Chapter 83.2

Damn it, every time he faces this jerk, he gets pissed off to death.

“Look at this, look at this,” Old Gu suddenly stood up, stepping in front of Xie Yanzhao to unleash his fury, “Two military wives openly fighting. What happened to the rules of the army? What about the ideological education we conducted before? Did you all throw it away?”

“Commander… Commander…” Wang Manman whimpered, covering her face, “It’s all because of the little… It’s all because of Sister Ruan who bullied my mother. She’s so old…”

“Shut up!”

Old Gu turned his gaze to Wang Manman.

Under his imposing presence, Wang Manman gradually lowered her head, covering her face.

“You think I don’t know?” Old Gu fired back, “Your mom hangs out with a bunch of old women all day, either complaining about this or that.”

“If it weren’t for you marrying a soldier, she wouldn’t have set foot in this compound in her lifetime!”

Hearing this, Wang Manman’s already pale face turned even whiter.

“Commander, I…”

“You shut up too!”

Captain Qiao wasn’t as brave as Xie Yanzhao.

Moreover, if it weren’t for the huge fuss over Wang Manman and Ruan Mingfu’s fight, setting a bad example for the families, Old Gu probably wouldn’t have cared about this matter at all, and Captain Qiao wouldn’t have been in such close contact with the military district commander.

“Do you think that just because I scolded that good-for-nothing Xie, you’re off the hook?”

Xie Yanzhao: “…”

What followed was an hour-long lecture from Old Gu. Ruan Mingfu felt dizzy from listening.

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

For the first time, she realized Old Gu could talk so much.

“…You all remember this. If anything like this happens again, you’ll all be severely punished!”

Old Gu took a sip of tea from the table, squinting at the four of them.

“Captain Qiao, take good care of your family.”

Captain Qiao’s heart tightened: “Yes!”

“Alright, later each of you will submit a three-thousand-character reflection, and you four will clean the family compound for a month.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

What? We have to clean up?!

Was she supposed to be the one doing the cleaning?

Ruan Mingfu opened her mouth to speak, but Wang Manman spoke first.

“Commander, I refuse to accept this! Not only did Comrade Ruan beat me up, but she also attacked my mother. Don’t you think she should be severely punished?”

Captain Qiao tugged at Wang Manman’s sleeve but was shrugged off.

She was seething with anger.

She had been beaten up in front of everyone, and if Ruan Mingfu wasn’t punished severely, how could she continue to exist in the family compound?

“Commander, she’s confused. I’ll talk to her later…”

“Shut up! I’m fully aware of what’s happening,” Wang Manman insisted, glaring at the old commander as if demanding an explanation.

“Well then,” the old commander pondered for a moment, “Comrade Ruan will write a 6,000-word reflection and it must be in her own handwriting. I’ll be reviewing it.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

“That’s not—Commander…”

Wang Manman was unhappy with this outcome.

After being beaten up so badly, her punishment was just to write a 6,000-word reflection?

The old commander was also growing frustrated with Wang Manman’s persistence. “So what do you want? I don’t need to tell you how this happened, right? If your mother is not comfortable staying in the family compound, send her back to her hometown!”

“I…”

Captain Qiao quickly pulled on Wang Manman’s sleeve, trying to convey a warning with his eyes.

He was well aware of the character of Old Lady Wang and her group. If they were doing fine in the building, they wouldn’t have moved here.

“Captain Qiao, you must manage the unit well,” the old commander glanced at Wang Manman, “and you certainly can’t ignore family matters.”

“Yes, sir!”

Wang Manman’s face turned pale.

If the earlier remark was a reprimand, this was now an obvious warning.

She bit her lip, swallowing her resentment.

The old commander sat back down and took a sip of tea.

“Alright, everyone can leave,” he waved his hand impatiently, but then called out to Xie Yanzhao, “Wait, Captain Qiao will clean for this month, and you two will clean next month.”

Xie Yanzhao, understanding the old commander’s intent, stayed silent for a long time before nodding.

“I understand.”

Wasn’t this clearly favoritism?

Was it just because the Xie family ranked higher than the Qiao family?

Wang Manman’s resentment grew.

But remembering the earlier warning, she held back.

Once outside the office, Wang Manman stormed off. Seeing this, Captain Qiao awkwardly smiled at Xie Yanzhao.

“Commander Xie, this was our mistake. I’ll come by in a few days to apologize properly.”

Wang Manman, who was not far away, quickened her pace at those words.

Xie Yanzhao’s gaze remained indifferent. “There’s no need.”

Captain Qiao felt uneasy, hoping he would continue.

“Don’t take this matter to heart.”

“Ah,” Captain Qiao nodded seriously. “Commander Xie, don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on them and won’t let them cause any more trouble for your wife.”

Xie Yanzhao gave a slight nod.

After everyone left, Ruan Mingfu took Xie Yanzhao’s hand.

“Things must be tough there. You’ve lost weight.”

If Xu Zhu heard that, he would probably scoff at her.

How can you lose weight in just three days?

“Let’s go,” Xie Yanzhao gently patted her head, his eyes filled with warmth. “Let’s go home and talk about it when we get back.”

“Okay~”

When she returned, Ruan Mingfu discovered that her sisters-in-law had not left yet.

Hu Wanning looked at her with concern. “How is it? You didn’t get punished badly, did you?”

“No…”

Ruan Mingfu shook her head.

She had just been scolded by the old commander, but it wasn’t anything serious.

“That’s good,” Hu Wanning said, noticing Xie Yanzhao standing behind them, along with Qi Yangyan and Lin Xiao, who had been waiting for them in the yard. “I’m relieved to see Old Xie is fine. You all take your time to talk, I’ll head out first.”

The other sisters-in-law were also very conscious, “Yes…we are leaving too.”

“Then I won’t keep you any longer,” Ruan Mingfu accompanied them to the door. “I’ll make sure to thank you all properly in a few days.”

Unfortunately, just as Hu Wanning reached the door, Xu Zhu rushed in.

He grabbed her hand, “Don’t leave yet. Stay here with your sister-in-law.”

Hu Wanning looked confused.

In the living room, four men sat together, the atmosphere tense and silent.

Xu Zhu was the first to break the silence.

“Old Xie, I’m glad you’re alright,” he said, his gaze serious, “and luckily… Commander Xie died in time.”

Ruan Mingfu trembled.

What did she just hear?

Commander Xie was dead? How could such a prominent figure simply be gone?

Ruan Mingfu sat on the side, her curiosity piqued as she looked at the others.

Seeing that they all appeared unsurprised, it was clear they already knew this news.

“Old Xie, what are your thoughts on this?”

Lin Xiao looked at him.

As an uncle, he is outspoken.

“Yanzhao, just follow the orders from above and see him off properly… after all, he’s gone now.”

Ruan Mingfu suddenly realized.

No wonder the old commander had them clean the family compound next month. It was for this reason.

“Bai Qianzhu injured Commander Xie and falsely accused him. She’ll probably die in prison,” Xu Zhu continued, “and Xie Yin is incapacitated. What else is there to worry about?”

Lin Xiao nodded, expressing his approval.

“Exactly.”

“I understand,” Xie Yanzhao said after a moment of silence. “You can rest assured, I know what to do.”

“Perfect! You can come back to the capital with me this time,” Lin Xiao smiled warmly. “It’ll be a good opportunity for your aunt to meet her niece-in-law.”

He and Qi Yangyan had nearly completed their negotiations.

The higher-ups were taking this very seriously.

They called every day to check on the progress, and Lin Xiao was worried that if he stayed any longer, the leaders would come to reprimand him.

“Comrade Qi, I believe you haven’t been to the capital yet. Why not come with me? It would be a good opportunity for me to extend my hospitality,” he suggested.

“No, thank you,” Qi Yangyan replied, glancing at Ruan Mingfu. “My father is seriously ill, so I need to go back.”

Lin Xiao felt a bit disappointed. “What a pity.”

“Brother, are you leaving too?”

It was frustrating for Ruan Mingfu. They had finally gathered, but everyone was leaving.

“Alright,” Qi Yangyan said, patting her on the head. “We’ll see each other again. Besides, when I go back this time, I plan to relocate part of my business here.”

Lin Xiao’s eyes lit up.

He had always been shrewd, but now he seemed even more cunning.

“If Comrade Qi wants to set up a factory here, we would definitely welcome him. If you need any assistance, please feel free to contact me anytime.”

This man was a wealthy investor, bringing in two hundred million.

Lin Xiao knew he had to hold onto this golden opportunity!

When he first arrived, he thought that even fifty million would help his current predicament. He never expected it to be two hundred million—like a poor person suddenly receiving a fortune.

Qi Yangyan nodded.

“I will.”

After Lin Xiao finished his business, he left without lingering.

Once he was gone, the atmosphere among the remaining people relaxed.

“What were you guys talking about earlier?”

Hearing about the news of Commander Xie’s death left Hu Wanning feeling a bit dazed. A commander shouldn’t fall so easily.

“He passed away yesterday,” Xu Zhu said, looking at Xie Yanzhao. “Otherwise, Old Xie wouldn’t have been released so quickly.”

Fortunately, Commander Xie died before things could escalate.

If there is no evidence, if time passes, the mother and son in the back street will inevitably be uncovered. By then, Xie Yanzhao will also be implicated.

“Uncle Lin’s coming here also proves that Grandpa Bai has taken action.”

Xie Yanzhao nodded.

“I understand.”

If it weren’t for him, the Bai family wouldn’t have allowed that shameless old bastard, Commander Xie, to blackmail them for so long. Now that he was gone, everyone could finally breathe easy.

Qi Yangyan, sitting nearby, looked a bit pensive.

“In the end, this incident was caused by me.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

Qi Yangyan rubbed his nose. “That William was sent by Boss Zhang.”

“That fat guy?”

Ruan Mingfu recognized Boss Zhang.

The obnoxiously fat man had pestered her for help on behalf of Qi Yangyan. If she hadn’t been resolute, she might have fallen for his flattery.

“He got mad at me because I didn’t agree to help him last time…”

Boss Zhang was not a good person; he ran an entertainment company while secretly engaging in other shady businesses. It was unclear whether the fat guy had offended someone or if he had been set up. If he couldn’t raise twenty million, he would be left with nothing.

In desperation, he thought of Qi Yangyan.

But Qi Yangyan was no pushover.

He would never get involved in such morally questionable and obviously losing ventures.

He wasn’t stupid!

So, Boss Zhang developed a grudge against him.

Unfortunately, they weren’t in Hong Kong, where the oversight was loose. Boss Zhang couldn’t do anything to Qi Yangyan, so he turned his attention to Ruan Mingfu.

The issue was that she lived in the family compound and rarely went out, making it hard for Boss Zhang to find her.

At this time, Xie Yin, Xie Yanzhao’s “sister”, came into his sight. But he didn’t know what happened, and in the end, it was Bai Qianzhu, a middle-aged woman, who took the bait.

Hu Wanning: “…”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Goodness, just listening to this felt complicated.

It wasn’t just her; even Xu Zhu felt a bit speechless. What was this, a series of unfortunate events?

“Brother, what about that fat guy?”

A sharp light flickered in Qi Yangyan’s eyes.

He put down his cup, answering indirectly, “You’ll be heading to the capital the day after tomorrow, so make sure to prepare well in the next two days.”

Ruan Mingfu: “…”

Whenever her brother wanted to avoid telling her something, he would deflect like this.

How infuriating!

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Ayalee: Hey guys, do check out Ayalee’s other translation works here (❀‿‿❀)