Chapter 32: Catching a Ride with the Political Commissar

Ye Muqi kept an eye out for passing vehicles as she walked toward the city.

She had already walked quite a distance without managing to hail a single ride. The bags she was carrying weren’t exactly light, and after walking this far, Ye Muqi was beginning to feel exhausted.

But the most pressing issue wasn’t just her physical strength—if she couldn’t get a ride, how was she supposed to get to the city? She couldn’t possibly walk all the way there, could she?

If she really had to walk the whole way, she’d be completely worn out by the time she arrived—not to mention, the breakfast she planned to sell would be ruined.

She kept glancing back, hoping to spot a car, when she finally saw a military-green jeep approaching from the distance.

It wasn’t a taxi, but maybe she could ask if they’d give her a lift to the city. After all, she was a military family member now.

Thinking of this, Ye Muqi hurried forward to flag the vehicle down. The jeep stopped in front of her, and the window rolled down. In the back seat sat a man in military uniform, who looked to be in his forties.

The man had a kindly appearance, seeming gentle and approachable—very different from Rong Jingchen’s stern and distant demeanor.

“Can I help you with something?” the man asked.

“Hello,” Ye Muqi said cautiously, “I’m trying to get to the city, but I haven’t been able to find a ride… Would it be possible to hitch a ride with you? I can pay for the fare.”

She phrased her request carefully and nervously. Even though the man looked kind, she wasn’t sure if he’d agree to let a stranger ride with them. After all, military personnel were probably quite busy.

The man looked Ye Muqi over. This was a military district—aside from soldiers, only family members would be around here.

“Whose family are you with?” the man, Yu Jianguo, asked.

He was the political commissar of the military region. He didn’t know every family member in the residential compound, but he’d seen most of them.

But this young woman looked unfamiliar. She was delicate and very pretty—if he’d seen her before, he definitely would’ve remembered.

“I’m with Rong Jingchen’s family,” Ye Muqi replied, though she wasn’t sure if the man in the car knew Rong Jingchen, even if he was the regiment commander.

“Oh?” Yu Jianguo raised an eyebrow in surprise when he heard Rong Jingchen’s name. He had seen the marriage request paperwork from Rong Jingchen pass through his hands.

He had only skimmed it before, but now that he looked at Ye Muqi closely, curiosity flickered in his eyes.

Rong Jingchen’s sudden decision to marry had already been surprising. After the marriage, he didn’t request any leave or start a family—he just stayed with the troops for an entire year, which was even more surprising.

Even someone like Yu Jianguo, who wasn’t one for gossip, had heard plenty about it on the base.

Rumor had it that Rong Jingchen’s wife wasn’t attractive, maybe even big and clumsy, and that he’d probably been forced into the marriage by his family. That’s why people thought he didn’t treat her well. But now…

“Why didn’t I know Xiao Rong brought his wife over?” Yu Jianguo asked, looking puzzled.

Ye Muqi overheard this but noticed that Yu Jianguo wasn’t actually directing the question at her, so she stayed silent.

Judging from his tone and manner, this man was likely a senior officer—perhaps even someone above Rong Jingchen?

Could she have just gotten her husband into trouble by flagging this ride?

Maybe… she should get out and forget about the ride altogether.

Ye Muqi tightened her grip on her bags, standing there anxiously.

“I think I heard Captain Chen mention it,” the driver in the front seat chimed in. “He’s pretty gossipy about these things. Said it happened after the last leave—Rong Jingchen brought her back then.”

“Oh.” Yu Jianguo nodded. If that was the case, then there was no problem. “Alright, hop in.”

Ye Muqi was pleasantly surprised. She’d been bracing herself for rejection, even preparing to walk the whole way.

The jeep resumed driving.

Sitting in the backseat with Yu Jianguo, Ye Muqi noticed up close how nice his skin was and how attractive his side profile was.

“So, this is why Xiao Rong never wanted to bring his wife around—it’s because she’s too pretty,” Yu Jianguo said, glancing away with a chuckle. He recalled how he had asked Rong Jingchen about his wife multiple times, but the man never said a word. Now, it all made sense.

Back then, everyone—including Yu Jianguo—had thought Rong Jingchen didn’t like his wife. Otherwise, why would his expression turn so cold every time someone brought her up?

But now that he had seen Ye Muqi in person, Yu Jianguo realized how wrong those assumptions had been.

Rong Jingchen didn’t dislike her—he was hiding her, worried someone might try to steal her away!

“Ah…” Ye Muqi had already heard this kind of comment more than once. On her very first night, both Yin Daquan and Lin Zihua had said the same thing.

She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now she was genuinely curious—what exactly had Rong Jingchen been saying (or not saying) that made everyone react like this after meeting her?

Could he have been spreading rumors that she was ugly?

No… Rong Jingchen didn’t seem like the kind of person who would do that.

“Sir, can I ask… while Rong Jingchen was on base, what did he say about me?” Ye Muqi finally asked, unable to hold back. If he really told people she was hideous, then he could forget about getting any meat for dinner tonight!

“Him? He’s a total clam,” Yu Jianguo said with a snort.

He thought back to the many times he’d tried asking, only to get absolutely nothing out of Rong Jingchen. The guy never gave a single clue. Boring!

“Whenever I asked about you, he wouldn’t say a word. Kept it all locked up tight,” Yu Jianguo shook his head. “Honestly, that ice block—how did you end up falling for him and marrying him?”

He’d worked with Rong Jingchen for years and had never seen him express strong emotion—not even when he came to submit his marriage request paperwork. No smile, no excitement—he didn’t look like someone getting married at all.

If someone didn’t know better, they’d think he was being forced into it.

“Uh…” Ye Muqi thought of the original host’s scheme to trick Rong Jingchen into registering the marriage and felt a bit awkward.

This leader was not only kind but clearly loved a bit of gossip too.

“He’s actually… pretty great,” she said, rubbing her nose.

All the bad stuff came from the original host!

Sure, Rong Jingchen could be cold, but he wasn’t arrogant. Even when he didn’t like the original Ye Muqi, after they got married, he still gave her twenty yuan every month without fail.

And after he thought she had tried to drown herself, he even decided to bring her back with him—trying to give the relationship a real shot.

Even though the person inside was now someone new, Rong Jingchen had already taken on the responsibility.

Yu Jianguo assumed Ye Muqi was just being shy and smiled to himself. It seemed like Xiao Rong and his wife were doing just fine—he could rest easy.

As Ye Muqi spent more time in the car, the faint fragrance coming from her bag grew stronger and harder to ignore.

The scent was coming from the bag she was holding, and Yu Jianguo had already glanced at it several times—both consciously and subconsciously.

Even the driver up front kept sniffing discreetly… and had already swallowed his saliva more than once.