Chapter 28: Missing Your Wife, Aren’t You?

After getting his meal, Rong Jingchen took just a few bites before frowning slightly.

How come he’d never noticed before how bland the cafeteria food was…?

He’d only had a couple of meals made by Ye Muqi, yet he was already this picky?

That really wasn’t the mindset a soldier should have.

“To be honest though, it’s pretty nice to have your wife around,” Chen Hong said as he sat across from Rong Jingchen, sighing with a touch of envy.

Privately, they all called Rong Jingchen the “cold-faced King of Hell.” Everyone thought this guy only ever cared about training—never gave any thought to anything else, let alone interacting with women.

In fact, most of them figured no woman would ever fall for someone like him.

If he didn’t scare a woman off to tears, that would already be an achievement.

They used to think Rong Jingchen might just stay single forever. So when he suddenly got married, it was no surprise that everyone became extremely curious about his wife.

“Mmm…”

Rong Jingchen couldn’t help but think of his little wife at home. She could cook—so she probably wouldn’t go hungry.

He’d left her a house key when he left, but forgot to leave money. There weren’t any groceries left at home either. He wasn’t sure if Ye Muqi had money to buy food.

When he left in the morning, she was still asleep. He didn’t know if she would feel comfortable here after waking up.

His mind drifted to the confrontation by the river—Ye Muqi against Ye Huihui. She looked delicate, but her mouth was pretty sharp. Suddenly, he started to worry again—what if she got into an argument with the neighbors because she couldn’t adjust?

No matter how he thought about it, he didn’t feel at ease leaving Ye Muqi home alone.

He absentmindedly ate while thinking maybe he should head home a bit early tonight to check on her.

Across from him, Chen Hong noticed Rong Jingchen zoning out completely, obviously lost in thought, and his expression grew even more gossipy.

“Missing your wife already, huh?” Chen Hong teased mischievously, looking like he’d just uncovered a juicy piece of gossip.

Whoever could hook the soul of the cold-faced King of Hell like this must be quite the woman!

Rong Jingchen raised his eyes slightly and gave Chen Hong a cold glance. “What, you want extra training too?”

“N-no, not at all…”

Yup, cold-faced King of Hell was back.

Chen Hong instantly shut up and focused on eating.

After afternoon training ended, Rong Jingchen quickly packed up and hurried off toward the family compound.

“What the hell? Did I just see our commander leave first for the first time in my life?” Someone rubbed his eyes in disbelief as Rong Jingchen’s figure disappeared.

They must be dreaming. No way was this real life.

That was Rong Jingchen, the cold-faced King of Hell. He was always the last to leave. Usually, he’d even force them to stay for extra training. But today? He not only let them off early—he rushed out himself?

“When you’ve got a wife at home, it’s not the same anymore,” Chen Hong said knowingly, stroking his chin with a teasing smile.

“The captain knows something! Spill the details!” A group of young soldiers immediately crowded around him, curious and eager.

“You dummies! The captain means our commander rushed home to be with his wife!”

A wave of “Oooh”s spread through the group, and Chen Hong nodded with a grin. Then his eyes shifted to Lin Zihua and Yin Daquan.

“Since the commander’s hiding his wife, only you two have seen her. So spill it—what does she look like?” Chen Hong pressed them.

After a whole day of trying and failing to get any details out of Rong Jingchen, his curiosity had only grown worse.

“Didn’t we say? She’s like a little fairy. Super pretty!” Lin Zihua said.

“Never seen anyone that good-looking!” Yin Daquan added.

Everyone else: “…”

Clearly, their vocabulary was severely lacking.

All they could say was “pretty.” Two brains, zero extra adjectives.

“You guys seriously need to read more books. Can’t even describe a girl properly.”

…

The family compound wasn’t far from the military district—just about a 15-minute walk.

Rong Jingchen walked fast, getting there in just about 10 minutes. The courtyard was quiet, most people already inside having dinner.

From every window in the compound, the aroma of different homecooked dishes wafted out, filling the air with the scent of life.

It was Rong Jingchen’s first time returning to the compound at this hour. The strong feeling of domestic warmth caught him off guard—but in a good way.

They protected this land, and their families protected them.

Now that Ye Muqi had moved in, his little apartment might finally have that same comforting atmosphere. The thought put him in a good mood, and he walked briskly home.

But when he opened the door, what he expected wasn’t there.

Just like always, the place was quiet and empty. No smell of food, no sign of Ye Muqi.

She wasn’t home?

Rong Jingchen hadn’t expected this. He hurried inside and checked the kitchen, the rooms—she really wasn’t there.

Ye Muqi had gone out.

She didn’t know the area well, and it was already getting late. The key he left at the door had been taken, so she had gone out. But where?

“Don’t tell me… she got lost?”

His brows furrowed. He quickly left the house.

He searched the entire area around the compound but didn’t see a trace of her.

Getting anxious, Rong Jingchen began pacing in front of the compound gate, even considering that if she still wasn’t back after dark, he might have to call in the troops to help search.

—

Meanwhile, Ye Muqi had just finished talking with Cai Dongmei. They’d agreed to start their venture the next day. She also made a list of supplies with the old lady, so she could secretly prepare them from her space without raising suspicion.

After that, she wandered around the nearby market, buying some vegetables and handmade seasonings before finally heading back.

She hadn’t realized it was nearly 7 p.m. by the time she reached the compound—the sun already setting.

Remembering that Rong Jingchen said he’d be back for dinner, she quickened her pace.

At the gate, a tall figure stood—broad-shouldered in military uniform. Just standing there, he gave off an aura of solid, reassuring strength.

As she got closer, the fading sunlight hit him just right.

Seeing Rong Jingchen in uniform, Ye Muqi couldn’t help but admire him inwardly: Damn, my man is so handsome!

She’d always known he was good-looking, just a bit too serious and fierce when he wasn’t smiling. But this? Military uniform Rong Jingchen? Even more handsome!

It was like he had leveled up!

Not only did he have a great face, his proportions were insane. At 190 cm tall, the man was pure perfection—and this was just him in regular camo.

Ye Muqi could hardly take her eyes off him.