The look Chen Weisheng gave Xie Changyu as he spoke was not one for a lover, but for an enemy.

Xie Changyu was cowed by his glare, instantly toning it down and no longer daring to act so belligerently.

"Take her and leave," Yue Yihan said to Chen Weisheng, his gaze darkening.

They weren’t welcome at his wedding.

The one-hundred-yuan watch Chen Weisheng had bought was also rejected.

"Yes, sir." After the scene Xie Changyu had caused, Chen Weisheng didn’t dare to linger. He could only drag her away.

The moment they were out of Xie Changning’s courtyard, Chen Weisheng raised a hand and slapped Xie Changyu across the face. "Didn’t I tell you? Didn’t I tell you not to cause a scene?!"

Xie Changyu clutched her cheek, staring at Chen Weisheng in disbelief.

’It’s like I’m meeting him for the first time.’

"Chen Weisheng, you hit me! Believe it or not, I’ll go... Mmph!" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xie Changyu was no pushover. If Chen Weisheng dared to lay a hand on her, she was ready to fight him with everything she had.

Fortunately, everyone’s attention was on Yue Yihan and Xie Changning’s wedding, so no one noticed their little scuffle. Chen Weisheng dragged her into a corner and spoke through clenched teeth.

"Yue Yihan is my Regiment Commander! His wife may be your cousin, but the baby in her belly belongs to my Regiment Commander! Say one more word and I’ll tear your mouth off!"

It was no secret that Yue Yihan was going to be a father.

News that Yue Yihan’s wife was pregnant had spread throughout the unit last month. Everyone knew.

He just never expected his direct superior’s wife to be his own sister-in-law!

If he’d known, he would have brought gifts to her door ages ago to get on his new sister-in-law’s good side!

Thinking about it, Chen Weisheng glared at Xie Changyu with hatred. "Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You just threw away my chance at a promotion! Our Vice-Regiment Commander is moving up, and you go and pull a stunt like that!"

"Mmph..." Xie Changyu pointed at Chen Weisheng’s hand, signaling for him to let her go.

Chen Weisheng removed his hand from her mouth, warning her to watch herself.

Xie Changyu caught her breath, then turned to look toward the wedding. "Is everything you said true?"

"Why else would I have bought such an expensive watch!" ’This idiot ruined everything!’

Xie Changyu was seething with resentment. She’d married a battalion commander, which her family had considered a very good match. But now, Xie Changning had completely outdone her, and she couldn’t stomach it.

’Why did Changning get to go to a good university? Why was her family wealthier than mine...?’

’After all this time spent competing, I’m still the one who loses!’

’How was she supposed to just swallow this?’

But no matter how bitter she felt, she couldn’t divorce Chen Weisheng now. Her only option was to make sure he climbed the ranks as quickly as possible.

"I get it. Later, I’ll go apologize to Xie Changning and ask her not to say anything bad about you to Yue Yihan." Xie Changyu forced the words out through clenched teeth, suppressing the jealousy in her heart.

"Really?"

"Really!"

’Nothing is more important than Chen Weisheng’s career.’

Xie Changyu’s promise let Chen Weisheng breathe a sigh of relief. Still, he felt the need to remind her, "You and she are cousins. Stop constantly comparing yourself to her. Yue Yihan is my direct superior now, so don’t get on their bad side."

"I know!"

Xie Changyu shot him an impatient glare. Then, when Chen Weisheng wasn’t looking, she raised her hand and slapped him. "You don’t get to hit me for free!"

Chen Weisheng’s face twisted for a moment. But he considered that he now needed Xie Changyu to build a good relationship with Xie Changning.

He swallowed his anger and didn’t hit back.

"Let’s go back."

Xie Changyu shot him a scornful look. ’I can tell he wants to hit me back.’

’He’s only holding back for the sake of Xie Changning and Yue Yihan.’

In that moment, Xie Changyu felt that his restraint was a worse insult than the slap he’d given her.

*

Once the troublemakers had left, the festive atmosphere returned. The celebration continued late into the night before the guests finally departed.

After seeing their guests off, Yue Yihan and Xie Changning sat in their bridal suite. He couldn’t resist taking her hand. "Changning, I’ve finally... finally made you my wife!"

’He dreamed of their wedding every single night.’

"Didn’t we already register our marriage a long time ago?" ’It’s not like I was going to run away, is it?’

Xie Changning looked at Yue Yihan, surprised. She always felt that his gaze held a depth of emotion she couldn’t quite decipher.

Yue Yihan looked at Xie Changning’s bewildered expression, and his heart skipped a beat.

’Oh, well,’ he thought. ’My wife is still a little clueless about this stuff, but that’s a lot better than her having another man in her heart.’

He was about to say something else when Xie Changning suddenly spoke. "That man who came with Xie Changyu earlier... that was her husband, right? Is he one of the soldiers under your command?"

’He looked like he had some rank.’

The romantic words died in Yue Yihan’s throat. He had no choice but to follow her lead. "Yes. Her husband is Chen Weisheng, a battalion commander under me. The man is an opportunist, but his skills as a soldier are undeniable."

Xie Changning nodded.

"For him to give you such a valuable watch... is there a promotion opportunity coming up?" ’Otherwise, why would Xie Changyu be willing to spend so much on a gift?’

Yue Yihan nodded and told her about the Vice-Regiment Commander’s upcoming transfer.

Xie Changning nodded. "I knew it. A man like that doesn’t do anything unless there’s something in it for him. Why else would he spend that kind of money?"

"Honey, don’t you worry. Even if he had given it to me, I wouldn’t have accepted it! I’m a good comrade who serves the people with all his heart!" Yue Yihan declared the moment he met Xie Changning’s gaze.

He wasn’t just putting on an act for the Brigade Commander; he genuinely had no intention of accepting the gift.

He knew what kind of man Chen Weisheng was, and he certainly wasn’t going to tarnish his own reputation to help him get ahead.

"Promotions are based on a comprehensive evaluation. If he meets the criteria, he’ll be promoted. If he doesn’t meet the standards, it doesn’t matter how expensive a gift he gives, he won’t move up."

To be honest, Yue Yihan thought Chen Weisheng had a real shot.

But after the scene Xie Changyu caused at their wedding, which made the Brigade Commander lose face, his chances of promotion were probably gone for good.

"I know." Xie Changning could tell that Yue Yihan was a man of great integrity.

If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have taken the initiative after their... entanglement to tell her he would take full responsibility.

’Originally, she had thought that if he didn’t bring up taking responsibility, she’d just treat it as a one-night stand...’

Xie Changning trusted his character.

"I know what kind of person you are."

Xie Changning’s words made Yue Yihan freeze. He stared at her, his mind consumed by a single thought: ’My wife is praising me, right? She’s definitely praising me!’

’She praised me!’

’Oho! I’m just an old boy getting praised by his wife~’

☆*:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:*☆ This is awesome!!

Xie Changning said a few more things after that, but he didn’t hear a single word. The only thing in his mind was her praise, playing on a continuous loop.

It wasn’t until Xie Changning’s hand patted the back of his head that he finally snapped out of it. "Huh?"