Chapter 78

Usually, Xia Qingning would try to solve problems herself and rarely bothered Lu Jingzhe. But this was a life-saving skill. Even if she had to be thick-skinned, she had to ask him to teach her.

“That… thank you for earlier.”

Xia Qingning didn’t directly ask for his help. Instead, she politely thanked him first. It wasn’t just politeness. Her gratitude was genuine. After all, he had truly helped her and saved her from getting hurt.

“It’s nothing.” Lu Jingzhe replied in a low voice, his expression as indifferent as ever.

Xia Qingning was hesitating about how to ask him to teach her when Lu Jingzhe suddenly looked down at her. His eyes held a complex emotion. He asked in a low voice:

“Have they ever hit you before?”

The original Xia Qingning was timid and obedient. She never dared to fight back. He Shanshan had only bullied her verbally or taken advantage of her, but she had never hit her.

Xia Qingning shook her head and said softly:

“No.”

Hearing her answer, Lu Jingzhe’s tense expression visibly relaxed.

If today’s incident wasn’t a coincidence, he couldn’t imagine how pitiful and helpless she must have been without any family members around her.

She could hear that he was concerned about her. Xia Qingning gained a little confidence. She raised her head, her bright eyes fixed on Lu Jingzhe as she asked:

“That, could you teach me some simple self-defense techniques?”

Lu Jingzhe was clearly taken aback for a moment. He didn’t expect her to ask to learn self-defense. In his mind, she was so weak that if she was bullied, she would probably cry in her bed secretly and wouldn’t think about fighting back.

The little person in front of him once again made Lu Jingzhe realize that he had underestimated her.

“I want to learn those techniques that use clever tricks to attack the enemy’s weak points when they are off guard.” Xia Qingning saw that he wasn’t saying anything, so she quickly explained.

After she finished speaking, she looked at him sincerely and continued, “If something like this happens again, I want to be able to protect myself.”

Other people who encountered such a situation would probably still be recovering from the shock. It was rare for her to have such an understanding. A hint of approval flashed in Lu Jingzhe’s eyes. He nodded slightly and agreed:

“Okay.”

When he came back, he saw that she was always being bullied, so he told her to learn to fight back. Now, she had fought back as he had said, but she didn’t have the ability to protect herself. She almost got hurt. It was indeed his negligence and mistake.

Seeing that he agreed, Xia Qingning’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement. She quickly thanked him and said that she would learn well.

Lu Jingzhe had been in the army for so many years. He didn’t lack combat experience and fighting skills. As long as he taught her, she would be able to protect herself in an emergency.

Considering that it would be inappropriate for others to see them if they practiced outside, they decided to practice in the room after tidying up.

“You’re too weak. If you fight head-on with someone, you’ll definitely lose. So you have to learn to use your elbows and knees, the harder joints of your body, to attack the enemy’s vital points – the chest, throat, cheekbones, eyes… these weak areas of the body.”

“You don’t need to learn too many self-defense techniques. Just a few practical moves will do. But you must be completely proficient. The enemy won’t give you a second chance. You need to be able to defeat them with one move…”

“Initially, even if you master the techniques and use the right methods, you may not be able to subdue someone in a real fight because you don’t have enough strength. So after you master these techniques, you also need to do systematic strength training to strengthen your body…”

Xia Qingning listened attentively and then watched Lu Jingzhe demonstrate.

This included how to quickly break free and counter-lock someone’s wrist if they grab your arm, how to grab the leg that someone kicks with and counter-kick their other leg that is supporting their body…

Lu Jingzhe’s expression was serious and focused. He explained everything in detail, as if he were on a training ground in the army.

The strict and resolute demeanor of a soldier emanated from him, and his precise understanding and control of strength were captivating.

Initially, he didn’t make Xia Qingning practice immediately. Instead, he broke down each move into several small movements and demonstrated them one by one.

“The last move, if someone suddenly grabs your clothes, the way to break free is: put your palms together, interlock your fingers, and wrap them around the person’s arm from one side to the other. Press down hard on their shoulder blades until you force them to the ground.”

After Lu Jingzhe finished explaining, he demonstrated for Xia Qingning. He raised his hand and grabbed Xia Qingning’s clothes in front of her chest, pulling her towards him. He was about to remind her to use the method he had taught her to resist, but he saw that Xia Qingning suddenly froze in place, her face turning red quickly.

He was so focused on demonstrating the move that he didn’t have any other thoughts. When he noticed Xia Qingning’s change, he realized that his hand was grabbing something.

He usually trained male soldiers in the army, so he had never encountered such an awkward situation.

He had just grabbed her without thinking. It was just muscle memory. But he forgot that she was a girl. Her body structure was different from a man’s. Now, between his palms, he felt a soft touch, full and elastic.

As soon as he realized what it was, he immediately let go of his hand.

Xia Qingning’s body, which he had pulled towards him, instinctively leaned back. When he let go, her body lost its support and she leaned back, losing her balance and falling backwards.

Before she fell, Xia Qingning instinctively reached out to grab something. At that moment, Lu Jingzhe reacted and reached out to grab her.

But it was too late. She leaned back too far and pulled him down with her.

They fell together. Fortunately, the bed was behind them, so they didn’t fall directly to the ground.

The immense weight pressing down on her made Xia Qingning short of breath. She was about to speak when she realized that his lips were pressed against hers.

Xia Qingning’s pupils dilated…

His lips were thin and cool, and their soft touch burned her brain blank…

This scene, which she had only seen in dramas before, was happening to her in real life. Xia Qingning didn’t feel romantic. She was terrified.

Because they were too shocked, neither of them reacted for a moment. They remained in this intimate position, lying on the bed.

Just then, a surprised and curious voice suddenly came from the doorway:

“You two… are kissing!”