This was one of Beijing’s most famous social venues, frequented only by the wealthy, powerful, and elite.
Today, Su Wan had reserved half the establishment to host a so-called “Military Compound Youth Reunion.”
Ever since her mother Wang Fang had been arrested, Su Wan’s life had become increasingly difficult. The family’s financial authority had been reclaimed by Old Master Su, drastically reducing her spending money. What frightened her even more was the obvious change in how people around her looked at her.
She desperately needed a grand social gathering to prove she was still the lofty Second Miss of the Su family.
More importantly, she needed to show her fiancé, Xu Zhiyuan, that she still had value.
And above all else, she wanted to publicly humiliate the newly returned Su Huaijin and her “country bumpkin” husband.
“Brother Zhiyuan, do you think my sister and the others will come?”
At the entrance of the banquet hall, Su Wan clung sweetly to the arm of a refined man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses.
This man was Xu Zhiyuan, a rising star in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Su Huaijin’s former childhood sweetheart.
Adjusting his glasses, Xu Zhiyuan replied with a faint, barely concealed sense of superiority:
“They probably will. After all, this gathering was arranged out of your kindness. Besides, that Commander Cheng just returned from the far Northwest. He’s probably never seen a place like this before. Bringing him here to broaden his horizons would do him some good.”
Every word carried undisguised contempt for a mere regimental officer. In his eyes, only someone like himself—educated abroad and working in a central government ministry—qualified as a true elite.
“Hmph. I’m just afraid he won’t even know how to use a knife and fork and will embarrass the Su family,” Su Wan sneered maliciously.
She had deliberately arranged a Western-style dinner tonight and invited many influential children of military and political families precisely so that the uncultured brute from the Northwest would make a fool of himself.
As they spoke, a military jeep pulled up outside the hotel.
Su Wan’s eyes lit up.
“They’re here!”
The car door opened.
The first person to step out was, as always, Cheng Beitang.
Tonight, he wore a crisp Type 07 military officer’s dress uniform. The dark green fabric fit him perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and inverted-triangle physique. His collar was fastened immaculately, and beneath the brim of his cap, his sharply defined features looked as cold and hard as if carved from stone. His entire body radiated a powerful iron-blooded aura that inspired fear without anger.
Most eye-catching of all were the insignia on his shoulders—one bar and two stars, the rank of lieutenant colonel—gleaming brilliantly under the lights. Across his chest were rows of ribbons and commendation bars. Anyone familiar with the military could immediately tell those honors had been earned through countless life-and-death battles.
Standing there, he resembled a sword freshly drawn from its sheath, dazzlingly sharp and impossible to ignore.
Su Wan and Xu Zhiyuan both froze for a moment.
This aura… was completely different from the country bumpkin they had imagined.
Then Cheng Beitang extended his hand like a gentleman and helped Su Huaijin out of the vehicle.
Tonight, Su Huaijin was breathtakingly beautiful.
She wore a black velvet qipao-inspired evening gown that she had designed herself. The vintage high collar and diagonal front closure accentuated her elegant swan-like neck, while the fitted waist and high slit perfectly displayed her graceful figure. Her hair was styled in vintage finger waves, paired with pearl earrings that made her look noble and refined, like a glamorous socialite stepped straight out of a Republican-era magazine.
Holding Cheng Beitang’s arm, the two of them stood together like a perfect match made in heaven—the man heroic and imposing, the woman stunning and radiant.
Even passing guests couldn’t help stopping to stare.
Xu Zhiyuan’s gaze landed on Su Huaijin, and he couldn’t look away.
A flash of amazement crossed his eyes, followed by an indescribable trace of regret.
He had never imagined that the little girl who used to trail after him would grow into such a breathtaking woman.
“Sister, Brother-in-law, you’re here!”
Suppressing the jealousy in her heart, Su Wan plastered on a fake smile and walked over.
“Come inside, everyone’s been waiting! Brother Zhiyuan specially reserved the best seats.”
“Thank you for your trouble, Wan’er.”
Su Huaijin smiled faintly, perfectly calm. Holding Cheng Beitang’s arm, she walked into the banquet hall without sparing anyone an extra glance.
Many people had already gathered inside.
Most were children of military-compound families similar to the Su family, accustomed to comparing wealth and showing off.
When they saw Su Huaijin enter, many brightened and stood to greet her. But the moment their eyes fell on Cheng Beitang beside her, their expressions turned amused and mocking.
“Well, Huaijin, this must be your husband from the Northwest?”
A flamboyantly dressed young man approached with a wine glass in hand, openly sizing Cheng Beitang up with obvious disdain.
“I heard you lead troops out in the Gobi Desert? Must be pretty windy and sandy there. Funny—you’re not even tanned. I thought you’d look like some dark iron tower!”
Low laughter spread around the room.
Expressionless, Cheng Beitang glanced at the man.
That look was cold, sharp, and utterly emotionless—as though he were staring at a corpse.
The young man’s scalp prickled instantly. His smile froze, and he unconsciously stepped back.
“This must be Young Master Zhang?”
Su Huaijin smiled as she spoke, her voice calm yet perfectly audible to everyone nearby.
“My husband does serve in the Northwest. But the soldiers he commands are the ones guarding the nation’s borders and protecting the country. Unlike certain people who spend their days drowning in luxury and pleasure here in Beijing.”
Her words were razor sharp, tearing straight through their fake sophistication.
Young Master Zhang’s face changed immediately, just as he was about to explode—
“Alright, alright, everyone’s friends here. It was only a joke!”
Xu Zhiyuan stepped forward to smooth things over.
Walking to Cheng Beitang, he extended his hand with an air of elite refinement.
“Commander Cheng, I’ve heard much about you. I’m Xu Zhiyuan from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Huaijin and I grew up together, so from now on we’re practically family. If there’s anything you need help with in Beijing, feel free to ask.”
The words sounded polite on the surface, but dripped with superiority. He deliberately emphasized his childhood connection with Su Huaijin while subtly implying that Cheng Beitang, an outsider from another region, would need his support in Beijing.
Cheng Beitang lowered his gaze toward the carefully manicured hand extended before him.
He did not shake it.
Instead, he merely swept Xu Zhiyuan with a cold glance that seemed to see through everything before calmly uttering two words:
“No need.”
His voice was icy and distant.
Xu Zhiyuan’s hand hung awkwardly in midair. His smile stiffened, a dark look flashing through his eyes.
A mere regimental officer actually dared to humiliate him like this?
“Haha… Commander Cheng is certainly straightforward,” Xu Zhiyuan said awkwardly as he withdrew his hand and forced himself to recover. “Come, everyone, let’s sit.”
Everyone took their seats.
Su Wan had deliberately arranged them near the head of a long Western-style dining table, while she and Xu Zhiyuan sat opposite them.
Soon, the waiters began serving dishes.
The first course was French escargot.
“Brother-in-law, this is the Beijing Hotel’s signature dish—French baked snails. You probably never had this in the Northwest, right? These are eaten with special tongs and forks…”
As she spoke, Su Wan elegantly picked up the snail tongs and demonstrated how to remove one, her eyes full of anticipation for the coming humiliation.
She refused to believe a rough soldier accustomed to eating lamb with his hands would know how to use such sophisticated utensils.
Everyone around the table subtly stopped eating and looked toward Cheng Beitang, waiting to enjoy the spectacle.
Looking at the dark little shells on his plate, Cheng Beitang frowned almost imperceptibly.
He truly had never eaten such a thing before. In his opinion, the tiny bit of meat wasn’t even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth, yet people needed such troublesome tools just to eat it.
Ignoring the tongs entirely, he simply reached out with his hand, picked up a snail shell, and prepared to eat it directly.
Pfft—
Someone across the table burst out laughing.
Su Wan’s grin nearly stretched to the heavens.
As expected—a complete country bumpkin! He didn’t even understand the most basic Western dining etiquette!
“Brother-in-law! You can’t pick it up with your hands! You need the tongs! Oh dear, that’s terribly unhygienic…”
Su Wan exclaimed dramatically, her voice loud enough for half the banquet hall to hear.
Xu Zhiyuan adjusted his glasses, a mocking smile already forming as he prepared to “educate” him.
At that moment—
Smack.
A slender, fair hand gently covered the back of Cheng Beitang’s hand.
It was Su Huaijin.
Stopping his movement, she lifted her head and coldly swept her gaze across the gleeful Su Wan and Xu Zhiyuan, along with everyone else waiting for entertainment.
“Wan’er, you seem very knowledgeable about Western dining etiquette?” she asked calmly.
Su Wan lifted her chin proudly.
“Of course! Brother Zhiyuan and I eat here all the time—”
“But do you know,” Su Huaijin interrupted, a mocking curve appearing on her lips, “that true aristocratic etiquette was never meant to be used to show off or ridicule others?”
As she spoke, she took the snail from Cheng Beitang’s hand, picked up the knife beside her, and with smooth, graceful movements extracted the snail meat perfectly before placing it neatly onto his plate.
“My husband is a soldier. His hands are meant for holding guns, not these embroidery-needle-like tongs.”
Her voice was calm yet powerful.
“He’s used to being direct and straightforward. He doesn’t care for all this superficial nonsense. So what? Does anyone here have a problem with soldiers who defend the country?”
The moment she raised the matter to that level, the entire room fell silent.
Who would dare say they had a problem with soldiers? In that era, the military held supreme status.
Su Wan and Xu Zhiyuan’s expressions darkened instantly. Neither expected Su Huaijin to be so sharp-tongued, turning the entire situation around in just a few sentences.
“Huaijin, you misunderstand. We didn’t mean it that way…” Xu Zhiyuan hurriedly explained.
“Good,” Su Huaijin replied coldly before turning gently to Cheng Beitang. “Beitang, ignore them. Eat however you like. Even if you licked the plate clean, nobody here would dare say a word.”
Looking at the little woman beside him protecting him like a mother hen guarding her chicks, Cheng Beitang’s hard heart softened instantly into a puddle.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Of course he didn’t need her protection.
But the feeling of being defended so fiercely by the woman he loved felt unbelievably good.
Picking up his fork, he calmly speared the snail meat and chewed thoughtfully.
“Mm. Tastes pretty good. Just not enough meat.”
He commented naturally, as though the awkwardness moments earlier had never happened.
This round belonged entirely to Su Huaijin.
Su Wan nearly ground her teeth to dust in fury, but there was nothing she could do.
The banquet continued.
Just as the atmosphere became somewhat stiff—
A sudden commotion erupted near the entrance.
Seven or eight middle-aged and elderly officers in military uniforms entered the hall. Every one of them carried stars on their shoulders.
Leading them was a man with a gleaming golden general’s star—a major general.
These were genuine military big shots, people usually seen only on television news broadcasts.
The younger elites in the banquet hall were stunned. Though they came from influential families, compared to these men, they were insignificant.
Everyone quickly stood up. Even Xu Zhiyuan hurriedly straightened his clothes, preparing to ingratiate himself with the generals.
However—
The group ignored everyone completely and walked straight through the crowd toward the interior of the hall.
Their target was unmistakable.
It was Cheng Beitang, seated quietly in the corner.
Under everyone’s shocked gazes, the major general strode directly to Cheng Beitang’s table.
Seeing him approach, Cheng Beitang calmly set down his utensils, stood up, adjusted his uniform, straightened his posture, and delivered a flawless military salute.
“Greetings, Chief!”
Then—
Something happened that nearly made everyone’s eyes fall out of their sockets.
The major general solemnly returned the salute.
Immediately afterward, he reached out with both hands and firmly gripped Cheng Beitang’s hand, his tone emotional and excited.
“Beitang! It really is you! I thought it looked like you from the doorway! Good lad! It’s only been a few years and you’re already wearing two stars!”
He patted Cheng Beitang’s broad shoulder, his eyes full of admiration.
“You did an excellent job on that massive Southwest border case! I knew giving the toughest mission to the ‘Northwest Lone Wolf’ was the right choice!”
“The Northwest Lone Wolf!”
The moment that codename was spoken, anyone with even basic military knowledge sucked in a sharp breath.
It was a legendary name in military circles—a king among soldiers, famous for fighting the hardest and bloodiest battles, terrifying enemies wherever he went.
So…
Cheng Beitang was the legendary soldier king?!
“You flatter me, Chief. I was only doing my duty.”
Cheng Beitang remained perfectly calm, neither arrogant nor humbled.
“You brat, still as modest as ever!” the major general laughed heartily before turning to Su Huaijin with a kind expression.
“This must be Old Master Su’s granddaughter, right? Wonderful! Truly wonderful! A talented man and a beautiful woman—a perfect match! Beitang here is a man of few words. You’ll have to be patient with him in the future!”
“Greetings, Chief,” Su Huaijin replied gracefully. “Being able to marry him is my blessing.”
The major general looked increasingly pleased. He chatted enthusiastically with Cheng Beitang for quite some time and even personally invited the couple to his home for dinner another day.
Throughout the entire exchange, everyone in the hall—including Su Wan and Xu Zhiyuan—stood frozen like statues, barely daring to breathe.
Especially Xu Zhiyuan.
The polished elite smile that usually adorned his face had completely stiffened.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs position he had always been so proud of meant absolutely nothing before these powerful generals. And the “country bumpkin” he had mocked moments earlier turned out to be a legendary soldier king treated with respect even by top military leaders.
The overwhelming contrast felt like a vicious slap across his face, burning painfully.
Su Wan was even worse. Her face had turned ghostly pale, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.
She had never imagined that the brother-in-law she always despised possessed such terrifying status.
Eventually, the generals finished their conversation and departed.
A deathly silence filled the banquet hall.
Everyone’s attitude toward Cheng Beitang had completely transformed. The earlier disdain and mockery had become reverence, flattery, and even fear.
“Um… Commander Cheng—no, Brother Cheng! I failed to recognize greatness earlier. Please don’t take it to heart! I’ll punish myself with three drinks!”
Young Master Zhang, who had mocked Cheng Beitang earlier, reacted first. He grabbed a wine glass and gulped it down frantically, terrified Cheng Beitang might hold a grudge.
The others quickly followed suit, rushing to toast Cheng Beitang one after another, bowing and flattering shamelessly.
Cheng Beitang didn’t even glance at them.
Instead, he calmly sat back down, picked up his knife and fork, and elegantly cut a piece of steak before placing it onto Su Huaijin’s plate.
“Wife, eat more. You spent so much time talking earlier that your food’s gone cold.”
His voice was so gentle it seemed capable of dripping water, completely different from the cold, imposing tone he used with the generals.
Looking at him, the love in Su Huaijin’s eyes nearly overflowed.
Smiling sweetly, she replied:
“Thank you, husband.”
Holding Cheng Beitang’s arm, she cast a calm glance toward the pale-faced Su Wan and Xu Zhiyuan across from them.
“Wan’er. Xu Zhiyuan.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it made both of them stiffen instantly.
“Tonight’s Western dinner was excellent. Thank you for the hospitality.”
“But next time you invite guests to dinner, you should first learn about their tastes and identities. Otherwise, when you try to imitate elegance and fail, the joke becomes truly embarrassing.”
With that, she completely ignored the clowns around her.
Under everyone’s reverent and envious gazes, she walked away arm-in-arm with the strongest man in the entire room.
Leaving behind nothing but an impossibly cool and elegant silhouette.
That night—
A new legend spread throughout Beijing’s military-compound circles.
The man the Su family’s eldest daughter had married wasn’t some poor soldier at all—
He was a living king of hell that even generals saluted with respect.