Chapter 8, Methods of Cultivating Strawberries

When Yuan Shuai realized that something was amiss, Mu Ke was already very close to him. As He Hongxun reached out to protect her, he watched helplessly as Comrade Mu Ke stumbled two steps and nearly fell, waving her arms and "accidentally" knocking his ball away.

Obeying orders? If one cannot discern her little schemes, then it is not the He Camp. However, I doubt she can stir up any trouble, so I will let her be. While she continues to act nonchalantly, He Hongxun slightly presses down on her calf with his hand, thinking: Do not attempt to confront me directly; that would be utterly irrational.

With her hands and feet regaining freedom, He Hongxun reacted swiftly. As he caught a glimpse of her falling, he quickly turned around, but he was still unable to grasp her wrist in time. Just as she was about to make intimate contact with the ground, in a moment of urgency, he instinctively bent down, utilizing the characteristic speed of a scout, and served as a cushion for her.

"Follow my command, the target is directly ahead, at a height of 1.2." He Hongxun issued the order again, adjusting his pace to align with Yuan Shuai. When they were ten meters from the finish line, he feigned a move, leaning forward as if to snatch the ball. Su Tianyin was startled and lost her balance while sidestepping. Yuan Shuai hurried to support her, but the ball in his hand was snatched away by Mu Ke, who had timed her move perfectly at a height of exactly 1.2.

After gaining the upper hand, Mu Ke became a bit reckless. She playfully made a face and rushed towards the finish line, not noticing that her teammate was being "ambushed" by Yuan Shuai. Due to her lack of cooperation, He Hongxun's movements were restricted, and in the struggle, the shoelaces tied around her legs came undone. However, she lost her balance, leaned forward, and fell to the ground.

The instructor embraced Teacher Mu... With a high-pitched scream and the sound of a book being called out, Mu Ke felt countless gazes directed at her, which made her truly understand the meaning of the saying "to attempt to steal a chicken but end up losing the rice."

It seemed that her subtle movements went unnoticed. When he reached the starting point, He Hongxun looked at her and said, "Comrade, your speed of movement directly affects my performance, do you understand"

The purpose need not be stated explicitly; it is simply to indicate that the ball suddenly fell due to the applied force.

Muko was pondering how to create trouble for him, completely unaware of the height disadvantage the two of them had in this game. She held the basketball and smiled mischievously: "Yes, Comrade Company Commander, I will resolutely obey your command"

After covering a distance of approximately 50 meters, they had already caught up with Yuan Shuai, while the other three groups lagged slightly behind. Considering Yuan Shuai's deliberate arrangements and the recent mockery, He Hongxun whispered to Mu Ke: "Relocate the position closer to the enemy and use your intelligence to seize their weapons."

"Where does all that energy come from!" He Hongxun laughed in anger, saying, "Do you really want my belt?"

Muke took the lead, and from then on, the competition became completely chaotic; these two teams were essentially at odds with each other

Mu Ke felt both embarrassed and anxious, forgetting that his leg was still tied to that of his companion. He lifted his foot, intending to kick, and the force was so great that it nearly caused He Hongxun to stumble, almost tearing apart the strap he had tied himself.

The slow-to-realize Muko finally became aware that the close proximity between the two of them was somewhat ambiguous, and a faint blush quickly crept onto her small face. She awkwardly shifted her body, attempting to maintain the maximum possible distance from him

He tied a neat knot and stood up, responding nonchalantly: "For you, touching the soul is relatively more difficult"

What? Mu Ke doubted his own ears, especially when he saw him smiling a bit mischievously, and immediately understood.

He Hongxun's sense of precaution is always present. The moment her hand leaves the ball and touches his wrist, he instinctively extends his left hand to support her slender waist, using his arm to bear her weight and reduce the impact. Meanwhile, with a slight exertion of his right hand's fingers, the ball remains securely controlled in his grasp

He Hongxun has come to understand that the little girl who once dared not confront him directly during training is now deliberately opposing him. He quickly adjusts his pace to match hers, yet he still feels as if he is being dragged along by her. This clearly indicates how significant the initial movements of Comrade Mu Ke were, and such desperate running soon leaves her feeling overwhelmed.

Not catching his double entendre, Mu moved her leg that was tied to his and, without thinking, said angrily: "You tied it too loosely, if it comes undone later, I'll use your belt to tie it up."

Her steps were much smaller compared to his, and it was not difficult for He Hongxun to keep pace with her, to the extent that her attempts to disrupt him quickly turned from active to passive. Suppressing her dizziness, she unwillingly rolled her eyes, forcefully rubbing the palm of her left hand against the basketball. The motion of losing control, caused by her running, occurred instantaneously, and as the basketball fell into his large palm, her hand, due to inertia, heavily struck his wrist. Suppressing her dizziness, she unwillingly rolled her eyes, forcefully rubbing the palm of her left hand against the basketball. The motion of losing control, caused by her running, occurred instantaneously, and as the basketball fell into his large palm, her hand, due to inertia, heavily struck his wrist.

Yuan Shuai shouted: "Foul! Foul!"

He Hongxun nodded in agreement: "The awareness of prevention is too weak"

Feeling embarrassed by his laughter, Mu Ke stuffed the basketball in her hands into his arms to cover up her awkwardness, and accidentally stepped on his foot with some force. Don't blame her for being childish; after all, there was really no room for her to express herself in front of him. Whether it was four years ago as a student or now as a counselor, he always had the upper hand over her, especially since he was her instructor.

When they were ready, the training ground was already filled with people. The five groups were each composed of one instructor and one counselor. Yuan Shuai and Su Tianyin were in one group, and the two were whispering to each other about something. The members of the other groups also seemed to be discussing strategies, while Mu Ke and He Hongxun completely ignored each other, not even exchanging glances.

Upon witnessing this, the entire audience of teachers and students burst into laughter

Yuan Shuai and Su Tianyin's collaboration is quite good, and they have already gained a slight lead. Upon hearing the shout, Yuan Shuai turned around with a somewhat strange smile and said: "Company Commander, if we lose, it's a thousand push-ups. You can decide for yourself."

Where else could she care about anything else? Mu Ke exclaimed and rushed into He Hongxun's embrace, her delicate chin accidentally colliding with his collarbone. Immediately after, her pristine white teeth uncontrollably struck heavily against his neck. Mu Ke could even distinctly feel the warmth of her teeth against his skin, as well as the involuntary swallowing motion he made, whether due to pain or some other reason.

Muko's consciousness is clear, but the symptoms of dizziness make her feel extremely uncomfortable. She wants to withdraw from his embrace, yet her whole body feels as soft as a ball of cotton, rendering her powerless. She can only whisper, "I feel dizzy..."

Coco! At this moment, a deep voice cut through the crowd. He Yi City had arrived at the training ground at some point, and dressed in military uniform, he strode over, unreservedly and naturally pulling Mu Ke into his embrace from He Hongxun's arm.

Mu Ke laughed and shouted back: "Who said we can't create obstacles for our opponents? Who said that?"

The curvature of the smile at the corners of her mouth gradually increased, and her gaze unconsciously overflowed with a sense of steadfast commitment. He Hongxun looked at the top of her head in silence, an unspoken indulgence.

What does he want? A belt. He ultimately fell victim to her schemes, and he felt that if he allowed her to continue her nonsense, his patience would run out. Fixing his gaze on her youthful face, he chuckled and scolded, "Nonsense!"

He rarely smiles like this; most of the time during their interactions, he maintains a stern expression, making it difficult for others to approach him, and he even comes across as rigid. Mu Ke unexpectedly discovers that his smile is quite charming, exuding an unconscious allure.

It was unclear whether it was the excitement from the game's running or the exhilaration that left her nerves somewhat dazed, or if it was the embarrassment of having accidentally grazed him during her fall that made it difficult for her to look up. In any case, the situation was such that Comrade Mu Ke stared wide-eyed as she saw a small, ambiguous strawberry mark left on He Hongxun's throat by her teeth, and she remained in a daze for quite some time, only feeling her head grow increasingly dizzy.

The inherent competitive spirit was awakened, and Mu Ke, not bothering to bicker with him, urged while pushing his arm: "Who cares about your belt? Hurry up, or you'll be in big trouble if you lose... a thousand push-ups, it's simply deadly

Mu Ke was unable to move and indignantly accused, "Why are you resorting to violence? Don't you know that it can only touch the skin?"

First, Yuan Shuai attempted to snatch the ball from them, but was evaded by He Hongxun with a swift move. Next, Su Tianyin came charging in, and Mu Ke was unable to dodge, getting pushed slightly. When the ball hit the ground, she lost her balance and crashed heavily into He Hongxun's chest, once again being embraced by him.

This game was played during the student era at a gathering, and Mu Ke didn't take it seriously at all. However, when she actually started playing, she realized that her synergy with He Hongxun was far from adequate. Additionally, his strides were too long for her to keep up, and the basketball trapped between her two hands hindered her performance. Most importantly, she was fundamentally a disruptive element who did not follow instructions.

Feeling a subtle pain in his neck, He Hongxun frowned and then took a deep breath

The sudden intimacy caused both individuals to momentarily lose their composure. Noticing her flushed ears, He Hongxun released his hand from her waist, smiled lightly, and playfully admonished, "If you keep causing trouble, I will really have to do a thousand push-ups in public, and I will be utterly embarrassed." As he spoke, he signaled her to catch the ball: "Come on, follow my command, run—go—" Upon hearing the command, she instinctively stepped forward with her left foot, then her right, while he mirrored her movements in reverse.

Su Tianyin echoed: "Out! Out!"

Upon hearing the command "Start," she first abandoned her companions and recklessly dashed out beyond the starting line

However, this scene appears quite different in the eyes of others. The petite Muko stands beside the tall He Hongxun, resembling a little bird leaning against a tree. As for their lack of communication, they merely assume that the young instructor is too shy, after all, the officer is indeed very handsome and cool. Little do they know about the undercurrents between the two.

He quickly realized that he was reminding himself not to use the speed he had while running laps that night to trouble him. Mu Ke pouted in dissatisfaction, saying: "Comrade, don't make it sound like I'm a turtle"

He Hongxun noticed her unusual behavior and thought that he had not protected her well, causing her to get hurt. He supported her shoulder and asked anxiously, "What happened? Where did you get hurt?" In his words, he had already helped her to stand up. In front of many teachers and students, he did not want to make her feel embarrassed

Speaking of the word "distance," Mu Ke currently has no idea that one day someone will say to her: "Maintain your distance from me in the military, and do not even think about holding hands." Then, when she glares at him with raised eyebrows, that person will lean down and mischievously whisper in her ear: "When no one is around—zero distance."