Chapter 17: Showdown

"Lu Xiao... let go, I won't study anymore."

"No, you smell so good! Did you wear perfume?"

"I didn't spray anything, let go first."

He leaned down and kissed her neck greedily, as if suffering from a skin hunger, his deep voice sounding like he was trying hard to suppress something:

"I don't believe you, let me smell it properly..."

In the quiet bathroom, the only sounds were rapid breathing and the dripping of water onto the floor.

The moment their eyes met, Nan Jiao's face flushed slightly, perhaps from the heat.

Lu Xiao's fingers trembled as he stroked her face, and he could no longer restrain himself from bending down to kiss her lips, greedily absorbing them as if they were long-awaited sweet rain.

His strong, powerful arms held her firmly in his embrace, while his other hand protected her head to prevent her from bumping it.

The wound on his shoulder reopened due to the exertion, and bright red blood soaked both of their clothes, but he didn't care at all, all his attention was focused on the person in front of him.

Nan Jiao's mind was in a mess; perhaps it was too sudden, and she forgot how to react for a moment.

Her long eyelashes trembled, and when she looked up, she found Lu Xiao staring at her intently, as if he wanted to chew her up and swallow her whole.

Suddenly he seemed to feel uncomfortable in this position, so he picked her up and pressed her against the wall, and kissed her lips again.

Nan Jiao is 163 cm tall, which is not short, but in his arms she looks like a petite kitten, completely enveloped in his embrace.

The water from the showerhead dampened Lu Xiao's short hair, which slid down his handsome, smooth back.

His gaze swept across the clothes rack, where Lu Xiao had carefully placed the safety buckle there.

Suddenly, as if awakened by reason, Nan Jiao pinched Lu Xiao's waist and abdomen hard.

Hearing him groan in pain, Nan Jiao ran out barefoot, her heart pounding wildly.

As Lu Xiao watched her retreating figure, he felt a pang of annoyance at himself for being too hasty. He should have let her accept him step by step and fall in love with him again.

The two then tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened in the bathroom.

In the evening, Nan Jiao went back to her room to rest, while Yasuo came over with a first-aid kit to help Lu Xiao change his dressing.

"Hmm... why is the wound a bit torn? Did you do some strenuous exercise?"

Lu Xiao lowered his eyes as if he had thought of something, and said with a pleasant mood, "Yes."

"Is that so?" Yasuo paused for a few seconds, puzzled by Lu Xiao's tone, which sounded so proud and self-satisfied.

"Stop talking about this, hurry up and change your dressing."

Yasuo nodded and then examined Lu Xiao's injuries: "Marshal, an SSS-level male like you will recover very quickly. Let me apply some more medicine for you, and you will be fully recovered by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"You'll be fully recovered by the day after tomorrow?" Something flashed in Lu Xiao's eyes. Suddenly, he picked up the dagger next to him and slashed his still-healing wound. Blood immediately gushed out, but his expression didn't change.

"Marshal! What are you doing?!"

Lu Xiao glanced at Yasuo: "Just a simple hemostasis and bandage will do; no need for any ointment."

Yasuo bandaged Lu Xiao as instructed, but still had some doubts: "I still don't understand, why did you do this?"

"If my injury healed so quickly, why would she continue to care for me and stay by my side?"

Yasuo took out bandages from the first-aid kit: "There's one more thing I don't understand. With your strength, you could have easily left with your wife unharmed. Was this intentional?"

As Lu Xiao recalled the scene when he was besieged by the Zerg, a dark thought suddenly welled up in his mind for a moment.

If he gets injured, will Nan Jiao still care about him as much as before?

"yes."

"Is it really worth harming your body for a female? For a soldier, a strong body is the most precious asset."

"Yasuo, you've never fallen in love with a female, so you wouldn't understand. If only I could get her to look at me even once..."

"I would be willing to bleed to death."

Yasuo didn't say anything more. After bandaging the wound, he left some instructions and then picked up his medical kit and left.

*

After assigning tasks to her employees, Nan Jiao gently pushed open the door and entered Lu Xiao's room.

He seemed to still be asleep, his beautifully shaped lips pale and unnaturally so. His arm was still wrapped in bandages, with some blood seeping out, showing no signs of improvement.

Nan Jiao remembered that Lu Xiao was in excellent physical condition and recovered very quickly. But was this injury so severe that his recovery was so slow?

She walked slowly over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Looking at his handsome but weak face, she couldn't help but take his hand in hers.

"Lu Xiao, why did you run over to save me?"

Her mind was in complete turmoil.

Nan Jiao recalled all the times they had spent together, but the predictions in the comments section felt like a thorn piercing her heart.

Why did he seem to love her so much, yet he abandoned her...?

If he loves the female lead, why would he do so much for himself?

She desperately wanted to wake him up and get to the bottom of things, but she was also terrified and disgusted by the answer she didn't want to hear.

When she was in elementary school, her father bought her a beautiful dress. She thought he still loved her, so she threw herself into his arms and said she loved him too. Her stepsister, who was standing nearby, gave a mocking smile. It turned out that the dress was too small for her stepsister, so he had given it to her.

Nan Jiao was afraid that this was another case of wishful thinking on her part.

Will anyone really love her?

Hearing the noise, Lu Xiao opened his eyes and immediately noticed her eyes were red-rimmed. He panicked instantly, quickly got up, and pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head: "Why are you crying? Your crying breaks my heart..."

Thinking she was crying because she saw his wounds, Lu Xiao instantly regretted it.

"I'm fine, it just looks a bit serious, but I'm actually all better now. If you don't believe me, I'll go downstairs and lift a barbell for you to see."

Nan Jiao is very reluctant to cry in front of others; she is not used to showing her vulnerable side to others.

She cleared her throat: "I didn't cry."

Just as Lu Xiao was about to say something, he suddenly heard a knock on the door. Yasuo walked in carrying a first-aid kit, a look of embarrassment on his face.

"Cough cough, it seems I've come at a bad time. I'll come back to change the dressing later."

"No need," Nan Jiao said. "You change his dressing, I'll go out and take care of something."

After saying that, Nan Jiao quickly walked out.

*

Nan Jiao sat on the bench, her mind somewhat blank.

She didn't realize it was raining until the raindrops hit her face.

An umbrella appeared above my head as soon as I stood up.

"Lu Xiao...? How did you get out here?"

Lu Xiao held the umbrella, his eyes filled with helplessness and heartache as he looked at her: "Don't you check the weather forecast before you go out? What if you catch a cold?"

Nan Jiao didn't speak. Her fingers twitched, and she gazed at him silently, as if making a decision. She also mustered her courage and said:

"Lu Xiao, I have a question for you..."