After finishing breakfast, Ye Ling took advantage of the time before assembly to stroll around campus with Ning Ruoxi.
Along the way, many people who saw the young couple couldnât help but look at them with envy.
The guys, in particular, couldnât help but give Ye Ling a mental thumbs-up when they saw him holding Ning Ruoxiâs hand.
Damn, military training had only been going on for a day, and they hadnât even found a girl to pursue yet...
But here Ye Ling was, already holding handsâand with a total goddess, no less!
"Wifey."
As they passed a small grove of trees, Ye Ling suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?"
Ning Ruoxi blinked, looking at Ye Ling.
She was completely used to what he called her by now. If he suddenly went back to calling her Ning Ruoxi or something, she would probably be the one to get upset.
"I heard this grove is pretty famous at Modu University. I think itâs called the Yin Yuan Forest or something."
A mischievous smile suddenly appeared on Ye Lingâs face as he spoke.
"Yin Yuan Forest? Whyâs that?"
Ning Ruoxi asked with pure innocence.
"Because lots of people come here to engage in... practical labor. To diligently âplow the fields,â you could say."
As Ye Ling spoke, the sly grin at the corners of his mouth widened.
âOh dear, am I being a bit of a bad influence?â he suddenly thought. âAfter all, my wifey is so pure. Am I going to corrupt her?â
Hearing this, Ning Ruoxi furrowed her delicate brows, clearly not understanding what Ye Ling meant at first.
But when she saw Ye Lingâs smile slowly turning sleazy... Ning Ruoxi seemed to realize something. Her pretty face instantly flushed crimson, and a hint of playful anger flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"You rotten jerk!"
Ning Ruoxi reached out and viciously pinched his waist.
"HSSS..."
Ye Ling immediately sucked in a sharp breath. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a miserable expression as he said, "Wifey, can you please drop this bad habit? It really hurts!"
He didnât know when it started, but Ning Ruoxi seemed to have developed a habit of pinching the soft flesh of his waist. Her hands might be soft, but damn, did it hurt when she twisted...
It hurt so much that Ye Ling almost felt like heâd lost all feeling in his lower body!
"Nope. You deserve it!"
Seeing his reaction, Ning Ruoxi gave a triumphant, delicate huff.
"Is that so?"
Ye Ling glanced around. Seeing no one, he raised an eyebrow, grabbed Ning Ruoxiâs hand, and pulled her right into the grove.
"Wh-what are you doing!?"
Ning Ruoxi was startled.
But Ye Ling was too strong; he pulled her straight inside.
When she looked up again, Ye Ling was already holding her in his arms. Their faces were so close their noses were almost touching!
Since it was so early in the morning, there was no one else in the grove. It was so quiet they could even hear each otherâs heartbeats.
Looking at Ye Ling, who was only inches away, and feeling his warm breath on her face, Ning Ruoxiâs heart couldnât help but start to pound wildly.
If there was ever a saying about a little deer running wild in oneâs heart, the deer in Ning Ruoxiâs heart right now had probably been run over and killed!
Ning Ruoxi blinked, unable to resist carefully studying the boy in front of her.
âThis bad boy... heâs actually really handsome.â
His features were sharp and defined. His skin wasnât overly pale, but it was incredibly fine and smooth. Even this close, she couldnât see a single pore.
And it looked so... springy and supple...
âI kind of want to pinch it!â
"What are you thinking about?"
Ye Ling asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he looked at the dazed Ning Ruoxi before him.
"I-I wasnât thinking about anything..."
Ning Ruoxi felt her heart race even faster, and her face grew hotter and redder.
âThat rotten jerk, heâs teasing me again!â
Ye Ling said nothing. He simply lowered his head and kissed her.
Gradually, the atmosphere around them began to heat up.
Perhaps because they hadnât spent much quality time together in the last day or two, Ning Ruoxi was quite responsive.
A moment later, Ye Ling let the young woman go, not continuing to "torment" her.
"Alright, itâs almost time for assembly. Letâs get back."
Ye Ling looked at the girl in his arms, his face full of mischievousness.
She was so petite and soft, just like an adorable little kitten.
The blush slowly faded from Ning Ruoxiâs face. She couldnât help but pout. "All you ever think about are naughty things!"
"How could you say that? Werenât you pretty into it just now?"
The grin on Ye Lingâs face now was as wicked as they come, causing Ning Ruoxi to roll her eyes again and again.
"Hmph! Iâm heading back. You behave yourself."
Ning Ruoxi pouted her lips, then, after a quick glance around, stealthily slipped out of the grove.
Itâs just that her furtive manner gave off a strange impression, as if she were doing something illicit and was terrified of being discovered.
With Ning Ruoxi gone, Ye Ling had no intention of sticking around to feed the mosquitoes, so he slipped out as well.
"Brother Ling, fess up. Where did you and sister-in-law just go?"
The moment Ye Ling returned, He Jian and the other two surrounded him, their faces full of mischievous grins.
"What do you mean âwhereâ? We were just taking a walk on campus."
Ye Ling said it without batting an eye, looking for all the world like a pure and innocent young man!
"Is that so? Then how come it looked like we saw you pull sister-in-law into Yin Yuan Forest?"
He Jian pressed on with a wicked grin.
"You were following me?"
Ye Lingâs eyes narrowed. He let out a cold laugh. "I almost forgot. You guys were really acting up during breakfast, werenât you?"
Seeing the sudden change in Ye Lingâs expression, He Jian and the other two instantly remembered something. Without a second word, they turned tail and bolted.
But could they really get away from Ye Ling?
With a few casual moves, Ye Ling grabbed the guys and dragged them back.
"Werenât you guys being real smart-asses just now? Especially you?"
Ye Ling looked at He Jian before him, his lips curled into a smile brimming with âkindnessâ.
"Er, uh, Brother Ling, you have to believe me! That was all Yang Ergouâs terrible idea!"
In that instant, He Jian chose to sell out his teammate without a shred of hesitation, pointing directly at Yang Yu.
"Iâm telling on him too, Brother Ling! Heâs the one who dragged us along to follow you and sister-in-law!"
Hearing this, Yang Yu immediately chose to sell out his teammate in turn.
At that, Ye Lingâs expression darkened.
"You two... neither of you is getting away."
Without a momentâs hesitation, Ye Ling gave each of the three of them a sound beating.