Chapter 14: I’m About to Go to the Military District with My Husband

“Yingzi,” Yin Lan said as she held a phone in one hand and a written phone number in the other. “It’s me, Yin Lan.”

Xia Ying was a little surprised to receive a call from Yin Lan, but she responded warmly.

“In-law, it’s so late—what’s the matter?”

“Well, since Qiqi is about to head to the military district, I just wanted to check in and see how the preparations are going,” Yin Lan asked.

Xia Ying hadn’t expected Yin Lan to be so concerned about her Qiqi and was visibly pleased—even though Yin Lan couldn’t see her over the phone, her face was full of smiles.

“Everything’s mostly ready. We’ve bought just about everything, only a few things left to pick up tomorrow,” Xia Ying replied in detail.

“That’s good. But no need to worry too much—everything’s available in the military district anyway.” Then she asked casually, “By the way, doesn’t Qiqi have an older cousin? I think I heard someone mention it once…”

“Yes, she does,” Xia Ying answered without much thought. “She lives in town, a year older than Qiqi. Her name’s Ye Huihui.”

Yin Lan frowned slightly when she heard Ye Huihui was older, clearly thinking about something. “She’s older than Qiqi? Then she must already be seeing someone, right?”

“Actually, no.”

Though she wasn’t sure why Yin Lan brought up Ye Huihui, Xia Ying suddenly had a lightbulb moment. Her eyes lit up. “In-law, are you maybe thinking of introducing someone to Huihui? That girl teaches at a primary school—decent job.”

“…” Yin Lan was silent, a little helpless.

Suddenly, she felt like she understood a bit more about how Ye Muqi had turned out the way she did.

Ye Muqi might’ve acted out before, but she was a simple girl at heart—maybe even a little naive. That was part of why Yin Lan had been willing to accept her as a daughter-in-law.

“No, no,” Yin Lan sighed softly. “It’s nothing, really. Just now it was already dark out, and that girl came near our home. I was a bit worried, so I wanted to ask about it.”

Her tone was tactful, but she wondered if Xia Ying would catch on.

“…” On the other end of the line, Xia Ying’s smiling face froze.

She wasn’t stupid—she just hadn’t thought in that direction earlier.

Now that Yin Lan had brought it up—Ye Huihui going over to the Rong household so late at night, enough for Yin Lan to call and ask—it clearly meant something had happened.

“I’ll have a good talk with that girl,” Xia Ying replied, also tactfully.

“Mm, good. You know, a young girl showing up near our place at night—if anyone saw, it wouldn’t look good, right?”

“You’re absolutely right,” Xia Ying agreed.

Both women clearly understood each other, and the phone call ended with silent mutual agreement.

After hanging up, Xia Ying sat beside the phone, her expression turning strange.

Ye Muqi noticed the silence and looked over in confusion. Seeing Xia Ying’s expression, she was startled.

“Mom, did something happen?” Ye Muqi asked worriedly.

“Did you know? Ye Huihui went to find Jingchen—just now,” Xia Ying said with a frown.

The thought that Ye Huihui, her niece, would go to her cousin’s husband late at night—whatever the reason—was hard to accept.

If anyone saw them, who knows what kind of gossip would follow. How shameful would that be?

She’s not married yet, but she’s educated—a high school graduate, no less. To still do something so out of line—it was infuriating!

“What?” Ye Muqi was stunned. She hadn’t expected Ye Huihui to be so bold, even going to her husband?

But then she remembered—this was the same person who once pushed the original Muqi into the river. It wasn’t so surprising.

“My cousin seems to have a thing for Rong Jingchen. Now that he’s taking me to the military district, she probably doesn’t want me to go and went to talk to him,” Ye Muqi quickly deduced.

After all, she pushed her into a river before. Now she’s trying to talk to Rong Jingchen. If Ye Muqi couldn’t tell what Ye Huihui’s intentions were, she’d have to be blind.

“She’s your cousin! How could she do this?” Xia Ying was getting angrier the more she thought about it. She was about to call Lin Yanhong and tell them to control their daughter.

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll handle this,” Ye Muqi grabbed her mother’s hand. “That incident with the river—we should settle that before I leave.”

As she spoke, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes.

Xia Ying was momentarily stunned. Looking at Ye Muqi now, she suddenly seemed a bit unfamiliar.

Maybe it was just the anger from what Ye Huihui had done. After all, Ye Muqi loved Rong Jingchen dearly, and now that they were finally getting along, Ye Huihui was trying to sabotage them. Any woman would be furious.

“Qiqi, what are you planning to do?”

“Mom, when the time comes, you and Dad just…”
…

The Next Day

Ye Muqi took her time at home, packing a few things to bring to the military district. She stashed the heavier items in her space, casually made herself lunch, and only went out in the afternoon.

She strolled to the primary school where Ye Huihui taught. School was just about to let out, and children began pouring out of the building.

Standing at the school gate, Ye Muqi’s beauty drew many admiring glances—especially from the children, who lingered nearby, curiously watching.

Though she was beautiful, Ye Muqi’s expressionless face carried a certain coldness, which kept the children from approaching her.

As she debated whether to go inside or wait outside, she spotted Ye Huihui walking students out of the building, carrying a cloth bag—clearly done for the day.

“Ye Huihui,” Ye Muqi called out as she saw her cousin approaching.

“?”

Ye Huihui turned her head and froze when she saw Ye Muqi.

Why would she come here?

Did she already know about her visit to Rong Jingchen yesterday?

Ye Huihui wasn’t exactly afraid of Ye Muqi, but she was nervous—especially since this was her workplace. She didn’t want a scene.

She hesitated for a second, then forced herself to walk over calmly, giving Ye Muqi a subtle once-over.

“What is it?” Ye Huihui asked coolly, even indifferently.

Ye Muqi beamed a dazzling smile at her, making her already-beautiful face even more striking. But it only made Ye Huihui more jealous.

That face!

If it weren’t for that face, why would Commander Rong ever choose her?

“I’m about to head to the military district with my husband,” Ye Muqi said with a sweet smile, deliberately emphasizing the words “my husband.” “I figured I’d drop by and see my dear cousin before I left—maybe have a little chat.”