"Bam!" Like clockwork, Xiao Jing's body shifted into a defensive stance, allowing her to defend herself from the attack. She had no qualms aiming right for Shen Chengfeng's face with her leg and did not give a f*ck as to whether or not the other party was her superior.
With a slight frown on his face, Shen Chengfeng grabbed Xiao Jing's foot and attempted to pin her underneath him.
Naturally, Xiao Jing struggled to get away from Shen Chengfeng and kicked out with her other foot. Maybe it was because she had not expected her reflexes to be this fast, but Xiao Jing ended up executing a series of chain kicks, one of which even managed to land on Shen Chengfeng's head.
In retaliation, Shen Chengfeng grabbed Xiao Jing's other leg with two fingers, bridged the distance between them, and effectively put an end to the use of her legs.
But Xiao Jing refused to give up. Remembering that her hands were still free, Xiao Jing had planned to continue resisting, but even that was nipped in the bud when Shen Chengfeng flipped her over. Xiao Jing's legs were now bent so far back that they were practically touching her waist. She finally ceased the futile resistance.
"Did you think you could escape from me with those skills of yours?" Shen Chengfeng gripped Xiao Jing's hands with one hand and prepared to remove her clothes with his other hand.
Despite feeling a little dazed, Xiao Jing had a pretty good idea what Shen Chengfeng was about to do. In a bid to break herself out of her reverie, she bit herself on her lower lip. It worked. She was jolted awake by the sudden pain.
Shen Chengfeng thought he had the situation under control, so he was taken aback when the body he had rendered immobile slid out of his grip, like a loach gliding into water.
After getting out of Shen Chengfeng's grip, Xiao Jing rolled underneath the bed. It was a typical army cot that was easily foldable and portable. There was a mechanism that made it easy for the bed to fold instantly.
Xiao Jing did not hesitate to reach out for that mechanism.
With a bam, the bed folded upon itself.
Of course, that alone was not enough to deter Shen Chengfeng. He quickly escaped and pulled out the gleeful little soldier who was still hiding underneath.
Xiao Jing felt a shadow looming over her, and looked up helplessly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Her clothes were mostly torn by now, and she was in a dismal state.
As for Shen Chengfeng, there was surprisingly a cut on his face. He must have accidentally gotten scratched by the folding bed just now.
Shen Chengfeng's face was throbbing with pain, and it was only after touching his face that he realized he was bleeding. There were tiny bloodstains on his fingertips. Picking up a piece of tissue to wipe them off, he asked casually, "Should I be giving you credit? After all, your speed and reaction time did exceed my expectations."
"Then please let the credit offset my mistakes," implored Xiao Jing, as she stared at the Great Buddha before her with shining eyes.
Shen Chengfeng picked up his coat and glared coldly at the person who was deliberately keeping a distance from him. Before leaving, he said to Xiao Jing, "Get dressed and come with me."
Xiao Jing looked down at her torn clothes. If the tear had been any higher, the white bandages wrapped around her body would have been visible. She heaved a sigh of relief and gave herself a mental pat on the back for having chosen to "perish together" with Shen Chengfeng and for putting up a good fight.
Mu Xichi was waiting outside the door when Shen Chengfeng walked out of the infirmary. Pointing at what appeared to be a scratch wound on his Commander's face, he asked puzzledly, "What happened to your face, Commander?"
Shen Chengfeng closed the door behind him and gave Mu Xichi a once over. "Didn't you guys have training today?" he asked.
"It is mealtime now," answered Mu Xichi.
"Well, I take it that you have already eaten?" Shen Chengfeng responded.
Mu Xichi's mouth twitched as he answered wryly, "I rushed here to report to you, Commander, so I have not yet eaten."
"You were worried about Xiao Jing?"
"I heard from the sergeants that what happened was pretty serious. After all, injuring someone in camp is considered a serious offense and has to be strictly dealt with. It might even warrant being given a demerit."
"Commander, I have something to add," Just then, Li Qin came running up the stairs, with a bento box in his hand.
Shen Chengfeng glanced briefly at the person who had just spoken. As his eyes traveled downwards, his gaze landed on the unremarkable bento that Lin Qi was holding.
"I was present and can vouch that Xiao Jing did not mean to injure that officer on purpose. He was in a semi-coma and was unable to control his reactions. He should not receive a demerit for accidentally hurting the officer," Lin Qi explained.
" You were the one who carried him to the infirmary?" Shen Chengfeng asked.
Lin Qi nodded without any hesitation, and added, "He passed out after falling from the horizontal bar."
"He passed out during training?" Shen Chengfeng questioned.
"Yes. I last saw him at about one in the afternoon. When he passed out from the heatstroke, it was already 3 pm, so he must have been training non-stop for three hours or longer."
"What an idiot," uttered Shen Chengfeng, before he headed down the stairs.
Mu Xichi, who was trailing after him, asked, "Commander, how should we deal with this, then?"
"Are you sure you need me to tell you?"
Mu Xichi answered with a smile. "I know what to do, sir. I will report this incident and have it dealt with seriously."
"Did I say anything about dealing with it seriously?" Shen Chengfeng put on his coat, as he stared sharply at Mu Xichi.
Mu Xichi felt a chill going down his spine as if someone was poking at it. It was an uncomfortable sensation.
"Do you have anything else to add?" Shen Chengfeng stared unblinkingly at him.
"No, I am done," replied Mu Xichi as he shook his head furiously.
"If you are done, go back and get some rest. I am looking forward to the match tomorrow."
Mu Xichi shuddered uncontrollably. Why had it sounded like a threat? He could practically sense the danger oozing out from the Commander's words.
"I am ready, Commander." Xiao Jing had snatched an ill-fitting shirt from the army guard, and haphazardly put it on.
Narrowing his eyes, Shen Chengfeng said, "Lin Qi packed you some food."
"How could I let personal affairs get in the way of business matters?" Xiao Jing responded firmly.
Shen Chengfeng did not say anything else. He merely turned around and left.
Following him quickly, Xiao Jing then asked cautiously, "Where are we headed, Commander?"
"To get some food," Shen Chengfeng answered simply.
"Ah, yes. The Commander even takes care of such trivial matters in person," said Xiao Jing, playfully.
Shen Chengfeng stopped in his tracks and stared fixedly at Xiao Jing, who had a fake smile on her face.
Xiao Jing coughed awkwardly, realizing that she might have gone overboard with the bootlicking,
"You are right. If I am not even capable of eating on my own, I will probably need someone to feed me. Since Second Lieutenant Xiao is so keen to volunteer himself, how about you feed me personally?"