Volume 1, Chapter 26: The Two Trapped in the Restroom

The bathroom door lock was old and stiff, requiring a specific technique to open.

At that moment, everyone was outside in the courtyard, sitting on straw mats and benches to enjoy the cool air; no one noticed her movements.

"Hey, where did Xinhao go?" Huo Hong, having finished slicing the cake, realized Meng Xinhao was nowhere to be found.

Huo Xiaohan scanned the courtyard and noticed that Su Wan was also missing.

"Brother Huo, I just saw Xinhao go to the bathroom." Su Xiaohui, who had been serving water, walked up to Huo Xiaohan with a hesitant, meaningful look. "I think I saw my sister follow him there, too."

Huo Xiaohan’s sharp, imposing brows furrowed tightly. He set down his cake and strode toward the living room.

Su Xiaohui curled her lips in a cold smile. Brother Huo already despised Su Wan, and with the groundwork she had laid at the military hospital, he would surely assume Su Wan was trying to seduce Xinhao. The mere thought of the two of them alone in a bathroom was enough to spark scandalous rumors.

Meng Xinhao, his hands and mouth covered in grease from eating, had gone to the bathroom to wash up. He had accidentally knocked the towel rack off and was crouched on the floor trying to fix it.

Su Wan had come in to wash her face, closing the door behind her with the intention of using the toilet, only to discover Meng Xinhao crouching in the corner.

They were both quite embarrassed, but at that moment, the bathroom door refused to budge. Meng Xinhao and Su Wan took turns trying to open it to no avail. Although the window was open, there was no breeze. Being locked in a bathroom together was bound to look bad, and as they grew anxious, they began to break into a sweat.

"Is it possible someone locked this from the outside?" Su Wan nudged the door, forcefully twisting the oval knob on the lock.

"No, it’s likely just the internal mechanism rusted; it needs some lubricant," Meng Xinhao said.

"Sss." Su Wan’s hands were sweaty from the effort, and as she pushed again, her hand slipped, and her arm was scratched by the sharp edge of the door lock.

"Are you all right, Sister Su Wan?" Meng Xinhao lowered his head to look.

Suddenly, the bathroom door was pulled open.

"What are you two doing?" A stern, cold voice demanded.

"Cousin, your bathroom lock needs some grease; it’s too stiff. Su Wan and I couldn't get it open," Meng Xinhao said, relieved to see the door finally open.

Huo Xiaohan reached out and yanked Meng Xinhao out of the bathroom, his presence radiating a cold, oppressive aura. His dark, piercing eyes were like daggers in the night, chilling to behold. "I asked what you were doing locked in the bathroom together?"

"Commander Huo, I saw the door was open and thought it was empty. I didn't expect to find Brother Xinhao inside fixing something," Su Wan explained, clutching her arm where the skin had been scraped, a red welt already forming on her fair arm.

"Exactly, and then the door just wouldn't open," Meng Xinhao nodded, about to complain more about the lock, but he caught Huo Xiaohan’s gaze and immediately swallowed his words, quickly walking away.

Su Wan tried to leave, too, but Huo Xiaohan stood firmly in her path.

"Comrade Su Wan, I am giving you a stern warning: pay attention to the boundaries between men and women. If I catch you overstepping again or acting in a way that suggests impropriety, I will not be lenient. I will have you sent back to your hometown immediately."

Huo Xiaohan’s jaw was set tight, his expression exceptionally harsh and cold. She had spent the afternoon lounging in the living room trying to get his attention, and by evening, the moment she saw Meng Xinhao, she couldn't wait to cling to him. If not for his father’s connection to her family, he would never want anything to do with a woman like her.

"Commander Huo, I have already explained. If you insist that my accidental confinement in the bathroom with Brother Xinhao constitutes a violation of propriety, then what about when you dragged me into the woods to talk yesterday?"

Su Wan knew he had misunderstood her, and she blinked her long, dark lashes, retorting. One should never fall into the trap of self-justification. She had already explained herself; if he refused to listen, then let him produce the evidence.