Jiang Li cradled the still-warm lunch box and squatted in the corner, wolfing everything down.
It was white rice with braised pork. Though it had cooled a bit, for someone who hadn’t eaten in two days, it was simply the taste of heaven.
Once she had eaten her fill, strength gradually returned to her body.
She rolled up the sleeves of the overly long shirt, revealing a stretch of pale forearm, and squatted in the cramped bathroom, ready to get to work.
Huo Yan didn’t have many dirty clothes.
One set of training fatigues, a sleeveless undershirt, and the bedsheet she had soiled.
Jiang Li soaked the larger items in the basin first and added some laundry powder.
Foam quickly bubbled up.
She lowered her head and scrubbed earnestly.
The bathroom door wasn’t closed.
Although Huo Yan sat at the desk outside reading documents, his attention wasn’t on the dense lines of text at all.
His peripheral vision kept drifting uncontrollably toward the bathroom.
From where he sat, he could clearly see Jiang Li’s side profile as she squatted on the floor.
The hem of the loose white shirt lifted slightly with her movements, barely covering the tops of her thighs.
Her smooth calves were folded beneath her, muscles tensing with effort.
Especially her waist.
Because of her squatting posture, the fabric clung tightly to her back, outlining a curve that was almost criminal.
Her body swayed slightly as she scrubbed.
That faint glimpse of pale skin was like a feather, scratching again and again at Huo Yan’s heart.
It itched.
An itch that went straight to the bone.
Irritated, Huo Yan flipped a page of the document with a sharp rustle.
He had always thought women were troublesome—taking forever just to wash clothes.
But now…
He actually felt that watching this girl do laundry was far more interesting than staring at a military map he’d seen eight hundred times.
Jiang Li washed diligently.
She cleaned the training uniform first, wrung it dry, and set it aside.
Then she reached into the bottom of the basin for what remained.
Her fingertips touched something black and soft.
She froze, lifted it up to look—
And instantly, the small face that had only just recovered from a fever flushed bright red.
It was… a man’s underwear.
Black.
Very large.
With a conspicuous bulge in the front.
These were… Huo Yan’s personal clothes.
It was as if her hand had been burned—she nearly threw them away.
In this era, for an unmarried young woman to wash such intimate clothing for a grown man was unbearably embarrassing.
She bit her lip, her heart pounding wildly.
Wash them?Or not?
If she didn’t, that would mean she hadn’t finished her “work.”
If she did…
Jiang Li sneaked a glance over her shoulder.
Huo Yan was sitting with his back to her, seemingly focused on his work.
He probably… hadn’t seen?
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Li steeled herself and pressed the black underwear back into the foam.
Her face burned hot, her fingers trembling.
Eyes shut tight, she scrubbed clumsily a few times.
Just then—
A tall figure suddenly appeared in the bathroom doorway, blocking most of the light.
“Washing a pair of underwear takes that much mental preparation?”
Huo Yan’s voice carried a teasing edge, mixed with a low, indistinct hoarseness.
Startled, Jiang Li’s hand jerked.
Splash!
The sudsy underwear dropped back into the water, splashing up a large spray.
Several white bubbles landed squarely on her nose and cheeks.
She looked ridiculous—and oddly adorable.
Panicked, Jiang Li lifted her head and met Huo Yan’s unfathomably deep gaze.
She hadn’t even noticed when he came over.
He was leaning casually against the doorframe, arms crossed, long legs loosely crossed.
His eyes made no effort to hide their focus on her—intense and invasive.
“I—I didn’t…”
She stammered, raising a hand to wipe the foam from her face.
But her hands were slick with soapy water.
Watching her flustered state, Huo Yan’s lips curved into a playful smile.
He stepped forward, crossing the narrow bathroom in two strides.
The cramped space instantly filled with his overwhelming presence.
Instinctively, Jiang Li shrank back until her spine pressed against the cold tiled wall.
There was nowhere left to retreat.
Huo Yan squatted down in front of her.
The distance between them was dangerously close.
Close enough that Jiang Li could count his thick eyelashes, smell the faint scent of tobacco on him—
Even feel the warmth of his breath against her face.
Huo Yan reached out.
His rough thumb pressed lightly against the tip of her nose.
A little forceful, yet strangely gentle.
Slowly, he wiped away the white foam.
The friction against her delicate skin sent a faint electric shock through her.
Jiang Li stiffened, barely daring to breathe.
She stared blankly at him, her damp peach-blossom eyes full of confusion and helplessness.
His finger slid down from her nose and stopped at her lips.
There was foam there too.
His gaze darkened.His Adam’s apple bobbed.
“So clumsy,”
Huo Yan murmured, his voice hoarse beyond recognition.
He rubbed his thumb firmly across her soft lips.
It hurt a little.
More than that—it tingled.
Jiang Li shuddered uncontrollably.
Huo Yan didn’t withdraw his hand.
His gaze traveled downward, landing on her waist—made even slimmer by her posture.
A patch of the white shirt was wet, clinging translucently to her body.
“Such a thin waist…”
Huo Yan narrowed his eyes, danger lurking in his voice.
“Can you really handle hard work?”
Jiang Li froze.
She didn’t understand the deeper meaning, only thought he was criticizing her strength.
“I—I do have strength!”
She hurried to explain.“I work a lot at home—I can carry fifty jin of rice…”
Seeing her innocent, clueless expression, Huo Yan let out a low laugh.
It resonated deep in his chest, magnetic and dangerous.
“Idiot.”
He muttered.
Just then—
“BEEP—BEEP—BEEP!!!”
A piercing, urgent bugle sounded outside.
Emergency assembly.
Huo Yan’s movements stopped instantly.
The heat in his eyes vanished, replaced by a soldier’s sharp vigilance.
“Damn it.”
He cursed under his breath and straightened.
“I’ve got a mission. I need to head out.”
He turned and strode away, fastening his collar buttons as he walked and grabbing his combat belt.
At the door, he suddenly paused.
He glanced back at Jiang Li, still frozen on the floor.
“Hang the clothes inside. Not on the balcony.”
Then he added,
“And that underwear—”
He paused, a trace of wicked amusement flashing through his eyes.
“Wash it properly. It’s my favorite pair.”
With that, he left.
The door slammed shut.
A moment later came the sound of him locking it from the outside.
Jiang Li collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, her heart pounding wildly.
That moment just now… was too dangerous.
Though she didn’t understand men and women, she instinctively sensed the threat of being swallowed whole.
After a long while, she finally recovered.
Blushing furiously, she finished washing the underwear and wrung it dry.
Then she strung a rope across the room and hung the clothes one by one.
The black underwear swayed gently above her head.
Like a silent declaration.
Jiang Li glanced at it and blushed again.
Just then—
A sudden commotion erupted downstairs.
Immediately after, a shrill, piercing voice cut through the post-rain air and shot straight into the second-floor window.
“Officer! I want to report a crime!”
“My daughter was abducted by someone from your army!”
“I saw her run in here with my own eyes! You must give me an explanation!”
Jiang Li’s hand trembled violently.
That voice—
It was Wang Guifen.
Her lifelong nightmare.
She… she had actually come here?!