The door opened.
A cold draft mixed with the commotion in the hallway rushed inside.
Lu Zhan’s tall, imposing figure blocked the doorway like an insurmountable mountain.
He was still bare-chested, casually toying with the key he had just used to unlock the door.
Faced with the large crowd gathered outside, there was not the slightest trace of panic on his face.
Only extreme irritation at having his sleep disturbed.
“What’s all the noise about?”
His voice was not loud, yet it carried a chilling menace.
The previously boisterous hallway instantly fell silent, as though someone had pressed the pause button.
Zhao Guihua, who had been shouting the loudest moments ago, shrank her neck in fear when she saw Lu Zhan’s cold, intimidating face.
This soldier was terrifying.
Especially with those muscular, water-dripping bare-chested muscles—he looked like he could kill a bull with a single punch.
“Um… Commander Lu…”
The head of the security section wiped the sweat from his forehead and stepped forward reluctantly.
“This woman says her daughter-in-law ran into your room.”
“We’re just following procedure. Please don’t take offense.”
Lu Zhan cast a cold glance at Zhao Guihua, who was hiding behind the security chief.
The look in his eyes was as if he were staring at a pile of trash.
“Daughter-in-law?”
He let out a mocking laugh.
“In this room of mine, apart from the mosquitoes being female, even the rats are male.”
“Which one of your eyes saw me behaving improperly?”
Zhao Guihua’s scalp went numb under his gaze, but when she remembered the three hundred dollar bride price, greed once again overcame her fear.
She bravely stuck her head out and pointed into the room.
“I saw that wretched girl climb over the wall with my own eyes! I also saw her enter this building!”
“You’re the only one with the lights on in the whole building. If she’s not here, where else could she be?”
“You must be hiding her! I could smell that poor girl’s cheap, shabby stink!”
As she spoke, she tried to rush into the room.
“Let me search! If I find her, we’ll see how you can remain a regiment commander!”
The neighbors around them also craned their necks to look inside.
In those days, this kind of scandal involving men and women was enough to set everyone’s nerves tingling.
Lu Zhan did not move.
He merely shifted slightly to the side, leaving a narrow gap.
Just as Zhao Guihua thought he was feeling guilty and excitedly tried to squeeze inside—
“Bang!”
A booted foot slammed heavily against the doorframe.
It stopped less than a centimeter from Zhao Guihua’s nose.
Wood splinters flew through the air.
Zhao Guihua let out a terrified scream and fell hard onto her butt, her face turning deathly pale.
“Search?”
Lu Zhan withdrew his foot and casually dusted off his trouser leg.
His gaze swept across everyone present like a blade.
“This is a military-controlled area. My dormitory contains classified documents.”
“Who gave you the nerve to search the quarters of an active-duty officer?”
“Do you want to search my gun while you’re at it?”
That accusation was far too serious for anyone to shoulder.
The security chief’s face immediately turned green.
Classified documents?
If anything happened to them, that could be a serious offense punishable by death!
“Misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!”
The security chief hurriedly went over to pull Zhao Guihua off the floor, wishing he could sew the shrewish woman’s mouth shut.
“Sister-in-law, you must have seen wrong!”
“Who is Commander Lu? He’s a war hero! How could he possibly do something like this?”
“Come on, let’s go! Stop causing trouble here!”
Zhao Guihua was unwilling to give up.
That was three hundred yuan!
It hurt worse than having a piece of flesh cut from her body to see money that was practically in her hands slip away.
She threw herself onto the floor, rolling around and wailing.
“This is outrageous! Soldiers are bullying ordinary people!”
“She’s clearly inside! I heard noises coming from in there!”
“You’re all protecting each other! I’m going to report you!”
Lu Zhan watched the scene, disgust practically overflowing from his eyes.
Suddenly, he spoke.
His voice was not loud, but every word carried clearly into the ears of everyone present.
“Since you claim you heard noises…”
“Then call the military dog unit over.”
“Let the dogs sniff the room and see whether the person you’re talking about is actually in there.”
“If she isn’t…”
Lu Zhan took a step forward and looked down at Zhao Guihua, his voice turning icy.
“Spreading rumors and falsely accusing an active-duty military officer, interfering with a military marriage, and disturbing a military restricted area.”
“Do you think those three charges are enough to keep you behind bars for the rest of your life?”
In those days, interfering with a military marriage was considered a serious offense.
Zhao Guihua might have been uneducated, but she knew very well how terrifying prison was.
Especially under Lu Zhan’s murderous gaze, she felt as though she had already been shot a hundred times.
“I… I might have seen wrong…”
She shakily climbed to her feet and scrambled downstairs.
“I’m not looking anymore! I’m not looking anymore!”
The farce ended hastily under Lu Zhan’s overwhelming intimidation.
The security chief apologized repeatedly with an ingratiating smile before hurriedly leading everyone away.
The hallway gradually returned to silence.
Lu Zhan stood at the doorway, listening until the footsteps had completely disappeared before turning around and closing the door.
He locked it.
Leaning against the door, he let out a long breath.
The wound on his back had split open from his movements, and blood had begun to seep through.
But he had no time to worry about it.
He strode to the bed and kicked aside the military greatcoat lying on the floor.
Under the bed, Su Man was curled into a tiny ball like a frightened little chick.
Hearing the movement, she raised her head.
She met Lu Zhan’s deep, unreadable eyes.
“Come out.”
Lu Zhan’s voice was cold.
Su Man crawled out using both her hands and feet. Her legs had gone numb, and she nearly fell again.
Before she could steady herself, Lu Zhan grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up.
Like a little kitten.
“I chased the shrew away.”
Lu Zhan tossed her onto a chair, then pulled over another chair and sat down, his long legs stretching out casually.
Now that he was no longer putting on that cold, intimidating facade for outsiders, a trace of weariness and languidness showed on his face.
But the scrutiny in his eyes had only grown stronger.
“Now, it’s your turn to keep your promise.”
He pointed at the wound beneath his ribs.
“If you can’t heal it, I’ll throw you out the window.”
Su Man stared at the wound that was still bleeding slightly, and she had little confidence herself.
But she knew she had no way out anymore.
Only after getting through this hurdle could she truly establish a foothold in this brutal era.
She took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the fear inside her.
Her eyes swept around the room before finally settling on the enamel mug on the table.
“Do you have any alcohol?”
she asked.
Lu Zhan raised an eyebrow, reached into the bedside cabinet, pulled out a bottle of baijiu, and slammed it onto the table.
“Don’t try anything funny.”
Su Man picked up the bottle, bit the cap open, and took a large gulp.
The fiery liquor burned down her throat, finally bringing some warmth back into her body.
She poured the remaining alcohol over Lu Zhan’s wound, then poured some over the piece of porcelain she had secretly hidden inside her sleeve.
That was the only weapon she had possessed when she was reborn.
Now, it would become her surgical knife.
“Bear with it.”
Su Man tightened her grip on the porcelain shard, her expression becoming focused and calm.
In her previous life, she had never been a doctor. But in that brutal household, she had learned how to treat livestock just to survive.
She had also learned how to tend to her own wounds.
The poison was manageable while it remained near the surface. But if it had penetrated into the bone, even an immortal could not save him.
She was betting that the poison had not spread that deeply.
“I might hurt a little.”
Before she had even finished speaking, her hand moved.
The sharp porcelain shard precisely sliced open the scabbed wound.
Black blood immediately gushed out.
Lu Zhan grunted, the veins on his forehead bulging, yet his body remained completely still.
He looked at the woman before him with a hint of surprise.
Just moments ago, she had looked like a delicate little flower who could easily be bullied.
Yet when she worked, she was ruthless and decisive, like a seasoned professional.
The contrast stirred a strange feeling in his heart.
Interesting.
Once all the black blood had drained out, fresh red blood began to flow.
Su Man finally let out a sigh of relief.
She had won the gamble.
The poison really had remained in the flesh and skin.
She tore off a strip from the hem of her own clothes and skillfully bandaged his wound.
After finishing everything, she felt as though all her strength had been drained from her body and slumped into the chair.
“Done.”
She smiled weakly.
Her face was as pale as paper, yet there was a breathtaking beauty about her.
“Commander, your life is safe.”
“What about mine?”
Lu Zhan looked at her.
His gaze lingered for a long time on her bloodstained fingers and stubborn little face.
The room was very quiet.
Only the soft patter of rain could be heard outside the window.
After a long while, Lu Zhan picked up the cigarette case on the table, shook out a cigarette, and held it between his lips without lighting it.
“Report to the logistics department first thing tomorrow morning.”
His voice was calm, impossible to read.
“The mess hall needs someone to do odd jobs.”
Su Man abruptly raised her head, immense delight flashing in her eyes.
She was being allowed to stay!
Even if it was only an odd-job position, this was the military compound!
As long as she entered this place, even if Zhao Guihua had the courage of ten thousand people, she would never dare come here to drag her away again.
“Thank you, Commander!”
Su Man was so excited that her voice trembled.
Lu Zhan ignored her thanks and merely waved his hand irritably.
“Go wash yourself.”
“You’re filthy.”
“Sleep on the floor tonight.”
With that, he climbed directly into bed, turned his back to Su Man, and said nothing more.
Su Man looked at his broad back, and a genuine smile finally appeared at the corners of her lips.
In this life…
Her fate was finally in her own hands.
But this was only the beginning.
She knew Zhao Guihua would never let the matter go so easily.
And this seemingly cold and ruthless man would become her greatest source of protection in this era.
As long as she held on tightly to this powerful backer, no one would ever be able to bully her again!
Su Man hugged the military greatcoat that still carried his body heat and curled up on the floor.
Listening to the rain outside, she felt a sense of security she had never experienced before.
However…
What she did not know was that Lu Zhan had never fallen asleep.
In the darkness, he touched the neatly bandaged wound beneath his ribs, the corners of his lips curling into an amused smile.
This little wildcat who had barged into his life…
Her claws were quite sharp.
Life in the compound probably wouldn’t be boring anymore.