“Who exactly are you?”
Qi Weiguo’s voice carried a tension even he himself had not noticed.
His tall figure blocked the entrance of the compound. The setting sun outlined him in a golden rim, yet it could not soften his cold, stern face.
Those eyes were no longer calm or indifferent. Instead, they looked like two bottomless wells, churning with violent waves—like they wanted to swallow Li Zhihuan whole, strip her down to the bone, and examine her thoroughly.
Li Zhihuan’s heart skipped a beat.
Bad news—the slacker disguise seemed to have been torn open.
The small satisfaction she had just gained from resolving the neighborhood dispute vanished instantly, replaced by the feeling of a project manager catching her faking KPIs.
But she didn’t show it on her face. She just blinked, looking confused and innocent.
“Qi Weiguo, what nonsense are you talking about? Who else could I be if not Li Zhihuan?”
“No.”
Qi Weiguo stepped forward.
The overwhelming pressure surged toward her.
He stared at her and said word by word:
“You are not her. The old Li Zhihuan would only roll around and make a scene over a single piece of cloth. She would never have done what you just did—saying a few words and making both Wang and Zhang listen to you.”
He had seen everything from the side just now.
She hadn’t shouted or taken sides.
She had simply spoken a few calm sentences.
One exposed Zhang’s most guilty secret—the illegally obtained bicycle coupon.
One pointed out Wang’s key resource—her cousin who worked at the bicycle shop.
Like a master chess player, she accurately identified the most important pieces on the board and gently moved them, turning a deadlock into a living game.
This was not the Li Zhihuan who used to cry, shout, and threaten suicide over every small grievance.
This level of insight into human nature and manipulation of interests—even his best reconnaissance soldiers couldn’t do better when analyzing enemies.
Li Zhihuan’s mind raced.
Admitting outright that she had changed souls? That would be superstition—and she’d likely be burned as a monster.
Absolutely not.
She needed a reasonable explanation.
A logic loop that fit his understanding and explained her behavior.
Got it.
Her eyes immediately filled with grievance—a deep sadness of being misunderstood by someone close.
She looked up at him, her voice trembling slightly.
“Qi Weiguo… do you really see me like that?”
“In your eyes, am I only capable of making trouble and nothing else?”
Qi Weiguo looked at her reddened eyes, and his chest tightened for no reason.
He wanted to say no, but his mouth couldn’t form a single word.
Li Zhihuan sniffed, fully activating her “victim posture.”
“Why would I interfere in Wang and Zhang’s business? Do you think I had nothing better to do?”
She stepped closer and looked up at him, her tone filled with heartache—I did this for you, but you don’t understand me.
“Who is Zhang? The most notorious gossip in the compound. She never lets anything go. And Wang? She’s honest, not good with words—but her husband works in logistics and controls supplies.”
“If this incident really escalated, and Wang suffered a loss, do you think her husband wouldn’t hold a grudge?”
“And then Zhang goes around saying our compound bullies her. Wang’s husband gets unhappy and puts obstacles in your work—do you think that couldn’t happen?”
“Qi Weiguo, you are a battalion-level officer! You are the backbone of this family! Your reputation, your relationships in the army—that is the foundation of our entire household!”
Her voice suddenly rose, filled with righteous indignation.
“I helped you handle the neighborhood relations. I removed these hidden risks. And you think I did it for who?”
“I did it for myself! So I can live peacefully as a military wife! So my ‘job security’ is stable!”
“Your future is my job security! That is not an empty statement!”
Once again, the familiar “job security theory”—twisted yet logically self-consistent—slammed into Qi Weiguo’s face.
Same formula. Same taste.
All calculation, packaged as “for our family” and “for your future.”
His chest rose and fell heavily.
The suspicion and scrutiny that had just been building were forcibly pushed back by her words.
Yes… from her logic, everything she did was to maintain the stability of her “job.”
That explanation… sounded more reasonable than “she suddenly changed into a different person.”
But why did he feel even more irritated now?
It felt like punching cotton—no impact, no resistance.
Worse, the force of his own punch was redirected and pushed him further away.
“So,” he said slowly, “you observe everyone in the compound, analyze their personalities, and investigate their family backgrounds… all for this?”
“This is called ‘stakeholder management.’ Aunt Wang, Sister-in-law Zhang, Aunt Lin, Aunt Li… they are all external stakeholders in our ‘family project.’ Maintaining good relations with them and reducing project risk is part of my job responsibilities as well.”
“……”
Qi Weiguo was completely speechless.
Once again, he had been defeated by her bizarre theories from another world.
He looked at the face in front of him. It was still the same familiar face, yet he felt as though he had never truly understood her at all.
She was like a mystery—one he could not solve no matter how much experience or logic he applied.
This intense sense of losing control brought Qi Weiguo an unprecedented irritation.
He did not want to talk to her anymore.
If he kept talking, he felt he might get pulled into her twisted logic and eventually forget even who he was.
Suddenly, Qi Weiguo turned around, no longer looking at her, and strode toward the house. His back was filled with embarrassment and defeat.
Li Zhihuan watched his retreating figure and quietly let out a breath of relief.
That was close—she had managed to bluff her way through.
Risk assessment report: The project investor has developed doubts about the CEO’s capability. Need to strengthen ideological reporting and consolidate trust.
She patted her chest, turned around, and was about to go back inside when she noticed the military wives in the courtyard who were pretending to pass by while actually eavesdropping.
The way they looked at her had completely changed.
No longer contempt, and no longer ridicule.
Instead, it was a complicated mix of awe, caution, and curiosity.
Li Zhihuan shrugged indifferently.
She didn’t care how they looked at her. As long as they didn’t disturb her slacker life, it was fine.
That night, Qi Weiguo lay in his small room, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Every word Li Zhihuan had said, every expression, kept replaying in his mind.
Her sharpness, her calculations, her strange theories he had never heard of, and those eyes that seemed to see through everything.
The more he thought, the more irritated and confused he became.
By the time dawn was approaching, he suddenly sat up from bed.
No, he needed to go out and clear his head.
He got dressed, put on his shoes, and opened the door. Under the faint morning light, he instinctively ran toward the path behind the military base.
That place was quiet, with few people—perfect for calming his chaotic mind.
What he didn’t know was that a carefully arranged “chance encounter” was already waiting for him in the morning mist ahead.