Chapter Ninety-Six: The Tormented Chang Geng

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Chang Geng was taking a bath.

The damned idea Chunhua came up with was to slip a few fleas into the clothes Chang Geng was about to change into, so that when he came out during lunch, he would be itching all over and make a fool of himself right under everyone’s noses.

Truly a vicious and cruel trick.

Kaiming sighed and watched as the guards carried away a pile of clothes. She called Chunhua and the other two closer to the window. Peering through the half-open window, she was stunned to find the washroom too far from the window. Even if the fleas were tossed in, they might not land precisely on the clothes!

“What a rotten idea!” she said irritably, lowering her voice to Chunhua. “We have plenty of time to act. Why choose this moment?”

Chunhua whispered back even lower, “Kaiming, don’t you know how alert Commander Chang Geng is? You’d know just by waving your fist behind him, let alone putting fleas in his clothes. If we get caught, it’ll be a nightmare!”

Kaiming found the explanation unconvincing but had no choice. She pouted and asked, “Well, what now?”

Chunhua exchanged glances with the other two and grinned, “Send someone inside.”

“Who goes?” Kaiming glared at them, a bad feeling creeping in.

“You,” the three said in unison, pointing at her.

“Why me?!” she snapped. “I’m your commander. I order you—any one of you should go!”

“No way!” the trio all took a step back. “We’re not smart enough, clumsy and likely to mess things up!”

Chunhua smirked shamelessly. “The commander sets the example. It should be you!”

Kaiming stared at them for several minutes, their faces oozing with insincere smiles so thick it seemed oil might seep from their chubby cheeks. She hesitated, wondering if these three women were outright scheming against her. She had done sneaky things with the commander’s clothes before, and putting a few tiny fleas seemed nothing in comparison.

While she pondered, Chunhua kept goading her, “If any one of us gets caught, we’d have to implicate you. Your reputation would be ruined too!” She giggled impishly.

Kaiming frowned, torn. Chunhua glanced around and said, “Kaiming, time isn’t on our side. Once the guards return, we won’t get another chance.”

Kaiming raised an eyebrow, and Chunhua sighed dramatically, “I thought Commander Kaiming was fearless, but turns out you’re scared of Chang Geng.”

Hit where it hurt, Kaiming jumped up, flustered. “Who said I’m scared of Chang Geng? Fine, I’ll go. What’s the big deal? It’s just a few fleas!” She snatched the small glass bottle from Chunhua and tiptoed inside.

Chunhua and the others exchanged victorious gestures, their faces lit with wicked smiles.

Tiptoeing inside, Kaiming saw the room was surprisingly tidy—surely the guards’ doing. Someone like Chang Geng wouldn’t bother cleaning. By the wall, a small room emitted the sound of running water—it had to be the washroom.

A bench at the door held neatly folded clothes.

Looking around nervously like a thief, she took a few cautious steps forward when suddenly a loud clang sounded; two doors slammed shut, trapping her inside.

The sudden noise nearly scared her out of her wits. Her legs gave way, and she fell to the floor. Turning back, she saw the door firmly closed and panicked. Scrambling up, she pounded on the door, but something blocked it from outside—it wouldn’t budge.

She dared not call out, cursing under her breath while watching the washroom for any movement. She darted toward the open window frame.

Just as her fingers touched it, the window snapped shut tightly. Startled, she caught a glimpse of Chunhua’s triumphant face through the crack and realized with a shock—she had walked right into Chunhua’s trap!

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Seeing her panic, Chunhua gestured happily outside the window. “Hey!” Kaiming fumed, shaking the window frame and whispering angrily. Chunhua waved goodbye and left her there.

Kaiming was completely deflated, powerless against this woman. Chunhua must have thought Kaiming feared Chang Geng because of his repeated scoldings and devised this ploy. Little did she know, Kaiming had an awkward relationship with Chang Geng—someone she couldn’t avoid. This prank had put her in a truly difficult spot.

She grumbled bitterly. Worse, the noise in the room ceased; the running water stopped abruptly, as if someone inside sensed something was wrong and was about to come out.

Terrified, she searched for a hiding place—under the table, beneath a stool, behind the bed curtains—but before she could decide, the washroom door swung open with a loud crash.

Trapped by the window, nowhere to flee or hide, she pressed her face against the frame, heart racing.

Footsteps approached, and a deep male voice spoke slowly, “Who are you?”

Frozen, she couldn’t reply.

The gaze burning into her back carried anger. “What are you doing in my room? Speak!”

Taking a deep breath, she clenched the glass bottle and hid it behind her back, forcing a smile as she slowly turned around and tried to sound calm: “It’s me.”

Turning, she met Chang Geng’s gaze.

His eyes widened in surprise, confusion, and a tangle of complex emotions.

“What are you up to, Kaiming?”

Her eyes drank in his form: damp black hair falling over his shoulders, a bare, cool torso adorned with droplets of water, sturdy muscles rippling beneath, and a pair of bright eyes like freshly washed pools staring blankly at her. His lower half was clad in loose white trousers as he held a dry towel.

Accidentally encountering Chang Geng half-naked unsettled her. She quickly averted her gaze and stammered, “Um, I was playing games with Chunhua and the others, and we accidentally ended up here—cough, cough—”

Chang Geng looked at her oddly. Her eyes darted nervously. “Could you open the door or window, please? Cough!”

His eyes flickered with amusement. “You played games and ended up in my room?”

“Yes, yes…” Though the excuse was weak, she braced herself.

“Playing games and getting locked in my room?” he mocked.

“I’m not joking. Someone framed me. Otherwise, how would I be here…” She tried not to look at his body to steady herself. “There’s training this afternoon. You wouldn’t want me to delay your rest, right?”

“I didn’t stop you,” Chang Geng said coldly, hanging the towel around his neck.

With permission granted, she bowed her head and slipped past him. Suddenly, her right wrist was caught by a firm grip and raised. “What’s this?”

Staring dumbfounded, she saw the small glass bottle full of fleas clutched in her hand and was speechless.

Chang Geng glanced at the wriggling insects, then back at her with a cold sneer. “So this is the game you’re playing? Does it include me?”

She couldn’t answer, her face flushing red and pale in turns.

With a sudden squeeze, Chang Geng forced her to release the bottle, which fell into his hand. He shook it mockingly. “Such boldness—to play games at my expense!”

As he loosened his grip, she slipped past him and sprinted to the door, shaking the sturdy wooden boards and shouting loudly, “Anyone there? Open the door! Open up!”

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Suddenly a hand clamped over her mouth and nose, pulling her back, while the other arm secured her waist. Chang Geng’s low voice whispered in her ear, “Are you crazy? What will you say if an outsider comes? Don’t you care about your reputation?”

She snapped awake, blinking, and tapped his hand to signal him to let go.

Chang Geng released the hand covering her mouth and, with the other still at her waist, turned her around. His eyes pierced hers like sharp blades. “Since when did Commander Kaiming become so afraid of seeing me?”

Trapped in the space his arms enclosed, her nose filled with the strong scent of masculinity. His dark eyes locked onto hers, rendering her helpless.

“Commander Chang Geng, so majestic and awe-inspiring, one cannot help but admire you at first sight…” she murmured without thinking, “My admiration for you is like the flooding Yellow River—unstoppable…” She stopped herself—what nonsense, all those TV dramas were to blame.

Chang Geng was both annoyed and amused, scoffing, “Nonsense!”

She relaxed a little, meeting his gaze with a smile. “Indeed.”

His smile deepened, and the arm around her waist tightened suddenly as he leaned in to kiss her half-open lips.

Startled, Kaiming quickly turned her face away, and his kiss landed on empty air.

“Chang Geng!” she raised her hand, pushing against his broad chest. The smooth touch made her cheeks flush. “Didn’t we agree the other day that we’re friends?”

Chang Geng was momentarily stunned; his hand stiffened as he whispered hoarsely, “If Ji can do it, why can’t I?”

She looked at him in shock.

He stared blankly, “Your second choice—was it Commander Yu Bing?”

“No!” she replied quickly. “It’s not what you think—”

Before she could finish, a commotion arose at the door. A loud male voice rang out, “What’s going on? Who blocked the commander’s door? If the commander finds out, he’ll beat whoever did this to death!”

The guards had returned! She was alarmed, holding her breath and listening intently.

Chang Geng’s brow furrowed deeply, his expression darkening.

“Commander! Commander!” The sounds of heavy footsteps and objects being moved echoed clearly.

“Are you alright, Commander?” The guards started pounding on the door.

Chang Geng’s pent-up fury exploded, and he roared angrily, “Leave me alone! Get lost!”

Startled, the guards’ footsteps quickly receded.

Kaiming looked at Chang Geng in surprise, sensing that half his anger was directed at her.

He slowly released her, stepped back, and gave her a cold look. “If you ever recklessly barge in here again, I will not let you off next time!”

Her face turned pale. She hurriedly nodded, not daring to look up, yanked open the door, and dashed out like escaping a trap.