Bloody Romance: I, the big troublemaker, Zhong Yuemin!

“Manager Liu,” Zhong Yuemin’s voice was languid from just waking up, with his usual teasing tone, “Why are you staring at me like that? Don’t you… have some kind of 'ulterior motive' toward me?”

Liu Jing blushed and hurriedly looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment: "Who...who was looking at you! You wish! I was looking...looking for a car coming from behind."

"Hehe, is that so..." Zhong Yuemin smiled meaningfully and sat up a little straighter.

Immediately, a hand naturally and with irresistible intimacy rested on her stockinged, plump, and supple thigh, gently caressing it.

"I ate a bit too much just now," he leaned closer, his voice low and seductive, "How about... we go to your place and 'digest' a bit more?"

"I'm not going!" Liu Jing refused without even thinking. How could she not know what this person meant by "digestion"?

"Then... let's go to the moat, park and get some fresh air? Is that alright?" Zhong Yuemin asked, settling for second best, his tone sounding quite serious.

"Really breathable?" Liu Jing glanced at him suspiciously.

"Okay!" Zhong Yuemin said with a "sincere" expression. "What else could I do? It's broad daylight, don't think of me as something so despicable. I'm a gentleman."

Liu Jing was skeptical, but ultimately changed direction and drove towards the moat.

However, just over an hour later...

When the car pulled back to the company building and came to a stop, the blush on Liu Jing's face had not completely faded. Her long hair, which had been loose, was now loosely tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, with a few stray hairs sticking unruly to her slightly sweaty forehead.

She glared at the smug, nonchalant guy next to her with a look of resentment and embarrassment.

As she went upstairs, her legs went weak and she almost tripped on the steps.

Zhong Yuemin reacted quickly, reaching out to help her up, and asked in a "concerned" tone:

"Are you alright? Be careful on the steps."

Liu Jing steadied herself, bit her slightly swollen red lips, and said in a low voice with resentment, "Isn't it all because of you... you even 'let it breathe'! Is this how you let me 'breathe'?! Humph!"

Zhong Yuemin suppressed a laugh, leaned close to her ear, and whispered in a voice so low that only the two of them could hear: "Okay, okay, it's my fault. Then... let's go to your place tonight and have a proper 'breakthrough'?"

"You're kidding me!" The heat that had just subsided on Liu Jing's face surged back up again. She shook off his hand, her steps still a little weak, and walked quickly upstairs without looking back.

-

-

Ning Wei had been receiving treatment and recuperating at a hospital in a border county in Yunnan for over a week. Once he was able to walk around a little on his own, he returned to his original unit to complete his discharge procedures before heading back to Beijing. He then spent the rest of his time at home resting.

When Zhong Yuemin visited him, he was exercising in his own courtyard. He wasn't doing any strenuous exercise; he was just slowly moving his hands and feet and stretching his muscles and bones.

The man named Shanshan was sitting quietly on a bamboo chair to the side, with a large wooden basin in front of him, head down, carefully washing clothes.

"Ning Wei, you're practicing!" Zhong Yuemin called out.

"Brother Zhong! You're here!" Ning Wei stopped what he was doing and quickly came to greet him when he saw him.

Zhong Yuemin looked him up and down. He looked much better than when he was in the Golden Triangle. His face had color in it, and his eyes had regained their sharpness. However, he still looked a little thin.

"How are you? Have you recovered almost completely?"

"That's about enough." Ning Wei clenched his fist, feeling the strength returning to him. "I've never been in bed for so long in my life. I feel like my body has 'rusted.' Moving around and sweating a bit makes me feel better!"

"It's good to sweat a little."

Zhong Yuemin smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"But don't rush it. Take it one step at a time. This injury isn't just a little bleeding or a scratch. It's a serious injury that has damaged your bones and weakened your blood and energy. You need to take good care of yourself and make sure you don't suffer any long-term effects."

“Brother Zhong, I know.” Ning Wei nodded. “Brother Zhong, come on, let’s go inside and sit down to talk.”

“No need, let’s just stay in this courtyard. The air is fresh and the sun is warm,” Zhong Yuemin said, picking up an empty bamboo chair and sitting down. Ning Wei also sat down next to him.

Shanshan, who was washing clothes over there, stood up somewhat awkwardly, wiping her wet hands on her apron: "Brother Zhong, I... I'll go get you a glass of water." She then started to walk into the house.

“No need, Shanshan, I’m not thirsty.” Zhong Yuemin waved his hand gently. “You wash your clothes, don’t bother.”

He then turned to Ning Wei and asked about serious matters: "So this officially counts as retiring from the army. What are your plans for the future? I told you before that I wanted you to be my bodyguard, to stay by my side..."

“Brother Zhong,” Ning Wei interrupted him, his tone hesitant but his eyes firm, “I…I want to try doing some business myself.”

"What, you think it's a waste of your talent as 'Captain A' to have me as your bodyguard? You're not willing?" Zhong Yuemin joked, his eyes filled with laughter.

“Brother Zhong, stop teasing me.” Ning Wei gave a wry smile, but his tone was unusually serious. “If you hadn’t voluntarily stepped down back then, I would never have had the chance to take on the role of Captain of the Old A team. And if you hadn’t personally gone to the Golden Triangle to rescue me this time… I’m afraid I would have rotted in that forest long ago and died far from home.”

He looked at Zhong Yuemin, his eyes filled with gratitude and a hint of stubbornness: "Brother Zhong, to be honest, with your abilities... why would you need me to protect you? I know you just want to find an excuse to make me feel better and to accept your help in a more reasonable way."

He paused, then lowered his voice:

“Over the years, I have received a lot of care from you. Now that I have been given a second chance at life, I want to... try my best to make something of myself.”

Zhong Yuemin understood his thoughts. This kid, deep down, still had that stubborn streak of not giving in easily and wanting to make his own way in the world.

"Okay, that's ambitious." He nodded, no longer insisting. "So, what do you want to do? Do you have a plan?"

“I’ve discussed this with my brother a few times recently.” Ning Wei clearly had a preliminary idea. “I’m thinking of using my demobilization pay to open a small restaurant. Brother Zhong, what do you think… is this idea feasible?”

“There are indeed quite a few privately owned small restaurants and snack stalls outside now.” Zhong Yuemin did not directly deny it, but analyzed objectively, “The competition is quite fierce. It’s not that you can’t open one, but in terms of timing… you’ve already fallen behind others.”

Seeing that Ning Wei was listening attentively, he continued, "Small businesses like this, if you're law-abiding and earn a meager living, will definitely be able to make a living. But if you want to get rich and make a fortune from it... I'm afraid that will be a bit difficult."