Xie Jinghuai subconsciously reached out and caught Ruan Liuzheng.
In the next instant, his entire body stiffened.
He had never known that a woman’s body could be this soft.
That slender waist seemed even smaller than his palm.
His hand felt as if it had been electrocuted.
She had fainted, her brows still faintly furrowed. Xie Jinghuai instinctively loosened his grip slightly.
At the same time, a faint fragrance drifted into his nose.
It made his heart give a sudden “thump.”
He quickly steadied her upright again. Ruan Liuzheng’s head fell onto his shoulder.
Her warm, fragrant breath brushed against his nose.
It created an unfamiliar sensation in him, making his brows tighten immediately.
He reached out and patted her face. “Comrade doctor? Comrade doctor?”
Just then, Jia Weihua finished settling Sister Chen and was about to go get something nutritious to help her recover.
He didn’t expect to see this scene.
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock.
The famously cold and impartial Xie Jinghuai was actually holding a woman?
Oh my god.
Could it be that this iron tree is finally blooming?
No, he couldn’t ruin this rare chance. What if Old Xie finally got a girlfriend?
As a seasoned political instructor, he was very familiar with handling situations like this.
He turned and tried to slip away.
But Xie Jinghuai coldly called out, “Jia Weihua, come help.”
Jia Weihua turned around and forced a stiff grin. “Old Xie, what happened to the doctor? Should we call someone to check on her?”
Xie Jinghuai, face dark, pushed her toward Jia Weihua.
At that moment, Ruan Liuzheng let out a soft groan, slowly opening her hazy eyes as she looked at Xie Jinghuai.
“What… happened to me?”
Xie Jinghuai’s hand was still resting at her waist.
Ruan Liuzheng’s eyes reddened slightly. She stood up, rubbing her waist.
Her gaze swept over him as if reproaching him in a soft, aggrieved manner.
Xie Jinghuai’s hand tightened slightly. She was too delicate.
His lips pressed into a firmer line as he said stiffly, “You’re awake. Good. I’m leaving.”
Just like that, he turned and walked away.
Ruan Liuzheng watched him leave so abruptly. She bit her lip tightly, lowered her head as if deeply hurt—though her eyes were smiling.
Ah, a woman this perfect really makes it hard not to be fascinated.
Her hands trembled slightly in distress (actually excitement), nervously gripping the seams of her pants.
There was nothing she could do—her friend was still here, she had to stay in character.
Sometimes, even an assistant plays an important role.
As expected, Jia Weihua sighed. Old Xie really was hopelessly single.
He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he looked closely, this female doctor was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
He wasn’t exaggerating—there wasn’t a single woman in the entire military camp as striking as her.
Could it be that Old Xie… can’t function properly?
Or does he have some special preference?
With this kind of beauty, anyone else would have already gone wild.
Yet Old Xie stood there like a wooden post.
But since this mess was caused by Old Xie, he had to clean it up.
He quickly said softly, “Comrade doctor, thank you just now. Old Xie is just the type who’s completely indifferent to women—he treats every woman like that.”
Ruan Liuzheng lowered her eyes, hiding a trace of indifference.
She only wanted to complete her mission to survive.
As long as he didn’t have a wife—whether he was single or widowed—it didn’t matter to her.
She then lifted her head. Jia Weihua’s heart skipped a beat again—she was really too beautiful.
Ruan Liuzheng’s eyes were slightly red as she said, “It’s alright. I just have a low pain tolerance. Thank you for your concern, comrade. I’ll go get some brown sugar for Sister Chen. I’ll come back later.”
Jia Weihua watched her retreating figure, then turned and quickly walked toward the sleeper carriage.
Xie Jinghuai was leaning by the window.
Under the light, he looked as if he were ready to renounce the world and become a monk.
Jia Weihua sat down unhappily. “You hugged a woman. Shouldn’t you take responsibility for her? She even cried because she felt wronged.”
Xie Jinghuai paused slightly. His fingers curled unconsciously as he glanced at him. “During earthquake rescue and disaster relief, I’ve hugged countless women. Should I take responsibility for all of them? I can’t handle that.”
Jia Weihua: “That’s not the same, is it?”
Xie Jinghuai gave him a cold sideways look. “They’re all saving people. What’s the difference?”
Jia Weihua was so choked up he almost wanted to self-destruct.
Serves him right. Serves him right!
But thinking about his political work duties, he still tried to persuade him. “This female comrade seems pretty good. You two look quite compatible together.”
“I should be with whoever matches me? Then how could I possibly keep up?” Xie Jinghuai said flatly.
“Besides, I don’t plan to get married in this lifetime. Serving the country, training more troops, going on more missions, and achieving more victories—that’s my pursuit. Women are not worth mentioning.”
“Moreover, if I bring a woman home, I’d have to be careful about burping, farting, even talking. Too troublesome.”
Jia Weihua was completely speechless after being blocked at every turn.
Outside the door, Ruan Liuzheng curled her lips slightly.
Interesting. No wonder she was assigned to “strategize” him.
So after awakening, this guy had truly become “no woman in his heart, only the sword brings enlightenment.”
If it weren’t for her own survival, she wouldn’t bother trying to seduce him.
After all, everyone’s time is valuable. Rather than wasting it on warming up a stubborn stone, she might as well switch to something more agreeable.
No one is indispensable.
But right now, she had no choice.
Ruan Liuzheng gently knocked on the door and said softly, her voice delicate: “I brought brown sugar.”
Jia Weihua glanced at Xie Jinghuai, who was pretending not to hear, and shot him a glare before getting up to open the door.
“Medical comrade, thank you for your trouble.”
Ruan Liuzheng blushed slightly and shook her head. “My surname is Ruan. Comrade, this is for you. I’ll head back now.”
When Xie Jinghuai heard her leave, he turned his head slightly.
Ruan?
It did sound… quite soft.
The moment he thought this, he was shocked by himself. His face darkened further.
Jia Weihua didn’t bother arguing with this stubborn block of stone anymore and took the brown sugar to the person caring for Comrade Chen’s wife.
Ruan Liuzheng, on the other hand, showed no dissatisfaction at all. Instead, she was quite pleased—after all, they would meet again soon.
At night, the train continued moving.
Jia Weihua held a book and went outside. “Old Xie, you sleep first. I’ll come relieve you later.”
Xie Jinghuai nodded. On the train, things were not so formal; he lay down fully clothed.
After closing his eyes, not long passed.
He suddenly felt something soft in his arms.
A slender, delicate arm wrapped around his waist. The eyes looking at him were red and tearful.
Tears shimmered as she stared straight at him.
Her red lips parted slightly, her voice soft yet faintly seductive.
“It hurts…”
Xie Jinghuai “swish”—opened his eyes.
Even in the dark, one could feel his face turning even darker.
The aura around him became terrifyingly heavy.
When Jia Weihua returned, he immediately smelled a strong scent of soap.
“Old Xie, quite particular of you—changing pants on a train in the middle of the night?”
Xie Jinghuai’s face had completely blackened.
He stiffly said, “I’m going to take my shift.”
Jia Weihua was confused. Old Xie’s temper must be from not having a wife—he was clearly furious.
Then he glanced at the damp pants beside him and suddenly felt something was off.
Thinking back to what had just happened, he even felt that Old Xie looked slightly… like he was fleeing the scene.