Chapter 31: Can’t Help Her

[Youxia: I won’t be afraid]

Jin Zhuo sat up abruptly, holding his phone, a smile that couldn’t be suppressed on his lips. He tapped lightly on the screen, but before he could send a message, another one came from Qin Yingxia.

[Youxia: Because we have nothing to fear]

She seemed to think what she said was particularly reasonable, and even sent a “fighting” emoji.

Jin Zhuo was so annoyed that he couldn’t catch his breath and fell back heavily.

He raised his arm to cover his eyes, his throat bobbing up and down.

Jin Zhuo had no way to deal with Qin Yingxia.

The man rolled over, staring at the chat interface, his long fingers tapping lightly, changing Qin Yingxia’s nickname to “Kiss Me.”

Meanwhile, Qin Yingxia, who was in Building 14, saw the “The other party is typing…” pop up several times, but ultimately didn’t receive a message from Jin Zhuo.

She was afraid of missing his reply, so she pressed her phone against her face, and fell asleep like that.

•  

The evening glow pierced through the clouds, dyeing half the sky pink.

The cicadas were relentless, and even more jarring was the whistle of the evening training.

In an instant, countless green streams poured out of the dormitory building, converging on the playground.

“A big rain gave you a day of rest, and you’re all so lazy?”

“Did you forget all the military boxing and dagger drills we just learned?”

“Everyone, face right! Count off!”

“One!”

“Two!”

“Three!”

“…”

Yu Zhizhi yawned quietly, looking like she hadn’t woken up.

Qin Yingxia, standing beside her, had a worried look on her face, and even when it was her turn to count, she didn’t come to her senses.

“Qin Yingxia! Step out!”

“?!”

She jolted, “Report, coach, cough, cough, cough…”

The girl spoke too quickly and choked on her saliva, coughing until her face turned red.

Yu Zhizhi seized the opportunity, “Report coach, Qin Yingxia has a sore throat, so she didn’t have time to count!”

Her reaction speed was simply perfect!

Seeing Qin Yingxia coughing badly, the coach wasn’t as strict as before. After all, she had performed well during military training, and she had learned military boxing and dagger drills well.

“If you’re not feeling well, report it!”

“Yes, coach.” Qin Yingxia responded in a low voice, playing along.

…

The evening training wasn’t strict, mostly singing activities, to promote communication between students.

Qin Yingxia took a few sips from a large cup before she recovered, “Close call, I almost got punished.”

She patted her chest and smiled sweetly at Yu Zhizhi, “Zhizhi, thanks to you.”

Yu Zhizhi sat cross-legged, laughing cheerfully, “With me around, no surprises!”

“But why were you so distracted just now, are you thinking about Jin Zhuo?” She leaned closer, pinching Qin Yingxia’s face playfully.

Qin Yingxia didn’t hide it, nodding honestly like a woodpecker.

Yu Zhizhi: “This afternoon when you woke up from your nap, you still had a phone imprint on your face, so I guessed you were waiting for a message from Jin Zhuo…”

“Ah?” Qin Yingxia covered her face, “Is there still an imprint now?”

“Don’t worry, it’s gone long ago!”

Qin Yingxia breathed a sigh of relief, afraid of being publicly embarrassed.

“Wow—”

“Our formation is actually facing formation number seven tonight!”

“Jin Zhuo’s dorm is all in formation number seven, right!!”

“Yeah! Maybe we can even get their WeChat or something…”

“Do you dare? I don’t dare hahaha…”

“Although we’re training together, your senior is still your senior hahaha…”

“And all four of them in their dorm hold important positions, none of them are easy to mess with…”

“Getting their WeChat doesn’t count as messing with them…”

“…”

As the seventh squad led by Jin Zhuo approached, the fifth squad where Qin Yingxia was located became increasingly lively.

Jin Zhuo stood tall, his army green training uniform looking incredibly dashing on him, making him the undeniable center of attention.

He had a straight nose and thin lips, his expression was indifferent, making him seem unreachable.

“How come it’s such a coincidence?” Yu Zhizhi chewed on her hair tie, tying her hair up, instantly feeling cooler. “Yingying, your chance has come, go perform a talent, charm Jin Zhuo!”

Qin Yingxia was stunned, her amber eyes filled with confusion. “I don’t have any special talents…”

Before Yu Zhizhi could speak, the instructor’s voice rang out. “Fifth squad, all stand up!”

Everyone stood up in unison, their movements neat and precise, without any hesitation.

The instructor was very satisfied, praising them for the first time. “Good, keep it up, if you continue like this, the most beautiful squad will definitely be ours!”

“Wang, it’s too early to say that, isn’t it?” Liu, the instructor of the seventh squad, put his arm around Wang’s shoulder. “This time I brought all the soldiers from our squad, let’s have a competition?”

“Alright, let’s compete!” Wang looked at his own squad, and there were already people eager to try.

“Instructor, I’ll go!” A boy walked to the center and performed a standard set of military boxing with a loud “hu hu ha hei”.

“Good! You’re doing great!”

“One more! One more!”

“It’s too boring to just do boxing, we’ve sung songs, we’ve done boxing, how about a dance?”

“Is there anyone who can dance?”

So, Jiang Yinghui, the president of the street dance club, was pushed forward by Xie Chi. “Of course we have to let our president show everyone his skills!”

Jiang Yinghui didn’t hesitate and danced impromptu to the music.

All the students gathered in a circle, applauding.

Qin Yingxia searched for Jin Zhuo through the crowd, realizing that Jin Zhuo wasn’t beside Xie Chi and Pei Lanhe.

She was wondering why she couldn’t find him.

Suddenly, someone poked her left shoulder.

Qin Yingxia thought it was Yu Zhizhi’s prank again, and habitually turned her head to the right, but she bumped into Jin Zhuo’s nose.

Both of them were stunned.

Jin Zhuo didn’t expect Qin Yingxia to turn her head against the norm, his black pupils constricted, her breath was sweet, with a moist heat that landed on his thin lips, a fatal temptation.

Qin Yingxia didn’t expect Jin Zhuo to be so close to her, so close that she could see his long eyelashes. “Jin Zhuo…”

The girl’s amber eyes were shimmering with water, her eyes were slightly red, her voice was soft, seductive without knowing it.

His hand, which was resting on the grass, tightened, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing a section of his forearm, which was already covered in blue veins, showing his restraint and suppression.

“…Hmm, I’m right here.”

Right in front of you, within reach.

The surrounding crowd was noisy, the lights of mobile phones lit up, forming a starry sea, cheering for Jiang Yinghui who was dancing.

“Oh ho—who are these little lovers? Give us a performance too!”

Someone shouted, and in an instant, all eyes were focused on Jin Zhuo and Qin Yingxia.

The two who were originally sitting in the back of the crowd instantly became the new focus.

The flashlight shone on them, and after recognizing who they were, everyone gasped.

“Are we seeing things? It’s Jin Zhuo from our squad and… his rumored girlfriend?”

“What rumored girlfriend? Have you ever seen Jin Zhuo get so close to another girl?”

“They just now… were they hugging?”

“Be bolder, why can’t they be kissing?”

“Oh my…”

“…”

The students’ teasing voices grew louder and louder, their excitement couldn’t be concealed.

Qin Yingxia immediately understood what they were thinking.

“Jin Zhuo… we’re not…”

“Shh…” Jin Zhuo made a silencing gesture, his eyebrows slightly raised. “I never mind how people define our relationship…”