Chapter 24: The Scapegoat

Everyone: “……”

WeiDong: What is she saying?!!

Cheng Xu suddenly raised his voice: “Come on, come on, let’s keep drinking! Lao Meng, we’re not leaving until we’re drunk tonight!”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s drink!”

Dinner had long since ended. The women had moved to the living room, cracking sunflower seeds and chatting, the kids were running and jumping everywhere, and even Xiaohua, who had been hit earlier, had forgotten about the pain and was laughing with a toothless grin.

Lian Yuqing came out of the bathroom. The sight of the floor littered with seed shells and candy wrappers made her feel physically uncomfortable. She walked over to Wei Dong and said, “I’m heading home first.”

She didn’t wait for a response before turning to leave.

“Wait.”

Wei Dong lifted his glass. “My wife’s tired, I’ll take her home first. Next time, I’ll invite everyone over to our place for a meal.”

In just one dinner, everyone already understood—Wei Dong’s wife was not someone to mess with. Beautiful, yes, but a rose with thorns. Handle with care.

Instant sympathy for Wei Dong.

Meng Qinghai laughed, “Go on then, get your wife home.”

Just out the door, Lian Yuqing bluntly said, “Don’t ever drag me to dinners like that again. So annoying. I’d rather eat at the cafeteria.”

A group of people with completely different values—if she didn’t go crazy, they’d end up fighting.

“Mm,” Wei Dong replied. Surprisingly, he didn’t scold her for being sharp-tongued or for embarrassing others.

They still had some way to walk. As they walked side by side, Lian Yuqing asked, “Why didn’t you keep drinking with them? I didn’t make you leave.”

“The meal’s over. You can drink anytime.”

When they got home, Lian Yuqing still asked Wei Dong to fetch her hot water so she could bathe at home.

Wei Dong helplessly said, “You can just go to the bathhouse.”

Lian Yuqing raised her voice, righteous: “You want me to go out this late? What if some pervert shows up?!”

Wei Dong exposed her: “Even if you were walking around naked, nothing would happen to you.”

Lian Yuqing: “Wei Dong, I’ll beat you to death!”

In the end, Wei Dong still fetched hot water for her. After bathing, she went straight to bed. After all, arguing was tiring—it required full mental processing.

The next morning, reveille sounded.

Wei Dong opened his eyes and looked at the woman beside him, twisted every which way in her sleep. Her fair, smooth thigh hung over the edge of the bed, calf dangling off entirely.

She might roll off at any second.

He grabbed her ankle and repositioned her, tucking her hands neatly across her stomach and wrapping the blanket snugly around her.

Satisfied, Wei Dong went off to wash up. Before leaving, he glanced back—yup, still in that well-behaved pose.

Door closes.

Less than a minute later, the sleeping woman kicked the blanket off and grumbled, “So damn hot!”

At the training grounds, though everyone’s movements were precise, their expressions were weirdly suspicious.

During break, Wei Dong finally heard what they were gossiping about—his face darkened by the second.

“You’d think a soldier king like our Captain Wei, with stamina off the charts, would at least know how to make a baby?”

“Exactly! His wife is smoking hot—how does he even resist? Captain must not be up to the task!”

“No wonder his face is black as a wok every day.”

A chorus of lewd snickering followed.

“Assemble.”
A cold voice rang out behind them.

Everyone turned around—Captain Wei Dong, wearing his infamous black-wok face.

We’re dead.

Wei Dong’s expression was stone-cold. His smile was purely for show, “Looks like everyone’s still got energy. Training isn’t hard enough. Full squad—twenty-kilometer march with gear.”

No one dared complain. Anyone who dared to whine would probably get an extra lap.

By the time everyone was completely exhausted, like dogs on the verge of collapse, no one dared gossip about the Captain’s private life again.

After work, Cheng Xu was walking home with Wei Dong.

“You the one who said it?” Wei Dong suddenly asked.

“…Huh?” Cheng Xu looked clueless.

After a beat, he caught on. “Oh, you mean that baby-making stuff!”

His voice was too loud—others started turning their heads. Under Wei Dong’s death glare, Cheng Xu quickly lowered his voice.

“How could I be the one spreading that? C’mon, we’re brothers. Would I gossip about you?”

Wei Dong said nothing.

Cheng Xu slung an arm around his shoulder with a mischievous grin, “Dongzi, come on—was your wife joking last night or for real? We’re brothers, man. If there’s a problem, talk to me, I’ll give you some pointers.”

Wei Dong sneered, “What advice could someone with no partner possibly give me?”

Low damage, high insult.

“Hey, that’s a low blow!”

“Then hurry up and give me a niece or nephew to play with.”

Wei Dong ignored him and strode home.

Lian Yuqing picked at her rice. After a few days of cafeteria food, she was sick of it.

The food there was good—plenty of oil, filling portions—but the chef had zero creativity. The same few dishes over and over again—she was done.

Listless, she asked, “Can you cook?”

Wei Dong had already finished eating. He put down his chopsticks, “Yes.”

Her eyes lit up instantly. Shamelessly, she said, “Then can you cook dinner after work?”

He didn’t reply, but Lian Yuqing was clearly determined, “You cook, I’ll help prep. Deal?”

“But you’re washing the dishes. I won’t. Dish soap ruins your hands.”

Wei Dong: “Fine, I’ll wash the dishes tonight.”

Dream achieved, Lian Yuqing beamed and pushed her lunchbox toward him, “Eat up, eat up. You trained hard today. There’s still a few pieces of meat—go ahead.”

Wei Dong quickly polished off the rest of the meat and veggies, then went to wash the containers, along with the pots, bowls, and utensils. Since Lian Yuqing moved in, the stove hadn’t been used once.

“Tomorrow for lunch I want scrambled eggs with chili—make it spicy. And a stir-fried green vegetable. Oh, and pork rib soup.”

Water gushed from the faucet. It was hot, and he was in a short-sleeved shirt, his tanned arms glistening with water droplets. After a pause, Wei Dong replied, “There’s no pork ribs.”

“Then seaweed soup is fine.”

“Okay.”

Lian Yuqing didn’t leave. She leaned against the doorframe, admiring the male physique in front of her. Whatever his personality, she had to admit—Wei Dong had a killer body.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, smooth muscle lines, and his arm muscles tensed slightly with each motion. Wei Dong sensed the stare behind him and turned, locking eyes with her blatantly ogling gaze.

Lian Yuqing showed zero guilt, “Nice body. Keep it up.”

Recalling that gaze, Wei Dong’s expression darkened. “We don’t have enough plates at home. Buy more next time.”

“No problem.” Considering he agreed to cook, the young lady decided she could accept his request.

Later, a man and a woman lay in bed. The woman’s breathing was rapid. The man turned toward her.

“Min’er, you okay now?”

Jiang Min blushed and pulled the blanket up to cover her bare body. “I’m fine.”