Chapter 42.1

The cold touch of the gun snapped Lu Yang back to his senses.

He quickly suppressed the dangerous impulse.

If he fired a shot in front of this crowd, not only would he be expelled from the military, but he’d also face a court martial.

Looking at the calm and composed Xie Yanzhao, Lu Yang gritted his teeth and attacked once again.

As the two continued to grapple, the onlookers were stunned.

Not only that, but more and more people gathered in the training ground, drawn by the news that two prominent figures in the military were fighting.

“Wow, they’re really going at it.”

“I knew these two would fight eventually.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, let me tell you…”

He began whispering about the rumored love triangle, oblivious to the fact that several pairs of ears were eavesdropping behind him.

Those listening were equally shocked.

“Are you serious? So, Commander Xie stole Deputy Commander Lu’s fiancée?!”

“Keep your voice down! I’m just repeating what I heard…”

The crowd: … Gasp, this is so dramatic!

No wonder the fight was so fierce.

After Xie Yanzhao knocked Lu Yang down again, Lu Yan rushed forward to help his brother, but at the same time, he stealthily drew the gun from his brother’s waist and fired a shot in Xie Yanzhao’s direction.

The sound of the gunshot silenced everything around them.

In an instant, the crowd ducked for cover. Those with higher ranks quickly drew their own guns and pointed them at Lu Yan, shouting:

“Drop the weapon!”

Lu Yang’s face turned deathly pale.

No matter how shrewd he was, he had never expected his brother to fire a gun in public.

He closed his eyes.

After something like this, there was no way he could protect him anymore.

The crowd surrounded Lu Yan, guns drawn.

These weren’t new recruits—they were battle-hardened veterans. Judging by the seriousness in their eyes, if Lu Yan so much as flinched, they would pull the trigger without hesitation and end his life.

Lu Yan, realizing the gravity of his mistake, looked terrified. Tears welled up in his eyes as he turned to his brother, pleading:

“Brother…”

His voice trembled, filled with fear.

“Lu Yan, it’s fine,” Lu Yang stood up, slowly walked over, and took the gun from Lu Yan’s hand. “Give me the gun.”

This younger brother was finished.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Lu Yang’s eyes.

Immediately after Lu Yang confiscated the gun from Lu Yan, several people rushed forward and pinned Lu Yan firmly to the ground.

His eyes widened. “Brother, save me.”

“Shut up!”

A cold voice barked, and someone quickly dragged him away.

Meanwhile, a group of people rushed over to check on Xie Yanzhao’s injury. He held his arm and waved them off.

“It’s just a scrape, nothing serious.”

Though he said that, blood was pouring from his right arm, staining his military uniform a dark color.

A few of them took him directly to the nearest military hospital.

…

Hard work paid off, and Ruan Mingfu finally found a newspaper willing to accept her article. She mailed it out and walked back feeling satisfied.

Thinking about the misfortune that had befallen the Lu family, the cloud of gloom that had weighed on her all day finally lifted.

Bastards! Let them suffer!

Ruan Mingfu walked down the road with a carefree sway when she saw the young soldier who had helped carry her bag earlier coming towards her.

Panting, he said, “Sister-in-law, you need to come quick! Commander Xie has been injured.”

“What?”

Ruan Mingfu thought she must have misheard.

Someone like Xie Yanzhao, how could he be easily hurt?

“Really, sister-in-law, hurry!”

Seeing the genuine worry on the young soldier’s face, Ruan Mingfu began to panic as well.

She stumbled forward, running as fast as she could.

The young soldier, watching her figure disappear, called out, “Sister-in-law, Commander Xie is at the hospital.”

By the time Ruan Mingfu arrived at the military hospital, quite some time had passed. She reached Xie Yanzhao’s hospital room and was about to open the door when she heard a roar.

“What did I tell you before? And this is what you do? You even got into a fight?”

Xie Yanzhao sat on the hospital bed, his arm already bandaged. It was just a minor injury, not even requiring a stay.

Luckily, Lu Yan was a rookie, and Xie Yanzhao was quick on his feet, or else things could have turned out much worse.

He stared coldly, his expression blank, at the person speaking.

“Don’t give me that dead look!” The speaker was an older man, around sixty, his eyes blazing with anger. “Two commanders fighting in front of new recruits? Great, you’ve really brought honor to us!”

The old man’s surname was Gu, and he was also Xie Yanzhao’s former superior.

It was this old man’s big mouth that had exposed Xie Yanzhao’s wedding application to the entire military district last time.

“Old leader, Commander Xie didn’t mean to…”

“Shut up!”

Xu Zhu immediately straightened his back, sitting stiffly, not daring to look around.

After venting his anger, Old Gu felt a little better and finally asked, “So, what’s the reason?”

Xu Zhu glanced at Xie Yanzhao and then lowered his head.

“No reason,” Xie Yanzhao replied with a fearless expression. “I just didn’t like him.”

The old man’s chest tightened.

“Listen, listen!” He turned to Xu Zhu. “Does that sound like something a human would say?”

Xu Zhu dared not respond.

After all, as a mere political commissar, he couldn’t afford to offend either of these men.

“One day, you’re going to be the death of me, you little bastard!” Old Gu cursed, glaring at him fiercely.

“I don’t need you to say it. I know already.” He shot a glance at Xie Yanzhao. “It’s about your wife, isn’t it?”

Xu Zhu raised his head. “What does this have to do with sister-in-law?”

“Shut up!” Old Gu shot him a look and continued, “This is a personal matter. It should have been handled privately. But no, you had to make a scene in front of everyone. Fighting in front of all the new recruits—have you no respect for military discipline?”

The old man Gu became angrier and angrier as he thought about it, and he criticized Xie Yanzhao severely from head to toe.

“Here, drink some water.”

Old Gu: “…”

He snatched the cup Xie Yanzhao had handed him and gulped down a mouthful.

“I won’t fall for your tricks!”

Although Old Gu said that, his tone softened a bit.

“Tell me, what am I supposed to do with you?”

Xie Yanzhao’s face remained impassive, as if nothing could faze him. The old man’s heart tightened again. “For the next few days, you stay home and don’t go anywhere!”

“What about the Lu brothers?”

Before Xie Yanzhao could answer, Xu Zhu spoke up.

Lu Yan’s actions were serious and could potentially land him in prison. And since he used Lu Yang’s gun, both brothers were in trouble.

Unless someone intervened on their behalf.

Old Gu shot Xu Zhu a look but still responded, “The organization will handle the punishment.”

He glanced at Xie Yanzhao and sighed.

“Since you’re already married, why haven’t you taken your new wife home to meet your parents?”

Commander Xie had been calling him non-stop for days, driving him crazy.

A trace of disdain flashed in Xie Yanzhao’s eyes. “They don’t deserve it.”

As his old superior, Old Gu was well aware of the strained relationship between Xie Yanzhao and his father. He sighed again and said, “He’s still your father. He knows he’s made mistakes over the years. Besides, your wife should meet your family to make it official.”

“Not necessary.”

Xie Yanzhao hadn’t planned on introducing Ruan Mingfu to his family before, and he certainly wasn’t going to now.

Seeing his attitude, Old Gu didn’t know how to persuade him.

To be honest, he didn’t think much of Commander Xie either.

He could only change the subject. “I heard you took your wife to meet your grandfather?”

Xie Yanzhao nodded.

“My grandparents are very satisfied with this grandson’s wife.”

Old Gu: “…”

He didn’t want to speak now, only wanted to knock some sense into Xie Yanzhao.

With a light cough, he asked, “When will you bring your wife over to visit my place?”

A while ago, Old Gu had gone out of town and only returned to the military district yesterday. He was very curious about this female comrade who managed to win over Xie Yanzhao, the stubborn one, in just a week.

“Tomorrow.”

“You said it!” Old Gu’s eyes lit up. “If you don’t show up tomorrow, I’ll break your legs!”

Xie Yanzhao responded coolly with a nod.

Satisfied, Old Gu’s expression softened. “Alright, take care and rest up. I’m leaving.”

…

Seeing the door to the hospital room open, Ruan Mingfu quickly stepped aside.

Three people walked out, with the first being a dignified old man. The voice she had just heard must have been his.

To scold a regiment commander like that, the old man’s rank was surely not small. Ruan Mingfu slightly averted her gaze, not daring to look further.

Once they had left, she finally entered the room.

Xu Zhu was sitting by the bedside, speaking with Xie Yanzhao. When he saw her come in, he greeted, “Sister-in-law, you’re here.”

“Are you alright?”

Ruan Mingfu’s delicate face still showed signs of concern. She was slightly out of breath, likely from rushing over.

Seeing the worry on her face, Xie Yanzhao strangely felt a sense of contentment.

“I’m fine.”

Xu Zhu quickly explained, “It was just a graze from a bullet, nothing serious.”

Seeing that Xie Yanzhao seemed to be in good shape, Ruan Mingfu finally relaxed. But as she walked closer and saw the bandage wrapped around his right arm, her brows furrowed again.

“What happened?”

How did he end up with a bullet graze out of nowhere? Did this reckless man go on a mission?

Xu Zhu stood up at the perfect moment. “You two talk, I’ll go check with the doctor if there’s anything else to follow up on.”

His words were so timely that Xu Zhu couldn’t help but give himself a mental pat on the back.

Before leaving, he thoughtfully closed the door behind him.

Ruan Mingfu looked at Xie Yanzhao. “What exactly happened?”

“Are you worried about me?”

Xie Yanzhao’s deep gaze locked onto her, not missing a single expression on her face.

“Of course I am.”

She didn’t want to become a widow just a few days into their marriage.

Her answer was firm and resolute.

Something about her response seemed to trigger something in Xie Yanzhao, and he laughed.

Ruan Mingfu shot him a glare, silently cursing him as crazy.

But truth be told, this man did look quite handsome when he smiled, and the fierce aura around him seemed to soften. Ruan Mingfu thought that if he smiled more often, maybe he wouldn’t be so intimidating.

“Alright, what’s going on?” If he wasn’t injured, she would’ve given him a piece of her mind. “Hurry up and tell me!”

He patted the spot next to him, his eyes glowing with a certain charm. “Come here.”

Ruan Mingfu snorted.

As if she’d just go over because he told her to—no way!

Instead, she sat in the spot where Xu Zhu had been sitting earlier, determined to annoy him.

Seeing this, Xie Yanzhao’s eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness, but he didn’t insist. He succinctly said, “I had a fight with the Lu brothers.”

Ruan Mingfu’s eyes widened. “You already knew?”

As soon as she said it, she realized it was a silly question. With phones being monitored, especially in the military, it would have been easy for him to find out.

He must have asked around.

He fought on her behalf.

Ruan Mingfu was secretly pleased, though she didn’t show it.

“And what about this injury?”

She knew how skilled he was—after all, he had beaten a strong man like Zhou Peng without breaking a sweat. Although Lu Yang was also strong, he wasn’t as formidable as Xie Yanzhao. As for Lu Yan, well, he was just a pushover.

An idea flashed in Ruan Mingfu’s mind. “Did Lu Yan shoot you?”

With his impulsive nature, that sounded exactly like something he would do.

Xie Yanzhao lightly acknowledged, “It’s nothing serious, don’t worry.”

He was just glad it was him who had come. If Ruan Mingfu had confronted the brothers, the outcome would have been much worse.

Not wanting her to worry, he added, “Let’s go home.”

Ruan Mingfu nodded.