“Leave.”
Leaving Meng Haoqian behind, Jiang Zhinian walked straight toward the military vehicle.
“Hey!” Meng Haoqian stamped his foot angrily where he stood.
As she approached, the driver’s-side window rolled down, revealing Huo Lin’s iceberg-like face—so cold that even summer would find it freezing.
“Commander Huo, did you come here specifically to see me?” Jiang Zhinian leaned closer with a sweet smile.
“Just passing by.”
His cold gaze swept over her before quickly shifting away, his thin lips stingily producing only two words.
Just passing by?
He had merely postponed an inspection of the training grounds and taken a detour to the department store on his way.
“Right.”
Jiang Zhinian didn’t believe him at all. She quickly ran around to the side of the vehicle, opened the door, and naturally climbed into the front passenger seat.
“Commander Huo, be of service to the people for a moment, will you? I need to go to the Friendship Store.”
She still had to pick out a birthday present for Huo Tingyun. The department store had plenty of things for sale, but there was no way she was going to let Meng Haoqian earn her money.
The little woman leaned very close—close enough for him to catch the scent of roses drifting from her.
The fragrance was rich, yet unlike the cloying perfumes worn by other women, it wasn’t unpleasant in the slightest.
Huo Lin said nothing and silently started the car.
He didn’t even know why he had come.
Perhaps he simply wanted to see how this little fox would seduce Meng Haoqian.
The woman beside him soon started chattering again.
“Commander Huo, why did you let Cheng Yue leave? You’re driving yourself today.”
She leaned a little closer.
“Could it be… because you thought he’d be in the way?”
Her crimson lips were now only a hair’s breadth from his sharply defined profile.
Her soft, delicate breaths, like those of a kitten, brushed against his cheek like a feather, making even the tip of his heart itch.
“Now that he’s gone, we can kiss as much as we want without any restraint.”
Jiang Zhinian licked her lips and looked at him as though he were a delicious little cake.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Huo Lin’s eyes darkened further, and the knuckles gripping the steering wheel turned white from the force.
But Jiang Zhinian paid no attention to his reaction. She simply leaned over and gave his cheek a light, fleeting kiss.
Unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately for her—the entire scene was seen by Meng Haoqian outside.
His mouth dropped open in shock, wide enough to fit an egg.
Seeing his expression, Huo Lin’s mood suddenly improved considerably.
“It’s so hot.”
She hadn’t even been in the car for long before the little woman in the passenger seat began fidgeting again.
She was wearing a pale blue dress with a crescent-white cardigan over it.
Now, she casually took off the cardigan, completely unaware of just how enticing she looked in the thin-strapped dress underneath.
Creamy white skin.
A slender, graceful neck.
Round, delicate shoulders.
Beautiful collarbones.
And below that was a fullness completely at odds with her narrow waist.
Huo Lin narrowed his long eyes.
Little woman, does she really think I’m some saint with no desires?
Sitting beside him so boldly… was she truly certain he wouldn’t do anything?
As a commander in a high-ranking position, he was hardly an impulsive young man ruled by his emotions. His self-control and endurance were extraordinary.
Once, during a campaign to aid a neighboring country, he had lain in ambush on a snowy winter night, weapon in hand, without moving for an entire night.
A thick layer of snow eventually covered his body, and the enemy scouts failed to notice him.
At dawn, when the enemy commander stepped out of the trench to inspect the area, Huo Lin struck him with a single bullet.
It was precisely because of that ruthless, fearless determination on the battlefield that he had accumulated such remarkable military achievements and risen to the position of commander at the age of twenty-seven.
His reputation was so formidable that no one believed the power in his hands had been obtained through Marshal Huo’s influence.
Everything he possessed had been earned by his own merit.
Yet faced with Jiang Zhinian’s shamelessly seductive teasing, he found it even harder to endure than lying motionless on a snowfield with the cold seeping into his bones.
The Friendship Store wasn’t far away. It was also located in one of the city’s busiest districts.
As its name suggested, the word Friendship referred to the friendship between the people of China and their foreign friends.
Accordingly, nearly all the goods sold inside were imported.
“I’m going inside to buy Tingyun a birthday present. Big Brother, do you want to come with me?”
Jiang Zhinian blinked, her voice soft and sweet.
Huo Lin’s already unpleasant expression darkened further.
What did Jiang Zhinian take him for?
Was she really flirting ambiguously with several men at once—and not even bothering to hide it from him?
“Put your clothes back on.”
His voice was low as he issued the order, while a flame was already slowly burning inside him.
“No. It’s too hot.”
Jiang Zhinian refused without backing down and reached for the car door.
She wants to walk around in public dressed like that?
Huo Lin reached out and effortlessly seized her slender wrist, pulling her into his arms.
By the time Jiang Zhinian realized what had happened, she was already pressed against his hard chest, his scorching palm around her waist holding her firmly in place.
She tilted her head up at him, her red lips curling as her alluring eyes shimmered.
“Big Brother~”
A vein on Huo Lin’s forehead throbbed violently.
In a hoarse voice, he warned, “Don’t call me that.”
“Then what should I call you?” Jiang Zhinian pouted as though seriously considering the question.
“How about… Brother Lin?”
Her voice was sweet and sticky, like honey that refused to melt away.
Huo Lin stared at her in silence.
But the hand around her waist suddenly tightened, betraying his emotions.
“Forget it. I should leave that name for Liu Yuerou to call you.”
Jiang Zhinian shook her head and rejected the idea herself.
“Then I’ll just call you Commander Huo. Aside from our relationship as Big Brother and future sister-in-law, we’re not really acquainted, are we?”
“Heh. Is that so?”
Huo Lin smiled, but his smile was as cold as ice.
“Of course. Other than kissing, we don’t know each other that well…”
The little woman spoke the most heartless words in the most seductive voice as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I wore a new lipstick today. Commander Huo, do you want to have a taste?”
Before he could answer, Jiang Zhinian had already tilted her head up and captured his slightly cool lips.
After sucking on them a few times, she still seemed unsatisfied. Her pearl-like teeth gently caught his lower lip as though savoring the taste.
Through her fluttering lashes, she caught sight of his eyes.
Dark as ink.
And within them churned an overwhelming possessiveness.
A large hand clasped the back of her head as he aggressively pried open her lips and deepened the kiss, exploring every inch of sweetness within.
Their lips and tongues tangled together in a heated kiss.
Although the man kissed her forcefully…
It actually feels pretty good.
How did his kissing skills improve so quickly?
Jiang Zhinian thought hazily.
The kiss left her dizzy, and she simply closed her eyes in enjoyment, allowing him to take what he wanted.
Her body was soft as water, limply draped against him. The softness of her body pressed and rubbed against his chest.
Even through the fabric of his military uniform, he could feel her generous curves.
Huo Lin’s hand traveled upward from her waist and paused there, his fingers slowly caressing before his large hand suddenly tightened.
“Mm…”
An uncontrollable, soft moan escaped her lips.
Her skin, already as smooth and pale as creamy jade, was now tinged with two rosy flushes, making her look even more alluring.
For a moment, Huo Lin could no longer suppress the heat surging through his blood. Something inside him was beginning to stir.
“Don’t…”
The little fox who loved tempting others finally knew how to be shy.
Her voice softened as she pleaded, “I’ve kissed enough…”
But Huo Lin had no intention of indulging her.
He grasped her small, delicate hand and guided it downward.
“I haven’t had enough yet.”