Today's tutelary fort remains peaceful.

One Hundred and Ninety-Seven, maybe not next time

"Pa!" A slender white hand slapped Xue Cheng's shoulder. He suddenly came to his senses and looked at the owner of the hand.

"Georgievlov?" Xue Cheng looked at her strangely and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Focus a little." Georgievlov pointed at the dumbbell in Xue Cheng's hand and said helplessly, "Although it's light, if you don't hold it firmly and it hits your foot, it will break the bones."

"I didn't..." Xue Cheng tried to argue.

Georgievlov didn't listen to his explanation at all and interrupted him directly: "It's okay if it's work, but if you get distracted while working out, it can easily disrupt your training rhythm, cause your movements to become deformed, and prevent you from exercising the corresponding muscle groups. You may even get injured."

Georgievlov sighed as he spoke. "The Admiral only has an hour and a half of exercise time every day, and that includes intervals. If the Admiral really wants to exercise properly, how about being a little more serious during this time?"

Xue Cheng said awkwardly, "I understand."

"Really?" Looking at Xue Cheng's expression, Georgievlov didn't know how much he had heard, and shook his head helplessly.

"After finishing this set of exercises, rest for two minutes." George Evlov said this and went to the butterfly machine next to him to exercise.

"Huh..." After finally completing this set of movements, Xue Cheng put down the dumbbells and sat on the stool gasping for breath. At this moment, a cold object touched Xue Cheng's face.

"Richelieu?" Xue Cheng turned his head and saw a hot French girl standing beside him. She bent down, one hand on her knee, and the other hand holding a bottle of iced mineral water against his cheek, with a smile in her eyes.

"Admiral, you've worked hard." Richelieu unscrewed the cap of the mineral water bottle and handed it to Xue Cheng: "Rehydrate."

Xue Cheng was about to reach out to take it when a charming voice came over: "After exercise, the trace elements in the body will be excreted with sweat, so it is better to choose electrolyte drinks at this time."

Battlecruiser 1913 slowly came over. She had obviously just finished exercising, her delicate face was a little damp, and her clothes on her chest were soaked with sweat, revealing her flesh color.

She raised her hand and made a throwing motion. A black shadow flashed by. Xue Cheng subconsciously took it. It was a bottle of zero-calorie electrolyte water.

Richelieu narrowed his eyes, did not insist, naturally withdrew his arm, and took a sip of mineral water.

Battlecruiser 1913 took out a bottle of electrolyte drink from the ship's cargo space and waved it towards Richelieu. "Miss Richelieu, would you like one?"

Richelieu shook his head, put the cap back on the bottle, and said leisurely, "No, I haven't started exercising yet, so I don't need it for now."

"Is that so?" Battlecruiser 1913 covered his lips and laughed softly.

"But," Richelieu's voice came over with a sharp gaze. The girl stared at the 1913 battlecruiser with piercing eyes and asked with concern, "I think I saw you warming up over there just now. How come you're sweating so much in just a short while? Are you feeling unwell?"

The corners of Battlecruiser 1913's mouth twitched, and his smile became a little forced. "Ah, well, I just ran fast on the treadmill for a while, so..."

"Is that so?" Richelieu didn't say much, but just looked at her meaningfully.

Battlecruiser 1913 looked embarrassed, made up an excuse, and turned away.

Richelieu brushed his hair at the temples and smiled slightly.

I'd noticed Battlecruiser 1913 paddling during practice before, so why was she suddenly sweating profusely, even her clothes were soaked? Plus, her bathroom visit seemed a bit long. Richelieu was just making a casual ploy, and before she could offer any definitive evidence, the guilty Battlecruiser 1913 voluntarily withdrew.

"Huh? Why did you leave?" After taking a sip of water, Xue Cheng was surprised to find that the 1913 battlecruiser that was there just now had left at some point and ran to the equipment on the other side to start exercising.

"Maybe you were inspired by the admiral's training and felt that you should work harder?" Richelieu smiled faintly.

Xue Cheng stretched his sore arm and looked at Sister Li: "What about Richelieu? Is he inspired by me?"

"Yeah, of course." Richelieu glanced at Georgievlov, who was finishing a set of training and preparing to come over to guide Xue Cheng. His eyes, which seemed gentle but actually contained coldness, fell on him.

Georgievlov shuddered, his eyes met Richelieu's, and he immediately understood the other's intention and retreated with a wry smile.

As the owner of the only gym in the garrison and someone who often personally goes out to distribute flyers to attract customers, Georgievlov is a seasoned veteran.

Although its grasp of business opportunities is not as good as Leipzig, its ability to adapt to changing circumstances is still quite good.

Easily forcing Georgievlov back with his gaze, Richelieu continued, "Seeing the Admiral's expression, I also feel that I should redouble my efforts."

Xue Cheng was confused as to what was going on. He scratched his hair in embarrassment and said, "Don't say that. I didn't really try that hard."

"Perhaps." Richelieu shrugged and said with a smile, "But seeing the Admiral insist on coming to train, I also want to continue and show a better version of myself to the Admiral."

Xue Cheng's eyes were burning, and he swung his gaze around Richelieu without hesitation, saying, "But I think Sister Li is already very good the way she is now."

"That would be even better. The admiral would be so fixed on me that he would only have eyes for me." Richelieu said jokingly.

"..." Xue Cheng turned his head silently. What should he do? He couldn't stand the straight ball attack the most. How should he respond at this time?

Seeing Xue Cheng remained silent and didn't continue his pursuit, Richelieu came over to sit beside Xue Cheng, tilted her head, and asked, "Admiral, do you remember what you promised me last time?"

"Times? What did I promise?" Xue Cheng looked confused.

Richelieu raised his eyebrows, stretched out his slender fingers and gently pinched Xue Cheng's cheek, and said in a feigned anger: "Admiral, have you really forgotten?"

Feeling the fingers pinching the side of his face gradually increase in strength, Xue Cheng hurriedly said: "Wait a minute! Give me a chance! There have been too many things going on lately, let me think about it!"

Richelieu's fingers slowed down.

Xue Cheng racked his brains. When was the last time he saw Richelieu? Yesterday? Did he promise her anything yesterday? Surely it must have been even earlier?

Eh, could it be...

Xue Cheng's eyes turned subtle as he looked at Richelieu.

"Do you remember?" Richelieu asked softly.

"Richelieu is talking about catching insects?" Xue Cheng's expression was a little strange.

Richelieu twisted a strand of hair between his fingers, his eyes averted as he whispered, "The weather's been getting hotter lately, and there's been more bugs in the room. When will the Admiral fulfill his promise?"

"This..." Xue Cheng looked hesitant.

"The Admiral promised!" Richelieu's tone became a little heavier, and his expression became a little unhappy: "We agreed to do it next time!"

"Maybe next time... ahem, don't look at me like that. It's really inconvenient today." Facing Richelieu's unfriendly gaze, Xue Cheng said innocently.

"Oh?" Richelieu tucked his hair behind his ears and said calmly, "What excuse does the Admiral have this time?"

"Well, I've been booked by Lexington." Xue Cheng picked up the phone beside him and showed the chat history to Richelieu: "I promised her that I would go back for dinner."

Richelieu squinted his eyes and looked at the chat interface. It did mention that Xue Chengwan should return to his villa, saying that many of his favorite dishes had been prepared.

Huh? Wait!

Richelieu suddenly noticed a detail. Hadn't the Admiral been staying at Lexington's house recently? Why did these two suddenly want to go back to the Admiral's house?

Looking at the message again, there was no mention of Saratoga or constellations. It seemed that tonight's invitation was a private time exclusively for the two of them. Could it be that...

When they both returned there, was there something they needed to do?

Richelieu coughed lightly, put on a casual expression, and said, "Obviously, I was here first."

"But……"

"Admiral, are you going to go back on your word?" Richelieu's expression darkened.

"You can't say that, right?" Xue Cheng sighed. "The promise I made to you didn't specify a date, but I've already agreed to it in Lexington today. It wouldn't be a good idea to refuse now, right?"

"Well, Admiral, how about you go to your appointment in Lexington first and then come to my place after dinner?"

Xue Cheng tried to refuse: "But it will be completely dark by then, which seems a bit inconvenient?"

Richelieu puffed up his cheeks and glared at Xue Cheng angrily: "Admiral, do you dislike me?"

Xue Cheng was stunned. Although Richelieu didn't say anything, everything between the two of them was implied. How could he not understand Richelieu's hint?

Xue Cheng quickly said, "How is that possible? Richelieu has such a great figure, is beautiful, and knows how to dress and put on makeup. If she were in the outside world, she would definitely be a beauty that only appears once every few hundred or even thousand years."

"Then why, Admiral..." Richelieu's cheeks flushed. Although the passionate and romantic French girl would launch an offensive against the person she liked, she would still feel shy to some extent.

"Ahem..." Xue Cheng turned his head to the side: "Some things always have to be ordered by first come, first served."

"But I was the first one to come this time!"

"Sorry, I really can't." Xue Cheng said helplessly: "Next time, next time for sure."

"But didn't the Admiral just say that he might not be able to do that next time?"

"..." Xue Cheng wanted to travel back a few minutes to slap himself in the face: "Tomorrow night... the day after tomorrow at the latest, I will give you an explanation!"

Richelieu took a deep breath. "Okay, tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, even if it's just for the admiral, I'm willing to make concessions this time. But if the admiral breaks his promise again..."

Richelieu's eyes turned cold. "I might have to resort to some extreme measures to fight for myself."

Xue Cheng swallowed his saliva. He felt the pressure from Richelieu's body. This time she didn't seem to be joking.

"Don't worry, I promise you, this time it will be!"

……

"I'm back!" After returning to the villa he hadn't set foot in for many days, Xue Cheng first shouted loudly, and then changed into slippers that had been placed on the ground.

"Welcome back!" Lexington's figure appeared at the entrance. She was wearing a blue apron, her hair was tied up on top of her head, beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, and there was a faint smell of oil smoke as she walked, as if she was preparing dinner.

"Admiral, thank you for your hard work." Lexington said, and naturally reached out to take the gym bag from Xue Cheng's hand, like a wife coming to greet her husband who had just returned after a day of work away from home.

My dear, there is more to come after this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. There will be more exciting chapters later!

Lexington bent down and put Xue Cheng's shoes into the shoe cabinet, saying, "Gaga wasn't naughty, was he?"

"No, Gaga is very obedient." Xue Cheng shook his head and responded.

Lexington rolled his eyes at Xue Cheng and said, "Nonsense! How could I not know Gaga's temper? It would be strange if he didn't play a prank."

Xue Cheng opened his mouth and was about to say a few words to defend Saratoga, but suddenly noticed that Lexington's eyes seemed to be fixed on his face, with a look of scrutiny in his eyes.

After pretending to cough a few times, Xue Cheng changed the words on the tip of his tongue and said something else: "Okay, I knew I couldn't fool you."

Xue Cheng shrugged and said with a wry smile: "Don't look at Jia Jia as usually quiet, at most playing around with the constellations, but once he goes out... ah, it's a headache."

"He refused to walk properly and tried to imitate others' ballet steps by walking on tiptoe. He almost fell into the bushes by the roadside..."

"She tickled me with her head when I wasn't paying attention, and when I noticed, she ran away. As a result, her skirt got caught on a branch and was almost torn."

"besides……"

Lexington listened to Xue Cheng's words, and his slightly frowned brows gradually relaxed. He smiled sweetly and interrupted Xue Cheng: "Okay, Admiral, stop complaining. At worst, I can apologize on Gaga's behalf."

"No need to apologize." Xue Cheng shook his head and walked into the living room. He sniffed the aroma of food wafting through the air and naturally changed the subject: "It smells so good. Is dinner tonight Chinese cuisine?"

"Boiled fish, stir-fried shrimp, beef stew with potatoes..." Lexington listed several dishes in one breath. "They're all the Admiral's favorites."

"Really?" Xue Cheng licked his lips and made a greedy expression: "When is dinner?"

"Admiral, go wash your hands first. The food will be ready soon." Lexington put down his gym bag and walked towards the kitchen.

"Okay." Xue Cheng responded and went to the bathroom to wash his hands.

When he returned to the living room again, the first thing he did was to go to the cabinet where the handicrafts were kept and pull out the katana that was quietly placed on the ebony sword rest.