Chapter 6: 6. Chapter 6: She Wants to See His Abs

Chapter 6: She Wants to See His Abs

After Wen Wan finished washing up, she lingered behind the screen for a long time before gathering the courage to come out.

She had already prepared herself; if it came down to it, she would just swallow her pride. Compared to suffering a loss, swallowing one’s pride was certainly more cost-effective.

However, A-Chai didn’t even leave her the opportunity to swallow her pride.

Because he was asleep.

The exhaustion and vigilance remained etched between the young man’s brows, and he still gripped that gem-encrusted dagger in his hand.

It seemed that even in his sleep, his body’s instinctive reactions would allow him to fight off an enemy at the slightest disturbance.

Such a person was terrifying, no matter the time or place.

Wen Wan withdrew her gaze, not daring to provoke him, and turned to walk toward the daybed by the window.

She sat on the daybed and took the jade pendant out from her bodice.

A-Chai had picked it up casually in the graveyard and tossed it to her as payment. Given the urgency of the situation at the time, she had only taken a fleeting glance at it.

Only now did she have the chance to observe it carefully under the candlelight.

The more she looked, the more startled she became, her fingertips constantly tracing the surface of the jade.

"I really wasn't wrong; it actually is a 'nested jade'!"

Nested jade was not a variety of jade, but a technique for crafting jade pendants.

By using special tools to open the outer layer of jade, one could obtain the true object hidden inside.

For someone to use the nested jade technique, the item inside must be extraordinary.

It was just a pity that without the proper tools, if one were to force it open with brute strength, the contents would be destroyed.

She suppressed her curiosity to know what was inside immediately and reluctantly tucked the pendant back into her bodice.

She would just have to wait until she reached the city and found the right tools to open this treasure.

*

When the sky began to brighten, the first to wake was A-Chai on the bed.

He snapped his eyes open and sat up with full force, only then realizing with shock that he had actually slept through the entire night.

He remembered listening to the sound of water coming from behind the screen, intending to scare the girl once she came out, but he hadn't expected to fall asleep without realizing it.

For him, falling into a deep sleep in front of a stranger was a very dangerous thing.

Thinking this, A-Chai got up and walked to the window.

The woman on the daybed was sleeping quite ungracefully; she had already kicked the small blanket onto the floor.

One of her feet was arrogantly propped up on the windowsill nearby. Against the morning light, her fair, delicate foot looked even more supple and warm than the heirloom mutton-fat jade in his home.

A-Chai’s light gray pupils darkened as he bent down to pick up the small blanket from the floor.

He had intended to throw the blanket over to cover her feet, but after a moment of hesitation, he changed his mind.

Wen Wan was sleeping in a daze when she felt something hit her face. She opened her eyes, and the world before her was pitch black.

She yanked the blanket off her face and glared indignantly at the culprit.

"Why did you throw the blanket at me? Are you trying to suffocate me, huh?"

"Heh," A-Chai glanced at her with a look that was neither a smile nor a sneer, his words exceptionally grating.

"Rude, vulgar, and the first to cry foul. Covering up that ugly face of yours really was the right choice."

Wen Wan: "..."

She was just a young lady; what exactly had she done to provoke him into having such deep-seated prejudices against her?

Being the first to cry foul, she would admit to that.

But rude and vulgar? She would absolutely never admit to that!

In the three years since she had transmigrated, who hadn't praised her as being sweet, sensible, intelligent, and beautiful upon meeting her?

A-Chai didn't waste any more words; he grabbed her by the collar behind her neck and hauled her up.

"We need to reach the border city today. I don't have time to dawdle with you."

Wen Wan was dragged along, flailing her arms and legs in a futile resistance.

"Put me down! I never said I was going to the border city with you!"

"I was a hostage taken by mountain bandits. Now that the bandits are gone, I am a law-abiding citizen! You can't restrict my freedom!"

"I have human rights—"

A-Chai’s icy gaze swept over, and the dagger in his other hand was already half-drawn.

Wen Wan’s scalp went numb, and she swallowed the rest of her words.

Only after he returned the dagger to its sheath did she timidly speak again.

"Big Brother, aren't you a border garrison officer? You are heroes who protect the country and the people. It makes no sense for you to capture a young lady like me for no reason."

A-Chai paused in his stride and said in a low voice, "You are no longer an ordinary young lady now. We suspect you... are a spy for the people of Mobei."

Wen Wan’s eyes widened. "A trumped-up charge! This is a trumped-up charge!"

A-Chai chuckled. "You’re right, it is a trumped-up charge. But here, I’m the one who makes the rules."

At this moment, Wen Wan truly regretted it so much that her guts were turning green.

She must have been blind yesterday to actually think A-Chai was her type.

A man who was all intimidating exterior but nothing but dregs on the inside—he wasn't even fit to carry her shoes!

Wen Wan felt indignant, secretly drawing circles in her heart to hold a grudge.

A-Chai watched her cheeks puff up in anger, and the corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily.

*

In the courtyard, the soldiers, having rested for the night, were already waiting in the open space.

A-Chai pushed Wen Wan toward Jin Mu. "Keep a close eye on her."

Jin Mu acknowledged the order and was about to step forward to grab her arm.

Wen Wan raised both hands in surrender. "I'll walk myself!"

Jin Mu retreated sheepishly. "It’s good that the young lady is willing to cooperate."

She would have liked not to cooperate, but did she dare?

Thinking this, when she looked at A-Chai again, her eyes were filled with resentment.

While A-Chai was busy assigning tasks to the others, Wen Wan started chatting with Jin Mu.

"Is he your leader? What is his rank? What is his name?"

She still needed to find out the details about her enemy.

Jin Mu was startled, his face full of surprise. He cleared his throat and prevaricated, "Young lady, please don't make things difficult for me. If you want to know about our boss, ask him yourself. I wouldn't dare talk out of turn."

Wen Wan glared. "It's just a name and some information; what's there to be afraid of saying?"

Jin Mu shrank his neck, determined to stay silent. No matter how much Wen Wan mocked him, he didn't say a word back.

After the arrangements were finished, A-Chai walked over to the two of them.

Seeing him approach, Jin Mu immediately slipped away, muttering under his breath as he walked.

"The military advisor was right; only small-minded people and women are hard to deal with. Being around this young lady is truly uncomfortable. That little mouth of hers just keeps going—how can she be so talkative..."

Wen Wan had sharp ears and heard every word of Jin Mu’s quiet complaint.

Her mouth twitched, and she angrily waved her small fist at Jin Mu’s retreating back.

The scene was three parts comical and seven parts cute.

A-Chai’s expression softened slightly as he stood in front of her, blocking her view.

"I am a captain in the border garrison. My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Cai. In the future, if you want to know something, ask me directly. There is no need to cozy up to my subordinates."

Who was cozying up to anyone?

Wen Wan rolled her eyes at him. He had clearly heard what she was asking, yet he deliberately defined it as "cozying up."

After A-Chai finished his self-introduction, he teased, "Zhao Xiaowan, you’re asking about my information—do you have some ideas about me? What else do you want to know? How many people are in my family? Am I married with children?"

He was mocking her; she could see that.

Usually, in such situations, Wen Wan would never let herself come out on the losing end.

She nodded generously, dropping a bombshell that left him stunned.

"Not just that, I also want to know... Captain Zhou... how many abdominal muscles do you have under that shirt!"