Zheng Jiaojiao secured a major deal, and these days, she was undoubtedly the center of attention.  

Even Manager Yan, who rarely gave praise, complimented her twice. Almost everyone was convinced that the coveted position would undoubtedly go to Zheng Jiaojiao.  

Gao Yuan glanced in Xu Xiaoyue’s direction, her tone dripping with disdain: “Thought she was so capable, but turns out it’s just her face that’s worth looking at.”  

Liu Honghong, standing nearby, chimed in: “Look at her figure—all seductive and flirty, not at all like a proper working woman. My husband said he’d come pick me up these past few days, but I refused.” The women exchanged glances, their eyes filled with malice.  

Zheng Jiaojiao listened, her entire demeanor radiating smugness.  

Though this life differed in many ways from her last, one thing remained unchanged: she, Zheng Jiaojiao, was determined to crush Xu Xiaoyue beneath her feet.  

And this was only the beginning.  

While the others chatted animatedly, Xu Xiaoyue paid them no mind, quietly scribbling and sketching in her notebook.  

Zheng Jiaojiao’s gaze kept drifting toward Xu Xiaoyue. Lately, she’d often seen Xu Xiaoyue pulling out a notebook and writing something, but she had no idea what it was.  

She’d tried to sneak a peek when no one was looking, but Xu Xiaoyue hid it too well.  

Zheng Jiaojiao turned to Gao Yuan and said pointedly, “Yuan Yuan, didn’t Manager Yan ask you to pull out the previous years’ inventory and reorganize it for display?”  

Gao Yuan immediately caught her meaning. Clearing her throat, she called out, “Xu Xiaoyue, what are you messing around with over there? You’ve got nothing better to do. Go to the warehouse and bring out last year’s stock. Dust them off and arrange them properly.”  

When her name was called, Xu Xiaoyue looked up, glanced at the two of them, and without a word, headed straight for the warehouse.  

By the time she’d retrieved all the items, her hair was dusted with a layer of grime. She walked to the counter and began arranging the goods one by one.  

Gao Yuan and Liu Honghong wrinkled their noses in disgust.  

“Move that stuff further away. You’re covered in dust—what bad luck.”  

“Exactly, such bad luck. Little Xu, I’m not trying to lecture you as your elder, but you’ve been here over half a month now, and how many sales have you made? Jiaojiao, who started around the same time, is already miles ahead of you. Yet here you are, still dawdling like there’s no pressure. Do you really think you can just coast on a public-sector job without feeling guilty?”  

Xu Xiaoyue had heard these same taunts so many times her ears were calloused.  

Ever since Zheng Jiaojiao received praise, Gao Yuan and Liu Honghong had dropped their previous aloofness and begun fawning over her instead.  

Xu Xiaoyue didn’t care that they were sucking up to Zheng Jiaojiao, but the way they trampled on her to do it was downright disgusting.  

She stopped what she was doing and fixed the three of them with a sharp glare.  

“How many sales I make is my own business. What’s it to you? Am I eating your rice? Or spending your wages?”  

Liu Honghong, who had been there the longest and prided herself as a senior, hadn’t expected Xu Xiaoyue to talk back so boldly.  

The woman’s face darkened. “You little brat, we’re just giving you some advice. No need to be so aggressive.”  

She wanted to lecture her further, but under Xu Xiaoyue’s piercing gaze, she swallowed her words.  

Finally, with the group silenced, Xu Xiaoyue lowered her head and went back to organizing the counter.  

Zheng Jiaojiao’s eyes flashed with displeasure. Liu Honghong’s fighting spirit was too weak—just a few words from Xu Xiaoyue, and she’d backed down.  

She recalled how, in her past life, Xu Xiaoyue had focused all her energy on chasing after men.  

But now, with a job, Xu Xiaoyue showed no interest in romance at all.  

Could it be that she’d really set her sights on the Yan family and was planning to cling to that tree? That wouldn’t do!  

Lost in their own thoughts, none of them noticed the man standing at the entrance.  

Backlit by the light, his expression was unreadable.

No one knew how long he had been standing there or how much he had heard.  

His gaze was heavy as he looked inside.  

The woman’s porcelain-like face was dotted with beads of sweat as she arranged the goods, her head tilted slightly as if deep in thought. There wasn’t a trace of sadness on her face.  

Yan Ye had originally come in to buy some gifts—something for Yan Shuli to take back to the Yan family in a couple of days.  

He hadn’t expected to walk into such a spectacle.  

Recalling the women’s taunts, all centered around mocking Xu Xiaoyue for her lack of sales, he turned on his heel and strode in another direction.  

Back at the military base, Wang Jianhua was just wondering where Yan Ye had gone when he saw the man step through the main gate, his face dark with anger.  

Even from over ten meters away, Wang Jianhua could feel the fury radiating off Yan Ye.  

He promptly shut his mouth—past experience told him that now was not the time to approach and invite trouble.  

Beside him, Yan Shuli, thinking Wang Jianhua hadn’t noticed, yelled helpfully, “Uncle! Uncle Jianhua was looking for you!”  

The shout made Wang Jianhua jolt in alarm.  

He immediately clamped a hand over Yan Shuli’s mouth, cursing inwardly—was this kid born to be his nemesis?  

“Uncle, what’re you doing?” Yan Shuli wriggled free, his first act being to wipe his mouth with exaggerated disgust.  

“Kid, I hold you close to my heart, and you’re trying to kick me into a ditch, huh?”  

Wang Jianhua glanced at Yan Ye, who was now walking toward them, and lowered his voice. “There’s a legend at the 181st Regiment: never provoke the regiment commander. And *especially* never provoke the regiment commander when he’s angry.”  

On a normal day, Yan Ye still had some semblance of humanity toward them. But when angered? He was nothing short of a demon.  

“Wang Jianhua, what is it?” Yan Ye narrowed his dark eyes at the two of them.  

Wang Jianhua shrank back slightly. “Reporting, Commander! The political commissar asked me to inform you—you have a blind date scheduled for next Monday.”  

“It’s the higher-ups’ idea. They want to ‘settle’ all the older, unmarried male comrades in our regiment. And well… you’re the first one they’re making an example of.”  

*Older, unmarried…*  

Yan Ye’s face darkened as if dipped in ink.  

He looked down at Wang Jianhua and asked, “Do I look old to you?”  

Wang Jianhua’s heart jumped—this was his chance to butter him up! Scrambling for words, he stammered out praise:  

“Commander Yan, even if you *were* old, in my eyes, you’d still be… *a blade that hasn’t dulled with age*!”  

Having enlisted early, he hadn’t gotten much schooling and had a limited vocabulary. He thought this phrase was particularly artful and waited expectantly for Yan Ye’s approval.  

Yan Shuli, however, seemed to have stumbled upon some grand revelation, his eyes darting between the two men.  

His uncle had never married or had children all these years, spending even holidays at the base. Could it be…?  

The teenager’s imagination ran wild, and the way he looked at Yan Ye and Wang Jianhua instantly changed.  

Yan Ye took two steps back, putting distance between them, and snapped, “Wang Jianhua, if you don’t know how to use idioms, don’t use them at all.”  

After a pause, he added, “There’s something I need you to handle for me.”