Chapter 761: Chapter 660: Internal Strife

As she approached the military district’s main gate, Xiao Yu appeared out of nowhere. He called out, "Ma’am," took the travel bag from Xiao Man’s hand, and led her inside. This made things much more convenient, as she didn’t have to register again.

On the way back to the dormitory, Xiao Yu said to Xiao Man, "The woman who stopped you this morning was Wei Group Leader of the Art Troupe, the wife of the district’s deputy brigade commander. She probably saw your great figure and thought you were one of the performers in her troupe, but since you weren’t in uniform, she wanted to question you. You don’t need to take it to heart, ma’am."

Xiao Man smiled. "I’m fine. But that Wei Group Leader certainly didn’t think I was one of her subordinates. Her eyes are quite sharp, you know. She told security I’d snuck into the district, and that I was either a hostile agent or harboring some kind of ulterior motive! Heh, such high vigilance, and quite the imagination, too. She must have been a scout, right?"

Xiao Yu burst out laughing. "The head of the Art Troupe used to be a scout? You’re quite the kidder, ma’am."

Back at the dormitory building, Xiao Man asked Xiao Yu if the market was far, as she planned to buy some groceries. Since she knew how to cook and found it easy to whip up a few dishes, she preferred not to eat at the mess hall—back at school, she had no choice because she didn’t have a kitchen. Last night, she had cooked a meal with ingredients Xiao Yu had gotten from the mess hall, but she couldn’t just keep taking their supplies every day. Xiao Yu said the market wasn’t close, but he could get there and back quickly. So, Xiao Man wrote out a list for him.

’I might not use all the groceries right away, but I still have to buy them. If I want to use the ingredients from my space, I need a cover story.’

That evening, when Gu Shaojun returned, he was once again treated to a delicious meal cooked by his fiancée, feeling utterly blissful. He then noticed a dish of steamed sea bass on the table. Remembering the previous night, when his fiancée had said she wanted to help him build up his strength, a wave of heat washed over him. His gaze instantly deepened, becoming as vast as the ocean, and he stared intently at the woman who held his heart.

Xiao Man felt his tangible gaze and looked up to meet it. Her luminous eyes were full of affection, and her peachy cheeks dimpled with a smile, causing a certain someone’s heart to race. But then, she glanced over at Xiao Yu, who was scooping rice by the counter.

Gu Shaojun was speechless.

He gritted his teeth. ’His little fiancée certainly knows how to be seductive and tease him. Right now, that’s not a good thing. He couldn’t just accept her advances and get tangled up with her. He could only suffer through it... and he’d have to suffer for hundreds of days and nights to come!’

’Sigh, what a miserable existence. Is this the darkness before the dawn? It’s a bit too dark for my liking.’

Xiao Man had initially invited Xiao Yu to sit and eat with them, and Gu Shaojun had no objections. But Xiao Yu was sharp. Seeing his superior’s bright expression suddenly darken for some reason, he worried he was being a third wheel. He quickly made an excuse, saying he had to get back. Xiao Man didn’t press him, simply packing some of each dish for him. Xiao Yu left happily with two food containers. He had tasted her cooking the night before, and the flavor was too wonderful to describe. He was going to find a quiet place to savor it.

After Xiao Yu left, Gu Shaojun closed the door, returned to the table, and swept his fiancée up, setting her on his lap... By the time the meal was over, neither had drunk any alcohol, but both were intoxicated. Gu Shaojun held her tightly, and Xiao Man clung to her fiancé, not wanting to get down. They had agreed to go for a walk after dinner, but they abandoned the plan, choosing instead to stay in and whisper sweet nothings, pouring their hearts out to one another.

Gu Shaojun actually already knew that Wei Group Leader had given Xiao Man a hard time when she went out that day. Since Xiao Man hadn’t brought it up, he decided not to mention it for now. Their time together was too precious and fleeting to be wasted on irrelevant people. He would handle the matter later and give his fiancée the resolution she deserved.

At that moment, in a small building within the family compound, a family of seven or eight people sat around a table, ready for dinner. The atmosphere, however, was tense. The food on the table was untouched, and no one had picked up their bowls or chopsticks. The only sound was the master of the house slamming the table and yelling in anger.

This was the home of Guo Yiyong, the district’s deputy brigade commander. Guo Yiyong was in his fifties and overweight; even in uniform, he lacked an imposing presence. Although he was furiously berating them, few people at the table showed any fear. The woman sitting opposite him and the young lady beside her even talked back from time to time. Guo Yiyong was livid. He raised a hand and pointed at the young lady from across the table, then at the woman, and bellowed:

"Go on, keep spoiling her! A doting mother makes for a rotten child! I’ll just remind you of one thing: don’t forget what happened to our third child back then! Also, I have stressed time and time again—it’s not that I haven’t spoken to Gu Shaojun. The man already has a fiancée! Gu Shaojun said it himself: he only loves his fiancée! Why can’t you two just give up and drop it? There are so many young officers in the entire brigade, can’t you just pick another one? Acting like she’ll marry no one but him—who do you think you are? Stop daydreaming! Get rid of those notions. It’s useless. From now on, I forbid you from ever mentioning this again! If you dare cause some scandal that makes me lose face... you know the consequences!"

The woman Guo Yiyong was pointing at was his wife, Wei Group Leader Wei Shumin. When she heard Guo Yiyong mention their "third child," her expression shifted and her face paled. The young lady beside her was none other than their fourth daughter, Guo Yanyan. Being scolded by her father, she immediately covered her face and began to cry, sobbing as she spoke:

"Everyone has the right and freedom to pursue love! What right do you have to stop me? Are you really going to disregard my happiness just for your so-called reputation? You can’t be my real father!"

The other young men and women at the table were the children and nieces of the family, ranging in age from eighteen to thirty. All were in uniform, clearly on-duty personnel. The three young women were from the Art Troupe and were Wei Shumin’s nieces from her side of the family. They lowered their heads, trying their best to look like they were hearing no evil. The two men sitting beside Guo Yiyong had impassive expressions, but after hearing Guo Yanyan’s last sentence, the corners of their mouths twitched. One of them finally couldn’t hold back a laugh and said mockingly, "Fourth Sister, you must have some basis for saying something like that, right? Well, well, well, so Aunt Wei actually cheated on my father! And for twenty years, no less. You just had your twentieth birthday, didn’t you, Fourth Sister? Oh, and there’s Third Sister, too. She was probably born from an affair as well! Tsk, tsk, tsk. Truly impressive, Aunt Wei. To cheat on a man and still be doted on for over twenty years... what a skill!"

Guo Yanyan was speechless.

Wei Shumin’s brows shot up as she furiously berated the young man. "Guo Er, you bastard! Nothing good ever comes out of that filthy mouth of yours!"

Guo Er was still grinning cheekily, full of swagger. "I may not spit ivory, but at least I’m not delusional. Someone here is trying to eat swan meat when they can’t even fly. That’s a tough one. I’m afraid after all that fuss, you won’t even get a taste of the swan’s ass. How tragic! Isn’t that right, dear cousins? My pretty, lovely cousins, you should be a little smarter. Don’t be foolish like your aunt. Every single officer over in that Elite Building is sharp as a tack. You think you can use your good looks to marry up, but don’t you think they want to climb even higher themselves? Marrying a girl with connections and a powerful family background is better than anything! Look at my dad. When he married my mom, he was promoted step-by-step. But later, after your aunt successfully seduced and entangled him with her ’beauty,’ the old man’s career hit a wall! So you see, a swan’s ass doesn’t taste good at all. You’d be better off sticking with your cousin. I can’t promise to elevate the entire Wei Family to the heavens, but I can at least guarantee you’ll eat and drink well! How about it?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.