Gossip spread through the military compound faster than sea breeze.
Within half a day, the entire island had heard the latest news about Regimental Commander Qin’s household.
“Did you hear? Regimental Commander Qin and his drama queen wife have made up!”
“More than just made up! I heard from Mrs. Zhang next door that last night… they were really intense!”
“Really? Didn’t Regimental Commander Qin always dislike her?”
“Who knows? That Jiang Wu looks like a temptress. Men, well, they all have their weaknesses. She probably used some seductive tricks to snare our Regimental Commander Qin.”
“Tsk tsk, what a lucky break for her. Such a good man, and he ended up with her?”
The military wives gathered together, washing clothes and picking vegetables while chattering away.
Their words dripped with envy, jealousy, and resentment toward Jiang Wu.
As for these rumors, Jiang Wu knew nothing and cared even less.
She was busy with her own affairs at home.
Qin Lie didn’t return the entire day.
It was said he had taken the troops to the rocky shore across the sea for an anti-landing drill.
This gave Jiang Wu ample free time.
She pulled out all the old-fashioned clothes the original host had worn.
There were drab work uniforms in gray and garish polyester prints.
The styles were outdated, the workmanship coarse.
Jiang Wu shook her head in disapproval.
How could an enchantress of the Union of Joy Sect wear such things?
She picked out the brightest, least-worn dress from the original host’s collection.
It was a gaudy bright red dress with large peony prints all over.
Taking needle and thread, Jiang Wu boldly transformed the dress.
She removed the childish Peter Pan collar, replacing it with a simple, elegant boat neck.
She cinched the loose waist to fit her curves perfectly.
She trimmed the dragging hem to a length just above the knees.
After these changes, the tacky “auntie dress” became a stylish, sexy gown in her hands.
Though it couldn’t compare to her enchanted robes, it was wearable now.
After finishing, Jiang Wu glanced out the window.
The sun was setting—the best time for light by the sea.
The island’s specialties were all kinds of beautiful seashells and conches.
She planned to take a walk along the shore, collect some shells, and make small decorations to brighten up this simple home.
It was also time to let this beautiful body breathe a little fresh air.
She changed into the modified red dress, letting her jet-black hair cascade loosely over her shoulders.
Without makeup, she merely curved her lips at the mirror.
The reflection showed snow-white skin and a fiery red dress.
Every look and smile carried an innate allure.
Satisfied, Jiang Wu stepped out and headed toward the nearby beach.
It was the time when troops finished their day’s training and prepared to return to camp.
On the western beach, a group of soldiers who had just completed their drill were undergoing final physical training.
They were shirtless, wearing only military-green shorts.
Their bronze skin glistened with sweat, shining healthily under the evening sun.
The air was thick with youthful, vibrant hormones.
They trained while joking and laughing heartily with one another.
But when a flash of fiery red appeared on the beach, all laughter ceased abruptly.
Every movement seemed to freeze as if paused.
The soldiers’ gazes simultaneously locked onto the woman who had suddenly intruded.
They saw a woman.
A woman in a fiery red dress.
She stood out starkly against the sweat- and masculinity-drenched beach.
The evening glow draped over her like golden gauze.
The sea breeze lifted her black hair, strands dancing in the air, tangling around her fair neck and faintly visible collarbones.
The red dress clung tightly to her delicate figure.
Her waist looked so slender it seemed one hand could encircle it.
Below the hem, her calves were pale and straight. She walked barefoot on the soft sand, her ankles slender, her toes round and lovely like pearls.
She looked too beautiful to be real.
Like a siren stepping out of a painting, here to ensnare souls.
The entire beach fell deathly silent.
Only the sound of waves lapping against the shore and the soldiers’ heavy breathing could be heard.
Jiang Wu seemed oblivious to the surrounding stares.
She bent down, searching the sand for pretty seashells.
This movement lifted her hem slightly, revealing more of her fair thigh skin.
It also displayed her perfect curves even more clearly before everyone’s eyes.
“Gulp.”
Someone swallowed hard.
That sound acted like a switch, instantly shattering the silence.
“I… am I seeing things? Is that a fairy descending to earth?”
“She’s… she’s so beautiful…”
“Who is she? Is she a new family member on our island? How come I’ve never seen her before?”
“That figure, that face—she’s even prettier than the stars on posters!”
The young soldiers whispered among themselves, their eyes glued to Jiang Wu, unblinking.
Their faces showed undisguised awe and admiration.
A few bold ones even whistled.
Jiang Wu picked up a colorful conch and held it to her ear to listen.
Then, she looked up, glancing in the direction of the whistling.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly into a smile that could captivate an entire city.
That smile seemed to hook everyone’s hearts instantly.
The whistling soldiers flushed red, scratching their heads sheepishly, yet they couldn’t help but steal glances at her.
“Isn’t that… Regimental Commander Qin’s wife?”
Finally, a veteran who had been in the army longer recognized Jiang Wu.
“What?!”
“She’s that drama queen, Jiang Wu?”
“No way! I heard she was pretty but always had a sour face like she owed everyone a million. How could she look like this?”
“Yeah, she’s completely different from the rumors!”
The crowd buzzed with surprise.
That infamous “drama queen” wife of Regimental Commander Qin was actually this stunning, vibrant beauty?
This… who could handle that?!
If they had a wife like that at home, who cared if she was dramatic? Even if she brought the sky down, they’d still spoil her!
Instantly, the soldiers’ gazes toward Jiang Wu shifted.
From simple admiration to envy, jealousy, and a hint of… sympathy.
Sympathy for their Regimental Commander Qin.
Living with such an irresistible temptress yet having to sleep at the barracks every night—what incredible willpower that must require!
Just as the soldiers’ minds wandered, a bone-chilling voice exploded behind them.
“What are you all standing around for? Is training over?!”
It was Qin Lie.
He had just returned from drills at the rocky shore with his squad.
From afar, he saw the bizarre scene on the beach.
His soldiers stood entranced, staring blankly in one direction.
He followed their gazes.
Then, he froze too.
With just one glance, Qin Lie recognized the woman.
It was Jiang Wu.
She wore a fiery red dress he had never seen before.
The color was like flames, instantly igniting his vision.
She stood barefoot in the evening glow, beautiful as an unreal dream.
That very dream had tormented him all last night.
Leaving him distressed and disheveled.
Qin Lie’s heart clenched painfully.
Immediately, an uncontrollable fury surged from his chest to his head.
He saw it.
He saw the undisguised, naked gazes his soldiers directed at her.
The kind of primal, possessive look men gave women.
And she—not only did she not avoid it—she even smiled at them!
That smile, so bright, so… alluring.
Qin Lie felt his blood freeze into ice in an instant.
His face, already tense from the day’s intense training, turned as dark as a pot.
The pressure around him grew terrifyingly heavy.
He strode toward Jiang Wu with long, decisive steps.
He walked fast, carrying an air of impending storm.
The soldiers on the beach sensed his terrifying anger.
Everyone fell silent immediately.
They stood ramrod straight, not daring to glance sideways, holding their breath.
The once-bustling beach fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Jiang Wu saw him too.
She remained in her seashell-picking posture, looking up at him in surprise.
“Qin Lie? You’re back?”
Her voice carried a hint of joy at seeing her husband.
Qin Lie didn’t answer.
He walked up to her, his tall frame completely enveloping her in shadow.
His gaze was like two sharp blades, sliding from her bare shoulders to her slender waist, then to her snow-white legs faintly visible beneath the red dress.
With each passing second, the fury in his eyes intensified.
He said nothing.
Instead, under Jiang Wu’s astonished gaze, he swiftly removed his military jacket, still warm with his body heat and the scent of sweat.
Then, he bent down and roughly, almost violently, wrapped the oversized jacket around her from head to toe.
It concealed every glimpse of her, every bit of her allure, completely.
Only a small, stunned head remained visible.
“Ah!”
Jiang Wu gasped at his sudden move.
Her senses were filled with his strong, masculine scent tinged with sweat.
Instead of being unpleasant, the smell made her cheeks flush uncontrollably.
“Qin Lie, what are you doing?!”
She struggled, trying to free herself from the jacket.
But the next moment, she felt weightless.
She was lifted into the air by a pair of strong arms—in a princess carry.
Without a word, Qin Lie turned and strode away with her in his arms.
His steps were swift and steady.
Carrying a grown woman as if she were a bundle of cotton, effortlessly.
“Qin Lie! Put me down! Are you crazy?!”
Jiang Wu finally reacted.
She struggled in his arms, shouting.
Being carried like this in front of everyone was too embarrassing!
Though… the feeling of being claimed so forcefully wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
“Shut up!”
Qin Lie gritted the words through his teeth.
His arms tightened further.
Like iron clamps, he held her firmly in place, making movement impossible.
Jiang Wu felt a slight pain from his grip, but more than that, it was the heart-pounding, possessive dominance that overwhelmed her.
She stopped struggling altogether.
Burying her face against his solid chest, she secretly curved her lips into a smile.
This man, when jealous, was truly… adorable.
Behind them, the soldiers on the beach were petrified.
They stood frozen, stunned, in a daze.
Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
What had just happened?
Their ice-cold Regimental Commander Qin…
Had actually…
Right in front of everyone, taken off his jacket and wrapped his wife in it?
Then, carried her away in such a domineering manner?!
Was this… still the Regimental Commander Qin they knew?!
The Qin Lie who avoided women, was stern and rigid, and held military discipline above all else?!
“Am I… dreaming?” a new recruit muttered.
“Pinch me, quick!” another soldier said to his comrade beside him.
“Ow! You actually pinched me!”
“Did it hurt?”
“Yes!”
“Then it’s not a dream!”
The beach erupted once more.
Everyone watched Qin Lie’s retreating figure as if gazing at a deity.
That figure was tall, upright, brimming with strength.
In his arms, he carried his “prize.”
This scene was deeply imprinted in every soldier’s mind.
From then on, in the military compound, the legends of Regimental Commander Qin and his “temptress” wife gained another explosive chapter.