《Miss Chen Becomes a Cannon-fodder Villainess and Has a Super Strong Husband!》


 Chapter 1

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    in a simple and plain room, chen lan rubbed her heavy head.


    she was a diligent worker and had thought she would live her life in such a mundane manner. but unexpectedly, she hit the jackpot in the lottery, transforming from an ordinary office worker into a multimillionaire.


    as a result, she had partied all night with her best friend tian tian, drinking a lot of alcohol, which had left her feeling quite dizzy.


    chen lan looked at the empty room with a hint of dissatisfaction, then grabbed the red mandarin duck pillow at the head of the bed and threw it towards the door, saying, ¡°it¡¯s been so long, why is he not here yet!¡±


    after drinking too much, tian tian mocked chen lan for being 26 years old and still never having been in a relationship, still a virgin. hence, she had promised to find a man for her tonight and guaranteed satisfaction.


    but she had been sleeping for a while and still did not see any man coming.


    as if hearing chen lan¡¯s complaint, the door suddenly opened.


    chen lan raised her heavy head to look over and, in her drowsy state, saw a tall figure standing at the door. she could vaguely make out that the man was wearing a military green outfit, standing tall, and seemed to have a red flower on his chest.


    she was dizzy, and although she could only see the general outline, she knew that this man was certainly not lacking in appearance. her impatience from earlier quickly faded, and a smile appeared on her face.


    supporting herself on the edge of the bed, chen lan stood up and walked towards the man with unsteady steps.


    ¡°what took you so long?¡± she reached up to touch the man¡¯s rugged face. ¡°i¡¯ve been waiting for you for a long time.¡±


    as she spoke, she leaned into the man¡¯s arms, and her hand slowly slid down to his abdomen.


    tang ye looked at the woman¡¯s gentle and coquettish appearance and pushed her away with a cold expression. chen lan was already unsteady, and his push nearly made her fall.


    tang ye quickly steadied her, his brows furrowed in thought. after a moment, he decided to lift her, preparing to place her on the bed and then leave.


    however, before he could take a step, chen lan cradled his face in her hands and lightly touched his lips with her own.


    this unexpected move startled him, leaving him momentarily stunned. when he finally came to his senses, he quickly walked over to the bed and tossed the woman, who was clinging to him, onto it.


    ¡°chen lan, are you crazy?¡± tang ye pinched chen lan¡¯s chin, making her look directly at him. ¡°can you tell who i am?¡±


    but in the next moment, chen lan¡¯s small hand caressed his cheek. ¡°i see, i see! don¡¯t worry; i won¡¯t forget you. you¡¯re my first man, and i like you the most!¡±


    tang ye was taken aback by her words, and the pressure in his grip lessened. in that brief moment, she leaned closer, her lips playfully grazing tang ye¡¯s face, finally stopping at his thin lips. her teeth lightly nibbled on his lower lip, and the rich scent of alcohol lingered between their lips.


    this haphazard kissing continued for a moment, and chen lan finally stopped, unsure of what to do next. after all, she had been single for over 20 years and didn¡¯t know how to proceed, but she was feeling incredibly frustrated.


    she could only press her forehead against tang ye¡¯s and gently coax him, ¡°darling, my baby, i like you the most. can you believe me?¡±


    she was assuming this man must have been jealous because tian tian had initially chosen someone else, and now he wasn¡¯t putting in much effort. she couldn¡¯t let such a great catch slip away and needed to coax him.


    it was unclear which of her words ignited tang ye, but his fingers slowly slid over chen lan¡¯s soft lips, and in the next moment, he kissed her. he embraced her slender waist with one hand, while the other gently caressed her hair. he kissed her lips tenderly and rhythmically.


    men often rely on instincts when it comes to matters of intimacy and he quickly undressed chen lan. his hands were placed on her chest, and his lips and tongue continued to tease her, eliciting pleasurable moans from the woman beneath him.


    after the foreplay, tang ye lifted chen lan¡¯s legs onto his shoulders, panting heavily as he asked, ¡°are you sure you won¡¯t regret this?¡±


    chen lan, aroused and unable to make a clear decision, simply bit her lip and looked at tang ye with teary eyes.


    seeing her seductive gaze, tang ye didn¡¯t wait for her answer. he pushed into her body forcefully, and their passionate encounter began.


    the red candle flickered, and all was quiet, except for the woman¡¯s soft cries and the man¡¯s heavy breathing intertwining continuously.


    the morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting light onto chen lan¡¯s face. accustomed to the life of a corporate slave, she merely frowned and then sat up.


    in this unfamiliar room, old but clean, chen lan¡¯s face displayed a hint of confusion. then, she suddenly remembered something and looked down at herself.


    she was now completely naked, without a single piece of clothing on. her body was covered in bruises and marks of various shades, indicating just how intense their activities had been last night.


    thinking of this, she glanced to her side but found no trace of the man.


    ¡°he left already? well, i guess this handsome guy must be a rookie; he nearly missed the mark the first time,¡± chen lan complained silently, unaware that the room¡¯s door was about to be opened. in the next moment, tang ye stood at the doorway with a dark expression.


    she felt the temperature in the room drop significantly and quickly forced an awkward smile, silently praying that the handsome guy hadn¡¯t heard her small complaint just now.

 Chapter 2

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    at this moment, chen lan had wrapped the red bedsheet around her chest, with only her shoulders and arms exposed, and her skin appeared even paler due to the love bites and bruises left from the previous night.


    tang ye gazed at the marks he had left behind, involuntarily recalling the frenzy of last night. his eyes deepened, and he quickly turned away, unable to bear looking any longer.


    he had no idea how he had ended up with this woman. the woman whose heart and eyes were preoccupied with someone else.


    chen lan watched the man standing at the door, neither entering nor leaving. she suspected that he might be here to settle the bill, so her eyes scanned the area near the bed in search of her purse to pay with her bank card. however, her search yielded nothing.


    her clothes and shoes were all gone, leaving only a pair of olive-green trousers and a white shirt neatly folded on the side. her mind buzzed, wondering if she had encountered an extortion scheme!


    chen lan widened her eyes, and her brain raced. she was thinking about how to escape from this strong man! the next moment, her mind was pierced by a sudden pain, as if countless fragments were bursting out, threatening to crack her skull.


    unable to bear the agony, she clutched her head tightly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong? are you feeling unwell?¡± tang ye heard the woman¡¯s groaning and turned around to see her in this state. chen lan was pale, and he hurried to her side. ¡°i¡¯ll take you to the hospital!¡±


    she held his hand as he tried to dress her. ¡°no, i¡¯m fine. no need to go to the hospital.¡±


    the pain had gradually subsided, and the fragmented images in her mind were slowly piecing together. chen lan was shocked to realize that she had transmigrated into a book! she had become the malicious supporting female character who everyone despised.


    ¡°you don¡¯t look well. let¡¯s go to the hospital,¡± tang ye carefully observed her and believed that going to the hospital would be the safer choice.


    chen lan shook her head, her voice weak. ¡°i¡¯m fine. really. can you get me a glass of water?¡±


    after scrutinizing chen lan for a while, tang ye eventually left the room.


    she watched as the man exited the room and let out a sigh of relief. only god knew how difficult it was for her to resist the impulse to attack everyone indiscriminately.


    not only had she lost the 50 million she had just won, but she had also become entangled in a series of misdeeds that would eventually lead to her tragic demise as a supporting character in the story, dying in a car accident with nobody to claim her body.


    she had just finished reading this book before hitting the jackpot, and the memories were still fresh in her mind.


    in the book, the character chen lan shared the same first and last name but had a completely different life from hers.


    in the book, chen lan¡¯s grandfather and father were high-ranking military officers, and her mother was a university professor. she had been pampered and adored since childhood.


    however, she unreasonably fixated on the novel¡¯s male protagonist, liang chen, and used every means to sabotage the relationship between the male and female leads, causing a scandal that became widely known in the military compound.


    her father, concerned that she wouldn¡¯t find a suitable husband, married her off to their adopted son, tang ye.


    but after marriage, chen lan didn¡¯t let go of her obsession. instead, she harbored resentment toward her own family, feeling that they were high-ranking officials and could have easily arranged her marriage to liang chen with a single word. yet, they all refused to help her. so she became even more relentless, even plotting to run over the female lead, wen ting, with a car.


    when her plan was exposed, her grandfather resigned from his position as the chief of the division to save her, but he died in despair on his sickbed. her parents, influenced by her actions, were subsequently dismissed from their positions. her mother, unable to bear the accusing stares of her students and the daily threatening letters, eventually took her own life. not long after, her father followed suit.


    after that, chen lan was run over by a speeding truck while walking on the street, putting an end to her life, which had become a tragic joke.


    thinking about the excruciating pain of being crushed by a truck, chen lan shuddered violently. she was terrified of pain, so she couldn¡¯t allow the miserable life of the original character to repeat itself on her.


    the first step in her journey of transmigration was to stay far away from the male and female leads.


    ¡°how are you feeling? are you sure you don¡¯t need to go to the hospital?¡± tang ye¡¯s cold voice interrupted chen lan¡¯s thoughts.


    she forced a smile, shook her head, and took a sip of water from the glass he handed her. her face was still gloomy, especially after losing 50 million in one go.


    however, this expression didn¡¯t sit well with tang ye, who was standing nearby. he frowned, and his hand involuntarily tightened, making a crisp sound.


    sensing the increasing tension around her, chen lan looked up and saw him glaring at her with an unfriendly expression, leaving her somewhat puzzled.


    then, she remembered how chen lan in the book had treated tang ye, and it wasn¡¯t pleasant.


    tang ye¡¯s parents had passed away when he was very young, and his uncle, who took him in, often mistreated him.


    one year during the new year¡¯s celebration, his aunt kicked him out of the house for breaking a bowl, and the young boy nearly froze to death on that day of family reunion.


    fortunately, at that time, his father¡¯s old comrade, who happened to be chen lan¡¯s father, chen jun, found him. after learning about his situation, he brought tang ye back to his own home to raise him.


    her parents treated tang ye like their own child, providing him with education and opportunities. he didn¡¯t disappoint them and managed to enter a military academy, eventually becoming a battalion commander at a young age.


    the couple admired him, the military leaders respected him, and the soldiers in the unit looked up to him. however, in chen lan¡¯s eyes, such an outstanding individual couldn¡¯t measure up.


    the original chen lan, who was privileged and had always put herself on a pedestal, couldn¡¯t bear to have an unwanted child living in her home since she was a young girl, especially one who had stolen much of her parents¡¯ love.


    so, she often teamed up with several other kids of her age in the compound to isolate tang ye. they spread various rumors about him at school and even took advantage of tang ye¡¯s sense of gratitude for living under their roof to insult him both verbally and physically.


    even after tang ye became a battalion commander, chen lan still looked down on him and frequently mocked him in front of his soldiers.


    if it wasn¡¯t for chen jun, who saw his daughter¡¯s reputation deteriorating rapidly and worried that she wouldn¡¯t find a husband, and if he hadn¡¯t spoken up, tang ye would never have considered marrying her in his life.

 Chapter 3

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan thought about the various plot developments in the book, making her feel even more frustrated. the original character had managed to offend everyone possible.


    and she had just arrived in this world, only to end up sleeping with this man who seemed to despise her. no wonder tang ye¡¯s face was as black as charcoal now. it was all thanks to his tolerance and composure that he could restrain himself from throwing her out.


    currently, she found herself in a situation where she was surrounded by enemies, and it was incredibly awkward.


    ¡°well, i¡­¡±


    chen lan attempted to say something to ease the awkward atmosphere. however, she was also afraid of saying the wrong thing, and considering tang ye¡¯s muscular arms, if he decided to hit her, she might not survive it.


    seeing chen lan¡¯s troubled expression, tang ye turned away from her and sat down on a chair by the bed, his back facing her. ¡°don¡¯t even think about getting a divorce. i promised uncle army, and i won¡¯t divorce you.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    she stared at tang ye¡¯s back in confusion. when did she ever mention divorce?


    after a moment of contemplation, she realized that tang ye had probably misunderstood. the original character¡¯s affection for liang chen wasn¡¯t a secret, and tang ye knew about it too. this was likely why he thought she wanted a divorce.


    chen lan lowered her head, looking at her own hands in deep thought. she hadn¡¯t experienced romantic relationships before, but she didn¡¯t hate tang ye. she had a favorable impression of this young and talented man.


    moreover, this marriage was arranged by the army, and her father held the authority there. she didn¡¯t want to defy her parents like the original character had.


    so, regardless of the reason, she would accept this marriage.


    having figured things out, she exhaled and rubbed herself against the bed. she scooted closer to the edge of the bed and gently wrapped her arms around tang ye from behind. ¡°i didn¡¯t intend to divorce you.¡±


    tang ye¡¯s body stiffened, and he looked surprised at the delicate hand around his waist.


    ¡°i realized my feelings yesterday when we got married. i no longer have feelings for liang chen. i was so foolish to have sacrificed so much for someone i didn¡¯t even like,¡± chen lan confessed, her face nestled against his back as she spoke calmly.


    ¡°tang ye, we are already married, and i am your wife now. although i can¡¯t promise you how deep my feelings are for you now, believe me, last night i realized that i do have feelings for you.¡±


    ¡°you don¡¯t have to lie to me,¡± tang ye didn¡¯t believe her words. this woman had a long history of deceiving him. he still remembered when she had cried claiming that she was bullied, and tricked him into a sports equipment room, locking him in there overnight.


    chen lan was aware of the original character¡¯s notorious bad deeds, and she didn¡¯t expect to gain his trust with a few words. she knew that time would prove her sincerity.


    ¡°i¡¯m telling the truth. you are handsome, and you have a bright future ahead of you, much better than liang chen. i know i¡¯ve done a lot of wrong things in the past, and it¡¯s normal for you not to believe me. however, i will prove it to you through my actions.¡±


    her voice was muffled, and it weighed heavily on his heart as well.


    he looked at the hand still on his waist and felt the warmth of her breath against his back. he had an urge to turn around and embrace her, but he suppressed himself. instead, he gently pried her hands away and said, ¡°get up and eat.¡±


    with that, he turned and walked out.


    chen lan watched his retreating figure and shrugged her shoulders, and although she felt a bit defeated, she knew that this matter couldn¡¯t be rushed. after all, it had been more than a decade of impressions, and such feelings couldn¡¯t change overnight.


    she got dressed and, upon leaving the room, saw tang ye already sitting at the dining table.


    she sat down at the table, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and curiously surveyed the room.


    this house was located in a military family compound, with a two-bedroom with a living room, approximately 80 square meters. although it looked a bit old, it was tidy and well-kept. however, apart from the red character for ¡®happiness¡¯ on the door, there was no indication that this was a newlywed¡¯s home.


    the interior of the house was quite empty, and apart from the dining table and chairs, there was hardly any significant furniture to be seen.


    logically, tang ye, as a battalion commander, received a decent monthly allowance, and she came from an affluent family and was the apple of their eye. it was hard to believe that their marital home would be so sparsely furnished.


    ¡°tang ye, did we not buy any furniture for our marriage?¡± she swallowed her mouthful of porridge and asked him with a serious look.


    tang ye glanced at her upon hearing her question, and his expression seemed to say, ¡®are you asking me?¡¯


    chen lan, being a diligent observer and understanding the importance of reading people¡¯s expressions, quickly lowered her head and focused on eating, while simultaneously trying to recall the original character¡¯s memories.


    however, due to the constraints of the plot, her memory only provided a general overview of the storyline¡¯s major developments, and details such as why the vicious supporting female character didn¡¯t buy furniture when she got married were not explained at all.

 Chapter 4

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    after thinking for a while and failing to come up with an explanation, chen lan concluded that it was likely an oversight by the book¡¯s author. she assumed that the wedding had been hastily organized, leading to the absence of furniture. with an awkward smile, she said, ¡°it¡¯s okay. when you have some time off, we can buy furniture together.¡±


    he looked at her with a hint of suspicion in his eyes. he couldn¡¯t help but feel that she was indescribably strange today. could it be true, as she claimed, that she had reconsidered and wanted to live a good life with him?


    however, remembering her previous lies, he shook his head in self-mockery.


    he couldn¡¯t help but feel that this woman might be up to something again. maybe she had developed another liking for some expensive gift, and her current behavior was just a way to appear vulnerable to him, preparing to cheat money from him.


    ¡°no need to buy. it¡¯s fine as it is. this way, we won¡¯t have to worry about you selling all the furniture and appliances one day to buy gifts for someone else,¡± tang ye said with a sarcastic tone.


    ¡°what?¡± chen lan was confused by tang ye¡¯s sarcastic words.


    he set down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at her seriously. ¡°liang chen has set his eyes on a motorcycle. uncle army didn¡¯t give you the money, so you sold your jewelry, the furniture, and appliances from our marriage to buy it for him.¡±


    bringing up this matter, tang ye had grievances not only against his wife, chen lan, but also against his comrade, liang chen.


    liang chen had someone he liked, the military doctor fan cong and they had been in a relationship for a while. this was one of the reasons why liang chen rejected chen lan¡¯s pursuit.


    but even though liang chen had a girlfriend and had clearly stated that he didn¡¯t like chen lan, he had no qualms about accepting various gifts from her. even after tang ye and chen lan had engaged, he still accepted such valuable gifts from her. tang ye couldn¡¯t agree with such behavior.


    chen lan was now thoroughly confused. what on earth had the original character set her sights on? he didn¡¯t like her, yet he kept accepting the gifts. what kind of top-notch man was this?


    ¡°well, i have not been thinking before, but i promise i won¡¯t do that again in the future!¡± chen lan looked into tang ye¡¯s eyes, raised her hand, and held up four fingers. ¡°i swear!¡±


    he watched her anxious demeanor and sighed, ¡°forget it, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    she nodded and quickly finished the remaining rice in her bowl. then, she stood up, preparing to clear the table, a task she was used to doing.


    however, before she could even touch the plates, tang ye grabbed her hand. ¡°don¡¯t worry about it. i¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    with that, he began clearing the table on his own.


    ¡°let¡¯s do it together.¡±


    ¡°no need.¡± he blocked chen lan¡¯s hand once again. he always remembered her mother, wang lian, who had held his hand tearfully and given him countless reminders. she had said that chen lan had never faced hardship in her life, from childhood to adulthood, and she urged him to take good care of her after marriage and prevent her from suffering.


    chen lan reluctantly withdrew her hand, feeling a bit awkward standing there. in the past, she used to clean up after meals on her own, and now, watching someone else do it made her feel at a loss.


    he moved between the living room and the kitchen, busy with the task. she watched his diligent figure and suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of peace. he worked quickly and carefully, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to neatly clean up the dishes.


    ¡°alright, everything is cleaned up. i have to go to work now. there are many restaurants near the military family housing area; you can grab lunch there. i¡¯ll come back to cook dinner tonight,¡± tang ye instructed softly.


    chen lan nodded. technically, he had been granted a week of leave for their wedding, but the original character didn¡¯t want to see him. therefore, she forced him into canceling his leave in advance before marriage. so, even though they had just gotten married, tang ye had to report back to the military base.


    this matter had caused quite a stir, and many people were aware of it. tang ye had faced numerous rumors and gossip when he returned to work.


    chen lan remembered that liang chen and fan cong had criticized those who spread rumors about this matter, portraying themselves as champions of justice. therefore, the novel provided a clear description of the situation.


    she knew that although tang ye didn¡¯t care about the original character, he had ultimately lost face and credibility due to this incident. coupled with the original character¡¯s relentless actions afterward, he decided to divorce her after chen jun and his wife¡¯s deaths, leaving the homeless original character uncared for.


    chen lan walked up to him, raised her hand to tidy up his military uniform, and then, while he was still in a daze, she tiptoed and quickly kissed him on the cheek. ¡°i¡¯ll take care of myself. you focus on your work, handle any urgent matters, and when you have some free time, let¡¯s make up for our wedding leave.¡±

 Chapter 5

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    tang ye hadn¡¯t expected chen lan to act like this, and a flush of red quickly spread across his face.


    he took a step back and distanced himself from her. ¡°uh, this, let¡¯s talk about this later. i have to go now,¡± he said hurriedly, not looking back as he quickly left, as if he were being pursued by something terrifying.


    chen lan leaned her head out of the door, propped her hand on the door frame, and watched tang ye¡¯s rapidly disappearing figure. she couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°he turned out to be such an innocent young man. jackpot!¡±


    she chuckled and then returned to the house, heading to her bedroom to sort through her belongings.


    her leather bag was neatly placed in the only cabinet in the house. upon opening it, the first thing that caught her eye was a red cloth bag.


    she took the cloth bag out and held it in her hand, trying to recall the memories of the original owner who had given it to her. she couldn¡¯t remember, so she frowned and opened it.


    inside, there was a passbook, a stack of cash, a letter, and a candy bar.


    firstly, she opened the passbook, which showed regular deposits and occasional withdrawals. two months ago, there had been a one-time withdrawal of 3,000 yuan, leaving a balance of just over 300 yuan.


    then, she counted the cash, which amounted to around 100 yuan. finally, she picked up the letter and opened it.


    on the pristine sheet of paper, a message was written in black ballpoint pen: ¡®perhaps this marriage was not our initial choice with willing hearts, but i am willing to devote my sincerity and wholeheartedly treat you.¡¯ the handwriting was neat and strong.


    chen lan read the line over and over, then carefully folded the letter and placed it back into the cloth bag.


    when she saw the passbook, chen lan had already guessed that this was probably left by tang ye. the 3,000 yuan was likely his betrothal gift to her.


    she had initially thought that tang ye must detest her in his heart, but she hadn¡¯t expected that although he was not good at expressing himself in front of her, privately, he had entrusted her with all his savings.


    she thought about how the original owner had abandoned such a good husband and chased after someone like liang chen. what a sin.


    as she thought about it, she reached for the candy, unwrapped it, and placed the orange-shaped candy into her mouth. the sweet and tangy flavor instantly filled her mouth, much like her current mood.


    she looked at the candy wrapper in her hand and suddenly remembered that tang ye left empty-handed earlier. however, according to tradition, shouldn¡¯t he have brought some wedding candies to share on the second day of their marriage?


    chen lan frowned and stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to figure it out. finally, it dawned on her. ¡°it must be this world¡¯s chen lan doesn¡¯t want to acknowledge this marriage. after all, this marriage is not a happy occasion for her.¡±


    ¡°but doesn¡¯t this mean that he will once again be subject to gossip and disdain?¡± thinking about this, chen lan jumped out of bed. ¡°no, no, such an innocent young man cannot be hurt!¡±


    she lowered her head and took out ten yuan from her purse. she stuffed the money into her pocket, grabbed the keys hanging by the door, and left.


    their new home was in the family housing area right next to the military base. the people coming and going were mostly family members of the soldiers, and many of them had seen chen lan at the wedding. they still smiled warmly as they greeted her now.


    however, after chen lan left, they gossipped about the relationship involving her, liang chen, and tang ye.


    she knew very well what they might say, but she didn¡¯t mind. they didn¡¯t seem to have bad intentions. it was probably just human nature to be curious and enjoy gossip.


    along the way, she walked and asked for directions. eventually, she arrived at the shop in the family housing area.


    a woman working in the shop dressed neatly and meticulously groomed, quickly came forward to greet her.


    ¡°oh, you¡¯re battalion commander tang¡¯s newlywed wife, right? yesterday, i saw you from afar, but i thought you were exceptionally beautiful. now that i see you up close, you¡¯re even more stunning, like a person in the painting.¡±


    the woman had a cheerful smile on her face and spoke words of flattery.


    chen lan felt a bit uncomfortable with the excessive praise. ¡°you¡¯re too kind. i¡¯m just an ordinary person. i don¡¯t think i deserve such exaggerated compliments.¡± she lowered her head shyly and muttered softly.


    the woman didn¡¯t stop there, continuing to lavish praise. ¡°i never lie. you and commander tang are truly a match made in heaven, a perfect couple.¡±

 Chapter 6

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan knew that the woman, named xiu lian, was the wife of the political commissar in tang ye¡¯s battalion. xiu lian was known for her warmth and frankness, and running this shop in the family housing area made her quite skilled in dealing with people.


    aware that xiu lian could go on complimenting her endlessly if she didn¡¯t intervene, chen lan quickly changed the topic. ¡°sister-in-law xiu lian, your compliments are making me feel like i don¡¯t recognize myself anymore. by the way, do you have candies here?¡±


    upon hearing this, she shifted her focus to business and stopped showering chen lan with praise. ¡°candies? of course, we have them. what flavor do you like? i¡¯ll pick some for you.¡±


    xiu lian was efficient, continuing the conversation while rummaging through her counter, looking for the candy bars.


    although her shop had a fair amount of candy, most people in the housing area were quite frugal. they used their money for daily expenses and often spent any surplus on buying clothes or shoes for their husbands. as a result, candy wasn¡¯t typically a priority purchase, so she didn¡¯t prominently display it in her shop.


    ¡°tang ye didn¡¯t buy enough of these wedding candies before the wedding, so we ran short during the ceremony yesterday. he also didn¡¯t bring any candies to distribute to the soldiers. i asked him to come buy some, but he insisted it was unnecessary, so i came myself.¡±


    chen lan explained with a mix of sincerity and a hint of frustration in her tone.


    xiu lian had already found a bag of candy and stood up straight, saying, ¡°men are like this, not paying attention to these little details. when i married my husband, he was the same.¡±


    she said this and pushed the bag of candies towards chen lan on the counter.


    chen lan lowered her head to take a look; there were probably about 100 candies in this bag. she wasn¡¯t sure how many people were in his unit, but she assumed that this bag wouldn¡¯t be enough. ¡°sister-in-law, do you have more? tang ye has many subordinates, and this bag probably won¡¯t be sufficient.¡±


    xiu lian bent down again and picked up two more bags, saying, ¡°these should be enough. these wedding candies are just for good luck, so it doesn¡¯t matter if there aren¡¯t enough. you¡¯re so considerate. battalion commander tang is really lucky to have married you.¡±


    chen lan smiled, ¡°it¡¯s not that i¡¯m thoughtful, but tang ye always said that his soldiers are all excellent, and he wouldn¡¯t want to disappoint any of them. since he¡¯s giving one, he should give to each. sister-in-law, i¡¯ll take these bags. how much is it?¡±


    xiu lian nodded in agreement, ¡°two-fifty per pack, three packs for seven-fifty.¡±


    chen lan took out 10 yuan from her pocket and handed it over. she also took two candies and gave them to her, saying, ¡°sister-in-law, please have some wedding candies. i¡¯ll have to trouble you in the future.¡±


    xiu lian didn¡¯t hesitate and took the money. after that, she opened one candy and popped it into her mouth, ¡°i wish both of you a blissful marriage.¡±


    chen lan thanked her and didn¡¯t linger, quickly heading towards the direction of the military base. xiu lian watched her go and murmured to herself, ¡°this lil¡¯ wife isn¡¯t as bad as the rumors say. rumors can be dangerous, indeed.¡±


    the military base where tang ye was stationed wasn¡¯t far from the family housing area. chen lan didn¡¯t walk for long after leaving the area before she spotted the chilly iron gate. two young soldiers with rifles stood on either side of the gate, their faces stern.


    when they saw her approaching, the soldier on the left raised his right hand to signal her to stop, ¡°comrade, what¡¯s your business here?¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m tang ye¡¯s wife, and i¡¯ve come to see him,¡± chen lan replied confidently, facing the soldiers and their rifles without any fear.


    the young soldier, upon hearing chen lan¡¯s words, quickly stood at attention and saluted, saying, ¡°hello, sister-in-law! i¡¯m lu ming from the 3rd platoon of the 9th company in the 7th battalion!¡± the 7th battalion was where tang ye was stationed, and the soldier in front of her was one of tang ye¡¯s subordinates.


    she smiled warmly and replied, ¡°hello.¡±


    she was good-looking to begin with, and her smile was like a breath of fresh air. lu ming felt a bit embarrassed and lowered his head, his face slightly flushed. ¡°sister-in-law, battalion commander tang is currently in training. if you don¡¯t mind waiting here for a while, i can go inside and inform him.¡±


    ¡°wait, there¡¯s no need to disturb him if he¡¯s busy. i don¡¯t have any urgent business. i just wanted to bring the wedding candies that he forgot at home this morning. you can help me take them inside and distribute them.¡±


    upon hearing this, lu ming and the other soldier on duty exchanged surprised glances.


    their commander had punished them with extra training this morning for asking for wedding candies. he made them stand guard at the entrance.


    everyone in their camp thought that they wouldn¡¯t be able to eat the commander¡¯s wedding candies. who would have thought that chen lan would send it over before noon.

 Chapter 7

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    lu ming quickly took the three bags of candies that chen lan handed to him, cradling them carefully in his arms. then, he solemnly saluted her and said, ¡°sister-in-law, don¡¯t worry, we will complete the mission!¡±


    she smiled as she watched lu ming¡¯s salute. she couldn¡¯t explain why, but she felt truly touched. however, before she could respond, lu ming continued, ¡°i wish you and commander a happy and harmonious marriage, with many children to come!¡±


    lu ming¡¯s voice was loud and clear, attracting the attention of people passing by.


    she suddenly became the center of attention, and she wished she could find a hole to hide in. she waved her hands in embarrassment and said, ¡°alright, alright, i got it. now, go inside and share the candies with everyone.¡±


    seemingly aware of chen lan¡¯s embarrassment, lu ming scratched his bald head in embarrassment and quickly ran off.


    as she watched lu ming¡¯s figure disappear, she couldn¡¯t help but shake her head in amusement. the soldiers¡¯ tang ye led seemed to be cut from the same cloth.


    since she completed her task, she didn¡¯t plan to linger. she bade farewell to the other soldier standing guard nearby and was about to leave.


    ¡°chen lan, what brings you here?¡± however, she had only taken a few steps when she heard someone call her from behind.


    she turned around and saw a man standing not far away.


    the man was dressed impeccably in a military uniform, with every button fastened meticulously. unlike tang ye, who had a rugged, sun-kissed complexion and exuded a tough, masculine aura that hinted at his experience on training grounds and battlefields.


    the man in front of her had fair skin and a slender figure. if he were dressed in a long robe instead of a military uniform, he would resemble a refined scholar or teacher.


    as he gazed at chen lan, his face displayed a mixture of shock and a hint of disdain and impatience.


    she could tell that this man must be none other than the original protagonist, liang chen, whom the original character had loved but couldn¡¯t be with. judging by his expression, he probably assumed that she had come to see him.


    ¡°i¡¯ve come to deliver something to tang ye. why? anything else?¡±


    chen lan¡¯s tone was far from warm, and she even seemed quite indifferent. it was a stark contrast to how she used to act around liang chen, where she would eagerly approach him.


    in response to her attitude, liang chen seemed momentarily taken aback, his mouth opened as if he had forgotten what he wanted to say.


    ¡°if there¡¯s nothing else, i¡¯m leaving,¡± she stated flatly. she had little patience for refined egoists like the male lead and simply wanted to leave.


    ¡°wait.¡± surprisingly, liang chen, who initially seemed to want to keep his distance, stopped her once again. he jogged to her side.


    she took a deep breath and then forced a smile that couldn¡¯t be considered pleasant as she asked, ¡°what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    liang chen was still very uncomfortable with chen lan¡¯s attitude and appeared awkward. ¡°nothing. i just wanted to tell you that you and tang ye are already married. don¡¯t come looking for me anymore, and let¡¯s reduce our interactions in the future. tang ye is a good person. you two should live your lives well.¡±


    chen lan rolled her eyes at his words. she wondered why he was saying this. if he truly wanted them to live their lives peacefully, he should just stay away from her.


    ¡°our marital affairs don¡¯t concern you. i have other matters to attend to, so please don¡¯t block my way.¡±


    liang chen had already figured out why she had such an attitude. she must resent and regret because he was unwilling to marry her, and her current behavior was probably just a way to seek his attention. she was using delivering things to tang ye as an excuse to see him. he felt even more disdain for her.


    ¡°that¡¯s all i have to say. do as you please,¡± liang chen concluded. he stepped aside and stood there with an air of righteousness, leaving chen lan feeling inexplicably annoyed.


    ¡°chen lan! you are pestering liang chen again!¡±


    chen lan didn¡¯t want to have any private interactions with liang chen, but every time she tried to leave, it didn¡¯t work out.


    ¡°chen lan, you are shameless! you¡¯re already married, and yet you¡¯re so eager to look for liang chen. are you trying to cheat on tang ye?¡±


    ¡°which eye of yours saw me pestering him? right now, i¡¯m the one who wants to leave, but he¡¯s blocking my way, okay?¡±


    sun zhi walked up to liang chen and shielded him from chen lan, looking at her with disdain. ¡°you¡¯re just an unwanted b*tch. would liang chen ever block you? if it weren¡¯t for that ¡®green-haired turtle''[1.derogatory chinese slang meant to insult] tang ye, you probably wouldn¡¯t have a future¡­¡±


    ¡®slap!¡¯


    before sun zhi could finish his sentence, she stepped forward and swung her arm, slapping him across the face.

 Chapter 8

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°you¡¯re the turtle here! your whole family are turtles! let me tell you, you¡¯re insulting your comrade. right now, i¡¯m teaching you a lesson on behalf of your leader. if you ever dare to say a bad word about our tang ye again, try it!¡±


    as she threatened, she casually took a few steps back, preparing to escape if sun zhi decided to attack.


    ¡°chen lan, you b*tch, how dare you hit me?¡±


    sun zhi was no gentleman, and he didn¡¯t care whether he was dealing with a woman or not. if someone dared to touch him, he would certainly retaliate.


    just as he was about to react, a soldier who had been standing guard nearby hurried over and stood in front of chen lan, watching sun zhi vigilantly.


    behind sun zhi, liang chen also quickly restrained him and whispered in his ear, ¡°forget it, why bother arguing with a woman? besides, she¡¯s now tang ye¡¯s wife and her father is the army commander. you don¡¯t need to provoke her.¡±


    sun zhi snorted. tang ye had outstanding abilities and remarkable military achievements, and everyone knew that the higher-ups valued him highly. no one wanted to make an enemy out of him.


    additionally, chen lan¡¯s father, chen jun, was an army commander in another group of army. although he didn¡¯t directly lead them, he was not someone sun zhi could easily offend.


    but he wasn¡¯t the type to endure grievances inside. he was secretly planning to go to tang ye later to complain about chen lan¡¯s actions. he didn¡¯t believe that tang ye would protect a wife who tried her best to cheat on a man before or after marriage.


    now that they were at the entrance of the military compound, more and more people were surrounding them. chen lan looked at the now subdued sun zhi, then suddenly turned her gaze toward liang chen.


    she motioned for the soldier in front of her to step aside, indicating that everything was fine now. then she walked over to face liang chen, looking at him rightfully. ¡°liang chen, return my motorcycle!¡±


    liang chen had initially thought that she was going to try some soft tactics with him, but he was surprised when she immediately asked for her motorcycle. he couldn¡¯t help but widen his eyes as he looked at her.


    on the other side, sun zhi, who had just calmed down, came rushing over again. ¡°chen lan, you¡¯re shameless! that motorcycle was a gift from you to ahchen. how can you have the nerve to ask for it back now?¡±


    chen lan glanced at him sideways, ¡°did i speak to you? why are you barking here? those who didn¡¯t know better will think liang chen had some incredible authority, needing you as a spokesperson wherever he goes.¡±


    sun zhi was once again about to erupt, but liang chen, who had realized the situation, quickly held him back. ¡°chen lan, are you facing any difficulties? if you are, we can help you.¡±


    liang chen was a smart person. he saw that more people were gathering around, so he avoided discussing the motorcycle issue and instead inquired if she needed help, presenting himself as gentle, considerate, and understanding.


    ¡°i¡¯m not facing any difficulties, and if i do, our ahye will help me.¡±


    ¡°then, you are¡­¡±


    she looked at liang chen with an innocent expression. ¡°before i got married, you told me you wanted to borrow money to buy a motorcycle, and you used that motorcycle as collateral. if you cannot repay me the money after i get married, you will give me the motorcycle.¡±


    as she spoke, her eyes turned red, ¡°the money i lent you was part of the dowry my father gave me. there was also the betrothal gift from ahye. i thought you would repay me quickly, that¡¯s why i lent it to you. but now, even after i¡¯m married, you still haven¡¯t shown any intention to repay me. are you trying to default on your debt? i trusted your character, which is why i didn¡¯t ask you to sign an iou. how could you go back on your word?¡±


    tears rolled down chen lan¡¯s cheeks in large drops while she spoke. combined with her pitiful appearance, she easily garnered sympathy from the people around her. even the soldiers on guard behind her glared at liang chen with anger.


    when he received the motorcycle, he rode it around a few times to flaunt it. at the time, there were rumors that it was a gift from chen lan. little did they know that she had loaned the money to him using her dowry and betrothal gift. it seemed that he probably had no intention of returning it from the beginning.


    however, not many people shared this perspective. due to chen lan¡¯s character, most were more inclined to believe liang chen ¡ª such as the person standing beside him, sun zhi.


    ¡°chen lan, nonsense! do you have any evidence to prove that ahchen asked you for a loan?¡±


    ¡°well, do you have any evidence to prove that i gave it to him?¡± chen lan retorted.


    sun zhi choked. indeed, no one had witnessed chen lan giving the motorcycle to liang chen.


    liang chen felt a bit frustrated. he suddenly remembered back then, he had tried to prevent people from gossiping by not allowing her to give him gifts openly. however, he unexpectedly fell into this awkward situation.

 Chapter 9

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    he genuinely liked the motorcycle. otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have accepted the gift from chen lan, even though he already had a girlfriend. so, he was unwilling to return it now. after all, he couldn¡¯t afford to buy one himself.


    however, he also understood the power of rumors. while most people were willing to believe him given chen lan¡¯s past actions, he knew that where there¡¯s smoke, there¡¯s fire. since he aspired to be promoted in the future, he couldn¡¯t afford any stains on his record.


    ¡°it¡¯s true that i didn¡¯t manage to gather that much money. i wanted to discuss this with you today, but our conversation got interrupted. so, as agreed, i¡¯ll return the motorcycle to you. however, the motorcycle is not at the military base. i¡¯ll ride it over and send it to your place another day. how about that?¡± liang chen asked.


    ¡°no problem. but don¡¯t deliver it to my home. men and women should keep their distance. just give it to our ahye.¡±


    chen lan admired liang chen¡¯s patience and reminded herself to be cautious around such individuals.


    nonetheless, she was quite happy to have her belongings returned by someone she disliked. she wiped away her tears, walked past liang chen and sun zhi, and left without saying another word.


    sun zhi spat on the ground as he watched chen lan¡¯s departing figure. ¡°ahchen, i think she¡¯s out for revenge on you. you can¡¯t give things back to her.¡±


    liang chen shook his head with a responsible look on his face. losing the motorcycle was frustrating, but chen lan repeatedly referring to ¡®our ahye¡¯ was even more annoying.


    ¡°as you said, she¡¯s shameless. she might cause a scene at the camp anytime, and i have no evidence to prove that she willingly gave it to me. it¡¯ll ruin my reputation. it¡¯s just a motorcycle; returning it to her won¡¯t cost me much.¡±


    though sun zhi was impulsive, he wasn¡¯t foolish. he knew that liang chen was right. no matter what, even if they could prove that the motorcycle was a gift from her, accepting such a valuable gift for no apparent reason would still invite gossip.


    ¡°you¡¯re just too honest, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re being bullied by such a shameless person. ahcong is kind too, and both of you will suffer in the future. no, i have to talk to tang ye.¡±


    ¡°what for?¡± liang chen asked.


    ¡°i want to ask him if a battalion commander can manage his wife and stop letting such a woman come over to harass you!¡±


    after his statement, sun zhi shook off liang chen¡¯s hand and strode into the military compound. as he passed the entrance, he even gave a menacing glare to the soldiers on duty.


    liang chen hurriedly followed.


    meanwhile, on the training field inside the military compound, tang ye stood in front of a group of soldiers, his expression cold.


    ¡°stand up straight. don¡¯t you want to eat lunch?¡±


    under the scorching sun, the young soldiers dared not voice their anger and had no choice but to persevere.


    originally, the training program for the day was supposed to be easy. who could have anticipated that their newlywed battalion commander would return? upon his return, they would be subjected to a variety of high-intensity training as punishment for asking for wedding candies. it was simply unreasonable.


    secretly, they couldn¡¯t help but wonder if their battalion commander¡¯s performance last night had been subpar and had been kicked out of bed by his wife, causing him to vent his frustration on them today.


    ¡°report!¡±


    liu ming rushed over with the candies in hand, panting slightly as he looked at tang ye¡¯s frosty face. his heart trembled with fear.


    ¡°didn¡¯t i assign you to stand guard at the entrance?¡± tang ye gave him a sidelong glance before shifting his gaze back to the formation.


    ¡°reporting to the battalion commander, sister-in-law, i mean, the battalion commander¡¯s wife asked me to bring in the wedding candies to distribute to everyone?¡±


    as soon as the words were spoken, tang ye¡¯s gaze, which had just moved away, instantly snapped back, filled with disbelief, and he remained momentarily unresponsive.


    it was the political commissar, sitting in the shade under a tree, who broke the silence. ¡°dismissed! dismissed! liu ming, quickly, give me a few pieces first, then take them down and distribute them to everyone.¡±


    upon hearing this, the soldiers who had been standing at attention moments ago immediately collapsed to the ground. after liu ming handed the candies to the political commissar, yu yi, they wasted no time in surrounding him again, shouting, ¡°long live the battalion commander¡¯s wife!¡±


    yu yi unwrapped a candy and popped it into his mouth before walking over to tang ye, offering him one, and patting him on the shoulder. ¡°isn¡¯t this great?¡±


    while the young soldiers might not have known, yu yi was well-informed about chen lan¡¯s situation and understood why he returned to the base empty-handed after his wedding.


    he did not expect chen lan to come and deliver the candies personally, but it also indicated that his good friend¡¯s newlywed life might not be as bad as he had imagined.


    tang ye accepted the candy and held it in his hand, clenched it in his hands. he seemed to be lost in thought and smiled.

 Chapter 10

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°tang ye!¡±


    a furious shout echoed, causing tang ye to conceal his smile and put the candy in his shirt pocket before turning in the direction of the voice.


    from the south end of the training ground, sun zhi walked over with a dark expression. liang chen followed closely behind with an anxious expression.


    upon seeing liang chen, tang ye¡¯s already stern face seemed to frost further.


    political commissar song lian frowned momentarily but quickly put on a smiling face as he approached them. ¡°yo! sun zhi, liang chen, what brings you here today? don¡¯t you have training today?¡±


    sun zhi merely glanced at song lian before bypassing him. liang chen smiled apologetically at song lian.


    sun zhi stood in front of tang ye. ¡°tang ye, do you even qualify as a man? you can¡¯t even control your wife?¡±


    hearing this, tang ye clenched his fist.


    song lian quickly ran over and grabbed tang ye¡¯s arm, shouting at sun zhi, ¡°vice commander sun! this is your superior! is this how you talk to your superior?¡±


    ¡°he¡¯s not my battalion commander! besides, he let his wife assault me. he is the one who made the mistake first. as a subordinate, i must point out the mistakes of my superiors,¡± sun zhi retorted, with his neck held high, showing that there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with his attitude.


    listening to his words, tang ye¡¯s expression softened. ¡°oh? then tell me, why did she hit you?¡±


    sun zhi hesitated, unsure of how to respond. he couldn¡¯t exactly admit that it was because of his disparaging comments about tang ye.


    you don¡¯t need to know why she hit me; the fact is, she assaulted me!¡±


    ¡°then, what do you want?¡± tang ye shifted his gaze from sun zhi to liang chen.


    at that moment, liang chen felt like tang ye had seen right through him. for some reason, he didn¡¯t dare to meet tang ye¡¯s eyes.


    liang chen then pulled sun zhi¡¯s arm and said, ¡°forget it, we still have matters to attend to.¡± he turned to tang ye and added, ¡°sorry. sun zhi was also at fault in this matter. i¡¯ll bring him back now.¡±


    his words carried a subtle message that both song lian and tang ye, being astute individuals, understood. it was an indirect way of saying, ¡®your wife is the one with the problem¡¯.


    song lian watched liang chen and shook his head. he couldn¡¯t help but note the underlying competitiveness between the two. they had joined the military at the same time, both highly talented men. however, tang ye held a rank higher than liang chen, and though liang chen didn¡¯t show it openly, it was clear that he felt a sense of injustice.


    however, he didn¡¯t consider that tang ye earned all these by risking his life.


    ¡°you said chen lan hit you, but you didn¡¯t say why she did it, and you came to me without suggesting how to resolve this matter. why? do you want to fight?¡±


    tang ye ignored liang chen¡¯s provocation. he knew exactly what liang chen was planning ¨C to bring sun zhi over and cause trouble in the military, tarnishing his reputation while portraying himself as the peacemaker.


    ¡°ahchen, stay out of this!¡± sun zhi shook off liang chen¡¯s hand. ¡°tang ye, you said it yourself. are you up for it in front of your soldiers, right here on the training ground?¡±


    by now, a crowd of soldiers had gathered, watching the tense situation with unease.


    tang ye snorted and turned to shout at the surrounding soldiers. ¡°gather around! vice commander sun zhi from the first platoon of the third battalion is here to demonstrate for you. pay close attention!¡±


    then, he turned to look at sun zhi. ¡°please, vice commander sun.¡±


    the soldiers willingly cleared a path, fully aware that their battalion commander wouldn¡¯t easily demonstrate personally. this was a rare opportunity to witness his prowess as the battle king, and they were excited.


    sun zhi stepped forward, and tang ye removed his jacket, neatly folding it and placing it to the side before proceeding.


    liang chen grabbed hold of song lian, ¡°political commissar song, please try to intervene!¡±


    song lian took out a handful of melon seeds from his pocket and was about to find the best spot to enjoy the show when liang chen grabbed him. he said, ¡°commander liang, don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. ol¡¯ tang knows how to handle things with care. sun zhi is a young hot-blooded fellow; a little bit of sparring will do him good, it¡¯s a good thing!¡±


    saying that, he glanced down at the melon seeds in his hand, and then reluctantly extended them towards liang chen. ¡°want some?¡±


    liang chen shook his head in resignation. seeing this, song lian cheerfully withdrew his hand, then pushed through a few young soldiers to take a seat in the front row, the best viewing spot.

 Chapter 11

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    sun zhi knew that tang ye was formidable, but it was all from hearsay. in reality, he had only joined the army for a short time and had not witnessed tang ye¡¯s skills firsthand.


    furthermore, sun zhi came from a family with a background in martial arts, having practiced martial arts since childhood. this made him quite confident, and he had already envisioned the scene where he would defeat tang ye and receive cheers.


    tang ye¡¯s exceptional tactics and combat skills were on full display as soon as the battle officially began.


    he quickly dodged, effortlessly evading sun zhi¡¯s attacks, and then counterattacked swiftly and decisively.


    every move he made was precise and sharp, and his strikes were lightning-fast. his agility resembled that of a cheetah, and each strike carried tremendous force.


    sweat beads formed on sun zhi¡¯s forehead as he felt an unprecedented level of pressure. he had been repeatedly struck by tang ye¡¯s fists.


    tang ye chose to target concealed areas, avoiding leaving obvious marks or causing severe injuries, but the pain was unbearable.


    finally, tang ye leaped into the air and landed a punch on sun zhi¡¯s face. he then grabbed sun zhi¡¯s neck and exerted enough force to pin him firmly into the mud.


    with his knee pressed against sun zhi¡¯s head, tang ye leaned in close to sun zhi¡¯s ear and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear, ¡°chen lan is not someone you can provoke.¡±


    cheers erupted from the onlookers, but these cheers weren¡¯t for sun zhi as he had envisioned. they were celebrating his opponent¡¯s victory.


    tang ye quickly got up and addressed the excited crowd, ¡°thanks to vice commander sun for the live demonstration. everyone, go back and reflect on the reasons for his defeat in this battle. i¡¯ll be watching to see who repeats the same mistakes next time, and they¡¯ll have extra training!¡±


    ¡®kill a man and wipe out his heart¡¯. sun zhi¡¯s face, covered in mud, turned as red as a cooked shrimp.


    liang chen rushed over in a few steps and quickly helped him up. after a brief examination, he found that aside from the bruise on sun zhi¡¯s face from the earlier punch, there were no other visible injuries.


    song lian tucked the remaining melon seeds back into his pocket and walked over to pat liang chen¡¯s shoulder. ¡°don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t worry. injuries are inevitable during training. he¡¯ll be fine after resting for a few days.¡±


    ¡°you win. let¡¯s go!¡± sun zhi still couldn¡¯t believe he had lost, but that was the fact. he quickly pulled liang chen away.


    ¡°vice commander sun, feel free to come by anytime. your demonstration is very useful for improving the soldiers¡¯ skills!¡± song lian shouted as he waved from behind.


    sun zhi staggered and almost lost his balance but then quickened his pace.


    seeing this, song lian burst into laughter.


    tang ye said helplessly, ¡°that¡¯s enough. we¡¯re all comrades!¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s precisely because they¡¯re comrades. as the saying goes, prideful soldiers will always lose. they always say the third battalion is the strongest, and the first battalion is their ace. now, this commander doesn¡¯t even regard the battalion commander highly! it¡¯s good to deflate their arrogance now, so they don¡¯t get beaten up by the enemy on the battlefield.¡±


    drills were inevitable in the military. previously, the ninth battalion was significantly lower than that of the third battalion. but now, with tang ye here, the overall quality of soldiers has improved tremendously. song lian was confident that in the next drill, they would be able to surpass the third battalion.


    ¡°i heard that liang chen is going to be promoted to third battalion commander?¡±


    tang ye picked up his clothes, preparing to take a shower at the military camp to clean off the mud. he remembered that chen lan was a germaphobe, so he wasn¡¯t particularly enthusiastic about song lian¡¯s question. ¡°what does it have to do with us?¡±


    song lian rolled his eyes at the response. ¡°how can it not matter? you two were compared all the time when you were recruited. if he becomes the third battalion commander next time, won¡¯t you two be compared again?¡± plus, you¡¯re married to chen lan now, who wouldn¡¯t want to watch the show?


    of course, he didn¡¯t say the latter part out loud. he knew better than anyone how much tang ye cared about this matter.


    ¡°by the way, do you want to go home and check on it? sister-in-law couldn¡¯t have just hit sun zhi for no reason. don¡¯t let her suffer any grievances.¡±


    at the mention of chen lan, tang ye¡¯s icy expression finally softened.


    in his memory, although chen lan was often arrogant and verbally confrontational with him in the past, she had never resorted to public physical violence, especially not in front of liang chen.


    ¡°alright, you take care of their training. i¡¯ll go back and take a look, and i¡¯ll be back in a while.¡± after saying that, he hurried towards the bathroom. even if he was anxious, this short delay wouldn¡¯t make much of a difference. going back like this, chen lan would surely despise him.


    song lian watched tang ye leave in a hurry and shook his head. ¡°even heroes have a weakness for the charms of beauty. tsk tsk tsk.¡± then he turned to the soldiers waiting for orders. ¡°dismissed!¡±


    the soldiers cheered and quickly dispersed from the training ground.

 Chapter 12

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan left the military base and headed towards the residential area, contemplating her plans as she walked.


    while she was now married to tang ye, she couldn¡¯t afford to be idle every day. she needed some form of work or occupation. however, she was well aware that the original character had been spoiled and never took her studies seriously, ultimately dropping out of school.


    chen lan doubted she could easily find a good job, otherwise with the chen family¡¯s status, arranging employment for her shouldn¡¯t be difficult. of course, the original owner might not be willing to take up a job.


    thinking about it this way, the original character¡¯s death was not unjustified.


    as she walked, chen lan unconsciously passed by the entrance of the residential area. she didn¡¯t notice a chubby girl standing at the entrance, her eyes lighting up when she saw chen lan. so, she simply walked around her without paying much attention.


    the chubby girl¡¯s eyes briefly showed disappointment, but she quickly recovered and called out, ¡°lanlan!¡±


    the energetic call finally snapped chen lan back to reality. she turned around in confusion, and the large figure of the girl entered her line of sight.


    ¡°xiaojing?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s me! you did not expect me to come looking for you here!¡± wen jing smiled happily. she wanted to hug chen lan but had too many things in her hands. instead, she leaned in close to chen lan, beaming foolishly.


    chen lan had a deep impression of wen jing. in the novel, wen jing was chen lan¡¯s right-hand woman. from childhood, chen lan always had her go east, and she never went west1. even her extra weight was due to her loyalty to chen lan.


    so, when the original character chased after liang chen and dealt with fan cong, wen jing was like a vital force, making her ending all the more tragic.


    she was raped and gave birth to a sick child who died within a few days. and she died in prison because she took the blame for chen lan.


    thinking about the tragic fate of wen jing, although it wasn¡¯t because of herself, chen lan couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty. she rushed to take the things from wen jing¡¯s hands, but wen jing avoided her, saying, ¡°i¡¯m strong enough to carry them.¡±


    chen lan didn¡¯t insist and said, ¡°why are you here? come on, let¡¯s go to my house.¡±


    she brought wen jing to her home, and wen jing looked at the simple furnishings. the place lacked even basic furniture. ¡°lanlan, why did you marry tang ye? i thought you liked liang chen. is tang ye treating you badly? look at your humble house. tell me, is he mistreating you? i¡¯ll help you teach him a lesson!¡±


    chen lan poured a glass of water and placed it in front of wen jing. she held wen jing¡¯s hand and reassured her, ¡°don¡¯t worry, he did not mistreat me.¡±


    thinking about tang ye¡¯s handsome face, chen lan couldn¡¯t help but smile, ¡°xiaojing, let me tell you, i don¡¯t like liang chen anymore.¡±


    ¡°why?¡± wen jing didn¡¯t understand.


    wen jing¡¯s mother had remarried, and initially, everything seemed fine. however, when her mother gave birth to a younger brother, all the attention shifted to him, and her mother became increasingly impatient with her, often scolding and hitting her.


    later on, she accidentally caused her younger brother to get hurt while trying to coax him, so her mother sent her to her father¡¯s house. however, her father was a gambler and an alcoholic who would frequently beat her when drunk. so, despite her mother¡¯s mistreatment, she secretly returned home, only to be locked out of the house.


    that was when she met chen lan. a lovely girl handed her an umbrella and stood with her in the pouring rain. later, that girl brought her home.


    her stepfather found out that she was brought home by chen jun¡¯s daughter, who was still a battalion commander at the time, and he came with her mother that night to take her back.


    in private, her mother would still scold and beat her, but she no longer sent her back to her alcoholic father. chen lan would often bring her food and even give her some pocket money, so life became somewhat more bearable.


    chen lan was the only source of light in her miserable childhood, so she liked chen lan very much. she was willing to do anything for her, and this relationship would never disappear.


    therefore, now that chen lan told her that she no longer had feelings for liang chen, she found it very hard to understand. why would the feeling disappear?


    chen lan seemed to sense her confusion and patiently explained, ¡°do you think liang chen treats me well?¡±


    wen jing shook her head.


    ¡°that¡¯s right. since he treats me badly, why should i make things difficult for me? then i¡¯d only end up feeling hurt and subjecting myself to ridicule.¡±


    wen jing nodded in agreement. she had always liked chen lan because chen lan treated her well.


    thinking about how chen lan used to cry for liang chen and how she was criticized, wen jing tightened her grip on chen lan¡¯s hand. ¡°yes, he¡¯s not good. don¡¯t like him anymore!¡±

 Chapter 13

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°yes, from now on, i¡¯ll love myself more, love my family more, and love you more!¡± chen lan nodded with a smile.


    ¡°exactly!¡± wen jing was delighted to hear that chen lan wanted to love her more. then she remembered something else. ¡°what about all the things you gave to liang chen before? why don¡¯t we go get them back?¡±


    wen jing would be impatient when it came to matters involving chen lan. when she thought about it, she immediately wanted to go find liang chen. chen lan quickly grabbed her to stop her.


    ¡°don¡¯t worry, i met him today and talked to him about returning the motorcycle to me. we can forget about the other stuff.¡±


    ¡°the motorcycle? did you give him such an expensive gift? you should get it back quickly.¡±


    chen lan wasn¡¯t aware of this, but wen jing knew. previously, whenever liang chen subtly expressed what he wanted in front of chen lan, she would always give it to him. however, most of these things ended up with fan cong¡¯s younger brother.


    a motorcycle was a valuable possession, and wen jing would be heartbroken if it ended up benefiting someone else.


    ¡°after you get it back, are you going to give it to tang ye?¡±


    ¡°are you kidding me? how can i give it to tang ye?¡±


    chen lan¡¯s voice was very loud, and it reached tang ye¡¯s ears through the not-so-thick door.


    initially, he was happy that chen lan had asked liang chen to return her things. at least it showed that chen lan had truly let go of liang chen.


    however, her words now felt like a heavy blow to his heart. she might not like liang chen anymore, but in her heart, he was still the abandoned, unwanted child who had been taken in by others. this marriage was something she had been forced into.


    but what was he expecting now? what was he regretting? all of this had been destined when he agreed to chen jun¡¯s proposal to marry chen lan, right?


    tang ye let go of the doorknob and turned to go downstairs to leave.


    unbeknownst to them, the person who had just been outside their door had heard every word of their conversation.


    confused, wen jing looked at chen lan. ¡°why not give it to tang ye? do you like it? but that thing is very dangerous. you shouldn¡¯t ride it yourself. if you want to go somewhere, you can ask tang ye to take you.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t worry, i won¡¯t ride it myself,¡± chen lan reassured her. she didn¡¯t have any dreams of owning a motorcycle and riding it for fun. ¡°i plan to sell it and buy some furniture.¡±


    ¡°but second-hand motorcycles aren¡¯t worth much, so you might incur a loss,¡± wen jing pointed out


    ¡°there¡¯s no other way. i bought that motorcycle using the betrothal gift ahye gave me and the money saved up meant to buy the furniture. we can¡¯t go on without furniture in the house, so i have to sell it even if it means taking a loss,¡± chen lan explained, feeling somewhat helpless about the decisions made by the original character. ¡°besides, liang chen has ridden that motorcycle before. how can i let ahye ride it? i find it dirty.¡±


    wen jing didn¡¯t say anything else. she had always listened to chen lan since childhood till now. when chen lan made up her mind, she rarely argued.


    seeing that she did not speak anymore, chen lan scrutinized her again. she found wen jing¡¯s colorful attire overwhelming. there were two bright red blushes on her fair face, and her lips were painted with bold red lipstick, making her mouth look large and thick.


    chen lan rubbed her forehead and thought about how this kind of makeover had also been encouraged by the original character. she cursed the original character in her heart once again.


    it was because of jealousy over others¡¯ good looks that she made wen jing eat until she grew fat and dressed up like a paper doll in a paper effigy store. what a terrible curse.


    ¡°xiaojing, go to the bathroom and wash off the makeup on your face,¡± chen lan said firmly, and of course, wen jing didn¡¯t argue.


    she obediently went into the bathroom to wash off her makeup.


    seeing wen jing¡¯s fair complexion, large round eyes, and the dimples that appeared when she smiled, chen lan¡¯s mood improved significantly.


    ¡°let¡¯s go to the city together. i¡¯ll buy you some clothes,¡± chen lan handed the snowflake balm to wen jing and turned to her bedroom to pack.


    wen jing scooped out a small amount, rubbed it evenly in her hands, and applied it to her face. ¡°why buy me clothes? i have enough to wear. didn¡¯t you say you spent all the money on the motorcycle? don¡¯t spend more on me.¡±


    ¡°your clothes don¡¯t look good, and i don¡¯t like them. i must buy you some new ones. don¡¯t worry; i won¡¯t be foolish enough to give all the money to liang chen. it won¡¯t cost much to buy you a few pieces of clothing.¡±


    chen lan strapped on her small bag. she always felt heartache for wen jing, a child whose fate resembled her own. there was also a vague sense of guilt mixed in, so she wanted to do her best to be kind to her.

 Chapter 14

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan took wen jing to the entrance of the military base and asked the guard on duty, lu ming, to inform tang ye for her.


    she wasn¡¯t familiar with the route from the military base to the county city, and she was worried that tang ye might get anxious if he came home and didn¡¯t find her, so it seemed prudent to inform him in advance.


    every time lu ming saw chen lan, he would be extremely nervous. he saluted her and repeatedly assured her that he would convey the message to battalion commander tang.


    after chen lan left, lu ming quickly informed one of his fellow guards and hurried away in search of tang ye.


    when he found tang ye, he was in his office, reading reports. song lian was sitting in a chair with his legs on the desk, and a newspaper covering his head. most likely, political commissar song had fallen asleep.


    ¡°report!¡±


    ¡°come in!¡± tang ye shifted his gaze from the reports and looked at lu ming. lu ming couldn¡¯t help but feel that his battalion commander¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t particularly friendly.


    ¡°reporting to battalion commander. just now sister-in-law came and said she¡¯s taking her younger sister to the county city. they might not be back at a specific time tonight, so you don¡¯t need to wait for her to have dinner, and there¡¯s no need to worry.¡±


    lu ming quickly delivered the message and looked at tang ye. for some reason, he felt strangely guilty even though he hadn¡¯t done anything wrong.


    ¡°lu ming!¡±


    ¡°here!¡± lu ming immediately stood at attention.


    ¡°i assigned you to guard the entrance, and yet twice this morning, you¡¯ve left your post without authorization. do you understand that if this were on the battlefield, your brothers could lose their lives at any moment due to your irresponsible behavior?¡± tang ye¡¯s voice was loud, and song lian, who had been dozing off, jolted upright.


    he looked at lu ming, who was standing there looking lost, and said, ¡°oh my, he has to report to his superiors at any time. why are you getting so angry over this? lu ming, the battalion commander has spoken, so why are you still standing here? hurry back to your post!¡±


    ¡°yes!¡± lu ming quickly left the office, and it wasn¡¯t until he was over a hundred meters away from the office that he finally let out a sigh of relief.


    tang ye didn¡¯t stop him. he just lowered his head to continue reading his report. song lian, on the other hand, stared at him for a while, wondering why his battalion commander had suddenly become so irritable.


    could it be because of the couple¡¯s inharmonious s*xual life? this was a big deal, and song lian wondered how he could comfort his comrade about it. he felt as though his head could explode.


    meanwhile, chen lan, completely unaware that she had inadvertently caused a soldier to be reprimanded, was being led into the town by wen jing.


    the town was relatively close to the military base, and it took about 40 minutes to walk downhill along the mountain road to reach it.


    however, if they wanted to go to the county town, they would need to take another bus from the town, and buses usually ran about once an hour. they arrived at the bus station and were in luck as the next bus was scheduled to depart in about fifteen minutes.


    chen lan purchased two tickets and boarded the bus with wen jing.


    wen jing, being on the heavier side and with the sweltering weather, was sweating profusely and out of breath as she sat on the bus. chen lan, feeling sympathetic, went to buy two bottles of water and an ice popsicle for her.


    ¡°i don¡¯t want it, you eat it!¡± wen jing accepted the water but pushed the popsicle toward chen lan. she had a habit of saving the good stuff for chen lan.


    ¡°i bought it for you, why are you giving it to me? if you don¡¯t want it, just throw it away!¡± chen lan pretended to be annoyed.


    wen jing quickly took the ice popsicle, unwrapped it, and took a bite. she then cautiously looked at chen lan¡¯s expression and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that chen lan was smiling.


    ¡°you, don¡¯t always think about me. you need to think more about yourself,¡± chen lan said as she took out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the sweat from wen jing¡¯s forehead. ¡°you¡¯re a grown-up now, you should consider yourself more, understand?¡±


    wen jing nodded in response, but in her heart, she was even more determined to treat chen lan well.


    chen lan suffered from motion sickness and slept on wen jing¡¯s shoulder for the entire journey. when they arrived in the county, she was in much better spirits.


    she took wen jing to a department store and they went through the floors one by one. however, due to wen jing¡¯s larger size, they couldn¡¯t find anything suitable.


    ¡°lanlan, if there¡¯s nothing suitable, don¡¯t buy it. i don¡¯t need more clothes,¡± wen jing said, relieved that chen lan didn¡¯t have to spend money if they couldn¡¯t find anything.


    ¡°no, your clothes aren¡¯t nice, and i don¡¯t like them. if they don¡¯t have any here, we¡¯ll look elsewhere,¡± chen lan insisted. she was determined to find a plus-size women¡¯s outfit in this day and age!

 Chapter 15

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    they wandered around the county town a few times but still couldn¡¯t find anything suitable.


    ¡°lanlan, forget it, don¡¯t buy anymore. let¡¯s go back,¡± wen jing said as she pulled chen lan¡¯s hand. she knew that chen lan had never faced hardships before, and today they had walked so much. she was sure chen lan must be tired.


    but a sense of inferiority emanated from her eyes, and chen lan easily noticed it.


    this once pretty young lady had eaten herself into being over 200 pounds because the original character had said she looked better when she was plump. she had faced a lot of ridicule as a result, and it was clear how much she cared about her friendship with the original character.


    chen lan patted her shoulder and said, ¡°xiaojing, in the future, you can¡¯t eat too much. you have to work hard to lose weight. although you look nice now, i read in the newspaper a few days ago that being overweight can be bad for your health and increases the risk of many diseases. do you understand?¡±


    chen lan tried to be tactful in her words, not wanting to hurt her self-esteem, but this was something that needed to be addressed.


    ¡°by the way, are you still working at the clothing factory?¡±


    wen jing shook her head in response, ¡°the boss thought i was too fat, and my younger sister wanted to work there, so my mom¡­¡±


    she didn¡¯t finish her sentence, but chen lan knew that it was probably because of her mother that she gave up this job opportunity to secure a path for her younger daughter.


    she often couldn¡¯t understand wen jing¡¯s mother. why did her two children from the second marriage seem more important than wen jing? first, she made wen jing drop out of school for the younger brother, and now she had to give up a job for the younger sister.


    chen lan held wen jing¡¯s hand and said, ¡°xiaojing, do you want to have a better life?¡±


    wen jing remained quiet for a moment, then nodded. her thoughts were simple; if she had a better life, she could help chen lan more instead of relying on her support all the time.


    ¡°in that case, you must control yourself and work hard to lose weight. meanwhile, we¡¯ll go to night school together, and then i¡¯ll help you start a business to earn more money, okay?¡±


    most people might think chen lan¡¯s words were wishful thinking, but wen jing had full trust in chen lan.


    she nodded firmly and then spoke, ¡°doing business is not a problem, but as for night school, my mom won¡¯t agree.¡±


    attending night school also required paying tuition fees, and wen jing had already turned over all the money she earned to her family. there was no extra money to pay for tuition fees. if she asked her family for it, her mother would not agree.


    ¡°don¡¯t worry about that. we¡¯ll buy some fabric later, and since you¡¯re not working at the clothing factory anymore, you can start by making a couple of outfits for yourself. then i¡¯ll draw some patterns for you, you make them and we¡¯ll sell them. the money we earn will be used for your education.¡±


    chen lan had thought through all these plans before mentioning night school to her.


    however, wen jing hurriedly waved her hand, ¡°that won¡¯t do. i¡¯ll help you make the clothes, and the money we earn from selling them should rightfully be yours. how can i use it for my education?¡±


    ¡°why not? if it weren¡¯t for you being able to make clothes, where would i go to make the money? so, if i earn money, you will have a share. this is called investing your skills!¡±


    after chen lan finished speaking, she took wen jing to a few more stores, bought some fabric, and also purchased paper and pencils.


    she had previously worked as an assistant designer in her previous life, so sketching some designs was a breeze for her. with a few strokes, she drew several rough drafts and handed them to wen jing. ¡°what do you think? can you make these?¡±


    wen jing carefully examined them for a while and then nodded, ¡°i can make them! lanlan, you¡¯re amazing. these clothes will look good.¡±


    hearing that wen jing could make them, she was relieved. she didn¡¯t know if they would make money, but at least they had taken the first step.


    after their discussion, chen lan accompanied wen jing back home.


    wen jing had wanted to invite chen lan for dinner, but thinking about her mother¡¯s expression, chen lan politely declined. she bought a few steamed buns on her way back to fill her stomach.


    as she turned to leave, she suddenly heard an elderly, hearty voice calling her name.


    chen lan quickly looked over and saw an elderly man carrying a birdcage and leaning on a walking cane standing in the distance. as he recognized her face, he hastened his pace and approached her.


    ¡°grandpa?¡± chen lan was worried that the old man might fall, so she hurried over and helped him.


    chen shi scrutinized chen lan from head to toe and asked, ¡°why didn¡¯t you go in? did that kid tang ye bully you?¡±

 Chapter 16

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan didn¡¯t expect to run into one of her family members.


    she had escorted wen jing to her home, but only to the entrance of the courtyard. firstly, it wasn¡¯t the designated visiting day, and tang ye hadn¡¯t accompanied her, so it wouldn¡¯t look good if she went home alone. others would gossip about it too. secondly, she didn¡¯t know how to face her parents and family.


    in her previous life, she had experienced a childhood similar to wen jing¡¯s, unloved by her parents, and raised by her grandmother. when she was twelve years old, her grandmother passed away, and she lived like an orphan.


    now, with this group of family, she didn¡¯t know how to interact with them and was worried they would realize she wasn¡¯t part of the family.


    however, the moment she saw chen shi, all her worries about not fitting in vanished. she walked towards the direction of her home, supporting chen shi.


    as they walked, she scolded him gently, ¡°grandpa, your leg is injured. why are you walking so fast? what if you fall? i¡¯m not going to run away, you know?¡±


    chen shi, hearing this, apologized like a child, ¡°aiya, grandpa misses you. i won¡¯t do it again.¡±


    the two of them walked back home together. chen lan settled the elderly man in, ready to leave, but chen shi held her back.


    ¡°lil¡¯ girl, have you been wronged? tell grandpa if tang ye doesn¡¯t treat you well, i¡¯ll have your father talk to him!¡±


    ¡°how can she suffer any grievances? it is good enough if she doesn¡¯t bully ahye!¡± chen lan was about to respond when she was interrupted by an angry voice. ¡°you run back home on the second day after the wedding. is this what our chen family taught you?¡±


    chen jun, who was supposed to be at work in the military at this time, happened to forget a document at home, leading to his unexpected encounter with his good-for-nothing daughter.


    ¡°you keep your mouth shut! this is lil¡¯ girl¡¯s home, and she can come back anytime she wants,¡± chen shi scolded chen jun with a displeased expression.


    ¡°dad, i just sent wen jing home, and i happened to see grandpa, so i brought him back,¡± chen lan explained with a hint of helplessness. she was once again bearing the consequences of the original character¡¯s actions.


    chen jun stared at her for a while and then snorted before retreating to his study.


    ¡°don¡¯t mind him. he¡¯s probably angry with someone else and taking it out on you,¡± chen shi comforted chen lan, concerned that she might be upset.


    ¡°don¡¯t worry, grandpa. dad is just concerned about me. have a good rest. i¡¯ll head back now.¡±


    chen jun came out of his study and heard that chen lan was about to leave. he looked at her face, which was now flushed from the sun, and felt both angry and concerned. ¡°since you¡¯re here, stay for lunch and come to the study room for a moment.¡±


    after speaking, chen jun turned and entered his study again. chen lan glanced at chen shi on the sofa and followed into the study.


    ¡°have a seat.¡± chen jun softened his tone, still caring for his daughter. he motioned for chen lan to sit opposite him.


    chen lan obediently took a seat and waited for him to continue.


    ¡°lanlan, your mom and i have always indulged you since you were young, but this time, we forced you into this marriage. however, you should know that we made this decision for your good. liang chen is a promising young man, but he is not suitable for you. now that you and ahye are married, it¡¯s an unchangeable fact. stop thinking about liang chen and focus on living a good life with ahye.¡±


    ¡°ahye has had a tough life, but he¡¯s also very loyal and devoted. as long as you treat him well, he will take care of you for the rest of his life. moreover, the leaders in the troop value him, and his future is limitless. just settle down and live a happy life with him.¡±


    chen jun¡¯s words were filled with earnest concern, and there was also a sense of helplessness. he had reluctantly asked tang ye to marry chen lan, and in his heart, it had always been a difficult decision to make. he despised the idea of using gratitude as leverage, but if he didn¡¯t do this, his daughter¡¯s life might be ruined.


    ¡°dad, don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ve also come to terms with everything. the current situation is the arrangement of fate. i no longer have any feelings for liang chen, and i won¡¯t hold any illusions. i¡¯ll live a good life with ahye. you and mom don¡¯t have to worry. take care of your health.¡± chen lan understood that no matter how angry chen jun appeared, it was all because he cared for her, and she cherished this fatherly love.


    ¡°it¡¯s good that you can think this way.¡± chen jun was somewhat skeptical of chen lan¡¯s words, but he hoped that his daughter meant every word. ¡°ahye has earned all his military honors with his life on the line. he has many injuries, so please take good care of him in your daily life. and this boy is too frugal, always training hard, so make sure to nourish him more.¡±


    as he spoke, chen jun opened a drawer and took out an envelope, handing it to chen lan.

 Chapter 17

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan took the envelope, opened it, and found 500 yuan inside.


    most of the chen family¡¯s money was kept in the bank, and they withdrew a fixed amount monthly for living expenses. it was clear that this money wasn¡¯t withdrawn today but had been long prepared by chen jun, intended for her.


    chen lan was touched, but she pushed the envelope back, saying, ¡°dad, i still have the money you gave me for the wedding. you should keep this for yourself.¡±


    chen jun replied, ¡°just take it. this money is for you and ahye. don¡¯t spend it on unnecessary things or give it to random people.¡± it was evident that chen jun knew that chen lan had given liang chen the motorcycle, but he didn¡¯t explicitly mention it.


    chen lan put the envelope in her purse and said, ¡°thank you, dad. by the way, i plan to attend night school, and wen jing wants to go with me. you know about her family¡¯s situation. can you ask uncle lin to talk to her mother?¡±


    lin bin was wen jing¡¯s stepfather and used to be chen jun¡¯s subordinate, so he usually listened to chen jun. if he spoke to wen jing¡¯s mother, she probably wouldn¡¯t oppose it.


    chen jun looked at chen lan with a puzzled expression. he knew his daughter well, and ever since she was young, even reading books would make her drowsy. it was strange that she suddenly wanted to attend night school.


    ¡°why do you suddenly want to go to night school?¡±


    ¡°i¡¯m married now, and i can¡¯t rely on you and mom to support me like before. besides, as you mentioned, it¡¯s not easy for ahye either. i need to have a diploma to find a job,¡± chen lan explained.


    chen jun nodded upon hearing this. he was genuinely pleased with her determination. ¡°alright, i¡¯ll talk to uncle lin. but since you¡¯re planning to go with wen jing, you both need to take it seriously and make sure nobody can find fault with you.¡±


    chen lan understood that her father was referring to wen jing¡¯s mother. it could be complicated for an upright official to interfere in other people¡¯s family matters, even if lin bin ¡ª who used to be chen jun¡¯s subordinate ¡ª was willing to help.


    wen jing took money from her family to attend night school, so she must obtain a diploma. otherwise, given her mother¡¯s personality, there would certainly be unpleasantness and complaints.


    chen lan nodded, saying, ¡°i understand, dad. by the way, wen jing gave her job at the clothing factory to her younger sister. since she¡¯s free at home now, i bought some fabric for her to make clothes. we plan to go out during the day and see if we can sell them. this way, i won¡¯t be idle at home. if we earn money, i¡¯ll let wen jing use it for night school, so aunt lin won¡¯t be upset.¡±


    ¡°let wen jing use our sewing machine at home. no one is using it anyway. plus, she can keep grandpa company. as for the money you make, both of you should save it for yourselves, and don¡¯t tell anyone. a mother supporting her daughter¡¯s education is only right, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    chen lan did not expect that advice from chen jun but upon reflection, she realized that he made sense. given wen jing¡¯s mother¡¯s personality, if she found out that wen jing had made money selling clothes, would she still allow her to continue her studies? that would likely result in wen jing being locked at home every day and working tirelessly on sewing clothes.


    chen lan sighed inwardly, realizing that she was still too young and hadn¡¯t considered all the consequences thoroughly.


    ¡°i understand, dad!¡± chen lan happily agreed.


    chen jun nodded. it had been a long time since he had such a peaceful and reasonable conversation with chen lan. he felt that in just one day, his daughter had matured significantly.


    chen lan had lunch at the chen family¡¯s home before returning to her place.


    thinking about her conversation with chen jun, she bought a chicken in the county city, planning to make chicken soup for tang ye in the evening.


    when she returned to the military compound, it was already past four o¡¯clock. women in the compound were washing and selecting vegetables in groups in the courtyard. when they saw chen lan entering, they greeted her with smiles.


    ¡°oh, battalion commander tang¡¯s wife, you bought such a big chicken. looks like battalion commander tang is in for a treat tonight.¡±


    ¡°sisters-in-law can just call me chen lan. i¡¯m not good at cooking, so i¡¯ll have to learn from all of you in the future.¡±


    ¡°aiya, whether the food is good or not doesn¡¯t matter; it¡¯s the thought that counts. it¡¯s obvious battalion commander tang has married a good wife.¡±


    chen lan smiled and bid farewell to the group of women, then returned home.


    ¡°look, battalion commander tang has married such a lovely wife.¡±


    ¡°yes, she talks and laughs with everyone. you can tell she is a good girl.¡±


    ¡°previously, some people were saying she was profligate, but i don¡¯t believe it. those folks who gossip are just rotten to the core.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s right. exactly¡±


    humans are like this; they can easily judge a person based on rumors, but they can also quickly abandon the rumors they believed in if they find the person likable.

 Chapter 18

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan found a brand new clay pot in the kitchen, and it was clear that tang ye had never used it after buying it.


    she boiled a pot of water to clean the chicken, then cut the meat into pieces and placed the chicken bones and some nourishing herbs into the clay pot, slowly simmering them. when the kitchen was filled with the aroma, she added the chicken meat.


    afterward, she cooked a pot of rice and stir-fried two side dishes. she thought that tang ye must have a big appetite due to his daily training in the military.


    when everything was ready and the chicken soup had simmered for a while, it was almost six o¡¯clock. normally, tang ye should have returned by now, but she hadn¡¯t seen him. chen lan was getting worried, wondering if something had happened at the military base.


    thinking about how she had hit sun zhi earlier, this guy would not take revenge on tang ye because of this, right?


    at the thought of this, she took off her apron and quickly headed in the direction of the military base.


    at the gate, it was still lu ming and the other one on duty.


    from a distance, lu ming saw chen lan running over, and his legs started trembling with nervousness.


    ¡°lu ming, is there something going on in your battalion today? why hasn¡¯t tang ye home yet?¡±


    lu ming looked at chen lan, who seemed a bit out of breath, but he hesitated to respond. instead, he glanced at his companion on the other side, his eyes filled with a plea for help.


    however, his companion seemed oblivious and stood straight, refusing to acknowledge the situation.


    he had heard from lu ming earlier that he had been criticized by the battalion commander for leaving his post today, and he didn¡¯t want to get scolded too.


    lu ming¡¯s hesitancy made chen lan even more convinced of her suspicions.


    ¡°did something happen to tang ye? tell me the truth. don¡¯t worry, i can handle it!¡±


    upon hearing this, lu ming widened his eyes and quickly waved his hands. ¡°no, it¡¯s not that. the battalion commander, he¡¯s fine, he just¡­¡±


    ¡°chen lan!¡± tang ye¡¯s voice reached them, relieving lu ming¡¯s anxiety.


    hearing tang ye¡¯s voice, chen lan turned to look, and indeed, she saw him standing there as straight as a sword.


    she hurried over, circled tang ye a couple of times, and, after confirming that he was fine, let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s late. why aren¡¯t you coming home?¡±


    both of them spoke at the same time, paused, and then smiled at each other.


    ¡°there was some business at the camp. i¡¯m about to go back after dealing with it,¡± tang ye replied, his hand guiltily touching his nose. little did chen lan know that he had been feeling a bit upset since her words in the afternoon, and he thought she might not be at home, so he hesitated to return.


    chen lan held onto his large hand and walked alongside him towards home. ¡°you scared me to death. i thought something had happened to you.¡±


    ¡°you worry too much. what could happen to me at the camp?¡± tang ye teased, but he unconsciously tightened his grip on chen lan¡¯s hand and smiled.


    ¡°well, you never know. next time, if you can¡¯t come home on time, at least send someone to inform me,¡± chen lan said as she hooked her arm around tang ye¡¯s, looking up at his face and adding a touch of playfulness to her words.


    tang ye lowered his head, gazing into her bright, starry eyes that seemed to hold a galaxy within them. once indulged in those eyes, it felt like he could never escape. ¡°alright.¡±


    just like that, hand in hand, they continued their stroll back home, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.


    after entering the house, the rich aroma revitalized tang ye, and he looked at chen lan with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.


    chen lan didn¡¯t mind and urged him to wash his hands, saying, ¡°today, i took a trip to the county with wen jing and visited my family. dad mentioned that you¡¯ve suffered many injuries, so i bought a chicken and made chicken soup for you.¡±


    ¡°you made the chicken soup yourself?¡± tang ye came out of the bathroom and asked in surprise as he saw her looking busy.


    he remembered how chen lan¡¯s mother had repeatedly reminded him that chen lan had never done any work before and to take good care of her. how did she manage to make such delicious chicken soup?


    chen lan paused for a moment while ladling the soup and then continued casually, ¡°back when my grandmother was alive and not feeling well, i secretly learned how to cook. cooking is comprehended by analogy. once you know one type of dish, you can figure out others by following recipes.¡±


    tang ye had memories of chen lan¡¯s grandmother.


    during that time, he was studying at a university in another province, and the elderly lady¡¯s health had deteriorated rapidly. she passed away within a few months. chen lan and her grandmother had a close relationship, so it wasn¡¯t surprising that she had learned to cook for her.

 Chapter 19

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°let me do it,¡± tang ye said, concerned that chen lan might become upset thinking about her grandmother. he reached out and took the soup bowl from chen lan¡¯s hand, placing it on the table.


    both of them engaged in casual conversation at the dining table and soon finished their meal.


    chen lan had underestimated tang ye¡¯s appetite, and the meal she prepared, based on the portion for three people, had almost run out.


    however, she didn¡¯t know that he normally ate a bowl of rice if he was alone at home.


    after the meal, chen lan offered to wash the dishes, but he pushed her out of the kitchen.


    ¡°i can handle the dishes. go take a shower. the hot water here is only available until eight o¡¯clock, and it¡¯s getting late.¡±


    chen lan glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost 7:40 p.m. if she took the shower first, tang ye might not have any to use.


    ¡°what about you?¡± chen lan asked.


    ¡°i¡¯m fine. i can use cold water. in the army, i often showered with cold water.¡±


    chen lan frowned, ¡°that won¡¯t do. it was okay when you didn¡¯t have a wife to take care of you, but which husband uses cold water when he has a wife? besides, dad told me to take good care of you because you have injuries. don¡¯t wash the dishes first. let¡¯s shower together. there¡¯s still time.¡±


    tang ye was completely caught off guard by her suggestion to shower together. it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind, leaving his thoughts in disarray.


    seeing his lack of reaction, chen lan didn¡¯t think twice and just grabbed his hand, leading him into the bathroom.


    the bathroom was small and relatively enclosed. tang ye, being tall and muscular, made the already limited space feel even more cramped. chen lan found it was difficult to breathe.


    she raised her trembling small hand and began unbuttoning his shirt, her eyes fixed on the muscles that appeared as she undid each button. she couldn¡¯t help but reach out and gently touch them, her fingers lingering on a scar on tang ye¡¯s chest.


    tang ye couldn¡¯t help but hold his breath and reached out to hold her hand.


    ¡°you go ahead and shower first; i¡¯ll shower later.¡±


    but before he could even lift his foot, chen lan had already tiptoed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips.


    tang ye couldn¡¯t hold back any longer, turned around and pressed her against the bathroom wall, kissing her soft lips, until chen lan had some difficulty breathing, and then reluctantly let go.


    the lips parted, revealing a shameful silver thread.


    ¡°we¡¯re already married. what¡¯s there to be afraid of taking a shower together?¡± chen lan¡¯s hand gently caressed his face, her eyes filled with a hazy desire.


    hearing this, tang ye lifted her and walked under the showerhead, turning on the water, which was slightly cool, and it poured down, eliciting a moan from chen lan.


    tang ye put her down and quickly took off their wet clothes. he lifted chen lan¡¯s legs and let her wrap them around his waist. he used the gradually warm water to enter her.


    his hands kneaded the perky curves of chen lan¡¯s buttocks, while his mouth sensually caressed the soft mounds of her chest. below, he thrust forcefully and rapidly in and out of her.


    for a moment, the sounds of water, moans, and gurgling sounds in the bathroom echoed in succession, responding and intertwining.


    when the water gradually turned cold, he hugged her soft body tightly and released himself into her.


    then, he used one hand to turn off the shower, carried chen lan to the edge of the sink, had her sit down, and then kissed her again.


    due to the earlier intensity, her lips were now slightly swollen, and he could even taste a faint metallic tang of blood. he opened his eyes slightly, gazing at chen lan, who resembled a broken doll at that moment. while feeling pity in his heart, his desire surged once again.


    she felt a part of him enlarging. she hummed, but he kissed her even more crazily.


    she had no strength left, so she could only cling to the man and sway back and forth with his movements.


    by the time he stopped, chen lan was on the verge of fainting.


    tang ye wet a towel and carefully wiped away the mud from her body, then he wrapped her in a bath towel before gently carrying her back to the bed.


    he kissed the soft cheek of the woman and gently wiped her silky, long hair with the towel.


    ¡°be good, don¡¯t sleep yet. you will have a headache if you sleep without drying your hair,¡± tang ye said.


    ¡°but i¡¯m so tired, it¡¯s all your fault,¡± chen lan yawned and snuggled into tang ye¡¯s arms. her shallow breaths brushed against his abdomen, causing him to tighten.


    ¡°chen lan,¡± tang ye whispered her name, his voice carrying an irresistible seductiveness.


    ¡°yes?¡±


    ¡°i see that you¡¯re not tired enough.¡±


    tang ye said as he lifted her chin and leaned in to kiss her once more.

 Chapter 20

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    at dawn, tang ye had already dressed. he looked at chen lan, who was not sleeping soundly in the bed and couldn¡¯t help but blame himself for being unrestrained last night.


    bending down, he gently kissed her petite face before reluctantly leaving the house. he was overwhelmed with regret now, realizing he shouldn¡¯t have listened to chen lan and canceled his precious wedding leave.


    it took chen lan quite a while to open her eyes after tang ye had left. when she tried to move, her body ached terribly.


    she wanted to slap herself a couple of times for remembering how she used to think of tang ye as an innocent boy.


    with her hand on her waist, she lay on the bed for a while longer before finally mustering the strength to get up.


    as she walked out of the room, she saw a prepared meal on the dining table. she didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, but thinking that tang ye had prepared it early in the morning, she decided to heat it in the kitchen.


    she had planned to go to the county today to check on how things were with wen jing. however, in her current condition, she probably couldn¡¯t even make it to the town, and another hour-long bus ride would likely break her back.


    after finishing her meal, she couldn¡¯t sit still and began tidying up the house.


    since their wedding, there were still some things in the house that hadn¡¯t been properly organized. she couldn¡¯t move the larger items by herself and had to wait for tang ye to come back, but she could start with the smaller ones.


    after tidying up outside, she went into the bedroom to organize the wardrobe. however, she found that there was hardly anything to organize.


    her clothes were neatly placed inside, and tang ye only had a few pieces of clothing, all of which were military uniforms. they were all the same color.


    looking at it, she couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of sadness. from the looks of it, it seemed that tang ye hadn¡¯t bought any clothes since he joined the military.


    she thought about how she had seen liang chen wear all sorts of stylish jackets in the past and figured that with tang ye¡¯s great physique, he would undoubtedly look much better in them.


    so, she began planning in her mind that when she had some free time or when tang ye was on leave, she should go to the county and buy him a few outfits.


    with so many clothes herself, she didn¡¯t want to make it seem like she was neglecting her husband.


    as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard commotion downstairs.


    the soundproofing in the family compound was decent, but chen lan had just opened the window for ventilation.


    she faintly heard words like ¡®tang ye¡¯, ¡®married¡¯, and ¡®filial piety¡¯. she usually had no interest in gossip, but hearing these words, she felt it was related to her family. so, she closed the wardrobe, left the room, and went downstairs.


    when she went out, she noticed a crowd gathered not too far away, and she couldn¡¯t see clearly what was happening.


    chen lan endured her back pain and gradually squeezed her way into the crowd. fortunately, her slender and petite figure helped her navigate through the crowd. otherwise, it would have been quite challenging to squeeze in.


    within the crowd, an elderly couple sat on the ground with rolled-up bedding, wearing expressions of anger and grievance. they were continuously crying and complaining to everyone.


    ¡°tang ye is unfilial. he didn¡¯t even tell me and his aunt about his marriage.¡±


    ¡°his parents passed away early, and it was us who raised him. since he became successful, he has never come back to visit us.¡±


    ¡°now, his aunt is seriously ill. the doctor says she doesn¡¯t have many days left, but when we called him to ask him to visit his aunt in the hospital, he refused to go. how can such an unfilial child be a good soldier protecting the people?¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s my fault, my shame to our tang family¡¯s ancestors. how did we raise such a person who only cares about his interests?¡±


    both of them appeared heartbroken, but chen lan couldn¡¯t help but see through their intentions.


    these two must be tang ye¡¯s ruthless uncle and aunt, tang fu and xu cui.


    ¡°how could battalion commander tang be such a person?¡± a woman in the crowd was the first to speak up.


    while tang ye might appear emotionless and wear a stern expression most of the time, everyone knew that whenever someone faced difficulties, he would enthusiastically lend a helping hand. therefore, everyone was skeptical of tang fu and xu cui¡¯s words.


    ¡°yes, could there be some misunderstanding here? battalion commander tang doesn¡¯t seem like the person you described no matter how you look at it.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t believe them. who knows where they came from, claiming to be battalion commander tang¡¯s uncle and aunt. i think they¡¯re just con artists.¡±


    ¡°well, we can¡¯t be sure. they do seem genuinely upset. maybe we should call battalion commander tang from the base and ask him.¡±


    ¡°what they¡¯re saying is true.¡± chen lan listened to the discussions among the crowd and realized that this matter needed to be resolved quickly.


    she had no intention of bringing these two malicious people back home to be cared for, nor did she want tang ye to spend a single cent on them.

 Chapter 21

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°it¡¯s battalion commander tang¡¯s wife!¡± when everyone saw chen lan, they instinctively took a step back, enclosing her in the middle.


    chen lan remained expressionless as she stood there, while the two people sitting on the ground seemed unsure of what to do.


    ¡°chen lan, are they battalion commander tang¡¯s uncle and aunt?¡± xiu lian walked over to chen lan from the crowd and asked in a hushed tone.


    she thought that chen lan as a newlywed young lady, might not be able to handle such a situation, so she sent her child to the military base to bring tang ye.


    chen lan nodded and then looked at the two elderly people on the ground. ¡°they are indeed his uncle and aunt, and, indeed, tang ye hasn¡¯t had any contact with them over the years, nor did he inform them about the marriage.¡±


    everyone gasped in shock upon hearing this. some even began to doubt whether battalion commander tang¡¯s wife might be a fool, admitting to such an unfilial accusation in public. once word of this reached the military, tang ye¡¯s military career might be in jeopardy.


    at this moment, people began to recall the rumors. chen lan had married tang ye against her will and still had feelings for liang chen. looking at the current situation, those rumors seemed increasingly plausible.


    after all, who would treat their husband this way?


    the onlookers were shocked, and tang fu was equally surprised. he had expected this trip to be difficult, but now his wayward son was on the verge of being beaten to death by those hooligans. if they didn¡¯t pay the money soon, he might be left mourning his son.


    however, he hadn¡¯t expected tang ye¡¯s wife to be on their side.


    tang fu nimbly climbed to his feet from the ground and approached chen lan.


    ¡°you must be tang ye¡¯s wife. you¡¯re quite good-looking, and tang ye is truly fortunate.¡± tang fu began with some polite words before changing the topic. ¡°tang ye¡¯s wife, since you know everything, i won¡¯t say much. your aunt still needs treatment, but our family has run out of money. considering how we raised tang ye for all these years, could you help your aunt? at the very least, consider it as a loan to us, and we¡¯ll pay it back in the future.¡±


    chen lan smiled mischievously as she stared at tang fu, causing him to suddenly feel uneasy as if something bad was about to happen.


    ¡°sure, i can give you money, but you mentioned that you raised tang ye for many years. why don¡¯t you show me the detailed account of the money you spent on him, and i¡¯ll reimburse you, cent by cent?¡±


    tang fu widened his eyes. he didn¡¯t have any account books. tang ye had been kicked out when he was just ten years old, and his fate had been unknown for a long time until they heard from fellow villagers that tang ye had become an official in the military.


    ¡°tang ye¡¯s wife, you¡¯re looking down on your uncle. tang ye is my nephew, and when you spend money on your nephew, you don¡¯t need to keep records.¡±


    ¡°you don¡¯t have any evidence, so why should i give you money?¡± chen lan looked innocent as if she were a naive child who didn¡¯t understand anything.


    tang fu grew a bit impatient, and xu cui tugged at his sleeve from behind. he then restrained himself and said, ¡°tang ye¡¯s wife, i just explained to you, and you know i am tang ye¡¯s uncle. this matter is beyond doubt. his parents passed away early, and it was me and his aunt who took care of him. there¡¯s no doubt about that.¡±


    chen lan blinked and smiled at tang fu, ¡°uncle, do you know how many years tang ye and i have known each other?¡±


    tang fu didn¡¯t understand why chen lan was asking this question and simply shook his head.


    ¡°i¡¯ve known tang ye for fifteen years. his parents passed away fifteen years ago, and shortly after that, my father found him in the snow and brought him home. my parents paid for his food, clothing, and education. since i was young, you never even came to see him. how can you claim that you raised him?¡±


    ¡°furthermore, soldiers who died in service have a pension. tang ye was young at that time, so his parents¡¯ pension should have been handed to you. since we have met now, why don¡¯t you return that pension to him?¡±


    chen lan¡¯s voice was not loud, but it carried weight. everyone present seemed to empathize with tang ye¡¯s tragic life.


    in truth, if it wasn¡¯t necessary, she hoped that tang ye¡¯s scars would never be revealed for the rest of his life. however, given the current situation, if she didn¡¯t let everyone know the truth, tang ye would be labeled as unfilial in the end.

 Chapter 22

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°niece-in-law, don¡¯t speak recklessly. tang ye¡¯s parents left nothing behind when they died on the battlefield,¡± xu cui, who had been hiding behind tang fu, popped her head out, appearing innocent as she softly retorted.


    ¡°is that so?¡± chen lan continued to smile. ¡°then i¡¯ll have my father send someone to bring your village¡¯s secretary over. that pension was meant for you, and if you didn¡¯t receive it, it means he embezzled it. such embezzlement of pensions intended for loyal individuals and orphans should indeed be severely punished.¡±


    tang fu, upon hearing this, quickly turned and slapped xu cui on the arm, signaling her not to speak further. ¡°niece-in-law, we did receive that money. we received it. but as you know, tang ye lived in my house for so long, and that money was spent on him.¡±


    tang fu took a few steps closer to chen lan as he spoke, and chen lan quickly backed away. ¡°i remember my father brought him back five months after his parents passed away. i heard from my father that the pension back then was 500 yuan per person. that¡¯s 1,000 yuan for both. did tang ye eat gold? did he spend 1,000 yuan in just five months?¡±


    ¡°bullsh*t! you little girl, saying there¡¯s so much money just because you say there is. why did you take him in if he¡¯s not a relative? i think, just like tang ye, you look down on us, the old and frail. you want to find ways to chase us away. my goodness, how can there be such unfilial people!¡±


    tang fu, finding that words couldn¡¯t persuade chen lan, decided to sit down on the ground and start wailing loudly. following his lead, xu cui also began to cry so hard that it was earth-shattering.


    ¡°aunt, i noticed that you have quite a lot of energy when you cry. it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯re ill at all. could it be that you¡¯ve already recovered without medication? how about this, i¡¯ll personally pay for it, and we will go to the hospital right now for a checkup?¡±


    upon hearing this, xu cui immediately shut her mouth. she didn¡¯t dare to go to the hospital. she had only used such an excuse because she wanted to ask tang ye for money to save her son. in reality, she was in such good health that she could carry a sack of rice by herself.


    how could the families of soldiers be easily fooled? the situation became so clear, they all understood what was going on.


    thinking of tang ye¡¯s plight, they couldn¡¯t help but feel pity, and they found the behavior of these two, who were crying and insulting someone else¡¯s wife, quite distasteful.


    ¡°i say, this is our military family compound, and everyone inside is a relative of military personnel. you two came out of nowhere better leave quickly or i¡¯ll have the soldiers at the entrance chase you out!¡±


    ¡°yes. leave! get out! they claimed to be our battalion commander tang¡¯s uncle and aunt, but i think they¡¯re just two liars. if necessary, we should call the police and have them arrested.¡±


    the onlookers mocked and taunted. tang fu¡¯s face alternated between turning red and pale. his plan had been seamless initially. as long as tang ye cared about his reputation, he would have to give him money. however, he didn¡¯t expect this girl to ruin his scheme.


    tang fu¡¯s eyes were filled with hatred and realized that his last glimmer of hope to save his son had vanished. in an instant, he sprang up and charged toward chen lan like a leopard.


    during daytime, the military family compound was mostly populated by women and children. they didn¡¯t dare to approach tang fu, who was used to hard labor farming, strong, and seemed to have nothing to lose.


    although chen lan had been on guard, her aching back made her stumble and fall after taking a few steps aside.


    as tang fu approached closer, chen lan couldn¡¯t help but close her eyes, fearing that she might meet her end again. she had just lost 30 million yuan, and now she might lose her husband as well. life was incredibly unfair!


    there was a loud ¡®thud¡¯ near her ears, but the expected pain didn¡¯t follow.


    chen lan cautiously opened one eye and saw a tall figure standing in front of her, illuminated by the sunlight like a radiant deity, tall and reassuring.


    ¡°ahye?¡±


    tang ye quickly crouched down to help her up. ¡°are you alright? did you get hurt?¡±


    chen lan shook her head, and a barely noticeable blush appeared on her face. she couldn¡¯t let tang ye know that she had fallen because of the back pain, right?


    ¡°the uncle and aunt who kicked you out of the house back then came. they want to ask you for money,¡± chen lan deliberately raised her voice, adding a touch of grievance. it was a stark contrast to the confrontation earlier.

 Chapter 23

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°bullsh*t, you little b*tch! just got married and already trying to sow discord in our uncle-nephew relationship. tang ye is my nephew, and it¡¯s only right for him to provide money for his aunt¡¯s medical treatment,¡± tang fu blustered. he had initially intended to charge forward, but with tang ye standing in front of chen lan, he didn¡¯t dare to. after all, he had been beaten up by tang ye once.


    chen lan couldn¡¯t help but sneer at how self-righteous his words were. he insisted that because tang ye was his nephew, he must provide money for his aunt¡¯s medical expenses. even if parents abandoned their children, the children could choose not to support them any longer. tang fu¡¯s audacity was truly remarkable.


    it seemed that chen lan wasn¡¯t the only one with this mindset. many of the onlookers shared the same sentiment.


    ¡°i must say, sir, do you not have a son of your own? demanding money from your nephew for medical expenses is quite unusual.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s right! if you had raised battalion commander tang properly and he doesn¡¯t show filial piety to you, then we won¡¯t stand with him but you mistreated him when he was young and even kicked him out. now, he¡¯s grown successful elsewhere, and you¡¯re rushing to demand money. how shameless!¡±


    ¡°to come demanding for money is one thing, but to resort to violence against someone¡¯s wife. how can you have a cheek?¡±


    the crowd continued to criticize tang fu and his wife. tang fu knew that it was impossible to obtain money from tang ye now. he threatened, ¡°you¡¯re all in cahoots, bullying us country folks. i¡¯m going to find your leader right now, i don¡¯t believe there¡¯s no one to reason within this world.¡±


    saying this, he pulled xu cui and started walking towards the entrance of the military family housing area.


    chen lan didn¡¯t rush to chase after them but instead looked at the people around and bowed slightly. ¡°ahye isn¡¯t here today. thank you, sisters-in-law, for standing up for me. otherwise, i might have been bullied by them.¡±


    xiu lian gently patted chen lan¡¯s head and comforted her, ¡°sigh, it¡¯s nothing. we all live together, and our husbands are comrades. we have to help each other. don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    ¡°yes, that¡¯s right,¡± the people around echoed.


    ¡°those two are going to complain to the chief now. we don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll say about both of you. you should be mentally prepared for it. although these two are despicable, they are still battalion commander tang¡¯s relatives. in the end, you may have to fork out the money, or it might affect battalion commander tang¡¯s career.¡±


    giving money? chen lan didn¡¯t want to give money to people like them. she held back her frustration and nodded to xiu lian, saying, ¡°thank you, sister-in-law. but i¡¯m also worried that they might twist the truth. besides, they might accuse me and ahye of bullying them. if the chief inquires about it, i wonder if you can help me testify.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s not a problem at all. so let¡¯s not have everyone go over there together. i¡¯ll stay here, and when the chief wants to talk to you, i¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    chen lan nodded, and after comforting words from others, they all dispersed.


    chen lan, along with tang ye, returned home with xiu lian. when they arrived home, tang ye poured a cup of tea for xiu lian and then walked over to chen lan.


    ¡°how are you? are you hurt? next time you encounter such a situation, let someone come find me instead of rushing into it yourself.¡±


    chen lan nodded and replied, ¡°i¡¯m fine, i didn¡¯t get hurt at all. he didn¡¯t even touch me.¡±


    ¡°sister-in-law xiu lian and i will go there in a while. you don¡¯t need to come along. it might be frustrating for you,¡± tang ye said. he had already made up his mind that, regardless of how far this situation escalated, he wouldn¡¯t throw money at these relentless relatives. this time would be the last.


    when he was a single man and had no close family ties, he cherished the warmth and vibrancy of this extended family, which had given him a sense of belonging. back then, no matter how unwilling he was, he would reluctantly give some money whenever tang fu came asking.


    however, now that he was married, he had to be responsible for their little family. he didn¡¯t want chen lan to endure this kind of relentless extortion for the rest of her life.


    besides, he knew that chen lan came from a harmonious family where she hadn¡¯t encountered such situations before. that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t intend to let her follow him.


    ¡°no, i have to handle this myself. some things are inconvenient for you to deal with directly. trust me. it will be fine,¡± chen lan insisted.


    xiu lian, who had been observing the loving interaction between the two, took a sip of her tea and said with a smile, ¡°you two have a great relationship. battalion commander tang, she is right. in a situation like this, she should handle it. you¡¯re in military uniform, and many times, your actions represent not just yourself but the entire army. so, there are many things you can¡¯t do.¡±

 Chapter 24

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    upon receiving orders from the military headquarters, song lian promptly arrived at tang ye¡¯s home with his instructor, du jiang. he did not expect his wife to be present.


    a middle-aged man in his thirties, looking rather anxious, addressed tang ye, ¡°ol¡¯ tang, what¡¯s going on here? two people have reported to the army commander that you and your wife are ungrateful to your elders. the general has asked me to bring you in.¡±


    chen lan showed little change in her expression as if this were not a significant matter at all. she admired song lian for being able to speak so eloquently despite the vulgar behavior of the two individuals.


    ¡°come on, you said the general asked them to go over, didn¡¯t you? why are you still here asking questions and wasting time?¡± xiu lian stood up, pinched song lian, and suddenly twisted him into submission, but he dared not get angry.


    as they made their way to the military district, xiu lian had already explained the situation very clearly


    ¡°damn it. these two shameless people!¡± du jiang was the instructor in tang ye¡¯s battalion, and he knew better than others about what tang ye had encountered in recent years. hearing about the actions of tang fu and his wife, he clenched his fists.


    ¡°maintain your composure!¡± song lian sternly advised du jiang. ¡°but these two are indeed despicable. don¡¯t worry, sister-in-law. our general is very discerning, and they will not let tang ye suffer.¡±


    ¡°thank you, brother song.¡±


    meanwhile, general of army b sat at his desk, frowning at the two suspicious-looking individuals across from him.


    it was clear to him that these two were up to no good. they had come to him, accusing tang ye of being ungrateful and claiming that he had assaulted them. knowing tang ye well, he knew that such accusations were highly unlikely.


    ¡°leader, why isn¡¯t tang ye here yet? did he run away?¡± tang fu had been waiting here for quite some time, growing increasingly impatient as he urgently needed the money to save his precious son. he kept urging the military official.


    ¡°what¡¯s the rush? do you even know how far we are from the military family housing area?¡± the secretary beside general huang yu had an unfriendly tone. these two think they are someone important.


    ¡°then why didn¡¯t you send a car to pick them up?¡± tang fu seemed oblivious to the secretary¡¯s hostility and continued to complain.


    after all, his son¡¯s life was at stake, and as a citizen, he believed that the military should serve him. delaying him from saving his son was simply unacceptable.


    the young secretary was about to say something when he saw huang yu wave his hand, signaling him to hold back. he suppressed his frustration and turned his head away, avoiding eye contact with the two individuals.


    before long, song lian arrived with tang ye and the other two in tow.


    ¡°i asked you to bring tang ye here, and you brought three people,¡± huang yu said with a smile as he looked at song lian. then, he turned his attention to chen lan. ¡°you must be chen jun¡¯s daughter. you¡¯re quite good-looking.¡±


    huang yu had not attended their wedding. although he was an old acquaintance of chen jun, he had always felt that chen lan¡¯s reputation was bad and that she was not a suitable match for tang ye.


    no matter how much he objected, tang ye insisted on marrying chen lan. this had left him so infuriated that he didn¡¯t even attend their wedding.


    chen lan greeted him politely, ¡°hello, chief.¡±


    huang yu nodded and replied, ¡°send my regards to your father.¡±


    ¡°yes, i will.¡±


    everyone had something to say one after another and completely forgot about tang fu and xu cui.


    tang fu quickly interrupted the conversation, ¡°leader, it¡¯s this kid. i¡¯ve raised him with great effort and sent him to school. it is fine if he doesn¡¯t show filial piety to me but now he won¡¯t even help his aunt when she¡¯s sick. he even laid hands on me. i¡¯ve raised a beast.¡±


    tang fu became emotional as he spoke and sat on the ground, crying loudly.


    however, nobody in the room moved to comfort him or offer assistance. they all waited in silence until he finished crying.


    not long after, perhaps because he realized nobody was paying attention to him or because he was exhausted, tang fu finally stopped his emotional outburst. he remained seated on the ground and pleaded, ¡°leader, i beg you, please help me.¡±


    huang yu looked at tang ye as if asking him what was going on.


    tang ye was about to speak when chen lan beat him to it, saying, ¡°chief, my father and you are acquaintances, and you¡¯re aware that my family adopted a child?¡±


    huang yu nodded, ¡°that¡¯s correct. back then, his comrade passed away, and i heard that the child was abused by his uncle and aunt in their hometown. so, he went across the provinces to bring the child back and raise him. however, later on, i was transferred elsewhere and didn¡¯t pay much attention to this matter.¡±

 Chapter 25

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°to be honest, this child is tang ye.¡±


    ¡°back then, these two people chose to adopt ahye for the sake of my parents-in-law¡¯s pension. in just half a year, they abused him in all kinds of ways and even chased him out of the house on the eve of the chinese new year, causing him to almost freeze to death in the icy wilderness. my father arrived in the nick of time and tang ye survived.¡±


    ¡°i was young at the time, but i still remember that after he came to my home, he had a high fever and was unconscious for several days before finally waking up. however, these two people never once came to check on him. now, they come running to ask tang ye for financial support. do you think that¡¯s fair?¡± chen lan spoke slowly.


    huang yu lowered his head in contemplation. he only knew that tang ye was orphaned, but he had no idea about the extent of his hardships. he couldn¡¯t help but feel sympathy.


    ¡°furthermore, today when these two people came to the military family compound to cause a scene, i asked them for their account books and medical records. as long as they provide me with those documents, i will reimburse them for the expenses incurred during ahye¡¯s stay with them for that half year, as well as her recent medical expenses. but this man tried to attack me. ahye stepped in to protect me in a moment of anger, and this person was pushed away. yet, he shamelessly went ahead to complain that tang ye assaulted him first. everyone in the military family compound witnessed this incident,¡± chen lan added.


    chen lan finished her explanation, and xiu lian immediately chimed in, ¡°that¡¯s right, chief. i was there too, and nobody laid a finger on them.¡±


    listening to what these people were saying, tang fu¡¯s face turned red, ¡°you¡¯re all in cahoots! you say whatever you want, but i don¡¯t care. he¡¯s my nephew, and he has to support me in my old age.¡±


    the secretary already had a negative impression of tang fu, and hearing about tang ye¡¯s ordeal only worsened his opinion of him. seeing tang fu behaving shamelessly on the ground, he wished he could get up and kick him a few times.


    ¡°tang fu, our military also upholds the law. you¡¯ve only taken care of tang ye for half a year. how much did you spend? i can intermediate and have him give you that amount, but the obligation of financial support should not fall on tang ye. i believe you also have children of your own. why don¡¯t you go ask them for support?¡±


    huang yu now understood that these two people had come to pressure tang ye for money, so he was relieved. tang ye was one of the most outstanding young men he had encountered in recent years, and he couldn¡¯t bear to see any harm come to him.


    ¡°you¡¯re just biased toward him! you military people stick together and bully a humble farmer like me!¡± tang fu couldn¡¯t accept the outcome. he sprang up from the ground, pointed his finger at huang yu, and shouted.


    ¡°how dare you! do you know that what you¡¯re doing now is against the law? insulting the soldiers, insulting the military. i can have you arrested right now.¡± the secretary, who had been frustrated for a while, finally found a reason to explode and shouted at tang fu.


    military personnel naturally exuded a strong presence, and tang fu was so frightened that he plopped down onto the ground.


    ¡°chief, ahye isn¡¯t heartless. since his uncle mentioned that his aunt is ill, we¡¯re willing to take her to the hospital for a check-up. if she indeed has any illness, we¡¯re willing to pay for her treatment.¡± now that chen lan had created the atmosphere, she stepped forward with her suggestion.


    she couldn¡¯t allow tang ye to bear the label of being ungrateful. by voluntarily taking xu cui to the hospital, if word got out, others would praise tang ye for being benevolent.


    huang yu looked at chen lan, his gaze containing a hint of scrutiny. he hadn¡¯t expected tang ye¡¯s wife to be so savvy about social matters. even if they didn¡¯t suggest it, in the end, he would still ask the couple to provide some financial assistance, given that this involved tang ye¡¯s reputation.


    however, now that chen lan had made this proposal, huang yu decided to stop worrying.


    but xu cui knew she wasn¡¯t sick and was reluctant to go to the hospital. ¡°no need, i¡¯ve already checked. going to the hospital for another check-up would be a waste of money. just give me the money for the treatment.¡±


    ¡°that won¡¯t do, aunt. do you know, the doctors at our military district hospital are among the top in the country? your condition might be treated right away.¡± xiu lian saw xu cui¡¯s reluctance and hurriedly spoke.


    huang yu didn¡¯t give tang fu and xu cui a chance to refuse. ¡°song lian, and du jiang, you two accompany them to the hospital for an examination. let¡¯s find out what the illness is.¡±


    song lian and du jiang agreed and drove a car from the military district to the military hospital in the county.

 Chapter 26

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    in the car, song lian and du jiang sat in the front seats, while tang fu, chen lan, and others sat in the back.


    ¡°ergou owes quite a lot of money, doesn¡¯t he?¡± chen lan looked at xu cui and suddenly spoke, referring to their son, ergou.


    xu cui raised her head in surprise as she looked up at chen lan, trembling as she spoke, ¡°how, how did you know?¡±


    chen lan smiled faintly, these were things she had learned while reading the novel.


    in the novel, this couple also came because of their son, but the original character didn¡¯t care about this matter at all. it was tang ye who handled it on his own.


    later, tang ye also found out that the reason they came was because their son, ergou, lost money in gambling, and was caught. they threatened if the money was not repaid they would chop off his hand.


    ¡°you don¡¯t have to know how i found out. you better behave and listen carefully. after the check-up, you should disappear immediately. otherwise, i will get someone to break your son¡¯s legs. maybe, if i¡¯m not in a good mood, i might just throw him into the river and drown him.¡±


    chen lan¡¯s expression remained calm, but her words sent shivers down their spines.


    xu cui was already shivering and about to agree when she was stopped by tang fu, ¡°she¡¯s just trying to scare you. she¡¯s just a young lady, how would she know those hooligans?¡±


    chen lan shrugged at their response and no longer paid attention to them, leaning on tang ye¡¯s shoulder and drifting into a deep sleep.


    at the military hospital, xu cui still didn¡¯t want to cooperate with the check-up. however, the soldiers who accompanied her were enthusiastic once they learned that she was battalion commander tang¡¯s aunt.


    they assisted her through various examinations, with one soldier consoling tang fu and the other ¡®helping¡¯ xu cui complete the check-ups, running around here and there.


    ¡°ahye, wait here for the results. i¡¯ll go out and make a call.¡± chen lan, seeing that there shouldn¡¯t be any major issues, bent down and whispered in his ear.


    seeing tang ye nod, chen lan left the hospital and went to a shop opposite to make a phone call.


    ¡°hello, who is it?¡± the voice on the other end of the line sounded impatient. through the receiver, chen lan could hear the sound of mahjong tiles clacking in the background.


    ¡°it¡¯s me, uncle,¡± chen lan said.


    ¡°aiya, it¡¯s our lil¡¯ lanlan. why are you calling uncle today? did someone bully you? tell uncle, and i¡¯ll get someone to kill him.¡±


    the voice tone on the other end of the line changed instantly, and the clacking of mahjong tiles ceased.


    ¡°no one bullied me. i wonder if you know a guy named black eagle that runs the casino?¡± black eagle was the nickname given to him by the underworld, and chen lan remembered it from her reading of the novel previously.


    ¡°i know him quite well. what¡¯s wrong? did he bully you? hold on, uncle can call him right away.¡± chen lan¡¯s uncle was a businessman and had a reputation for being just and fair, so people in both legitimate and underworld circles respected him. when chen lan heard he knew black eagle, she was relieved.


    ¡°no, i¡¯ve never seen him before. why would he bully me?¡± chen lan explained about tang fu and his wife in detail. ¡°that¡¯s why i wanted them to come over and intimidate those two. otherwise, how am i going to live my life in peace if they keep coming and causing trouble?¡±


    ¡°alright, i understand. leave this to uncle. bring tang ye to our house for dinner when you are free next time.¡±


    ¡°well, then you¡¯ll have to make me something delicious.¡±


    after hanging up the phone, chen lan bought a few bottles of water and returned to the hospital.


    by this time, the results were already available. she handed out the water to everyone except tang fu and his wife. the couple stared at her with wide eyes, as if trying to bore holes into her with their gaze.


    ¡°what¡¯s the result?¡±


    in response, du jiang burst into laughter. ¡°your health is excellent! the doctor said it¡¯s even better than many young people.¡±


    ¡°you don¡¯t have any illness in the first place! why would you curse yourself like that?¡± in front of everyone, chen lan was still considerate and she scolded in a slightly annoyed tone, as if she were scolding her elders.


    xu cui¡¯s face was slightly red, lowered her head and chuckled, ¡°the place i went for the checkup was just a clinic. they must have made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°it¡¯s good that everything is fine.¡± chen lan said with a relieved expression. then, she turned to song lian and du jiang, ¡°big brothers, you can go back first. it¡¯s not easy for them to come to the county city, so i¡¯ll bring them around and have a meal together. tonight, both of you tell sisters-in-law not to cook and come to my house for dinner.¡±


    song lian nodded, and then they got into the car and drove back.

 Chapter 27

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    tang ye was a little puzzled by chen lan¡¯s actions. wasn¡¯t it enough to leave them alone if there was no illness? why did she want to have a meal with them?


    as for tang fu, when he heard that chen lan wanted to take them out for a meal, his eyes darted around, thinking that this young girl might be soft-hearted again. perhaps she was going to give them some money.


    leaving the hospital, chen lan enthusiastically took tang fu and xu cui around, saying they were going to have a meal, but they never went to a restaurant.


    ¡°niece-in-law, didn¡¯t you say we were going to eat? where are we going?¡± tang fu woke up early in the morning and brought his wife to look for tang ye without breakfast. he had been famished all morning, and now it was well past lunchtime, so he asked with a straight face.


    ¡°don¡¯t be anxious. it¡¯s not easy for you to come here. why not have a good meal? the most expensive restaurant is a little far from here, so we just need to walk a bit further.¡±


    although she said this, the path she was leading them on became increasingly remote, with fewer people around.


    tang fu had his suspicions but still thought that it might be a high-class restaurant. after all, not many people could afford such places and wealthy people sometimes had their peculiar preferences such as quiet and secluded. so he continued to follow behind.


    chen lan led the two of them to a remote and deserted alley when suddenly, a group of hooligans in unusual attire appeared, blocking their way.


    tang ye immediately pulled chen lan behind him, his brows furrowed as he observed the strangers.


    the hooligans paid no attention to tang ye and headed straight for tang fu. ¡°are you ergou¡¯s father?¡±


    tang fu, who was easily intimidated, was trembling with fear. he was on the verge of collapsing to the ground as he stammered, ¡°y-yes, i am his father.¡±


    ¡°when will you pay me back the money your son owes?¡± the leader, holding a cigarette in his hand, looked at tang fu with a menacing demeanor.


    ¡°i-i don¡¯t have the money,¡± tang fu replied nervously. then he remembered something and pointed at tang ye, ¡°this is my nephew. he¡¯s in the military, and he said he would pay on my behalf.¡±


    as soon as the words were spoken, the person fiercely struck tang fu on the head. ¡°i told you to pay back the money. stop involving others. hurry up and raise the money. i¡¯ll give you three more days. if you don¡¯t have the money, i¡¯ll chop off his hand as collateral. and remember, that is our young lady and young master. if you dare to bother them again, i¡¯ll throw ergou into the sea to feed the fish.¡±


    tang fu looked at chen lan in shock, opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end, he couldn¡¯t say anything and slowly sat down on the ground.


    she could have easily saved his son with just a few words, but instead, she wanted to push his son towards his demise.


    the leader of the group, seeing tang fu collapse, didn¡¯t pay him any more attention. he turned and walked towards chen lan, saying, ¡°young lady, i¡¯ve done what the ninth master instructed. the ninth master said to come back for dinner when you and young master have time.¡±


    chen lan, peeking her head out from behind tang ye, smiled and replied, ¡°got it. thank you for your hard work today.¡±


    ¡°not a problem at all. it¡¯s an honor for us to help young lady. if those two old farts bother you again, just give me a call. i¡¯ll make sure to resolve it for you immediately.¡±


    the hooligan wanted to hand chen lan a piece of paper with his phone number, but upon seeing tang ye, who appeared as cold as ice blocking her, he gulped and instead placed the paper on the ground with a forced smile. worried that it might get blown away by the wind, he even found a rock to weigh it down.


    after that, he signaled his group to leave. as they passed by tang fu, he didn¡¯t forget to kick him.


    once everyone was gone, chen lan picked up the piece of paper from the ground and carefully folded it, tucking it into her pocket.


    she didn¡¯t want to get involved with these hooligans, but people like tang fu were not afraid of legitimate military personnel like tang ye because they knew the military had rules and couldn¡¯t harm them. however, they were definitely afraid of these evil people. therefore, to ensure a peaceful future, it was necessary to keep that phone number.


    ¡°let¡¯s go eat, ahye!¡± chen lan linked her arm with tang ye¡¯s as they walked out of the alley.


    on the way, tang ye frowned and remained silent.


    ¡°ahye, are you angry with me?¡± tang ye was a soldier. she was worried that he might be upset about her seeking the help of those hooligans.


    tang ye shook his head. ¡°i¡¯m just angry with myself. you shouldn¡¯t worry about these things.¡±


    ¡°what are you talking about? we¡¯re husband and wife. we¡¯re bound together for good or ill. we should have gone through thick and thin together.¡±

 Chapter 28

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    because of tang fu, the military gave tang ye a day off.


    he didn¡¯t have to rush back to the base, so chen lan held his hand and walked around the county city.


    they began by having lunch at a small restaurant and then ventured into a department store.


    tang ye didn¡¯t have any opinion about it and simply allowed chen lan to pull him along the entire time.


    he knew that chen lan had been pampered by her family since childhood and didn¡¯t have a strong concept of money. he initially assumed she had her eye on some clothes or jewelry again. however, he was surprised when chen lan directly led him into a men¡¯s clothing shop.


    ¡°why are we here? i don¡¯t need more clothes,¡± tang ye said, briefly surprised, and then gently pulled chen lan aside. after their marriage, there wasn¡¯t much money left, and he knew that chen family had given her some money, but that was her savings. how could she spend it on him?


    ¡°you have the same military uniform in your wardrobe, all looking identical. if others find out, they might think i¡¯m mistreating you,¡± chen lan pouted and held tang ye¡¯s arm. ¡°be good and listen to me. yesterday when i was shopping for fabric with wen jing, i saw several nice outfits. you¡¯ll look great in them.¡±


    chen lan¡¯s voice was soft and sweet, and even though tang ye still felt he didn¡¯t need new clothes, he allowed her to pull him into the shop.


    chen lan seemed to have scoped out the store in advance and quickly picked out a few clothes, gesturing and showing them to tang ye.


    each piece of clothing appeared quite ordinary on its own, but when paired with tang ye¡¯s deep and handsome face, they all looked refined and sophisticated.


    chen lan inwardly thought that being good-looking made everything look good on him. she could buy any clothes.


    ¡°boss, wrap these up for me,¡± chen lan thought of his empty wardrobe and waved her hand casually to signal that she wanted all of them.


    ¡°wait!¡± tang ye hurriedly intervened when he saw this and reached for chen lan¡¯s hand. ¡°i don¡¯t need so many clothes. i know uncle chen must have given you money. you should keep it for yourself.¡±


    she smiled, ¡°i don¡¯t want it. i just enjoy buying things for you.¡±


    looking around and seeing that no one was watching, she tiptoed and planted a kiss on tang ye¡¯s cheek. he froze on the spot, his face turning completely red.


    she took advantage of the opportunity to go to the counter, had the boss wrap up all the clothes, paid for them, and then came back to take tang ye¡¯s hand. ¡°done shopping. let¡¯s go somewhere else. tomorrow, we¡¯re going to my house, and today we¡¯ve bought everything we need. it saves us from having to come back tomorrow, in case some stores are closed. it would be a waste of time.¡±


    at the mention of returning to her home, tang ye also became more attentive.


    after marriage, visiting the wife¡¯s family was a significant tradition, and he needed to prepare proper gifts. in local customs, the more a husband values his new wife, the more valuable the gifts should be. he had to reassure uncle chen and the others that he would treat chen lan well.


    both of them visited several more stores, carefully selecting gifts for each family member according to their preferences.


    she wanted to pay, but tang ye took out the money first to pay. how could he let a woman pay at a time like this?


    ¡°there¡¯s no need to be so particular. on the second day of our wedding, you handed over your passbook to me. what¡¯s the point of distinguishing between your money and mine?¡±


    her words made his heart tremble involuntarily. he looked at chen lan, his eyes showing surprise and a hint of curiosity. he still couldn¡¯t understand why her personality had changed so drastically overnight.


    chen lan had no idea what he was thinking.


    thinking of how she had asked song lian and du jiang to have dinner at their place in the evening, she took tang ye to the market and bought a chicken, a slab of pork ribs, and some vegetables.


    after an afternoon of shopping, chen lan had satisfied her shopping desires but couldn¡¯t help feeling a bit of regret when she saw her dwindling wallet. she couldn¡¯t help but feel the pinch. that five million yuan was no small sum.


    her heart ached, however, she knew that these purchases were necessary, and if she ever ran out of money, she would work hard to earn more.


    the two of them finally caught the last bus back to town.


    by the time they arrived at the military family housing area, it was already dark. they spotted a person leaning against the entrance, smoking a cigarette. the red tip of the cigarette glowed intermittently in the darkness.


    ¡°ol¡¯ du?¡± tang ye¡¯s sharp eyes, honed through night shooting training in the military, allowed him to recognize the person even in this dim light.


    ¡°tang ye, sister-in-law, you¡¯ve finally come back!¡± du jiang rushed over at the sound of their voices, looking relieved as if he had seen a savior.

 Chapter 29

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re waiting here for dinner at our place?¡± tang ye squinted at du jiang, and chen lan could sense that although tang ye¡¯s tone remained mostly unchanged, there was a subtle ease and casualness in his conversation with du jiang.


    ¡°am i that kind of person?¡± du jiang took the things from tang ye¡¯s hands. ¡°sister-in-law¡¯s younger sister came for her, and since you weren¡¯t home, she had nowhere to go, so she squatted at the gate. i brought her to my house but it¡¯s not appropriate for me to be with a young girl under the same roof. so i waited at the gate for you.¡±


    upon hearing the words ¡®younger sister¡¯, chen lan was momentarily confused, but then she realized du jiang was referring to wen jing. ¡°brother du, you mean wen jing, right? thank you. i¡¯ll go to your house to pick her up.¡±


    du jiang waved his hand when he heard chen lan¡¯s thanks. ¡°what are you talking about? given my relationship with ol¡¯ tang here, there¡¯s no need to thank me for such a small thing.¡±


    the three of them first went to du jiang¡¯s house to pick up wen jing before returning home together.


    once inside, after they had put away the things, chen lan asked wen jing, ¡°why did you come over today?¡±


    ¡°i make a sample each for the designs that you draw,¡± said wen jing. ¡°i wanted to show them to you, but i didn¡¯t expect you to be out.¡± she scratched her head, looking a bit shy and innocent.


    chen lan couldn¡¯t help but pinch her cheek. ¡°coincidentally, i¡¯m going to treat your brother-in-law¡¯s comrades to dinner today. stay and eat with us. i¡¯ll cook something delicious for you.¡±


    wen jing was taken aback by chen lan¡¯s affectionate gestures. although in the past chen lan had been kind to her, she had never been this intimate before. moreover, lanlan had just said she would cook for her, but lanlan couldn¡¯t cook at all. no matter what, even if lanlan¡¯s cooking wasn¡¯t delicious, she would eat it all.


    ¡°ol¡¯ du, go to ol¡¯ song¡¯s house and call him over. i¡¯ll start cooking now, and we¡¯ll be ready to eat soon,¡± tang ye put down whatever he was holding and told du jiang, who had just followed him in.


    ¡°ol¡¯ tang, that¡¯s not right. i¡¯m a guest when i come to your house. how can you let a guest run errands?¡± du jiang said, setting down what he was holding and sat in a nearby chair. it was clear he had no intention of following tang ye¡¯s orders.


    tang ye grabbed an apple and tossed it over. ¡°hurry up!¡±


    du jiang caught the apple, wiped it on his shirt, took a bite, and then got up to leave, muttering to himself, ¡°ah, married and forgot about your brother.¡±


    while chen lan was busy packing things, she watched their interaction with a smile. this version of tang ye had gained a bit more liveliness and charm, and his imposing aura had lessened somewhat.


    tang ye turned and saw chen lan smiling gently at him. his face blushed red as he walked over. ¡°let me help you.¡±


    chen lan avoided his outstretched hand. ¡°no need, i can handle it. when commissar song and instructor du come back, you can chat with them.¡±


    ¡°no need, they don¡¯t need any formalities,¡± tang ye insisted.


    he was very familiar with these two men. one was his comrade who he had known since their days in the recruits¡¯ platoon and had remained close ever since, and the other was a superior who had taken care of him since he joined the army. before getting married, they used to visit tang ye¡¯s place often, and they always made themselves at home.


    on the other hand, chen lan was a pampered princess at home. she could cook once in a while but he couldn¡¯t imagine her handling every meal on her own. if grandpa chen found out, he would probably scold tang ye for not taking good care of her.


    however, she remained firm, ¡°be good, listen to me. our kitchen at home is small, and having xiaojing help me inside is enough. you can¡¯t even fit inside, do you want xiaojing, a young girl, to chat with them outside?¡±


    hearing this, tang ye finally realized that he had made poor judgment. indeed, it wouldn¡¯t be appropriate for a young girl like wen jing to accompany them outside, especially since they weren¡¯t familiar with each other.


    tang ye didn¡¯t expect chen lan to be so considerate, and he couldn¡¯t help but appreciate her more. he used to think of chen lan as just a pretty face without many other qualities, but since their marriage, she had consistently surprised him.


    ¡°i understand, no need to make it too sumptuous. they¡¯re not picky eaters,¡± tang ye said as he helped bring the groceries into the kitchen. he still couldn¡¯t shake off the feeling of worry, though.


    chen lan nodded and then raised her face at him.


    however, tang ye looked at her in confusion, not quite understanding what she meant. chen lan then pointed to her face and looked at his lips while giving him a seductive look.


    tang ye blushed deeply and whispered, ¡°but wen jing is still here.¡± he quickly escaped from the kitchen.

 Chapter 30

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    in her world, chen lan was also a foodie, so she had a lot of knowledge about food. soon, dinner was ready.


    sweet and sour spare ribs, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, braised chicken nuggets, steamed bass, and a bowl of silky tofu soup.


    the table was neatly set with four dishes and a soup.


    as they smelled the delicious aroma filling the air, du jiang couldn¡¯t help but gulp. ¡°ol¡¯ tang, sister-in-law is amazing! these taste incredible, way better than your usual attempts. you¡¯ve married a good wife!¡±


    song lian also nodded approvingly, thinking about all the praises his wife had showered on chen lan. initially, he had thought that his wife didn¡¯t understand chen lan, but after witnessing today¡¯s events, he realized that perhaps it was he who didn¡¯t truly understand her.


    as he watched the reactions of his comrades, tang ye couldn¡¯t help but straighten his chest, a hint of pride on his face.


    after dinner, they had a few drinks, but they didn¡¯t drink too much due to regulations.


    after sending off song lian and du jiang, chen lan stood up to start clearing the table, and wen jing quickly offered to help.


    ¡°you two can relax; i¡¯ll clean up. why don¡¯t you go take a shower first?¡± tang ye suggested.


    chen lan bypassed him, saying, ¡°it¡¯s okay, you¡¯ve got a bit of a smell from the alcohol. it¡¯s still early. go and wash up first.¡±


    tang ye felt a bit embarrassed. did chen lan complain he smelled bad? he lowered his head and sniffed himself but couldn¡¯t detect any strong odor. nevertheless, he went inside to get a change of clothes. ¡°i¡¯ll go wash up at du jiang¡¯s place.¡±


    with wen jing at home, tang ye felt somewhat uncomfortable.


    chen lan watched as tang ye disappeared, then smiled and mumbled, ¡°you didn¡¯t seem to be so innocent last night.¡±


    ¡°lanlan, you go take a shower first. i¡¯ll handle the dishes,¡± wen jing said as she began to prepare water for washing. she had some reservations about tang ye, wondering how he could leave all the housework to chen lan. chen lan should not do any domestic chores.


    however, chen lan walked over and pushed wen jing toward the bathroom. ¡°you wash first. i can handle a few bowls on my own.¡±


    ¡°but¡­¡±


    before she could finish her sentence, chen lan interrupted her. ¡°you¡¯re not disobeying me now, are you?¡±


    chen lan pretended to be angry, making wen jing wave her hands and say, ¡°no, of course not. i was just¡­¡±


    ¡°then you be a good girl and go take a shower!¡± chen lan handed her a new towel and closed the bathroom door.


    after her shower, tang ye still hadn¡¯t returned. chen lan figured it was because of wen jing¡¯s presence. after all, it was summer, and they were all in their pajamas, so it might be awkward to run into each other in the house. he probably thought it was more convenient to come back later when it was time to sleep.


    in just a few days, chen lan had come to understand tang ye quite well.


    chen lan arranged for wen jing to stay in the guest bedroom and brought a new set of bedding for her.


    ¡°xiaojing, show me the clothes you¡¯ve made,¡± chen lan said as she helped wen jing make the bed and then sat down, looking at her.


    she had spent quite a bit of money today, so chen lan was even more eager to find ways to earn money.


    wen jing obediently took out two pieces of clothing from her bag and handed them to chen lan.


    chen lan carefully examined the clothes, flipping them back and forth, while wen jing swallowed nervously beside them.


    she always took chen lan¡¯s words to heart. she had worked late into the night to make these two pieces and delivered them immediately today. she was very worried that her work might not meet chen lan¡¯s standards and would upset her.


    wen jing was diligent in her work. even though she had rushed these pieces, the stitches were fine and the quality was top-notch. it would be even better if she used better fabric.


    ¡°xiaojing, you are truly amazing. you¡¯ve done such a great job. i¡¯m sure we can sell these without a doubt!¡± chen lan praised sincerely.


    hearing this, wen jing, with her simple and honest nature, smiled. ¡°it¡¯s because your drawings are good.¡±


    chen lan suddenly realized that most people wouldn¡¯t be able to make clothes so quickly. wen jing had probably rushed to finish them. she also remembered the clothes wen jing was wearing when she saw her today and frowned. this sudden change in expression frightened wen jing, causing her to quickly suppress her smile.


    ¡°xiaojing, what about the clothes you were supposed to make for yourself?¡±


    wen jing breathed a sigh of relief and replied, ¡°i don¡¯t need new clothes urgently. i¡¯ll finish these first, and then use the remaining fabric to make clothes for myself.¡±


    chen lan had bought better quality fabric for wen jing to make her clothes. she was afraid that this silly girl might use it for the clothes they intended to sell. ¡°no, you must make your clothes first! if i see you next time, and you¡¯re not wearing new clothes, i¡¯ll be angry!¡±


    wen jing always put chen lan¡¯s wishes first, so if chen lan insisted, she would certainly comply.

 Chapter 31

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    hearing what chen lan said, wen jing immediately nodded and promised to wear new clothes to see her next time.


    chen lan nodded with satisfaction and discussed the plans for the night classes. hearing the sound of the door opening at home, she knew that tang ye had returned.


    ¡°alright, get some rest. tomorrow, i¡¯ll go back to my parents¡¯ house, and you can come back to the compound with me.¡±


    though wen jing had never been in a romantic relationship, she wasn¡¯t naive. ¡°i understand. you should get some rest too.¡±


    when chen lan returned to her room, tang ye was changing clothes.


    he had removed half of his tank top, revealing his well-defined abs. upon hearing the door open, he quickly pulled his shirt back down, relieved to see that it was chen lan who had entered


    ¡°you are not sleeping with wen jing?¡±


    chen lan smiled, closing the bedroom door behind her. ¡°xiaojing is not a child. does she still need me to coax her to sleep? besides, if i stay with her, what about you? i can¡¯t bear the thought of leaving you alone.¡±


    as she spoke, chen lan approached and embraced tang ye by the waist, pressing her face against his solid chest.


    her hand slipped into tang ye¡¯s white tank top, lingering on his abdominal muscles, and she listened to his gradually heavy breath and accelerating heartbeat.


    ¡°stop fooling around,¡± tang ye said, grabbing chen lan¡¯s wandering hand and trying to take deep breaths to control his rising desire.


    if it were any other day, he would have pinned the tempting figure in front of him beneath him and thoroughly punished her. however, today they had guests in the house, and the soundproofing wasn¡¯t that great.


    chen lan¡¯s waist was still sore, and she didn¡¯t dare to tease him too much. she obediently stopped.


    the two of them just held each other in silence, listening to each other¡¯s heartbeats.


    ¡°thank you for today,¡± tang ye suddenly spoke, expressing his gratitude for her unwavering support during the day.


    ¡°silly, you¡¯re my husband, and this is what i am supposed to do,¡± chen lan said as she nuzzled against his chest. ¡°get some rest. it was so tiring today.¡±


    with that, she lay down on the bed and then looked at tang ye, who was still standing at the side. ¡°hurry up, i can¡¯t sleep if you don¡¯t hug me.¡±


    tang ye turned off the lights and lay down on the bed. chen lan immediately snuggled into his arms.


    in the darkness, with only the faint moonlight, he looked at her and softly asked, ¡°chen lan, do you want to live a good life with me?¡±


    he did not get an answer to his question as chen lan, who had been tormented for the entire day, had long fallen asleep.


    tang ye withdrew his gaze and stared at the ceiling. he hoped for an answer but was also afraid of hearing it.


    after staring at the ceiling for a long time, he closed his eyes and subconsciously tightened his grip on chen lan.


    the next morning, when chen lan woke up, tang ye had already prepared breakfast and even borrowed a car from the military base.


    chen lan had to admire this aspect of him. she was not a morning person at all, and it was preferable to kill her than have her wake up early.


    wen jing had finished getting ready and was sitting in the living room. seeing that tang ye had prepared breakfast early, her impression of him improved slightly.


    three of them quickly finished breakfast, and tang ye loaded the gift for his wife¡¯s family onto the car. they set off towards the county town.


    along the winding mountain road, chen lan spotted a familiar figure waving at them by the roadside.


    tang ye also recognized the person waving ¡ª liang chen.


    he pondered for a moment and then stepped on the brakes to bring the car to a stop in front of liang chen.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± tang ye¡¯s tone was devoid of any emotion. chen lan could tell that he was displeased, speculating that this man might be feeling jealous.


    ¡°so it¡¯s battalion commander tang.¡± liang chen was surprised. he did not expect to find tang ye and chen lan when he randomly flagged down a military vehicle.


    liang chen was reluctant to travel with chen lan in the same car. however, he remembered that today was fan cong¡¯s birthday, and they had planned to meet in the county town. time was running out, and he had no choice.


    hence, he clenched his teeth and decided to ask, ¡°i need to go back to the compound. i was planning to ride my bike to the town and catch a ride from there. but my bike broke down. are you heading to the county? can you give me a ride?¡±


    tang ye frowned and then turned to look at chen lan for her opinion.


    chen lan wanted to signal tang ye not to let liang chen in the car, but with liang chen watching her, she refrained from expressing her disapproval brazenly. after all, he was the male lead, and his protagonist¡¯s aura couldn¡¯t be ignored.


    instead, she averted her gaze and remained silent, leaving the decision to tang ye.

 Chapter 32

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    seeing chen lan¡¯s reaction, tang ye couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit disappointed.


    in his opinion, this was chen lan¡¯s tacit approval, and perhaps she didn¡¯t dislike liang chen as much as she claimed.


    ¡°get in,¡± tang ye said coldly.


    liang chen nodded in gratitude and got into the car, sitting in the back with wen jing.


    the three of them, who had been chatting happily earlier, suddenly fell into an awkward silence, and the atmosphere in the car became tense.


    liang chen felt a bit embarrassed since he was hitching a ride, so he decided to break the silence. ¡°battalion commander tang, are you heading to the county to do something?¡±


    tang ye glanced at chen lan again. he had thought chen lan wouldn¡¯t miss the chance to talk to liang chen, but she was leaning back in her seat with her eyes closed, showing no intention of responding to liang chen.


    ¡°we¡¯re going back to lanlan¡¯s home today.¡±


    this was the first time tang ye had addressed her so affectionately, and chen lan opened her eyes, looking at him with a sparkle of excitement.


    ¡°that¡¯s right, i forgot about it,¡± liang chen replied, and the car fell into silence once again.


    liang chen felt uncomfortable with the situation. the chen lan he knew before would chatter endlessly whenever she saw him. however, today, her attitude was remarkably cold.


    thinking about how fan cong had mentioned to him a few days ago that wang lian wanted to help chen lan enroll in night school. liang chen frowned.


    chen lan was still trying her best to find trouble with lil¡¯ cong because of him, but now she was pretending to be indifferent to him. it seemed to him that chen lan was playing a game of cat and mouse.


    he looked at the rapidly passing scenery outside the window and decided not to dwell on it. he turned to chen lan and asked, ¡°by the way, chen lan, i heard from xiaocong yesterday that you¡¯re also planning to attend night school?¡±


    chen lan frowned, wondering how fan cong had found out about this.


    tang ye also seemed surprised since chen lan had never mentioned this to him, yet liang chen knew about it. moreover, he knew that fan cong had already registered for this session of night school.


    tang ye¡¯s grip on the steering wheel tightened involuntarily. if chen lan was still trying to get close to liang chen, why was she teasing him?


    chen lan hadn¡¯t initially intended to engage in conversation with liang chen, but now she had to speak up. ¡°i discussed it with my father, but i haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±


    ¡°if you haven¡¯t, then don¡¯t go,¡± liang chen said, feeling relieved inside.


    chen lan frowned. ¡°why?¡±


    liang chen couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°we grew up together in the compound, and i know your personality very well. you¡¯ve never liked studying, and everyone knows why you want to go to night school. chen lan, you need to remember that you¡¯re already married.¡±


    his words made chen lan burst into laughter. ¡°don¡¯t pretend like you know me so well. i¡¯m going to night school to learn. don¡¯t use your dirty thoughts to judge me.¡±


    on the side, wen jing chimed in. ¡°exactly! you know that lanlan is married now. tang ye didn¡¯t even say anything about it. what business is it of yours?¡±


    ¡°you!¡± liang chen, who considered himself a person of sophistication, didn¡¯t want to argue with them. ¡°a leopard never changes its spots. i¡¯m not here to meddle in your affairs but xiaocong is my girlfriend, and i can¡¯t just stand by and do nothing. you used to bully her, and now you¡¯re going to night school to bully her again. i¡¯m just making a request.¡±


    chen lan was utterly speechless. liang chen¡¯s so-called ¡®request¡¯ didn¡¯t sound like it at all. this was more like a command. perhaps he had become accustomed to giving her orders in the past.


    before chen lan could say anything, the car came to a stop in a relatively open area. ¡°army commander liang, get out.¡±


    ¡°what do you mean, tang ye?¡± liang chen couldn¡¯t understand right away. in his memory, tang ye had always been bullied by chen lan since they were young. if there was anyone who despised chen lan the most, it would be tang ye. that was why he felt it was acceptable to talk without restraint in the car.


    ¡°you requested a ride from me, yet you¡¯ve been bossing around and insulting my wife. that¡¯s why i no longer want to give you a ride. please get out of the car.¡±


    tang ye¡¯s words were firm and resolute. he gripped the steering wheel, kept his gaze forward, and his posture was straight. chen lan watched him and couldn¡¯t help but think he was the most handsome man in the world.


    liang chen was furious, but since tang ye had said so, he was too ashamed to stay in the car any longer. hence, he opened the car door and got out.


    ¡°oh, by the way, army commander liang, since you¡¯re heading back to the compound today, you can send the motorcycle to my house later.¡± chen lan called out to liang chen loudly just as the car was about to move.

 Chapter 33

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan watched as liang chen¡¯s figure rapidly disappeared with the car¡¯s departure, and couldn¡¯t help but complain, ¡°what a lunatic.¡±


    then she turned her head and kissed tang ye on the face, saying, ¡°darling, you are so handsome.¡±


    tang ye was caught off guard by the kiss and instinctively looked in the rearview mirror. he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw wen jing¡¯s head down, fiddling with her fingers. little did he know that at this moment, wen jing wished she could find a hole to hide in.


    however, through this incident, wen jing felt that chen lan marrying tang ye was the best choice. liang chen would only bully chen lan, but tang ye would protect her. in comparison, wen jing thought tang ye was simply perfect.


    the group finally arrived at the entrance of the mansion a little after ten in the morning. after getting out of the car, wen jing said goodbye to chen lan. it wasn¡¯t appropriate for her to accompany chen lan to her family¡¯s banquet today.


    tang ye took the initiative to carry everything in his hands, and chen lan naturally hooked her arm through his, feeling the muscles that had tensed up due to the effort.


    just as the two of them reached the entrance of chen¡¯s house, they heard chen lan¡¯s eldest brother, chen ran, shouting, ¡°grandpa, dad, mom, lanlan, and ahye are back!¡±


    then chen ran came running with a boy who appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. he reached out to help tang ye with the things in his hands.


    ¡°sister!¡± however, the boy didn¡¯t take the items. instead, he pulled chen lan away from tang ye and stood between the two of them, giving tang ye a cold snort.


    ¡°sister, i¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± chen tao said these words but kept a wary eye on tang ye.


    how could his parents marry his sister to this person? she hated him the most. he must save his sister from this predicament.


    chen lan remembered that this was the original character¡¯s younger brother, chen tao. he had always liked following behind chen lan, doing whatever she said.


    he was a smart kid with good academic performance, but he had a bit of a rebellious streak. chen jun often chased and beat him with a stick. in other words, he was a high-iq troublemaker.


    chen tao¡¯s parents were busy with work since he was young, so he grew up following in chen lan¡¯s footsteps. that had led him to pick up some of her bad habits.


    just like chen lan in the past, he firmly believed that tang ye was nothing more than a dog his father, chen jun, had picked up and was completely unworthy of chen lan. so, when he saw tang ye, he was filled with hostility.


    ¡°nonsense, i¡¯ve only been married for three days, and we haven¡¯t seen each other for just two days,¡± chen lan said, extending her finger to poke him on the head.


    ¡°aiyo, sister, don¡¯t you know that a day apart feels like three autumns?¡±


    ¡°chen tao! come over and help with the stuff!¡± chen ran called out.


    compared to chen tao, chen lan¡¯s brother chen ran was just like his father, meticulous and with a strong sense of right and wrong.


    when chen lan used to bully tang ye in their childhood, chen ran scolded her for it. both chen ran and tang ye attended the same military academy, joined the same army, and were currently part of the same military region, albeit in different battalions.


    chen tao was most afraid of his father and brother. when he heard this, he quickly snatched two gift boxes from tang ye and rushed into the house ahead of everyone.


    chen lan shook her head in resignation and said, ¡°this kid hasn¡¯t changed at all.¡±


    ¡°ahye, don¡¯t mind him. you know how he¡¯s been since he was a child,¡± chen ran said to tang ye.


    the three of them followed chen tao into the house.


    ¡°grandpa, i¡¯ve brought ahye back to see you!¡± chen lan exclaimed as soon as she entered the house, seeing her grandfather leaning on his walking cane and looking out the door.


    ¡°you¡¯ve come back. that¡¯s good to be back.¡±


    ¡°dad, mom!¡± tang ye looked at chen jun and wang lian. he had initially wanted to address them as ¡®uncle¡¯ and ¡®aunt¡¯ but quickly changed his words.


    wang lian looked excited as she watched the two children holding hands and seeming to get along well. her anxieties were finally put to rest.


    as soon as tang ye entered, chen jun noticed that he was wearing new clothes that weren¡¯t his usual style. he nodded in understanding towards chen lan.


    the family was in high spirits, but chen tao stood in a corner, looking resentful. he was racking his brains, trying to figure out how to make chen lan divorce tang ye quickly and how to make liang chen fall for his sister.


    if chen lan knew his thoughts, she would probably be infuriated.


    a high-quality man obtained for 50 million, and yet her younger brother was trying to get her to divorce him and make liang chen, that scumbag, fall for her. he probably didn¡¯t want her to live a good life.

 Chapter 34

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    during lunch, chen jun insisted on having some drinks with tang ye.


    seeing his daughter marry a man whom he had raised, and the two of them looking so happy together, he was naturally delighted.


    tang ye had been granted leave from the military, and since he was accompanying chen lan¡¯s family for the meal, he drank as much as chen jun did.


    but how could he, someone who didn¡¯t usually drink much, compete with someone like chen jun, who drank regularly? before long, he began to feel tipsy.


    seeing that tang ye¡¯s gaze was becoming somewhat blurred, wang lian quickly tugged on chen jun¡¯s sleeve. ¡°that¡¯s enough, he¡¯s had quite a bit. ahye isn¡¯t used to drinking. you should take it easy.¡±


    chen jun waved his hand dismissively. ¡°a real man, what¡¯s a few sips of alcohol? it doesn¡¯t matter!¡±


    he had been to the battlefield, and back then, when he was injured and with no anesthesia, he relied on alcohol to numb the pain. so, he couldn¡¯t give up drinking in this lifetime.


    ¡°dad! you told me that ahye has internal injuries and isn¡¯t in good health! and now you¡¯re making him drink.¡± chen lan looked at tang ye, whose skin had turned red all over and couldn¡¯t help but worry. she scolded her father with a hint of coquetry.


    chen jun stared at chen lan for a while, then emptied the contents of his wine glass in one gulp and said to wang lian, who was sitting beside him, ¡°well, girls grow up so fast, don¡¯t they?¡±


    wang lian found it amusing and patted his shoulder. ¡°you¡¯re such a grown man, why are you feeling jealous of your son-in-law!¡± she then turned to chen lan and instructed, ¡°take ahye to rest for a while. stay overnight today, and tomorrow you can go back with your older brother.¡±


    chen lan nodded, then cupped tang ye¡¯s face. ¡°ahye, no more drinking. let¡¯s go to the room and rest for a while.¡±


    at this moment, tang ye was like a child, and chen lan was his sole reliance. when he heard that chen lan was taking him to rest, he obediently nodded and stood up.


    chen lan held his hand and led him to her room.


    although tang ye seemed somewhat intoxicated at this moment, his walking was steady, and his posture remained upright, showing no signs of being drunk.


    in the room, chen lan gently laid tang ye on her bed, covered him with a blanket, and wanted him to get a good rest.


    however, tang ye kept his eyes open, staring at chen lan without blinking. despite his eyelids growing heavier, he refused to close his eyes and sleep.


    chen lan sat at the edge of the bed and gently stroked his head. ¡°ahye, be a good boy and go to sleep. i¡¯ll go to the kitchen and make some hangover soup for you, okay?¡±


    tang ye heard her words but looked at chen lan with no immediate reaction as if his brain was still processing what she had said.


    after a moment, he nodded slightly but said, ¡°don¡¯t go.¡±


    chen lan did not expect tang ye, in his drunken state, to be so vulnerable. so, she kept her voice as soft as possible and gently patted tang ye¡¯s shoulder with her hand. ¡°don¡¯t worry, i won¡¯t leave. this is our home. how can i leave?¡±


    chen lan coaxed tang ye patiently, and he slowly closed his eyes, his breathing gradually becoming steady and even.


    ¡°lil¡¯ sister, can i come in?¡± chen ran¡¯s voice came from outside the door.


    ¡°come in, big brother.¡±


    the door opened and chen ran walked in with a bowl of hangover soup. he saw chen lan sitting by the bed, gently wiping the sweat on tang ye¡¯s face with a handkerchief.


    tang ye was tightly holding chen lan¡¯s small hand.


    chen ran hadn¡¯t expected chen lan to be so dedicated to taking care of tang ye. he had once been just as opposed to this marriage as chen tao, but not because he thought tang ye wasn¡¯t worthy of chen lan.


    on the contrary, he believed that chen lan, who had engaged in reckless behavior, couldn¡¯t measure up to tang ye, even if she was his younger sister.


    tang ye had suffered enough, and chen ran believed he should find a good girl. he didn¡¯t want chen lan to make things worse for tang ye by marrying him.


    now that he saw his sister finally becoming more mature, no longer fixated on liang chen, and even treating tang ye well, chen ran was pleased with the change.


    he walked forward and placed the hangover soup on the bedside table. ¡°aunt juan just made it. let him drink it when he wakes up later. otherwise, he¡¯ll have a headache.¡±


    chen lan nodded. ¡°thank you, big brother.¡±


    ¡°you don¡¯t need to thank your sibling like that. i¡¯ll leave now. you should rest for a while. uncle will come by later.¡±


    chen ran said before leaving the room. he carefully closed the door behind him.


    chen lan saw tang ye frown unconsciously in his sleep. she reached out and smoothed his brow gently. then, she leaned over, resting her head on tang ye¡¯s shoulder, and closed her eyes.


    tang ye seemed to sense something. in his dreams, as the little boy cried alone in the snowy wilderness, he suddenly found himself embraced in a warm hug, and the snowstorm gradually subsided.

 Chapter 35

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°i¡¯m so angry, absolutely furious!¡± a loud and complaining voice reached chen lan¡¯s ears, pulling her out of her slumber.


    she groggily opened her eyes and saw that tang ye had already woken up at some point, staring at her in a daze. the two of them locked eyes in silence.


    ¡°sis, let me tell you, it¡¯s infuriating. can you guess what i just saw?¡± before either of them could react, chen tao pushed the door open and walked into the room, startling chen lan, who sat up abruptly.


    ¡°chen tao, don¡¯t you know you should knock before entering someone else¡¯s room?¡± chen lan¡¯s tone was unfriendly, clearly showing her irritation.


    chen tao, knowing he was in the wrong, quickly tried to appease her. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, sis, i¡¯ll remember next time!¡±


    ¡°there is a next time?¡±


    ¡°of course, no more next time.¡± chen tao stuck out his tongue and then remembered what he had just witnessed. ¡°aiya, sis, don¡¯t change the subject. do you know what i just saw?¡±


    chen lan tilted her head, urging him to cut the crap and get to the point.


    ¡°i just saw liang chen riding the motorcycle you gave, with that little b*tch, fan cong, coming back from outside.¡±


    chen lan turned to look at tang ye, who had sat up on the bed.


    ¡°i greeted him, but he didn¡¯t want to acknowledge me. he said they were going out again! what does he mean by that? that motorcycle cost 5,000 yuan, and it¡¯s your money. he brought another woman. i wanted to drag him off the bike and give him a beating.¡± chen tao kept talking, and chen lan was getting annoyed with him.


    however, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten something. she was so happy to see her family that she had forgotten that liang chen hadn¡¯t returned the motorcycle to her yet.


    that guy! he promised to return the motorcycle, but he¡¯s still riding it around.


    ¡°go get big brother and accompany me to liang chen¡¯s house,¡± chen lan decided after a moment of thought.


    upon hearing her words, tang ye clenched his fists, glaring at the back of chen lan¡¯s head.


    what now? liang chen was with fan cong, and you¡¯ve had enough. you don¡¯t plan to continue pretending? you¡¯re going to cause trouble for fan cong again?


    it seemed that it wasn¡¯t just tang ye who thought this way. chen tao had the same idea. ¡°alright, i¡¯ll get big brother, and we¡¯ll beat him up for letting you down.¡±


    chen lan sighed and said, ¡°what nonsense are you talking about? i told him before to return the motorcycle to me and he said he would send it home. it¡¯s almost dinner time, and he still hasn¡¯t delivered it. i was thinking of asking uncle to help me sell it.¡±


    this explanation was not only for chen tao but also for tang ye.


    she knew that due to tang ye¡¯s childhood experiences, although he appeared strong on the outside, he was always anxious on the inside. he constantly worried about losing someone. so, she needed to make some things clear to him.


    ¡°i don¡¯t know how to ride a motorcycle, your brother-in-law has been drinking, and you¡¯re still young. so, we¡¯ll have to let big brother ride it back for us.¡±


    chen tao was somewhat surprised. he had expected his sister to be angry, but he hadn¡¯t anticipated that she would be so composed about retrieving the motorcycle. nevertheless, he had always listened to her, so he obediently went to get chen ran.


    ¡°do you want to go with me?¡± chen lan turned to tang ye and asked.


    tang ye didn¡¯t say anything but nodded in agreement.


    ¡°okay, here¡¯s the hangover soup. it¡¯s a bit cold now.¡± chen lan picked up the soup from the bedside table. although tang ye had slept for a while, he still seemed a bit tipsy.


    tang ye didn¡¯t reach for it. instead, he drank the entire bowl of the soup directly from her hand. then, he got out of bed, put on his shoes, and walked out of the room with chen lan.


    chen ran stood in the living room, observing the two of them as they came out together. he opened his mouth but didn¡¯t speak. he had always been concerned about chen lan meeting liang chen, and now she was taking tang ye along as well.


    ¡°big brother, i¡¯ll have to trouble you to ride the motorcycle back later.¡± chen lan didn¡¯t avoid the topic and said frankly.


    chen ran nodded, and the four of them left the chen family house, heading in the direction of liang chen¡¯s home.


    they hadn¡¯t walked far when they spotted liang chen riding his motorcycle with fan cong, heading out of the compound.


    ¡°liang chen!¡± chen ran called out, then stood in the middle of the road to intercept liang chen.


    since they were inside the compound, the motorcycle wasn¡¯t traveling at high speed, making it easy for chen ran to block liang chen¡¯s path.


    when liang chen saw chen lan, he rubbed his nose guiltily. he knew he had promised to return the motorcycle to her but he had not sent it over yet. he had broken his promise.


    however, it was fan cong¡¯s birthday, and he wanted to take her for a ride on the motorcycle. he didn¡¯t know how to tell her that he had to return the motorcycle to chen lan.

 Chapter 36

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    liang chen parked the motorcycle and helped fan cong down from it.


    as soon as fan cong saw chen lan, she instinctively hid behind liang chen.


    she peeked out from behind him, looking cautious. chen lan couldn¡¯t help but think that this was a clever move. it¡¯s no wonder everyone thought she was afraid of chen lan and always bullied by her.


    however, in chen lan¡¯s memory, every time she met fan cong alone, this girl was not afraid of her at all. sometimes she even pretended to be casually affectionate with liang chen, which infuriated chen lan.


    ¡°brother liang chen, didn¡¯t you promise to send the motorcycle to my house this morning? i thought you were busy because i waited for so long, hence i brought my big brother here to ride it back,¡± chen lan said to liang chen with a considerate tone, as if she hadn¡¯t noticed their plan to go out.


    liang chen felt embarrassed by her words, and he cleared his throat. he was about to step aside and let chen ran take the motorcycle, but fan cong, who was behind him, spoke up first.


    ¡°wasn¡¯t this motorcycle a gift from lanlan? why are you planning to take it back?¡± fan cong¡¯s words sounded innocent, but she cleverly shifted the blame back to chen lan.


    this kind of behavior, taking back something that had been given away, was not something most people would do.


    however, fan cong didn¡¯t realize that chen lan was not like most people. she didn¡¯t care about superficial matters of reputation. she only cared about her feelings.


    ¡°my sister is talking to liang chen. why are you interrupting?¡± chen tao had no favorable impression of fan cong at all. she was a newcomer to the compound, yet she had managed to get involved in his sister¡¯s relationship with liang chen.


    he didn¡¯t care about whether liang chen had feelings for chen lan. as long as chen lan liked him, he should be hers.


    ¡°lil¡¯ tao!¡± chen ran whispered sharply.


    chen lan also looked disapprovingly at chen tao. this kid couldn¡¯t control himself at all. she shook her head at him, then turned to fan cong. ¡°you might not know, but i bought this motorcycle with the betrothal gift that tang ye gave me. even though i gave it to liang chen, i¡¯ve changed my mind and want it back. liang chen agreed to it as well.¡±


    fan cong bit her lip and felt resentful. liang chen had never mentioned this matter to her.


    liang chen spent most of his time in the military, so he rarely had the opportunity to ride the motorcycle. that¡¯s why fan cong had decided to lend it to her younger brother as a means of transportation for commuting to work.


    her mother had praised her for this plan, and it was a rare occurrence for her mother to do so. how could she go back and tell her family that there was no motorcycle to use any more?


    ¡°ahchen, throughout ancient times, once something is given away, it¡¯s not to be taken back. you didn¡¯t even know that lanlan was using her betrothal gift,¡± fan cong comforted liang chen gently. in reality, she was accusing chen lan of harboring hatred after love, trying to destroy something she couldn¡¯t have.


    it was also to tell liang chen that chen lan was taking advantage of his kindness and sense of justice, hinting that the motorcycle should be returned if it wasn¡¯t being used.


    although liang chen thought that fan cong had a point, he still had no choice but to return it. he cared about his reputation, and if this matter got out, it wouldn¡¯t be good for his image.


    seeing liang chen¡¯s dilemma, fan cong felt increasingly disgusted. so, she turned to chen lan and said, ¡°lanlan, today is my birthday. ahchen and i have some urgent matters to attend to. could we return the motorcycle to you after some time?¡±


    since she couldn¡¯t persuade liang chen, fan cong could only delay the situation, buying time in the hopes that chen lan might forget about this matter later.


    ¡°no way,¡± chen lan replied. her intentions were obvious to anyone with common sense. ¡°what does your birthday have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°you!¡± fan cong was getting frustrated. ¡°you¡¯re only causing a scene because ahchen doesn¡¯t like you. chen lan, you¡¯re already married. why bother making a big deal out of this?¡±


    chen lan couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue dealing with her. she looked up at tang ye instead and said, ¡°i¡¯m sorry, ahye. i was not able to ask for our betrothal gift back. i was young and insensible, that¡¯s why i made such a foolish mistake. i thought that brother liang chen, who is four years older than me, would know better. it¡¯s not right to accept such a valuable gift from a girl without a reason.¡±


    ¡°all those gifts he received from me in the past, i don¡¯t care anymore. but now, i want to get our betrothal money back. i didn¡¯t expect him to go back on his word now. i was too naive.¡±

 Chapter 37

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    chen lan¡¯s tone carried a hint of a sob, her hands wrapped around tang ye¡¯s waist, and her voice sounded pitiful.


    chen tao widened his eyes, while chen ran saw through her little trick with a smile, and looked away speechless. he even pulled chen tao back when he tried to intervene and separate the couple.


    tang ye looked at her sly smile and gently brushed her nose with his hand. ¡°it¡¯s okay, i understand. you¡¯re young, and you didn¡¯t know better.¡±


    liang chen looked at the intimate interaction between the two, feeling uncomfortable, but he didn¡¯t feel like he had the right to say anything. he was even more disheartened when he heard tang ye¡¯s words, which seemed like a subtle way of saying he was immature.


    fan cong, on the other hand, was taken aback by chen lan¡¯s unexpected reaction. she didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°throughout history, it¡¯s been taught that you should not accept any rewards without doing anything. brother liang chen, since you don¡¯t have any special feelings for my sister, and our families don¡¯t have a deep connection, how can you accept such a valuable gift from her?¡± chen tao vented his anger on liang chen, ignoring the presence of tang ye, whom he found annoying.


    chen lan couldn¡¯t help but silently commend this child. he was indeed a scholarly genius. although he might not be reliable most of the time, his sharp tongue was unmatched when it came to sarcasm.


    what liang chen cared about the most was his reputation and face. at this moment, both were facing an unprecedented challenge.


    no matter how fan cong shook his arm, gesturing to him to speak up to keep the motorcycle, liang chen remained silent, only pulling her aside.


    ¡°when i accepted this gift in the first place, i already felt it was somewhat inappropriate. now that i¡¯ve promised to return it to lanlan, i won¡¯t go back on my word. chen ran, take the motorcycle.¡±


    chen ran nodded, walked over, and with a lift of his long legs, he sat on the motorcycle, started it, and rode away.


    seeing that she successfully obtained the item, chen lan didn¡¯t want to stay any longer. these two people were affecting her mood. she then held tang ye¡¯s hand and said, ¡°let¡¯s go back. uncle should be here soon.¡±


    tang ye nodded and led the way, holding her hand as they left, while chen tao snorted and quickly followed while gesticulating behind tang ye¡¯s back.


    as they saw the group leave, liang chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.


    seeing that fan cong was not talking to him, liang chen coaxed her softly, ¡°i did handle this matter poorly. it¡¯s better to return it to her to avoid people gossiping behind our backs. this way, i won¡¯t owe her anything.¡±


    fan cong stomped her feet, clearly still angry and unwilling to talk to him.


    during the earlier incident, everyone had protected chen lan, and liang chen had never said a word in her defense. she knew she would probably receive a scolding from her mother when she got home, and that wasn¡¯t making her any happier. naturally, she felt indignant.


    ¡°don¡¯t be angry. chen lan has always been like this.¡± liang chen didn¡¯t understand why fan cong was so angry. from his perspective, what chen lan had said today might have been embarrassing, but he didn¡¯t think he had done anything wrong.


    however, he realized that fan cong¡¯s anger was likely directed at chen lan.


    ¡°ahchen, you¡¯re just too kind. that motorcycle was a gift from her. how can you return it just like that?¡±


    liang chen wrapped his arm around her shoulder and said, ¡°we¡¯ll save up and buy an even better one. i¡¯ll take you for a ride then. it¡¯s your birthday today, so don¡¯t be angry. we¡¯re still going out to eat, right?¡±


    on the other side, as chen lan returned to the chen family¡¯s doorstep, she saw chen ran leaning against the motorcycle, waiting for their return.


    ¡°ahye, this motorcycle is really fun to ride. you can ride it to come back with lanlan in the future,¡± chen ran said as he walked over and patted tang ye¡¯s shoulder.


    tang ye¡¯s expression darkened. he remembered that chen lan had told wen jing that this motorcycle wouldn¡¯t be for him.


    as expected, the next second, chen lan immediately spoke with a smile, ¡°what are you talking about, big brother? i¡¯m planning to have uncle help me sell this motorcycle.¡±


    chen ran was shocked. he looked at tang ye, then opened his mouth in surprise. the motorcycle had been ridden for a while, so selling it wouldn¡¯t fetch much money. why wouldn¡¯t she keep it for herself?


    after observing chen lan and tang ye¡¯s interaction in the afternoon, chen ran initially thought their relationship was good. however, why would she rather sell the bike than let tang ye ride it?


    he wanted to ask, but he also worried that speaking out might hurt tang ye¡¯s feelings. therefore, he decided to hold back his words and planned to have a private conversation with chen lan later.

 Chapter 38

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    when chen lan returned to her family home, she saw a man sitting on the sofa, engaged in conversation with chen jun.


    the man was dressed in a well-tailored suit, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and exuded an air of erudition.


    this man was none other than chen lan¡¯s uncle, wang yun.


    despite his genteel appearance, wang yun was a formidable figure who had dealings in both legal and illegal domains.


    ¡°uncle!¡± chen lin happily ran over and sat beside him.


    wang yun, upon seeing chen lan, was also delighted. he affectionately patted her head and said, ¡°you¡¯ve grown so much, yet you¡¯re still as impulsive as ever.¡±


    chen lan chuckled and replied, ¡°well, seeing my dear uncle makes me happy!¡±


    for some reason, chen lan felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to these relatives she had never met before. it was as if she shared 20 years of memories with them.


    just then, tang ye walked over, and chen lan held his hand as she introduced him, ¡°uncle, this is my husband, tang ye.¡±


    ¡°hello, uncle,¡± tang ye greeted politely.


    wang yun gave tang ye a thorough once-over.


    he had seen tang ye when he was younger, and back then, the boy had been thin and small. he was pleasantly surprised to see how robust he had become. wang yun nodded in appreciation and then took a small box from his pocket, handing it to chen lan.


    ¡°i couldn¡¯t attend your wedding because i was away at the time. this is a belated gift for you.¡±


    chen lan accepted the box and opened it to find a pair of rings inside.


    unlike the typical gold or silver rings, these rings had a captivating shimmer. she expressed her thanks and then took tang ye¡¯s hand, sliding the larger ring onto his ring finger.


    seeing how perfectly it fit on tang ye¡¯s finger, chen lan sighed in her heart. her uncle seemed to understand the original character¡¯s taste very well. they had bought wedding rings when they got married, but those had been pawned by chen lan to raise money for the motorcycle.


    chen lan slid her ring onto her finger and then sweetly smiled at wang yun. ¡°uncle, you have great taste. these rings are so beautiful!¡±


    wang yun gazed at her with affection and replied, ¡°i¡¯m glad you like them.¡±


    then, wang yun took out a red envelope from his pocket and handed it to tang ye. ¡°your grandmother specifically asked me to give this to you. she¡¯s getting old, and it¡¯s not convenient for her to travel. when you and lanlan have some free time, go visit her.¡±


    tang ye glanced at chen lan, who nodded in agreement. he reached out to accept the red envelope and said, ¡°i understand. when i have time off, i¡¯ll take lanlan to visit her.¡± he then casually handed the red envelope to chen lan.


    on the side, wang lian watched his natural gesture with a heartwarming smile. she spoke up, ¡°you should keep the red envelope from your grandmother for yourself. why did you give it to her?¡±


    tang ye chuckled and scratched his head. ¡°i don¡¯t need it in the army.¡±


    chen lan tucked away the red envelope and thanked wang yun. ¡°uncle, we appreciate your help yesterday. otherwise, we wouldn¡¯t have known how to deal with those vampires.¡±


    on the other side, chen jun chimed in, ¡°your uncle contacted you again? he doesn¡¯t learn his lesson.¡±


    tang ye nodded and also expressed his gratitude to wang yun.


    ¡°uncle, i need a little favor from you,¡± chen lan said with a cheerful smile as she looked at wang yun.


    ¡°tell me, as long as you ask, i¡¯ll do my best to get you the moon from the sky.¡±


    ¡°there¡¯s a motorcycle parked outside. since you know many people, could you help me find a place to sell it? i¡¯ll end up losing money if i try to sell it myself.¡±


    wang yun nodded, ¡°no problem. i¡¯ll have someone come over later to ride it away, and once it¡¯s sold, i¡¯ll deliver the money to your mother.¡±


    given wang yun¡¯s stature in the business world, if it became known that he was selling the motorcycle, people would probably be willing to pay the original price just to curry favor with him.


    ¡°also, uncle, my friend wen jing and i are planning to start a small business selling clothes. when we have enough capital in the future, can you help us find a suitable shop?¡±


    chen lan envisioned herself working hard to earn money in the future. the clothes she and wen jing made were unique and of high quality, so she was confident they would sell well.


    currently, setting up a stall in front of a department store was sufficient, but eventually, they would need a proper shop.


    wang yun hadn¡¯t expected chen lan to go into business, but he thought it was a child¡¯s play, so he agreed to play along. ¡°sure, i¡¯ll have someone keep an eye out for you.¡±


    ¡°uncle is mighty. you¡¯re the best!¡±


    meanwhile, tang ye stayed in the living room with chen jun to play chess, while wang lian went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.


    chen lan initially sat on the sofa and tried to watch tang ye play chess, but she couldn¡¯t understand the game and soon found herself yawning repeatedly.

 Chapter 39

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    ¡°tired, go to your room and take a nap,¡± tang ye noticed chen lan¡¯s condition and quickly suggested.


    chen lan nodded, realizing that watching them play chess wasn¡¯t very interesting. she might as well go to her room to get some rest.


    as she got up, chen ran walked out of the study. ¡°lanlan, come here for a moment.¡±


    chen lan was a bit puzzled but obediently entered the study.


    the study was filled with old books that had been flipped through many times. chen lan¡¯s memory of the original character hardly included any visits to the study, as she had no interest in these books.


    chen ran, looking at chen lan¡¯s demeanor, carefully chose his words before slowly speaking, ¡°lanlan, why do you want to sell that motorcycle?¡±


    chen lan looked at him with confusion. ¡°otherwise, why would i keep it?¡±


    chen ran sighed and said earnestly, ¡°big brother knows that feelings can¡¯t be forced. it¡¯s already very good that you can treat ahye like this now. however, i still hope that you can take back your thoughts about liang chen. liang chen is not suitable for you. i understand ahye. he might not say much, but he will treat you well.¡±


    chen lan interrupted his long speech, ¡°so, big brother, what are you trying to say?¡±


    chen ran looked at his sister¡¯s uncomprehending expression and sighed, ¡°lanlan, do you know that ahye likes motorcycles too?¡±


    ¡°most men have a liking when it comes to motorcycles, so it¡¯s not surprising to chen lan that tang ye liked bikes too.


    ¡°so what?¡±


    ¡°so, why didn¡¯t you give the bike to ahye instead of selling it?¡±


    chen lan finally understood what chen ran was getting at. she silently complained in her heart, wondering why her big brother couldn¡¯t just say things directly. why did he have to beat around the bush?


    ¡°big brother, are you suggesting that i sell the bike instead of giving it to ahye because i don¡¯t like him and still have feelings for liang chen?¡±


    chen ran looked at her without saying a word, but his expression seemed to say, ¡®well, isn¡¯t that the case?¡¯


    chen lan found it amusing. how could a man¡¯s brain be so simple? ¡°big brother, you know that the motorcycle was a foolish purchase i bought for liang chen in the past. to buy that bike, i even sold all the furniture in our house.¡±


    when it came to this matter, chen lan remained unfazed and unapologetic. after all, it wasn¡¯t her doing. ¡°now our home is completely bare, and i need to sell the bike to buy furniture.¡±


    ¡°moreover, liang chen rode that bike for a while, and i feel disgusted. if i give it to ahye, do you think he won¡¯t feel disgusted? our ahye deserves the best, and i don¡¯t want to give him something that¡¯s been touched by that hypocrite liang chen.¡±


    chen ran looked at her with a hint of deeper understanding. he realized he had been narrow-minded. it turned out his sister had thought it through so thoroughly. ¡°do you think so?¡±


    chen lan nodded, ¡°of course. i¡¯m going to start a business with wen jing soon, and once we start making money, i¡¯ll buy ahye an even better one!¡±


    ¡°then why did you enroll in night school?¡± chen ran still had some doubts and asked.


    like everyone else, he assumed chen lan had gone to night school just to cause trouble for fan cong.


    ¡°big brother, as i¡¯ve said, i want to start a business. but with my current education level, if i don¡¯t study and improve myself, i¡¯ll easily get taken advantage of!¡±


    it all made sense, and chen ran couldn¡¯t find any arguments to refute her.


    ¡°well, it¡¯s almost time for dinner. let¡¯s go out!¡±


    chen lan opened the door of the study and saw tang ye standing at the door. his eyes were bright and shiny when he saw her as if there were tears in them.


    ¡°what¡¯s wrong?¡± chen lan asked.


    ¡°nothing. mom asked me to call you for dinner.¡± tang ye resumed his usual tone, but it had a touch of tenderness that wasn¡¯t there before.


    ¡°okay.¡± chen lan naturally linked her arm with his. ¡°no drinking too much tonight, okay?¡±


    thinking about tang ye¡¯s condition in the afternoon, she reminded him softly.


    the main concern was that both chen jun and tang ye had old injuries, and drinking so much alcohol was quite worrisome.


    tang ye nodded. ¡°i know.¡±


    dinner was even more sumptuous than lunch. chen jun, as expected, wanted to continue drinking with tang ye, but he was rejected by tang ye. not only did tang ye abstain from alcohol, but he also stopped chen jun from drinking.


    under normal circumstances, chen jun might not have listened, but today he was in a good mood and felt a bit guilty toward tang ye. so he obediently put down his wine glass.


    after dinner, chen lan and tang ye stayed at chen¡¯s house, sleeping in their original room, waiting to return with chen ran tomorrow.

 Chapter 40

    translator: henyee translations editor: henyee translations


    the next day, before dawn, chen lan was pulled out of bed by tang ye.


    ¡°time to get up. i need to report back to my base soon.¡±


    chen lan rubbed her sleepy eyes and hugged tang ye¡¯s neck. ¡°why don¡¯t you and big brother go back first? i¡¯ll sleep a while more.¡±


    chen lan knew her habits well. she couldn¡¯t wake up this early.


    ¡°just as well. later, when xiaojing comes, i¡¯ll go with her to the mall nearby to check if there¡¯s a suitable spot for our stall.¡±


    tang ye also knew that chen lan wouldn¡¯t be able to wake up this early, so he nodded and left the room.


    wang lian placed a plate of fried dough sticks on the dining table. she saw tang ye coming out alone and asked, ¡°is lanlan still sleeping in?¡±


    tang ye smiled faintly at her words. ¡°she said she¡¯ll go with xiaojing later to see if there¡¯s a good spot to set up a stall. she plans to take a car to go back in the afternoon.¡±


    wang lian smiled knowingly. she knew her daughter well. ¡°you should be patient with her. she¡¯s been spoiled since she was a child, so it¡¯s inevitable she can be a bit willful at times.¡±


    ¡°don¡¯t worry.¡± tang ye replied as he helped her with breakfast.


    after breakfast, chen ran and tang ye left in a hurry.


    chen lan woke up at eight in the morning, and by this time, there was no one in the house. even old master chen had gone out to walk his birds.


    chen lan sighed. everything about the military family was good, but she couldn¡¯t accept the early-rising routine. who wakes up at six every day?


    she found some fried dough sticks and soy milk left in the kitchen to fill her stomach. then, she hurried out to find wen jing.


    after taking a few steps, she noticed several girls in the courtyard gathered together, gossiping and pointing fingers.


    ¡°oh my god, wen jing, you¡¯re as round as a ball. no matter how nicely you dress, no one will be interested in you.¡±


    ¡°that¡¯s right, you don¡¯t need to doll yourself up like the city girls. learn to look at yourself properly first.¡±


    chen lan wanted to bypass them, but when she heard wen jing¡¯s name, she turned back.


    approaching them, she saw several girls from the courtyard surrounding wen jing, and pieces of fabric scattered on the ground.


    wen jing was wearing a new outfit she had just made from the fabric that chen lan had personally chosen. it was a light pink color, a stark contrast to wen jing¡¯s usual drab clothes. in addition, the design was drawn by chen lan, making it unique and stylish. so, when wen jing wore it to visit the chen family house, she was immediately surrounded by these girls.


    ¡°that¡¯s right.that short and stout figure is like a winter melon. your usual dirty outfit suits you better!¡±


    one of the girls stepped forward and pushed wen jing. although wen jing looked chubby, she didn¡¯t have much strength, and she nearly stumbled.


    ¡°what are you all doing!¡± chen lan angrily shouted.


    the girls turned to see chen lan and sneered. they were full of disdain.


    ¡°oh, who do we have here? it¡¯s our miss chen. she¡¯s already married, but she keeps running back home every other day.¡±


    ¡°and i heard that our miss chen loved liang chen but couldn¡¯t be with him, so she¡¯s harboring a grudge. she gave things away and now she¡¯s trying to take it back. it¡¯s laughable.¡±


    chen lan had always been haughty, and the girls in the courtyard didn¡¯t like to play with her. however, they didn¡¯t dare to treat chen lan the way they treated wen jing. after all, chen jun¡¯s rank was significantly high, and it was rare to find someone with a higher military rank in the compound.


    chen lan walked over to wen jing and quickly checked to make sure she wasn¡¯t hurt. relieved to find that wen jing was not injured, she looked around. in the crowd, she spotted a familiar figure. she had just asked for the motorcycle back yesterday. how did the news spread so quickly?


    ¡°i don¡¯t feel embarrassed to take back my belongings. besides, this is my home, and i can return whenever i want without needing anyone¡¯s approval,¡± chen lan said. she then looked at the scattered fabrics on the ground and continued, ¡°but i¡¯d like to ask, who did this to wen jing¡¯s things?¡±


    the girls looked at her and remained silent.


    without waiting for an answer, chen lan went on, ¡°all these items were bought with my money, and now they¡¯re ruined because of you. now they are unusable, you¡¯ll have to compensate me at the cost. it¡¯s a total of 20 yuan. who¡¯s going to pay?¡±


    ¡°chen lan, you¡¯re robbing us!¡± one of the girls was shocked to hear the amount of 20 yuan and shouted at chen lan.


    once one girl spoke up, others chimed in.


    chen lan shrugged, ¡°i said 20, so be it. hurry up and pay me the money, or i¡¯ll have my dad come to your house to ask for it tonight!¡±


    chen jun wouldn¡¯t get involved in the squabble between young girls, but it would be a waste not to use the tiger skin[1.to take the name of a superior as a shield] that was on standby.


    ¡°lanlan, let¡¯s go easy on them. they didn¡¯t do it on purpose,¡± a soft and weak voice spoke up when the girls kept quiet.


    fan cong pushed through the crowd and looked at chen lan disapprovingly.