Cold-natured ice beauty / "Captain, I don't like it."
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"The captain went to find Yu again?" The person who had just casually taken off his underwear in the bathhouse was somewhat surprised.
Not very familiar with Chinese, there was a slight stilted feeling when he spoke.
His companion, on the other hand, was not surprised at all. Squinting his eyes, he said with a somewhat sympathetic tone, "That's the ice beauty."
A unique existence in the entire training base. Jess pursed his lips.
Who would have thought that when a group of tough men were sweating profusely and the whole training field was filled with heat during training camp,
A young man with black hair and fair skin, with a slim and slender body, was brought in, which was even more apparent among a group of well-built mixed-race individuals.
Jess swore that it was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life.
He looked as if made of snow, even when exposed to the scorching sun during physical training, he remained dazzlingly white, unlike them who were tanned and red.
"Oh my god..." He sat on the resting chair in the bathhouse and murmured to himself, "He's so beautiful."
Lustrous eyebrows and eyes, yet full of a cold aura.
But the glance that came over, felt like it had hooks, itching people's hearts.
Seeing that he was still immersed in memories and couldn't extricate himself, the crew-cut man next to him glanced at him,
"It's not springtime yet."
"Go take a shower, five kilometers on foot this afternoon."
After speaking, he didn't care about Jess' lament and turned and left.
In the hallway, as members passed by, they greeted a certain person one after another.
The blond-haired, blue-eyed man had broad shoulders and long legs, sharp and deep facial features. If it weren't for the fact that it was indeed true, it would be hard to imagine that this was a mercenary who dealt with life and death on a daily basis.
The lighting in the base corridor always seemed dim.
His steps were fast and urgent, walking towards the end of the corridor, his brows furrowed, looking confused and stubborn.
Having been accustomed to the ruthless coldness of men on the field and in the rainforest, the members clearly couldn't recognize who this person, who appeared nervous and disorganized at the moment, was.
After the man's figure was mostly concealed in the darkness... the people around him couldn't help but feel the strong sense of oppression finally dissipating.
After a while, someone spoke softly, "That direction... is Yu's room, right?"
Everyone looked at each other.
Not long after, the man arrived at a door. After a moment of silence, the low pressure surrounding him suddenly dissipated.
The proudly held head gradually lowered just before knocking on the door, looking somewhat aggrieved.
"Knock, knock, knock" No response the first time.
Waited a few seconds.
The man raised his hand again, but the door creaked open the next second.
The tall young man revealed his face, which was still covered in droplets of water, sliding down from his straight nose.
It seemed like he had just washed his hair.
The damp ends of his hair were still dripping, disappearing into the collar along his slender clavicle.
The whole person was surrounded by a milky mist, with scattered star-like lights. The features on his face were covered by a fog-like filter, cold and merciless.
The young man raised his head and glanced over, and the beauty mark at the corner of his eye instantly became lively, inexplicably making Xiu feel a bit dry in the mouth.
Seeing that the other person didn't speak, he paused for a moment before softly opening his mouth, "Do you need something, Captain?"
His voice was like a spring hitting a stone, clear and pleasant.
Xiu's heart trembled.
He silently stared at the young man's dark and dense feathers, fluttering like butterfly wings. Under the lashes, his pupils, soaked with water vapor, appeared even more black and white, reflecting his own figure.
He wanted to ask, but as soon as he touched the delicate and confused face in front of him, he couldn't say a word.
It was obvious that the young man didn't understand his own feelings yet.
This understanding gave the usually decisive man a sense of frustration for the first time.
"..."
The young man patiently stood at the door, his lips slightly pursed, looking even more puzzled.
Xiu's heartbeat also accelerated in an instant, and his Adam's apple rolled before he forced out a few difficult words, "Why?"
"Yu..."
"Why did you reject me?"
Xiu was of mixed English and French heritage, and his Chinese wasn't very fluent. It even carried a British accent. The only clearly audible word in the whole sentence was "Yu."
Although it sounded a bit difficult to understand, Qiao Yu still understood his meaning. Qiao Yu didn't like beating around the bush.
He looked seriously into the man's azure eyes. "Xiu, I don't like it."
What does "like" mean? Qiao Yu was a bit confused. He had come here just to complete the mission given by the organization.
As he said this, his clear eyes were pure and clean, just like Qiao Yu himself.
But Xiu immediately became nervous.
Don't like it? Was it that he didn't like himself or didn't like men?
If it was the former, it didn't matter. He could continue pursuing. But if it was the latter... Xiu's face noticeably dimmed.
"I think we are friends." Qiao Yu stood quietly at the door, carefully weighing each word as he spoke.
Emotions seemed like a nonexistent term to him, but he did cherish this, his first friend in the base.
Friends?
Xiu felt a bit unwilling.
But he hadn't considered him a friend.
Whether it was helping this newly arrived Eastern member in training with ulterior motives or helping him eliminate enemies, Xiu knew he never wanted to be his friend.
They rarely even had intimate interactions, but their cooperation as a team was already impenetrable.
The man stood silently, his golden curly hair making him look like a large cat. His deep facial features were solemn, and his figure remained unmoving.
A look that seemed to say, "You have to explain properly for me to accept it"—
Qiao Yu didn't understand, but he knew that Xiu must be feeling upset.
Upset about what?
Qiao Yu couldn't understand. Whether it was when they were injured during the airdrop into the tropical rainforest, or when they fell in the valley after being shot, they had always been each other's best shield.
If even in situations with serious consequences the captain did not feel as despondent as he does now, then what is the reason? Is it because of me?
The captain would never be like this.
Qiao Yu didn't know what his words made him think of, but it definitely wasn't a good thing. Therefore, he furrowed his brows slightly, and a rare hint of confusion appeared on his usually cold and proud face.
Qiao Yu thought he wasn't good at taking care of other people's emotions, subconsciously believing that his words inadvertently offended Xiu, so he hesitated and added:
"But it's more than just friends."
They were more like inseparable companions, a title far more valuable than friends.
Qiao Yu's tone was calm, but his eyes were clear, like a spring of water, calm and serene, as if there was only you in his eyes.
A feeling of being cherished welled up from the depths of Xiu's heart, wiping away the momentary sense of loss.
Xiu's heart skipped a beat, and his ears turned noticeably red.
He said they were more than just friends.
He said they were more than just friends.
...
These words echoed in Xiu's mind like a spell, and for the first time, he found himself smiling foolishly at Qiao Yu.
He felt that in Chinese, "不只是" (bù zhǐ shì) and "不是" (bù shì) were the same thing, and this "zhǐ" (只) seemed to be one of those strange connecting words in Chinese that he didn't really like.
But he also felt that no matter how obscure the Chinese that came out of Yu's mouth was, it sounded good.
"They are more than just friends" = "They are not friends" = "I can pursue Yu."
Strange equations suddenly formed in his mind.
Qiao Yu looked at the fluctuating emotions of the captain today and found it strange but didn't pay much attention to it.
"If, Captain, you win against me in the training match..."
Xiu heard this sentence and reluctantly calmed down from his previous joy, feeling somewhat nervous.
"I can give you three conditions" as compensation, Qiao Yu thought.
He lowered his eyelashes, the damp tips of his hair falling gently on his forehead, and his rosy lips looked fragile, but his long legs and slender waist were undeniably praised by the biased creator.
Xiu stared at Qiao Yu, licking his dry lips.
After hearing Qiao's words and making an effort to understand, from one second of confusion, he turned into excitement.
Xiu's gaze suddenly brightened. He knew that Yu had great talent, but his training time was short, and in terms of physical fitness, he definitely had the advantage.
Moreover, Yu always maintained a deliberate restraint during training, and the key to victory often relied on a fatal strike, which he was perfectly capable of turning defeat into victory.
"A word is settled"
Xiu struggled to squeeze out an idiom, feeling somewhat apprehensive.
He learned many idioms from Qiao Yu, and seeing that Yu didn't correct him this time, he should have used it correctly.
A hint of joy, indiscernible to Qiao Yu, appeared on the young man's handsome face, and after saying that, he quickly left.
The small incident passed just like that.
Qiao Yu turned around and closed the door. His hair was still wet, which might affect his line of sight during the afternoon shooting practice.
He turned his face away, his slender fingers that clearly showed the joints picking up a towel to wipe his damp hair.
The smooth jawline beneath his fair and delicate profile was unaware that in someone's gaze, it was equally desirable and coveted.
Not willing to miss even the slightest movement of the youth, waiting until the young man finally left the dormitory.
That person let out a satisfied yet dangerous sigh, saying, "You have caught someone's eye."
What should I do...