After being locked up in confinement for an entire day and night, the four women had barely eaten or slept. By the time they were released, all of them looked utterly haggard.
Qiu Shumin and the other three looked like wilted eggplants, completely drained of energy. The moment they saw Zhang Shaoying and the others, they acted as though they had spotted the plague and immediately tried to avoid them.
Seeing this, Zhang Shaoying clicked her tongue.
“Look at them. And they still had the nerve to pick a fight with me?”
Wu Qin covered a laugh. “Shaoying, they’re all scared of you.”
Zhang Shaoying proudly lifted her chin. “A bunch of cowards… Ouch! Who hit me?!”
A sudden smack landed on the back of her head. Zhang Shaoying immediately turned around.
Zhang Shaobing stood there with both hands clasped behind his back, looking at her with an amused yet exasperated expression.
“You really know how to make your big brother proud.”
The three girls, Wen Jiaojiao included, quickly snapped to attention and saluted.
“Hello, Battalion Commander Zhang!”
Zhang Shaobing returned the salute, his attitude friendly.
Rubbing the back of her head, Zhang Shaoying pouted. “What are you doing here?”
Zhang Shaobing said irritably, “If I hadn’t come, how would I have known what kind of trouble you’d gotten yourself into?”
“You got into a group fight in the army. You think you’re something now, huh?”
Zhang Shaoying couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. She was just about to call her three friends back when she caught sight of a tall figure approaching from behind.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
“Commander Jiang!”
The moment they heard that, Wen Jiaojiao and the other three turned around together.
A handsome man in military uniform was walking toward them.
His features were stern and cold, and his intimidating gaze alone was enough to make people instinctively keep their distance.
Especially since the four of them had just gotten into trouble, they couldn’t help feeling nervous around him.
“Commander Jiang!”
All four women saluted at once.
Jiang Ting returned the salute. His sharp gaze swept over the three women before settling on Wen Jiaojiao, where it lingered for several seconds longer.
Her face was slightly pale and her hair somewhat disheveled. On anyone else, such a tired appearance would have diminished their looks. But on Wen Jiaojiao, it somehow gave her an added touch of delicate beauty, making her look even more vulnerable and endearing.
Anyone who saw her couldn’t help wanting to pull her into their arms and take good care of her.
As Jiang Ting approached, Zhang Shaobing desperately tried to signal his sister with his eyes.
Unfortunately, Zhang Shaoying didn’t understand his hints at all. Instead, she thought her brother had something wrong with his eyes.
Seeing this, Zhang Shaobing nearly wanted to crack open her thick skull.
Jiang Ting hadn’t even spoken yet when Wu Qin and Wang Xiaomei began to feel uneasy and guilty under his gaze. They wondered if the commander was about to lecture them again.
Wen Jiaojiao also noticed that his gaze had lingered on her for several seconds. She looked up at him in confusion.
Jiang Ting’s thin lips parted, seemingly about to say something, but suddenly his gaze turned sharp as he looked toward another direction.
“Oh? Commander Jiang is here too?”
Meng Weiguo approached with a warm smile.
There was something subtle in the way he looked at Jiang Ting. His gaze swept discreetly between Wen Jiaojiao and Jiang Ting, and his expression darkened slightly.
“Hello, Commander Meng!”
The four women saluted once again.
Another commander had shown up, and the pressure immediately became overwhelming.
Afraid they might be lectured again, Zhang Shaoying hurriedly said, “We’ve been locked up for a whole day. We need to go back and wash up. We have training again tomorrow. Commanders, we’ll be going now!”
Jiang Ting nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Having received permission, the four women quickly left.
Meng Weiguo watched their retreating figures, his fists slowly tightening.
“Why did you come here today, Commander Jiang?”
Jiang Ting replied indifferently, “I came to pick up a document.”
“I’ve got it now, so we should head back. Commander Meng, feel free to drop by my Iron Blade Regiment whenever you have time.”
Meng Weiguo smiled.
“Sure. I’ll definitely visit when I get the chance.”
After exchanging a few more words, the two men went their separate ways.
Meng Weiguo watched Jiang Ting’s retreating back, uncertainty and suspicion flickering in his eyes.
Was it really just a coincidence?
……
The incident involving the group fight had caused quite a stir.
Commander Shen publicly reprimanded them, and Wen Jiaojiao and everyone in her dormitory were all brought onto the stage and publicly criticized.
It was an utterly humiliating experience for the eight women.
All eight of them were scolded until their faces turned bright red. Their punishment served as a warning to all the new recruits, and from then on, everyone behaved themselves, afraid that they too might be called onto the stage and publicly reprimanded.
That would have been far too embarrassing.
Even Zhang Shaoying, who normally had thick skin, kept a low profile for the next few days.
Wen Jiaojiao thought that since Wen Lili was injured and unable to do anything, she would at least have some peace for a few days.
However, she hadn’t even enjoyed a full week of peace before trouble came knocking again.
Liu Xiaocui arrived at their dormitory carrying a pile of dirty clothes.
As though it were the most natural thing in the world, she said, “Jiaojiao, these are the dirty clothes Lili changed out of. She can’t move right now, so could you wash them for her?”
The corners of Wen Jiaojiao’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“No. Take them away.”
Her blunt refusal made Liu Xiaocui’s expression stiffen.
She deliberately raised her voice. “Lili is your cousin. And now she’s unable to move because of what happened with you. Isn’t it only right that you help her wash a few clothes?”
Wen Jiaojiao frowned impatiently.
“What do you mean, ‘because of me’? She fell by herself. It had nothing to do with me. Take the clothes away. I’m not washing them. If you leave them here, I’ll throw every single piece out.”
Liu Xiaocui looked at her in disbelief.
“Jiaojiao, how can you be so cruel to your own cousin?”
Her words immediately drew everyone’s attention. The people nearby began looking at Wen Jiaojiao with prejudice and disapproval.
Wen Jiaojiao let out a cold laugh.
“I hope you understand one thing. She’s related to me, but that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to be her personal servant. I have no responsibility to help her. Don’t try to guilt-trip me with morality.”
“Besides, Xiaocui, aren’t you and my cousin pretty close? Why don’t you wash them for her? You could’ve finished washing all these clothes by now instead of wasting time arguing with me.”
Her tone was unmistakably sarcastic.
Liu Xiaocui instinctively protested, “Why should I serve her?”
“Jiaojiao, when did you become so mean and spiteful?”
She was genuinely puzzled.
Ever since Wen Jiaojiao had joined the army, it was as if she had become a completely different person.
Facing everyone’s judgmental gazes, Wen Jiaojiao remained completely unmoved.
“I’ve always been like this. Now go back.”
“……”
Liu Xiaocui had walked over full of confidence, only to run into a brick wall. She left with a stomach full of anger.
Who would have thought that Wen Jiaojiao would now refuse to bend no matter what anyone said, completely unconcerned about how others viewed her?
And yet, despite all this, the male soldiers still couldn’t seem to take their eyes off her.
That fact made Liu Xiaocui grind her teeth with jealousy.
Wasn’t it just because she had a pretty face?
After Liu Xiaocui left, the spectators also awkwardly dispersed from around the dormitory.
Qiu Shumin sneered, “Some people are just born bad. They’re even selfish toward their own relatives.”
Wen Jiaojiao coldly shot back, “You’re so selfless, aren’t you? Wen Lili is your fellow soldier too. Why don’t you go help her wash her clothes?”
“Whatever happens to Wen Lili has nothing to do with me! She’s your relative.”
Hearing this, Wen Jiaojiao spoke in a dark, warning tone.
“Heh. Since you know it has nothing to do with you, then shut your mouth. Your tongue is getting a little too long—it might get cut off.”
Qiu Shumin flew into a rage.
“Wen Jiaojiao! Are you saying I have a long tongue?!”
Wen Jiaojiao shrugged.
“Not completely stupid, I see. You actually understood that I was calling you a gossip.”
“You!”
Qiu Shumin shot to her feet and reached out as if she were about to grab Wen Jiaojiao.
Wen Jiaojiao wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. Her expression turned cold as she stared directly at her.
At that moment, Zhang Shaoying and Wu Qin were both away from the dormitory.
Only Wen Jiaojiao, Qiu Shumin, and Wang Xiaomei were there.