The Brigade Commander hadn’t expected Xie Changning to be completely unfamiliar with the name Yu Huo.

"Yue Yihan hasn’t mentioned her to you?" the Brigade Commander asked, surprised. "The two of them grew up together. You could even call them childhood sweethearts..."

Before the Brigade Commander could finish, Yue Yihan corrected him.

"We weren’t childhood sweethearts. We were just acquaintances." ’The term "childhood sweethearts" was just a playful label from our elders, and a delusion on Yu Huo’s part.’

He had never acknowledged that relationship.

Yue Yihan hated it when the elders tried to pair him up with Yu Huo. Even if Xie Changning weren’t in the picture, he still wouldn’t like Yu Huo, and he certainly didn’t appreciate the elders constantly mentioning their supposed childhood sweetheart past.

He had corrected them several times, but the elders never listened to his explanations.

Yue Yihan’s stern expression made the Brigade Commander pause. Recalling Yue Yihan’s past reactions, he said, "Alright, alright. My mistake. I forgot you’ve corrected me on this before. I was wrong."

The Brigade Commander said this partly to ensure Xie Changning didn’t get the wrong idea.

If any friction developed between the couple, Yue Yihan would probably show up at his house ready to hang himself!

"Anyway, Yu Huo did something terrible to Yihan in the past, which is what led to the two of you meeting... Her personality can be a bit extreme. You need to be careful and protect yourself."

"Try not to go out alone."

As the Brigade Commander gave his instructions, Yue Yihan had only one thought: ’My abilities still aren’t enough. What if I climbed a little higher in the ranks? Wouldn’t my family be protected then?’

Xie Changning understood.

The Brigade Commander had called them over to talk to her about Yu Huo, but—

"Couldn’t you have just warned me about this over the phone?"

’Did he really need to go to all the trouble of asking both of them to come? Or more specifically, asking *her* to come?’

The Brigade Commander glanced up at Xie Changning, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. ’So this is why Yue Yihan likes her so much. A woman this clever... if I were single, I’d certainly take notice.’

"There is indeed another matter. I heard you speak eight languages?"

Yue Yihan whipped his head around. "That’s my wife! So amazing!"

The Brigade Commander gave him a look of pure cringe before turning to Xie Changning. "Here’s the situation. I have a letter written in Arabic. Very few people in the country know this language, and I was hoping you could help translate it."

’He called it translating, but it was basically deciphering.’

Xie Changning didn’t hesitate. "Of course. I can translate it for you right now." ’The fact that he’d asked her to come over today showed just how urgent the matter was.’

She was also quite curious: was this letter sent from abroad, or was it being sent out from within the country?

However, Xie Changning was very careful as she translated. She forced herself to forget each sentence as soon as she wrote it down, deliberately preventing herself from remembering the full content.

The letter was short, but it contained a wealth of information.

Xie Changning organized all the information, then handed the letter and the translated content to the Brigade Commander.

After reading the contents, the Brigade Commander’s expression turned grave.

When he finished, he looked up at Xie Changning.

"I’ll report this to my superiors. Xiao Xie, you’re a good kid! I was biased against you before, and I hope you won’t hold it against me." The Brigade Commander was the kind of man who could admit when he was wrong.

Once he saw how truly outstanding Xie Changning was, he was quick to apologize.

"You were just looking out for Yue Yihan. I understand."

Xie Changning replied graciously.

After the translation was finished, the Brigade Commander had Yue Yihan arrange for Xie Changning to stay in the guesthouse near the military base and assigned people to protect her in secret.

Xie Changning’s arrival had caused quite a stir, and news of it would likely reach Yu Huo’s ears soon.

She would probably make a move.

He made arrangements in advance to prevent an encounter between Xie Changning and Yu Huo. Whether Xie Changning was harmed or her unusual abilities were discovered, neither outcome would be good for the military.

Just as the Brigade Commander expected.

Xie Changning’s visit to the military base sparked a lot of discussion. Everyone was curious just how beautiful Yue Yihan’s wife was.

When the news reached the family courtyards, the residents there were even more curious.

They wanted to go to the front to see her, but they were all stopped.

In the Brigade Commander’s home, Yu Huo, who was clinging to the arm of the commander’s wife, Liu Changyou, heard the news and asked curiously, "Godmother, Yihan’s wife... should we invite them over tonight?"

"As his childhood friend, and as your goddaughter, I should at least meet my sister-in-law, don’t you think?"

The reason Yu Huo gave was very reasonable.

It was as if she were genuinely curious about what Yue Yihan’s wife looked like. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

If Liu Changyou hadn’t already gotten a talking-to from the Brigade Commander, she probably would have believed Yu Huo and called to invite Xie Changning over.

Too bad—

"She’s quite busy and it’s not a good time. Let’s not bother her. You came back today, and your godmother is so happy..." Liu Changyou changed the subject without a second thought, giving Yu Huo no chance to bring the conversation back to Xie Changning.

But how could Yu Huo be satisfied without seeing the person she wanted to see?

She went for the direct approach. "Godmother, why do I get the feeling you don’t want me to meet Brother Yi Han’s wife? Is it just my imagination?"

As Yu Huo asked this, her dark eyes stared straight at Liu Changyou, as if trying to discern whether Liu Changyou’s reason for not letting her meet Xie Changning was real.

Liu Changyou was no naive woman.

She was the head of the Art Troupe and in charge of women’s affairs for the military district. How could she be intimidated by Yu Huo’s question?

Liu Changyou frowned slightly. "Why do you ask?"

Instead of answering Yu Huo’s question directly, she turned it back on her.

Liu Changyou was very calm. As she questioned her, her expression seemed to say, ’What are you talking about, child? Did you do something to make you think that?’

"It’s just that I like Brother Yi Han, right? I was worried you might get the wrong idea." Yu Huo shook Liu Changyou’s arm, speaking in a wheedling tone. "Godmother, you know how much I like Brother Yi Han!"

Liu Changyou smiled and poked her on the forehead. "Of course. But now your Brother Yi Han has a wife. You can’t be as clingy with him as you used to be."

’It was precisely because they knew how much she liked Yue Yihan that she and her husband were worried.’

’Especially when Yue Yihan had come home and told them that the only reason "that incident" happened was because Yu Huo had drugged him. Liu Changyou couldn’t even begin to describe her heartbreak.’

’The child she had showered with love still hadn’t grown into the person she had hoped for.’

Just then, Liu Changyou’s middle-school-aged daughter came in the door with her schoolbag. When she saw Yu Huo, her eyes lit up instantly. "Big Sis! When did you get back?!"

Without even putting down her schoolbag, she ran to Yu Huo and hugged her around the waist affectionately.

"I just got back today. Of course, the first thing I did was come see you, wasn’t it?"

"Hehe."

The two "sisters" chatted as they went to sit down nearby. As they talked, Yu Huo steered the conversation back to Xie Changning. "I heard Brother Yi Han’s wife is especially beautiful?"