Chapter 12 – The Female Lead Arrives!

“Ah, youth is such a blessing. Back in the day, my old man and I were the same—couldn’t stand being apart for even a moment.”

Ning Wanwan gave an awkward smile in response.

At the entrance of the military compound, He Yunshen’s tall figure stood waiting quietly.

The sentry at the gate thought some high-ranking official was coming to inspect the base. Who else could make their usually aloof and arrogant Regiment Commander He wait out front for so long?

Before long, Xiao Song drove up in a military vehicle. The moment the car door opened, He Yunshen momentarily lost his composure.

He cleared his throat and feigned calm. When he saw the poised and gentle Ning Wanwan sitting in the car, he reached out his long arms and lifted her down.

Ning Wanwan: “…”

Even the sentries stared in shock. Who would’ve thought that after all that waiting, Commander He was waiting for a woman?

Xu Cuihua and Xiao Song tactfully looked down, but Ning Wanwan’s cheeks still flushed a little.

He Yunshen wheeled Ning Wanwan to the door of the political commissar’s office and boldly walked right in.

Ning Wanwan saw that inside were Xu Lili with a swollen face and Zhao Hongjun looking dejected, already waiting.

Xiao Song led Xu Cuihua to the reception room on the other side.

Deputy Commissar Fu, a man in his forties with some wrinkles on his face and a warm smile, stood up to greet them.

“Xiao Ning, you’re here. Come in, sit down.”

Then he poured two cups of tea and set them down in front of them.

“Come on, have some tea. Hongjun, you and your wife too. Yesterday, Commander He told me about what happened. I thought it’d be best to have all four of you here to clear things up face to face. Hope you don’t mind me meddling.”

Zhao Hongjun quickly shook his head. “Commissar, not at all. How could we mind? I already explained everything to Lili last night. Today, we came to formally apologize to the commander and his wife.”

Commissar Fu praised Zhao Hongjun, and Xu Lili nodded along.

“Commissar, it was my fault yesterday. I shouldn’t have pushed Xiao Ning. I was too impulsive.”

“I should be thanking Xiao Ning for saving me yesterday. If it weren’t for her, I might have been angered to death by this oaf.”

Zhao Hongjun lowered his head, eyes filled with remorse. He looked at Xu Lili’s profile, wanting to say something but hesitating.

Ning Wanwan remained unmoved, calmly sipping her tea. This was definitely the moment to stay silent—any word now would just make things worse.

He Yunshen also remained quiet, his gaze sweeping past Zhao Hongjun’s guilty face.

Commissar Fu sighed and tried to mediate patiently. “Sister-in-law, I knew about Commander He asking Hongjun to deliver meals. If I had known it would cause such a stir, I would’ve had him send someone else.”

“Yunshen only chose Hongjun because there’s such a big age gap between him and Xiao Ning—he didn’t want people gossiping. But you misunderstood.”

Xu Lili nodded with guilt and began thinking more seriously. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Zhao Hongjun and Ning Wanwan.

Zhao Hongjun’s tanned face starkly contrasted with Ning Wanwan’s fair complexion.

That’s right. Even though Ning Wanwan was paralyzed, she was still young and beautiful. Why would she ever fall for her old man?

He Yunshen, on the other hand, was in his prime with a high military rank. Compared to him, her husband looked like a toad next to a swan.

All four gazes fell on Xu Lili, and suddenly, she burst out laughing.

Zhao Hongjun froze, afraid she had snapped again. Worried she might faint from anger, he quickly shook her shoulders.

“Lili, Lili, please don’t be like this. I know I was wrong. I should’ve told you earlier. Hit me if you need to. But really, nothing happened between me and the sister-in-law. I’m so ugly—how could she ever like me?”

Xu Lili pounded him twice on the chest.

“You big oaf, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Like a mute! Made me misunderstand Xiao Ning for nothing.”

Then she stood up with Zhao Hongjun and bowed deeply to He Yunshen and Ning Wanwan.

“Sister-in-law, I’m sorry. I overreacted. I was narrow-minded and caused trouble for you and Commander He.”

Ning Wanwan had expected a nasty confrontation today. She hadn’t anticipated things would end like this.

Deputy Commissar Fu truly lived up to his reputation after decades in the role. In just a few sentences, he had pinpointed the issue and defused the tension before she or He Yunshen even had to say a word.

Ning Wanwan didn’t show much reaction to Xu Lili’s apology.

She simply replied, “Sister-in-law, I should apologize too. I was too impulsive yesterday. Don’t take it personally.”

She said this to give Xu Lili a way to save face—after all, they lived in the same compound and would be seeing each other often.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling resentful. Xu Lili’s impulsive push had killed the original Ning Wanwan. If not for that, she wouldn’t have transmigrated to the 1980s and become a paralyzed woman.

In a way, Xu Lili’s push was no different from murder. After all, the original host had died because of it.

Ning Wanwan: Just thinking about it still gives me chills…

After leaving the commissar’s office, He Yunshen drove Ning Wanwan home and even offered Xu Lili a ride along the way.

During the drive, Xu Lili tried to make conversation and ease the tension, still mindful of her husband’s end-of-year promotion.

But Ning Wanwan stayed distant, and Xu Lili had no choice but to fall silent.

From the bottom of her heart, Ning Wanwan felt it best to stay away from someone as impulsive and ruthless as Xu Lili. Who knew when she might snap again and shove her once more?

At the family compound, Xu Lili sensibly got out of the car. He Yunshen continued driving home with Ning Wanwan.

From a distance, they could see several people standing at the gate.

Ning Wanwan immediately knew—it was the original host’s adoptive parents and the female lead of the novel.

He Yunshen parked the car, called out to the visitors, and then carried Ning Wanwan out of the car.

Xu Cuihua took out the keys and opened the gate.

“Uncle Fang, Aunt Lu, what brings you here?” He Yunshen asked warmly.

Before Fang Shaocheng and his wife could speak, Fang Lanlan, dressed in a pink dress, threw herself into He Yunshen’s arms with a wide grin.

He Yunshen frowned and tried to pull her off twice but couldn’t.

“Brother Yunshen, I missed you so much!”

Ning Wanwan’s delicate brows arched involuntarily. She knew from the novel that Fang Lanlan had a crush on He Yunshen, but she hadn’t expected her to be this bold.

Throwing herself at a married man in broad daylight? In this era, she’d probably be tossed in a pig cage for that!

Fang Shaocheng frowned deeply, his stern voice snapping, “Lanlan, come back here! What kind of behavior is this?”

Lu Xuemei didn’t look too pleased either. Though her gentle face stayed calm, a hint of displeasure flickered in her eyes. She gave a light cough as a warning.

Then she smiled politely and said, “Your uncle and I missed Wanwan, so we came by for a visit. Hope we’re not causing trouble.”

Fang Lanlan pouted, glanced at her strict father, and finally let go of He Yunshen—though clearly unwillingly.