Chapter 24 The Heroine Appears

Lan Yuchu finally smiled in satisfaction. He leaned down and kissed Lin Qiyue on the lips, then brought over her shoes and helped her put them on. Once they were ready, the two of them walked out hand in hand.

Around 3:30 PM, the sun had already begun to dip, and the heat was no longer unbearable. But as soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, they ran into a familiar face.

Duan Yueman walked toward them. When she saw Lan Yuchu, her face lit up with joy, but the moment her eyes landed on the woman beside him, her smile instantly dimmed. The shift was quick, but Lin Qiyue still noticed it.

She was wearing a professional suit—she worked as a nurse at the hospital, likely just getting off her shift.

“Brother Yuchu, Qiyue, heading out?” Her tone was very gentle when addressing Lan Yuchu, but when she said Lin Qiyue’s name, there was a hint of unwillingness or dissatisfaction in her voice.

Lin Qiyue immediately felt that this woman saw her as a love rival. And thinking about it, it made sense—she had become Lan Yuchu’s wife, and since the female lead liked him so much, of course she’d see her as competition.

Subconsciously, Lin Qiyue pulled her hand back, suddenly feeling a strange sense of guilt.

Lan Yuchu noticed her action and frowned slightly, displeased.

“Yes,” he replied, “I’m taking your sister-in-law shopping—spending more time with her.” His gaze toward Lin Qiyue was filled with affection and tenderness.

Duan Yueman could hardly believe what she was seeing. But despite herself, she felt a dull ache in her heart.

Lin Qiyue gave a small, polite smile, and even that stung Duan Yueman deeply.

“That’s nice. I actually thought Brother Yuchu would be upset… you know, with everyone saying that Qiyue was secretly meeting other men,” she said.

Originally, Lin Qiyue had felt guilty about occupying the role of the male lead’s wife. But after hearing that, her hand—which she had pulled away—immediately slipped back into Lan Yuchu’s, and she deliberately leaned closer to him.

She looked at Duan Yueman and said sweetly, “Sister Yueman, you’re so busy with work and yet still find time to care about our married life. That’s really thoughtful of you! I really should thank you properly. Don’t you think so, Brother Yuchu~?” She emphasized “Brother Yuchu” deliberately, mimicking Duan Yueman’s earlier tone.

Lan Yuchu’s smile became impossible to hide. Jealous Qiyue had quite the bite.

“My wife is right. Thank you, Comrade Duan, for your concern. Our relationship is very strong. All those rumors are nonsense,” he said, defending his wife’s reputation in front of outsiders.

Duan Yueman’s face turned pale. She clutched her bag tighter and forced a smile. “So that’s how it is. Those rumors were clearly exaggerated! People said Qiyue couldn’t stand loneliness and was secretly seeing another man. I guess…”

“Comrade Duan, my wife isn’t that kind of person!” Lan Yuchu cut her off sharply. “You’re an educated person—you should know that words can cause harm. Believing things without evidence? That’s reckless.”

He had always disliked people spreading rumors about his wife. Now that Duan Yueman had said something so nasty, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

Duan Yueman hadn’t expected him to speak to her like that.

Lin Qiyue was also shocked by his harsh tone. She looked up at him, surprised by how cold and serious he suddenly became.

Did he really not like Duan Yueman? But… weren’t they childhood sweethearts? Didn’t the novel say they ended up together?

“Brother Yuchu…” Duan Yueman tried to speak again.

“Comrade Duan,” he interrupted, “please change how you address me. Before, when I was unmarried, I considered you a younger sister, and I didn’t mind how you called me. But things are different now. I’m married, and I don’t want others to misunderstand. Please be mindful in the future. Thank you.”

Duan Yueman wanted to explain, but Lan Yuchu cut her off again, his tone firm and final.

She stood there in disbelief. She had called him that for years.

“…Understood,” she said softly, head lowered in shame and awkwardness. But she was not resigned to this outcome.

Lan Yuchu’s expression finally softened a bit. Holding Lin Qiyue’s hand, he said to Duan Yueman, “Comrade Duan, if I ever did anything that gave you the wrong impression, I apologize. I hope you find a good partner in the future. My mother has already explained the childhood engagement to you. I wish you well on your journey ahead.”

With that, he led Lin Qiyue away.

As they walked off, Lin Qiyue couldn’t help but glance back. Duan Yueman stood frozen in place.

She wondered—had he been too harsh?

Then again, if Lan Yuchu truly intended to build a life with her, of course he needed to sever ties with his past. As for Duan Yueman… wasn’t she supposed to be the female lead? The way she spoke was so passive-aggressively manipulative!

Maybe she misunderstood—but her intuition told her Duan Yueman had said all that on purpose, just for Lan Yuchu to hear.

Just as Lin Qiyue was debating how to bring it up, Lan Yuchu spoke first.

“Stay away from Comrade Duan. She’s not very kind with her words.”

Wait… Did she hear that right? Did he just say that? He could actually tell how fake she was?

Lin Qiyue asked, “You could tell her words had hidden meanings and bad intentions?”

“She was slandering you. You’re not angry?” Lan Yuchu frowned and countered.

“Of course I’m angry.” How could she not be? But she wasn’t the first to say things like that.

Still, she didn’t need to be upset—after all, she was Lan Yuchu’s real wife.

But she honestly hadn’t expected him to step in and defend her like that.

“Honey,” she said, “next time something like this happens, you don’t have to speak up for me. It’s between women—I can handle it myself. You’re a soldier, and you shouldn’t talk to people like that. If someone wanted to use that against you, it could get messy.”

She was thinking about how sensitive things were these days. If someone with bad intentions twisted it, Lan Yuchu could be in real trouble.

Actually, if Lan Yuchu hadn’t stepped in to help her just now, she would’ve rushed forward and scolded those people herself. She wasn’t the type to suffer in silence. The only reason she held back before was because she was afraid Lan Yuchu and his family might become suspicious of her identity. But now, she felt there was no need for that concern anymore—personalities changing with life experiences was normal.

“You’re so weak—how would you have handled it? You were bullied by Shen Qingmiao for three years and didn’t say a word. Even our parents had no idea,” Lan Yuchu said, clearly not believing Lin Qiyue’s words. “Besides, I’m your husband. If I can’t even stand up for you when you’re being bullied, then I’m not a qualified husband.”

In his world, no one was allowed to bully his family, especially not his wife. Lin Qiyue had already suffered too much over the years—he wouldn’t let her go through any more injustice.

Lin Qiyue couldn’t outtalk him and pouted in frustration. “Don’t worry,” Lan Yuchu said quickly to reassure her. “Once we get to the family housing compound, no one will bully you. The other wives there are all easy to get along with.”

“I don’t believe you,” Lin Qiyue mumbled to herself. “Anywhere with women, there are bound to be problems.”

“But if my husband is good to me, I won’t be afraid of being wronged.” She acted coy—after all, that kind of sweetness was what men liked most.

Sure enough, as soon as Lan Yuchu heard her soft and flirtatious tone, he lowered his gaze to look at her and held her small hand even tighter.

They arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a lot of items for girls. She bought two tins of Snow Cream, some soap, and shower gel to bring back. Then she remembered she needed to make some undergarments—since the ones available at the time weren’t very comfortable—so she picked out some suitable fabric to sew her own.

Since Lan Yuchu treated her so well, she felt she had to buy something for him too.