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“Are we going to find Father?” Dongdong asked, tilting his little face up to look at his Mother.
An Huan nodded. “Yes, we are. Do you still remember what Father looks like, Dongdong?”
Dongdong thought seriously for a moment, then nodded.
Every time the male lead came to the provincial capital for a meeting, he would stop by the An Family home to sit for a while and see his son. But the original An Huan had disdained the male lead and refused to let him interact with their child.
The last time Dongdong saw his Father was probably half a year ago. For a child, that’s a long time, and he should have forgotten what his Father looked like by now.
An Huan praised him, “Dongdong really has a great memory.”
Dongdong bashfully pressed his lips together, then said, “I still remember when Father flew me up in the air. It was so fun.”
An Huan asked, “What else? What other things did Father do with you?”
Dongdong tilted his little head and thought for a while. “He shot a gun.”
An Huan also recalled that when Dongdong was just over three years old, the male lead had taken him to the shooting range to play, holding his little hands to teach him how to pull the trigger.
When the original An Huan found out, she broke out in a cold sweat. It only deepened her belief that the male lead was a rough, uncivilized man. From then on, she deliberately kept her son away from him.
On this point, An Huan could understand the original’s reaction. If it had been her, she also wouldn’t have been comfortable with a three-year-old child playing with a gun—even if it was under adult supervision.
However, An Huan would have chosen to speak with the male lead first. If he remained obstinate and unreasonable, only then would she consider taking further action. After all, a child’s longing for a father’s love is a natural part of life, and shouldn’t be severed harshly.
More than five hours later, they arrived at the stationed area in Yun County.
As An Huan looked around, a young soldier walked up to her and snapped a salute. “Sister-in-law, the Commander sent me to pick you up.”
An Huan searched her memory for information about this person.
“Xiao Zhu.” The male lead’s orderly.
After greeting him, An Huan glanced behind Xiao Zhu. No one else was there.
“The Commander had planned to come get you himself, but he got held up with work at the last minute, so he had to send me instead.” Xiao Zhu had a round face and a smile that revealed dimples, giving him an honest, sincere look—as if he couldn’t lie.
But whether he truly couldn’t lie, that remained to be seen.
An Huan didn’t mind. “Xiao Zhu, I’ll have to trouble you to help me carry the luggage.”
When Xiao Zhu saw that An Huan had indeed brought luggage with her—and not just one or two bags, but quite a lot—he was briefly surprised. Wasn’t Sister-in-law here to force the Commander into a divorce?
The unit was stationed in the outskirts of the county, surrounded by farmland. About a kilometer away was a river, and across the river stood a factory. Beyond the factory was the road leading into town.
Although it was called the outskirts, it was essentially a rural village.
No wonder the original An Huan had been unwilling to follow the army here.
Dongdong wasn’t adjusting well either. He whimpered and clung to his mother, muttering that he wanted to go home.
An Huan patted her son’s back gently to comfort him. “From now on, this will be our home—because Dad is here.”
Dongdong, reminded of his father, finally settled down a little.
Xiao Zhu glanced at An Huan again.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll take you to the family housing area first. Once we’ve dropped off your luggage, I’ll go report to the Commander.”
“Alright.”
The family housing area consisted of single-story buildings. At a glance, it looked no different from an ordinary farmhouse courtyard. However, the rows were neatly arranged, and there was a path paved with coal cinders running between each row. Small trees had even been planted along both sides of the path.
Xiao Zhu turned the vehicle into the first row of houses and stopped midway.
The moment he appeared, some of the residents had already taken notice. Knowing that Xiao Zhu was the adjutant to Deputy Division Commander Xiao, it was obvious the person he was picking up must be a family member of the deputy commander.
Deputy Division Commander Xiao was something of a local celebrity here—Rank Three among the leadership, nearly ten years younger than the top two commanders, with a boundless future ahead.
Perhaps because of his youth and the need to assert authority, Deputy Division Commander Xiao was even stricter than his superiors. He constantly wore a stern expression and showed no mercy to anyone who made a mistake—man or woman, soldier or officer, it made no difference. His reprimands were sharp and unforgiving.
To make matters more intimidating, he was physically imposing, with broad shoulders and fists the size of clay pots—his sheer presence was enough to frighten most people.
Everyone had a hard time imagining how someone like Deputy Division Commander Xiao could marry a university student from the city. That woman must be unattractive, right?
Now that his wife had finally arrived, the residents gathered around in curiosity.
Out of the jeep stepped a stunning woman. She had a delicate, oval face, arched brows, eyes like shimmering water, rosy cheeks, and soft pink lips beneath a straight and refined nose. Her fair skin glowed with not a single blemish in sight. Her hair, dark and lustrous, was neatly coiled at the back of her head.
Her outfit was equally eye-catching—a white lace blouse paired with a plaid skirt that flared below the knees. As she walked, the hem of her skirt swayed gracefully, giving her an air of elegance and modern charm.
Next, the woman lifted a little boy out of the car.
The boy was like a porcelain doll—so exquisitely beautiful he could be mistaken for a girl.
“Are you Deputy Division Commander Xiao’s wife? And is this his son?” someone asked, trying to confirm.
An Huan nodded and greeted the people around her with a friendly smile.
In an instant, the crowd erupted in excitement.
Heavens! That Deputy Division Commander Xiao, who’s as fierce as a wild beast, actually married a celestial beauty—and even had a little golden boy with her!
“This… this really doesn’t match at all!”
An Huan was busy settling in, so after a brief greeting, she led her child into the house.
Inside, the interior was better than she had expected—polished terrazzo floors, bright glass windows, and a full set of furniture, likely provided by the organization.
The house had four bedrooms, each quite spacious, and there were courtyards in both the front and back.
However, there were no real signs of habitation. Only one bedroom had a bed made up, and the courtyard was still overgrown with weeds.
An Huan remarked, “It looks like this place hasn’t been tidied up.”
Xiao Zhu explained, “The Commander usually sleeps in his office, so this place is mostly unused.” After a pause, he decided to elicit some sympathy for his superior. “The Commander even said, since he’s all alone, it’d be better to let someone else live here. Luckily, no one moved in yet—otherwise, Sister-in-law, you wouldn’t have had a place to stay.”
An Huan understood and cast Xiao Zhu a knowing smile. Xiao Zhu scratched his head and chuckled, “Hehe.”
As he was about to leave, An Huan grabbed a handful of candy from her bundle and handed it to him. “I was supposed to give you cigarettes, but I don’t have any. Just take these to sweeten your mouth instead.”
“I love candy—thank you, Sister-in-law.” Xiao Zhu grinned, his dimples showing. He felt this Sister-in-law was quite different from when they first met. She no longer acted aloof or glanced sideways at people—she even smiled more often now.
After sending Xiao Zhu off, An Huan began seriously inspecting what would be their new home.
Tsk. Dust everywhere—cleaning up this place was going to be quite the undertaking.
Dongdong had lived in apartment buildings ever since he was born, so the courtyard felt novel and exciting. He ran around gleefully, the dullness on his little face brightening with joy.
“Wow, Mom, there’s a bug!”
“Wow, a colorful butterfly!”
“Wow, Mom, look! There’s a Dad!”
An Huan had been rummaging around looking for cleaning supplies. Hearing that last line, she stepped out into the courtyard.
A man in military uniform stood at the center, holding Dongdong in his arms, his head slightly bowed as he looked at the child.
From An Huan’s angle, she saw him in profile—his brow arching down to a prominent nose, the contours like a rugged mountain range, with a sharply defined and stern jawline.
At the sound of her approach, the man turned around, and only then did An Huan get a clear look at his face.
Perhaps it was because she had harbored so much resentment toward her husband that her mind had always blurred his features into a vague image.
In the book, the male lead was described with just few characters—tall and handsome, taciturn and reserved.
Handsome… on closer inspection, he did meet the mark, but his overpowering aura made it easy to overlook his looks entirely.
He stood at least 1.85 meters tall—outstandingly tall for this era. Muscles bulged beneath his military uniform, seemingly brimming with boundless strength. His features were upright and dignified, but his hawk-like eyes, sharp and piercing, lent him a wild, aggressive air. This touch of savagery turned his entire presence lethal and intensely domineering.
No wonder the label most often pinned on him was “beast.”
An Huan’s courage faltered slightly. Th-this man, who looked like he could punch a bull to death—could she really handle him??
Those sharp eyes turned toward An Huan.
For the past two months, An Huan had sent Xiao Zheng several letters demanding a divorce. Each one carried more or less the same message:
—There was no emotional connection between them. She wanted a divorce. She was pursuing true love.
Damn it. She made putting a green hat on him sound almost poetic.
Truthfully, even if the marriage wasn’t ideal, Xiao Zheng had never considered divorce. After all, a child shouldn’t have to grow up without their biological Mother, and divorce was humiliating.
When he learned that An Huan had someone else outside, Xiao Zheng was furious—but oddly, not surprised.
After some mental preparation, Xiao Zheng made up his mind. Since An Huan wanted to pursue this so-called “true love,” then he’d just let her have it.
It’s just a divorce. It’s not like he couldn’t find another wife.
“Come in,” Xiao Zheng said, putting the child down and walking into one of the rooms.
An Huan paused for a moment before following.
“Close the door.”
He’s so fierce.
An Huan meekly complied.
With a stoic expression, Xiao Zheng said, “I’ve already submitted the divorce report. Once it’s approved, we can finalize the procedure.”
An Huan finally remembered that she had already written the divorce letter.
“Uh… I didn’t come here to get a divorce. I came to live with you and accompany you while you’re on duty.”
Xiao Zheng froze for a moment, then darkened his face and said, “Is divorce a joke? Just because you say it, it happens? And just because you don’t want it, it doesn’t?”
Huh?
Did the male lead mean that he actually wanted to divorce her? Was the female lead already here?
An Huan instantly felt a sense of crisis. “What’s going on? You want to get rid of me just like that? I even quit my job to come find you, and now you want a divorce? Don’t you have any conscience? You heartless man!”
Xiao Zheng: …?