In that instant, the air seemed to solidify into concrete.
Huo Yan felt as if his heart had been clenched hard in someone’s fist, skipping half a beat.
But the “poker face” he had honed through years on the battlefield proved crucial at this moment.
Not even his eyebrows twitched.
“A woman’s scent?”
Huo Yan let out a snort of laughter, the corner of his lips curling into a mocking smile. He even deliberately lifted his arm and sniffed his sleeve.
“Old Liu, have you gone crazy missing your wife? My room smells like nothing but sweat and foot odor. Where would a woman’s scent come from?”
As he spoke, he shifted half a step to the side without drawing attention, blocking the wardrobe behind him even more securely.
“I just came back from the medical unit. Maybe I picked up some disinfectant smell there. Or…”
Huo Yan paused, spinning nonsense without changing his expression.“I switched shower gel. Those new recruits bought it for me—said it’s a trendy city fragrance. Girly as hell. I’ll throw it out later.”
The explanation was a bit far-fetched, but there was nothing obviously wrong with it.
Political Commissar Liu shot him a suspicious glance and sniffed the air again.
The scent really was faint.
Like a sweet, milky fragrance mixed into the heavy smell of tobacco filling the room—appearing and disappearing.
“Alright, maybe I smelled wrong.”
Liu waved his hand and didn’t dwell on it further.
He pulled out a chair and sat down, took out a pack of cigarettes, and tossed one to Huo Yan.
“Sit. Let’s talk business.”
Huo Yan accepted the cigarette, finally letting out a breath of relief.
However, just as he was about to sit down—
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something.
His heart nearly jumped straight out of his throat.
By the bed.
In an inconspicuous corner near the foot of the bed.
Lying quietly there—
A red embroidered shoe.
It was the one Jiang Li had taken off earlier.
Only one.
Still smeared with mud, glaringly obvious against the spotless floor—like a louse on a bald head.
Damn it!
One slip after all that caution!
Cold sweat instantly broke out across Huo Yan’s back.
Liu Jianguo was lowering his head to light his cigarette. As long as he lifted his head and shifted his gaze just a little—
He would see that shoe perfectly clearly.
If that happened, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn’t wash him clean.
Huo Yan’s mind raced.
At the very instant Liu struck the match and the flame flared—
Huo Yan moved.
He pretended to reach for the matchbox on the table, leaning forward.
At the same time, his heavy military boot stepped casually to the side.
A soft sound.
The boot landed precisely on the embroidered shoe.
The broad sole completely covered the small, delicate shoe.
Without changing his expression, Huo Yan struck another match and leaned over to light Liu’s cigarette.
“What’s so urgent?”
As he spoke, using his body as cover, he applied pressure with his foot.
Like kicking a ball—hooking it with his toe, then pushing.
The unfortunate embroidered shoe slid silently across the floor with a whoosh, disappearing beneath the bed.
Only after confirming the shoe was completely out of sight did Huo Yan finally feel his suspended heart drop back into place.
The clothes on his back were already soaked through.
This was more thrilling than defusing a bomb.
Liu Jianguo took a satisfied drag from his cigarette, exhaling a cloud of smoke, completely unaware of the life-or-death moment that had just passed.
“It’s about this recent ‘crackdown.’”
Liu’s expression turned serious as he tapped the table.“Orders came down from above. We’re to crack down hard on hooligan crimes. Especially in the army—discipline issues are a high-voltage line. Whoever touches it is done for.”
Inside the wardrobe—
Jiang Li was curled up among thick military coats, her body stiff as stone.
The wardrobe door hadn’t been fully shut, leaving a very narrow crack.
Through it, she could see Huo Yan’s broad, upright back—and Liu Jianguo’s stern face.
She heard everything clearly.
“Crackdown.”“Hooligan crimes.”“Done for.”
Each word stabbed into her ears like a blade.
In this era, hooliganism was a serious crime.
She’d heard that not long ago, a man in the neighboring county had been executed just for messing around with a female educated youth.
Jiang Li trembled violently, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
She was in Huo Yan’s room right now.
Wearing Huo Yan’s shirt.
If she were discovered, it would be a textbook “discipline problem.”
Not only would she be finished—she would also drag down the man who had saved her.
An overwhelming fear gripped her throat like an invisible hand, nearly suffocating her.
She bit down hard on the back of her hand. Even when her teeth broke skin and she tasted blood, she didn’t dare make a sound.
The conversation outside continued.
“I hear the punishment is severe this time. If they catch you red-handed, you’re expelled from the army and handed over to the courts. In serious cases, you might even…”
Liu Jianguo made a gesture of shooting.
Huo Yan sat opposite him, cigarette between his fingers, smoke curling up and obscuring his expression.
But the fingers holding the cigarette had gone slightly pale from excessive force.
Of course he knew how serious the consequences were.
That was exactly why he’d hidden Jiang Li.
If this got exposed, it would ruin his entire future.
“Oh right, Old Huo.”
Liu suddenly changed the subject.“The song-and-dance troupe is recruiting again. The commander asked me to see if you have any promising candidates to recommend. Or… anyone you’ve taken a liking to?”
As he spoke, Liu showed a knowing smile that men understood.
“Our division commander is already thirty. It’s time he settled down. I think that Lin Man from the troupe is pretty good—and she seems interested in you…”
Huo Yan answered absent-mindedly, brushing it off.“Not interested. Don’t worry about it.”
All his attention was on the wardrobe behind him.
It was too quiet inside.
Suspiciously quiet.
That girl was so timid—after hearing all that terrifying talk, had she passed out?
And the wardrobe had no ventilation, reeking of mothballs. Staying inside too long would be unbearable.
Huo Yan grew restless.
He glanced at the wall clock.
Liu Jianguo had been sitting there for half an hour already.
“Old Liu.”
Huo Yan stubbed out his cigarette and stood up abruptly.“If there’s nothing else, you should head back. I still have an operational plan to write—I need to hand it in first thing tomorrow.”
That was a clear dismissal.
Liu was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting Huo Yan to chase him out.
But he was tactful. Seeing Huo Yan genuinely fatigued, he stood up.
“Alright, alright, workaholic. Get some rest and don’t stay up too late.”
He picked up his raincoat and, at the door, turned back to remind him:“Remember—discipline issues are a red line. Don’t do anything foolish.”
Huo Yan’s heart skipped, but his face remained calm as he nodded.“Don’t worry. I know.”
Only after Liu Jianguo’s figure completely disappeared down the corridor, his footsteps fading away, did Huo Yan finally let out a long breath.
That half hour had felt like an entire century.
He locked the door behind him and strode straight to the wardrobe.
“Come out. He’s gone.”
Huo Yan yanked open the wardrobe door.
But what greeted him was not Jiang Li’s relieved face.
Inside—
Beneath the oversized white shirt, her small body lay limp among the military uniforms.
Jiang Li’s eyes were tightly shut, her face pale as paper, cold sweat covering her forehead.
She had fainted.
Lack of oxygen, combined with extreme terror, had snapped the last taut string in her nerves.
As the wardrobe door opened, the support from the cabinet wall vanished.
Jiang Li lost her balance, her body falling outward like a withered leaf.
“Hey!”
Huo Yan reacted instantly, stretching out his long arm and catching her in his embrace.
She was burning hot.
She had a fever.
And the loose white shirt, shifted by the movement, had fallen wide open at the collar.
Huo Yan lowered his head and saw the girl’s completely defenseless sleeping face in his arms—and the gentle rise and fall with her breathing…
His arms stiffened instantly.
A panic he had never known before—mixed with an emotion he couldn’t name—quietly exploded inside his hardened heart.