Chapter 93 Continuing the Sparring

Using the gesture of picking up food, Xia Fanxing subtly hooked his wrist with her little finger with lightning speed and a very light touch.

The touch was lighter than a feather brushing against him, yet it caused Xie Jingchen's fingers to twitch almost imperceptibly.

Xia Fanxing was secretly embarrassed by her behavior when, a second later, Xie Jingchen, who had been sitting opposite her, stood up, walked around, and sat down next to her.

Immediately afterwards, her wrist was grabbed by a warm and strong hand and dragged under the table.

Xie Jingchen's palms were broad, dry, and calloused. When they wrapped around Xia Fanxing's slender and delicate wrists, they brought a scorching heat that she couldn't ignore.

Xie Jingchen mimicked Xia Fanxing's earlier gesture, gently pressing her wrist with his thumb, a gesture that carried a hint of punishment and possessiveness.

Xia Fanxing was aroused by his actions, and two faint blushes appeared on her cheeks. She subconsciously wanted to pull her wrist back.

Although Xie Jingchen's strength was not great, it was not so easy for him to break free.

The two were caught in an ambiguous stalemate.

Just then, a cheerful voice, tinged with amusement, broke in: "Commander Xie, Nurse Xia, you're just eating, why are you having a friendly sparring match?"

Ma Nanzheng stood by the table with a smile, holding a rice tray. His eyes darted back and forth between Xia Fanxing and Xie Jingchen, his face full of teasing.

Xie Jingchen withdrew his hand without changing his expression, as if nothing had happened.

He glanced at Ma Nanzheng indifferently, "Eat your food."

Ma Nanzheng chuckled and sat down beside her. "I'm here to give Nurse Xia a heads-up! I just heard that Captain Qin from the military region has been assigned to a place, and he's in the dormitory right next to Nurse Xia's! Wow, that's quite a entourage, he has several suitcases of luggage!"

Ma Nanzheng suppressed his joking expression and lowered his voice to say to Xia Fanxing, "I've heard some things about the meeting today. That woman seemed pretty intimidating, and she had a lot of spiel about her. She was clearly after you, and she's not someone to mess with. Nurse Xia, you'd better watch out."

"I know, thank you, Staff Officer Ma." Xia Fanxing thanked Ma Nanzheng for the news.

At the same time, she was surprised that Qin Wanqiu was assigned to the dormitory next to hers.

After finishing his business, Ma Nanzheng didn't waste any time. He quickly finished the food on his plate, picked it up, and left.

"Then I'll be leaving now, otherwise I'll just keep you from 'sparring'."

Ma Nanzheng's face lit up with another smug smile. Xia Fanxing blushed slightly. Xie Jingchen glared at him, and he quickly laughed and slipped away.

·

Night was falling.

The streetlights at the regimental headquarters cast long shadows of Xia Fanxing and Xie Jingchen.

Xie Jingchen escorted Xia Fanxing to the dormitory building. The surroundings were quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog in the distance and the rustling of the wind through the poplar trees.

"We've arrived." Xia Fanxing stopped in her tracks.

"Hmm." Xie Jingchen stood in front of her, his tall figure almost completely enveloping her.

He lowered his head, his deep black eyes shining brightly in the moonlight, his gaze fixed on her face with such focus and concentration.

He clearly agreed to her request, but he didn't move.

A silent silence spread between the two, along with an increasingly intense atmosphere of ambiguity and tenderness.

Invisible threads seemed to entwine in the air, silently drawing the two closer together.

The thrill of their brief "confrontation" in the cafeteria not long ago still seemed to leave a lingering burning sensation on each other's fingertips.

Suddenly, Xie Jingchen asked in a low voice, "Comrade Xia Fanxing, it seems that the 'sparring' just now hasn't been decided yet? Should we have another round to determine the winner?"

His tone was serious, but what he said was an extremely ambiguous thing that both of them understood.

Xia Fanxing was stunned.

How do we determine the winner?

Shouldn't we hook our arms again? Or... hold hands?

Xia Fanxing lowered her head, her shoulders involuntarily trembling.

She couldn't help but smile from the bottom of her heart, and her laughter almost overflowed from her lips.

She tilted her head back, a smile spreading across her cool face, her beautiful features softening unexpectedly in the moonlight.

Xia Fanxing didn't speak. She simply raised her hand slowly and offered it to Xie Jingchen.

Xie Jingchen's large hand immediately enveloped her slender small hand.

His slightly rough fingertips slipped between her fingers, and their fingers quickly intertwined.

His palms were warm and dry, as if they contained boundless power.

The calluses from his years of gun-handling training rubbed against her delicate, fair skin, bringing waves of tingling, alluring sensations.

The two stood silently in the shadows below the dormitory building, holding hands.

Their fingertips were subtly exerting force, as if they were truly competing and "sparring," but it was also a silent intimacy and tenderness.

In the darkness, even though the two were not standing close together, their breathing was clearly audible.

The air seemed to be filled with a slightly tense yet very sweet atmosphere of romance.

Suddenly, a deliberately raised and exceptionally clear cough came from behind a window upstairs.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Both of them paused at the same time.

Xia Fanxing looked up and saw what looked like a shadow flash by in a window upstairs, but she couldn't make out who it was.

Xia Fanxing immediately let go of her hand and said softly, "It's Qin Wanqiu. She lives next door to me. You can go back now."

Xie Jingchen couldn't help but frown, and his gentle gaze, which had been full of emotion, suddenly turned cold.

He looked at the window, his gaze sharp with displeasure.

But he knew that it was not the right time to say anything more.

"If she causes you any trouble, just tell me," Xie Jingchen instructed before leaving.

"I know," Xia Fanxing nodded. "Let's go."

Xie Jingchen gave her a deep look before turning around and striding into the night.

Xia Fanxing watched him leave until his figure disappeared from sight before going upstairs to her dormitory.

Just as she reached the door of her own dormitory, the door of the dormitory next door creaked open.

Qin Wanqiu was carrying an enamel mug, as if she was going out to get some water.

But she refused to move forward and blocked the corridor.

She greeted Xia Fanxing with an impeccable smile, as if she had just noticed her: "Comrade Xia is back."

Xia Fanxing gave a perfunctory reply.

"Comrade Xia, was that Commander Xie downstairs just now? Commander Xie is really working hard, bringing you back so late. He is so considerate of the medical staff at the regimental hospital."

Qin Wanqiu's words seemed to be praising Commander Xie, but in reality, she was implying that Xia Fanxing's behavior of delaying Xie Jingchen's rest was inappropriate.

Xia Fanxing took out her key and opened the door, her tone flat and indifferent, "It's just that I'm going that way, Commander Xie."

She deftly steered the conversation towards Qin Wanqiu, "Captain Qin, haven't you finished packing your luggage yet? Do you need any help?"

Qin Wanqiu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "No need, I can manage by myself."

She changed the subject, her gaze sweeping over the window of Xia Fanxing's dormitory, "By the way, Comrade Xia, there's something I need to remind you of. We are revolutionary comrades now, so our living environment should also be clean, simple, and uniform."

"I noticed the flower on your windowsill and the small tablecloth on your table. While they are indeed quite nice, aren't they a bit... too fancy? Your status is rather special, so you shouldn't act like this. You should be mindful of your image."