After crossing more than half the city, Yuan Xiu finally arrived at her destination. The old man dropped her off at the military compound’s main gate, collected the fare, and didn’t rush off. Instead, he parked by the roadside, watching to see if anyone needed a ride back to the city.
Carrying her luggage and holding the Letter of Introduction, Yuan Xiu mustered her courage and approached the young soldier standing guard at the gate.
“Comrade, I’m here to see Jiang Zhou. This is my Letter of Introduction.”
“You’re looking for Battalion Commander Jiang?” the soldier asked. “May I ask what your relationship is with him?”
Only then did Yuan Xiu learn that Jiang Zhou was actually a battalion commander. He was only twenty-five, and he had only been in the army for a few years. No wonder Yuan Xinmin’s family was so desperate to snatch him away.
“Yes, I’m looking for Battalion Commander Jiang. I’m his fiancée.”
The soldier was stunned. Hadn’t a fiancée of Battalion Commander Jiang just shown up a few days ago? How could there be another one today?
How many fiancées did Battalion Commander Jiang have?
It was then that the soldier realized the person before him looked somewhat familiar—quite similar to the female comrade who had come a few days earlier. He quickly flipped through the registration log from the previous days. “…How can both be Yuan Xiu? Two Yuan Xius?”
The soldier hurriedly made a phone call to report the situation.
Yuan Xiu wasn’t in a rush either, standing at the gate and waiting.
After a while, an even younger soldier ran out from inside. “Comrade Yuan Xiu, please follow me.”
As he spoke, he bent down to pick up the luggage Yuan Xiu had placed by her feet.
“No need, I can carry it myself.”
The young soldier dodged her hand, hoisted the cotton quilt over his shoulder, and carried the rattan suitcase swiftly. Yuan Xiu didn’t have time to be polite and quickly followed him.
Not long after entering the military compound, Yuan Xiu found herself face-to-face with Yuan Juan.
Just moments before, Yuan Juan had been chatting with her only friend, Sister Chunmei, asking when Jiang Zhou would have time to see her. She had even kindly offered to carry the canned goods for Sister Chunmei, planning to visit her home. But the next moment, she saw Yuan Xiu.
Her face instantly turned pale. Her hand went slack, and the canned goods fell to the ground with a loud crash!
“…Tonight, you and Jiang Zhou should come to my house for dinner… Oh my! What happened? How could you be so careless?” Sister Chunmei squatted down anxiously. The canned bottles in the mesh bag had shattered into pieces, the yellowish canned meat mixed with shards of glass lying inside the mesh bag. The sweet juice from the cans had spilled all over the ground, emitting a fragrant aroma.
Yuan Xiu hadn’t noticed Yuan Juan at first, but with such a loud noise, even if she were blind, she would have seen her now.
The moment she saw Yuan Juan’s ghostly expression, she felt delighted!
Her eyes fixed tightly on Yuan Juan, she approached her step by step and asked with a smile, “What a coincidence. What are you doing here?”
Yuan Juan trembled all over in fear, unable to utter a single word in response.
Her mind was now consumed by one thought: How did Yuan Xiu get here? What should she do?
The young soldier who had been guiding Yuan Xiu noticed she hadn’t kept up and stopped, waiting for her at a distance.
Sister Chunmei finally tore her attention away from the shattered cans on the ground and noticed that something was off about ‘Yuan Xiu.’
Only when Yuan Xiu spoke did Sister Chunmei shift her gaze to her. At that moment, she was shocked—how could these two look so alike?
“Yuan Xiu, do you two know each other?” Sister Chunmei asked, addressing Yuan Juan.
Yuan Juan’s face turned even paler, and her eyes pleaded with Yuan Xiu.
Unfortunately, Yuan Xiu did not grant her wish.
“Yuan Xiu? Hah! You’re Yuan Xiu? Then who am I?”
Yuan Juan instinctively retorted, “I don’t know who you are. I am Yuan Xiu.”
Even if Sister Chunmei were foolish, she could now tell something was wrong between the two.
“What’s going on? Do you two know each other or not? From what you’re saying, is she not Yuan Xiu?”
The last question was directed at Yuan Xiu.
Yuan Juan hurriedly pulled Sister Chunmei aside. “Don’t listen to her. I am Yuan Xiu. I’m the real Yuan Xiu. She’s the fake one!”
How ridiculous—the impostor claiming to be the real one.
Sister Chunmei was also confused. ‘Yuan Xiu’s’ face had turned as pale as paper, while the girl who had suddenly appeared didn’t seem to be lying. Looking closely, this girl resembled the person in the photo even more.
“How shameless!” Yuan Juan’s words ignited the anger Yuan Xiu had suppressed for two lifetimes. She stepped forward, raised her arm, and slapped Yuan Juan across the face.
Sister Chunmei instinctively tried to intervene. “Hey, why are you hitting her?”
“Because she deserves it!”
Yuan Xiu stared coldly at Yuan Juan. “I’ve finally witnessed the saying ‘When one has no shame, they are invincible’ today! Coming from your mouth, even white could be twisted into black. How could I have been so blind to think your family was anything good?”
“What have I, Yuan Xiu, ever done to wrong you? After my father passed away, your father took over his job at the commune, secured an iron rice bowl, and moved your whole family to town for a better life. I carried chickens and vegetables from the countryside to your home time and again, only to end up feeding a family of ungrateful wolves!”
“You intercepted my letters halfway, and when you found out the man had good prospects, your family must have been overjoyed, right? Were you especially grateful for looking so much like me? You, Yuan Juan, not only have no shame, but you’ve even abandoned your own name. You traveled thousands of miles under my name, Yuan Xiu, to steal my fiancé. Do you feel particularly accomplished? Do you think you can soar to great heights?”
“Pah! Do you think just because you say you’re Yuan Xiu, you are Yuan Xiu? Even with your skin stripped away, you’re still stubbornly lying here! Calling you shameless is no exaggeration.”
Sister Chunmei: “…” Was her hearing failing her? Her gaze toward Yuan Juan shifted.
Yuan Juan’s face flushed and paled under the scolding. She wasn’t foolish either—if she were truly stupid, she wouldn’t have dared to travel so far alone to steal her cousin’s fiancé.
She reached for Yuan Xiu’s hand, noticing people gathering around, and pleaded pitifully, “Sister, let’s find a private place to talk. How about going to the guesthouse where I’m staying? Please, don’t say these things here.”
Yuan Xiu shook off her hand. “So you still have some shame left? I thought you had none.”
Why go somewhere quiet? She wished more people could see Yuan Juan’s true colors.
In her Previous Life, Yuan Juan had been so glamorous, surrounded by crowds. In This Life, she should walk the same ‘old path’ as before.
Sister Chunmei was pulled aside by someone. “What’s going on? Isn’t this Battalion Commander Jiang’s fiancée? Who is this girl? And why did she slap Battalion Commander Jiang’s fiancée?”
Sister Chunmei had been close by and witnessed everything, so she knew more than those who arrived later. She patted her chest. “It seems the one who came earlier was fake, and this girl is the real one?” She pointed at Yuan Xiu.
“What? So she’s an imposter?” Most military wives had straightforward personalities, and upon hearing this, someone immediately spoke up loudly.
“Someone actually dared to impersonate someone else and come to our military unit! How audacious! Did she really think we wouldn’t recognize her?”
Yuan Xiu turned to look and saw that the military wife who had spoken was quite tall, probably around 1.75 meters, with a cheerful demeanor. She smiled at her.
That military wife smiled back and stepped forward to stand beside Yuan Xiu. “Is she really an imposter?”
Yuan Xiu nodded. “I am Yuan Xiu, Jiang Zhou’s fiancée. This is my cousin Yuan Juan. Their family intercepted the letter Jiang Zhou wrote to me and had Yuan Juan bring it, using my name to meet Jiang Zhou.”
With just a few words, Yuan Xiu explained the situation clearly. Everyone looked at Yuan Juan with disdain, and those with fiery tempers pointed at her and began to scold her.
Among the military dependents, most were wives from rural areas, and their insults were harsh, causing Yuan Juan to retreat several steps in panic.
Yuan Juan was utterly flustered and could only mutter, “It’s not like that, don’t believe her. I’m the real one, I am Yuan Xiu. I have a Letter of Introduction.”
Her words were stubborn, but the guilt on her face betrayed her lies, making people look down on her even more.
Compared to Yuan Xiu, who initially seemed to resemble her, now it was clear—they were nothing alike.
One was timid and shrinking, while the other was natural and poised—their temperaments were entirely different.