No matter what, he should go see the children.
After all, he was a father, and it wouldn’t be right not to check on them.
Thinking this, he didn’t feel awkward at all. He quietly pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room was pitch dark and completely silent.
He entered his son and daughter’s room and turned on the light. On the two small beds, the children were sleeping soundly.
His daughter liked to kick off her blanket at night, and now it had already fallen to the floor.
He went over, picked up the blanket, and covered her.
Only then did he notice that the little girl’s hair had been cut, and she was wearing a beautiful dress with an adorable butterfly hairpin.
She looked so neat and obedient, completely different from the dirty little girl who had always had a runny nose.
A child dressed this nicely, as the saying goes, “A child with a mother is like a treasure; a child without a mother is like a weed.” Today, Nian Nian looked like a child with a mother.
There was no doubt—this had been done by Jiang Mengning.
Thinking of that woman, and her strange behavior today, he began to seriously doubt that this Jiang Mengning was still the same lazy, proud, and domineering woman he had known.
Then who was she, really? Could it be… a spy in disguise? Nowadays, spies were everywhere, infiltrating all walks of life. If she truly was a spy…
Huo Jinyan narrowed his eyes, a sharpness in his gaze. If that were the case, she wouldn’t survive the night.
Leaving the children’s room, he approached Jiang Mengning’s door.
There was no movement inside—she must have gone to sleep.
He reached for the doorknob, about to turn it, but hesitated.
During the day, he had already seen things he shouldn’t have.
What if… he didn’t dare act rashly now. What if she was indulging in some unusual habit inside?
After thinking it over, he withdrew his hand.
He would wait until morning.
“Ah!”
Just as he turned to leave, a sharp scream came from inside the room. It was Jiang Mengning’s voice.
Huo Jinyan froze. Without thinking, he kicked the door open and rushed in.
“What’s wrong?”
Inside, Jiang Mengning was standing on the bed, her face full of terror as she stared toward the nightstand.
The moment she saw Huo Jinyan enter, without thinking, she instinctively leapt onto him.
Like an octopus, her legs wrapped around his waist, her head buried in his neck.
Her voice trembled: “There’s a snake… a snake!”
She didn’t dare look up, only pointing toward the nightstand.
Huo Jinyan instinctively held her waist and looked in that direction.
There, a thick black snake, about the size of a wrist, was crawling from the nightstand toward the window, quickly escaping.
He carried her over and shut the window firmly. Living near the mountains, encountering snakes was normal.
Usually, he would have killed it on the spot.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Mengning to be so terrified.
The girl clung tightly to him, pressed against him so closely that he could feel the softness of her chest. It was hot, and with both of them embracing, it felt even more intimate.
Huo Jinyan cleared his throat and patted her arm.
“The snake’s gone. You can get down now.”
“It’s… really gone?” Jiang Mengning could hardly believe it.
She had always been terrified of snakes.
To think one would appear while she was sleeping—it seemed this place had far too perfect an ecosystem.
“Yes.” The man replied with a low hum.
Only then did Jiang Mengning cautiously lift her head.
She turned to look and, sure enough, the nightstand was empty. Scanning the room, she saw no trace of the snake. Finally, it was gone. Her tense muscles instantly relaxed.
She wrapped her arms around Huo Jinyan’s neck, pressing her whole body against him.
“Ugh, I was so scared! How could there be a snake here? I’m terrified! I’m most afraid of snakes!”
She had filmed in the mountains before and had been bitten by a snake. The hospital was far away, and because of the delay in treatment, she had almost died from the venom. Since then, she couldn’t bear to see snakes. Even thinking of one wrapping around her ankle made her break out in goosebumps.
Fortunately, she hadn’t slept too deeply tonight. Groggily waking at a noise, she turned on the light and found herself staring straight at the snake. She had been petrified. Thankfully, Huo Jinyan had returned, or she would have “died” again tonight.
Overwhelmed with fear, she clenched her tiny fists and pounded him lightly.
“Huo Jinyan, why are you back so late?” Her voice was soft, almost like she was pouting.
Huo Jinyan prided himself on his composure, unaffected by the environment. Yet at that moment, his heart raced. This woman… she was truly skilled. He had heard that spies could use seduction, training women to manipulate men and extract secrets. Could it be…
His gaze darkened. He reached out to gently pat her back, soothingly.
“Sorry, I trained too late today,” he said, forcing his voice to be gentle, to seem caring.
Jiang Mengning was dazed. This man… actually said sorry to her? And in such a soft, gentle tone? She looked up and met his gaze. His dark eyes were deep and unfathomable.
Those eyes were sharp, alert, without a trace of warmth. She reached to touch his chiseled jaw and smiled seductively.
“You even say sorry… so good,” she whispered.
Huo Jinyan’s throat tightened. He lifted his head slightly, avoiding her touch. Striding forward, he picked her up and placed her on the bed.
He intended to pull away, but the girl clutched his neck and pressed down on him. He reacted instantly, placing his hands on either side of her to avoid pressing too close.
“Jiang Mengning, what are you trying to do?” His gaze studied her, trying to read any unusual intentions.
Jiang Mengning laughed, a captivating, enchanting sound. She lifted one leg, wrapping it around his waist.
“Two unmarried people alone in a room… what else is there to do? Huo Jinyan, I’m scared of snakes, so just stay tonight!”
Her slender fingers traced his neck, exploring downwards. The man’s expression tightened, forcing himself to remain calm.
Just sexual temptation, he reminded himself. If he couldn’t handle this, he had no face being the commander.
His large hand gripped her thigh, sliding down her smooth skin, reaching her knee, finally holding her delicate ankle.
“Jiang Mengning, you’d better not be deceiving me,” he warned, lifting her foot with effort, bringing it above her head.
On the sole of her foot was a red mole, which he had noticed before. A face could be disguised, but a mole couldn’t be faked. He wanted to confirm if it was still there.
Seeing he was about to, Jiang Mengning kicked his hand away, rolling back onto the bed to avoid his advance.
Huo Jinyan’s eyes darkened. He leaned forward, but Jiang Mengning scrambled, using hands and feet. In the struggle, she left three claw marks on his neck.
He hardened his resolve, grabbed her ankle again, and dragged her from the bed to the floor.
“Ah! Huo Jinyan, you hurt me!”