The next morning.
Early in the morning, Bai Qingqing got up to find Cheng Rui. Professor Li and his wife were accustomed to waking up early. The professor’s wife was preparing breakfast in the kitchen, and Bai Tiantian was helping out. Professor Li sat by the window, wearing reading glasses and engrossed in a book.
Bai Qingqing came downstairs, greeted everyone with a cheerful mood.
Last night, the system reported to her that Cheng Rui had developed initial affection for her. This was a good sign, and she would put in more effort to win him over.
Fu Chen and Xiao Yang, who were on night watch, were still resting and hadn’t gotten up yet. Cheng Rui, Shen Mingxuan, and Liang Zhiyu were outside the car, seemingly engaged in a conversation, but it was unclear what they were talking about.
“Little girl, come and have breakfast.” Mrs. Li came out with a bowl of porridge.
Bai Qingqing waved her hand and said, “You go ahead and eat. I’ll come later.”
After speaking, she hurriedly opened the car door and walked towards the group not far away.
“What are you guys talking about?” Bai Qingqing smiled and urged them, “Breakfast is ready. Let’s go and eat.”
The smile on Shen Mingxuan’s face faded as he glanced at her, then turned and walked towards the car.
“Waking up so early today?” Liang Zhiyu looked at her. “I thought you would be lazy and sleep a bit longer.”
It was only a little past seven in the morning. On regular days, she would wake up around eight. There wasn’t much to do in the car, so she would mostly rest and sleep while on the road.
A faint blush appeared on Bai Qingqing’s face. She usually liked to stay in bed and occasionally, Fu Chen would urge her to get up. She would playfully coax him and continue sleeping without even having breakfast.
She lowered her eyelashes and looked shy and embarrassed. “Cheng Rui promised to teach me gun practice yesterday, so I got up early.”
Liang Zhiyu looked at Cheng Rui, somewhat surprised. The usually silent and reserved Cheng Rui actually agreed to teach Bai Qingqing gun practice.
He used to treat Bai Qingqing differently, with a cold and distant attitude. It seemed that their relationship had improved a lot these past few days. Cheng Rui couldn’t escape the allure of a beautiful woman.
Facing Liang Zhiyu’s interested gaze, Cheng Rui calmly shielded Bai Qingqing from some of the attention and said, “Aren’t you going to have breakfast?”
“I’m going now.” Liang Zhiyu patted his shoulder and teased, “I won’t disturb you guys.”
Liang Zhiyu pondered in his heart. If Fu Chen woke up and saw his precious sister having a heated conversation with Cheng Rui, would his blood pressure rise?
As an onlooker, he was quite interested in watching this drama unfold.
Liang Zhiyu returned to the car, and Bai Qingqing took out a small bread and milk from the space and handed them to Cheng Rui. She whispered, “I noticed that you don’t seem to like porridge much, so eat this instead.”
Seeing her secretly offering him food, Cheng Rui’s heart trembled, and he asked, “Would you like to have breakfast in the car first?”
Bai Qingqing then took out a strawberry milk from the space and blinked. “I also want some milk.”
She glanced at the modified car and said, “Let’s find a spot to hide. If Liang Zhiyu sees us, he might scold me.”
Cheng Rui knew that Liang Zhiyu wouldn’t scold her, at most he would say a few words. But he still went along with her suggestion, and the two of them walked about dozens of meters away.
The two of them secretly having a separate breakfast while hiding it from everyone else felt strange, as if they were partners in doing something naughty, filled with a hint of excitement and nervousness.
Standing side by side on the field embankment, with their backs facing the modified car, they had breakfast. The sunlight bathed them, enveloping them in a soft glow.
Bai Qingqing bit the straw and turned her head to look at him. “Cheng Rui, my brother told me that your family is in the Yaoyang Base.”
“Yes,” Cheng Rui replied calmly.
Bai Qingqing’s face showed a trace of reluctance and disappointment. She said, “So, when you arrive at the Yaoyang Base, you’ll be separated from everyone else.”
Cheng Rui’s eyes slightly darkened. Thinking about her dependence on Fu Chen, he replied in a deep voice, “It’s not certain yet.”
Huh? What does he mean by “not certain”? Does it mean he doesn’t plan to stay in Yaoyang?
In the original story, he did stay in Yaoyang to help his stepbrother and even became the leader of the Yaoyang Base. Could it be that the plot has changed because of her?
Bai Qingqing finished her milk with a gulp and licked the milk residue off her lips. She sweetly said, “Cheng Rui, I’ve finished eating. Let’s start the shooting practice now.”
Cheng Rui stared at her for a few seconds. This little girl was young and lively, very attractive. The way she called his name with her soft and pleasant voice made his heart flutter.
No matter what precautions she took, she wouldn’t be able to escape his teasing.
Just like the previous night, Bai Qingqing took out various firearms from the space and placed them on the table. She also took out training targets and hung them on a tree in the distance before hastily returning.
“Can we start now?”
Cheng Rui handed her a gun and said, “Stand properly.”
Bai Qingqing stood in place, holding the gun in her hands and aiming forward. She asked, “Is this right?”
Cheng Rui furrowed his brows slightly. Her posture and movements were not quite right. He walked to her side and said, “Your posture is a bit incorrect.”
Bai Qingqing tilted her head and looked at him. “You teach me then.”
Cheng Rui squatted down beside her, holding her feet in his large hands. He looked up at her against the light and said, “Your feet should be positioned like this.”
Bai Qingqing looked down at him.
His large hands were holding her ankles, and the scorching warmth seemed to transmit through the thin fabric, causing a tingling sensation.
He looked serious, with a stern and disciplined appearance, full of restrained desire.
Bai Qingqing’s eyes flickered as she met his gaze, her expression charming.
“Do you understand?” Cheng Rui asked in a low voice.
Bai Qingqing smiled and said, “I know. What about the hand gesture? Is it like this?”
Cheng Rui held her hands from behind, his tall figure completely enveloping her in his embrace. His large hands held her delicate hands, and he leaned in close to her ear, saying, “Extend your hand straight, keep your eyes on the target…”
He held her hands and pulled the trigger, and the silenced gun hit the target dead center, hitting the same bullseye several times in a row.
Bai Qingqing’s heart was pounding. The few times she managed to headshot zombies with a gun were purely due to luck. People like Cheng Rui, who never missed a shot, were the real sharpshooters.
Cheng Rui’s tall body embraced her, and his mature and icy aura surrounded her, as if he had marked her as his territory. The overwhelming feeling made her heart tremble slightly.
She moved her hand and said, “Let me try on my own.”
Cheng Rui stepped away from her, his gaze burning as he watched her. “You try, aim and shoot.”
“Okay.” Bai Qingqing focused her attention, tightly gripping the gun, staring at the target in front of her. She slowed down her breathing and squeezed the trigger in an instant.
Bang! Unfortunately, she didn’t hit the bullseye and missed by two rings.
Bai Qingqing felt a bit disappointed. “I missed.”
“It’s okay, keep going.” Cheng Rui reassured her.
Bai Qingqing continued shooting, each time missing the bullseye by a small margin. Her expression became somewhat frustrated, and she glanced at him with a hint of blame. “It’s all your fault.”
Cheng Rui felt a bit flustered. “What did I do?”
“Blaming you for hitting the bullseye every time.” Bai Qingqing lowered her head. “But I haven’t hit a single one, it’s making me lose confidence.”
Cheng Rui grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace once again, saying in a low voice, “Practice a few more times, and you’ll definitely hit the target.”
Bai Qingqing leaned against him comfortably and said, “If I still can’t hit it, you can be my target.”
That was purely a joke out of frustration. Little did she expect Cheng Rui to respond, “Okay.”
Bai Qingqing’s eyes flickered, and she looked up at him. “Are you silly? If I can’t hit it and I end up injuring you, what will we do?”
“You won’t. I believe in you,” Cheng Rui’s cold voice carried a hint of gentleness.
Bai Qingqing smiled, knowing that once a cold and stern man like him was won over, he could be just as charming as a seasoned flirt, if not more.
Cheng Rui held her soft and tender hand, lowering his head near her ear and said, “Keep your eyes forward.”
His warm breath sprayed against her fair neck, creating a tingling sensation that made her involuntarily move.
Cheng Rui tightened his grip on her hand and said, “Stay focused.”
Under his careful guidance, Bai Qingqing finally managed to hit the bullseye with two or three shots out of ten, and a relaxed expression appeared on her delicate face.
“Cheng Rui, I hit it!”
Cheng Rui looked at her happy expression and curved his lips. “Impressive.”
After practicing for about half an hour, the two of them returned to the car. Professor Li’s wife looked at them and smiled, “Young man, there’s porridge in the kitchen. You and your girlfriend haven’t had breakfast. Go and have some.”
Everyone in the car looked at them with different expressions.
Bai Qingqing’s face showed a shy expression, and she quickly denied, “No, Auntie, you misunderstood.”
Cheng Rui remained silent and didn’t say anything.
Professor Li’s wife realized her mistake and apologized, “I’m sorry, I thought you two were a couple.”
“Auntie, we’re teammates,” Bai Qingqing quickly walked to Fu Chen’s side and called him “brother.”
Fu Chen glanced at Cheng Rui and then at her. “Where were you guys?”
“Brother, Cheng Rui was teaching me how to shoot, he’s really good.” Bai Qingqing praised Cheng Rui again with a smile. “I can hit the bullseye now.”
Fu Chen didn’t expect her to go to Cheng Rui for shooting practice. His expression turned cold and indifferent. He wasn’t any worse than Cheng Rui in marksmanship, yet his sister went to Cheng Rui instead of considering him, her own brother.
Fu Chen felt displeased. He held Bai Qingqing’s hand and said calmly, “After practicing for so long, aren’t you tired?”
As soon as he said that, Bai Qingqing felt her arms sore and showed a pitiful expression. “I’m tired, Brother. Can you massage my arms for me?”
Fu Chen led her to the sofa and sat her down, then reached out to massage her slender arms. In the eyes of others, it appeared particularly doting.
Cheng Rui furrowed his brows and silently went to the front to drive.
Shen Mingxuan lifted the curtain and sat in the co-driver’s seat, saying, “Cheng Rui, it seems like if you want Bai Qingqing, you’ll have to pass the Captain’s test.”
Fu Chen’s attitude towards Bai Qingqing was like doting on a little sister but also like pampering a lover.
Would he agree to Cheng Rui being with Bai Qingqing?
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