CHAPTER 297: CHAPTER 297: THE YELLOWEST PLACE

"Get out," Yuanhuan said, barely standing on one foot. He tossed the cotton swab he was holding and put his hand next to his waistband, pretending to undo his pants. His cool and handsome face looked at Xu Xiuxiu, but his hand didn’t actually start to undo them. It seemed like he was waiting for Xiuxiu to turn around and leave the bathroom on her own accord.

But you wouldn’t know it to see Song Yuanhuan normally, shameless and unabashed in his marital life, pulling Xiuxiu into airplane rides and tank battles, having his fun with military equipment and tactical plans. However, in this injured state, he lost all that brazen energy.

Seeing the embarrassed Yuanhuan, Xiuxiu couldn’t help but want to tease him. "You’re having trouble standing; let me support you," Xiuxiu admitted she said this with a playful tone.

"No need," Yuanhuan refused, his face dark.

"It’s fine. We’re an old married couple, what’s there to be afraid of?" Xiuxiu said, her face implying ’I’ve seen it all before, don’t be shy’: "I promise not to peek, and you can relieve yourself without worries." To emphasize her sincerity, Xiuxiu added another solemn promise.

"..." Not looking didn’t mean she couldn’t hear, though!

Sigh! It didn’t matter anymore. Yuanhuan felt he couldn’t hold it any longer and started to undo his pants, regardless of whether Xiuxiu was standing there or not.

"..." Xiuxiu quickly averted her gaze, her cheeks involuntarily beginning to redden as she listened to the sounds.

Oh my god! She was going insane. Why did she shamelessly offer to support him earlier when she was the one ending up embarrassed? She had experienced Yuanhuan’s thick-skinned and shameless demeanor before, so why tease him now? It was like she was digging herself into a huge pit!

"..." A while later, the bathroom gradually quieted down as Yuanhuan slowly and sparsely dressed himself.

"I’m done!" Yuanhuan turned his head to alert Xiuxiu, who hung her head like an ostrich in shame. Seeing her in that embarrassed state made him feel a bit better.

"Oh! Let me help you out then. Be careful!" Xiuxiu said, her cheeks still flushed, as she supported Yuanhuan out of the bathroom, her gaze deliberately scattered, avoiding his eyes.

Yuanhuan seemed to notice Xiuxiu’s discomfort and took delight in it. He leaned almost his entire weight on Xiuxiu, deliberately rubbing her head with his palms. Xiuxiu felt overwhelmed, barely managing to support him and safely get him back to the hospital bed.

"By the way, I think I forgot to wash my hands just now," Yuanhuan said, standing stiffly beside the bed, not lying down like he should but instead dropping this line out of nowhere.

He didn’t wash his hands!

"..." With a whoosh, Xiuxiu felt as if a train whistle was blowing right next to her ear, her ears practically steaming.

"Help me go wash my hands!" Yuanhuan spoke languidly.

"Okay," Xiuxiu resignedly agreed, then, with difficulty, she helped Yuanhuan turn back towards the bathroom. This time, his weight seemed even more significant, and, crucially, his hand was now kneading her waist, rubbing against it...

Dragging her along—how could someone with a cleanliness obsession possibly bear it? That feeling was almost unbearable.

"Let go," the girl with the cleanliness obsession thought of Song Yuanhuan touching her waist with unwashed hands. Her entire body felt uncomfortable, and just a moment ago, he seemed to have done it on purpose, his hand sliding over her cheek as he turned, sliding over.

"Oh!" Song Yuanhuan replied, his voice tinged with a hint of disappointment, then his whole body pressed down on Xu Xiuxiu.

"Ah!" Xu Xiuxiu couldn’t hold herself up and was about to fall when Song Yuanhuan, with quick reflexes, grabbed her, and the two of them crashed into the bathroom door.

He had brought this upon himself, a lesson Song Yuanhuan learned all too well. He only wanted to tease Xu Xiuxiu because his leg injury had left him extremely frustrated lately. It was unlikely that his right leg would recover enough to walk gracefully, and even if he could walk, he probably would never return to fighting on the dangerous front lines like before. He was very likely to be reassigned to a desk job. Given his level of education, returning to civilian life would be a cruel outcome for him.

To be honest, these thoughts greatly depressed him. He almost wished that his leg would take longer to heal so he could delay dealing with the aftermath. But all he wanted was to tease his wife a bit, and he hadn’t anticipated adding injury to injury!

Although the collision hadn’t affected his right leg—perhaps due to his instinctive quick reaction—since Xu Xiuxiu was by his side and he was caressing her, she ended up leaning forward, forcefully striking his sensitive area with her thigh.

"Xu Xiuxiu, are you trying to murder your own husband?" Song Yuanhuan yelled, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. The pain was quite severe. He didn’t know if such an impact would render him impotent and if he could ever have a happy married life again.

"Uh! Are you okay?" She had accidentally caused a little mishap in her haste, and now seeing Song Yuanhuan’s ashen face, she immediately felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

"I’m fine," Song Yuanhuan answered, but there was a distinct undertone of gritting his teeth in his voice.

"That’s good," Xu Xiuxiu said, visibly relieved.

Song Yuanhuan looked at her relieved expression and felt so aggrieved that his face turned beet red. He quickly washed his hands, then, grimacing in pain, let Xu Xiuxiu help him out of the bathroom, deeply regretting his actions.

The ward had been empty before, but by the time Xu Xiuxiu helped Song Yuanhuan out, it was suddenly filled with a bunch of men in green army uniforms, each carrying fruit or various cans of nutrients. Seeing Xu Xiuxiu assisting Song Yuanhuan, they cast knowing glances his way, their eyes full of implication.

"Captain, we’ve come to see you," everyone said together in unison and with vigor.

"Captain, take care of your health," Fu Guanglei and Zheng Guohui took the lead in speaking to Song Yuanhuan, their tones earnest and their eyes conveying messages that were better grasped intuitively rather than articulated.

But Xu Xiuxiu was no naïve girl; she hadn’t eaten pork but had seen pigs run. She clearly understood the subtext. Indeed, the army is the world’s yellowest place where a bunch of rough men gather together. When they get lonely, they tell all sorts of lewd jokes, which Xu Xiuxiu found a bit too much to stomach.

"Find your own seats," Song Yuanhuan, however, remained composed, stealing a glance at Xu Xiuxiu’s blushing cheeks before speaking out and then slowly leaning on her as they walked towards his hospital bed to sit down.

Truly their captain, unflappable even in such a situation. In their minds, his subordinates silently gave Song Yuanhuan a thumbs-up for his cool reaction.