Rebirth of a Mercenary: The Ace Mercenary Forced to Be the Beloved of the Group

Shen Zhuo looked up from the cigarette pack, his expression shifting from tense to bewildered: "What's wrong?"

"What else could it be?" Wen Yan's tone remained gentle, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if she had just finished diagnosing and giving medical advice. "He likes him."

"Wait, wait, wait—what did you say?" Shen Zhuo braced himself on the table, his voice rising a full octave in shock. "Xuan Xiao? He likes Bai Ye? That Xuan Xiao who talks so much he can bring the dead back to life? He likes Bai Ye who thinks three sentences are too many? Dr. Wen, have you been too tired lately? Would you like me to make you a cup of goji berry tea?"

"I don't need goji berries." Wen Yan pushed up her glasses, her tone still professional and calm. "I observed Bai Ye for less than half an hour this afternoon. Xuan Xiao stayed by Bai Ye's side for twenty-seven minutes, during which his gaze lingered on Bai Ye for more than three seconds twenty-three times, he took the initiative to start a conversation seventeen times, and he tried to reach out and touch Bai Ye nine times—including but not limited to ruffling his hair, patting his shoulder, tugging at his sleeve—and once he directly pulled him into his arms."

Xie Ran thought for a moment. Then he thought again. Then he let out an extremely loud, belated scream: "Damn it! I knew it! Why was he always running to his bed? I thought he was just looking for trouble!"

"If you didn't like someone, would you kneel down and massage their legs after they ran 30 kilometers?" Xie Huai'an flipped through a page of his communication log, not even looking up, his voice as flat as if he were reading a weather forecast. "And when they fainted, your hands were shaking as you knelt on the ground?"

Xie Ran opened his mouth, finding himself unable to refute.

Shen Zhuo, standing beside him, clutched his head, completely disoriented: "So all this time... we thought they were mortal enemies... but we were actually watching them flirt?"

Xie Huai'an finally raised his head and used the end of his pencil to push up his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

He looked at Xie Ran and Shen Zhuo's expressions, as if their worldviews had been reshaped, and the corners of his mouth curved into an extremely subtle smile: "It's all so obvious. Xuan Xiao's eyes are practically glued to Xiao Bai. He picks food for him at meals, hands him water during training, and insists on sleeping in the bunk above him—and you two only just realized that?"

"We thought it was just something he did!" Shen Zhuo cried out in near despair. "I thought he was just a smart aleck! Who knew he was—what about Bai Ye? What was Bai Ye's reaction?"

"Bai Ye hasn't figured it out yet. Or rather, he hasn't even thought about it that way." Wen Yan picked up his teacup and took another sip, his tone returning to its professional gentleness, but the curve of his lips seemed to carry a sense of enjoying the drama.

Xie Ran remained silent for a while, then suddenly turned around and looked at Li Mo, who had been silent all along. His mouth moved faster than his brain: "Captain, aren't you going to say anything—"

He didn't finish his sentence.

Because he saw the expression on Li Mo's face.

Li Mo leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest, his jawline taut like a bowstring about to snap. The expression on his face could no longer be simply described as "ugly." The veins on the back of his hands were faintly bulging.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Mo finally spoke.

"If Xuanxiao does anything out of line," he said, "I will kill him with my own hands."

Shen Zhuo and Xie Ran jumped up from their chairs almost simultaneously.

"Captain—calm down, calm down, calm down!" Lu Xiao rushed forward and stood between Li Mo and the conference table, raising his hands in front of his chest in a reassuring gesture. "The kid's still young, only eighteen. It's normal for him to not be able to distinguish between friendship and love! Look at him, he's quite enthusiastic towards Xie Ran—though not that enthusiastic—but that's just how boys are at this age. They admire whoever they think is more capable, and that admiration might change over time—but it might not be that kind of change! It could just be simple respect! Yes, respect!"

"The vice-captain is right," Wen Yan stood up as well. "Emotional projection during adolescence is inherently ambiguous. Xuan Xiao grew up in a military academy, so his competitive spirit and admiration for the strong are stronger than that of ordinary children. Bai Ye is outstanding among his peers, so it's normal for him to develop feelings for him. These feelings could very well be friendship; at least for now, he hasn't crossed any lines."

"Yes, boundaries are important, boundaries are important." Lu Xiao echoed repeatedly, his mind racing. "Look, all he did was massage Bai Ye's leg, hand him some candy, and say a few extra words—that doesn't count as crossing the line, right? Friends can do those things too. Look, I've also handed Bai Ye water, Xie Ran has carried him on his back, and Shen Zhuo even sparred with him—though he was rejected."

Li Mo remained silent, his gaze shifting from Lu Xiao's face to Wen Yan's face, and then from Wen Yan's face to Xie Huai'an's face.

"Huai'an," Li Mo called to him, "what do you think?"

Xie Huai'an looked at Li Mo, remained silent for a few seconds, and then spoke: "Xuan Xiao does indeed have feelings for Bai Ye that go beyond those of ordinary teammates. Dr. Wen's observation is correct, and the vice-captain's analysis is also correct—at this stage, the nature of these feelings is still very ambiguous. It cannot be ruled out that friendship is mixed with protectiveness and admiration for strength, nor can it be ruled out that it is a precursor to love. Given Bai Ye's current psychological state and understanding of interpersonal relationships, he is most likely completely unaware of it. Therefore, there is no need for excessive intervention for the time being. We can continue to observe, set clear boundaries, and stop Xuan Xiao in time when he shows any signs of crossing the line."

Li Mo took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

He closed his eyes, raised his hand and pinched the space between his eyebrows, a gesture that conveyed a sense of suppressed exhaustion. After a long while, he spoke again, his voice regaining some of its usual composure, but the chill in his tone had not completely dissipated.

"I don't care if he can tell the difference or not," he said. "If he crosses the line, he can't blame me for being ruthless."

Everyone knows that Li Mo always keeps his word.

He wasn't as ruthless as Bai Chen, whose cruelty bordered on artistry; he was ruthless in a clean, decisive way, killing with a single punch. If Xuan Xiao ever crossed any lines against Bai Ye, Li Mo would not hesitate to kill him.

Shen Zhuo huddled in his chair, drew the shape of a candle on the table with his finger, and then silently mourned for a second in front of the imaginary candle. Xie Ran whispered beside him, "May there be no captain in heaven," before being glanced at by Li Mo and immediately shut up.

Li Mo stood up, closed the mission briefing, and walked to the conference room door. He opened the door, and the night breeze from the corridor rushed in, causing the papers on the table to rustle and turn several pages. He paused at the doorway but didn't turn around.

"Go to sleep, everyone. Training will proceed as scheduled tomorrow."

Then he went outside.

A few seconds of silence filled the meeting room. Then Lu Xiao let out a long sigh, pushed the ashtray aside, and said in a relieved tone, "Light a candle for Xuan Xiao. That kid doesn't know he's already number one on the captain's blacklist."