Ruan Liuzheng sat quietly in the back.
With just two fingers, she lightly held onto the underside of the bicycle seat.
Not daring to overstep even a little.
Xie Jinghuai immediately noticed her movement, but said nothing.
No closeness—this was fine. It saved him from letting his thoughts wander.
The evening breeze brushed past, carrying a faint chill.
For the first time, Xie Jinghuai felt that even riding a bicycle required such careful restraint.
But the road was far from smooth.
Suddenly, the bicycle hit a stone and jolted hard.
“Ah—”
In the darkness, her soft voice sounded like something dangerously seductive.
Xie Jinghuai’s body tensed instantly, and he braked with both feet.
He turned his head and saw her lowering her head so hard it looked like she wanted to bury herself into the ground.
“Are you alright?”
Hearing his cold voice, Ruan Liuzheng covered her mouth and lowered her head, her ears red.
“I… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Seeing her like this, something in his heart softened.
And noticing how she kept fidgeting uncomfortably, shifting her body from time to time…
He silently took off his outer clothing and folded it into a square cushion.
“Get on.”
Ruan Liuzheng smiled as she sat back down. One hand covered her mouth, the other held the seat.
Xie Jinghuai’s low voice came again.
“Hold onto my shirt.”
Ruan Liuzheng’s gaze fell on the muscles beneath it.
Her mind instantly imagined an athletic boy with eight-pack abs.
So happy!
Her soft little hand reached out like a bunny paw, carefully grabbing just a small corner at first.
But the ride was too bumpy.
Gradually, she held on more and more tightly.
Her warm, soft hand occasionally brushed against his waist.
Xie Jinghuai felt like this road was unbearably long.
He was already sensitive by nature, and under these conditions, he could even feel the pulse in her fingers.
A burning heat surrounded him, invading every corner of his senses without escape.
No—he had to ride faster.
With a sudden burst of force, the bicycle sped up.
Ruan Liuzheng was startled and instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist.
Wow… there really are abs.
She held her breath without realizing it, then quickly pulled herself away from his back.
“I… I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Xie Jinghuai felt the warmth disappear, and only gave a cool “mm.”
After that, Ruan Liuzheng restrained herself a little, staring blankly at the dark moving trees outside.
The two remained silent and soon arrived at the commune.
Xie Jinghuai brought her to the training ground.
It was a wide open area, with a target range not far away.
Ruan Liuzheng looked around curiously.
“Why is there no one here?”
“This is where the commune militia trains,” Xie Jinghuai replied in a low voice.
Her eyes lit up as she stared at him.
“When can we start?”
Seeing her eager expression, he curved his lips slightly.
He handed her the practice rifle he had brought.
“Do you understand guns?”
Ruan Liuzheng lifted her head slightly.
“I do. This is a gun. I press this, and bullets come out from here!”
Xie Jinghuai: “……”
Yes… she does understand. Quite a lot, in fact. Maybe she shouldn’t say any more next time.
Ruan Liuzheng looked at him with a face full of Did I explain it well?
Xie Jinghuai pressed his lips together.
“If you want to learn shooting, you first need to understand the gun itself.”
Ruan Liuzheng widened her eyes, staring intently at the weapon in his hand, her gaze full of curiosity and desire for knowledge.
A teaching urge suddenly rose in Xie Jinghuai.
“This is a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle. It was modeled after the Soviet SKS semi-automatic rifle in 1956. It is a self-loading firearm…”
“Caliber is 7.62 mm, muzzle velocity 735 m/s, rifling twist 240 mm, weight without magazine 3.75 kg, loaded weight 3.92 kg…”
Ruan Liuzheng listened as Xie Jinghuai explained the characteristics of the gun in a manner as precise as a textbook.
From his eyes, she could see his intense passion for firearms.
It was a burning love for his profession.
She immediately and smoothly switched into flattery mode.
“Comrade Xie, you’re so professional! You remember all of this so clearly!”
Xie Jinghuai froze slightly.
Looking at the smiling Ruan Liuzheng in front of him, her little face filled with admiration, he felt that her praise was sincere rather than flattery.
He was pleased—who didn’t like being praised?
“Alright, first remove the magazine.”
Ruan Liuzheng took the gun, her expression turning serious and focused.
She observed carefully, her movements cautious.
“Like this?”
Her small hands moved slowly.
“No, your fingers should be like this. Pull the charging handle to retract the bolt. Then insert the bottom of the clip with bullets into the clip guide slot of the ejection port.”
As he spoke, he held her hand and gently guided her so she could feel the motion.
Ruan Liuzheng’s fingers trembled slightly, her breathing becoming irregular.
“I… I understand.”
Only then did Xie Jinghuai realize something was off.
He quickly let go of her right hand.
“Try it again.”
He could almost hear her breathing now.
He stepped back two paces.
At that moment, Jia Weihua had just finished overtime and came over, wondering why he seemed to hear voices at the training ground.
“What the—”
He walked over and saw the tall man and the petite woman by the table. He was completely stunned.
Old Xie—didn’t he say he went home? Why was he here?
And with Dr. Ruan?
Oh my god.
He had never seen Xie Jinghuai like this before.
Where was the cold-faced devil?
This was basically a gentle, living man.
So this is what “I don’t want to get married” looks like?
So this is “I’m not interested in women”?
So this is “I don’t treat anyone specially”?
……
Total contradiction!!!
So his worries were completely unnecessary.
Did Old Xie even need marriage counseling from him?!
Damn it.
He really wanted to find a camera and take a picture of this guy right now.
Just look at your face!!!
At this moment, Xie Jinghuai also noticed Jia Weihua sneaking around outside and called out.
“Old Jia, come in.”
Ruan Liuzheng immediately tensed up when she saw him, almost dropping the magazine in her nervousness.
Jia Weihua smiled like a delighted auntie.
“Dr. Ruan, don’t be nervous. Just keep practicing.”
“Our Old Xie’s shooting skills—no exaggeration—are top-tier.”
He even gave Xie Jinghuai a thumbs-up while wiggling his eyebrows.
Xie Jinghuai immediately understood what he meant.
Seeing Ruan Liuzheng’s nervousness, he tried to chase him off.
“Alright, get off work and go home.”
Jia Weihua: “……” Brothers really are like clothes…
He raised an eyebrow and teased in a strange tone, “I, for one, would never give special trea—”
Xie Jinghuai really wanted to throw a shoe at him.
This guy just loved watching the fun.
He then said seriously to Ruan Liuzheng,
“He’s just talking nonsense. Keep practicing.”
Ruan Liuzheng let out a soft “mm” sound.
Then, as if gathering courage, she looked up at Xie Jinghuai.
“Comrade Xie, I want to ask you a question…”