Given how chaotic the outside world was, if Cheng Mengzhi left the military without its protection and ended up branded with a scandalous label, her life would be absolute misery.
“Chief, Aunt Zhou, I’m willing to get married. It’s Comrade Cheng who’s reluctant; we’re still discussing it,” Xu Jingyun explained once more.
“Call that a discussion? You just served me a notice; you gave me zero room to choice!” The moment Cheng Mengzhi heard Xu Jingyun’s rigid tone, a wave of anger flared up.
“Everything that needed to happen between a husband and wife has already happened. What else are we supposed to do if not get married?!”
“My body is mine to decide! If I say I’m not getting married, then I’m not getting married. You’re forcing me to marry you, and I can’t even refuse?!”
Cheng Mengzhi and Xu Jingyun started arguing back and forth.
It was He Shubai’s first time seeing a girl so daring—even after sharing an intimate encounter, she was still refusing to marry.
Zhou Zhaoning was taken aback as well; this child had guts.
“Such utter nonsense.”
He Shubai’s face looked terrible, and he cast a slightly awkward look toward his wife. Speaking so bluntly about such matters—was that really something outsiders should be listening to?!
“Don’t be angry, sit down and talk this through properly.” Zhou Zhaoning gently guided Cheng Mengzhi to a seat.
After a moment of silence, Xu Jingyun realized Cheng Mengzhi had a point; he shouldn’t have been so domineering. He needed to discuss things properly and show Cheng Mengzhi that he was a man worthy of her trust.
“I respect her opinion, Chief. I accept the military’s punishment. It was my failure to control myself that ruined Comrade Cheng’s purity.” Xu Jingyun openly and readily took the blame. Back in the study just moments ago, facing the chief’s interrogation, he had already shouldered all the guilt.
“Just look at you!” He Shubai pointed at Xu Jingyun, feeling a mix of exasperation and disappointment—the moment he saw a pretty face, the boy completely lost his self-control.
Cheng Mengzhi was timid, and upon hearing about accepting punishment, she stammered, “What… what kind of punishment?”
“Ruining someone’s purity? Strip off your uniform and get the hell out!” He Shubai turned his back to them, hands planted on his hips in fury.
Cheng Mengzhi’s face drained of color; it was that severe?!
Terrified, she immediately looked toward Xu Jingyun, sprang up anxiously, and blurted, “Chief, it was my fault! It has nothing to do with Comrade Xu. It was me trying to…”
“It was entirely my fault, and I gladly accept the punishment. If you’re unwilling to marry me, I’ll compensate you.” Xu Jingyun figured his personality might not be the most lovable, but since what was done couldn’t be undone, taking responsibility to ensure a better outcome for everyone was the right thing to do.
He Shubai felt a headache coming on from sheer anger.
Puzzled, Cheng Mengzhi looked at Xu Jingyun. Why on earth was he cutting her off?
“Then… what kind of punishment will I get?!” The chief probably already knew about her drugging incident; surely she wasn’t going to end up in prison?! That was something the original host had done, not her!
“You didn’t go around filing false reports against him, so what punishment are you expecting?” He Shubai asked, completely bewildered.
Hearing that, Cheng Mengzhi froze for a second. Meeting Xu Jingyun’s gaze, she realized—did he really not tell them she was the one who drugged him?
“Child, whatever is on your mind, just say it. Aunt Zhou will back you up. We’ll hush this matter right up and make sure no one ever finds out,” Zhou Zhaoning said, her heart aching for the girl. “After all, nobody wants to marry someone who bullied them.”
Xu Jingyun’s face turned pale, and he fell silent, offering no further words.
Cheng Mengzhi finally understood.
“We were completely voluntary. Will he still be punished?” Cheng Mengzhi asked cautiously.
“You’re losing your mind, child! He bullied you, yet you’re still standing up for him?” Zhou Zhaoning said, distressed.
“No, I mean it—it was voluntary.”
“If it was voluntary, why are you refusing to get married?” Zhou Zhaoning’s question hit the nail right on the head.
Catching on as well, He Shubai looked over at Cheng Mengzhi and said, “That’s right. I heard the person you used to fancy was named Lin Shuyan?”
Things were getting interesting now; the scent of juicy gossip was in the air.
Cheng Mengzhi: Oh crap, if they keep asking, my cover’s going to blow.
Xu Jingyun grew tense as well.
“Chief, Aunt Zhou, I’m currently acting as the political commissar, and Lin Shuyan belongs to our regiment. When Lin announced he was marrying Comrade Qin, Comrade Cheng had nowhere to turn and wanted an explanation. I patiently comforted her, and she told me she had let go and planned to start her life over. As we spent time together, Comrade Cheng found me attentive and well-suited for a relationship, so she wanted to find the right moment to officially be with me.”
Hearing this, Cheng Mengzhi accidentally locked eyes with the chief and guiltily lowered her head.Whatever story you’re spinning is fine by me—anything is better than telling the leaders the raw truth.
“Before she could confess to me, Lin Shuyan felt that Comrade Cheng had no business meddling in his personal life. Catching wind of rumors from somewhere that Comrade Qin’s marriage to Political Commissar Bai years ago was engineered by Comrade Cheng, he impulsively reported her. After a thorough investigation turned up zero evidence yet left a string of suspicious loose ends, Comrade Cheng, planning to leave the military anyway, came to confess her feelings to me. In a moment of lost control, we crossed the line. Afterward, terrified that getting married would drag me down because of the pending investigation, Comrade Cheng refused to tie the knot.”
The fact that Xu Jingyun could spin the narrative into something this cohesive made him a genuinely good man. Suddenly, she realized he wasn’t such a bad catch after all. In this turbulent era, Xu Jingyun made for an exceptionally solid backing. It just felt a bit unfair to him—having to marry a woman who didn’t initially love him.
Looking at Xu Jingyun, the couple wore looks of utter disbelief. However, knowing Xu Jingyun’s character inside and out, they could clearly see he was playing a calculated game—he was purely and simply shielding Cheng Mengzhi.
Two clever foxes.
“You two are completely out of your minds! You barely even know each other, and you already went and…” He Shubai couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence. “This is a serious breach of discipline! As your leader, if I look the other way after learning about this, how am I supposed to maintain any authority?”
Cheng Mengzhi understood clearly now: punishment was inevitable.
“Just punish me instead! If I hadn’t gone looking for Comrade Xu, none of this would have happened. It’s not his fault.” Cheng Mengzhi shouldered all the blame; Xu Jingyun had gone out of his way to clear her name, so she couldn’t let him get driven out of the military. “We were both voluntary—can you please leniency us? Make the punishment lighter, just for me, since it’s entirely my fault.” Cheng Mengzhi even held up a finger to gesture a tiny amount.
“You dare try to bargain with me?!” He Shubai glared at her.
Startled, Cheng Mengzhi ducked behind Zhou Zhaoning. The chief’s gaze was simply too piercing; locking eyes with him sent a chill straight down her spine—it was way scarier than staring down Xu Jingyun.
Suppressing a smile, Zhou Zhaoning wrapped her arms around Cheng Mengzhi and scolded, “Stop trying to scare her.”
Realizing he had gone a bit overboard with his acting, He Shubai cleared his throat.
“Then… if I marry him, does that mean neither of us will be punished? And the reporting business won’t affect his promotion, right?” Thinking it through, if they really did get married, the fallout from the report would inevitably splash onto him.
“You still dare to bargain?!” He Shubai felt like Cheng Mengzhi was going to drive him up a wall. Calming himself down as he recalled what was just said, he pressed on: “Is that report even true?”
“Of course not! I never did any such thing.” She hadn’t drugged Qin Junyao’s late husband; she had only drugged Xu Jingyun, after all.
Xu Jingyun looked at Cheng Mengzhi, realizing she had finally agreed to the marriage.
“If it’s false, we’ll give you a proper accounting. Even if it’s unfounded, we’ll track down who’s spreading these malicious rumors—we can’t just let false accusations slide. Rest assured,” He Shubai said, his anger reigniting at the thought of fabricated reports. “Hurry back and submit your marriage applications to me by tomorrow.” Feigning one final bout of sternness, He Shubai grudgingly pardoned them. “Let me make this crystal clear: before you two are legally married, no getting close! If I catch wind of any more rumors, I’ll enforce military law by the book.”
Cheng Mengzhi muttered under her breath, “So basically… as long as you don’t find out, everything’s fine.”
“What did you say?” He Shubai frowned.
“N… nothing!” Cheng Mengzhi gave an awkward shake of her head and decisively sealed her lips shut.
He Shubai let out a helpless sigh.
Watching the adorable girl, Zhou Zhaoning bit her lip to hold back a laugh—this was getting too amusing!
Zhou Zhaoning saw the two of them off. Once they were out of earshot, she couldn’t help pinching He Shubai’s arm as she scolded, “You laid it on way too thick! She’s just a young girl, why did you have to look so terrifying?” She couldn’t resist a final jab: “Your acting was so terrible that the poor kid actually thought you were genuinely furious! Now spill—what is really going on here?”
With a hearty chuckle, He Shubai pulled his wife down to sit beside him. “Jingyun claimed he was dazzled by Comrade Cheng’s beauty, that Cheng came to him for help, and that he let his dark impulses get the better of him and lost control.”
“Impossible. That boy Jingyun would never do something like that. Besides, he’s far too smart to pull a stunt that would sacrifice his entire career. Cheng Mengzhi must have used some leverage to force his silence.” While Zhou Zhaoning didn’t know Cheng Mengzhi well, she understood Xu Jingyun like the back of her hand.