First Night with the Army: The Stoic Big Shot Is Done Pretending

Wen Ci entered the courtyard and saw the man’s figure inside through the bedroom window. Stepping inside, she leaned against the bedroom doorway and asked, feigning ignorance, "Mr. Huo, where are you off to?"

Huo Jingyuan paused in his packing of a greatcoat. He immediately walked to the door, wrapped an arm around his wife’s slender waist, and said calmly, "Devil’s Week is about to start. I won’t see you for a week."

The corners of Wen Ci’s eyes lifted. She draped her arms over the man’s shoulders, her own eyes growing misty as she teased with a faint smile, "Since we won’t see each other for a week, how about this afternoon we..."

She was deliberately provoking Huo Jingyuan.

Her goal was to arouse his desire, only to pour a bucket of cold water over him.

At that, the man’s burning gaze fell upon Wen Ci. The assembly for Devil’s Week wasn’t until five in the afternoon, and it was only nine or ten in the morning.

Suddenly, his rationality suppressed his desire. He released Wen Ci’s waist, gently lifted her chin, and looked down at her with half-lowered eyelids.

"Aren’t you supposed to be at work? Why are you back?"

Wen Ci shrugged. "I forgot something. I came back to get it."

"What is it?"

The man advanced step by step, forcing Wen Ci back against the doorframe until her entire back was pressed against the wall. Their eyes locked.

Wen Ci hemmed and hawed, not saying a word for a long moment.

Huo Jingyuan immediately understood. His deep, ink-black eyes gazed at Wen Ci, his brows furrowing slightly as he said quietly, "Devil’s Week is very tough."

Whether they were officers or soldiers, everyone participating in Devil’s Week had to fend for themselves in the wild. Although the accompanying doctors and nurses didn’t have a heavy workload, surviving in the wilderness was no easy task.

Wen Ci said, "I’ve endured a lot of hardship."

The implication was that she wasn’t afraid of a little hardship.

Having spent so much time with Wen Ci, he knew her personality inside and out. She was stubborn; once she made up her mind, nothing could change it.

Huo Jingyuan shook his head indulgently. "In that case, pack a couple extra bags of instant noodles."

"I can bring them?!"

Wen Ci’s eyes lit up. On her way back, she had been wondering if she could bring instant noodles. The aroma of instant noodles in the wild would be incredibly tempting.

"You can only eat them inside the tent."

Wen Ci gave Huo Jingyuan a mock military salute and said with a chuckle, "I’ll follow all of Mr. Huo’s arrangements!"

When it came to the warmest clothes in the closet, nothing beat the military greatcoat. It was a bit stuffy to wear during the day, but at night, it was perfect.

Since they were both home, Huo Jingyuan cooked lunch.

At the dining table, Wen Ci remembered something and asked while eating, "So, if there isn’t much work, can Yu Qing and I practice dancing in the tent?"

"You can."

The accompanying medical staff weren’t restricted in what they did, as long as they stayed in their tents. In the past, medical staff would often bring medical books with them.

"But," Huo Jingyuan said, his eyelids slightly lowered, "you’re only allowed to practice during the day. No practicing by candlelight at night, understand?"

"Why?"

The medical staff’s tents were in the same area as the soldiers’. In the evening, any light would shine through the fabric, revealing their graceful silhouettes within.

"Don’t ask so many questions."

"Oh." Wen Ci didn’t press the issue.

Huo Jingyuan reminded her, "Remember to take a shower before we leave."

Water resources in the Northwest were scarce. Even when living in the family compound, they only showered once every two days—special circumstances excepted, which required boiling their own water in the middle of the night.

"We can’t shower for a whole week?!"

A faint smile touched Huo Jingyuan’s face. "Of course not. There’s a small stream near the Devil’s Week field training area. You’ll have to fetch and boil the water yourself, but you can wash up once every three or four days."

Wen Ci nodded.

’Two or three days was acceptable. Any longer, and she would have to find a place to bathe in the wild on her own.’