After Su Nanzhi said this, seeing Qin Lie’s eyes widen as he wheeled himself toward her, she closed her eyes and fainted again.
The onlookers were all startled.
“Oh dear, Qin Lie’s fiancée has been beaten to death.”
“She’s not dead, she’s still breathing. Hurry up and take her to the hospital.”
…
Gu Xizhou had originally planned to leave, but seeing Nanzhi collapse again, he—being the only man present who could walk—became the obvious choice to carry Su Nanzhi to the infirmary.
Gu Xizhou thought about using the same trick of pressing her philtrum to wake Su Nanzhi, but upon seeing that her philtrum was already swollen, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
In the end, under the urging of the military wives’ chatter, he had no choice but to carry Su Nanzhi on his back.
The softness of the woman pressed tightly against Gu Xizhou’s back, her two slender arms draped over his broad shoulders, and a faint, elusive fragrance of flowers drifted toward him.
Gu Xizhou’s body stiffened, and his hand gripping the woman’s thigh tightened involuntarily.
Perhaps the force was too great, for the woman let out a soft murmur, her breath brushing against his ear. Gu Xizhou felt his ear burn with a searing heat.
This was the first time he had ever been this close to a woman.
Sure enough, women were soft and limp—better to keep his distance.
Fortunately, he had already resolved never to marry in this lifetime, dedicating his life to the army.
The strange look Su Nanzhi had given him surfaced in his mind. Gu Xizhou took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and quickened his pace as he carried Su Nanzhi toward the infirmary.
Half an hour later.
“The patient is currently experiencing headaches and nausea. A concussion cannot be ruled out, so she needs to stay under observation.”
Political Commissar Zhu listened to the doctor’s words with a furrowed brow, unable to resist shooting a glare at Qin Lie beside him before forcing a smile and turning to Su Nanzhi, who lay on the hospital bed.
At this moment, Su Nanzhi’s forehead was wrapped in gauze, her sallow, thin face utterly devoid of color.
Even Political Commissar Zhu, who was accustomed to barking orders at the soldiers under his command, couldn’t help but soften his tone.
“Little Su, you can’t say such things about dissolving the engagement out of anger. Zhao Xue is the widow of Qin Lie’s comrade Zhou Qiang. That’s why Qin Lie has been so attentive to her and Little Bao. If you do this, it will affect Qin Lie’s reputation—won’t that hold back his future development?”
Once word of such a scandal about improper personal conduct spread, Qin Lie could forget about any future promotions.
He just hoped Su Nanzhi would take the out he was offering and not blow things out of proportion.
Hearing Political Commissar Zhu’s words, Su Nanzhi curled the corner of her mouth.
She wasn’t afraid of holding back Qin Lie’s development—she was afraid he’d still have a future at all.
Just now, after she’d spoken of canceling the engagement, she’d felt dizzy from the surge of emotion.
Though she could have held on, she’d closed her eyes anyway.
First, to get medical attention sooner; second, of course, to make the matter of canceling the engagement as big as possible.
Sure enough, after just half an hour of dozing, the commissar in charge of ideological work had come to see her.
The military wives should have already spread the gossip that “Qin Lie’s country fiancée wants to break off the engagement because of his ambiguous relationship with Zhao Xue.”
“You can’t say such things just because a female comrade has gotten a bit close to Qin Lie.”
Political Commissar Zhu didn’t forget to offer a sweetener after the stick.
“Of course, if you can produce evidence, our unit will also seriously deal with Qin Lie’s improper conduct.”
Hearing Political Commissar Zhu’s words, Su Nanzhi wasn’t surprised in the least.
At this point, Qin Lie and Zhao Xue’s relationship was merely ambiguous—nothing overtly inappropriate had happened.
At most, Qin Lie would be criticized for not knowing where his loyalties lay. And if she canceled the engagement, it might even play right into Qin Lie’s hands.
Su Nanzhi looked at Qin Lie’s indignant, wronged expression, then turned red-rimmed eyes to Political Commissar Zhu and said firmly, “Then have Qin Lie discharged from the army and sent back to the countryside.”
At these words, Qin Lie, who had been sulking silently in the corner with a dark face, could no longer hold back. “Su Nanzhi, if you want to go crazy, go back to your hometown and do it…”
Su Nanzhi didn’t spare Qin Lie a single glance. She merely trembled, as if frightened by him, and looked at Political Commissar Zhu with a pitiful expression.
Political Commissar Zhu, who had been about to scold Su Nanzhi, looked at her and ultimately suppressed his anger. He first reprimanded Qin Lie, then said to Su Nanzhi, “Isn’t it good to serve in the army? Qin Lie is now a deputy battalion commander, earning 60 yuan a month. Some families in the countryside don’t even make 60 yuan in a whole year.”
In these times, joining the army was an honor that brought glory to an entire village—no one had ever heard of someone leaving the army without illness or reason.
Hearing Political Commissar Zhu’s words, Su Nanzhi felt nothing but scorn. In her previous life, although Qin Lie received a monthly allowance of 60 yuan, he only sent 10 or even 5 yuan back to the countryside each month. She’d thought his allowance wasn’t much, but later she learned that he’d been subsidizing Zhao Xue with the rest.
She’d complained about it, but all she got in return was Qin Lie calling her petty and the Qin family saying she was extravagant with money.
This life, she had no intention of being that fool again.
Su Nanzhi put on a shocked expression. “That’s impossible. Qin Lie sends 10 yuan home every month. His mother even complained that joining the army wasn’t as good as coming back to the village to be a teacher—sure, a teacher’s salary is only 20 yuan, but at least he’d be home to take care of the family.”
“If his monthly allowance is really 60 yuan as you say, then where did the other 50 yuan go? He must be spending it on some woman outside.”
By the time she delivered that last line, Su Nanzhi’s tone was already full of certainty.
Political Commissar Zhu didn’t catch the sarcasm in her words. He only thought about what the soldiers’ wives had just said, and his expression darkened.
Qin Lie was a soldier—he wore military-issued clothes almost all 365 days of the year and ate at the mess hall. Naturally, he couldn’t spend much in a month.
Zhao Xue, on the other hand, was just a temporary worker at the military cafeteria. But since Zhou Qiang’s death, her spending on food and clothing hadn’t decreased—if anything, it had gotten better.
His own wife had muttered to him a few times that Zhao Xue, no longer having to take care of a husband, looked much younger.
Qin Lie heard Su Nanzhi’s words. If not for the injury on his leg, he probably would have jumped to his feet.
“Su Nanzhi, you haven’t even married into my family yet. Don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong. My money is mine to spend however I want.”
“Zhao Xue is my fallen comrade’s widow. Even if I were the worst kind of person, I know the principle that you don’t take advantage of a friend’s wife.”
The more Qin Lie spoke, the more righteous he felt. Finally, his gaze landed on Gu Xizhou, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, resting. A flicker of jealousy passed through his eyes, and he said sourly, “Besides, I’m not the only one in the unit who looks after a comrade’s widow. Battalion Commander Gu has even adopted several of his fallen comrades’ children.”
Gu Xizhou slowly opened his eyes. He hadn’t expected this fire to spread to him. He should have just left after carrying the unconscious Su Nanzhi to the hospital earlier.
Su Nanzhi hadn’t expected Qin Lie to be this shameless and this lacking in self-awareness…
“Qin Lie, have you gone stupid from being in the army? Your mother has been bedridden for years, your father has bad legs, and your sister is still young.”
Su Nanzhi’s words tore away Qin Lie’s last shred of cover.
“You think you can compare yourself to Battalion Commander Gu? If you had his family background and his circumstances, and you adopted a hundred widows and children of fallen comrades, I, Su Nanzhi, wouldn’t say a single word.”