Chapter 45

"Wu Ying, I'm a soldier. A lot of my schedule has to stay classified. But I'm usually only in two places—home or the front lines. I can promise that from now on, I'll tell you about my other trips. Well, I'll try to. I don't have friends, only colleagues and subordinates. If you want to meet them, I can—"

"Stop!"

Wu Ying pressed a finger to his lips, momentarily at a loss. Was this an exchange of equals? Or was he just finding another way to get what he wanted—her promise, perhaps?

"Asher, why do you want me at home? Do you want to see me? Why?"

Asher looked at her, feeling like there was something in her eyes. What was it? He was confused, leaning in to get a closer look.

Wu Ying watched him quietly as he drew near, his nose brushing her cheek. Her urgency seemed contagious; Asher's breathing suddenly grew heavier, his deep eyes tinged with intense longing.

"No particular reason. I just want you home. Wu Ying, is that okay?"

Wu Ying reached up and pinched his nose. "No." If he wanted something, he had to give something in return—it couldn't be that simple.

"You need to tell me the reason. The real reason."

"I don't know."

Asher grabbed her hand, his head leaning toward her as if out of his control. Her scent was like a muscle relaxant, like perfume. Asher leaned in to breathe it in. He didn't know what Wu Ying was asking, or what answer she wanted.

This moment was what he craved most. He wanted to see her when he came home; holding her would be even better. She might have many things to do, but as long as she was home, within his reach, he felt at ease.

His possessiveness was like a sponge absorbing water, expanding and squeezing out space until it filled his heart.

Asher was satisfied, but Wu Ying kept pressing. She wasn't happy with his answer. What did "I don't know" even mean? If he didn't know, then go think about it. If he couldn't figure it out, then he shouldn't hug her.

He wasn't considerate to begin with, and now he wasn't even obedient. How was she supposed to keep him?

"You don't know? Then go to the study and reflect on it. Don't hold me."

Wu Ying tried to pry him off, but Asher held on tight. She couldn't budge him. So she grabbed his ear and tugged, pushing him away. If he couldn't hug her, then he couldn't.

"No."

Asher tightened his arms, pulling Wu Ying even closer. He pressed his head against her neck, hunched over, his long legs trailing beneath the sofa.

His warm, moist breath spread across her collarbone, sending a tingling sensation through her skin. His voice came out muffled. "Can you tell me?" he asked. "I really don't know."

She'd told him to think on his own. He was just trying to cheat.

"Asher, if this were an exam, you'd be scoring zero right now. A zero gets exiled to the frontier. No holding your wife."

Wu Ying stopped resisting. Her body went soft, melting into his embrace. Asher held her up with one hand while leaning against her with the other.

The two curled up together on the sofa, their breaths intertwining, intimate and warm. Wu Ying rested her hand on his head, ruffling his hair every now and then, tugging at his ear until it turned red.

Asher let out an involuntary laugh at her words. For the first time, he thought scoring zero didn't seem so bad.

"Get off!"

But the examiner didn't seem pleased. Asher lifted his head, pressing his soft lips to her neck, kissing upward in a sticky, deliberate trail. His warm breath, mingled with his kisses, landed at the corner of her mouth, like he was trying to coax her.

Wu Ying's gaze went hazy. She vaguely felt that she was all too easy to appease.

Another storm fizzled out before it could begin, dissolving into their intermingled breaths…

Someone, it seemed, had been forgotten at the start of the story.

—

After the video call cut off, Luo Meng sat completely stunned. His brain frantically rewound the scene he'd just witnessed—the familiar yet unfamiliar face, the striking, imposing military rank, the tall, powerful build… It finally froze on those eyes, cold as scattered stars.

Commander!

Luo Meng opened his Light Brain, found a news article, and swiped quickly to a photo. After precise comparison, he confirmed it: the man who'd suddenly appeared in the video was Asher·Siser!

What was going on? What was going on!

Luo Meng's brain short-circuited. He tried to connect Wu Ying with Asher, then tried to connect himself with Asher.

In the end, he reached a conclusion: he'd actually managed to get involved with the Commander one day.

His sister's connection was his connection! That meant one day, he could meet the Commander face-to-face, maybe even chat for a bit. Perhaps the Commander would see him as promising material…

Luo Meng was so excited his pupils trembled. He suddenly stood up, rushed to the neighboring dormitory, and shouted, "Guys! Do you know who I saw, who I saw?!"

Li Ge looked up lazily, watching Luo Meng's face flush with excitement. He felt a flicker of curiosity but didn't show it, continuing to lift his dumbbell. "Oh? Who?"

"It's—" Luo Meng's mind flashed, and he yanked the words back just before they spilled out.

He had to keep it a secret. Wu Ying had been hiding it from all of them; she definitely wouldn't want others to know. He couldn't sell out a friend.

"Ahem, secret."

He straightened up, tugged at his collar, and winked mysteriously at Li Ge.

Li Ge watched his posturing, let out a cold snort, put down the dumbbell, and strode toward Luo Meng. "Looks like you're asking for a beating."

"Hey, calm down."

Luo Meng yelped, jumping away, and bolted before he could be caught. Once inside his room, he slammed the door shut behind him. The loud bang echoed down the hallway, and Li Ge rubbed his ear, rolling his eyes.

Luo Meng had been getting livelier and livelier—ever since he met that woman Wu Ying. He claimed they were friends, but Li Ge didn't believe a word of it. Sigh. Bad company. The guy was actually coveting a married woman!

Having escaped that "disaster," Luo Meng pressed his hand to his pounding heart, his mind slowly calming down. He started to think about the situation.

He'd gotten too excited just now. He'd almost forgotten how angry the Commander had looked when he saw him—and that he'd snapped at Wu Ying. Could it be that Wu Ying and her husband had a bad relationship, which was why she kept it a secret? Or was she just keeping a low profile?

They wouldn't have been fighting over me, would they? Luo Meng guessed, opening his Light Brain. He frowned, thinking hard—maybe he should explain something.

"You there?"

He decided to test the waters first. Even if he wanted to explain, he needed to discuss it with Wu Ying first. After a few minutes, there was no reply. Luo Meng grew even more worried. Were they still arguing?

After a long while, Luo Meng tried again: "Are you two okay?"

—

"Who keeps messaging you?"

"I don't know. I'm so sleepy." Wu Ying buried herself in the blanket, pulling the Light Brain off her wrist and tossing it aside. The vibration was annoying.

Asher picked it up, a glint flashing through his eyes. He held Wu Ying's Light Brain as the screen continued to light up. Restless, is she? He glanced at the woman in his arms and squeezed her hand, hesitating.

The device vibrated in his hand. On the other end: "You two aren't fighting, are you?"

Though he couldn't see the full message, Asher's face had already turned cold enough to freeze. He squeezed Wu Ying's finger, and the Light Brain unlocked. Asher read the message Luo Meng had sent.

"Piss off!"

When Luo Meng saw the message, he was so shocked he nearly shattered his cup. He thought, Well, it's over. They're definitely fighting, and he's taking it out on me.

After sending the message, Asher felt a bit relieved. He dug the person out from under the blanket and held her again. Wu Ying leaned drowsily against his chest, completely unaware of what he'd done.

"Piss off?" Luo Meng stared in disbelief at the word glowing on the screen, his brows knotting together. He thought for a long time. Could it be that Wu Ying and the Commander had fought so badly that they were venting on him?

At the thought, Luo Meng anxiously scratched his head, pacing in circles around the room like an ant on a hot pan.

—

The next morning, at the breakfast table, Asher cut a neat slice of meat with his knife and fork, glancing up at the woman across from him. "Do you have any more field trips coming up?"

Wu Ying shook her head honestly. "I don't know." She really didn't know. She was planning to organize a research team next, and since the war-readiness planet couldn't host a ground lab, she'd definitely have to leave—but the timing was uncertain.

"Research team?"

It was the first time Asher had heard Wu Ying mention it. A dull weight settled in his chest. He frowned, his face cold and displeased.

"Mm. Soil experiments. They're too hard for me to do alone."

Wu Ying didn't look up, her head buried in her bowl as she devoured her meal. Meat-and-vegetable porridge—absolutely delicious!

Once she was full, she finally felt like having a proper chat with Asher. She pushed her bowl forward, folded her hands on the table, and smiled at him playfully.

"Honey, are you upset?"

Compared to before, Wu Ying seemed more attuned to his moods now. Or maybe Asher just wasn't trying to hide it.

Asher shook his head calmly, refusing to admit to the frustration so easily stirred inside him.

He didn't tell Wu Ying everything either. Asher repeated that sentence to himself, managing to suppress the swelling urge to control. A faint sound of metal bending rose in the air. Wu Ying didn't notice. Asher didn't miss it.

His self-control had suddenly grown weak.

Wu Ying couldn't sit still. Even as she talked, she reached out and slid the plates on the table, pushing them back and forth with a scraping sound.

"Your hands. Too noisy."

Wu Ying pouted. Fine. "Did you hear what I said? I want to form a team in your name."

Asher didn't care. "Sure. I'll have someone handle it. You can stay home."

"No need. I'll do it myself."

Notably sponsored experiments were always in high demand among researchers. With Asher's reputation, all it would take was one post.

"Don't overreach. Picking people isn't simple. You'll have to negotiate with researchers, arrange labs, deal with approvals, and handle a series of qualification checks. Your time should be spent on things that matter."

Asher had plenty of teams, both openly and behind the scenes. He didn't see why Wu Ying should go out of her way to make trouble for herself.

Of course she knew that. Wu Ying had done her homework when she'd joined that experiment before—from project initiation to team assembly to getting the real experiment off the ground, she'd filled a whole notebook with notes.

But Asher had offered to help. He was the one who'd volunteered. Wu Ying tugged at her hair, frowning. She was torn—tempted, yet feeling like it wasn't right.

She wanted to say she wasn't overreaching, but just thinking about that notebook full of writing made her head ache, and she wanted to cover her head and wave a white flag.

Asher set down his knife and fork, taking his time with the napkin, but his gaze never left Wu Ying's face. He didn't miss the shifting expressions on her features. Every look seemed to carry a little bubble with her thoughts written inside.

"Is it really that hard to decide?" he asked, a light laugh threading through his voice.