In the pouring rain, a military jeep splashed water onto Song Xuezhi’s calves. She hurriedly stepped back, and suddenly a black umbrella opened above her head. A military overcoat carrying the faint scent of pine was draped over her.
“Comrade Song?”
A deep voice cut through the rain. She wiped the wet hair stuck to her face and looked up.
The young officer had sharp, striking features, but his gaze beyond the umbrella was colder than the rain itself.
“Chief… Chief of Staff, why are you here?” she shivered slightly, instinctively clutching the coat tighter.
Li Chengyuan’s eyes paused on her slightly bluish lips, his brows furrowing.
“Get in the car first.” He placed the umbrella handle into her icy hand, then opened the back door. “I was passing by. Where are you going?”
“No need,” Song Xuezhi hurriedly said. “I’m going home. It’s just ahead—only a few steps.”
But the rain grew heavier. Li Chengyuan still insisted she get in.
The back seat of the jeep was warm, the heater running strongly. Wrapped in his coat that still carried his body heat, she heard the driver ask from the front:
“Chief, where to next?”
Li Chengyuan looked at her. “Do you live in the military compound in the county?”
She shook her head and pointed ahead. “I live at the red-brick building at the entrance of Huinan Road, Alley 67.”
She said “just a few steps,” but it was actually about two kilometers—twenty minutes on foot.
Li Chengyuan instructed the driver to head in that direction.
Perhaps feeling the car was too quiet, he unbuttoned his collar. Through the rain-streaked window, his profile appeared and disappeared in alternating light and shadow.
He was only twenty-eight, yet already the youngest division-level chief of staff in the entire army. His shirt collar was slightly open, revealing a jagged scar at his collarbone.
Song Xuezhi suddenly remembered a rumor from her dream of the future.
Before Zhou Weidong was transferred out of the army, it was this very Chief of Staff Li who personally led the investigation and demoted him from battalion commander to an ordinary soldier, stripping away part of his retirement benefits.
As the saying goes—an enemy’s enemy is a friend.
With that thought, she felt she absolutely had to “befriend” this chief of staff properly.
A division-level chief of staff was commonly referred to as a “third-ranking chief” in the army.
Following the driver, she changed her address:
“Chief, have you eaten?”
“You planning to treat me?” Li Chengyuan glanced at her calmly.
“Mm.” She noticed a state-owned restaurant ahead and said a little awkwardly, “Since we ran into each other today… and you did help me…”
She had money and meal coupons on her, so she wanted to treat him to repay the favor.
“No rush. Tomorrow,” he said. “You haven’t eaten yet?”
She wasn’t used to such a high-ranking officer casually chatting with her and nodded.
Li Chengyuan asked the driver to stop, then went into the state-owned restaurant and packed a portion of dumplings.
Song Xuezhi quickly waved her hands. “No need, Chief! I can cook something myself when I get back.”
“Take it,” he said, placing the lunchbox into her hands. After a pause, he added, “Zhou Weidong is one of my subordinates. I don’t approve of what he did—it also reflects poorly on the army’s image. Military marriage is not a trivial matter. On behalf of him, I apologize. If you have any difficulties, you can go to Commander Lu, or come to me.”
Since it was framed as official concern, refusing further would seem inappropriate.
She accepted it carefully. “Thank you.”
She genuinely felt that Chief Li was a good person.
Li Chengyuan, unaware he had just been given a “good person card,” remained silent.
When the car slowly entered a remote, dilapidated alley, his expression turned colder.
“Does Zhou Weidong let you live here? Didn’t the organization assign him a marriage apartment?”
If he remembered correctly, there had recently been a robbery case in this area.
This was a chaotic, suburban fringe district with poor safety.
Normally, a fiancée coming from afar to marry a soldier would stay in the military compound or guest housing.
Song Xuezhi said bitterly, “He gave the marriage apartment to his sister.”
Li Chengyuan had nothing to say.
At this moment, he even felt a faint sense of relief that he had approved the cancellation of her marriage application.
“In that case, he should at least arrange for you to stay in the guesthouse under official registration. The conditions there are better,” he said slowly.
But military family guesthouses still cost money! In her mind, he seemed a little unaware of real life.
“Only a few days of free guesthouse stay per year are allowed for officers at his rank. He already used them all for his sister,” she replied.
Li Chengyuan: “…”
The car stopped downstairs for a while.
The driver sat quietly, but inwardly felt surprised—this was the first time he had ever seen Chief Li meddling in someone else’s personal affairs like this.
“Go on up. Be careful,” Li Chengyuan finally said.
“Alright. Thank you so much for today…”
She quickly got out of the car.
Before leaving, she had already neatly folded his military coat and placed it on the seat.
Li Chengyuan watched her hurried figure disappear, then unconsciously touched his own face.
Was he that frightening?
In truth, she wasn’t afraid of him as a person—just instinctively intimidated by someone of his rank and authority.
When she entered the building, the landlady downstairs glanced at the car and said sourly:
“Girl, marrying a military officer sure is nice, huh? Even gets you a car ride home in the rain.”
She thought to herself that it was only because of the chief’s favor.
Someone like Zhou Weidong wouldn’t have the privilege of using a car.
But she didn’t explain and just smiled before going upstairs.
After finishing the dumplings, the rain outside had mostly stopped.
After learning that Zhou Weidong had gone to the provincial city with Zhou Yuwei and her son and wouldn’t return that night, she decided to go to the military compound to deal with her dowry furniture and belongings.
She couldn’t let those things fall into the hands of that brother-sister pair.
As for Zhou Weidong, he had already used two of his three wedding leave days on them… maybe he never truly wanted to marry her in the first place.
Thinking of this, she once again laughed at herself for being foolish.
At the military compound, she entered somewhat unfamiliar territory. Passing military wives looked at her curiously.
She rarely came here, so most of them recognized Zhou Yuwei but not her.
To avoid trouble, she explained:
“I’m Zhou Weidong’s former fiancée. We’ve just called off the engagement. I’m here to take my things.”
“What?! You broke off the engagement with Battalion Commander Zhou? Why?” a military wife exclaimed, her voice immediately drawing attention from everyone nearby.