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As the first rays of the morning sun sprinkled upon the earth, the training ground immediately came to life.

Everyone rose early to greet the new day, gearing up for the next competition.

Gu Xiaoxi and Yun Xiao also silently rejoined their team. The national flag fluttered, reflecting the refined and pretty faces around her, with everyone wearing confident and vibrant smiles on their faces.

The competition continued after breakfast.

In this group, not only did Gu Xiaoxi and Yun Xiao stand out, but Guo Dong and Huang Xin also managed to stay.

Joining them with excellent results were Gu Yun and his military dog Bao Feng of the Anti-terrorism Special Forces, Xue Xiaoqi and his dog Xiao Tian, Colonel Guo Qiwei from the Naval Fleet with his dog Black Panther, among a dozen others; they were all approved to stay at the headquarters’ training ground with their outstanding performance.

Only twenty people ultimately prevailed.

had initially arrived, but now, after three days of elimination rounds, only one-twentieth truly advanced.

With the three days of training over, the vast and bustling training base fell completely silent.

On the fourth day, Gu Xiaoxi and others welcomed their new instructor and began even more rigorous military and military dog training.

To Gu Xiaoxi’s surprise, Zhang Jingyue had left the army. It was Quan Shaoqing who personally talked to her, and as for what was said, she didn’t know.

Zhang Jingyue specifically sought out Gu Xiaoxi when she left.

Standing on the camp’s large training field, Zhang Jingyue suddenly smiled at Gu Xiaoxi, her voice a bit grating, "Gu Xiaoxi, now that I’m leaving, are you satisfied?"

"This is your own business, what does it have to do with me?" Gu Xiaoxi replied coldly, feeling puzzled, especially with Zhang Jingyue’s resentful expression causing her brows to furrow.

"What does it have to do with me? Didn’t you tell the superior officer about my business, prompting him to ask me to leave the army directly?

Isn’t it because you spoke nonsense in his ear that I was driven out?

" Zhang Jingyue, who came to the army for Young Master Quan, felt the greatest pain and humiliation being dismissed by him personally.

Especially since the man she couldn’t get close to no matter how hard she tried, she had to see him with her every single day.

Gu Xiaoxi let out a cold laugh, feeling speechless, and impatiently stared at Zhang Jingyue, "You got caught doing those disgraceful things by him. Asking you to leave was to prevent you from causing more trouble to his subordinates. I heard your own uncle is the top commander of Division L. With your connections, you could have gone to his unit. You came here to throw your weight around, but he didn’t fall for it, which isn’t surprising. "

"You!" Zhang Jingyue clenched her fists in anger, glaring furiously at Gu Xiaoxi, "Don’t get too cocky. There’s still the grand competition of the international contest, plus the joint military events. Don’t think winning will be easy. The elites picked by my uncle are not to be trifled with."

Gu Xiaoxi raised her eyebrows, a mocking smile on her fair face under the sunlight, "Are you planning to use your uncle’s name to pressure me now?

Unfortunately, I am not one of his soldiers.

If someone under him can really surpass me and replace me to win first place at the world championships, I will step aside.

I would never overestimate myself and joke with the nation’s honor. "

"Don’t dress up your words so nicely, you are nothing but an ordinary person. Gu Xiaoxi, my point in coming here was to tell you, this isn’t over between us, let’s just wait and see," Zhang Jingyue sneered, her expression fierce.

Even though she could do nothing to her now, there would always be others who could deal with Gu Xiaoxi.

"You are leaving, yet you still want to come after me. Zhang Jingyue, once you shed this military uniform, you are no longer my comrade-in-arms. If you think I’m easy to bully, you’re welcome to try.

I tend to spare those of my own side, but I’m not so merciful to enemies," Gu Xiaoxi said, lifting her delicate chin, her tone serious.

Her deep eyes shone with an icy fierceness.

She was not one to tolerate threats, nor was she afraid of them. In the past, she had been lenient because Zhang Jingyue had been a comrade; should she dare to resort to treachery again, she would definitely not let her off.

Zhang Jingyue, however, humphed coldly and turned away, striding off.

Indeed, after leaving, she couldn’t do anything to Gu Xiaoxi, but that didn’t mean that others couldn’t.

Gu Xiaoxi, just you wait, thinking that being close to the source gives you an advantage. I’ll show you what it means to be out of your league, something you can’t aspire to.

The things and people she couldn’t have, she would make sure Gu Xiaoxi couldn’t have either.

Call her a venomous woman or curse her as evil, but in the end, she was just jealous of Gu Xiaoxi. In her life, she couldn’t stand to see her radiance.

Watching Zhang Jingyue’s retreating figure, Gu Xiaoxi frowned deeply. If Zhang Jingyue stirred up trouble, even if she was no longer in the army, she could still cause incidents.

Her status and identity indeed gave her privileges and positions others did not have. Those blinded by benefits were everywhere; not even high-ranking officials could escape it, let alone soldiers in the army.

Gu Xiaoxi felt that from now on, she had to be very careful.

This woman inexplicably harbored resentment against her.

She just didn’t know how exactly Quan Shaoqing came to know about Zhang Jingyue’s affairs, and why he had her dismissed directly.

The day’s training had ended, and when Gu Xiaoxi went back, Quan Shaoqing had already returned.

Rarely did she see him with free time to fiddle with a few potted plants, Gu Xiaoxi released Xiao Xiao to roam freely, and then strode forward to stand in front of Quan Shaoqing and asked, "Did you send Zhang Jingyue away?"

"How did you know?" Quan Shaoqing paused in the act of trimming the branches, turned his head, and his dark eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment, then he answered his own question, "Did she go to you?"

"Do I even need to say it? She looks at me like she wishes she could grind my bones and scatter them to the winds, and she’s long since treated you as her private property.

Now that you’ve sent her away and cut off her last hope, I guess she’ll resort to some trick to make my life difficult.

" Gu Xiaoxi was frank by nature and detested self-centered, narcissistic people with strong jealousy like Zhang Jingyue.

Regrettably, she was someone Gu Xiaoxi couldn’t directly dismiss!

There was always a feeling of frustration inside, and she couldn’t bring herself to like Zhang Jingyue at all.

"This is my turf, she can’t do anything too crazy. Xiao Xi, you’re overthinking it," Quan Shaoqing put down the scissors, touched her head, and bent down to kiss her forehead.

Gu Xiaoxi pouted, feeling that the words Zhang Jingyue said when she left were not well-meaning.

But she was not scared of her! It’s just that having Zhang Jingyue hopping around in front of her was really disgusting.

"Alright, no matter what, I’m on your side," Quan Shaoqing said affectionately as he touched her head.

However, Gu Xiaoxi narrowed her eyes and coldly asked, "How did you find out that Li Wenxing’s incident was instigated by Zhang Jingyue?"

Quan Shaoqing stiffened, and with a couple of dry chuckles, he replied, "I interrogated him, and he confessed."

Gu Xiaoxi blinked, "Really?"

Quan Shaoqing nodded, and then changed the subject, "Let’s not talk about her anymore. It’s annoying. Tell me what you think about the new instructor."

"Handsome!" Gu Xiaoxi said indifferently, reaching out to touch the branches he had just trimmed. The flowers seemed more vibrant after being pruned.

"What else?" Quan Shaoqing’s face darkened slightly as he looked at her.

"Great physique, an eight-pack!"

Quan Shaoqing’s face went completely dark.

Gu Xiaoxi shrugged her shoulders, chuckling, "You asked me to tell. I’m just being honest. Not only do I admit that he’s handsome and has a good build, but even my comrades acknowledge it."

"Is he more handsome than me?" Quan Shaoqing asked with a serious face.

"In my heart, you’re the most handsome!" Gu Xiaoxi lifted her head, looking at Quan Shaoqing’s incomparable handsome profile with a heartless giggle. There was a hint of teasing in her words, but it was true.

In her heart, apart from Quan Shaoqing, there was no man more good-looking or handsomer.

"Are you sure you’re not just trying to cheer me up?" Quan Shaoqing stepped forward, hugged her waist, and pinned her against the small trellis in the garden.

Gu Xiaoxi’s heart skipped a beat, and she grasped his collar in a panic, hastily saying, "If it makes you unhappy like this, I just won’t cheer you up next time."

Her beautiful face flushed, like the evening glow in the sky.

Quan Shaoqing thought this woman was getting more and more beautiful, to the point where he liked her so much he could not extricate himself.

However, after hearing her words, he retorted with some displeasure, "You don’t need to make me happy, because I believe no one is handsomer than me."

Gu Xiaoxi looked up at his confident face and was momentarily at a loss for words.

Alright! She admitted he was the handsomest in the world.

Lin Mi and Yun Xiao hid in the flower bushes not far away, watching the two in the garden. For a moment, they felt they shouldn’t disrupt this beautiful afternoon.

Yun Xiao, leading Xiao Xiao along with Lin Mi, quietly turned and walked towards the shady path not far away. They walked on a mountain road concealed by dense forests, stepping into the blood-red sunset.

All of a sudden, Yun Xiao looked up at Lin Mi with curiosity and asked, "How old are you, officer?"