Political Commissar Su spat out the mouthful of water he had just taken.
Su Manning met his gaze, then hurriedly looked away as though she had been scalded.
“Brother He, d-don’t joke around.”
She was pretty, but not to the point where everyone who saw her would fall in love with her.
Besides, after what had happened before, she swore she would absolutely restrain herself. She definitely had no intention of keeping a pond of fish in the military district.
None of those people with high status and power were fools. Although what had happened between her and He Yan was not common knowledge, quite a few people knew about it.
If she became involved with another man, the impression she left would be terrible.
Political Commissar Su was also afraid that He Huai would take a liking to his niece. This was no small matter.
If Old Master He found out that his two promising grandsons had set their sights on the same girl, he was even afraid that something might happen to his own daughter.
“He Huai, you…” You’re not serious, are you?
He Huai withdrew his gaze and smiled faintly. “I was joking. I won’t steal He Yan’s woman.”
But if she wasn’t He Yan’s, then no one could blame him.
Political Commissar Su let out a sigh of relief. Just then, Zhou Fen brought the dishes over, and he raised a hand, calling everyone to take bowls and eat.
After they finished eating, Little Zhang and He Huai left the Su family home.
In the bathroom, cold water slid down his cheeks and over his chest. Whenever He Huai closed his eyes, all he could see was the instant Su Manning had thrown herself at him.
Every movement the young woman had made replayed over and over in his mind.
Her autumn-clear eyes had filled with pitiful tears from the shock.
Her full red lips had been bitten until they looked like cherries. As she released and bit them again, it was almost as though she were enticing him to kiss her.
She had lain against him, her entire body soft and fragrant, as though she had no bones.
“Su Manning…”
He Huai murmured those three words with lingering tenderness.
In his twenty-eight years of life, this was the first time he had lost control of his own body.
“Regimental Commander, you have a call.”
The telephone operator knocked on his dormitory door.
He Huai rose and went to the telephone office without the slightest hesitation.
He already knew who was calling without having to guess.
“Big Brother…”
“He Yan.”
He Huai cut him off, a faint smile glimmering in his sharp eyes.
“Don’t say anything. I’ll help you.”
He Yan suddenly had a bad feeling. “Huh? Big Brother, why did you change your mind?”
He had thought he would have to offer some kind of compensation.
He Huai chuckled. “You’re a member of the He family, after all. Even if you were schemed against, you can’t just abandon the girl. Wouldn’t that damage the He family’s reputation?”
“I was a little tired after yesterday’s training and couldn’t think things through. I rested all day today, and now I understand. You really can’t delay that marriage application.”
“However, I’ll only help you this once. There won’t be a next time.”
He Yan was filled with delight. “Thank you, Big Brother. But how are you going to explain this to the Su family and to our parents?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
He Yan still wanted to ask about Manning.
But before he could say anything, the other side hung up.
He found it inexplicable. He had never imagined that He Huai would take a liking to Su Manning.
It wasn’t as though He Huai had never met girls as beautiful as Manning.
As Grandpa put it, even if a celestial maiden descended from heaven, He Huai could still find fault with her.
It would already be a blessing if he didn’t remain a bachelor for the rest of his life.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Xiao stared at him nervously.
He Yan showed her no warmth and casually explained, “Big Brother agreed to help us apply for the marriage certificate.”
Lu Xiao’s worry turned to joy. “Really?”
In her previous life, she had actually made inquiries about He Yan. All she had heard from retired soldiers who knew him was that He Yan’s elder brother had died young, and that the entire He family was led by He Yan.
She had never expected that He Yan’s supposedly early-deceased elder brother would possess such great influence that even He Yan had to beg him.
But none of that had anything to do with her.
She knew that she had taken something that did not belong to her.
She had a secret love for He Yan and even foolishly hoped that he would develop tender feelings for her.
She had given herself two years not only because the revolution would end after two years and the college entrance examination would be restored, but also to give herself and He Yan a chance.
If He Yan still could not fall in love with her after two years, she would divorce him and seek a new life.
Seeing her wild joy, He Yan grew even more irritated. “Lu Xiao, I’ve already told you that there’s someone else in my heart. You stole the position of Second Mrs. He, so you can bear the suffering that comes with it yourself. I won’t help you.”
It felt as though someone had gripped Lu Xiao’s heart, leaving her in unbearable pain.
Her face pale, she forced a smile. “I know.”
“When we reach the military district, do you want me to explain things to her?”
As she said this, she felt as though she was about to die from the pain.
Laying bare her despicable methods before her rival, she even felt, for a moment, as though her dignity had shattered.
But she really wanted to see that woman.
She wanted to see the shock and pain on the face of the woman who discovered that the man she loved had married someone else.
Would she scheme against her with all kinds of despicable tricks, just like the women in television dramas, and make things difficult for her?
Then the guilt and pain in her heart would lessen a little.
She would be able to tell herself: See? This woman is nothing special either. She’s just an ordinary person.
He Yan’s face darkened. “Explain what? There’s no need for you to explain anything between her and me. Put away those filthy thoughts of yours!”
“Manning loves me deeply, and she has a pure and kind nature. If you go, you’ll only make her sad.”
Lu Xiao’s face went pale, as though his words had dealt her a severe blow.
She was also very beautiful. It was only because of malnutrition that she was so frail, her slender body seeming as though a gust of wind could blow her over.
Seeing her like this, He Yan felt somewhat reluctant to be harsh.
The two of them had, after all, spent a night together. He did not say anything else to hurt her. With a cold expression, he turned and left.
He still had not completed his mission and could not waste time here.
Elsewhere, Su Manning was worrying about work.
Second Aunt had told her that the Military District Hospital was not hiring during this period. The next time they recruited would be in mid-June, when the next batch of students graduated from high school.
Moreover, the Traditional Chinese Medicine Department might not even be hiring.
Visits to relatives in the military had time limits. Unless she found a job or got married, she could stay in the military district for forty days at most.
Before she even had time to grow anxious about work, however, He Huai brought her some bad news.
That day, Su Manning had just returned from the city with Second Aunt when they encountered He Huai coming to their home.
His military uniform was immaculate. With his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, he looked as though he had stepped out of a painting—strong, valiant, and handsome. He was carrying all kinds of gifts in his hands.
It looked no different from coming to meet someone for a matchmaking arrangement.
“Political Commissar, Comrade Su, I’ve come to apologize on He Yan’s behalf.”
Political Commissar Su said, “What did he do?”
A bad feeling welled up in Su Manning’s heart. Could she have been cheated on?
He Huai took out a marriage application. It was the one he had gotten He Yan’s regimental commander to approve the day before.
Although it had not yet gone through the review process, it was enough to make Political Commissar Su’s face flush and his neck swell with anger.
“He Huai, what do you mean by this? You helped He Yan submit a marriage application? He isn’t even in the military district. Who is he marrying?”
He Huai explained, “Political Commissar, don’t get angry. I had no choice but to help He Yan submit the application.”
“He Yan was schemed against during a mission and ended up having an intimate relationship with a girl. He’s anxious to get married, and the call even came all the way to me. You know that our relationship is nothing special. If the matter weren’t truly urgent, how could he have asked me to help?”
“I was afraid of delaying his affairs, so I thought I’d submit the application first. See? I came to tell you as soon as I had done it.”
“Rest assured. He Yan is in the wrong toward Comrade Manning. I will certainly compensate Comrade Manning.”
Political Commissar Su grew even angrier. “Schemed against? He’s a grown man—how could a woman scheme against him? I think he just wants to have his cake and eat it too!”
“Wait. He’s anxious to get married. Don’t tell me he’s gotten the girl pregnant?”
He Huai paused. His long lashes lowered, concealing the emotions in his eyes. “I don’t know. Seeing how anxious he was, I’m afraid the matter really is serious.”
Political Commissar Su knew what kind of person He Huai was. He was indifferent by nature, upright and unyielding, and completely disdained lying.
His attitude clearly showed that he was protecting He Yan!
Political Commissar Su pointed at him with a trembling finger, so furious that he puffed out his cheeks and glared, his breath caught in his throat!
If He Yan had even gotten the girl pregnant, how could he force He Yan to marry his own niece?
Su Manning sat there in a daze. Why did this situation feel so familiar?
Wasn’t this the classic scene from the novels she had read in her previous life?
The male protagonist accidentally slept with a country girl, then she became pregnant with multiple babies, and from then on they built a flourishing life together.
Could she have transmigrated into the supporting female character of some novel?
Just look at her setup: eight cousins, and an Eldest Uncle’s and Second Uncle’s family who doted on her. Her family could not be called the very best, but it was still exceptionally good.
Especially since she understood herself perfectly—that she was absolutely the kind of person who acted one way in public and another in private.
When she learned that He Yan had been taken by someone else, an inexplicable surge of anger actually rose within her.
But she did not even like He Yan that much, did she?