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The warmth in their palms was perceptibly rising.
Then, Chu Ning froze for a moment.
Because she felt it—Ying Jing wanted to pull his hand away.
He exerted force, and her reaction quickened. She tightened her grip, refusing to let him go.
But how could she match his strength? Ying Jing didn’t show any reluctance, smoothly placing his hand on his leg and sitting upright.
Chu Ning was momentarily bewildered.
Ying Jing slowly asked, “Is this how you all live?”
“...What do you mean?”
“Living so exhausting.” Ying Jing turned his head slightly, looking at her, “Do you really need to go through such complicated efforts just to figure out whether you like someone or not? You weigh so many factors, hoping to cover every aspect—life, career, interests—and then emotions come last, even willing to compromise them. By the time you’ve thought everything through and come back for emotions, have you ever considered if that person is still waiting for you where they were?”
Chu Ning was stunned.
Ying Jing’s lips curled faintly, “Why should all the good things in the world be taken by you? Or, where does this confidence come from?”
Chu Ning fell silent.
The last rays of the setting sun had mostly surrendered to the summer night. The crescent moon hung high in the sky, and the basketball court was bustling with activity, more lively than during the day. Under the floodlights, swarms of insects danced, and more people came out to cool off.
The world grew noisier, but between them, it grew quieter.
Chu Ning stood up and said, “Alright, I understand.”
Ying Jing looked at her, “See, this is what I mean. Indifferent to everything, giving up at the slightest difficulty without trying. Do you think this is a sure thing? But feelings shouldn’t be like that.”
A breeze blew, and Chu Ning’s white skirt fluttered.
“True feelings are about saying what you like, confessing, striving, and working hard. If I were you, at this moment, I wouldn’t give up because of difficulties. Instead, I’d make my intentions known to you even more.”
Chu Ning frowned and lowered her gaze, her expression subtly changing.
Ying Jing appeared to have explained everything clearly and taught her what to do. The rest was up to her.
What he wanted was sincerity, clear and genuine affection, not something ambiguous, makeshift, or half-hearted.
Standing up, Ying Jing said, “I won’t force you. Whether you sleep at my place or stay at the hotel tonight, it’s up to you.”
With that, he stepped down the stone steps.
After descending five or six steps, he heard movement behind him.
Chu Ning caught up, gently tugging at his shirt hem, carefully shaking it, then softly said, “I’ll go home with you.”
________________________________________
Cui Jingshu hadn’t returned from square dancing, and Ying Yizhang went to the office to handle official duties.
Only the two of them were at home.
Ying Jing acted as if nothing was wrong, politely inviting her, “You can take a shower upstairs or downstairs; there are towels and pajamas... If you don’t mind, I have new T-shirts; you can wear one of those.”
He even showed her how to adjust the hot water, leading her to the bathroom, saying, “Press this switch first, the right side is hot water. The blue bottle is my body wash, and the pink one is my sister’s. Use hers; it smells nice since she brought it back from abroad.”
After a long list of instructions, though seemingly caring, the distant and restrained tone was easily detectable.
Chu Ning furrowed her brow. Not one to beat around the bush or guess intentions, she straightforwardly asked, “Can you give me an answer?”
Ying Jing glanced at her sideways, remaining silent.
Chu Ning suddenly deflated, turning her face to the right, muttering, “Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep tonight. No matter what, you should say something.”
But Ying Jing remained unmoved, neither softening nor hardening.
Calmly, he said, “Go to bed early; we’ll get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning.” Then added, “No second chances if you miss it.”
Chu Ning: “...”
The next day, on time.
The sky wasn’t fully bright yet; the eastern horizon was grayish-white, and the light was dim.
Chu Ning set her alarm for 5:00 AM, got up, washed up, and five minutes before the time, she opened the door, deciding to wait in the living room. To her surprise, Ying Jing was already in the kitchen, bringing out two glasses of milk. Seeing her, he wasn’t surprised, saying, “You’re up. Drink some milk before we go.”
Chu Ning took the glass, skeptically asking, “Are we going somewhere?”
“What else would we do, practice immortality?”
Today, Ying Jing wore a tracksuit with two bright blue stripes on the shoulders, which boosted his spirit. Looking at his back, Chu Ning smirked, thinking that being in his own territory made his attitude a bit more arrogant.
After finishing the milk, they left on time.
The morning air carried the clarity and calmness that settled overnight. Taking a deep breath, the refreshing sensation circled in her lungs, making her entire body feel invigorated.
Chu Ning realized this was physical training.
“Run along this road towards the east. If you fall behind me by five meters, I won’t feed you lunch,” Ying Jing pointed in the direction, where trees provided lush shade.
Without waiting for her response, he started running.
Chu Ning focused and saw that he had already sprinted two or three meters ahead.
Having long legs doesn’t make you special, does it?
...Or maybe it does.
Chu Ning quickly followed, speeding up to keep within five meters of him.
The first two minutes were fine, but after a hundred meters, her stamina began to wane. Usually busy with work, business, making money, and socializing, she neglected her health while achieving what she wanted.
She wasn’t seriously ill, but her constitution was weak. Summer meant air conditioning, cars for transportation, sitting in the office, and lying down at home—this was Chu Ning’s young life.
At this moment, she was gasping for air, and the five-meter distance was almost lost.
“Eh! Slow down, I... I can’t run anymore.”
Ying Jing glanced at her with a disdainful look.
Chu Ning placed her hands on her waist, her chest heaving violently, “I really have no energy left.”
Ying Jing sneered, “It’s fine; trading health for money is quite profitable.”
Chu Ning hesitated for half a second, weakly defending herself, “I do have a gym membership... an annual card.”
Ying Jing really wanted to roll his eyes.
Without another word, he turned and ran again.
Chu Ning gritted her teeth and persisted, following him. But this time, Ying Jing noticeably slowed down. Just enough to match the pace of the novice behind him, maintaining the five-meter distance.
“We’re here,” Ying Jing stopped, leading her down a stone path to the right.
Chu Ning was nearly out of breath, feeling relieved. She waved her hand to fan herself. Passing through this small path, the view suddenly opened up.
A vast training ground, neat iron fences, sandy fields divided into small sections. To the right was the equipment area with parallel bars, obstacle courses, and climbing nets. To the left was the shooting range.
The soldiers were uniformly dressed, participating in combat training. There were five or six companies divided into ten groups, around five hundred people in total.
Chu Ning understood now; this was a military drill!
Ying Jing led her to the stands, situated on higher ground, flat and open. The wind passed through the mountains, connecting east and west. Just past six o’clock, the sun rose in the east, and the morning glow spread widely.
Chu Ning was amazed by the scene.
Strength, teamwork, and execution gave her an inexplicable sense of awe.
Ying Jing, however, was used to it. He stood up, looking left and right, finally spotting someone and waving.
Following his gaze, Chu Ning saw three or four men standing over there. They were tall, with healthy tanned skin from the sun. One stood out particularly—a clean-cut buzz cut, wearing large sunglasses, exuding a strong, masculine presence.
He wasn’t in the training line, so Chu Ning guessed he must be an instructor.
Just as she thought that, he noticed them too, signaling that he saw them. Then he patted someone’s shoulder and walked towards them. His movements were swift; with one hand on the railing, he vaulted over without hesitation.
Internally impressed, Chu Ning heard Ying Jing call out, “Brother-in-law.”
“...”
Wow! In these two days, it seemed like she was meeting all his family members.
Li Kun removed his sunglasses, revealing a clear and handsome face, minus the stern look from earlier, adding a touch of rugged charm.
He asked Ying Jing, “You’re here?”
Noticing Chu Ning behind him, he nodded slightly in greeting.
“You two stand down below; otherwise, it’ll be unbearable when it gets hot.” Li Kun led them to the training ground. Many people recognized Ying Jing, exchanging smiles and asking about everyday matters. Ying Jing politely responded, his smile indicating he came from a well-mannered family.
Li Kun handed him two bottles of water, “Call me if anything comes up.” With that, he went back to his tasks.
Ying Jing handed one bottle to Chu Ning and opened his own.
Glancing at her, he paused mid-drink, then snatched the bottle from her hand the next second.
“Drink this one.” He handed her the opened bottle.
Chu Ning pursed her lips, subtly moving closer to him.
“There’s nothing fun to do in Xingcheng; the suburbs are too hot. Bringing you here to see this is unique; you won’t find this elsewhere.” Ying Jing spoke matter-of-factly, truly seeing himself as a helpful guide.
Chu Ning sat on a small stool, resting her chin on her hand to watch the soldiers training.
She asked, “Is your brother-in-law also a soldier?”
“Yes, a special forces soldier. He used to be in the peacekeeping forces and was transferred back last year.”
“Does your sister and him not live here?”
“They have assigned housing, but it’s far from where my sister works, so they also have a place outside.”
“Your brother-in-law seems pretty tough. Do they argue?”
Hearing this question, Ying Jing shot her a disdainful look, “Do you think everyone is like you?”
“...”
She began to reflect, wondering if she was really that difficult to please.
“My sister is also a career woman, but her personality is great, and she’s reasonable.” Ying Jing paused, not hiding anything, “Their love journey was bumpy. Actually, I didn’t like my brother-in-law much at first. I thought he was too rigid, almost pretentious.”
“...” Chu Ning bluntly revealed, “You’re just protective of your own. You disapprove of anyone.”
Ying Jing drank some water, neither denying nor confirming, continuing, “My sister fell for him when she was barely eighteen.”
Chu Ning laughed, “Oh, abducting an underage girl, huh?”
Ying Jing shot her a glance, “Right, just like you. The kids in the Lao Ying family have it tough; they attract human traffickers.”
Chu Ning was momentarily speechless.
“They were together when they were young, then separated for a few years, messed around, and eventually got back together. Finally, they achieved a happy ending and got married last year.” Ying Jing naturally licked the water droplets from the corner of his lips.
Chu Ning, watching his gesture, felt her heart race and instinctively looked away.
“The danger level for special forces is quite high. Did your sister hesitate?” Chu Ning asked.
“So, this is the difference between you two.” Ying Jing’s tone was very calm, gazing far at the training field, his eyes devoid of ripples, carrying a sense of resignation, “Liking someone is a pure thing. If everyone thinks things through like you, weighing pros and cons before making decisions, what’s the point? Letting love be love—is it that hard? Forget it,” he suddenly deflated, finding it utterly pointless, “Let’s not talk about it.”
Meanwhile, the training session paused, and they took a twenty-minute break.
The formation dispersed, and the noise gradually increased.
Chu Ning suddenly said, “Let’s make a bet.”
Ying Jing turned his head, “What?”
“Let’s gamble.” Chu Ning pointed at the scattered formations, indicating those soldiers with straight, tall postures like poplar trees, “In a hundred-meter race, pick anyone you want. If I beat him, you’ll grant me one request.”
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