Chapter Four: Trouble Has Arrived

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“Little host, the commander needs comfort right now. Charge! Seize the moment, find the right approach, and watch affection soar!” The system blared chaotically inside her mind.

“Shut up!” Qiao Luo glared, and the noise instantly ceased in her head.

She walked over to Qin Yanzhou’s side. His lips twitched slightly, the sharp, rigid lines of his face tense as iron. When their eyes met, they flickered faintly.

Though he wielded great power outside, he couldn’t silence all the gossip, and they were speaking the truth.

He felt pained for Qiao Luo, to see her unjustly burdened with so much criticism.

Yet, to Qiao Luo, he looked more like a forlorn, dejected puppy.

That sight seemed to pinch her heart gently, inexplicably endearing.

“Yanzhou, what I said just now was sincere,” Qiao Luo crouched down and said casually, “Marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog. I am who I am. Don’t listen to their nonsense.”

Qin Yanzhou’s focus was unusual. He asked, “You mean, I’m a dog?”

Qiao Luo choked for a moment, then waved her hand dismissively, “Just a metaphor! Don’t worry, I married you, and I’ll have children with you.”

This time, Qin Yanzhou coughed. Qiao Luo’s blunt words were not a first. His Adam’s apple moved as he looked away, “You’re shameless, a girl like you.”

Elsewhere.

Chen Liao returned from training and found Fang Qing lurking outside his door.

Fang Qing was the head of the cultural troupe. With her delicate looks and fair complexion, she had long held the title of the army’s flower.

The two entered the room, and Fang Qing gave him a push, feigning annoyance.

“Chen Liao, has the approval come through yet? Do you still want to marry me or not?”

“Not yet. My home is far; I have to take it back for my family’s signatures.” Chen Liao had a square face that looked a bit dull, but his strong features made up for the shape.

Now, wearing a conciliatory smile, he took her hand to soothe her.

“If you ask me, your village is so remote. Since you won’t go back, we don’t need to bother your parents about the wedding.”

Fang Qing pulled her hand back, displeased.

She had grown up in the city, finished technical school, and her family had used connections to get her into the cultural troupe. After years, she had become its leader.

To fancy someone like Chen Liao from a rural backwater was partly because he was considerate and good at coaxing her, and partly because his rank as a battalion commander was respectable, and he was reasonably good-looking.

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“I found such a good wife in Qingqing; I must let my parents know. I wrote to them before, and they were overjoyed,” Chen Liao praised in a roundabout way.

Suddenly recalling something, he furrowed his brow deeply.

His parents had not only expressed joy but also brought bad news: the woman previously arranged for him had lost her grandfather and was rushing to the army to seek him out!

If Fang Qing found out, she would surely call off the engagement.

But calculating the timing, Qiao Luo should have arrived by now.

Before Chen Liao could ponder further, Fang Qing let out a huff.

“The crippled commander at the research institute, Qin Yanzhou, is getting married too. The bride’s name is something like Qiao Luo. Who knows where she came from,” Fang Qing’s tone rose, filled with pure malice.

Chen Liao blinked in disbelief. “Qingqing, are you sure you heard correctly?”

“Absolutely true.” Fang Qing had just gone for a stroll and caught wind of the news, which was spreading wildly.

The troupe had tried to match her with Qin Yanzhou before, but that crippled man had rejected her first.

Now, both were getting married, and Fang Qing was determined to beat them to it, to hold a more dignified wedding.

“How could this be?” Chen Liao’s first reaction was disbelief.

He felt uneasy. This Qiao Luo, so inexperienced, coming to the army might stir up trouble.

If she said anything reckless in front of Fang Qing, what then?

The next day, with nothing pressing, Chen Liao went to the military family compound to gather information.

Upon arrival, Chen Liao was genuinely surprised. Battalion commanders weren’t assigned quarters in the family compound but only a single room in the barracks. Seeing such a large courtyard, he could only envy her.

Qiao Luo was lying peacefully in a wicker chair, basking in the sun.

Qin Yanzhou had handed over the family’s cash and ration coupons to her; she could go buy some things at the supply and marketing cooperative in the afternoon.

Passing by Qin Yanzhou’s home, Chen Liao witnessed this scene: a petite woman with sunlight dappling her face, wearing a coarse linen shirt that somehow lent her an unusual charm.

“May I ask who you’re looking for?” Qiao Luo stood up and asked.

Chen Liao swallowed involuntarily. She hadn’t looked this good the last time he saw her.

After a pause, he remembered his purpose. “Qiao Luo?”

Qiao Luo nodded, puzzled. As a newcomer, she was unfamiliar with everyone. The only person who could call her by name was probably Chen Liao.

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Unexpectedly, before she had found anyone, Chen Liao had sought her out.

“Qiao Luo, you’re a woman coming to the army, shamelessly wanting to marry another man. Do you know how disgraceful that is when the news gets back to the village?” Chen Liao launched into a scolding tirade without giving her a chance to respond.

A big question mark appeared in Qiao Luo’s mind.

“Are you crazy?” she said with disdain, utterly exasperated with the original fiancé.

“Marrying Commander Qin... what good could come of it? While people don’t know the truth yet, you’re shameless, and I’m the one who should be ashamed,” Chen Liao frowned impatiently.

In this era, once the engagement was signed, it was basically a lifelong commitment.

But it was Chen Liao who had backed out first.

Qiao Luo was not one to be bullied, but the man’s arrogance amused her. “So you mean I married Qin Yanzhou just to spite you?”

“Then what else?” Chen Liao stepped closer, intending to threaten.

But before he could finish, a woman’s voice interrupted.

“Chen Liao, what are you doing here?” It was Fang Qing.

As the saying goes, three women make a drama. Qiao Luo felt utterly overwhelmed by the noise, her head aching.

Chen Liao gave Qiao Luo a warning glare, stepping back from her, then forced a smile and turned around.

“Qingqing, I came to see Commander Qin. We still need his signature on the approval.”

“So you and her…” Fang Qing looked suspiciously at Qiao Luo, raising her chin with a cold snort, “You’re Qin Yanzhou’s new wife?”

“Yes,” Qiao Luo shot Chen Liao a sidelong glance.

Fang Qing’s eyes darted between Chen Liao and Qiao Luo. Just moments ago, they had been standing so close that from this angle, the broad back of the man completely overshadowed Qiao Luo.

Her sixth sense told her this was no simple matter.

With that thought, she drew her conclusion.

“You actually shamelessly seduced my man in broad daylight?” Her voice was sharp, instantly drawing the attention of several curious military wives nearby.