, this officer’s dormitory had nothing but a bed and a few essentials.

No wonder Lu Fifteen was so bewildered this time. The captain truly treated Miss Shen differently—completely unlike with anyone else.

He watched as the man in his sharp military uniform, tall and upright, rolled up his sleeves, took a basket of fruit, and went to the back to wash it.

Heavens. Lu Fifteen was not only surprised, but increasingly curious about Miss Shen. Was this the captain’s type? Timid, delicate, fragile?

Afraid she’d be upset, Lu Yunzhou barely set foot in the training grounds, leaving Lu Fifteen to keep watch—and to join in the extra training.

Only after he saw her eat some fruit did Lu Yunzhou relax. By then, dusk had fallen, and the sky outside the window was brushed with fiery clouds, their glow spilling across the girl’s face.

She gazed at Lu Yunzhou.

“Why are you looking at me?” Lu Yunzhou arched a brow.

His fair, handsome features were cast in the shifting shadows of the dormitory, making him appear both ascetic and irresistibly alluring.

Shen Chaoxi couldn’t help but think back to their first meeting in Dongzhou. It had been a sweltering day, the sun scorching, the afternoon oppressive, their special forces squad from Country Y lying in wait atop an abandoned building.

She had just gotten out of the car, glanced up, and sensed danger from above.

But she never dreamed she would be shot through the chest by one of her own.

That sudden, hollowing pain that seemed to scoop out her very heart—she remembered it vividly, even now.

Shen Chaoxi stared at him, her expression momentarily dazed.

His ruthlessness, so sharply at odds with the gentle amusement in his eyes now, flickered and overlapped in the shifting light and shadow.

And she found herself…

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