The air in the compound seemed to freeze solid.
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see how Commander Lei would explode.
Judging by this living King of Hell’s temper, this new bride was probably about to be flayed alive today.
Wang Cuihua even shrank back a little in schadenfreude, afraid the blood might splatter onto her.
Lei Li stood in front of Bai Luoluo, his tall figure completely shielding her.
He didn’t speak—he just looked at her quietly.
Bai Luoluo lowered her head, her hands clenched tightly around the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning white.
She was waiting.
Waiting for his furious scolding, for a slap, or for him to turn around and walk away—abandoning her completely.
After all, she had made him lose so much face.
However—
The expected storm never came.
Lei Li suddenly moved.
He took off his military coat, still warm and carrying a faint scent of tobacco.
The motion was crisp, but not rough.
Then he stepped forward.
With a flick of his hand—
The oversized coat came down like a massive protective umbrella.
It landed squarely over Bai Luoluo’s head, completely covering her tear-streaked, grease-smudged little face and her utterly bedraggled state.
The world instantly went dark.
Bai Luoluo froze.
At the tip of her nose lingered that man’s scent—the only warmth she felt on this icy night.
Immediately after—
A warm, broad hand pressed against the back of her head through the coat.
Gently, he guided her head into his chest.
It was an unmistakably protective posture.
And also an absolutely possessive one.
Everyone around them was stunned.
Th-this… what kind of move was this?
No hitting, no yelling—he even hugged her?!
Lei Li held the person in his arms with one hand and pulled out his wallet with the other.
He turned to face Political Commissar Zhang and his wife, both wearing looks of shock.
His stern face showed no emotion—only unquestionable authority.
“How much is this chicken?”
His voice was low and deep, carrying a metallic edge.
Political Commissar Zhang had rushed out with his coat thrown on, and seeing the scene, he immediately felt awkward.
“Oh, Old Lei, look at the fuss this caused…”
“We’re all neighbors—why talk about money? If my sister-in-law wanted some, she could’ve just said so. How can this count as stealing…”
Zhang was a good-natured man who only wanted to smooth things over.
But Lei Li didn’t take the hint.
He pulled out two large-denomination bills.
In an era when a pound of pork cost only a few mao, this was a full twenty yuan!
Enough to buy an entire basket of old hens.
Smack!
He slapped the money heavily onto the still-warm coal stove lid.
“I’m buying this chicken.”
“The rest is compensation for my sister-in-law and the child—for the fright.”
After saying that, he swept his gaze over the crowd of onlookers.
His eyes were sharp as blades, radiating a chilling menace.
Anyone caught by that gaze instinctively lowered their head, a cold shiver running down their spine.
“And one more thing.”
Lei Li’s voice rose slightly, ringing clearly through the entire courtyard.
“My family member—if she makes a mistake—that’s my family business.”
“I’ll discipline her myself.”
“It’s not anyone else’s place to point fingers or gossip.”
“Anyone who dares to wag their tongue again—don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
These words were aimed squarely in Wang Cuihua’s direction.
She jolted in fear, nearly collapsing to her knees.
This was a naked warning.
After that—
Lei Li didn’t spare the crowd another glance.
He bent down and scooped Bai Luoluo—still wrapped in his military coat—into his arms.
Like picking up a child who had done something wrong and gotten hurt.
Then he turned and strode out of that trouble-filled courtyard.
All that remained were a group of dumbfounded onlookers—and the two glaring twenty-yuan bills left on the table.
…
Back in their dilapidated single-story house,
Lei Li kicked the door shut and set Bai Luoluo down on the bed.
The movement wasn’t gentle—there was even a hint of suppressed anger.
The coat slipped off her head.
She hunched her shoulders and cautiously lifted her head to glance at the man before her.
Lei Li stood with his back to her, hands on his hips, his chest heaving violently.
He was clearly forcing himself to restrain his rage.
“Lei Li…”
Bai Luoluo called softly, her voice thick with a nasal tone.
Lei Li spun around abruptly.
His eyes were bloodshot, looking almost ferocious.
“Bai Luoluo, you’ve really grown bold, haven’t you?”
He pointed at her nose and snarled through clenched teeth.
“A dignified young miss of the Bai family—sneaking over walls to steal a chicken in the middle of the night?”
“Were you a starving ghost in your past life, huh?”
“Am I, Lei Li, starving you or leaving you without clothes?”
“Do you have any idea how humiliating that scene was just now? Were you trying to make the entire military district laugh at me?”
His roar echoed through the cramped room.
Bai Luoluo shrank under his scolding, tears streaming down again.
“I… I was just hungry…”
She sounded unbearably wronged.
“I don’t know what came over me—I just couldn’t control it…”
“That chicken soup smelled so good… I was really, really hungry…”
Watching her cry until her face looked like a little calico cat, all the fury in Lei Li’s chest felt like a punch landing on cotton.
Unable to vent his anger, yet stifled by it, he felt miserable.
Irritably, Lei Li raked a hand through his hair and paced around the room twice.
Finally, he stopped in front of the table.
On it sat the half-eaten lunchbox he had brought back earlier.
It was a late-night meal he’d picked up from the mess hall, originally meant for himself.
Two meat buns.
Lei Li grabbed the two buns and strode to the bedside, forcefully stuffing them into Bai Luoluo’s hands.
“Eat!”
He barked viciously.
“Aren’t you hungry? Then eat!”
“Once you’re full, stay put and behave! If you dare go out again and embarrass me, I’ll tie you up with a rope!”
Bai Luoluo held the two meat buns, still warm.
She froze for a moment.
Then, as if afraid he might change his mind, she grabbed them and shoved them straight into her mouth.
She really was starving.
That chicken leg earlier hadn’t done a thing—if anything, it had only stirred up her cravings.
She cried as she ate.
Tears mixed with the bun filling and went down her throat together.
Lei Li stood beside her, watching the way she wolfed the food down.
That strange feeling in his chest grew stronger and stronger.
What on earth was going on?
That appetite. That way of eating. That almost frantic hunger for food.
Was it really just because her so-called “rich girl illness” had been cured, and her appetite had returned?
Or was it…
His gaze drifted involuntarily to Bai Luoluo’s still-flat lower abdomen.
Was there really something there, draining her energy?
An utterly absurd thought—yet one that made his heart suddenly race—flashed through his mind.
But he quickly shook his head.
Impossible.
It had only happened once.
And it hadn’t even been that long.
How could there be a reaction so soon?
Lei Li took a deep breath and forcibly crushed the thought.
He looked at Bai Luoluo, who had choked on her food and was pounding her chest.
Helpless, he let out a sigh.
Turning around, he poured a glass of water and set it heavily on the bedside table.
“Drink some water! Don’t choke yourself to death!”
His tone was still sharp, still fierce.
But Bai Luoluo clearly heard the awkward note of concern beneath it.
She lifted the cup and took a big gulp.
Sneaking a glance at Lei Li’s face—black as the bottom of a pot—
She felt, inexplicably… a little warm inside.
He was harsh. He scolded her.
But in that moment earlier, when everyone had accused her of being a thief—
It was him who had stood in front of her.
It was him who had used that tobacco-scented military coat to protect the last shred of her dignity.
This man…
Didn’t seem quite as bad as she had thought.