The young officer was named Qin Muyang.
He was very tall, standing at nearly 1.9 meters.
With bronze skin and cold, sharp features, the aura he radiated was chillier than the depths of winter, cutting through the refinement of his handsome face. Because he looked so forbidding, even the passing female soldiers shrunk back, not daring to look at him, let alone approach.
He cast a faint glance toward the commotion. “You’re getting on in years, yet you’re still such a gossip.”
Keeping his back straight, he took a step with his long legs, intending to leave. But for some reason, he stole another glance in that direction.
With just that one look, he found himself unable to move.
“Is Liu Guoqiang’s wife named Mu Xiaocao?”
“Yeah,” the middle-aged officer, Shao Mingqiang, replied.
Then, Shao Mingqiang saw something incredible. He actually saw the habitually stoic and cold Qin Muyang’s icy expression melt as the corners of his mouth quirked up slightly.
It was like seeing a ghost.
Everyone knew that Qin Muyang was famous throughout the Northern Military Region for his cold nature and explosive temper. Even Commander Qin, the Commander of the district, was forced to exercise restraint and patience when dealing with him.
As for the veterans, none of them dared to meet the kid’s gaze. The aura of menace he carried was legendary in the army, forged from life-and-death struggles in enemy territory.
Qin Muyang’s fame was known in every Military Region across the country. But he insisted on staying in the Northern Military Region without budging. Everyone knew he should have been promoted long ago, yet for some reason, he chose to stay here, radiating coldness all day.
He was a native of Beijing, and his background was deep.
Only Commander Qin was happy about it. As long as Qin Muyang was there, their Military District was guaranteed to take first place in the National Military Region Grand Competition every year.
Even though Qin Muyang showed everyone a cold face, no one in the entire Military District dared to provoke him—not even their Commander.
Qin Muyang spent very little time at the base; most of the time, he was out on missions. He would likely only stay for a couple of days before having to leave again.
Two more female soldiers stole a glance at Qin Muyang, then hurriedly lowered their eyes and hurried away.
Captain Qin is really wasting those good looks, they thought. A man like that is not someone to marry. Look at that fierce, predatory look—he might even hit his wife.
Qin Muyang stood fixed, watching Mu Xiaocao as she refused to yield an inch, baring her long-hidden claws before Liu Guoqiang.
The mole on her earlobe overlapped with the little girl in his memory.
“Little brother, are you hungry? Eat these wild berries, they’re really sweet.”
“Little brother, here, I picked these wild duck eggs from the riverbank for you to eat.”
“Little brother, can you not leave? I don’t want you to go.”
“If they hit you or scold you, just come back. I’ll farm to support you…”
That day, he had left in a car. She had chased after the vehicle for a long time.
That year, he was fifteen, and she was ten.
Until the dust kicked up by the car’s tail obscured his vision…
Fire burned in Liu Guoqiang’s eyes. “Mu Xiaocao, can you stop being so unreasonable? Can’t we talk about this back home?”
“No,” Mu Xiaocao said decisively.
By now, a crowd had gathered around them. She didn’t notice that someone was watching her with an intense gaze from not far away.
“Some things are better said clearly to your face. We have been married for three years, and to this day, we have not even consummated our marriage. I don’t know how much your monthly salary is, but the most I ever receive is five yuan. You refused to let me join the military as a spouse, yet you spend every day stuck to Hu Lili. I know you love her—you’ve loved her for years. If it weren’t for your parents thinking the family needed someone like me, you never would have married me.”
“Liu Guoqiang, I’ve had enough of days filled with longing followed by disappointment. I don’t want this life anymore. I want a divorce.”
With that, Mu Xiaocao dropped the willow branch in her hand and walked toward the compound gates with her head down.
“Oh my, what is all this? A Military Wife has it hard enough at the rear, taking care of the old and young and working in the fields. But this man—he’s out there pursuing a new flame while expecting his wife to stay loyal at home? Isn’t that a sin?”
“It’s true, Hu Lili and Company Commander Liu do spend too much time together.”
“What kind of woman would like her man giving his money to another woman? Tsk tsk, giving Hu Lili dozens a month while his wife gets less than five. Company Commander Liu, you really handled this poorly.”
“Well, Hu Lili is the Regimental Flower of the Cultural and Artistic Troupe, after all. She’s beautiful, can sing and dance—with one sway of those hips, what man wouldn’t get confused?”
“Speaking of which, Company Commander Liu is quite handsome, while Mu Xiaocao is dark-skinned and uneducated. She really doesn’t match him. Her bringing up the divorce shows she has some self-awareness.”
“What are you saying? Regardless, Company Commander Liu married her, so he shouldn’t have neglected her. And no matter how excellent Hu Lili is, she shouldn’t be so obvious about chasing a married man.”
…
Seeing the people around them pointing and whispering at Hu Lili, she looked aggrieved with tears in her eyes. Liu Guoqiang’s chest heaved with rage.
He started to chase after Mu Xiaocao. He had to drag her back to apologize to Lili. He never actually intended to divorce her. If they divorced, what would happen to his parents in the countryside? What would happen to his simple-minded brother?
“Liu Guoqiang!” someone called out.
Liu Guoqiang stopped in his tracks and looked back. It was Commissar Wang.
Commissar Wang frowned at the chaotic scene and led him back to the office.
“What on earth are you doing? Why did you push Mu Xiaocao to the point where she’s demanding a divorce?” Commissar Wang looked at Liu Guoqiang with disappointment.
Liu Guoqiang’s mind was filled with the word “divorce.” His chest burned with a rage he couldn’t vent. After a long silence, he squeezed out a few words through his teeth.
“If she wants a divorce, then fine! Let’s divorce!”
When the time came, her regret wouldn’t matter!
“You! You’re so sharp in every other way, so how can you be so muddled when it comes to personal matters? You’re being righteous and helping a fallen comrade’s widow—that’s beyond reproach. But there must be boundaries between men and women! You are Mu Xiaocao’s husband, not Hu Lili’s man! You two are seen together every day, pulling and pushing; never mind Mu Xiaocao, even I can’t stand to look at it. She’s a woman—just go and coax her back. That Divorce Application…”
“I’ll submit the Divorce Application tomorrow.”
Since she dared to humiliate him in front of everyone, he would take the initiative to hand in the application. Once the matter blew up, he’d see how she tried to fix it!
Hearing this, Commissar Wang immediately shut his mouth. He had thought Mu Xiaocao’s request was just a spur-of-the-moment whim. Looking at it now, there was no longer any need for mediation between these two. Why should he waste his breath?
However, there were still things that needed to be said clearly.
“Guoqiang, you are excellent in all regards. But once that Divorce Application is submitted, there’s no going back.”