“We are at the military base right now. Be serious from now on, and address me properly!” Ruan Jingsheng said with a cold face.
“Yes, Commander!” Shan Chengming gave a playful, mischievous salute.
Everyone else was terrified of Ruan Jingsheng, but Shan Chengming wasn’t. After all, they had grown up together. Even if the man gave him the cold shoulder, Shan Chengming always managed to warm up to him anyway.
Chatting along the way, the two walked toward the Political Commissar’s office.
Passing right by them, Yue Xianzhi caught Shan Chengming calling Ruan Jingsheng “Commander” and realized this was the newly appointed Chief.
He immediately offered a bootlicking salute and yelled out loud, “Greetings, Commander!”
Ruan Jingsheng gave a lukewarm nod and strode past him.
Startled by Yue Xianzhi’s sudden outburst, Shan Chengming couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “Where’d this big idiot come from? Scared the living daylights out of me.”
The two entered Political Commissar Zhou’s office directly. Zhou Xingguo stood up right away and welcomed Ruan Jingsheng with a face full of smiles. “Welcome to your first day on the job, Commander.”
He invited them to sit on the sofa and poured freshly brewed tea.
Ruan Jingsheng had always been polite to his elders. A subtle smile touched his lips. “Thank you, Commissar Zhou. As your junior, feel free to just call me Jingsheng in private.”
“Alright, Jingsheng. Have you moved into the old commander’s residence yet? How is it? Is there anything you need me to arrange for you?” Zhou Xingguo asked caringly.
“Commander Shan has already taken care of my living arrangements. Thank you for your concern,” Ruan Jingsheng replied warmly.
“Commander Shan, you and Jingsheng really are inseparable—wherever one goes, the other follows,” Zhou Xingguo remarked warmly.
Shan Chengming rubbed his nose and grinned. “Of course! Jingsheng and I are like two peas in a pod—can’t have one without the other.”
Ruan Jingsheng shot him a look, his eyes brimming with quiet disdain.
Shan Chengming smirked and quickly changed his tune: “Heh, I mean I can’t live without our dear Commander!”
“Commander Shan sure knows how to joke, haha~” Zhou Xingguo chuckled along.
Remembering the stunning glimpse he caught in the hallway, Shan Chengming asked, “Commissar Zhou, who was that female comrade who just left your office?”
Commissar Zhou answered truthfully, “She’s Mu Zhaozhao, the wife of Deputy Battalion Commander Yue Xianzhi. Yue Xianzhi left right after her—did you run into them?”
“Ah! Such a gorgeous woman is actually married to that big idiot? What a waste!” Shan Chengming lamented with deep regret.
“Big idiot?” Zhou Xingguo was confused, but continued anyway, “Though she won’t be his wife for much longer. They came today specifically to submit their divorce application.”
“Divorcing? That’s fantastic!” Shan Chengming almost jumped up in joy.
Ruan Jingsheng glared directly at him. Shan Chengming instantly pulled back his smile, choking back his laughter so hard he broke into a cough.
Ruan Jingsheng looked toward Zhou Xingguo and shifted the topic. “Commissar Zhou, although today is my first day on duty, I have official military business that requires me to trip to Shanghai. I’ll have to trouble you to oversee the affairs of the Changxing Island Military District for a while.”
Zhou Xingguo smiled. “It’s no trouble at all, Jingsheng. Go handle your mission with peace of mind. Once you return, I’ll organize a proper welcome assembly for your official appointment.”
“Sounds good,” Ruan Jingsheng nodded.
Meanwhile, having wrapped up her affairs here, Mu Zhaozhao planned to head back to Shanghai.
That ungrateful family of three was still waiting for her back home to deal with them, and the fortune left behind by her grandfather certainly couldn’t be handed over to outsiders.
She went straight to purchase a boat ticket at Changxing Island and set off by ship that very night.
Having just reclaimed 1,800 yuan from Yue Xianzhi, Mu Zhaozhao wasn’t short on cash, so she bought a ticket for a high-end sleeper cabin. The private room-style cabin gave her a restful night’s sleep.
Just as dawn broke and the ship was about to dock, a frantic scream sounded outside her door: “Ah! There’s a thief on board! Help, somebody catch the thief!”
As a model youth raised under the red flag and nurtured in the spring breeze, Mu Zhaozhao stepped up without hesitation, rushing out of her cabin to help catch the thief.
A gray figure was frantically weaving through the cabin corridor while a plump woman was slapping her thighs in distress.
Seeing this, Mu Zhaozhao casually tossed an enamel mug. It hit the thief precisely on the back of his calf.
In her previous life, she had practiced Taekwondo and kickboxing in her spare time, making a small-time thief a piece of cake to handle.
Blinded-sided by the attack, the thief turned around and saw a young woman, glaring at Mu Zhaozhao viciously.
Mu Zhaozhao rolled up her sleeves, unfazed. As if her fiery temper would ever tolerate being threatened!
She was just about to go three hundred rounds with the thief when, before she could even step forward, a tall male figure surged in front of the thief. He delivered a stunning sidekick right into the thief’s chest.
For a thief daring enough to rob a ship, he actually possessed some martial arts skills himself.
Taking a step back, he tried to fight back, but his moves were like amateur child’s play before the man.
In less than two moves, the tall man subdued him, pinning his arms behind his back, and called out, “Guard! When we dock, hand him over to the police station.”
With that, he searched the thief, retrieved a wallet, and handed it to the plump woman. “Check if any money is missing.”
The woman took the wallet, opened it to check, and shook her head. “Nothing’s missing! Thank you so much, good comrade! What’s your name? Where do you work? I’d like to send a thank-you letter to your unit!”
Because he was on a secret mission, Ruan Jingsheng was wearing a casual suit today, so no one realized he was a military officer.
Mu Zhaozhao watched the entire scene unfold. Impressed by the man’s dashing good looks and formidable martial arts skills, she initiated a round of applause.
Seeing her start, the surrounding onlookers joined in, clapping enthusiastically.
Shan Chengming walked up to Ruan Jingsheng and said proudly, “My brother does good deeds anonymously. No need to be so polite!”
Ruan Jingsheng gave a polite nod, said nothing, and strode away, hiding his fame and achievements.
Mu Zhaozhao watched his departing back, her lips curving into a faint smile. This man has great qualities all around—he’d make pretty good boyfriend material.
In her past life as the youngest female academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, she hadn’t even had time to get a boyfriend.
How about giving it a try with him in this life?
Then again, recalling what happened that night, her waist still ached faintly even now.
On second thought… forget it! He’s way too much to handle!
After docking, Mu Zhaozhao headed straight to the train station to buy another sleeper ticket.
Travel was painfully slow in this era; going back to Shanghai required both a boat ride and a train trip—so inefficient.
When she had time in the future, she would definitely dedicate herself to scientific research and speed up the pace of technological development in the country.
After boarding the train and locating her berth, Mu Zhaozhao was just about to sit down when she saw Ruan Jingsheng sitting opposite her, completely expressionless.
She gasped internally: Talk about quite a coincidence! Running into him again.
“Hey there! What a coincidence meeting you again!” Shan Chengming poked his head down from the upper berth, eagerly greeting Mu Zhaozhao as if afraid she might run away.
Mu Zhaozhao looked up toward the voice, only to see a head dangling upside down, scaring her half to death.
Stumbling backward onto her berth, she smiled weakly, “Am I supposed to know you?”
An “interesting” soul like that… best left unacquainted!