Scarred Hearts — A Girls' Love Tale - Chapter 67

Ying Sha rushed anxiously over to the doctor, only to be startled by the scene before her. The doctor was calmly hiding behind a tree, and the gunfire around them was gradually fading away.

“You…” Ying Sha looked disheveled, a sharp contrast to the doctor’s composed state. She swallowed hard and finally said, “Wasn’t the heaviest firefight just now happening right where you were?” She silently doubted her own judgment—had she become so used to comfort that her physical abilities had dropped?

“Yeah,” the doctor answered matter-of-factly, casually playing with a small knife. Without looking, she flicked it and nailed a bug that had just popped its head out onto the ground. She stood up, picked it up with satisfaction, and said, “Tonight’s feast is guaranteed.”

The doctor had her own reasons for risking her life alongside Yan Shuangfei in this jungle. One was to repay Yan Shuangfei’s earlier help, and the other was pure curiosity. The jungle was full of treasures, but also dangers; none of that stopped the doctor’s determination to explore and discover.

“Wild bug meat tastes way better than the ones you buy at the market,” the doctor said eagerly to Ying Sha. “I bet the bug’s nest is nearby. If we can find their eggs…” She started imagining hungrily, “I remember roasted little bugs taste amazing, though I only had it once. Oh, wait, I think that was you who made it for me!”

Not just think — it was definitely you!

Ying Sha’s face turned dark as she helplessly rubbed her forehead. “You still haven’t answered my question…”

“Oh, oh, oh!” The doctor suddenly realized and smiled broadly at Ying Sha. “Yan Shaoqiu and Yan Yudie have been on guard duty all along. They were waiting at the sniper positions, and I stayed within their sight. You know Yan Yudie’s shooting skills are famous in the Yan family, right?”

Ying Sha was speechless. The doctor was in a good mood and not as cold as usual—mainly because Ying Sha was making food for her.

“So…” Ying Sha was speechless again. “Why didn’t that bastard Yan Shuangfei warn me?!”

“I’m just watching because you miss your wife so much,” Yan Shuangfei’s voice came slowly through the comms, perfectly timed to tease Ying Sha.

“…” Ying Sha was silent, then croaked, “So, those attackers must have been the mercenaries’ partners, huh? They probably saw us as fat fish and wanted to take advantage.”

“Most likely,” Yan Shuangfei replied. “I’ve already dealt with them. After being a mercenary for so long, if you can’t tell who’s trouble, no wonder you’ve ended up like this — with nothing decent to show for it.”

As he spoke, people began to emerge from their hiding spots, dragging away a few corpses. The remaining enemy survivors were ordered to be finished off immediately. Neither Yan Shuangfei nor Ying Sha wanted to waste their supplies on prisoners.

“So…” the doctor urged, “Go get dinner ready!”

Ying Sha rolled her eyes but happily agreed to be the grunt. She tugged at Yan Shuangfei, and the two, like brothers in misery, were kicked out to find local specialties mentioned by the doctor and Luo Qinghan.

“By the way…” Yan Shuangfei parted some thorns and asked Ying Sha, “Is it really okay for us to start a fire like this?”

“No problem,” Ying Sha answered slowly, “these are just small groups fighting here. Even if we bump into someone, they won’t be a match for us.”

The two walked to the riverbank. Yan Shuangfei’s eyes lit up, pointing to the rippling water. Ying Sha narrowed her eyes, drew her sword, and started digging at a spot. Yan Shuangfei sneered—such a fine sword being used as a shovel, clearly in the wrong hands.

“Got it.” Ying Sha wiped sweat off her face and carefully packed a bunch of bug eggs from the bug’s nest into her bag. Many eggs already had jagged cracks, and a few little bug tongues were poking out and retracting.

Yan Shuangfei glanced at them with disgust and quickly looked away, letting Ying Sha handle packing alone. Back at camp, Ying Sha set up a stand to cook soup, skewered the little bugs, sprinkled seasoning, and the delicious aroma slowly spread, filling the hot and humid air.

Watching the doctor, Ying Sha, and the rest of the team eating heartily, Yan Shuangfei felt a chill run down his spine. Claiming he had no appetite, he got up and retreated to his tent, gnawing on some ration biscuits and water. The scent still invaded his nose.

After resting a bit and checking his watch, Yan Shuangfei slowly got up and went out. Sure enough, everything was cleaned up. He sighed in relief and sat down under a tree, ignoring the dirty ground, as per earlier plans—he was supposed to take the first half of the night watch.

“Shuang’er.” Luo Qinghan walked over to Yan Shuangfei, her complexion much improved, lively and radiant. She nudged him lightly with her foot. When Yan Shuangfei looked up, she pulled out a food container and sat down to open it. Yan Shuangfei peered inside and was shocked to see a perfectly roasted little bug—crispy outside and tender inside.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Yan Shuangfei’s hand trembled, and he nearly dropped the container back to Luo Qinghan. She scrambled to catch it, still clueless about his reaction. “You said you didn’t have an appetite. I just thought since you have to stay up late on watch, this could be a little midnight snack.”

Yan Shuangfei: “…” What the heck! It’s rare that Qinghan shows she cares about me, so I should accept it, right? But… I really don’t want to eat it! He unexpectedly fell silent, curling up alone like he wanted to hide in a corner and silently grumble.

Taking a deep breath, Yan Shuangfei tried to sound calm and said slowly, “I know you like it, so just go ahead and eat it.” If anyone found out he was scared of bugs, how would he keep face? His shame would be bigger than the Pacific Ocean. Earlier, when he went with Ying Sha to find the bug nest, his legs went weak. He forced himself to hide his pale face from Ying Sha.

Luo Qinghan was silent for a moment, suspiciously eyeing Yan Shuangfei. Suddenly, she smiled mischievously and looked at him with a meaningful glare that felt almost tangible. Yan Shuangfei felt the gaze was too sharp and awkwardly looked away.

…

Where’s the professional composure? No showing of emotions, calm and unreadable! Why is it so easy to break down…

Yan Shuangfei comforted himself: It’s okay, Qinghan’s one of us, being natural is fine!

Luo Qinghan gave a knowing smile, winked at Yan Shuangfei in a very suggestive way, her sweat dripping down unbothered, then giggled as she walked away.

This woman… really sensitive.

Yan Shuangfei shook his head helplessly, stood up straight, dusted himself off, and went back to join his team.

Night gradually fell, the moon was bright but stars were sparse. The jungle echoed with various animal calls. After tonight, it should take less than a morning’s journey to reach their destination.