Chapter 245

His shirt buttons were undone, exposing her skin to the air.

With his fingertips gliding over her body, waves of warmth spread through her.

Suddenly, the baby's cries rang out, startling the intimate couple.

Pei Jing frowned slightly, and went over to check on the child in the crib first.

"Put the kids in the space so they don't disturb us," Pei Jing said, well aware of the magical properties of the space. This wasn't the first time he had witnessed it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Zhi Xia alone with three kids, even with people there to help. He wouldn't have been at ease.

That's why he had pulled all his resources just to get this rare opportunity.

Although they still couldn't be together everyday, at least he was closer now. This time, he had joined as an instructor so he could come back and visit from time to time.

Hearing him, Zhi Xia placed all the kids into the space to be looked after by the Baby Care Robot.

With the suggestive atmosphere dissipated, Zhi Xia snuggled into his embrace. "By the way, you haven't told me why you came back suddenly."

Pei Jing pressed her beneath him again. "I'll tell you tomorrow. My wife, we have more important things to do now."

Luckily Old Pei lived in the main house so no one else was around to hear their intimate sounds.

Well into the night, the squeaking from the wooden bed finally stopped as she was too tired to move, letting him pull her against his body.

In the darkness, the room was empty.

But in the bathroom inside the space, the sound of running water mingled with the woman's impatient moans and the muffled groans of the man.

By the time they finished washing up, dawn had already broken. With the kids asleep in the bedroom, Pei Jing carried Zhi Xia to the living room. The sofa wasn't wide enough so he let her lie on top of him instead.

Exhausted, the pair sank into deep slumber in each other's arms.

But for the first time ever, Pei Jing was plagued by nightmares.

That's right, nightmares.

He wanted to wake up but couldn't free himself, trapped in the endless abyss...

In her sleep, Zhi Xia felt herself held so tightly it was almost crushing her waist. She struggled and his grip loosened, allowing her to fall back into deep sleep.

When she awoke, she found herself alone on the sofa without Pei Jing.

Unable to leave without her leading the way, Zhi Xia closed her eyes to sense his location.

At the bedroom door, she went in to see him sitting motionless on the bed, gazing at the sleeping children.

With his back facing her, she couldn't see his expression.

Grinning, she knelt on the bed and draped herself over his back, pecking his cheek. "You're awake, why didn't you wake me? Let's hurry out, it's already bright outside. We'll be laughed at if we stay in any longer."

Pei Jing grasped her wrist and looked back at her, tenderness still visible in his eyes but also a hint of struggle.

"What's wrong?" Zhi Xia asked when he didn't respond.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly have some doubts..."

He trailed off, piquing her curiosity even more. "Doubts about what?"

Pei Jing met her gaze. Breaking into a smile, he said, "Just doubtful that you'd kiss me first thing in the morning without even brushing your teeth."

Zhi Xia froze for a second before releasing him, finally realizing what had happened. She smacked his back in embarrassment and rushed into the bathroom.

By the time she emerged, her face was still flushed.

"Speaking of which, were there a lot of jujubes on the tree in our backyard this year?" Pei Jing's random question made Zhi Xia pause again. She felt his forehead. "No fever ah." How come he was acting so strange after waking up?

"We don't have a jujube tree in our backyard, only an apricot tree. Are you still groggy?" Zhi Xia asked.

"I must really be mixed up, even getting that wrong," Pei Jing went along with her words, patting his own head. "Then when we have time, let's plant a jujube tree. I remember that apricot tree has been there for years but it hasn't been fruitful the past few years. Might as well cut it down and plant a jujube instead since the kids like to eat them too."

"You're telling the wrong person. It's Dad's house so he has to agree before doing anything," Zhi Xia said. The twins didn't even like jujubes. With so much fruit available, there wasn't anything in particular they favored.

Of course, her two little gluttons did have a penchant for meat over vegetables and loved rice more than noodles.

As for the triplets, they were only a few months old and couldn't eat anything but milk.

Moreover, the apricot tree had actually produced a lot of tiny fruit this year. Old Pei had even happily declared it was going to be a bumper harvest, signifying prosperity for the household and ever increasing prosperity.

The pair exchanged knowing looks before simultaneously glancing at the now awake child. He was about to cry but smiled happily the moment he met his mother's eyes, his little legs kicking joyfully in the air while his tiny hands grabbed his feet.

Zhi Xia deliberately didn't go to pick him up, watching as Pei Jing adeptly checked their diapers. All were full, but none had pooped.

He ripped off the used diapers and threw them in the bin before smacking the child's bottom that had been confined all night.

When Pei Jing raised his head, the look he gave Zhi Xia was as gentle as ever. "Let's go out first."

Zhi Xia nodded and transported them all outside with a thought.

Pei Jing fetched some water to wipe the children's hands and faces, demonstrating the same skilled motions she remembered from their days living together as he patiently tended to the kids without any impatience.

"Zhi Xia, you might want to consider giving my fourth brother one of those physical enhancement serums I used." There would be major operations across the various troops over the next two months. But the specifics were confidential so he couldn't divulge more.

"Mm, that thing is hard to come by though. I'll have to think of a way." She was extremely lacking in Star Coins presently and would need to figure out how to earn more first.

"Anytime within the month is fine, there's no hurry." Because selections would occur in every branch over the next month to pick out the best personnel to reorganize into an elite Special Forces team. Requirements to get into Special Forces were demanding with intense competition.

Logically speaking, the food Zhi Xia regularly sent An ZhiAng over the years containing energy should have sufficiently enhanced his constitution, granting him far superior physique compared to ordinary people. So passing this round of selections should have been easy. But there were always people more capable out there. Enhanced bodies from the serums would open up greater possibilities.

Having personally used the physical enhancement serum before, Pei Jing understood better than Zhi Xia the tremendous benefits it brought to the body and the immense latent potential it unlocked that could be continually tapped into through training to reach powerful heights without any side effects.

Take him for instance - his endurance and resilience already far surpassed those comrades who used to be on par with him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to squeeze into Special Forces with his current instructor level qualifications after rounds of harsh filtering.

Pei Jing had been quite capable in the past, singled out by leadership as a promising talent. But that strength was still worlds apart compared to now.

If only they could somehow research and develop serums like these, the country's fighting capabilities would undoubtedly reach the top ranks globally.