Zhou Yue halted his steps and instinctively turned to look at the person who had called out to him.
Xu Xi’s reaction mirrored Zhou Yue’s surprisingly well; she too was curious about who had called for him.
Not far away, a female comrade was walking briskly toward them. She wore a navy-blue fitted shirt paired with a knee-length pencil skirt of the same color, a soft military cap without a brim on her head, and two braids hanging in front of her shoulders.
She stopped in front of the two, instinctively straightening her posture. Her gaze first fell on Zhou Yue, then she glanced subconsciously at Xu Xi beside him.
“Battalion Commander Zhou, I’ve finally caught you,” she said, her eyes carrying a hint of resentment as she looked at Zhou Yue.
Zhou Yue’s brows furrowed slightly, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. At this moment, he appeared somewhat troubled.
Xu Xi looked up at Zhou Yue, then at the female comrade standing before them.
This female comrade’s attire resembled that of someone from the cultural troupe. If Xu Xi wasn’t mistaken, she should be the female lead of this story, Lin Xiuman.
Lin Xiuman was originally one of the most outstanding in appearance within the cultural troupe.
Her features were delicate and elegant—her eyes and brows refined, her nose bridge high and straight, her lips small and shapely. Her figure was slender and upright, her demeanor gentle yet striking. Wherever she stood, she stood out remarkably.
Truly worthy of being the original novel’s female lead; her presence alone could outshine others by half a mile.
Lin Xiuman and Zhou Yue had already developed mutual affection after their blind date. If not for the original host drugging Zhou Yue, the two might have even obtained their marriage certificate by now.
Xu Xi lowered her gaze and thought for a moment. As a cannon-fodder supporting female character, she’d better not get in their way here.
She looked up at Zhou Yue, stood on her tiptoes, and whispered to him, “You two talk. I’ll go ahead and eat.”
After hearing her words, Zhou Yue’s brows furrowed even deeper.
Seeing Xu Xi turn to leave, he instinctively grabbed her hand.
Xu Xi: “?”
She really didn’t want to get involved in matters between the male and female leads. What was Zhou Yue doing by holding her back now?
Lin Xiuman caught sight of Zhou Yue’s hand gripping Xu Xi’s wrist in a glance. Her fingertips tightened slightly, and her expression instantly cooled.
“Battalion Commander Zhou, shouldn’t you give me an explanation?”
Zhou Yue’s dark eyes fell on Lin Xiuman, his tone carrying a hint of apology. “Comrade Lin, I’m sorry. I’ve also let down Brigadier General Lin’s kindness.”
Lin Xiuman bit her lower lip in grievance, her gaze toward Zhou Yue filled with unwillingness.
She truly liked Zhou Yue. From the moment she first saw him, it was love at first sight. That was why she had asked her father, the brigadier general, to arrange a blind date between her and Zhou Yue.
At the time, both were quite satisfied with each other. She had even planned that once Zhou Yue returned from visiting his family, they would get married.
Who could have imagined that upon returning, Zhou Yue would submit a marriage report to his superiors, saying he wanted to marry a village girl?
Lin Xiuman couldn’t understand—where did she fall short compared to a village girl?
After learning the news, she immediately went to find Zhou Yue. Zhou Yue only said “I’m sorry,” offering no further explanation, which infuriated Lin Xiuman so much that she ran off in tears.
Lin Xiuman had finally managed to calm down, forcing herself not to think about him.
These past two days, she heard news about Zhou Yue again—that his rural wife had come to the island and would be staying in the military family quarters. Unable to bear it, she came looking for Zhou Yue once more.
The woman with a pregnant belly whom Zhou Yue was holding hands with must be his rural wife.
Lin Xiuman’s resentful gaze fell on Xu Xi. Wasn’t it said that this village girl was dark and ugly? Now, it seemed she was actually quite good-looking.
No wonder Zhou Yue was bewitched by a village girl upon returning to his village. This village girl’s foundation wasn’t bad at all.
But as proud as Lin Xiuman was, she still felt Xu Xi couldn’t compare to her. After all, she was the most outstanding female comrade in the art troupe and on the entire island.
Lin Xiuman glanced at Xu Xi, still unwilling to give up, and asked, “So you’re Battalion Commander Zhou’s wife?”
Xu Xi blinked, hesitating over whether to answer, when the man beside her spoke up.
“Yes, she is my wife.” Zhou Yue’s dark eyes grew serious as he took Xu Xi’s hand. “Comrade Lin, we have matters to attend to, so we’ll be leaving now.”
With that, Xu Xi was pulled away by Zhou Yue.
Lin Xiuman watched their retreating figures, her nails nearly digging into her palms.
She felt she had been played for a fool. Did Zhou Yue even have her in his heart at all?
It turned out it was all just her wishful thinking.
She had considered letting go of Zhou Yue, but every time she saw him, her heart couldn’t help but race. Perhaps this was what it felt like to be infatuated.
Lin Xiuman still refused to give up. There must be some hidden reason why Zhou Yue had suddenly married that village girl.
…
Xu Xi felt the oppressive atmosphere around the man beside her.
Who had upset him this time?
She thought back but couldn’t recall doing anything out of line. She hadn’t made a scene in front of his blind date, and she had even considerately given them space to be alone.
According to the original book, Zhou Yue had always looked down on Xu Xi. After marrying her, he left her in the village and ignored her. Even when she was pregnant, he never returned home to see her, though he did send his monthly allowance back.
Now, he had actually acknowledged her as his wife, which surprised Xu Xi a little.
Xu Xi stole a glance at Zhou Yue and still felt something was off.
Zhou Yue’s face was as dark as charcoal.
Before, Xu Xi had flitted around like a butterfly, telling everyone she was his wife, his beloved. But now, faced with Lin Xiuman, she had fallen completely silent.
Not only had she tried to leave early, but she hadn’t even uttered a word when Lin Xiuman asked her that question.
So all Xu Xi’s talk of missing him and loving him had just been empty words to placate him.
Zhou Yue had originally thought of giving her the benefit of the doubt, putting the incident with the medicine behind him and trying to get along with her harmoniously. But it turned out she was just a little liar.
The air grew increasingly awkward and silent.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xu Xi stopped in her tracks and asked, “Zhou Yue, what’s wrong with you?”
“That Comrade Lin is your blind date, right? If you still have something to say to her, I can go to the cafeteria by myself to eat.”
Hearing her words, Zhou Yue halted and looked down at her, his eyes dark and brooding. He was feeling deeply frustrated.
He patiently explained, “Comrade Lin and I have no relationship now. Don’t bring her up again in the future.”
“I won’t speak to her alone either. It wouldn’t be good for a female comrade’s reputation.”
Xu Xi instantly understood—he was worried about damaging Lin Xiuman’s reputation.
He really was such a good male lead.
Already sensitive due to her pregnancy, Zhou Yue’s words made her feel even more wronged.
“When others speak ill of me, you, as my husband in name, never step up to defend me.”
“You speak so gently to her, but you’re so harsh with me. Zhou Yue, I hate you.”
The more Xu Xi thought about it, the more wronged she felt. She pushed Zhou Yue away, tossed her two braids, and ran off.
But with her pregnant belly, she couldn’t run fast at all. Her running was clumsy, and Zhou Yue caught up with her in just a few strides.
Afraid she might fall, he said coldly, “Enough, stop throwing a tantrum.”
Seeing her pout angrily, he added, “I was just speaking to her in a normal tone.”
It was dinner time in the evening, and the camp cafeteria was particularly crowded. The two of them standing at the entrance drew even more attention.
Everyone was in no hurry to eat, simply standing where they were to watch the commotion.