Chapter 157

Setting aside everything else, Shi Muhuan certainly appreciated Shen Ziming’s work attitude, so he had entrusted the portrait to him with confidence.

Knowing that the culprit was about to be caught, he stopped dwelling on the matter and focused on recovering from his injury as quickly as possible.

The sooner he healed, the sooner he could resume training.

After Shi Muhuan was discharged from the hospital, many people came to visit him one after another.

Shi Tingyu was busy playing host.

Lu Weiguo, on the other hand, hit it off with Shi Muhuan’s leader, Captain Zhu.

As peers, they had plenty to talk about.

Once the visitors had left, Shi Tingyu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Brother, you’ve got quite a lot of friends, huh? How many people have come?” she asked.

Shi Muhuan lowered his gaze and sighed softly.

“They didn’t all come just to visit,” he admitted.

Shi Tingyu looked puzzled and gestured for him to continue.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shi Muhuan decided to tell her the truth, “Word spread in the barracks about our parents being sent away. I don’t know who started it, but a lot of people knew about it.”

Frowning, Shi Tingyu realized that her brother’s situation was more severe than hers had been. After she got married, it took some time before Wei Jian came looking for her, and only then did news of their parents’ relocation spread.

“You know, nobody dares to get involved in these things. If it weren’t for my merits on the battlefield, I probably wouldn’t have been able to keep my current position,” Shi Muhuan continued. “Some of the people I used to get along with gradually distanced themselves. There was a lot of gossip in the barracks at that time, but Shen Ziming remained steadfast.”

Reflecting on this, Shi Muhuan couldn’t help but feel melancholic.

If it weren’t for the blind date with his sister, Shen Ziming and he would probably have been the best of friends.

But because of what happened, everyone felt awkward. It was difficult for him to evaluate Shen Ziming; perhaps this was just human complexity.

That complexity made their interactions with each other sometimes warm and sometimes distant.

Shi Muhuan couldn’t ignore that Shen Ziming had helped him, but when he thought about his sister’s situation, he couldn’t completely let go of his resentment.

Fortunately, they managed to maintain a decent relationship on the surface.

“With this mission, we destroyed a gathering point for American spies. Higher-ups have also seen my stance, so the gossip has lessened. Leadership sets the tone, and my injury this time received some attention, so even those who had kept their distance are starting to come around,” Shi Muhuan explained.

Shi Tingyu understood now; many people were using the opportunity of visiting him to mend their relationships.

But considering how long her brother might still have to stay in the barracks, she knew they couldn’t burn any bridges. Thus, they had to entertain those who came.

However, she hadn’t expected that in the afternoon, they would receive a heavyweight visitor.

Shen Ziming’s father had come.

He bore a strong resemblance to Shen Ziming, with an ageless, handsome appearance. He claimed to have come to visit Shi Muhuan.

Shi Tingyu couldn’t help but smile; anyone who took that statement seriously would be quite foolish indeed.

Shen’s father looked at Shi Tingyu’s face and couldn’t help but feel a certain realization.

Shi Tingyu was indeed extremely beautiful. No wonder his son couldn’t forget about her. If her parents hadn’t been relocated, he wouldn’t have objected to such an outstanding daughter-in-law. But fate had its way.

After sizing up Shi Tingyu, his gaze shifted to Lu Weiguo.

Unlike others who judged Lu Weiguo by his appearance, he admired him greatly.

In men, appearance was secondary; in terms of ability, his son couldn’t compare to Lu Weiguo.

Watching Lu Weiguo and Shi Tingyu interact, Shen’s father felt a weight lifted off his chest.

Ever since he heard that Shi Muhuan’s sister was coming to visit, he had been on edge, fearing his son might do something out of line.

In these past few days, Shen Ziming had been spending a lot of time here with Shi Muhuan, which only deepened his concern.

He had even arranged for Shen Ziming to meet with the daughter of Staff Wang a few days ago. Although Shen Ziming didn’t show much interest, the Wang family’s daughter was quite taken with him, giving them hope.

Since the blind date with Shi Tingyu didn’t pan out, his son had been in a distracted state, seeming to want to live a solitary life. They were worried about him on the sidelines.

Finally getting him into a formal relationship couldn’t afford any mistakes before the relationship was confirmed.

Now, seeing that Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo got along well, he could relax a bit.

At least there was no entanglement from the girl’s side. But his son was going to suffer.

Having met such a stunning girl, he feared his son would find it difficult to be interested in other girls in the future.

But compared to the family’s future, this was nothing.

Acting required a full set, and Shen’s father was very concerned about Shi Muhuan’s leg.

Shi Muhuan had been someone he had genuinely liked in the past, and he still admired him now.

Just as Shi Muhuan and Shen’s father were making small talk, a breathless Shen Ziming suddenly arrived.

His face flushed, he blurted out, “Dad! What are you doing here?!”

Shen’s father frowned. “Catch your breath before talking. What’s with the rush?”

Shen Ziming took a deep breath, calming himself. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the barracks today? Why are you here with Muhuan?”

“Hearing that Muhuan was discharged, can’t I come to visit as an elder?” Captain Shen’s expression remained as usual, accustomed to using such rhetorical questions with his son.

Shi Tingyu glanced at Shen Ziming, who was clearly feeling pressured.

Knowing his father’s temper, Shen Ziming softened his tone. “It’s getting late. You’ve seen enough. There’s still matters at the barracks. Let’s go.”

Captain Shen’s gaze lingered on him, then he stood up, grabbed his coat, and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he reminded Shi Muhuan, “Take care of yourself. If we catch the spy this time, it’ll count as your credit.”

With that said, he left the courtyard with Shen Ziming.

On the way, Shen Ziming was visibly upset. “Dad, what are you up to? I have nothing going on with Xiaoyu anymore. Can you stop with these maneuvers?”

Shen’s father almost laughed. “So I’m just here to cause trouble?”

“Don’t tell me you came purely to visit?” Shen Ziming retorted.

For a moment, Shen’s father was speechless. He had indeed come to see Shi Tingyu’s demeanor and whether she would continue to pursue his son. But he couldn’t say that aloud. “What else could I do besides visiting? That girl is already married. You should let it go.”

Shen Ziming felt a pang in his heart. “Interfering with military marriage is illegal.”

Shen’s father knew that well, but he casually said, “If it weren’t illegal, would you be ready to pursue it?”

Shen Ziming widened his eyes, hardly believing his father said that.

He didn’t say much more to him and turned away.

Watching his hurried departure, Shen’s father’s eyes turned distant. After a while, he muttered under his breath, “Stubborn kid!”