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Under the moonlight, twenty people raised their hands high and shouted slogans together, cheering for the future.

When everyone had returned to the dorms, Gu Xiaoxi said goodbye to Yun Xiao, stood up, and took Xiao Xiao to forage on the mountain.

Moreover, she had made a promise to Zuo Yu. A month later, she would return his belongings to him.

However, as soon as she walked out of the main gate, she saw Young Master Quan’s car at the entrance and approached it out of curiosity.

In the Hummer, the man’s hands were crossed on his lap, and he watched her intently with a deep gaze, tilting his head.

Gu Xiaoxi smiled gently, "Why are you here..." But before she could finish speaking, a pair of hands grabbed her arms and quickly pulled her into the car.

The next moment, she was lying in a warm embrace.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and the familiar scent of the man enveloped her, causing her cheeks to turn imperceptibly red.

"Why didn’t you reply to my message?" Quan Shaoqing’s dark eyes deepened, and he asked with a warm anger in his voice.

Gu Xiaoxi shook her head, "Did you message me?"

She quickly pulled out her phone, only then noticing there were two unread messages. Embarrassed, she touched her nose and immediately explained to Quan Shaoqing, "It’s not that I didn’t reply, it’s just that I was busy just now."

"Have you been drinking?" Quan Shaoqing frowned tightly as the smell of alcohol wafted from Gu Xiaoxi as soon as she spoke.

"Everyone drank; we had a gathering tonight. You wouldn’t know because you didn’t reply!" Gu Xiaoxi explained candidly.

Quan Shaoqing immediately looked up at Lin Mi, who was driving, his gaze full of inquiry.

Lin Mi, who had been acting like air until now, said puzzled, "I really didn’t know!"

"Did that Instructor Chen allow you to gather?" Quan Shaoqing snorted coldly, "Drinking and gathering without superior approval is against military rules."

"Hey, don’t be like that! We suggested it. Everybody passed the assessment today; we were just happy and celebrating. Don’t spoil the fun, okay?" Gu Xiaoxi pouted her cute lips, propped herself against his chest, and hurriedly tried to sit up, but Quan Shaoqing hugged her even tighter.

His fingers, white as jade, carried a cool warmth, gently lifting her chin, a cold light flickering in his eyes, "You’re so eager to defend him; it seems you’ve been getting along quite well recently."

Gu Xiaoxi felt there was something off in his tone and looked directly into his eyes, muttering softly, "It’s normal for an instructor and soldiers to get along well. We all get along very well."

"Oh! I’d like to hear more about how exactly you ’get along so well.’"

Gu Xiaoxi was made uncomfortable by his icy stare, and as she tried to turn her head away to avoid his gaze, he gripped her even tighter.

"Ugh, you’re so annoying! If you want to blame someone, blame me! I bought the drinks tonight." Gu Xiaoxi suddenly summoned the courage to glare at Quan Shaoqing; he had started speaking sarcastically after not seeing her for several days.

What had she done to provoke him again?

Lin Mi exited the car, took out a cigarette, lit it, and began to smoke slowly. The inside of the car was too tangy, with various auras intertwining, which made him feel uneasy; outside seemed safer.

At that moment, Xiao Xiao also came over to his side, barking incessantly.

Lin Mi immediately made a shushing gesture to him.

The atmosphere inside the car became even tenser with their exchange.

Quan Shaoqing’s face was cold with anger as he demanded, "Where did you get the money?"

Gu Xiaoxi slapped his hand, snorted coldly and struggled to get out of his embrace, "You ask too many questions. I have a lot of money; why should I tell you?"

"I am your guardian! I have the right to know everything about you." Quan Shaoqing suddenly grabbed her wrist, his questioning intense, "You’re really good to your Instructor Chen, daring to take responsibility for him. Can you handle it?"

"Quan Shaoqing, did you come here just to argue with me? Why do you always bring the topic back to him? Did he offend you?" Gu Xiaoxi was utterly bewildered, feeling overwhelmed by his demanding gaze. She began to gasp for air, struggling more forcefully to break free.

Not only did Quan Shaoqing not let go, but he also held her even closer, the atmosphere between them becoming instantly charged.

"You’re hurting me." Gu Xiaoxi’s cheeks flushed with strain, her lips pressed tight in anger. The pain on her wrist made her feel wronged, and a thin layer of mist rose in her eyes.

Seeing the puffiness on her face and noticing the slight grievance in her eyes, Quan Shaoqing immediately loosened his grasp, switching instead to imprisoning her waist with both hands. Either way, he didn’t allow her to get even a hair’s breadth away from him.

His eyes blazed like twin flames as he stared intensely at Gu Xiaoxi, causing her to feel alarmed.

He seemed as dangerous as a hunter, and she felt like the prey he had set his sights on.

"Let me go, I have training tomorrow!"

His stare triggered her instinct to escape, her face and body heating up under his watch, as if a fire was roasting her, causing her heart to beat uncontrollably.

"I can let you skip training tomorrow. Or I can get you a three-day leave." Quan Shaoqing’s voice rasped as if scorched by something, becoming husky and seductive. Their earlier struggle stirred a fire in his belly, making him itch unbearably.

He held her, reluctant to let go, but he wouldn’t do anything to her at such a time.

"Quan Shaoqing, you’re being unreasonable." Gu Xiaoxi was tightly embraced in his arms, her chest pressed against his, and she could feel his heart pounding like thunderous drums.

It was the sound of his heartbeat, so clearly transmitted into her body, and immediately after, she also found her thoughts in disarray.

"Drive us home!" Quan Shaoqing suddenly ordered Lin Mi.

Lin Mi quickly placed Xiao Xiao in the passenger seat and then drove home.

"From now on, I’ll pick you up every night to take you home," Quan Shaoqing said angrily. Just thinking of her mingling with a bunch of men every day made him feel restless.

"I’m fine in the dormitory. Where would I sleep if I went back to your place?

" Gu Xiaoxi struggled a bit but, seeing she couldn’t free herself, she simply gave in and buried her head in his chest. Since he liked holding her, she might as well let him do it.

After all, she wasn’t the one going through the trouble.

"I’ll take you back to A City!"

"You’re crazy!" Gu Xiaoxi exclaimed angrily. "The competition is approaching. We need to intensify our training."

But Quan Shaoqing looked at Lin Mi with a chilly gaze and instructed, "With the competition imminent, Chen Cheng led everyone to drink privately, violating military regulations. The whole team is punished with confinement for one day. Gu Xiaoxi bought the alcohol, so her punishment is two days of confinement. I’ll take her back for ideological education.

For the lessons missed, we’ll catch up with extra training at night. "

Damn!

Gu Xiaoxi was left speechless. What exactly was he trying to do?

"Quan Shaoqing! You’re not joking, are you?" Gu Xiaoxi forced a laugh, as this was no laughing matter.

"Do I look like I’m joking?" Quan Shaoqing asked indifferently, looking at Lin Mi.

"Yes, I’ll conduct a surprise inspection immediately, and then issue the orders," Lin Mi responded.

Guiltily thinking of the cell phone in her pocket, Gu Xiaoxi immediately took it out, ready to tip off the others. She wanted to tell them to get rid of all evidence—if she remembered correctly, the empty wine bottles from dinner were still piled up in the cafeteria.

Because she had to take Xiao Xiao out for food that night, she drank the least. The others were surely drunk.

Quan Shaoqing seemed to have the eyes of an eagle, extending his hand to snatch the cell phone Gu Xiaoxi was covertly hiding behind her, taking it away.

"It’s too late for tipping off now," Quan Shaoqing said as he toyed with her phone, seeing the words ’you guys’ already typed out, he chuckled coldly and put the phone in his pocket.

Lin Mi couldn’t help but twitch his lips. Was it easy for the boss to spend time alone with his wife? This punishment was truly ingenious.

"Quan Shaoqing, what exactly do you want?" Gu Xiaoxi worried inwardly; if everyone was punished because of her, she would feel incredibly guilty.

The alcohol was her purchase, and now everybody else was suffering the consequences.

"We’ll talk at home!"

After that, Quan Shaoqing held onto Gu Xiaoxi’s hand, refusing to let go.

She said all she wanted, but he ignored her.

By the time they got back to A City, it was already eleven o’clock at night.

Gu Xiaoxi, still fuming, strode forward with heavy steps, while Quan Shaoqing followed behind with seeming indifference.

Now that they were home, he wasn’t worried about her running away.

At this moment, the butler immediately ran up happily, smiling cheerily, "Young Master and Miss Gu have returned. I’ve prepared the bath water and clothes for you. Do you need to bathe now? The supper is also ready, you can come down to eat anytime."

Gu Xiaoxi looked at the butler politely, smiling gently and gracefully, "Thank you, you’ve been very hardworking."

Quan Shaoqing, looking satisfied, nodded and said to Gu Xiaoxi’s retreating figure, "You’re more and more like the lady of the house."

"..." Gu Xiaoxi turned around and glared at him, and seeing the burning light in his eyes, she said angrily, "Why did you bring me back? What do you want?"

And proudly punishing everyone with confinement.

Quan Shaoqing walked up icily, coughed, and then gently took her hand into his, pulling her into the elevator and up to the third floor.

Seeing her own room, Gu Xiaoxi felt she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

To her dismay, the man behind her picked her up in one motion and headed for his bedroom.

Gu Xiaoxi immediately tensed, clutching his collar, her cheeks flushed red, her gaze flickering as she asked, "Quan Shaoqing, what are you doing?"

"Taking a bath!"

"Why do you need to carry me for a bath?"

"...!" Gu Xiaoxi felt that when a man got wild, he was more terrifying than a wild beast. "Put me down. I don’t want to..."

"I’m about to become your husband, is that really the right word to describe me?

I prefer the word you used at the beginning!

" Quan Shaoqing said with a hooked lip, slightly dissatisfied with her attitude.

Then, with a kick, he opened the bedroom door and carried Gu Xiaoxi inside with large strides.