When Shi Man saw Sister Mei, she knew she was going to be asked about it.
Actually, she’d been pondering every detail of that nightmare for the past two days.
Even after seeing Cui Xia in the cafeteria and realizing the dream hadn’t changed at all, she kept thinking about her future married life on the way back—
Remembering the tiny apartment they’d moved into right after getting married. It didn’t even have a proper bathroom, and the soundproofing was so bad you could hear the neighbors fart. The damp, moldy smell lingered year-round.
Actually, given Ling Zhen’s rank, he could have gotten a much better place. But he insisted on giving it to someone he thought needed it more, showing his dedication and sacrifice.
The first few years of their marriage were spent with Shi Man constantly complaining about the cramped space.
Especially when they were intimate, the bed would shake violently, creaking loudly and endlessly. The neighbors could hear everything.
The rough-talking women who’d come from the countryside with their military husbands were blunt and tactless, often saying things that would make Shi Man so angry and embarrassed she wouldn’t speak to Ling Zhen for days.
Their personalities were just so incompatible.
Shi Man did as she pleased, caring only about living freely and never worrying about what others thought. She acted on impulse, doing whatever came to mind.
Ling Zhen was strict with himself, selflessly devoted to the country, and meticulous in his adherence to military discipline. He never gave anyone reason to criticize him.
How could they ever get along?
The more Shi Man thought about her unhappy marriage, the more pointless it seemed.
With her excellent qualities, it wasn’t like she couldn’t find someone else.
Plenty of honest, handsome, well-connected sons of high-ranking officers had courted her—not just in the past and present, but even in the future she’d glimpsed in her dreams.
Even after her marriage, these admirers kept coming. She often used them to provoke Ling Zhen, but he never showed a hint of jealousy or concern. Instead, he would scold her like an overprotective father, sternly warning her to be “strict about proper conduct with men.”
Normally a man of few words, he would suddenly become loquacious when discussing military discipline, lecturing her until she felt thoroughly humiliated.
Thinking about this, Shi Man felt a fresh wave of frustration. Even her face couldn’t hide her emotions; her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she murmured softly, “Sister Mei, I… I still think Deputy Regiment Commander Ling is too strict. I’m a little scared of him…”
Sister Mei understood immediately, recognizing Shi Man’s subtle rejection.
But since she’d agreed to be a matchmaker, Sister Mei pressed on, “It’s not just you—even I get nervous around Deputy Commander Ling. His build and those piercing eyes… who wouldn’t feel intimidated? But his fierceness is a good thing. At least his soldiers obey him without question, and he can command respect on the battlefield. Besides, since you’re scared of him, other girls will be too. Even if they like him, they won’t dare approach him, which saves you a lot of trouble, right?”
Sister Mei, always silver-tongued, continued with her well-reasoned arguments. “Men are like this: once they marry a beautiful woman like you, they’ll start caring about her needs. In bed, even the most iron-willed man melts into tenderness. Let me tell you…”
Shi Man had heard these same words from Sister Mei in her dreams.
The first time she’d heard about “those things in bed,” Shi Man had blushed crimson, too embarrassed to speak.
But now, hearing it again, all she could recall were scenes of Ling Zhen being “fierce” in bed—bullying her relentlessly.
This only strengthened her resolve to reject the marriage and find a gentle, considerate man instead.
***
After Sister Mei left, Shi Man went back to her room for an afternoon nap.
She found Yao Wenjing and Liu Tao acting strangely, but she didn’t pay much attention to them, brushing them off with a few casual remarks. When she woke up, she headed straight to the bulletin board outside the cafeteria.
She just wanted to see if the assignments of her friends in the art troupe matched what she’d dreamed.
Sure enough, everything was the same except for Yao Wenjing, who had moved from Fourth Team in the dream to Fifth Team in reality.
Still, Shi Man found some comfort in this. At least she’d already changed her fate a little by participating in the selection process.
Since official team rehearsals hadn’t started yet, Shi Man had the afternoon free. She grabbed her laundry basket and headed to the women’s bathhouse.
She hung her clothes on the rack, drew the curtain, and started bathing.
Amidst the splashing water, she faintly overheard someone chatting nearby while lathering up:
“Did you hear? One of the dancers got a A-plus?”
“Yeah, I think her name’s Shi Man. But two others got A-plus grades too, so why are they only talking about her?”
“Hey, didn’t you hear? The other two girls earned their A-plus fair and square. But Shi Man’s was… shady. I heard she pulled strings and got in through the back door!”
“Seriously?! How’s that even possible?”
“Well, some people are just lucky, I guess. She not only gets to marry Commander Ling, but she also had someone vouch for her during the selection process. We can only dream of that kind of advantage.”
“……”
How could Shi Man possibly tolerate these rumors?
Still dripping wet from her shower, hair uncombed, she threw on her clothes and strode over, her eyes burning into the two gossiping soldiers. “Who told you I pulled strings with Ling Zhen?”
Though Shi Man had a delicate appearance, when she was angry, her eyes narrowed and her features took on an imperious, willful pride. It was quite intimidating.
Especially since she’d caught them gossiping behind her back, leaving them utterly humiliated.
The two female soldiers hung their heads under the showerhead, shamefaced. The square-faced one mumbled, “Well… that’s just what everyone’s been saying.”
“Everyone’s been saying that?” Shi Man arched an eyebrow. “So, it seems I’m the last to know I got my grade through back channels.”
The two women looked up in surprise, their faces mirroring each other’s shock. “You… you didn’t…?”
“Ling Zhen and I only met once,” Shi Man said casually, her tone dismissive. “It’s over between us.”
She flicked her wet hair, sending droplets onto her pale neck. The misty steam in the air gave her delicate features a pure, yet breathtakingly sensual glow.
The two female soldiers stared, mesmerized by Shi Man’s beauty and her nonchalant, almost disdainful expression.
That’s Commander Ling! His rank alone should have impressed anyone, not to mention his handsome looks and imposing stature. Yet Shi Man acted as if he were nothing to her.
The casual way she said “it’s over” made her seem incredibly cool to the two women. They knew deep down that not everyone had the confidence to reject a man with such advantages.
Shi Man had always been proud and willful. She didn’t care what others called her—spoiled, willful, dramatic, selfish, and so on. Those were simply the truth, and she didn’t see them as flaws needing correction.
But this was different. She had worked so hard to earn her A-plus, and she refused to let anyone ruin her reputation with lies.
She simply needed to tell these two girls, and they would quickly spread the news throughout the art troupe.
Shi Man hadn’t gotten her grade through Commander Ling. She had already politely turned him down, making it impossible to ask him for favors or pull strings.
If she had first asked Commander Ling for help and then betrayed him, that would be even worse. Would Commander Ling, with his ruthless methods, ever forgive her?
So, Shi Man wore her A-plus grade proudly! It was entirely due to her own talent and hard work!
This news spread like wildfire through the art troupe.
Many young female soldiers felt their faces burn with shame. They were still young and easily swayed by rumors, having spread the gossip themselves and even felt indignant about it.
To learn they had been spreading lies left them deeply embarrassed.
Many realized that the first lesson they learned in the art troupe was: Don’t spread rumors blindly.
Everything should be based on official orders, and trust in fairness and justice.
***
The night grew deeper.
At the art troupe’s red-brick building, taps had long sounded. The chirping of summer insects, rising and falling in rhythm, accompanied everyone into slumber.
Across the entire Jingbei Military Region, only a few scattered lights remained: the flashlights of patrolling soldiers, the silent glow of guard tower lamps, and… Ling Zhen, lost in thought beneath his desk lamp.
He lived in a single-occupancy dormitory, so he didn’t have to worry about disturbing others. Yet this was the first time he’d stayed up after taps, switching on his old-fashioned desk lamp instead of sleeping.
The window was open, and a cool summer breeze rustled through the room, flipping several pages of the blueprints on his desk.
If Shi Man were to see them, she’d likely recognize the layout: the small house they’d lived in during the early years of their marriage.
This was the family quarters building, dating back to the 1950s. By now, it was somewhat run-down and its design was outdated.
There was only a communal toilet, and to get hot water for bathing, one still had to go to the communal men’s or women’s bathhouse—hardly convenient.
Ling Zhen was deeply engrossed in his work, his back as straight as the shadow cast by the Peacock-brand pencil in his hand. The blueprints were covered in revisions and alterations.
Yes.
Ling Zhen had been reborn.
He knew exactly what was coming—
He knew exactly what Shi Man’s future would hold: her stubborn, childish nature, leaving him both exasperated and powerless.
He also knew he had no interest in other women; his thinking was old-fashioned, and he wanted to marry only her.
Most importantly, he knew he had to prepare everything for their marriage in advance, preemptively addressing her potential complaints. That way, she might finally stop threatening divorce.