Can't Take My Eyes Off You

"That's great!" Jiang Yao was overjoyed and asked, "Do you get a holiday after this exercise?"

"There will be no holiday, but I will return to the military base for two days of rest."

Old Yang grinned. "This exercise took less time than we anticipated. I was not expecting the Red Team to be so inexperienced and to lose in such a short period."

Jiang Yao was pleased to learn that she would have two days off. She turned around and returned to her tent, hastily packing up the quilt and other belongings.

Old Yang and the others dismantled everything in the tent. Lu Xingzhi brought a few other people with him.

"Are you done? Let's descend the mountain now." He proceeded toward Jiang Yao's side, carrying her items on his back. Then, he reached out and clasped her hand in his palm.

"There was a thunderstorm last night. The road is a little slippery and tough to navigate. Lean against me and keep your balance," he said softly. "Did the thunderstorm scare you at night?"

The thunderstorm was very frightening. It was that intense, but it was too loud. Jiang Yao was terrified when the first thunder clapped. She was startled awake because she thought there was a big explosion somewhere.

Not only was Jiang Yao taken aback by the storm at night, but she was even more taken aback by Lu Xingzhi's conduct.

She had not expected him to grab her hand in front of so many people. No matter how unpleasant Lu Xingzhi was in private, especially in front of his army comrades, Lu Xingzhi rarely held her hand and hugged her so closely.

"Colonel Lu, you have looked after our doctor very well," one of the Red Team's hostages commented.

"Do you think I should look after you instead of my wife?" Lu Xingzhi responded angrily. Then, he removed a large pear from his pocket and offered it to Jiang Yao. A cluster of grapes was on the other side of his pocket. They were not particularly large, but they had a deep purple color. One could tell they were extremely sweet with just one look.

"Eat some fruits to satisfy your hunger. I walked around to collect those." Lu Xingzhi placed the items in Jiang Yao's hand. Then, he turned his attention to the road.

"Colonel Lu is a true gentleman. Have you ever come upon wild grapes in the mountains? I told some of our team members to look for them, but they only found pears. Later, I had to send them away, so Mrs. Lu hasn't had any other fruit." Old Yang scratched his brow as he glanced at Jiang Yao's wild grapes. The sight made him hungry.

First, Lu Xingzhi said something, and then Old Yang said something else, both of which astonished Liu Chao and the other two persons.

Lu Xingzhi did not say much. He mumbled something to the individuals behind him. Then, he stepped forward and hugged Jiang Yao.

Jiang Yao had to eat because Lu Xingzhi was around. However, since there were so many people, she was embarrassed to eat alone. It was clearly insufficient to share with them, so she stuffed the items into her pocket. Moe, who was hidden in her pocket, thought it was a fair deal.

It was easy to ascend the mountain, but it was difficult to descend it. It had rained the night before, so the group of individuals traveled down the mountain slowly and carefully for about four hours before reaching the base.