Chapter 30.1

Hiss–

It hurts so much.

Ruan Mingfu covered her sore nose and glared at the culprit.

“Why did you stop suddenly?”

Xie Yanzhao swallowed hard, wanting to raise his hand but hesitating.

He looked at Ruan Mingfu and sighed inwardly.

“Being a soldier’s wife is not as good as you might imagine. Even if you can endure the separation, what if one day…”

Xie Yanzhao’s gaze was deep and dark, unsure of how to continue.

“What do you mean by that?”

Ruan Mingfu lowered her hand from her nose, frowning and glaring at him.

Is this dog man having second thoughts?

Xie Yanzhao swallowed again, and under Ruan Mingfu’s bright gaze, he awkwardly looked away.

Ruan Mingfu’s frown deepened.

“What are you trying to say?” Her face tightened with anger as she stared at Xie Yanzhao. “Are you saying our marriage is off?”

In fact, the marriage had been something she had insisted on.

Xie Yanzhao also helped Ruan Mingfu get rid of the Zhou family and make them pay for their evil deeds. For someone he had only known for a few days, he had done his best.

The fog man had done too well.

Even if he backed out now, Ruan Mingfu would have no words to curse him with.

Her nose was still sore and her eyes continued to fill with tears, which slid down her delicate white cheeks.

Seeing her like this, Xie Yanzhao moved his lips.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, “I just want you to think it through.”

“Bastard!” Ruan Mingfu was both angry and anxious, with a hint of lingering bitterness. Her eyes were blurred with tears, making it hard to see Xie Yanzhao’s expression, only vaguely recognizing his tall figure in front of her.

Xie Yanzhao’s fingers twitched slightly but then he gave up.

“From the beginning, you never really wanted to marry me,” Ruan Mingfu wiped her tears, biting her lower lip as she continued, “I heard you talking with Xu Zhu in the hospital.”

The pride of the eldest Miss Ruan did not allow her to continue crying so pathetically.

“I’m only doing this to get back at you,” she sniffed, “In fact, even if you didn’t say anything today, I would have said it. This act has gone on long enough, it’s time to end it.”

Xie Yanzhao’s eyes were as dark as ink.

The air around seemed to thicken, making Ruan Mingfu feel a bit suffocated.

His entire face was hidden in the darkness, obscuring his expression.

The croaking of the frogs had stopped at some point, leaving only the rustling of the trees in the evening breeze. Ruan Mingfu suddenly felt uneasy and swallowed hard.

Her bright eyes, which had just cried, looked exceptionally clear, as if washed with water.

After what she had just said, would the man now be enraged enough to harm her?

Fortunately, the guesthouse was not far, with its entrance illuminated by soft orange lights that seemed reassuring.

She quickly ran to the guesthouse and, just before entering, glanced back one last time at Xie Yanzhao, who stood a short distance away.

He seemed to blend with the shadows of the trees, barely visible unless one looked closely.

Ruan Mingfu pursed her lips, pushed down her thoughts, and turned to enter the guesthouse.

Back in her room, she was on the verge of tears again thinking about what had just happened.

That damned man!

Bastard!

But… should she and the man really be considered… finished?

Sitting on the stool, she exhaled slowly, her eyes uncontrollably drifting to the window.

Ruan Mingfu’s pretty peach blossom eyes showed a hint of struggle.

After a while, she opened the window and glanced quickly down at the street. The shadows of the trees danced in the moonlight, revealing the surroundings, but the tall, upright figure was nowhere to be seen.

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

She felt foolish for having been so troubled earlier.

He didn’t care about her at all.

Ruan Mingfu decided she shouldn’t waste any more thoughts on him.

Just take your things and go wash up.

After coming back, she was even more irritated. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, and punched the pillow angrily.

So annoying!

…..

I tossed and turned for half the night yesterday, and got up the next day as expected.

When I opened my eyes, it was already ten o’clock in the morning.

She slowly exhaled a breath of foul air.

Ruan Mingfu thought about it all night yesterday and finally figured it out today.

She was like this yesterday, but the bastard didn’t come after her. What does this mean? It means that she is not in his heart at all.

In that case, she would no longer think about him!

Miss Ruan is beautiful, and she has never lacked suitors since she was a child. As for men, the next one is even better.

After figuring it out, Ruan Mingfu felt relaxed all over.

The bastard didn’t care about her, and she didn’t want to see him again.

I’ll find someone to send her back soon and never see her again!

Ruan Mingfu opened the window.

Today, the wind unexpectedly picked up, and the sky grew overcast, as if it were about to rain. As predicted, by the time Ruan Mingfu returned from lunch on the second floor, the rain had begun to fall.

At first, it was just a light drizzle, but soon it turned into a torrential downpour.

With the window open, the gentle breeze mixed with the rain, making it feel pleasantly cool against her face.

She had sorted through all the items she had brought with her.

Fortunately, she hadn’t packed too many things when she arrived. Otherwise, carrying them all back would have been exhausting.

As she went through her belongings, she found a velvet box and two unopened watch boxes.

These were the watches that Lin Shu and Xie Yanzhao had previously bought for her.

The original owner had watches as well, and quite a few, but since she went to the countryside, she hadn’t worn them. Since she took over, she hadn’t had the chance to wear them either.

It was a good thing she hadn’t worn them; otherwise, it would have been awkward.

Ruan Mingfu took out the three items.

She was a person of integrity; she would never take something that didn’t belong to her.

After some busywork, the rain outside had lessened to a drizzle, and Ruan Mingfu was dotted with sweat from the effort.

She looked at the two bags in the room with satisfaction.

Ruan Mingfu thought she was quite clever.

After seeing Zhu Hong organize things once, she knew exactly what to do.

She is truly a genius.

*

Xu Zhu had drunk quite a bit yesterday. If Hu Wanning hadn’t given him a bowl of hangover remedy, he probably wouldn’t have been able to get up today.

He sat up from the bed, still feeling a bit dazed.

“Why don’t you just stay home and rest today?”

Hu Wanning walked in from outside, holding a cup of honey water. Seeing him awake, she handed it to him.

“No,” Xu Zhu took a big gulp, feeling much better, “I need to keep an eye on the new recruits; I’ve already missed a few days.”

Hu Wanning gave him an exasperated look. “Missing one day won’t cause the world to collapse. Besides, Old Xie is there. His authority is more effective than yours.”

Indeed, Xie Yanzhao was much more commanding.

“By the way, what happened afterward? Did Old Xie end up getting drunk?”

Xu Zhu was the first to collapse at the table, so he didn’t know what happened afterward.

“It’s ridiculous,” Hu Wanning took the cup back, speaking irritably, “You and several others were out, but Old Xie was perfectly fine. And he still had the nerve to serve alcohol.”

Hu Wanning had only learned about this yesterday.

Xie Yanzhao could really drink.

Xu Zhu: “…”

“No, I have to go.”

Xu Zhu threw off the blanket and got out of bed.

“…Then at least have some breakfast before you leave.”

“No need, I’ll grab a bite at the base.”

Hu Wanning followed him outside, giving him an exasperated look as he reached the courtyard gate.

Looking down, she saw the dog, Goudan, sitting opposite her, panting with its tail wagging happily. Seeing its owner, it barked excitedly.

Hu Wanning: “…”

No wonder Ruan Mingfu liked it, it was indeed quite adorable.

Xu Zhu walked towards the base, humming a few off-key tunes. When he entered the office, he was taken aback.

Something was wrong… really wrong!

Everyone around him had their heads down, and the large office was filled only with the sound of rustling papers. Everyone seemed tense, as if a single spark could set off a disaster.

Xu Zhuo glanced around and then made a questioning gesture to Wu Gang nearby.

‘What’s going on?’

Wu Gang didn’t speak but signaled towards the tightly closed room.

Xu Zhu frowned slightly.

Inside the room, people were making distressed gestures towards him, their faces pleading.

Xu Zhu looked at the group, then, without knocking, opened the door and walked in.

To his surprise, he was startled.

Xie Yanzhao was sitting at the desk with a serious expression, his gaze fixed on the documents in front of him, exuding an air of low pressure. His usual fierceness was intensified, making it hard to even breathe.

Xu Zhu understood why everyone outside was so anxious.

He swallowed hard, lacking the courage to speak, and sat down quietly.

Xie Yanzhao didn’t even look at him, his tense demeanor carrying a stormy aura.

He set down the document, glanced at the clock on the wall, and then turned and walked out.

Seeing this, Xu Zhu pursed his lips and asked loudly, “Where are you going?”

“Training new recruits.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he was already out the door.

Training new recruits?

Xu Zhu looked up at the sky outside the window, where dark clouds were rolling: “…”

It’s going to rain soon, why bother training new recruits?

Xu Zhu sat back down, while several men stood by the door, watching him.

“…What a disappointment,” Xu Zhu gave them a scathing look, forgetting that he had been nearly silent earlier, “The person has already left, what’s there to be afraid of?”

The men let out a collective sigh of relief and entered the room.

“What’s going on with Old Xie today?”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen him like this; did something major happened?”

“Did Commander Xie come to find trouble again?”

As Xie Yanzhao’s subordinates and friends, they knew more about his background than others and were aware of the estrangement between father and son.

“What kind of trouble did Commander Xie find for Old Xie this time?”

“Are you guys stupid?” Xu Zhu rolled his eyes at them, “Even if Commander Xie causes trouble, have you ever seen Old Xie this angry before?”

Several big men looked at Xu Zhu.

Xu Zhu: “…”