Wu Qin sobbed shakily, overwhelmed with relief at having survived the ordeal. Wen Jiaojiao remained in her arms, silently shedding tears. The shadows of her past life refused to leave her mind.
That terrifying flash of light had always been a nightmare buried deep within her soul.
Although she had managed to protect herself in the end, those humiliating photographs had remained. Until the day she died, she had never been able to get them back…
Suddenly, she felt some weight settle over her shoulders. A man’s military jacket wrapped around her, and before she knew it, she had been moved from Wu Qin’s embrace into another warm chest.
Wen Jiaojiao looked up through her tears and met a pair of focused, worried eyes. Jiang Ting clenched his fists before awkwardly and carefully raising a hand to wipe the tears from her delicate face.
When he saw the swelling and redness on the side of her face, the murderous fury in his eyes surged once again. His gaze was so filled with killing intent that he wished he could tear those men apart piece by piece.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Wen Jiaojiao clutched the jacket wrapped around her and choked out, “Thank you.”
On the other side, Zhang Shaobing also took off his jacket and put it around Wu Qin. Her clothes weren’t torn, but the neckline had been pulled open enough to expose her skin. She obviously couldn’t go outside dressed like that.
Wu Qin knew this wasn’t the time to refuse. Wrapped in the unfamiliar man’s jacket, she was deeply grateful and repeatedly thanked the two men.
Before long, a group of soldiers in military uniforms arrived and took all the thugs away.
The kidnapping was an extremely serious incident. None of these men would be getting away.
The judicial authorities would investigate every one of them thoroughly. As for what charges they would ultimately face, that would depend on the severity of their crimes.
Zhang Shaobing asked, “Comrade, you’re safe now. Shall I escort you back to the military base?”
Wu Qin shook her head, her voice still trembling from the ordeal. “No. I want to go home. Can you take me home? My family lives in the city.”
After what had happened, Wu Qin was genuinely terrified. All she wanted was to go home and find comfort with her parents.
Zhang Shaobing didn’t refuse. “Sure.”
The two were just about to leave when Wu Qin suddenly remembered Jiaojiao and wanted to call her along. But when she turned around, she saw Jiaojiao still being held by the usually cold-faced Hades.
And there was actually a hint of tenderness in that cold man’s eyes.
Wu Qin was stunned.
Could they… be together?
Zhang Shaobing was completely focused on giving his regiment commander and his future sister-in-law some privacy, so he urged Wu Qin, “Comrade, let’s go first. Comrade Wen Jiaojiao has the regiment commander looking after her.”
Wu Qin understood his meaning and could only say, “Jiaojiao, we’re leaving first.”
Wen Jiaojiao forced a smile and nodded. “Go home. I’m fine.”
Wu Qin didn’t notice anything unusual about her smile. She assumed Jiaojiao simply hadn’t recovered from her fright yet. Since Commander Jiang was there, she probably didn’t need to worry about her.
So she left with Zhang Shaobing.
Only the two of them remained inside the room.
Wen Jiaojiao hugged herself and slowly crouched down.
She was a complete mess, yet there was nowhere for her to go. She had no home and no family. For the first time since being reborn, she felt completely lost.
The man beside her crouched down as well. His deep voice carried a soothing warmth.
“Your clothes are torn. Come to my place first. I’ll have Zhang Shaoying bring your clothes over later.”
At the mention of clothes, Wen Jiaojiao bit her lip awkwardly.
“I only have this one set. My military uniform got dirty during training, and I haven’t washed it yet.”
Jiang Ting was speechless.
He wanted to ask why she hadn’t brought a few more sets of clothes, but then he suddenly remembered the night they first met. The small cloth bundle she had carried contained only steamed buns and pickles. There had been nothing else.
His heart ached faintly.
Just how poor must her family be?
“It’s fine. I’ll ask Zhang Shaoying to buy you a set.”
Wen Jiaojiao bit her lip, looking embarrassed.
“But I don’t have any money…”
Jiang Ting paused again before saying, “Don’t worry about the money. I have some.”
The moment he finished speaking, a cool little hand pressed against his wrist. Her clear, watery eyes were filled with stubborn determination.
“Consider the money for the clothes a loan. I’ll pay you back when I get my allowance.”
“…”
He wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to repay him.
But when he saw the fragile yet stubborn expression on her face, he understood that this was her pride—her entire sense of dignity.
So he simply said, “All right.”
“Let’s leave first.”
“Mm.”
Wen Jiaojiao had just stood up when something suddenly fell from her clothes. Jiang Ting instinctively bent down and picked it up.
When he saw what was in his hand, surprise flashed through his eyes.
“You carry your household registration page with you?”
Wen Jiaojiao lightly bit her lip.
“Who says I can’t carry it with me?”
She took the household registration page from his hand and tucked it into the pocket of the military jacket. Her own clothes were torn and could no longer hold anything.
“That’s not important. Let’s just get out of here.”
A sharp, cold gleam flashed through Jiang Ting’s eyes.
There was a secret surrounding her.
Once they stepped out of the wooden hut, they found themselves surrounded by farmland. The places where Wen Jiaojiao had been beaten were aching faintly, causing her to walk unevenly.
At this rate, they wouldn’t even reach the car before dark.
Jiang Ting immediately crouched down.
“Get on. I’ll carry you.”
Wen Jiaojiao was startled. “Isn’t that inappropriate?”
Jiang Ting replied sternly, “You’re too slow. Either I carry you on my back or I carry you in my arms. Choose one.”
“…”
Then she’d rather be carried on his back.
Blushing slightly, Wen Jiaojiao climbed onto the man’s back. His back was broad and solid. He was wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, and through the two layers of fabric, their body heat instantly seemed to burn against each other.
It was impossible to tell which of them was hotter.
The woman on his back shyly buried her face against him.
Meanwhile, the other person involved looked even more serious.
A closer look would reveal beads of sweat on his forehead, as though he were enduring something.
The thin fabric provided almost no barrier at all. The woman’s faint fragrance continuously assaulted his senses and tested his self-control.
Eighteen was already adulthood. And the things that should have developed on her had certainly not developed any less than they should.
Jiang Ting could only feel grateful that she hadn’t been the woman assigned to him during his original test of discipline. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been able to remain a soldier.
With his long legs and tall frame, the man soon reached the car.
This wasn’t the same vehicle he’d driven earlier. The car Zhang Shaoying had been riding in had already been driven back by someone else.
He placed Wen Jiaojiao in the passenger seat before walking around to the driver’s side and starting the car.
When the guards at the gate saw Jiang Ting driving, they immediately let him through.
The car continued all the way to the military family compound.
Only then did Wen Jiaojiao realize that he had brought her to the family housing area.
She grew worried.
“If I get out like this, won’t it look bad?”
Jiang Ting shook his head.
“It’s fine. Everyone who lives here is the family of my soldiers, and they won’t see you.”
Wen Jiaojiao was just about to ask why when he opened the passenger door and lifted her out.
Her startled cry was still caught in her throat when he suddenly sprinted toward the building as though running a hundred-meter race.
He rushed straight up to the second floor.
Not a single person appeared along the way.
Wen Jiaojiao silently swallowed her question.
There was no need to ask anymore.
Once inside, Jiang Ting took out a small medical kit and began treating the swelling and redness on her face.
The heat in Wen Jiaojiao’s cheeks rose again, and her body instinctively leaned backward.
“Don’t move.”
Her body stiffened slightly before she gave up resisting.
Forget it. He had helped her more than once already. Why should she be so shy about it?
She was still wearing his jacket, after all.
Jiang Ting carefully applied the medicine to her face. When he finished, he stood up.
“I have a bathroom here. Go take a shower and change out of those torn clothes. You can wear mine for now. I’ll go outside and make a phone call and ask Zhang Shaoying to buy you a set of clothes.”