Chapter 41.2

Hongjun Island.

Originally, this island was just a desolate, uninhabited island; its concealed terrain and vast area were significant.

Ten years ago, after the troops landed on the island, it took countless hours of blood and sweat to reach its current scale.

Even so, the area occupied by the army, the hospital, and the family quarters was less than one-tenth of the entire island.

Even though the soldiers were continuously expanding, most of the island was still forest.

A vast forest with thousands of trees.

Of course, there were also wild beasts, poisonous insects, snakes, and ants.

This was why Xie Zhen and his team were transferred here; it was a naturally excellent training ground for soldiers.

As far as she knew, when there were no missions, Xie Zhen and his team would frequently enter the forest for training and stay there for several days.

Today was a long-awaited day of rest for Su Xi and also Xie Zhen’s remaining two days off.

Last week, they agreed to transplant peach trees in the forest.

Early that morning, Xie Zhen brought some steamed buns from the cafeteria and came to have breakfast with the Su family.

Now, Chen Xiangyun was completely satisfied with her future grandson-in-law and insisted that Xie Zhen come over for meals whenever he had time.

No matter how grumpy her two grandsons looked, it did not sway her at all.

After the family finished breakfast, Xie Zhen, who was also in camouflage gear, led Su Xi, who had changed into her own camouflage, to the forest.

At that time, camouflage was not as widely used as it was in later years; it was a uniform only available to some specialized troops.

Su Xi’s outfit had been modified from her father’s old clothes.

Now, as they stood together in their camouflage uniforms, they looked perfectly matched, like a handsome man and a beautiful woman—a match made in heaven.

Grandma Chen was so pleased that she couldn’t stop smiling. She had already imagined how adorable their future children, her great-grandchildren, would be.

After saying goodbye to Grandma Chen, Su Xi followed Xie Zhen out of the safety zone set up by the army and walked for nearly an hour before reaching the edge of the forest.

To Su Xi’s surprise, dozens of soldiers were already stationed around the forest’s perimeter, all looking energetic and ready.

Among them were several familiar faces from last year in Province G who had been with Xie Zhen.

One of them, waving vigorously at her with a big grin and making playful gestures, seemed to be called Cao Liang.

Next to him was a burly man with a simple face who looked like Wang Kun—the soldier she had treated last year.

The thin soldier at the edge of the team appeared to be named Chu Peng.

So, were they all soldiers under Xie Zhen’s command?

Seeing these familiar faces, Su Xi waved back happily and smiled before turning her attention to Xie Zhen.

Noticing the puzzled look in Su Xi’s eyes, Xie Zhen whispered, “Although this is just the border, it’s still a primeval forest. I am confident I can protect you, but even a one-in-a-thousand chance of danger is something I don’t want you to face. So, I’ve brought my elite team along, treating it as a training exercise.”

Su Xi hadn’t anticipated this reason. A hesitant expression crossed her pretty face, and she whispered, “Isn’t this a bit much? Just for the two of us.”

Xie Zhen couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry and reached out to gently tickle the tip of her nose with his slender fingers.

Just as he was about to respond, his words were drowned out by the loud cheers of a group of soldiers.

They turned their heads to see a group of camouflage-clad soldiers, their eyes gleaming with teasing, whistling, and shouting.

“Captain Xie, well done! ”

“Captain, give us a kiss! ”

“Yes, yes! A kiss! ”

“Hahaha~~~”

“……”

Xie Zhen narrowed his eyes and stared at his noisy subordinates. He raised his chin and said coldly, “It seems you’re itching for trouble.”

“No! ”The soldiers roared in unison, startling the birds in the forest and causing them to flutter away.

Then everyone eagerly looked over at Su Xi and Xie Zhen’s sides.

If they didn’t move soon, those soldiers would be practically floating over, their eager eyes nearly popping out. Xie Zhen couldn’t bear to look.

Clearly, their self-control was lacking, indicating a need for more training. Xie Zhen thought secretly about adding more drills after his promotion.

“Want to say hello? ”Xie Zhen asked, lowering his head to the delicate girl beside him.

Of course, Su Xi was not one to shy away. She followed Xie Zhen and walked toward the crowd.

Xie Zhen was pleased to introduce his lover to his comrades—they were the comrades who had shared countless trials with him. He looked at the soldiers, who were as fierce as wolves and tigers. He cleared his throat and said with a note of pride in his voice, “I’d like you to meet Doctor Su Xi, my partner.”

Su Xi smiled and slightly bowed. “Hello everyone, I’m Su Xi.”

All the soldiers shouted in unison, “Hello, sister-in-law! ”

Su Xi… was quite overwhelmed.

Fortunately, they were outside—if they had been inside, the noise might have blown off several roofs.

The flock of birds startling out of the woods in the distance was a clear sign of the commotion.

Xie Zhen’s thin lips curled slightly. It seemed these little rascals had a bit of awareness.

Xie Zhen struggled to suppress his rising smile, speaking with an unusual gentleness to the soldiers: “Alright, everyone, turn around! Start running!”

At Xie Zhen’s command, the soldiers, who had been so noisy, quickly composed themselves and trotted into the forest with serious expressions.

From a distance, Cao Liang’s loud voice could still be heard: “Doctor Su, wait for us to catch some rabbits for you…”

Su Xi: “….”

“Let’s go! ”Xie Zhen took the girl’s hand and led her into the forest.

Su Xi glanced in the direction of the main force and asked, “Aren’t we going to keep up with them? ”

Xie Zhen replied seriously, “They’re on a training exercise and can’t stay with us the whole time. We won’t disturb them; just stay close enough to have each other’s backs in case of danger.”

What a joke—following those brats for the whole time would ruin their date!

Su Xi felt relieved and smiled sweetly at him. She felt reassured that Xie Zhen wasn’t completely without a sense of propriety. How could he expect soldiers to always be by his side?

However, she added, “I don’t need protection. You’ve seen my abilities.”

Xie Zhen recalled how the little girl’s delicate hands had struck the wall last year. The contrast was so striking that if it weren’t for his composure, his eyes would have almost popped out. He laughed and said, “I still want to protect you well. I don’t want you to get hurt at all.”

Su Xi: ‘ he was getting better with words, aww…’

She… liked it!

It was probably due to her half-demon physique. While others felt the heat and humidity of the forest acutely, Su Xi found it tolerable. The only issue was the difficult terrain. Given the frequent rains, the forest floor was undoubtedly muddy in places. Additionally, the decayed wood and fallen leaves, mixed with the mud, made the road conditions almost extreme.

Xie Zhen led the way, holding Su Xi’s hand tightly and keeping a close watch on her throughout the journey.

After what felt like an eternity, Su Xi sighed, looked at her watch, and saw that the waterproof plastic covering it was already fogged up.

Fortunately, Xie Zhen had reminded her; otherwise, the watch might have become useless.

“I think I hear water,” Su Xi said, pinching Xie Zhen’s fingers.

Xie Zhen turned around, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead to his jaw and then sliding down to his collar. He didn’t seem to mind, clearly accustomed to the harsh environment. He pointed in a direction and said, “There’s a small river not far ahead. We’ve been walking for almost an hour. How about we take a break? ”

In truth, he regretted telling her about this trip today. The environment here was far worse than he had anticipated. He had originally planned to bring a few comrades along to help carry back two peach trees as a form of exercise. When he mentioned this to Su Xi in the morning, she unsurprisingly refused, so he ended up taking her with him.

The girl, though delicate in appearance, was actually quite skilled in military matters.

After more than an hour, she was almost in the same condition as he was. Aside from some sweat, she remained energetic, and her breathing was steady.

Such physical prowess was rare; aside from himself, Xi Yannan, and Yan An, he hadn’t seen it in anyone else.

He couldn’t understand how this seemingly delicate girl had developed such impressive physical stamina.

“Go… I want to wash my face.” She could also sense that peaches were near the river.

This was a magical sensation she couldn’t quite explain, but as long as she focused on it, she could sense the presence of peach trees within one or two kilometers.

After receiving Su Xi’s response, Xie Zhen expertly guided her toward the river.

This was the edge of the forest. He had been here many times; though not as familiar as his own backyard, he knew it well enough.

A few minutes later, they emerged from the dense woods into a bright, open area.

The river, a shade of green, flowed east in a stepped pattern with a pleasant sound.

Su Xi let go of Xie Zhen’s hand, ran happily to the riverbank, and squatted on a stone step closest to the water, scooping up the clear water and splashing it onto her face.

“Wow, it’s so cool! Xie Zhen, come over here.” The girl’s flawless face was radiant with a smile. The water had dampened the small strands of hair on her forehead, and the clear droplets rolled down her fair skin, accentuating her beautiful features—her black hair like ink, lips red as cherries—making her look like a blooming lotus, pure and alluring.

Xie Zhen stood still, almost frozen, his eyes filled with intense emotion. His large hand at his side clenched and unclenched, revealing his inner turmoil.

Su Xi had not noticed the danger in the man’s eyes; she only wondered why he had suddenly stopped moving.

She wiped the droplets of water off her face, completely forgetting that a little fairy was supposed to use a handkerchief to dab her face to stay in character.

She jumped to Xie Zhen’s side excitedly, grabbed his big hand, and was about to pull him to the river: “Hurry up, don’t you feel hot? I can see that your clothes are all wet; come and wash them quickly.”

Such ordinary words, in normal times, would have been fine, but at that moment, to Xie Zhen’s ears, they were like pouring oil on a blazing fire, exploding with a loud bang.

Xie Zhen had always believed that being composed and having strong self-control were his true selves. Yet at that moment, he deeply realized that when facing someone he liked, all principles and self-control could be lost in an instant.

It caught him off guard.

He tightly gripped the girl’s small hand and, before she could react, pulled her into his embrace with a firm motion.

Su Xi staggered, and before she could look up to ask what was going on, she felt her chin being lifted up and her waist being held tightly by the man.

Then she was greeted by a scorching, hot kiss.

Su Xi’s eyes widened in shock. The unexpected kiss took her by surprise, and her mind went blank for a moment. All her senses focused on the softness of his lips.

At this moment, she was even distracted for a moment. It turned out that such a strong man had soft lips. Slowly, she came to her senses, sensing the man’s rapid breathing and repressed emotions.

His lips carefully touched hers, not advancing to more intimate contact, as if he didn’t understand or was testing her reaction.

Su Xi didn’t have time to think much; she simply followed her instincts. She tiptoed, raised her hand to tightly grasp the fabric on the man’s shoulders, and then closed her eyes.

Gently… 

She gently returned the kiss.

In an instant, it seemed the man was emboldened. With a forceful movement, the tip of his tongue sought to open her…

Then, the passionate, storm-like kiss quickly eroded Su Xi’s rationality.

She leaned drowsily against the man’s broad and strong chest, passively responding to his fervor.

In the end, she was tenderly held in his arms, loved and cherished…

The trees by the river were lush, the flowers were vibrant, and the willows were green, adding a touch of splendid color to the couple’s affection.

At that moment… The blue waves rippled gently, reflecting the serene and tender atmosphere.

The kiss between lovers was sweet and a bridge to even deeper intimacy.

-o-o-o-

Su Xi’s red lips were slightly swollen. She sat on a large leaf, her shoes and socks removed. 

Her small, white feet were soaking in the cool river water, and she lay lazily against the man who was also soaking his feet.

Xie Zhen’s fierce expression softened. He held the girl with one hand and tenderly kissed her head, forehead, eyes, delicate nose, and bright red lips from time to time as if savoring the kiss they had just shared.

He could no longer maintain his previous restraint and was overcome with the desire to touch her, to hold her close as if he could take her anywhere with him.

At that moment, he realized that he was just an ordinary person, deeply in love with someone, to the point where he didn’t know how to handle his feelings.

He found himself wanting to simply be close to her, to enjoy their quiet moments together, finding happiness even in their silence.

For some reason, he suddenly recalled a sentence his sister had said when she got married a few years ago.

He had asked her, “Sister, are you happy? ”

He couldn’t remember her exact words, but he clearly remembered her particularly beautiful and happy smile and a sentence he had dismissed at the time: “Xiao Zhen, when you meet someone you like, you will understand why your elder sister is happy now.”

Back then, he didn’t understand and didn’t think he needed such trivial emotions, but at that moment, he suddenly recalled those words.

Now he understood what his sister meant when she said she was happy.

Although he still couldn’t picture what happiness looked like, he knew clearly that seeing the person in his arms made him feel that his happiness was someone like Su Xi.

Thinking of this, his gaze lingered on her with an intense warmth.

As if sensing his fervent gaze, Su Xi instinctively lifted her head and met his emotional black eyes.

She then smiled and, with a calm demeanor, exchanged a sweet kiss with the man who had lowered his head to hers.

-o-o-o-o-