Chapter 17: Your Wife Ran Off with Someone

Huo Donglin’s footsteps faltered for a moment.

“Captain, what’s going on at home?”

The team members quickly gathered around, each of them looking more anxious than him.

They were all brothers, born and bred together. Moreover, Huo Donglin had always been especially considerate of everyone. Whenever there was danger, he was the first to charge forward, taking the lead and always watching out for his comrades.

“Do you want my dad to help?” Sun Xianqian asked.

Huo Donglin shook his head coldly. “I can handle this. You go back and report to the others.”

The primary duty of a soldier was to follow orders.

Though Sun Xianqian was worried, he still led the others away.

Huo Donglin walked to the communication window and dialed a number. Once the call connected, he said, “This is Huo Donglin. Please notify the family at 301, Tian Cuifen, to pick up the call.”

“One moment.”

The wait felt long, and Huo Donglin absentmindedly adjusted his sleeve while holding the phone with his other hand. His blue work uniform was soft, not as crisp and stiff as his military uniform.

Soon, a chaotic clamor erupted from the other end of the phone, followed by the high-pitched wailing of Tian Cuifen. “Donglin, your wife took the kids and ran off with someone!”

The sound hit Huo Donglin like a thunderclap. His grip on the phone tightened as his fist clenched.

For a long time, his thoughts about his wife had been nothing more than faint, blurry memories.

He heard his voice, unnervingly calm as he asked, “Mom, stop crying. Take a deep breath and tell me exactly what happened.”

On the other end, Tian Cuifen’s sobs abruptly stopped.

Her eldest son’s calmness made her feel anxious, unsure of how to proceed.

She pinched her thigh hard to gather herself, tears welling up in her eyes. After a long pause, she spoke in a carefully rehearsed manner. “Your brother caught Jiang Ningning cheating with another man, and in retaliation, she falsely accused him of kidnapping the child, calling him a trafficker. Jiang Ningning, afraid her secret would be exposed, ran off with the kids and that man in the middle of the night.”

“If Jiang Ningning was caught in the act, why wasn’t she arrested, but instead, it was your brother?” Huo Donglin’s voice cut through the confusion, sharp and precise.

Adultery was a crime that could send someone to jail.

Destroying a military marriage added even more severe charges on top of that.

A brief flicker of darkness passed in his eyes.

Tian Cuifen hesitated before continuing, her voice trembling. “After Jian Jun caught her in the act, he grabbed the child and ran. But who knew that the child, Manman, was an ungrateful brat and shouted that Jian Jun was a trafficker… In any case, that’s not important! What matters is that your wife cheated!”

Tian Cuifen raised her voice, trying to provoke her son’s usually composed mind through the cold phone line. “Do you remember? Just a few days ago, there were rumors spreading in the family housing area about Jiang Ningning having affairs with multiple men. Maybe Xiaxia and Manman aren’t even your children!”

“You know, that night you and Jiang Ningning only slept together once, and then she got pregnant. Look at her, so frail and delicate, with a small waist and hips, clearly not someone capable of bearing children.”

Her voice was so loud that it reverberated through the phone. People in the communication room were listening in, their jaws dropping.

What? His wife ran off with someone? And the two kids weren’t even his?

Captain Huo was truly suffering!

The gazes around him were too obvious. Huo Donglin, however, remained completely unfazed, his expression as impassive as ever. “I’ll apply for family leave tomorrow and return to handle this.”

There was something fishy about the whole situation, and he needed to go back personally to investigate.

“Don’t come back!” Tian Cuifen nearly screamed, her heart racing in panic.

Realizing her overreaction, she quickly tried to fix it. “Work is more important. Your father and I will handle this. You should hurry up and file for a divorce. We’ll find you a new wife, one who’s more beautiful and younger…”

“Mom, divorce is not a trivial matter. Even if I don’t return, the army will send people to investigate. Fine, it’s settled then.” Huo Donglin’s voice was cold and firm as he ended the call abruptly.

His voice, as cold and hard as ever, left no room for negotiation.

On the other end of the phone, Tian Cuifen was panicking.

Did the army’s divorce procedures really need to be this complicated? She had to hurry and tell the old man, so he could figure out a way to prevent the eldest son from coming back.

“Huo Team, are you okay?” A female comrade handed him a piece of paper, her eyes filled with sympathy and indignation.

“Your wife isn’t fortunate, she doesn’t deserve you.”

Captain Huo was handsome and capable, winning the “Advanced First” award every year—how could he be compared to those wild men outside who only knew how to flatter and stay in bed?

With such excellent physical conditions, how could Huo Donglin be left for a wife who didn’t appreciate him?

Many women in the base were lamenting that Captain Huo was already married. If they had known he was about to divorce, they would have been fighting for him.

“Captain Huo, don’t worry, we will definitely support you in this matter.”

Others chimed in, agreeing.

Captain Huo politely nodded. “Thank you.”

His black eyes were cold and emotionless, impossible to read.

These words of comfort from his comrades were just that—comfort. In the base, most calls were intercepted.

Not only did the switchboard operators listen carefully to everything that was said, but they also made sure to record everything in detail.

Especially for high-ranking officers like him, their marital status and family situations were closely monitored and scrutinized. The operators likely had already reported it upwards.

There was no doubt that the news of his wife running off would soon spread throughout the military area by tomorrow.

Amidst a mix of complicated gazes, Huo Donglin stepped out of the communications room. As he breathed in the fresh air outside, he slowly exhaled a deep breath.

In fact, he wasn’t as calm as he appeared.

He had been protecting the country at the front line, continuously completing secretive missions for years without ever being able to return home. And now, his little home was taken away by someone else?

Huo Donglin was a normal man with his own dignity.

His mother had a tendency to exaggerate things, but she shouldn’t have used something like this to fool him. Unless, of course, she had grown senile. But everything about this felt off. Just as this mission had ended, he had to find a way to return home.

The ship roared as it arrived at the shore.

From a distance, the large words “Tenth Army Sea Island Base” could be seen.

The crew member, holding a loudspeaker, walked back and forth, reminding passengers, “Please gather your belongings and prepare to disembark.”

Manman’s eyes suddenly brightened. He whispered something to his sister, and with quick steps, they excitedly skipped forward.

Before long, Manman came running back holding the loudspeaker.

He was about to show it off to his mother when he noticed Jiang Ningning’s pale face. He was startled and almost started crying. “Mama, your face looks bad. Are you sick?”

Summer hurried over, trying to comfort her mother just like the adults did, gently patting Jiang Ningning’s back.

Jiang Ningning slowly pulled a comforting smile, “Mama is just a little seasick. I’ll be fine after walking around for a bit.”

The little ones weren’t convinced.

Mama’s face was even paler than the waves, she clearly wasn’t fine.

Manman ran over to ask the crew member and learned that there was a military doctor on the island.

As soon as the ship safely docked, the siblings, each holding one of Jiang Ningning’s hands, quickly helped her disembark to find their father.

Zhang Guang followed behind, carrying the luggage.

With so many people disembarking, he was squeezed at the back, walking slowly. He looked up and saw the two little dumplings saying something to Jiang Ningning before suddenly breaking away and running toward the military base’s main gate.

Summer picked up a banner.

Manman stood on a large rock, holding up the loudspeaker and shouting, “Black Egg, come out! We’ve brought your wife to join the army!”

Zhang Guang stumbled, almost falling into the sea.

In an instant, “Black Egg” echoed throughout the entire military base.