“Mom, this has nothing to do with the Yan family. I got into trouble myself, and a few buddies beat me up for it.”  

*Hah—*  

The moment these words left Wang Hao’s mouth, the eavesdropping neighbors rolled their eyes in unison.  

*Typical Hu Hongyan—throwing accusations without even checking first.*  

Hu Hongyan’s eyes widened, and she smacked Wang Hao’s shoulder. “You idiot! Were you forced to say that? Who beat you? Just spit it out—don’t be scared!”  

Wang Hao shrank back, avoiding her. “Mom, I’m telling the truth. Why won’t you believe me?”  

As the two continued arguing at the doorstep, even Liu Ye’s patience ran out.  

“Since you don’t believe us, why don’t we call Yan Ye back from the military base? Let’s settle this properly in front of everyone. Our Yan family won’t take the blame for no reason.”  

At the mention of that familiar name, Xu Xiaoyue lowered her head, hiding the flicker of unease in her eyes.  

“N-No need, Auntie!”  

Wang Hao shook his head like a rattle-drum, his voice cracking. His gaze flickered imperceptibly toward Xu Xiaoyue.  

Just the thought of Yan Ye’s ruthless beating yesterday made his body ache anew.  

Seeing Hu Hongyan still ready to make a scene, Wang Hao hastily dragged her away.  

After the morning’s chaos, Liu Ye sat on the sofa, too furious to eat.  

Xu Xiaoyue glanced at Zheng Jiaojiao and spoke up. “Jiaojiao, I didn’t know you met Wang Hao in private yesterday.”  

Liu Ye’s gaze sharpened. Wang Hao was no good—a troublemaker through and through. “Yes, Jiaojiao, what exactly happened?”  

Caught off guard, Zheng Jiaojiao coughed nervously. “It—It was nothing! I just ran into him, and he insisted on talking. We only spoke a few words.”  

Quickly changing the subject, she asked, “Auntie, you mentioned Yan Ye earlier—is he in the military?”  

At the mention of Yan Ye, Liu Ye’s face lit up with pride.  

“Yes. You should call him *Uncle*.”  

“Come to think of it, it’s been a while since he last came home—not even a letter since he went to the countryside last month.”  

“Since we’re free today, I’ll take you to the base to see him.”  

Xu Xiaoyue’s heart clenched. *No. We can’t meet.*  

If they saw each other now, Yan Ye would realize she was the rural fiancée betrothed to his nephew.  

In the original novel, Yan Ye had *zero* tolerance for his nephew’s country-bumpkin fiancée.  

Her head drooped. The thought of Yan Ye’s cold, pitch-black eyes staring at her with disdain or mockery made her chest ache.  

Hesitantly, she turned to Liu Ye. “Auntie Liu, actually, today I—”  

Before she could finish, Zheng Jiaojiao cut in, smiling sweetly. “Sister Xiaoyue, since we’re free, let’s go together!”  

“If you don’t go, I’d feel awkward going alone with Auntie.” She tugged at Xu Xiaoyue’s arm.  

“It’s not far—just half an hour by car. Consider it keeping me company.”  

Liu Ye stood up and called to Mama Wang in the kitchen. “Mama Wang, prepare some nourishing soup for me to bring along.”  

Wiping her hands, Mama Wang emerged. “It’s too rushed for soup, but we have beef from the other day—I can pack some slices?”  

Liu Ye checked the time. She had a surgery at noon. “Fine, pack a generous portion.”  

Xu Xiaoyue stood by, watching anxiously. *What if Yan Ye sees me and realizes who I really am? And when I left last time, I ran off in such a hurry—will he think I fled out of guilt?*  

Her mind raced for ways to avoid this meeting. *Fake a stomachache?*  

*No, no.*  

Not only would that trick likely fail, but Liu Ye was a doctor. Trying to deceive a medical professional was like a moth flying into flames—she’d be caught immediately.  

“Xiaoyue, don’t just sit there. Go change into that outfit you bought yesterday—it’s stylish and suits you well.”  

“Jiaojiao, you should freshen up too.”  

Though Liu Ye’s intention was simply for them to dress neatly, Zheng Jiaojiao took it differently.  

Her heart soured. *Clothes, clothes, clothes!* All she had were the same few outfits she’d brought from home, worn on rotation.  

Gritting her teeth, she seethed inwardly. *I should’ve ruined Xu Xiaoyue’s clothes yesterday—then let’s see how she flaunts herself today!*  

Lost in thought, Zheng Jiaojiao stared daggers at Xu Xiaoyue’s retreating figure, her nails digging into her palms unnoticed.  

When Liu Ye turned, she caught Zheng Jiaojiao’s expression.  

“Jiaojiao, what’s on your mind?”  

Following her gaze, Liu Ye saw only Xu Xiaoyue upstairs.  

Zheng Jiaojiao snapped back to reality. “N-Nothing! I was just thinking how lucky Sister Xiaoyue is… She gets to wear whatever she likes, while I always have to overthink everything…”  

Her voice trailed off, feigning dejection.  

Liu Ye frowned, puzzled. “No one’s asking you to overthink, Jiaojiao. You’re free to buy clothes you like too.”  

Zheng Jiaojiao had been preparing another round of subtle accusations against Xu Xiaoyue’s “selfishness,” but the response left her speechless.  

Fortunately, Xu Xiaoyue returned downstairs just then, and Zheng Jiaojiao wisely shut her mouth.  

…

At the Military Compound 

Xu Xiaoyue spent the entire ride stewing in nervousness until they arrived at the heavily fortified gates.  

The towering iron entrance loomed twice her height, radiating an imposing aura. On either side, sentries stood at attention, their sharp eyes acknowledging Liu Ye’s group with a nod.  

Xu Xiaoyue hovered near the registration office, keeping her eyes forward as she followed Liu Ye.  

Though the soldiers recognized Liu Ye as a frequent visitor, protocol had to be followed. A guard handed her a logbook. “Please register first. I’ll then inform Regimental Commander Yan.”  

Liu Ye signed swiftly and passed the pen to Zheng Jiaojiao and Xu Xiaoyue.  

When it was her turn, Xu Xiaoyue hesitated—then wrote only *”Yueyue”* instead of her full name.  

After submitting the form, the soldier made a call.  

Inside the compound, Yan Ye frowned at the ringing phone and picked up. “181st Regiment, Commander Yan Ye speaking.”  

Liu Ye’s voice came through. “It’s your sister-in-law. I brought Jiaojiao and Xiaoyue to visit you today. We even packed some beef—”  

The name *”Xiaoyue”* instantly dragged Yan Ye’s thoughts back to the conversation he’d overheard under the locust tree.  

*So this woman really has some tricks up her sleeve.* In such a short time, she’d already charmed his elder brother and sister-in-law into bringing her *here*.  

If she set foot in this military base, who knew what kind of trouble her scheming might stir up?