Castorice was every bit the wife

The aroma of braised pork mixed with the distinctive smell of disinfectant from the Zone E canteen created a unique, heartwarming atmosphere that belonged to the front lines.

Luo Li devoured the entire large portion of braised pork in a whirlwind, not even leaving a drop of the broth, and ate it all with rice.

Finally, he let out a satisfied burp, feeling even more relieved than if he had killed ten B-grade vampires.

Castorice ate her portion in small bites, her movements elegant, but her gaze couldn't help but drift towards Luo Li. Seeing him eating with relish, her purple eyes would curve slightly, like two shallow crescent moons.

"The food at the research institute is much better than in Zone C."

Luo Li put down her chopsticks, sighing with genuine emotion.

The nutritional pastes and synthetic foods in Zone C are practically torture for the taste buds.

"Mm." Castorice nodded gently and placed a piece of untouched braised pork from her plate onto Luo Li's plate.

"You've been training hard, eat more."

This natural action startled Luo Li, and the feeling of being lightly tickled by a feather returned to her heart.

His Castorice seems to have innately developed a skill for "caring for people"?

"Cough," Luo Li's ears felt a little hot. She picked up a piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling, "You eat too, don't just eat for me."

"I'm stuffed."

Castorice put down her chopsticks and gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

After finishing their meal, the two walked out of the cafeteria side by side.

Zone E is relatively quiet, with most of the people on the streets hurrying by. Occasionally, you'll see a few couples of ability users or researchers, holding hands and chatting quietly, or leaning against a corner of the corridor whispering to each other.

The mortality rate on the front lines is high, and the pressure is immense. As long as it's not excessive, the authorities generally turn a blind eye to the private lives of those with superpowers after completing basic training and combat missions.

Dating, playing cards, and having a few drinks are all tacitly accepted ways to vent.

Of course, the premise is that it cannot affect combat readiness, and even more so, it cannot cause any violations of discipline or disorder.

People like Luo Li and Castorice, one a combat hero and the other a beautiful research assistant, are both very attractive and draw a lot of attention when they walk together.

Many passing researchers and soldiers cast kind or slightly envious glances at them.

"Look, that's Luo Li, the new B+ level powerhouse in Kong Yan'er's team!"

"His girlfriend? The assistant in Zone E? She's really beautiful..."

"Tsk, what a perfect couple, I can't help but envy them."

Faint whispers drifted into Luo Li's ears, but he was thick-skinned and didn't care at all; in fact, he felt a little smug.

Castorice lowered her head slightly, her cheeks flushed, and quickened her pace, subconsciously moving closer to Luo Li.

Luo Li noticed her embarrassment and naturally reached out to hold her slightly cool hand.

Castorice's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then slowly relaxed, letting him hold her hand. Her fingertips quietly returned his grip, but the blush at the base of her ears spread to her neck.

The two walked hand in hand slowly through the relatively tidy corridor of Zone E. Neither of them spoke, yet a silent intimacy flowed in the air.

"Um..." Reaching the fork in the road leading to Dormitory Zone E, Castorice stopped and said softly, "I'm here."

"Hmm." Luo Li let go of her hand, somewhat reluctant to part with the soft touch.

"Lock the door at night, and contact me immediately if anything happens."

"Okay." Castorice nodded, raised her eyes to look at him, her purple eyes glistening.

"You... be careful too."

After saying that, she seemed to have exhausted all her courage, turned around and walked quickly towards the dormitory building, her back view carrying a hint of fleeing in panic.

Luo Li watched her disappear into the stairwell, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips.

His Castorice is so cute when it gets shy... it's almost unfair.

Humming an off-key tune, I returned to my dormitory in Zone C. As soon as I entered, I was met with three pairs of piercing eyes.

Kong Yan'er, Qingqiu Ze, Yang Shan sat in a row on the edge of the bed, their faces bearing the same extremely irritating gossipy smiles.

"Yo~ You're back?" Kong Yan'er drawled, winking. "Braised pork~ Doesn't it smell good?"

"Are the streetlights in Zone E working?" Qingqiu Ze chimed in from the side.

Although Yang Shan didn't speak, his honest face clearly said, "We all understand."

Luo Li: "..."

He knew it!

He took off his combat jacket in an annoyed tone. "Are you bored or something?"

"We're doing this because we care about our comrades' physical and mental well-being!"

Kong Yan'er, with righteous indignation, leaned closer and took a deep sniff, her face full of ecstasy. "Mmm~ the stench of love! I could smell it from miles away!"

"Brother Li, can you share your thoughts?"

Qingqiu Ze leaned closer with a cheeky grin. "How can I find a girlfriend like my sister-in-law, who's beautiful, gentle, and even saves braised pork for me?"

Luo Li was too lazy to deal with these two clowns, so she picked up her toiletries and prepared to take a shower.

"Hey, don't go!"

Kong Yan'er stopped him, lowered her voice, and her expression became slightly more serious. "Seriously, Li Zi, how far have you and Castorice gotten? The way she looked at you just now, tsk tsk, she exuded a strong sense of being a married woman!"

Luo Li paused, a series of indescribable images flashing through her mind. Her Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and her ears felt faintly hot.

His relationship with Castorice... went far beyond that. Back in Jiangcheng, they had already "slept together" and were completely honest with each other.

That intoxicating, soul-stirring sensation...

But could you say that to these animals? Obviously not!

He forcibly suppressed the surging heat in his heart, put on a stern face, and pretended to be calm. "None of your business! Is your training volume too low? More training tomorrow!"

"Tch~ Stingy!" Kong Yan'er pouted, but didn't press the matter further. She simply patted Luo Li's shoulder with an "I understand" look.

Qingqiu Ze covered his mouth and chuckled to himself.

Yang Shan scratched his head, looking completely bewildered. "What does 'feeling like a married woman' mean?"

Kong Yan'er and Qingqiu Ze both gave him a look that said, "You're hopeless."

In the days that followed, Luo Li continued to maintain a high-intensity training and mission schedule.

Intelligence from the front lines indicates that vampire activity is intensifying, with new and more troublesome mutants appearing in several small-scale clashes, leading to a growing tense atmosphere.

But no matter how busy she was, whenever she had the chance, Luo Li would sneak off to Zone E to meet with Castorice.

Sometimes we'd have a quick meal together, and sometimes it was just walking a short distance back to her dorm after get off work with her.

Castorice seems to be getting more and more used to this way of getting along.

She would find out the special menu of the research institute's cafeteria in advance and save his favorite dishes;

She would quietly help him heal his minor injuries after he got hurt during training; she would even learn to use some new functions on her personal terminal to send him some clumsy but cute emojis.

She still possessed that aloof and distant air, but when facing Luo Li, she increasingly revealed a soft, dependent tenderness.

The way she unintentionally showed her desire to take care of him and show concern for him made Kong Yan'er's comment that she "felt like a wife" appear more and more frequently in Luo Li's mind.

Of course, the front line is the front line after all.

While there may be some leniency, basic discipline and boundaries still exist. For couples like Luo Li and Castorice, who are already in a committed relationship, holding hands occasionally or having a meal together is perfectly acceptable.

However, further intimate behavior is strictly prohibited in public areas of the base, and dormitory management is also very strict.

For Luo Li and Castorice, who had already tasted the forbidden fruit and were accustomed to its flavor, this was undoubtedly a sweet torment.

Several times, in that dimly lit corner downstairs in the Zone E dormitory building, Luo Li Castorice against the wall and kissed her until she was breathless and infatuated.

She could clearly feel the changes in his body and his burning temperature; she herself felt weak all over, her purple eyes glistening with tears.

But at the last moment, Luo Li always managed to forcefully stop himself with his strong willpower, burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her cool fragrance, and whispering in a hoarse voice, "... Just bear with it a little longer, Castorice."

Castorice would blush, softly hum "Mmm," her small hands tightly gripping his clothes, pressing her burning cheeks against his chest, listening to his heart pounding like a drum, and feeling the surging love beneath his restraint.

Only three months.

For them, who already had each other, it wasn't unbearable.

But this waiting makes each brief reunion all the more precious, and allows the accumulated longing to ferment quietly in the heart, growing ever more mellow.

That day, Luo Li's team had just completed a high-intensity coordinated defense exercise, and everyone was exhausted.

Luo Li dragged her tired body back to the dormitory and found an unread message from Castorice on her personal terminal.

[Butterfly]: I received my new research stipend today, so I bought some fruit. Are you coming over tonight? [Image]

The picture shows a small plate of clean apples and oranges, quite rare in this era, neatly arranged.

Looking at the plate of fruit and Castorice's cautious inquiry, Luo Li felt most of her fatigue instantly dissipate.

He replied quickly:

[Li]: Come on! Wait for me! [Starry-eyed]

After putting down the terminal, Luo Li quickly took a shower, changed into clean casual clothes, and tidied her hair in front of the blurry alloy plate in the dormitory.

"Oh~ Are you going on a date?"

Kong Yan'er lay on the bed, making sarcastic remarks.

Luo Li was in a good mood and didn't bother arguing with him, so she walked out the door with light steps.

Watching Luo Li's figure disappear through the door, Kong Yan'er sighed to Yang Shan on the upper bunk and Qingqiu Ze on the opposite bed, "See that? That's the power of love! It can instantly revive someone who's just been exhausted!"

Qingqiu Ze nodded in deep agreement. "And Brother Li's speed in getting dressed... is faster than me applying foundation before going live!"

Yang Shan chuckled sheepishly, "Castorice is indeed a very nice girl."

Kong Yan'er rolled over, stared at the ceiling, and sighed softly, "Sigh, when will I ever have a girl who saves braised pork for me or buys me fruit...?"

A brief silence fell over the dormitory, then erupted into Qingqiu Ze's merciless laughter.

Meanwhile, Luo Li had already arrived at Castorice's dormitory building in Zone E.

This time, Castorice didn't wait for him downstairs, but instead texted him to come upstairs directly.

The single dorm rooms in Zone E are much better than those in Zone C. Although they are not large, they are clean and tidy and have a private bathroom.

Luo Li knocked on the door.

The door was opened quickly, Castorice stood behind it.

She seemed to have just taken a shower; her long, silvery-purple hair was wet and draped over her shoulders, exuding a fresh fragrance. She wore a soft cotton nightgown with a cartoon bunny print, revealing her slender collarbone and calves, making her look incredibly supple.

Upon seeing Luo Li, a faint blush appeared on her face, and she stepped aside to let him in.

"Come in quickly."

The dormitory was filled with the fresh scent of fruit and her unique cool fragrance.

Sure enough, there was a plate of washed fruit on the desk, along with two water glasses.

Luo Li closed the door behind her and looked at Castorice of shyness in her eyes. She felt a dryness in her throat.

The scene before me was too homey, too cozy, and... too tempting.

"Are you tired? Have some fruit first." Castorice felt a little uncomfortable under his intense gaze, so she lowered her head, picked up an apple, and handed it to him.

Luo Li didn't take the apple. Instead, he stepped forward and gently pulled her into his arms.

"Castorice..." He buried his face in her damp hair, his voice muffled.

"Let me hold you for a while."

Castorice's body stiffened at first, then slowly relaxed. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek against his firm chest, listening to his strong heartbeat, and feeling the reassuring warmth and scent emanating from him.

"Mmm," she responded softly, closing her eyes.

The two embraced silently, neither of them speaking.

The fortress outside the window remained noisy, with the faint sounds of alarms and engine roars still audible.

But in this small dormitory room, filled with the fresh scent of fruit, time seems to slow down and become gentle.

Luo Li held the soft body in his arms, inhaling the fragrance of her hair. He felt the tension from the days of fighting and training gradually relax in this tranquil embrace.

He lowered his head and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Castorice."

"Um?"

"Are we... within the 'limit'?" he chuckled, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Castorice was stunned for a moment, then realized that he was referring to the base's rule of "everything in moderation." Her cheeks instantly turned bright red, and she punched him in the chest in embarrassment and annoyance.

You... you scoundrel!

Seeing her alluring appearance, with even her neck flushed pink, Luo Li's Adam's apple bobbed, and he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her slightly pouting lips, which were pouting in reproach.

"Hmm..."

Castorice struggled symbolically for a moment, then softened in his passionate and familiar kiss.

The delicate fragrance of fruit lingers on the lips and teeth.