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

When I came out of the company commander's office, there were hardly any people left on the parade ground.

The searchlights were still on, illuminating the track and training ground in a stark white light.

When Lu Xiao reached the single-bar area, he stopped.

"Old Li."

Li Mo took two more steps before stopping and turning around to look at him.

"Um."

"Do you think that kid Xuanxiao might have taken a liking to our Xiaobaicai?"

Li Mo suddenly turned around.

"What did you say?"

"I'm saying," Lu Xiao leaned against the horizontal bar, arms crossed, his expression becoming more serious, "that kid Xuan Xiao, could he have taken a liking to Bai Ye?"

The air was silent for about three seconds.

"impossible."

"How could that be impossible?"

"They are both men."

Lu Xiao looked at him, blinked, and then burst out laughing.

"Old Li, what era are we living in? What's wrong with two men dating? It's not like they can't."

"Impossible." Li Mo repeated, his tone even firmer than before, "Bai Ye is only sixteen."

"Seventeen."

"sixteen."

"Okay, sixteen. Xuanxiao is eighteen too." Lu Xiao counted on his fingers for him, "Two years apart in age, half a head apart in height, one is cold and the other is hot, one is the best gun user in the class and the other is the second best—don't you think this combination is quite good?"

Li Mo didn't answer the question. His jawline was taut, and he took his hand out of his pocket and flexed his knuckles.

"What are you doing?" Lu Xiao straightened up from the horizontal bar.

"Go and have a talk with him."

"What are you talking about?"

Let's talk about life.

Lu Xiao rushed over in three steps and grabbed Li Mo's arm.

"Calm down. You call this a talk? You're practically trying to send someone straight to the infirmary!"

"I am very calm."

"Every time you tell me to calm down, I want to call the infirmary in advance."

Li Mo broke free of his hand and continued walking forward. Lu Xiao walked around to the front of him, pressed his hands on his shoulders, and pinned him to the spot.

"Old Li, listen to me." Lu Xiao's voice turned serious, his playful demeanor completely gone, and his tone became somewhat unfamiliar. "Do you like Bai Ye?"

Li Mo was taken aback.

"What?"

"It's not that kind of liking. It's more like, what do you consider him to be?"

Li Mo remained silent for a moment.

"younger brother."

"Like a younger brother?"

"Bai Chen said that if he doesn't come back, Bai Ye will be my younger brother."

These words carried such weight that they could dent the rubber track if they hit the ground. Lu Xiao lowered his hand from his shoulder, letting it hang at his side.

He knew better than anyone what Bai Chen's words meant to Li Mo. He was also present when Bai Chen spoke to Li Mo in the equipment room three years ago, before Bai Chen's last mission.

"If Brother Chen knew that his brother was being targeted by some gray-haired kid—what do you think he would do?" Li Mo's voice was low, carrying a suppressed anger.

"We still don't know where Brother Chen is."

"But he'll come back." Li Mo said this without any hesitation. "When he comes back, if he finds that I didn't keep a close eye on Bai Ye and let some kid run off with him—what will Brother Chen think?"

Lu Xiao opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"I can't mess up taking care of Bai Ye," Li Mo's voice squeezed out through clenched teeth. "No one can. If that Xuan guy dares to do anything out of line—"

"You should go and have a talk with him about life."

"No." Li Mo's knuckles cracked again. "I'll cripple him."

"Alright, alright." Lu Xiao reached out and hooked his arm around Li Mo's neck, pulling him closer. "Calm down. I was just saying if it was possible, not that the kid definitely had his eye on him. Maybe we're overthinking it. Look at Xuan Xiao, he's all smiles and jokes with everyone, even with Zhao Xiaohu."

"Maybe it's just normal concern between comrades-in-arms," ​​Lu Xiao coaxed, changing his perspective. "Think about it, Bai Ye is quick at disarming and taking down guns, and it's normal for Xuan Xiao to feel a bit of competition and attention when he first encounters someone more capable than himself in the military. It's just camaraderie, not the kind you're imagining."

Li Mo didn't speak, but the muscles in his shoulders relaxed slightly. Lu Xiao noticed this change and immediately continued.

"Besides, you know what kind of person Bai Ye is. His eyes always give everyone a 'don't come near me' look. Even if Xuan Xiao has any intentions, he has to get past Bai Ye first. Did Bai Ye let him touch him? Did Bai Ye let him lean on him? Did Bai Ye let him—" He paused, recalling the scene of Bai Ye handing Xuan Xiao a water bottle during the training exercise, but continued without changing his expression, "—Anyway, Bai Ye wouldn't give him a friendly look."

Li Mo thought about it and felt that it made some sense.

"Um."

Lu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief and released his grip on Lu Xiao's neck.

"That's right. Let's go back to sleep. We have to lead exercises tomorrow morning."

Li Mo followed behind him towards the dormitory building. After a few steps, she stopped again.

"If that brat dares to touch Bai Ye—"

Lu Xiao silently worried for Xuan Xiao.

He suddenly felt a pang of regret. He shouldn't have brought up that topic earlier. He had only observed for a few days that Xuan Xiao's gaze towards Bai Ye seemed a bit off, and wanted to discuss it with Li Mo. The result of their discussion almost sent Xuan Xiao into a panic. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if Xuan Xiao actually slipped up in front of Li Mo someday.

"Was what you just said not quite right?" Li Mo suddenly said.

Which sentence?

"It's not like two guys can't date."

Lu Xiao paused for a moment, his smile froze for a second, then returned, his tone almost too lighthearted: "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Li Mo looked at him, her gaze was calm, but it lingered for two seconds longer than usual.

"How do you know so much? Have you talked about it?"

Lu Xiao felt uneasy under his gaze.

He hadn't actually dated anyone. But the person he liked was standing right in front of him, scrutinizing him with the eyes of an interrogator.

What could he say?

Saying "I've never been in a relationship, but I've had a crush on you for years"? Then the person Li Mo is targeting tonight won't be Xuan Xiao, but Lu Xiao.

He put his hands in his pockets, shrugged, and shifted his gaze to the searchlight across the playground, his voice trailing off with a hint of nonchalance: "Haven't you seen pigs run even if you haven't eaten pork? You don't have to experience it yourself to know these things."

Li Mo remained silent for a moment, seemingly assessing the credibility of the answer, before turning his gaze away and not pressing further.

Lu Xiao breathed a sigh of relief; the sweat on his back had already cooled down.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Xiao asked.

"I'm thinking," Li Mo said calmly, "whether I should transfer Xuan Xiao to Class Two when we get back."

"Calm down!"

"I'm cold--"

"Don't say those words!"