"Su Manqing! Are you an idiot? Don't you know to find shelter when it's raining?"
Hearing that familiar fiery voice, Su Manqing couldn't help but feel her eyes welling up.
"Huo… Yuanzheng…"
She grabbed the man's arm like a homeless stray cat, looking utterly pitiful.
"Don't give me that crap!"
Huo Yuanzheng's tone was fierce as he tried to pull his arm away.
But Su Manqing had finally waited for him—how could she possibly let go?
Not only did she not release him, but as if afraid he might suddenly leave, she wrapped her arms tightly around his arm.
"Huo Yuanzheng, I'm sorry! I know I was wrong! I don't want a divorce!"
The soft curves of her body pressed firmly against his arm, and Huo Yuanzheng's expression turned extremely unpleasant!
"Su Manqing, what kind of trick are you trying to pull now? You were the one who wanted the divorce. I've already submitted the report, and now you're telling me you regret it?"
Huo Yuanzheng's voice seemed to be squeezed through gritted teeth!
"I… I'm not playing any tricks. I don't want a divorce anymore. I regret it. Can you withdraw the report?"
Su Manqing's voice trembled with tears. Her porcelain-white face, battered by the heavy rain, looked so pale it seemed as if it might shatter at any moment!
"Damn it! Do I owe you or something?"
Huo Yuanzheng was so angry he seemed on the verge of exploding! He grabbed her arm and dragged her toward the military unit.
The man was tall and long-legged, and in his fury, Su Manqing couldn't keep up with his pace. She could only stumble along in a clumsy jog, struggling to follow!
Yang Jianshe stared in shock at Huo Yuanzheng and the female comrade he was dragging along.
Hadn't Battalion Commander Huo said he was going to send her far away? He even said her presence outside would cause a very bad influence.
So what was going on now?
But he didn't dare ask or pry. He simply obediently registered the information for this famously hot-tempered battalion commander.
Su Manqing didn't dare ask or make a sound either.
She only clung tightly to his clothes, as if holding onto a lifeline.
Yang Jianshe quickly finished the registration.
Huo Yuanzheng took a piece of oilcloth from who-knows-where, draped it over Su Manqing's head, and dragged her with long strides toward the military guesthouse.
Su Manqing held onto his clothes with one hand and the oilcloth with the other, unable to manage both, looking even more disheveled.
Fortunately, the guesthouse wasn't far.
Conditions on the island were harsh. Not only were the barracks simple and crude, but even the guesthouse was just a row of single-story houses.
After completing another round of registration, Huo Yuanzheng led her to one of the rooms.
The door creaked open, revealing a pitch-black interior where nothing could be seen.
With a click, a dim yellow light bulb flickered to life.
Perhaps due to unstable voltage, the bulb's light wavered between bright and dim.
Once inside the room, Huo Yuanzheng pulled his hand free from her grasp.
"Speak. What are you trying to do now?"
Huo Yuanzheng crossed his arms, his gaze cold as he stared at her!
Su Manqing felt somewhat awkward.
How could she tell him that she'd had a terrifying nightmare, that she could foresee the future, and that was why she had come to reconcile with him?
Lowering her head, she mumbled in a muffled voice.
"I just regret it. I don't want a divorce."
"Hah…"
Huo Yuanzheng sneered.
"If you don't tell me the truth, I'm leaving. Tomorrow, you get the hell back to Jingshi!"
With that, he turned to leave!
Su Manqing's heart instantly panicked! Without thinking, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist!
"Don't go!"
Her soft, boneless body pressed tightly against his back. If this had happened in the past, Huo Yuanzheng would have been overjoyed to the point of madness.
But at this moment, his face was ashen with rage!
"Su Manqing! What exactly do you want? Is it fun to mess with me?"
Wasn't she the one who complained about him being crude and lacking romance? He had finally managed to return home, yet she hadn't given him a single kind look.
Huo Yuanzheng had endured all of that.
But what she absolutely should not have done—what she should never have done—was get on Lu Sinian's bicycle right in front of him! And then claim that he wasn't even worth one strand of Lu Sinian's hair, trampling his dignity into the dirt!
Those harsh words still echoed in his ears, and now she was telling him she regretted it?
Su Manqing also knew just how terribly she had acted ten days ago.
But whenever she thought of the scenes from her dream, she couldn't help trembling.
She couldn't return to Jingshi!
Going back to Jingshi would mean certain death for her!
At this thought, she released her arms from around him.
Huo Yuanzheng mocked himself inwardly for being an idiot, allowing her to humiliate him again and again!
His face dark, he turned away without looking back and said coldly, "I have things to attend to. You can go back by yourself tomorrow."
With that, he strode toward the door with his long legs!
But before he could reach it, suddenly, his waist was embraced again by those soft, delicate hands!
Huo Yuanzheng raised his hand, about to pull her arms away.
But he abruptly realized that the sensation under his palm felt off!
Without the barrier of fabric, the woman's skin felt like tender tofu—fine and silky smooth.
This discovery instantly flushed Huo Yuanzheng's face bright red!
"Su Manqing, what are you doing?"
His furious voice seemed to be squeezed out from between clenched teeth! He roughly pulled her hands away!
But the next second, the woman's soft body burrowed directly into his embrace!
A fleeting glimpse—that radiantly white skin dazzled his eyes painfully!
"Don't go! Huo Yuanzheng! Don't leave!"
Su Manqing had no other options left.
She knew Huo Yuanzheng craved her body. If she ever gave in even once, he would be desperate to keep her from leaving the house!
This was also why she was so afraid of him!
Too shameful! Too brazen!
But compared to her life, none of that mattered anymore. She wanted to survive!
She didn't want to be sent down to the countryside, nor did she want to marry those lecherous old widowers!
"Damn it! Who do you think I am?"
Huo Yuanzheng was furious!
One moment she refused to eat just to divorce him, and the next she came to the military unit to seduce him?
If he paid her any attention today, he'd be a dog!
Huo Yuanzheng coldly pried her hands from his waist.
Su Manqing's face paled with fear.
Panicked, she wrapped her arms around his neck again and pressed her red lips to his.
"Yuanzheng, I'm sorry, don't be angry…"
As she spoke, she clumsily kissed his lips.
With a "boom," Huo Yuanzheng's mind went blank.
When he regained his senses, he clenched his teeth and pushed her away with difficulty.
Then, flustered, he grabbed the blanket from the bed and wrapped her up in it.
Wrapped tightly, Su Manqing's face was as pale as a ghost.
Did he… really not want her anymore?
But why had he come looking for her in her dream? For her sake, he had even been sentenced to death in the end.
Were those dreams all false?
Her hands clutching the blanket tightly, she looked like a helpless stray cat.
Lost and pitiful.
"I understand. I'm sorry for disturbing you. I'll go back tomorrow."
Lowering her eyes, she whispered softly.
She shouldn't have come to find him.
Dreams were dreams, and reality was reality.
In reality, she had broken his heart, and he would never forgive her again!