Leng Yunting always felt like Liu Jingyi was deliberately seducing him.
The man's slender fingers clenched tightly, suppressing the heat rising within his body.
Leng Yunting was relatively restrained during the day; even at home, after glancing at Liu Jingyi, he said seriously, "Stop fooling around."
Liu Jingyi complained internally, "During the day, he acts like an old cadre, but at night he turns into a beast."
Coincidentally, Fu Jiexuan delivered a letter, breaking the lingering atmosphere in the room.
Liu Jingyi glanced at the mailing address on the envelope, then looked up at Leng Yunting.
Fu Jiexuan did it on purpose; otherwise, he wouldn't have made a special trip to deliver it. So, after delivering the letter, he didn't linger for a moment before leaving.
"Ahem..."
Liu Jingyi looked at his uncomfortable expression and asked curiously, "Who sent the letter?"
Leng Yunting held the thin letter between his fingers. The elegant handwriting on the envelope seemed to carry a scorching heat. His Adam's Apple involuntarily bobbed as he tried to maintain his outward calm: "It's from City J, probably from Mom."
Liu Jingyi's bright eyes stared at him, as if trying to see through his pretense of being calm.
She clearly felt a flicker of panic flash in Leng Yunting's eyes at that moment.
"Then it must be urgent, right? Let me see." Liu Jingyi remained composed and naturally extended her hand. Her slender, fair fingers hovered in the air, carrying an undeniable implication.
Leng Yunting felt as if that letter was a red-hot iron brand at that moment.
He truly wanted to tear it to shreds immediately, or burn it completely to ashes.
Damn Fu Jiexuan!
He definitely did that on purpose!
Did Bai Yiyao's letter really have to be delivered specifically now?
Leng Yunting had already mentally beaten Fu Jiexuan eight hundred times.
"Ahem, I guess it's nothing important!"
Liu Jingyi stared at him for a long time and said meaningfully, "Is that so?"
"Mm, the spareribs are ready. Didn't you want some? I'll go serve you."
Leng Yunting casually stuffed the letter into his pocket and went to the Kitchen.
Liu Jingyi watched the man's retreating figure and didn't press further. After all, she wasn't stupid; why bother?
That elegant handwriting, the address from the Capital, and Leng Yunting's refusal to meet her eyes...
Besides the Female Protagonist of the Book—Bai Yiyao—who else could it be?
As expected, relying on anyone is unreliable; relying on a man?
Hmph!
Liu Jingyi became even more determined in her resolve to earn money.
Here, they restrict her from doing this and that, binding her with rules, yet he himself has an Old Lover sending letters right to the house!
Since he didn't want her to know, why should she go out of her way to invite trouble?
Should she insist on tearing open that layer of paper and staging a scene of jealousy?
She didn't have the time, nor the inclination!
Liu Jingyi drank two large bowls in one go, her appetite completely unaffected by that letter.
She ate with focus and satisfaction, as if that letter had only been a slight breeze brushing across the water's surface, leaving not even a ripple behind.
Bai Yiyao's letter?
What was that?
Could it be eaten?
Was it as fragrant as her spareribs soup?
Besides, she was protected by her military marriage now. As long as she didn't leave, anyone else was just a mistress. Even if she was the original Female Lead of the Book, so what?
Leng Yunting sat opposite her, watching her cheeks puff out slightly as she ate contentedly, while he himself had no appetite.
Leng Yunting looked at Liu Jingyi's carefree appearance, which felt like a small thorn, making him inexplicably irritable and even stirring up a hidden sense of regret!
She ate so heartily; did she truly not care about him... or that letter at all?
This feeling of being completely ignored was more stifling to him than being questioned.
"Why aren't you eating?" Liu Jingyi finally looked up from her bowl and asked when she had a moment.
"I'm not hungry. You need to eat more to replenish yourself."
Liu Jingyi hummed in acknowledgment, then asked, "You finished reading the letter, aren't you going to write a reply?"
That sentence was like a spark igniting a fuse!
"It's nothing important, no need to reply."
"Oh."
Liu Jingyi responded crisply and cleanly, without any further questioning or emotional fluctuation.
Leng Yunting just stared at her quietly.
The weather was quite hot, so Liu Jingyi was dressed very lightly at home.
This was even made from her old clothes—a simple white thin camisole top, revealing large expanses of snow-white, delicate shoulders and exquisite collarbones.
On the bottom were matching loose shorts, leaving her two straight, long legs completely uncovered.
Her tender arms, the graceful line of her Neck, complemented by a small face that was exquisite and alluring even without makeup, made her look like a dewy, sweet-smelling peach radiating temptation in the summer heat.
Leng Yunting gazed at the delicate person before him, the dark desires surging within him on the verge of bursting out.
He desperately wanted to immediately grip her slender, fragile Neck, forcing her bright eyes to reflect only his image, making her pay the price for this damned indifference!
No!
If he stayed any longer, he didn't know what he might do!
"There's an emergency at the Military Unit; I need to go back."
Leng Yunting almost ground out the words through clenched teeth, his voice hoarse and terrifying.
Liu Jingyi looked speechlessly at the man walking out with a dark expression.
Hmph!
She hadn't even complained about him being entangled with his Old Lover and exchanging letters; yet here he was, putting on a displeased face—who was he showing it to?
The midday sun hung overhead like a giant fireball, scorching the earth with vicious heat.
It should have been rest time, but the vast training ground was a scene of "fiery activity."
A group of sturdy Young men, wearing camouflage vests soaked with sweat, were all grimacing, suffering immensely.
They were undergoing extreme physical training far exceeding their usual intensity—weighted squats, crawling through mud, sprinting while carrying logs...
Every movement was challenging their physiological limits.
And the source of all this—Leng Yunting—stood like a malevolent god in the shadows at the edge of the field.
His Military uniform buttons were meticulously fastened to the very top button; his posture was upright, but his face was darker than the bottom of a pot, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over every figure on the field who was nearly exhausted.
The low pressure emanating from Leng Yunting was more suffocating than the scorching sun overhead.
No one dared to complain, or even let their eyes wander. They could only grit their teeth and exert their utmost effort to complete every command.
Of course, among this group of "unfortunate" Young men, the most miserable, without a doubt, was Fu Jiexuan.
Everyone else was undergoing standard extreme training, but for Fu Jiexuan, it had been upgraded directly to hell mode.
"Fu Jiexuan! Fifty more push-ups! Make them standard! If your waist sags, start over!"
"Fu Jiexuan! Crawl through the mud! Everyone else does two laps, you do four! Crawl faster! Haven't you eaten?"
"Fu Jiexuan! Carry the log! Take the thickest one!"
Leng Yunting's icy voice, like a death knell, struck Fu Jiexuan's head precisely, time after time.
Sweat streamed down Fu Jiexuan's forehead, Neck, and back like small streams, dripping onto the scorching ground where it instantly evaporated.
He was so exhausted his vision went black, and his arms and legs trembled uncontrollably; he felt like he was about to fall apart the next second.