Chapter 21

“Over there, someone’s over there!”

Cang Ling had just finished checking on the child and confirmed that they were unharmed. He was about to speak when a loud shout came from the distance.

Someone had come looking for them.

“Comrade Xue!” Xiao Yan let out a huge sigh of relief upon seeing that Xue Miaoyun was safe and sound. Then he turned his gaze to the person beside her.

“Deputy Commander Cang?” His eyes widened. “You’re the one who rescued them?”

Cang Ling nodded slightly. “Yes, but in the end, I was the one who got rescued.” He glanced calmly at him, then shifted his eyes back to Xue Miaoyun, a hint of amusement in his gaze.

“Achoo!” Xue Miaoyun sneezed.

Cang Ling’s expression paused. He looked at her soaked clothes and said, “Let’s go. To the hospital.”

After arriving at the hospital, Xue Miaoyun changed into dry clothes fairly quickly, but still came down with a fever later that night. The child and Cang Ling, on the other hand, were completely fine.

Xue Miaoyun didn’t even know what to say about that.

She lay on the hospital bed, hooked up to an IV.

Glancing at Cang Ling, who sat rigidly in military posture at her bedside, Xue Miaoyun felt quite uncomfortable.

Tsk. She had dated in her past life and met plenty of high-quality men at school and in the workplace. But whenever she faced Cang Ling, she couldn’t relax. Sometimes, she didn’t even know what to do with herself.

“Deputy Commander Cang, if you’re busy, feel free to go. I’m fine here,” she said. With such a commanding presence sitting right by her bed, she felt too awkward to even rest.

Cang Ling didn’t respond, nor did he show any sign of moving. Instead, he reached out to the bedside table, picked up an apple, and began peeling it.

“You missed your train.”

The thought of it gave Xue Miaoyun a headache. Train tickets were scarce these days—especially sleeper cars. Missing today’s train meant she’d have to trouble Aunt Yu again.

“I’ll be returning to the base in three days. You can come with me.”

“I’d rather finish things up quickly. My family will be worried,” she said. Xue Miaoyun wanted to keep her distance from Cang Ling. He was exactly her type in every way, but she had already planned her future, and romance wasn’t part of it. Especially not becoming a military wife—that was a role she wasn’t ready to take on.

“I already called someone to inform Shuize Village,” Cang Ling said lightly, as if it were no big deal. He handed her the peeled apple.

“Thank you.” She took a bite. She wasn’t particularly fond of apples—modern-day fruits had spoiled her with too many choices, and apples were just so-so in flavor. But in this era, fruit was a luxury item, especially in this season.

“You don’t want to come with me?” Cang Ling looked at her seriously. He could feel her resistance toward him.

Xue Miaoyun lowered her eyes and took another bite. “Deputy Commander Cang, you should already know why I’m going to the base. I don’t want to complicate things. All I want is to retrieve the item smoothly.”

Cang Ling didn’t believe that for a second. The engagement was already called off—she was just there to take back the token of betrothal. What was there to avoid?

“I’ll arrange your train ticket…”

Wuuu wuuu…

Once again, she was in the top berth of a sleeper car. Xue Miaoyun wore a large face mask, but her mood was restless.

“Which one of you is Comrade Xue Miaoyun?”

“Hmm?” She sat up and saw a man in uniform standing at the compartment door. “Hello, I’m Xue Miaoyun.”

“Sister-in-law! Hello, hello!”

Xue Miaoyun: ???

With a face full of confusion, she looked at the young man who had suddenly appeared. He looked to be in his twenties, with a baby face and a bright, cheerful smile—clearly someone with an upbeat personality.

“You are?” Did he mistake her for someone else?

“Hello, sister-in-law, I’m Lu Jun. I used to serve under Commander Cang. This time, he asked me to look after you on the way…”

Xue Miaoyun: ……

“Sister-in-law, here’s some hot water, boiled eggs, and meat patties. If you need anything else, just let me know. I’m the conductor on this train. Just mention my name. I’ve already made arrangements.”

Lu Jun was incredibly enthusiastic. Xue Miaoyun wanted to explain the misunderstanding several times, but never got the chance. Well, she honestly didn’t even know where to begin.

For the rest of the journey, not a single person came into her compartment. If there hadn’t also been no one in the neighboring one, she might have thought someone had bought out the entire section.

Later, she realized this carriage was probably reserved for officers or leaders of some sort.

It was incredibly quiet, and the people inside clearly carried themselves differently from the average person.

Compared to her previous trips, this one was far more comfortable. With Lu Jun occasionally checking in on her, everything went smoothly. When they reached the destination, Xue Miaoyun made a point to thank him.

“Brother Lu, whose daughter is she? She’s too beautiful. And that temperament too.”

Lu Jun had just seen Xue Miaoyun off when a colleague came up to him.

It was a close friend of his—they had a very good relationship.

“Hehe, no idea whose daughter she is, but she might be a regimental commander’s wife in the future… or even a brigade commander’s… maybe more.”

“Hiss… someone’s interested, huh?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If even you can tell she’s beautiful and refined, you think others can’t? Alright, enough gossip about the young lady. Let’s go eat.”

Meanwhile, Xue Miaoyun had just walked out of the train station and was met with a familiar sight.

She walked over after seeing her name displayed.

“Hello, I’m Xue Miaoyun.”

“H-Hello.” Xiao Zixuan was momentarily dumbfounded. What the—Where on earth had Cang Ling, that icy-faced tyrant, found such a gorgeous wife? So unfair!!!

Xue Miaoyun also examined the man in front of her, dressed in military uniform. He was incredibly good-looking—handsome even—but completely different from Cang Ling’s style.

Cang Ling’s uniform gave him a dignified, intimidating presence.

But this man’s uniform… didn’t look quite proper.

The collar button was undone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

Bit of a military rogue, maybe?

“Hello, Sister Xue, I’m Xiao Zixuan, Cang Ling’s comrade. He’s already made arrangements. I’ll take you to the guesthouse first,” Xiao Zixuan said with impeccable manners.

Xue Miaoyun saw the genuine amazement and clear-eyed sincerity in his gaze, and her impression of him was rather good.

“I’m here to find someone. I’d like to meet them as soon as possible.”

“Cang Ling already told me about that,” Xiao Zixuan said, sensing her urgency and offering reassurance. “No need to rush. Let’s first make sure exactly where the item is, so it doesn’t get destroyed or go missing. Don’t worry, Sister Xue. We’re going to strike with precision.”

“Come on, let’s get you some rest first.” Xiao Zixuan picked up her luggage and headed out.

“Get in,” he said, placing her luggage in the backseat and opening the passenger door for her.

“…Thank you.”

During the car ride, Xiao Zixuan kept trying to draw her into conversation. Xue Miaoyun could tell. Still, she didn’t feel there was anything she couldn’t say. She told him about the broken engagement and how she came to know Cang Ling.

“…I really admire this Comrade Song,” Xiao Zixuan said, letting out a deliberately dramatic sigh.