“Zhao Gao.”
Qin Lie’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was like two rough stones grating together, carrying a coldness that made one’s scalp tingle.
He snapped the lunchbox lid shut with a thud. His movements were unhurried, but everyone in the canteen held their breath.
Those eyes that had narrowed in enjoyment over food were now fully open, their dark, deep irises fixed unwaveringly on Zhao Gao.
“Eating the food my wife makes, what business is it of yours?”
Qin Lie stood up. He was half a head taller than Zhao Gao, his body built from years of training like a solid wall, exuding a powerful pressure.
“Or are you just jealous my wife cooks well, while yours can only make you black cornbread?”
As soon as these words were spoken, several officers nearby couldn’t help but snort with laughter.
Everyone knew Zhao Gao’s wife’s cooking was notoriously bad; even dogs would shake their heads at her meals.
Zhao Gao’s face instantly flushed crimson, veins bulging in his neck.
“Qin Lie! Don’t you get cocky!”
He roared, his neck straining. “A softie relying on a woman, what’s there to flaunt? If you’ve got the guts, let’s settle it on the training ground!”
“Settle it?”
Qin Lie sounded like he’d heard the world’s biggest joke. He looked Zhao Gao up and down, the disdain in his eyes unconcealed.
“With a physique hollowed out by wine and women? I’m afraid one punch from me, and you’d be bedridden for half a month.”
“You—!”
Zhao Gao trembled with rage, the finger pointing at Qin Lie shaking.
“Just say you dare or not!”
“That’s enough!”
Political Commissar Zhou Hai, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. He slammed his meal tray heavily onto the table with a loud bang.
“What do you two think you’re doing? This is the canteen, not your family’s vegetable market!”
Zhao Hai was an old political officer with high prestige in the regiment.
Once he spoke, even if Zhao Gao was unwilling, he could only swallow his words, though his eyes remained venomously fixed on Qin Lie.
Qin Lie couldn’t even be bothered to spare him another glance.
He picked up his lunchbox, turned to Zhou Hai, and said, “Commissar, I’m full. I’ll head back first.”
With that, he strode out of the canteen without looking back.
Behind him were Zhao Gao’s resentful curses and the soldiers’ hushed whispers.
Qin Lie acted as if he heard none of it.
But the fire in his heart burned hotter and hotter.
Zhao Gao could insult him however he wanted; he didn’t care.
But he couldn’t tolerate anyone insulting Jiang Wu!
Calling him someone who eats soft rice?
He was eating the food his wife personally cooked, the most fragrant food in the world!
These guys without wives who dote on them, what the hell did they know?!
Qin Lie returned home with a dark face.
Pushing open the door, a faint, pleasant fragrance greeted him, dispelling the canteen grease smell clinging to him and the hostility in his heart.
Jiang Wu was sitting on the sofa knitting a sweater. Hearing the door, she looked up and gave a sweet smile.
“You’re back? So early today?”
Seeing Jiang Wu’s smiling face, the anger in Qin Lie’s heart inexplicably subsided by more than half.
He made a low “Mhm” sound, changed his shoes, walked over, and placed the lunchbox on the table.
“The food was delicious. I ate it all.”
“Really?”
Jiang Wu’s eyes sparkled like a child given candy.
She put down her knitting, opened the lunchbox, and took a look.
It had been washed clean inside, not a single grain of rice left.
“As long as you liked it, I’ll make something else for you tomorrow.”
Jiang Wu, satisfied, picked up the lunchbox to wash it in the kitchen.
Qin Lie grabbed her wrist.
His palm was large, dry, and warm, with rough calluses, enveloping her slender wrist with an irresistible strength.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Wu looked back at him, somewhat puzzled.
Qin Lie didn’t speak, just looked at her intently.
His gaze was deep, as if trying to pull her in.
Jiang Wu felt a bit uneasy under his stare, her cheeks slightly warm.
“Why… why are you looking at me like that?”
“Jiang Wu.”
Qin Lie suddenly spoke, his voice a bit hoarse.
“From now on, cook for me every day, okay?”
He didn’t know why he was saying such a thing, as if bewitched.
He just wanted to eat every meal she made, to keep them all for himself, not letting anyone else covet them.
He also wanted to keep this person firmly by his side, belonging to him alone.
Jiang Wu was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Silly, who else would I cook for?”
Her smile was bright and radiant, like a beam of sunlight instantly illuminating Qin Lie’s entire world.
Qin Lie’s heart skipped a beat.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he pulled Jiang Wu into his arms, holding her tightly.
Jiang Wu let out a muffled grunt from the impact, her face buried in his solid chest, her nose filled with the pleasant scent of soap mixed with sweat from him.
“Qin Lie, you’re hurting me…”
She protested softly.
But Qin Lie held her even tighter.
“Don’t move, let me hold you for a while.”
His voice was muffled, carrying a hint of vulnerability that was hard to detect.
Jiang Wu stopped moving.
She could feel Qin Lie’s mood was off today.
She obediently leaned into his embrace, reaching up to gently pat his back, as if comforting a wounded large predator.
After a long while, Qin Lie slowly released her.
His eyes were a bit red.
“I’m fine.”
He didn’t want her to worry.
But Jiang Wu reached up, her finger gently touching the space between his eyebrows.
“Did something unhappy happen at the base?”
Her voice was very soft and gentle, like a feather tickling his heart.
Qin Lie’s heart trembled.
Looking into Jiang Wu’s clear, worried eyes, he suddenly had an impulse to tell her all his grievances.
But in the end, he just shook his head.
“No, I just missed you.”
For a grown man to say such a thing, even Qin Lie felt a bit embarrassed.
The tips of his ears turned slightly red.
But Jiang Wu believed him.
Her face flushed red too, her heart feeling as sweet as if filled with honey.
“Glib tongue.”
She shot him a coquettish glare, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his chin.
“I’ll go boil water for your bath.”
After saying that, she ran into the kitchen with a red face.
Qin Lie touched his chin, where the soft sensation of her lips still lingered.
He grinned, smiling silently.
To hell with Zhao Gao, to hell with idle gossip!
With such a wonderful wife waiting for him at home, what more could he possibly want?
That night, after his bath, Qin Lie came out wearing only a towel around his waist.
Bronzed skin still glistening with water droplets shimmered enticingly under the light.
His solid chest, the well-defined eight-pack abs, those explosive Adonis belt lines…
With just one glance, Jiang Wu felt her cheeks heat up and her heart race.
She quickly averted her gaze, pretending to focus on tidying the bed.
Qin Lie looked at her earlobes, red enough to drip blood, his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously.
He walked over and hugged her from behind.
“What are you busy with?”
His warm breath brushed against the back of her ear, causing a shiver.
“N-nothing much.”
Jiang Wu’s voice stuttered a little.
“Let me help you.”
As Qin Lie spoke, his hand strayed into the hem of her clothes, covering that warm softness.
Jiang Wu’s body stiffened, her breath catching.
“Qin Lie, stop messing around…”
Her voice was soft as a puddle of water.
Not only did Qin Lie not stop, he escalated.
His lips traveled down from her earlobe, kissing her long, pale neck.
“Jiang Wu…”
He called her name hoarsely.
“I want you…”
Jiang Wu felt her whole body go limp under his teasing, almost unable to stand.
She turned around, her hands pressed against his chest, wanting to push him away but lacking any strength.
“No… not today…”
“Why not?”
Qin Lie frowned in dissatisfaction.
“I… I’m tired today.”
Jiang Wu offered a random excuse.
Actually, she wasn’t tired; she was scared.
This man’s demands in bed were like a never-tiring beast, making her feel as if she’d fall apart every time.
Qin Lie looked into her watery eyes; how could he not know what she was thinking?
He chuckled lowly, leaning close to her ear and whispering, “It’s fine. Today, I’ll do the moving; you just lie there.”
Jiang Wu’s face flushed completely red.
How could this man say such shameless things!
“Pervert!”
She was both embarrassed and angry, hitting his chest.
Qin Lie caught her hand and kissed it.
“I’ll only be a pervert for you.”
Then he scooped her up by the waist and strode toward the bed.
“Ah!”
Jiang Wu gasped in surprise, clinging tightly to his neck.
The next moment, she was tossed onto the soft bed by Qin Lie.
Qin Lie leaned over her, casting her in his shadow.
“Jiang Wu, tonight you’re mine.”
His voice was domineering and sexy, throwing Jiang Wu’s heart into disarray.
Just as Qin Lie was about to proceed, Jiang Wu’s hand suddenly reached for his neatly folded military uniform on the bedside table.
It was a green service uniform, the two bars and three stars on the shoulder boards gleaming with authority under the light.
“Qin Lie,” Jiang Wu’s voice held a hint of curiosity and infatuation, “you look really handsome in your uniform.”
Qin Lie’s movements paused.
“You like it?”
“Mhm.” Jiang Wu nodded vigorously, her eyes sparkling. “Especially like it. It’s so imposing.”
Seeing her adoring expression, Qin Lie’s vanity was greatly satisfied.
He rolled over, lying beside her, and pulled her into his arms.
“Then I’ll wear it for you every day from now on.”
“No.” Jiang Wu shook her head.
She wriggled out of his embrace, picked up the uniform jacket, and clumsily slipped it on.
The shirt was far too big, hanging loosely on her, the sleeves too long, the hem almost long enough to be a dress.
But precisely like this, it held a unique temptation.
The oversized uniform made her figure appear even more delicate. The stretch of pale, slender calf exposed under the dim lamplight made Qin Lie’s eyes blur.
“What are you doing?” Qin Lie’s voice was hoarse beyond recognition.
Jiang Wu turned around, imitating him, trying to straighten her back, her little face serious.
“Reporting, Sir! I’d like to inspect if your uniform fits properly!”
Her earnest expression, paired with that mismatched outfit, didn’t carry a shred of authority but instead brimmed with a blood-pulsing sense of taboo.
Qin Lie felt all the blood in his body rush to one place.
He took a deep breath, trying to suppress that wicked fire.
“Ridiculous! Take it off now!”
“I won’t!” Not only did Jiang Wu not take it off, she buttoned it up one by one, leaving only the top button undone, revealing her delicate collarbone and a sliver of snow-white skin.
She walked up to Qin Lie, looking down at him from above.
“Commander Qin, I order you now, you’re not allowed to take off your clothes tonight!”
She extended a slender finger, poking his solid chest.
Qin Lie shuddered as if struck by an electric current.
Looking at the small woman wearing his uniform and giving him orders, he felt she was like a soul-snatching enchantress.
He grabbed her mischievous hand, yanked hard, pulling her down on top of him.
“Jiang Wu, you’re playing with fire.”
His voice was full of dangerous warning.
But Jiang Wu wasn’t afraid.
She straddled his waist, hooked her arms around his neck, her breath as fragrant as orchids.
“Well… Commander Qin, do you want to put out the fire or make it burn even brighter?”
As she spoke, she deliberately swayed her waist.
Qin Lie sucked in a sharp breath, veins throbbing at his temples.
He couldn’t hold back anymore.
He flipped over, reversing their positions.
He pinned her down, his dark eyes burning like two flames.
“Enchantress!”
He ground out the word through clenched teeth, then kissed her fiercely.
This night was destined to be sleepless.
The uniform was casually tossed beside the bed, crumpled and wrinkled.
The temperature in the room was hotter than the summer night outside.