He Chased, He Fled

At those words, everyone froze for a moment, then started hooting.

He Zhou frowned. "Captain, didn't you work with Gu Cheng in City H? Why does he sound like this is your first meeting?"

Ye Ruan's ears were already scarlet. His fingers clenched his trouser legs, and he didn't answer Gu Cheng.

Just then, the First Team, every bit as shameless as Gu Cheng, began fanning the flames.

Li Rang called out, "Captain Ye, if you're looking for a partner, pick our captain! He's free! Comes with his own dowry and is easy to keep! Does laundry, cooks, you name it! Take him home and you're already ahead!"

Ye Ruan's breath caught. Gu Cheng's teasing had turned him red from his neck to his face. Trying hard to look aloof, he pulled up his jacket's hood.

Half his face vanished into shadow.

"Enough! Is this a matchmaking session?!"

Cai Hao slapped the table. "Quiet, everyone!"

They still had to show the Headquarters Team some respect. Gu Cheng gave a flippant smile and leaned lazily against his chair. He raised a hand, and the teammates in the back row immediately fell silent.

Cai Hao nodded. "This is the most complete gathering our three teams have ever had. Gu Cheng and Ye Ruan performed well on this trip to City H."

Gu Cheng listened expressionlessly to a heap of pointless chatter and lavish praise. The only tangible reward was money, along with some useless medals.

Boring.

Looking at his wife was much more interesting.

Little Bunny sitting there looked like a painting.

"All right, General Nan has something to announce."

After rambling for half an hour, Cai Hao finally relinquished the stage.

Gu Cheng looked over.

This general looked more like a CEO who frequented office buildings.

His hair was immaculately combed, and he wore a suit and dress trousers.

Nan Han's gaze first settled on Ye Ruan. When he realized Ye Ruan wasn't looking at him, his eyes turned cold.

"I'll get straight to the point."

Nan Han tapped his fingers on the table.

"After discussion with our superiors, we've decided to add a foreign unit of twenty special people. They will become the new Second Team, and the current Second and Third Teams will move down a rank."

Ye Ruan abruptly raised his head to look at the man onstage. His red eyes darkened, a flash of hostility passing through them.

He Zhou frowned and lowered his voice. "Have they lost their minds? We can't stop them adding people, but why should we give up our place to a bunch of foreigners!"

"That's not fair!"

The Second and Third Teams erupted. Ye Ruan turned his head slightly, and the teammates behind him immediately quieted down.

Lou Yu sprang to his feet. "General Nan, the three teams are ranked by their strength. Isn't it unfair to make them the Second Team as soon as they arrive?"

Nan Han looked indifferent. "Then what do you propose?"

Lou Yu's jaw tightened. He was about to speak when a man in a white coat beside him suddenly took his hand.

The man shook his head. Lou Yu held back for two seconds, his expression ugly and unwilling to concede.

Just then, Ye Ruan's thin, bright-red lips uttered a single word.

"Compete."

Nan Han looked over in surprise. As he remembered it, this good son of his had never taken the initiative to stir up trouble.

Ever since returning from City H, he had seemed like a different person.

Meanwhile, Gu Cheng perked up. "Agreed. Let's just fight."

Seeing their captain take a stand, the ruffians of the First Team knew there was fun to be had and hurried to join in.

"Yeah! Fight it out! Winners move up! Scrubs go to the back!"

"Let's show our foreign friends some Huaxia martial arts." Yu Jingjing revealed her cat claws, her slit pupils gleaming.

Nan Han waited until they had all gone quiet.

"Very well. Everyone will assemble at the training ground at nine tomorrow morning."

Watching Nan Han leave, Ye Ruan stood up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Gu Cheng walking toward him.

Ye Ruan panicked. He grabbed He Zhou and whispered, "Help me stop Gu Cheng. I'm going home first."

He Zhou looked baffled. Before he could ask why, his captain had already slipped away.

Still, he didn't dare disobey Ye Ruan.

Seeing that Ye Ruan had actually run off, Gu Cheng started after him, only to be stopped by He Zhou.

"Captain Gu!" He Zhou forcibly clasped Gu Cheng's hand. "Long time no see! I've missed you so much!"

Gu Cheng couldn't be bothered with him. He tried to go around, but He Zhou blocked him again.

Little Bunny had already disappeared from sight.

Gu Cheng gave a cold laugh. "Sis, Sixth Brother, get him out of my way. Don't let him go until I've caught the rabbit!"

Yu Jingjing said, "You got it! Go chase your little darling!"

Li Rang and Lu Jiayi hoisted He Zhou off the ground, one on each side, leaving him unable to move.

Beside them, Tang Tang's eyes widened in fright. Despite her fear, she still shakily stepped forward to pry their arms away.

With a little "Hey!" Yu Jingjing draped an arm over Tang Tang's shoulders, trapping her in the crook of one arm.

The black cat raised an eyebrow at her and hooked the nameplate hanging around Tang Tang's neck with smooth, lustrous fingers.

The girl's thick lashes cast little shadows under the auditorium lights. Yu Jingjing lazily lifted her eyelids.

"Little Hamster? Number 27, Tang Tang?"

Tang Tang trembled and hurriedly nodded. A mist gathered in her almond-shaped eyes, as though she might cry at any moment.

"My name's Yu Jingjing. I'm a black cat."

Yu Jingjing grinned, baring her teeth. "Don't be scared. I don't eat hamsters. I only like big meat buns."

As she spoke, Yu Jingjing looked at the adorable little ears atop Tang Tang's head and couldn't resist batting one with her paw.

My ears!

Cats bat hamsters around with their paws before eating them!

They eat them once they're done playing!

Tang Tang sucked in a breath, shoved Yu Jingjing away, and bolted.

Meanwhile, Ye Ruan fled for his life. Halfway through, he turned back into a lop-eared rabbit and headed straight for the grass.

Yet the footsteps behind him drew closer and closer. Soon, they almost disappeared, replaced by the sound of something streaking through the grass.

Ye Ruan knew Gu Cheng had turned back into a wolf. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest in fright.

He was every bit as bedraggled now as he had been commanding earlier.

He was, after all, a pampered lop-eared rabbit. Ye Ruan rarely ran in his original form, and before long, rough stones had scraped the skin of all four little paws.

Little Bunny sniffled miserably. While leaping over a small stream, he accidentally twisted his foot and tumbled several times.

Dizzy and disoriented, the lop-eared rabbit plunged headfirst into the grass. Before he could get up, a vast shadow engulfed him.

Then sharp teeth caught him by the scruff.

The giant wolf pinned the whole rabbit beneath him. His open jaws could take in half the rabbit's body.

Heavy breaths washed over the rabbit's ears, so hot that they twitched twice.

"Still running?"

Gu Cheng's low, dangerous voice rang out.

"Run again, and I'll take you right here. Try me."

Ye Ruan returned to human form, pinned facedown against the ground and unable to move.

"N-no. I won't run."

"You heartless little thing. Even if you don't want me anymore, you can't just see me and not say a single word!"

The giant wolf released him. His slightly cool nose rubbed against Ye Ruan's shoulder as he sniffed his scent hard.

He had been fine before sniffing. Afterward, he nearly exploded with anger.

Little Bunny no longer smelled of him. Instead, he carried the scents of that big dog He Zhou and the little hamster.

Those scents wouldn't stick without a prolonged hug.

Jealousy welled up in Gu Cheng. Returning to human form, he flipped Ye Ruan over to face him, his dark eyes locking straight onto Ye Ruan's red ones.

Ye Ruan's lashes trembled. Still breathing a little fast, he said very softly, "It's not that I don't want you. I just don't want you dragged into this."

Gu Cheng gripped Ye Ruan's shoulders tightly with both hands, seemingly doing everything he could to suppress his darker impulses, unwilling to frighten him.

Despite drowning in jealousy, Gu Cheng thought his self-control was fairly good.

Otherwise, he would have carried the rabbit straight back to his den and had his way with him.

"Baby, it's already too late. My father-in-law heard every word when I was flirting with you in the auditorium."

Back then, Nan Han's gaze from below the stage had been like a pair of laser beams, scanning him up and down several times.

It had felt a little like a nervous bride meeting her in-laws.

Still, his father-in-law didn't seem very satisfied with him.

Gu Cheng sighed, his fingers brushing Ye Ruan's cheek.

"We'll deal with whatever comes. The only thing I'm afraid of now is you not wanting me."

Tears glimmered in Ye Ruan's eyes. His pale brows drew together slightly as he looked up at Gu Cheng.

He looked unbearably pitiful.

Gu Cheng's heart ached. He wiped the tears from the corners of Ye Ruan's eyes.

"Don't cry. From now on, I'll protect you. If that so-called father-in-law dares cause trouble again, we'll shoot him dead and feed him to Fang Ci."