“If you have no evidence to prove what you just said, I’ll take you in on charges of defamation.”
Huo Tingyun’s eyes were filled with icy coldness. Although he had only met Jiang Zhinian once, he was certain that she was not that kind of person.
Li Chunfang froze. Her expression was as bitter as if she had swallowed a mouthful of gall. What evidence could she possibly have? She had merely seen her husband smile and greet Jiang Zhinian.
But if he dared to greet her now, who knew? Maybe one day they’d end up in the same bed.
She was only giving Jiang Zhinian a warning now. What was wrong with that?
“I-I don’t have any evidence.”
“Then come with me. I’ll have someone thoroughly investigate this matter.” Huo Tingyun had no intention of wasting any more time on her.
“Commander Huo, there’s no need.”
Jiang Zhinian, who had been standing behind him all this time, finally spoke.
“Sister-in-law Chunfang didn’t do it on purpose. If she apologizes to me, I can still forgive her.”
As the source of most of the gossip in the military compound, Li Chunfang naturally had enough social awareness to understand Jiang Zhinian’s meaning immediately.
No matter how unwilling she was, she had no choice but to lower her head for now.
She lowered her head and muttered in Jiang Zhinian’s direction, “Zhinian, I was wrong. Since I didn’t have any evidence this time, I shouldn’t have insulted you.”
The implication was obvious: Wait until I have evidence next time. Not only will I curse you out, I’ll slap you too.
Jiang Zhinian blinked and smiled innocently.
“What? You’re speaking too softly. I couldn’t hear you clearly.”
Didn’t she love talking so much? Then Jiang Zhinian would let her talk a little more.
Li Chunfang’s already dark face turned red from holding back her anger. She struggled for several seconds before finally gritting her teeth.
“I was wrong. I’m sorry. I won’t say such things again.”
“Mm. I accept your apology. Now give me the one hundred yuan for the electric fan I bought yesterday.”
Jiang Zhinian walked past her and glanced into her home. Fortunately, the other things hadn’t been touched much.
“What? An electric fan costs one hundred yuan? Why don’t you just rob me?” Li Chunfang could no longer hold it in and immediately started yelling again.
“That’s the regular price at the department store. If you don’t believe me, go check for yourself.”
Jiang Zhinian shot her a sidelong glance and mercilessly added, “Oh, and the electric fan you threw hit Commander Huo’s vehicle and injured Commander Huo. You can discuss the repair costs and medical expenses with him.”
Li Chunfang froze completely, so frightened that she couldn’t say a word.
That was a military vehicle!
Such a huge electric fan had smashed into it. How much would it cost to repair?
Her already underused brain completely stopped working. She stood there stiffly like a block of wood.
Rapid footsteps suddenly echoed from the stairs. A burly man in military uniform rushed upstairs, his forehead covered in sweat.
Without saying a word, his large hand grabbed Li Chunfang by the hair and yanked hard.
Li Chunfang screamed. Just as she was about to struggle, another slap landed across her face.
“You crazy woman! Isn’t making a scene at home every day enough for you? You had to come out here and cause trouble too!”
The man roared angrily. Still not satisfied, he threw Li Chunfang violently to the ground.
She landed with a thud. Rather than getting back up, she simply stayed there, crying and complaining loudly.
The man ignored her. He wiped his hands on his trousers, then eagerly extended one toward Huo Tingyun for a handshake.
“Commander Huo, I’m terribly sorry. My wife doesn’t know how to behave.”
Who wouldn’t be terrified? He had just come home from work to discover that his wife was actually causing a scene in front of his superior!
“I heard some of what happened just now. Don’t worry—no matter how much the compensation is, we’ll pay it.”
“Calm down. How about this? Come to my office tomorrow, and we’ll discuss the compensation then.”
Huo Tingyun frowned slightly, though his expression remained composed.
In his view, no matter who it was or what the circumstances were, a man should never hit a woman—especially not his own wife.
The burly man nodded repeatedly, dragged the still crying and screaming Li Chunfang back inside, and shut the door behind them.
“Commander Huo, come in. Let me treat your wound.”
At some point, Jiang Zhinian had found a first-aid kit and was now holding it in her arms.
When Huo Tingyun remembered that his injuries were all on his back, his first instinct was to refuse.
But when he saw the expectant look in her eyes, his lips moved, yet he simply couldn’t bring himself to say no.
She’s only treating a wound. You’re a grown man—stop being so awkward, he silently told himself.
“Alright.”
Jiang Zhinian’s quarters were small and somewhat old, but every piece of furniture and every item inside had been arranged neatly and spotlessly. It was enough to show that she was a hardworking girl who loved cleanliness.
If Jiang Zhinian could read minds and heard what he was thinking, she would probably burst out laughing.
It was true that she liked things clean, but she was also a pampered young lady who had practically never lifted a finger to do housework.
She had hired several young women from the labor market to clean the place for her.
Huo Tingyun sat down on the small sofa, suddenly unsure what he was supposed to do next.
Jiang Zhinian couldn’t help reminding him, “Take off your clothes. I need to disinfect the wound. You’ve lost quite a lot of blood.”
Seeing that Huo Tingyun still didn’t understand, she found the young man rather adorable.
It was only wound treatment, yet he was actually feeling shy.
She straightened her face and pretended to be serious.
“Commander Huo, I am your doctor right now. Doctors don’t distinguish between men and women. Please cooperate.”
Only then did Huo Tingyun move. He removed his two layers of military clothing, revealing his strong, muscular back.
Jiang Zhinian immediately became serious as she used tweezers to carefully remove the fragments from his wounds.
Meanwhile, Tuantuan kept chattering away in her mind.
【The male lead’s younger brother has a pretty good body. I’d give him ninety points. But the male lead has an even better body—he gets a perfect one hundred.】
Hearing Tuantuan solemnly rate men’s bodies, Jiang Zhinian teased it.
“How do you know?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been secretly watching Huo Lin bathe behind my back?”
【Of course not! Tuantuan is amazing! I can analyze it based on the proportions of the male lead’s muscles and skeletal structure!
Tuantuan raised its voice several notches as it loudly defended itself. Yet Jiang Zhinian could clearly see that the spot where its little face should have been on its round white body had turned slightly red.
“Alright, alright. I believe you.”
Huo Tingyun, of course, had no idea about the lively conversation going on in Jiang Zhinian’s mind. He only felt that the silence filling the room made his heart stir strangely.
“Miss Jiang, could you keep my injury a secret?”
If his eldest brother and grandfather learned about this, they would undoubtedly make him go home to recuperate.
But he had to complete his current mission.
“Of course.”
Jiang Zhinian paused, then changed the subject.
“But could I ask you for a favor too? It might be a little presumptuous.”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
Huo Tingyun agreed without hesitation, never expecting that Jiang Zhinian’s next sentence would make his face flush.
“I’d like you to pretend to be my boyfriend. For about… half a month. Would that be alright?”
Jiang Zhinian finished cleaning his wound and set down the cotton swab. Her large, sparkling eyes were clear and sincere.
“You saw what happened. I’m living here alone, and I don’t exactly get along well with the neighbors. If I tell them you’re my boyfriend, the people who want to bully me will definitely think twice before doing anything.”
It sounded like a perfectly reasonable explanation.
Still, this was the conservative 1980s.
Huo Tingyun thought about it for a full minute before slowly nodding.
He wasn’t thinking about himself, but whether doing this would damage Jiang Zhinian’s reputation.
However, when he remembered the arrogant woman from earlier, he ultimately decided to agree.