“One-two-one! One-two-one!”
As the morning sunlight had only just begun to creep over the walls of the family compound, the synchronized chants and powerful marching footsteps pierced through the windows, scattering Xie Jinwen’s remaining drowsiness.
Frowning, she rolled over, rubbed her messy hair, and sat up. Sleepiness still lingered in her eyes.
The family compound was right next to the training grounds. Every morning before dawn, the sounds of military drills began—more punctual than an alarm clock.
Having only recently arrived, Xie Jinwen was genuinely unaccustomed to it.
Sounds came from the kitchen.
Ling Xiao was already up making breakfast.
Waking up to a ready-made meal wasn’t a bad life at all.
Barefoot, Xie Jinwen stepped onto the floor and walked toward the balcony outside the glass doors.
The morning breeze was gentle, carrying a faint floral fragrance that helped wake her up.
Looking down at the training field below, she saw rows upon rows of soldiers in dark green camouflage uniforms training beneath the rising sun.
Every one of them stood tall and straight.
Their arm swings, kicks, and turns were crisp and decisive, displaying all the vigor and masculinity of trained soldiers.
The corners of Xie Jinwen’s lips curled upward.
She turned around, grabbed a pair of binoculars from a shelf, and returned to the balcony.
Hehe.
The view instantly became much clearer.
The morning exercises had already soaked many uniforms with sweat.
Some soldiers rolled up their sleeves, revealing strong, muscular arms.
Others lifted their camouflage T-shirts during breaks to wipe away sweat.
At moments like these, the importance of binoculars became obvious.
Every detail was crystal clear.
The sunlight highlighted firm waists and toned abdomens, outlining defined muscles—not exaggerated bodybuilder physiques, but the lean, powerful lines forged through years of training.
Sweat slid slowly along sharply defined V-lines and disappeared into their camouflage pants, radiating youthful vitality and strength.
“You’re watching so intently. Is it really that interesting?”
A deep, magnetic voice suddenly sounded beside her.
Without thinking, Xie Jinwen replied,
“Of course it is.”
Realizing someone had approached, she wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest.
Instead, she slowly lowered her binoculars and turned around.
Standing beside her was the very image of a perfect domestic husband.
Ling Xiao wore a brown apron stained with a few drops of cooking oil.
Apparently, he’d been standing there for quite a while—probably since she’d become absorbed in admiring the soldiers below.
The warmth in his expression had faded slightly.
Hidden within his dark eyes was a trace of jealousy and possessiveness.
Leaning down slightly, he brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear with his long fingers.
A half-smile curved his lips.
“I’ve been working hard in the kitchen making breakfast.”
“And here you are, leisurely hiding on the balcony, peeking at other men’s abs?”
Xie Jinwen raised the binoculars again and looked directly at Ling Xiao through the magnified lenses.
Smiling, she said,
“I don’t really have any hobbies.”
“I just enjoy appreciating handsome men.”
“The kind with broad shoulders, narrow waists, long legs…”
“And looks like yours.”
The moment she said looks like yours, Ling Xiao’s mood immediately improved.
The jealousy in his eyes faded.
“You can come eat breakfast now.”
“Go wash up first.”
With that, he turned and left the room.
By the time Xie Jinwen finished brushing her teeth and washing her face, she walked into the living room to find Ling Xiao already sitting at the dining table.
The apron was gone.
So was his shirt.
His well-defined waist and abdomen were now fully visible.
Xie Jinwen smiled as she sat across from him, openly admiring him without any attempt at concealment.
Then she deliberately asked,
“Ling Xiao, why did you take your shirt off?”
Ling Xiao nearly choked on his porridge.
Maintaining a calm appearance, he answered,
“It got a little hot after cooking breakfast.”
Xie Jinwen accepted the explanation.
After all, there was no reason to pass up an opportunity to feast her eyes.
After appreciating Ling Xiao’s appearance to her heart’s content, she finally shifted her attention to the breakfast spread.
There was lean pork and scallion porridge.
Wheat buns.
Purple sweet potato cakes.
Boiled eggs shaped like little rabbits.
The meal was light, nutritious, and well-balanced.
Ling Xiao’s cooking skills were directly proportional to his looks.
After breakfast, someone delivered a large pile of items.
“Brother Xiao, I’ve brought everything you ordered.”
“Thank you. Sorry for the trouble.”
“No trouble at all.”
After seeing the man out, Ling Xiao arranged everything in front of Xie Jinwen.
There were more than a dozen outfits.
Over a dozen sets of underwear.
Five or six pairs of shoes.
Several handbags.
And a smartphone.
Altogether, it was quite a mountain of purchases.
Everything had been ordered online from physical retail stores.
It couldn’t have been easy carrying all that up to the apartment.
Picking up an orange dress, Ling Xiao said,
“Miss Xie, try this on and see if it fits.”
Xie Jinwen remembered what he had said the previous night.
“My eyes are measuring tapes.”
She replied,
“If your eyes are measuring tapes, why would I need to try anything on?”
Ling Xiao laughed.
“My judgment is pretty good.”
“So should I remove all the tags and wash everything for you?”
“Wait.”
Xie Jinwen stopped him.
From the large pile, she selected only three outfits she particularly liked.
For underwear, she chose several conservative styles.
For shoes, she picked one pair of white sneakers and one pair of sandals.
For a bag, she chose a larger crossbody bag.
As for the smartphone…
She had never used one before.
But modern society was inconvenient without one.
So she kept it as well.
“That’s all.”
“Return the rest.”
“You still owe me five hundred thousand yuan.”
“Just deduct the cost of these items from that amount.”
Ling Xiao shook his head.
“Once merchandise leaves the store, it can’t be returned.”
“Even if you don’t want the clothes or bags, I can’t return them.”
Xie Jinwen looked somewhat suspicious and was about to calculate whether he was telling the truth.
Before she could, Ling Xiao grabbed her hand.
“Isn’t it exhausting to calculate everything all the time?”
“The five hundred thousand I promised you won’t be short by a single cent.”
“As for the clothes, bags, and phone, they’re gifts.”
“I’m not charging you.”
“Fine.”
Xie Jinwen didn’t argue.
She accepted everything.
After all, they would eventually become husband and wife.
A shared destiny.
Wouldn’t his belongings become hers eventually anyway?
Ling Xiao cut off all the tags, tossed the clothes into the washing machine, and then began teaching her how to use a smartphone.
“This SIM card is connected to my account.”
“You’ll have plenty of mobile data…”
From having absolutely nothing, Xie Jinwen now found every aspect of her daily life taken care of by Ling Xiao.
Every day she ate, slept, woke up, and got fed by him.
The days passed one after another.
In the blink of an eye, two months went by.
Her difficulties adapting to the outside world had completely disappeared.
Her body temperature had stabilized at 37.6°C.
It neither rose nor fell any further.
“I’m heading out.”
After spending two entire months inside Ling Xiao’s apartment, Xie Jinwen finally chose a pleasant day to go outside.
As she reached the door, Ling Xiao appeared behind her wearing a tracksuit and carrying a shoulder bag.
A water bottle—hers—was tucked into the bag’s side pocket.
She looked at him.
“You’re coming too?”
Ling Xiao nodded.
“You’re not familiar with the area.”
“I can be your guide.”
The truth was simpler:
He wasn’t comfortable letting her go out alone.
Xie Jinwen reminded him,
“You have guests coming today.”
“It would be better if you stayed home and waited.”
The real reason she was going out, however, was to give Ling Xiao some space.
Otherwise, when his visitors arrived, things might become awkward and unpleasant.