The man’s fist was suddenly blocked by someone. A firm, commanding voice rang out: “Comrade, are you a man hitting a woman? Are you trying to get yourself sent to the Public Security Bureau?”
The speaker was dressed in military green. Behind him stood several similarly dressed young men. It was obvious they were soldiers.
The man panicked and quickly forced a smile. “A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I accidentally bumped into her. It’s my fault.”
“Comrade, do you accept his apology?” Qi Changming, who was leading them, turned to ask Su Man for her opinion. However, the moment he clearly saw Su Man’s face, he froze, and a suspicious faint flush rose on his handsome face.
Su Man did not want to pursue the matter. It was not because she had some overly saintly heart. If that man had actually made a move earlier, she would have immediately fought back. That was self-defense.
But since he had not even acted before being stopped, at most the Public Security Bureau would issue a verbal warning. She could not be bothered to waste time on it.
Su Man said it was fine. Seeing that Qi Changming and the soldiers behind him were also silent, just staring at the girl’s face in a daze, one of them quickly coughed to remind him.
Qi Changming snapped back to his senses and sternly warned the man a few words. When facing Su Man again, his voice softened considerably. “Don’t be afraid.”
Su Man glanced at him in confusion, then thought that he was just being kind. She thanked him and pulled Aunt Xu to leave.
Qi Changming still wanted to say a few more words, but his comrade behind him dragged him away. “The train is about to leave. Let’s go.”
Through the train window, Qi Changming looked at the slender figure from afar, feeling deep regret. He had not even asked her name, where she lived, or how old she was.
The comrade beside him noticed his disappointment and bumped his shoulder. “You’ve already lost your soul just like that? Don’t forget you ran away from your arranged marriage.”
Then he asked curiously: “Hey, is your childhood fiancée really that ugly? No matter what, you should’ve at least met her first.”
At this mention, Qi Changming grew irritated. “Her father once wrote to my family saying she was dark, strong, and weighed 200 jin. If I met her, would I even be able to escape? My grandfather and my uncle would definitely press my head down and force me to marry her.”
When the Original Owner was sixteen, she had already grown into a graceful young girl. Su Dacheng could not bear to marry his daughter off so far away to Harbin, but he also did not dare to directly break off the engagement.
So he came up with a plan.
Su Dacheng sent a letter to the Qi family, claiming that his daughter had grown dark, strong, and weighed 200 jin, and very “considerately” suggested ending the engagement, saying he could not bear to force the Qi family.
He thought such conditions would surely scare the Qi family’s boy away, and the marriage arrangement would be canceled.
Unexpectedly, Old Master Qi replied saying that no matter what Su Man looked like, their family would never despise her. He repeatedly promised that he would never forget Su Dacheng’s life-saving kindness and insisted on marrying Su Man into their family.
When Su Dacheng received the reply, he was so angry his nose twisted out of shape. He did not tell the Original Owner about this matter.
This misunderstanding continued all the way until now. Qi Changming learned about the letter from his grandmother and refused to accept the marriage arrangement no matter what.
But he knew his grandfather’s temper—his resistance and protest were useless.
So, taking advantage of his uncle visiting a comrade-in-arms, Qi Changming secretly applied for an external mission. When he returned, Su Man would likely have already given up and been sent away.
When he came back, he did not know whether he would still be able to see that girl again.
The comrades around him felt sympathy after hearing Qi Changming’s story and began comforting him.
Seeing that Qi Changming had feelings for the beautiful girl earlier, one young man suddenly said: “That auntie who was with her, I’ve seen her before. She’s Qin Dajun’s mother-in-law. I remember my grandma saying her family has only two daughters. This time she returned to her hometown, so that girl should be Qin Dajun’s younger sister-in-law, here to stay at the military unit for a while.”
Qi Changming’s eyes lit up. If she was married, she definitely would not be staying at the military unit. He quickly asked: “Does she have a partner?”
The young man thought carefully and finally confirmed: “No. My grandma said Qin Dajun’s mother-in-law is still planning to arrange a match for her younger daughter.”
Qi Changming finally relaxed. A smile rose on his face, and he could not wait for his mission to end so he could return and pursue her. She was so beautiful—there would definitely be many people interested in her. What if someone snatched her away first?
Thinking this way, the just-settled heart became restless again.
It was all his arranged fiancée’s fault. Why did she insist on coming to marry him? It was this era already, yet they were still doing arranged marriages. If she had not come looking for him, he would not have needed to run away.
Aunt Xu, who had seen everything earlier, naturally understood that the young man had feelings for Su Man and joked: “Xiao Man, you’re so beautiful. That young man fell for you at first sight. When you meet Regiment Commander Qi, he’ll definitely like you too.”
Su Man smiled but did not take that young man seriously. She was already used to those kinds of gazes.
But would Qi Xiaoyuan like her… this face?
After all, in the original plot, although the male lead was unwilling, he still married the Original Owner. There should not be any major changes when it came to her.
Su Man followed Aunt Xu to the military unit. After thinking for a moment, she went to the military unit guesthouse and opened a room.
“Why waste that money staying at the guesthouse? Just stay at my son-in-law’s house.“ Aunt Xu said, having already treated Su Man as one of her own during the journey.
But Su Man insisted on staying at the guesthouse. She did not want to cause trouble for Aunt Xu, nor did she want to feel uncomfortable herself.
Moreover, she wanted to wash up and tidy herself at the guesthouse. For her first meeting with her arranged marriage fiancé, she wanted to leave a good impression.
Seeing her insistence, Aunt Xu did not force her and left after saying goodbye.
The guesthouse receptionist was a young girl named Ye Aihua. She had been dozing off after lunch, but the moment she saw Su Man, she was instantly wide awake. Where did such a beautiful girl come from?!
Her skin was fair and delicate, her palm-sized face exquisite and charming, and her watery eyes seemed to speak. Wearing simple, plain clothes, she stood there radiating light.
When Su Man noticed the girl staring at her in amazement, she playfully blinked. Ye Aihua immediately became even more excited.
After completing the registration, Ye Aihua began asking why Su Man had come to the military unit.
After thinking for a moment, Su Man told her she had come to marry her arranged fiancé Qi Xiaoyuan.
In the original story, although the male lead eventually married the Original Owner, he was unwilling. The side materials were too limited, and she did not know how long he had resisted before agreeing. Since Su Man had already decided to marry him, it was best for his resistance period to be as short as possible.
Ye Aihua’s mouth fell open in shock. That King Yama Qi actually had a fiancée—and such a beautiful one at that! Although they matched in appearance, just thinking about Qi Xiaoyuan’s personality made her shiver. She felt deep pity.
After Su Man left, Ye Aihua immediately rushed to share the gossip.
The guesthouse conditions were far inferior to modern hotels, but basic necessities were all available. Su Man took a shower, washing away the fatigue of the journey, then rested for a while.
She took out the Original Owner’s best-looking white dress from her space and changed into it, then tied her hair into two braids before going to meet her legendary arranged marriage fiancé.
What Su Man did not know was that by the time she stepped out, the news that Regiment Commander Qi’s fiancée had come to marry him had already spread throughout the women in the military unit.
It would only take until the soldiers finished work for the news to spread further from the family members’ mouths.