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Lunchtime found Gu Xiaoxi still being punished.

Yun Xiao sneaked over to her with a steamed bun, "Here, lunch for you!"

"Thanks!" Gu Xiaoxi didn’t decline and was about to eat it on the run.

But just at that moment, someone stopped her.

"Who told you to bring her food?"

Gu Xiaoxi’s hand, pinching the bun, stiffened. This guy was like a bad penny!

He had already punished her; what more did he want to do?

Seeing it was Young Master Quan, Yun Xiao stepped back, scared, saluted, and explained, "Not eating will lead to hunger! I thought she was hungry."

The explanation was far-fetched, but Yun Xiao was so frightened that she couldn’t think of what else to say.

Young Master Quan looked Yun Xiao up and down, chuckled coldly, and said, "Did we know each other before? Why does your face seem familiar to me?"

"Superior officer, how could you possibly know me? It’s just that I’m a Special Ability User, and you appreciate me for it," Yun Xiao said, bracing herself.

She feared that one slip-up could lead to a major mistake.

Seeing Yun Xiao so nervous, Gu Xiaoxi grabbed the bun and stuffed a big bite into her mouth.

Young Master Quan was suddenly filled with anger, "Did I say you could eat?"

"You didn’t say I couldn’t," Gu Xiaoxi replied, taking another bite.

She truly was hungry.

Young Master Quan was at a loss for words, glaring at Gu Xiaoxi, feeling suddenly speechless, "I think you need serious education. You are not allowed to eat when being punished. Those are the rules!"

"Superior officer, special forces don’t have so many rules. On the battlefield, we too need to eat. We do it to survive," Gu Xiaoxi said, biting the bun again. Much of it was already gone.

Young Master Quan stood in front of her, feeling somehow powerless against her.

"Quibbling! Is this how you serve as a soldier, Gu Xiaoxi? Bad character, disobedient, the Qiwei Department doesn’t need a soldier like you." Young Master Quan thought he had never been so defied to his face.

Gu Xiaoxi was just not playing by the rules, always going against him.

He hadn’t made an issue of the billion-dollar separation fee she’d taken from him, and still, she seemed to want to anger him to death.

"Superior Officer, do you need something else? If not, I’m going to continue my run," Gu Xiaoxi said, turning to start running again.

Young Master Quan bit his teeth, feeling as if he was punching cotton - this woman seemed to be problematic all over.

"You’re not to eat dinner as punishment!" he blurted out in anger.

Without turning back, Gu Xiaoxi nodded, "I got it."

Young Master Quan was left standing there, stunned. In the sunlight, Gu Xiaoxi’s retreating figure, standing tall, became more and more distant.

He inexplicably felt a touch of pity, and then, just as inexplicably, smacked himself.

What was he feeling pity for?

At this moment, Young Master Quan was filled with too many questions he couldn’t figure out, so he sat down on a bench not far from the track.

Lin Mi, after finishing lunch, had looked for Young Master Quan and finally found him sitting on a bench at the edge of the big lawn.

"Superior Officer, it’s time for you to rest. If you don’t go back now, you’ll miss your midday nap," Lin Mi urged from the side.

"Always fussing! Bring my book over here. I’ll rest a bit right here," Young Master Quan felt that the more rebellious Gu Xiaoxi became,

the more he needed to work hard to train this rebellious person properly.

"Lin Mi, don’t forget to bring me Gu Xiaoxi’s past records," Young Master Quan instructed.

Lin Mi felt a headache coming on, how had Quan Shaoqing started paying attention to Gu Xiaoxi again so soon after meeting?

This wouldn’t do at all!

"Well? Go on!" Young Master Quan snapped when Lin Mi didn’t move.

A moment later, Lin Mi came over, holding Gu Xiaoxi’s records.

He also brought over the book that Quan Shaoqing often read.

Gu Xiaoxi, meanwhile, was still being punished, but she was puzzled at the superior officer who had not left.

Young Master Quan placed Gu Xiaoxi’s records on his lap, flipping through them slowly, page by page.

From her results as a new recruit to her first-place finish in a world competition, everything was dazzling.

And within the Qiwei Troops, she had, incredibly, managed to capture the minions of a villainous organization by putting herself in danger - a tremendous feat that was truly astonishing.

It was hard to believe that such things were done by a girl.

"I led the team to that World Military Competition; why can’t I remember anything about this Gu Xiaoxi?" Young Master Quan mused, puzzled.

Lin Mi chuckled, hastening to explain, "Didn’t you hit your head a while back and forget a lot of things?"

"So, you mean to say I knew Gu Xiaoxi from before in the army?" Young Master Quan asked, perplexed.

"That’s certain!" Lin Mi felt like he was dying inside.

How was he supposed to answer these questions?

"Then why did I marry her, and my dad said he had introduced her to me, but I have absolutely no memory of her?" Young Master Quan felt his head ache every time he thought about it. A sadness would swell in his heart, an inexplicable tinge of melancholy with no identifiable source.

"Superior Officer, I don’t know about these things. I only know about what happens in the army; other than that, I’m not clear. If you want to read here, I’ll go pour you a cup of tea," Lin Mi, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, turned tail and fled as if his life depended on it.

Quan Shaoqing distinctly felt that Lin Mi was evading his question.

Could it be that there was more to his relationship with Gu Xiaoxi, some unknown secret?

Quan Shaoqing was always someone with meticulous thoughts.

Especially since Gu Xiaoxi gave him such a strange feeling.

The people who appeared in his life were always remembered, yet he couldn’t remember her, which made him inexplicably wary.

...

At this moment, Gu Xiaoxi was running laps on the track not far in front of him, while he sat under a camphor tree, flipping through his favorite book on military deployment.

Occasionally, he would look up to supervise her, checking if she was slacking off.

Lin Mi and Yun Xiao stood not too far away, feeling anxious and frustrated.

"Yun Xiao, what should we do if the superior officer notices Gu Xiaoxi again? What if feelings between them intensify?" Lin Mi asked.

"Don’t worry! After all, we only have one month, and then we will be on a mission. Without seeing each other, where can feelings come from?" Yun Xiao explained.

However, Lin Mi didn’t see it that way.

If you like someone, not to mention a month.

A fleeting moment is enough.

If Quan Shaoqing’s gaze stays on Gu Xiaoxi during this month, it’s inevitable that feelings would develop between them.

"No, this won’t do. I have to talk to Gu Xiaoxi and work something out," Lin Mi thought.

In the afternoon, Quan Shaoqing went to class.

Gu Xiaoxi was still running laps, feeling incredibly bored, but she couldn’t stop...

Actually, she was pondering over the same issue as Lin Mi.

She wondered, had she overplayed her hand in this matter?

And, was it possible that she couldn’t stay in the military camp any longer?

She remembered that Zeng Yuying mentioned she would be sent undercover. Why had there been no news for so long?

As for her, she didn’t need to learn tactical courses, psychology courses anymore.

She had learned everything she needed to while following Quan Shaoqing in the past.

Back then, to help her grow quickly, Quan Shaoqing had privately taught her many courses.

In the afternoon, although Quan Shaoqing was lecturing, his gaze never left Gu Xiaoxi on the track.

Even when she occasionally slowed down her pace, seemingly deep in thought, he noticed it all.

Soon the afternoon classes ended.

Everyone returned to their dormitories.

Only Gu Xiaoxi continued to be punished by running laps.

After class, Quan Shaoqing came to the edge of the track and upon seeing that Gu Xiaoxi had persevered in running for so long, he had to admit that her physical endurance was among the best of the female soldiers, even surpassing some of the male soldiers.

"Come here!" Quan Shaoqing waved to Gu Xiaoxi from afar.

Gu Xiaoxi walked over quickly and saluted, "May I ask if you needed something?"

"Tired?" Quan Shaoqing asked.

Gu Xiaoxi was puzzled; was he starting to care about her?

After thinking it over carefully, she realized this wasn’t Quan Shaoqing’s nature at all!

She knew him well; he wasn’t one to care about people he disliked.

Indeed, the next second she heard Quan Shaoqing say, "Next time, if you don’t pay attention in class, the punishment won’t be so simple."

"Understood," Gu Xiaoxi saluted.

Quan Shaoqing sighed indifferently, looking at the sweat on her face, and said, "You can go rest now. Come to my office tonight, I have something to tell you."

"Sorry, but I have an appointment tonight to practice techniques. If the superior officer has anything, you can just tell me now," Gu Xiaoxi replied, looking up, her gaze landing on his captivating features.

Quan Shaoqing’s eyebrows furrowed, his eyes dark and shining like black gems.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, "Aside from being married to me, did we have any other interactions before?"

Gu Xiaoxi’s body stiffened for a moment and then returned to normal. She couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter and said, "What do you mean by that, superior officer? Do you think I would like you?"

Quan Shaoqing’s face darkened. She was a bit too blunt.

"Sorry to disappoint you. I only married you because it was my father’s wish. He said you needed a wife. I was just a poor orphan and agreed because I had no money. Now that you’ve given me so much in alimony, it’s enough for a lifetime. Rest assured, I won’t cling to you. There’s also..."

Gu Xiaoxi lowered her voice, a touch of disdain on her face...

Upon hearing this, Quan Shaoqing became inexplicably enraged.

He prided himself on his elegant demeanor, wealth, and power, yet there was a woman who looked down on him!

"Gu Xiaoxi, have you lost your mind!" Quan Shaoqing interrupted her angrily, almost driven mad by Gu Xiaoxi.

What was that look in her eyes, disdain for him? Did she have the right?