It was late at night.The noise in the military compound gradually died down, leaving only the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.
Bai Luoluo leaned against the door panel and slowly slid down to the floor.The icy cement beneath her seeped through her thin dress, like a block of eternal ice drilling straight into her bones.
She hugged her knees, burying her head in the crook of her arms.
It was too quiet here—so quiet that it scared her.
Even worse was the cold.
Early autumn nights in the north cooled rapidly, especially in a single-story house with no heating.
The walls, which had looked solid enough during the day, were now leaking wind from all directions.
The window glass was intact, but a crack that had clearly existed for years acted like a tireless little fan, whooshing cold air inside.
Bai Luoluo felt like a frozen pear tossed into an ice cellar.
She had grown up in the south, and even after going abroad she’d lived in cities with mild maritime climates. Her home had been kept at a constant twenty-six degrees year-round—when had she ever suffered like this?
“Achoo!”
She shivered and rubbed her reddened nose.
No. She couldn’t just sit here and wait to die.
If she kept freezing like this, she’d probably be carried out on a stretcher by morning.
She stood up and, by the dim light, looked toward the black iron lump in the corner—the coal stove.
Beside it was a pile of honeycomb coal, along with some splintered wood and old newspapers meant for kindling.
That bastard Lei Li hadn’t left her any food, but at least the room still had basic heating equipment. As for whether she could actually get it working—that depended on fate.
“Do you really think a stove can defeat me?”
Gritting her teeth, Bai Luoluo walked over to it.
She crouched down, and the hem of her expensive silk dress inevitably dragged across the coal-dusted floor.
Her lips twitched painfully at the sight, but she had no time to care.
Imitating scenes she vaguely remembered from movies, she grabbed a few old newspapers, crumpled them up, and stuffed them into the bottom of the stove.
Then she carefully arranged a few pieces of splintered wood on top.
Finally, she picked up a heavy piece of honeycomb coal and placed it at the very top.
Perfect.
As long as she lit it, added a kettle, she’d have hot water to soak her feet—and warmth to survive the night.
She fished out a box of matches from her pocket, something she’d found tucked away in a corner of her luggage.
Scratch—
The first match snapped.
Bai Luoluo frowned. The quality of these matches was terrible.
Scratch—
The second one lit, a weak flame trembling twice.
She hurriedly brought it to the mouth of the stove.
The newspaper cooperated nicely, igniting with a whoosh.
The firelight illuminated Bai Luoluo’s delicate face, and joy rose in her heart.So it wasn’t that hard after all!
However, reality slapped her in the face the very next second.
Newspaper burned fast—and went out just as fast.
Not only did the wood fail to catch fire, it began emitting thick black smoke instead.
The smoke seemed to have eyes, rushing straight toward Bai Luoluo’s face.
“Cough—cough—cough!”
Choked to the point of tears, Bai Luoluo scrambled backward and plopped down right into a pile of coal ash.
There was no chimney in the room, and ventilation was poor.
In an instant, black smoke filled the entire space.
The already dim bulb now looked hazy and ghostly, like something out of a haunted house.
“What kind of junk is this?!”
Bai Luoluo coughed while frantically waving her hands to clear the smoke.
Unwilling to give up, she tried again.
Same result.
The newspaper burned out.The wood remained black.The coal didn’t move at all—cold, lifeless, mocking her incompetence.
She struggled for half an hour.
The fire never caught, and the room grew even colder.
Her once fair face was now smeared with black soot in uneven patches, making her look like a refugee who had just crawled out of a mine.
Her pale purple dress was in an even more pitiful state, completely stained with coal ash.
She stared despairingly at the lifeless stove, so wronged she felt like crying.
She couldn’t even light a fire—was she really going to freeze to death here tonight?
Just then, the cold mechanical voice in her head sounded again, emotionless yet ominous.
【Warning! Environmental temperature around host detected to be too low. Core body temperature is rapidly dropping.】
【Host’s current constitution is “Delicate.” Hypothermia is expected within two hours, potentially triggering high fever, pneumonia, and other complications.】
Sniffling, Bai Luoluo cursed inwardly with a sob:“Then give me an air conditioner! What’s the point of just warning me?!”
The system fell silent for a second—then issued a task.
【Ding! Emergency survival mission triggered: Borrow Fire for Warmth.】
【Mission Description: The Chosen One, Lei Li, possesses extremely strong yang energy. Items he uses personally contain dense fortune energy and can temporarily ward off cold. Please obtain one personal item belonging to Lei Li (such as a military coat, gloves, or canteen) within 30 minutes, and maintain contact with it for at least ten minutes.】
【Mission Reward: Basic Cold Resistance Physique (valid for 24 hours).】
【Failure Penalty: Host will catch a severe cold and lose her sense of taste for three days.】
Lose her sense of taste?!
For a foodie, that was worse than death!
Even if the food right now tasted terrible, what if there was something delicious in the future?
Bai Luoluo instantly sobered up.
She glanced at the pitch-black night outside the window, then down at her own miserable state.
Go look for Lei Li?
That living Yama King was probably enjoying himself somewhere right now. And after the fight they’d just had, showing up at his door—wasn’t that just asking to be scolded?
But…
A gust of cold wind swept past. Bai Luoluo shuddered violently, her teeth chattering.
Pride was worth nothing in the face of survival.
“Fine, I’ll go! I’m just borrowing something, that’s all!”
Bai Luoluo wiped her face at random, trying to brush off the soot, only to smear it further, turning herself into a complete mess.
She didn’t bother looking in the mirror anymore. Digging through her suitcase, she pulled out a slightly thicker cashmere shawl and wrapped it around herself.
Luckily, it was dark-colored—dirt-resistant.
She pushed open the door and slipped out like a thief.
The compound was deathly quiet.
Only the streetlights cast dim yellow pools of light, stretching the shadows of trees into long, clawed shapes like monstrous beasts.
Relying on her memory from daytime, Bai Luoluo headed toward the office building.
That workaholic Lei Li—if he wasn’t at home, he’d definitely be in the office or at the training grounds.
At this hour, the training grounds should be empty, so the odds were he was in his office.
She walked nervously the entire way.
The roads here were uneven, littered with small stones.
Her delicate high heels stepped unevenly, shallow here, deep there—several times she nearly twisted her ankle.
After much difficulty, she finally reached the vicinity of the office building.
Two fully armed sentries stood guard at the entrance, their posture straight as pines, their gazes sharp as hawks.
The moment Bai Luoluo approached, two flashlight beams snapped onto her face, blinding her.
“Stop! Who goes there? Password!”
One of the sentries barked, the bolt of his rifle clicking loudly.
Terrified out of her wits, Bai Luoluo raised both hands, her voice shaking.
“Don’t—don’t shoot! I’m… I’m Lei Li’s family member!”
The sentry froze for a moment and lowered the flashlight slightly.
In the beam stood a woman wrapped in a shawl, hair in disarray, her face smeared with black and white streaks—she really did look like… a refugee.
“Chief Lei’s family member?”
The sentry eyed her suspiciously.
They’d heard about Chief Lei’s new wife—a delicate beauty, supposedly a capitalist young lady.
But the woman in front of them… looked more like a beggar.
“It’s true!”
Bai Luoluo panicked, afraid these soldiers might really shoot her.
“My name is Bai Luoluo. I just moved into the compound today. I have something urgent to discuss with Lei Li… with Chief Lei.”
One of the sentries seemed to recognize her dress—dirty as it was, the tailoring still unmistakably refined. He hesitated, then asked:
“It’s very late. What do you need to see the chief for? He’s currently in an emergency combat meeting. No one is allowed to disturb him.”
A meeting?
Bai Luoluo’s heart sank.
If she barged in, Lei Li would skin her alive.
But the system countdown had already started.
【Time remaining: 15 minutes.】
She had to get inside!
Her eyes flickered, and in an instant, her inner actress took over.
She lowered her head, shoulders trembling, her voice choking with tears.
“I know he’s busy… but… but something happened at home…”
Hearing that something had happened to the family, the sentries didn’t dare take it lightly.
“What happened? Should we call the guard company?”
Sniffling, Bai Luoluo pulled out an envelope from her chest—actually from beneath the shawl.
It was something she’d grabbed at random before leaving, originally meant to hold meal tickets.
“No… it’s my father… a letter from overseas…”
“It says… it says something terrible happened to our family… I want Lei Li to see it…”
Her words were half true, half false.
The Bai family really was in trouble, and the envelope really was from home.
In this era, overseas ties were sensitive to begin with—and the words “family letter” carried tremendous weight.
The two sentries exchanged glances.
The chief had given strict orders not to be disturbed, but this was a major family matter. If they delayed it, neither of them could bear the responsibility.
“Wait here. I’ll go report it.”
One of the sentries turned and ran into the building.
Bai Luoluo stood trembling in the cold wind.
Not just from the cold—but from fear.
If Lei Li found out she had lied, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But she had no way back.
Freeze to death, or die socially.
She chose social death.
A few minutes later, the sentry returned, his expression somewhat strange.
“Sister-in-law, the chief says you may go in.”
That word—sister-in-law—sent goosebumps all over Bai Luoluo’s skin.
She nodded, pulled her shawl tighter, and braced herself as she stepped into the imposing red-brick office building.
The hallway was filled with the faint smell of disinfectant and tobacco.
The farther she went in, the stronger the smell of smoke became.
The meeting room door was ajar, heated arguments spilling out.
“This battle must be fought! We can’t keep taking hits passively!”
“But the supply line is stretched too thin—logistics can’t keep up!”
“Even if they can’t, they have to! Even if we have to chew tree bark, we must hold that high ground!”
That was Lei Li’s voice.
Low, powerful, carrying an unquestionable dominance.
Even through the door, Bai Luoluo could picture him commanding the room, decisive and forceful.
The sentry leading her knocked and called out, “Reporting!”
The arguing inside came to an abrupt halt.
A deathly silence fell.
“Enter!”
Lei Li’s voice rang out, unmistakably edged with anger.
The sentry pushed the door open and stepped aside, letting Bai Luoluo enter.
Bai Luoluo took a deep breath and walked in with her head lowered.
The moment she stepped inside, the scene in the room stunned her.
A massive sand table occupied the center. Around it sat more than a dozen men in military uniforms, every one of them solemn-faced, the stars on their epaulettes dazzling to the eye.
The room was thick with smoke, visibility extremely low.
All eyes snapped toward the door like searchlights, locking onto this unexpected intruder.
Seated at the head of the table, Lei Li held half a cigarette between his fingers, his brows drawn tightly together.
He lifted his head, bloodshot eyes sweeping over.
When he clearly saw Bai Luoluo’s current appearance, he froze for a moment.
This woman… had she gone digging coal?
Her face was filthy, her hair a mess, wrapped in some inexplicable shawl—she looked like a destitute woman whose home had just been raided.
At that instant, the anger in Lei Li’s chest inexplicably dissipated by half, replaced instead by an indescribable irritation.
“Why are you here?”
He stubbed out the cigarette. His voice was cold, but he didn’t explode in front of everyone.
Bai Luoluo stood at the doorway, unable to move forward or retreat.
The gazes of the surrounding officers were terrifying, as if they wanted to swallow her whole.
She could only clutch the envelope tightly and say in a small voice, “I… I have something… to talk to you about.”
A man who looked like the chief of staff beside them chuckled.“Old Lei, this is your new wife? How did she end up like this? Did the house catch fire?”
A burst of laughter followed.
Lei Li’s face darkened.
He didn’t want these rough men making a joke of Bai Luoluo.
No matter what, she was his wife in name—any humiliation she suffered reflected on him as well.
“Enough. We’ll end today’s meeting here. Each regiment go back and reorganize. Submit your plans tomorrow.”
With a sweep of his hand, Lei Li dismissed them.
Though curious, no one dared to ask more. They gathered their things and left one after another.
As they passed Bai Luoluo, each of them couldn’t help taking an extra look.
Only when everyone had gone did the meeting room fall silent, leaving just the two of them.
The air instantly grew heavy.
Lei Li stood up. His tall figure cast a large shadow under the lights, completely enveloping the petite Bai Luoluo.
He strode over and looked down at her.
“In the middle of the night, instead of staying home, what are you doing running over here?”
“And lying about bringing a family letter?”
“Bai Luoluo, do you think I’m that easy to fool?”
His voice was deliberately low, carrying a dangerous edge.
Bai Luoluo felt like a chick being stared down by a hawk.
She shrank back slightly and raised the envelope in her hand.
“I… I didn’t lie. This really is a family envelope…”
The excuse sounded so weak that even she didn’t believe it herself.
Lei Li snorted coldly and snatched the envelope away.
It was empty.
He crumpled it into a ball and tossed it onto the table.
“Speak. What is it you really want?”
“If you’re here to complain about the shabby house, the lack of hot water, or the terrible food, then give it up.”
“I’m very busy right now. I don’t have time to listen to your whining.”
Bai Luoluo bit her lower lip, her eyes burning slightly.
She did want to complain—but she wanted to stay alive even more.
The system’s countdown was like a death knell.
【Time remaining: 5 minutes.】
If she didn’t get the item now, she would lose her sense of taste!
Her gaze slid past Lei Li’s broad shoulder and landed on the coat rack in the corner.
A military greatcoat hung there.
It was one Lei Li wore often—the collar was already slightly polished from use, and it must be saturated with his scent.
That was her lifeline!
Bai Luoluo steeled herself.
Face? Pride? What were those compared to the taste of braised pork?
“Um…”
She pointed toward the coat rack.
“I… I’m really cold.”
“Could you… lend me your coat for a bit?”