“He’s right over there,” Shen Xiangdong said excitedly, pointing ahead.
Leaning against a red brick wall stood Ji Yanchuan.
This time, he had changed out of his military uniform and was wearing a white shirt and black trousers. Without the uniform, he seemed less untouchably restrained, his temperament appearing fresh and clean. Yet his posture remained as straight and upright as a poplar tree.
When those thin single-lidded eyes lifted to look at someone, they were still breathtakingly intimidating.
Shen Yueliang forced a smile and didn’t dare meet his gaze.
Guilty.
Shen Xiangdong failed to notice the unusual atmosphere between his sister and this comrade.
“Yueliang, this is the Battalion Commander Ji I was just talking about. You’ll ride back with him later. Don’t worry, Commander Ji isn’t a bad person.”
Shen Yueliang’s stiff lips twitched.
“I know.”
How could he be a bad person?
If anything, in Ji Yanchuan’s eyes, she was the liar. The bad person.
Ji Yanchuan slowly walked over.
The closer he came, the more overwhelming the pressure became.
Shen Yueliang’s legs started trembling.
It wasn’t that she was weak.
It was that he was too strong.
“Well then, you two talk. I’ll go prepare some food for the road and get last month’s allowance. Since you’re here, help me take it home to Mom.”
Shen Xiangdong ran off without a worry, even shooting Ji Yanchuan a grateful look that clearly said I’m counting on you.
Ji Yanchuan nodded politely.
With her head lowered, Shen Yueliang didn’t notice that her second brother’s walking posture seemed slightly off.
Once he left, only the two of them remained.
Shen Yueliang stood awkwardly in place.
Her eyes darted around before finally settling on Ji Yanchuan.
“Um… Commander Ji, I…”
She had intended to explain.
But after thinking about it, she gave up.
What was there to explain?
A lie was a lie.
“I’m sorry! Every bit of this is my fault!”
If you made a mistake, you admitted it.
If you got beaten, you stood at attention!
“And you think one apology is enough?”
Ji Yanchuan stared at the young woman before him. His voice was even sharper in his anger.
“I don’t know what your purpose was for insisting on seeing your brother, but you should never have used such a clumsy lie to deceive others. More importantly, you should never have used a soldier’s safety as a bargaining chip to achieve your goal!”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Shen Yueliang hurriedly admitted her fault.
After all, she really had lied.
“Please show mercy, Commander, and give me a chance to correct my mistake. When I get back, I’ll volunteer at your unit. I can cook, wash clothes, farm, clean latrines—”
Ji Yanchuan remained silent.
Shen Yueliang could feel his gaze resting on her.
Grinding her teeth, she decided to be as ruthless to herself as possible.
“If that’s still not enough, I can be a human punching bag during training. I’m just very afraid of pain, so when you hit me, could you maybe go a little lighter…”
She had truly thrown all dignity out the window.
Yet Ji Yanchuan still said nothing.
Carefully, Shen Yueliang raised her head slightly, planning to peek at his expression with one eye.
“Did I tell you to raise your head?”
Well then.
Shen Yueliang obediently lowered it again.
Ji Yanchuan was tall.
From his angle, all he could see was the woman lowering her head, exposing a slender, fair neck.
He looked for two seconds before shifting his gaze away.
Unaware of his thoughts, Shen Yueliang maintained the position for a while before her neck began aching and her vision started blurring.
Her fingers twitched secretly.
“Reporting to Commander! I request permission to return and pack my luggage.”
Ji Yanchuan: …
This girl really was something.
Did she think he had already forgiven her just because he wasn’t speaking?
Still, she had kept her head lowered for quite some time, and her attitude toward admitting fault was reasonably sincere.
She had even volunteered to become a training punching bag.
If he kept pressing the issue, wouldn’t it make him seem petty?
Even in the military, mistakes weren’t unforgivable.
The important thing was recognizing them and correcting them.
Besides, he was a grown man.
Was he really going to bicker endlessly with a young woman?
After all, they were merely strangers who had crossed paths once.
Who knew if they would ever meet again?
“Approved.”
Joy surged through Shen Yueliang’s heart.
She didn’t dare show it on her face. Maintaining a proper posture, she turned and left.
She walked so stiffly she nearly moved her arms and legs on the same side.
Back in her room, she leaned against the door and rubbed her aching neck.
Getting along with such a serious commander was exhausting.
Thankfully, it would only happen this once.
Still, difficult as he was to get along with, Commander Ji was a decent person.
He was even willing to give her a ride back.
Since she had transportation, she certainly wasn’t going to make herself suffer. The transportation in this era was simply too inconvenient.
She didn’t have much luggage to pack anyway.
Just one bundle.
But thinking about facing Ji Yanchuan outside made her feel awkward, so she deliberately dawdled in the room.
Only when she heard her brother speaking outside did she finally pick up her bundle and leave.
Her brother stood beside Ji Yanchuan.
Although he couldn’t compare to Ji Yanchuan’s presence and aura, he still looked remarkably imposing.
When he saw her, Shen Xiangdong’s expression softened.
“This bundle contains some travel rations. This envelope has my allowance. Take it home and give it to Mom.”
He handed her a bundle and then pulled out a ten-yuan note along with several ration coupons from his pocket.
“This is for you. Treat Commander Ji to a meal on the way. There are also two cloth coupons in there. I know you can make clothes, so buy some pretty fabric and make yourself a nice outfit.”
“Brother, I don’t need it. Give it to Sister-in-law—”
She thought about the sister-in-law waiting at home and remembered how her brother’s marriage had come about.
Forget it.
No point bringing her up now.
“You should keep it and make yourself some clothes.”
Shen Xiangdong shook his head.
“No need. As for the Luo family…”
He originally wanted to comfort his sister a little.
But with Commander Ji standing nearby, discussing such personal matters in front of an outsider felt inappropriate.
Instead, he squeezed his sister’s shoulder.
“When you get home, write to me if anything happens. Don’t bottle everything up. And if your sister-in-law bullies you, don’t be afraid of her. If she curses at you, curse back. If she dares hit you, hit her back too!”
“I know.”
Shen Xiangdong looked at his sister again before exchanging a few more words with Ji Yanchuan, mostly expressing his gratitude.
At times like this, Shen Yueliang wisely stood quietly to the side.
No matter what, the trip had been worth it.
Just thinking about how the Shen family would no longer suffer such terrible misfortune, and how she could change her own tragic fate, filled her with happiness.
After everything that needed saying had been said, it was time to leave.
Seeing the exhaustion on her brother’s face, Shen Yueliang urged him not to see them off and to go get some rest.
Ji Yanchuan had already gotten into the jeep.
His hands rested on the steering wheel while his long fingers tapped against it intermittently.
His face wore its usual unreadable expression, revealing none of his thoughts.
In the corner of his eye, he saw Shen Yueliang approaching with her bundle.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he turned the key and started the engine.
Shen Yueliang jogged over, nodded politely to him through the windshield, then suddenly broke into another jog.
She opened the rear door and climbed into the back seat.
Ji Yanchuan raised an eyebrow.
So she knew she was a liar and didn’t dare sit near him?
Fine.
Shen Yueliang settled into the back seat and placed her bundle beside her.
The moment she relaxed, the jeep suddenly shot forward.
She slammed heavily into the seatback.
What… was that about?
Did he not want to take her back, but felt too embarrassed to refuse because her brother had asked him?
Quietly, Shen Yueliang scooted closer to the window, trying her best to minimize her presence.
As a result, the return trip felt like riding a roller coaster.
The jeep bounced so violently that it felt as though her internal organs were about to spill out!
By the time the vehicle finally stopped outside the military base, Shen Yueliang practically crawled out of the back seat.
Walking over to the driver’s side window, she said:
“Commander Ji, tha—”
The jeep suddenly sped away.
All she caught was the sight of the man’s expressionless profile through the window.