Yan Lin's face darkened.

He said unhappily, "I'm not a woman, why would I put on makeup? My partner doesn't mind my face, so I don't need anyone else to care. There's a good thing about being ugly."

He used to care about his appearance, but ugliness brought him disaster and trouble.

Things are different now.

Xu Manzhi has kissed this face many times. Even if it's ugly, dark, or rough, it's still a brand new face that has been cherished in the palm of her beloved's hand.

Ye Yunzhu laughed heartily.

She said, "People with partners are different. Their eyes are all moist. It's better not to have one. As long as Comrade Xu Manzhi is satisfied, that's a hundred percent satisfactory. I know why you're here. You don't need to say anything more. I've already talked to her. All the procedures are completed. We'll have a result in the next few days."

Everything went relatively smoothly during the investigation.

Only Old Man Xu kept implying that Xu Manzhi was unfilial, but once he got the severance letter with her fingerprint on it from Xu Manzhi, he didn't care anymore.

"Okay, thank you. I'll invite you to my wedding."

"Definitely, definitely."

Yan Lin smiled with satisfaction, then turned and left.

As soon as he left, a figure emerged from the house and exclaimed, "Wow, did you see Yama, the God of War, smile just now? I didn't know he could smile like that. I always thought he had facial nerve problems."

"Get lost, you're talking nonsense."

"No way, I'm not talking nonsense. Yan Lin is a big shot in the Haicheng Military Region. None of us female soldiers are afraid of him. It's just that we are all comrades-in-arms, so we will endure it even if we are afraid."

Ye Yunzhu smiled and shook her head.

She was carrying her work documents home when a photo of Yan Lin happened to fall out of the files and was picked up by her cousin Ye Qiqi.

My cousin's eyes lit up.

She smiled, her eyes narrowed, "This man has a flawed face, but his eyes are bright and clear. He looks like a lucky man. The woman who marries him will be pampered for a lifetime."

Ye Yunzhu thought it made sense.

Despite Yan Lin's unattractive appearance, his choice to be with Xu Manzhi carries a heavy burden, given the major incident that befell the Jiang family and the massive case uncovered by Jiang Mingda, which is a stain on their reputation.

Even if Xu Manzhi is innocent, because of the Jiang family, Yan Lin's ceiling for advancement has been lowered, and his chances of entering the inner circle are zero.

Yan Lin is not stupid.

He must have known all along, yet he still chose Xu Manzhi without hesitation, wanting to build a family with her. This shows his unwavering determination and complete lack of reservations about his partner.

"Let me submit your documents for you," said the person next to me.

Ye Yunzhu happened to be busy, so she organized the review materials, put them into a file bag, and said, "We can't be careless. We must hand them over to the political commissar personally."

"yes."

**

Xu Manzhi, with Xiao Hei in tow, rode her bicycle all the way to a house on the outskirts of Haicheng.

The environment here is quiet and peaceful, with scattered houses nearby.

Ahead was a large house built of stone, with a high wall outside, covered with broken glass and barbed wire... It looked just like a survival fortress in the apocalypse.

She couldn't help but laugh.

This person is really wary.

There are no zombies.

It's for warding off ghosts.

She leaned her bicycle against the wall, then circled the terrain, thoroughly surveying the area before finally spotting a tall, green bamboo stalk.

Seizing the opportunity, she leaped up using both feet, and with the help of the bamboo's elasticity, swept Xiao Hei down like a gentle breeze, landing steadily just as the bamboo bent to its limit.

An elderly man with a long white beard in the courtyard met her gaze. He looked on in astonishment as he held a gourd ladle, which he dropped to the ground, spilling water all over the floor.

"What are you doing?" he shouted as he moved quickly, picked up a homemade gun from the corner of the wall, and aimed it at Xu Manzhi's heart.

Having served in the militia, he's got some skills.

Meow~~

Little Black let out a shout.

The old man hesitated for a second, and in that same second, Xu Manzhi flashed forward and snatched the gun from his hand before he could react.

"What do you want?" he asked sharply.

The visitor is not friendly.

At such a young age, he is quite quick, managing to disarm the gun in an instant. He is even more skilled than the former air force commander. He would probably be a formidable opponent anywhere in the world.

But Zhang Dayong was no ordinary man either.

He sneered, "You dare to trespass on my property? You'll pay the price."

In a split second, he waved his hand, and a handful of poison powder was scattered, landing all over Xu Manzhi's body, penetrating her seven orifices with unparalleled speed.

"Ah, ah, sigh (ˉ▽￣～) Tch~~"

Xu Manzhi suddenly sneezed.

The powder sprayed out from her mouth, nose, eyes, ears, and mouth, rushing towards Zhang Dayong's face with streamlined speed.

Zhang Dayong didn't react at all; the toxic powder got into his eyes.

His cheeks instantly became red and swollen.

Now he realized that the girl in front of him was a tough nut to crack.

not to be trifled.

He slowly took out a pill from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and then asked unhurriedly, "Speak. Since you have come prepared and have some skills, tell me. If I am really powerless and cannot save any important person, please leave. I have already said that I do not practice medicine."

Living to eighty years old, was it easy for him?

If he hadn't seen through the ways of the world, he would have been exposed a thousand times over.

But Xu Manzhi opened her red lips and uttered two words: "Become my apprentice!"

Bow, become an apprentice?

Zhang Dayong was stunned.

He looked utterly hopeless and said coldly, "I have nothing to teach you. You've come to the wrong person."

His only disciple in his life actually went to Taiwan with the thieves.

That kind of hatred is a lifelong pain.

Xu Manzhi was neither annoyed nor discouraged.

She turned around, found a rock to sit on, neither watering Zhang Dayong's plants nor saying anything sweet. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on Zhang Dayong with a deep, unsettling look.

"It's okay. If I have a skill, I won't teach it to others. I'll give you two days to think it over. If you agree, just let me know. I won't look down on you."

Zhang Dayong smiled.

What did she say? She gave him two days?

Did I hear that right?

That's bullshit, he's not stupid.

Let alone two days, even if it were a year, two years, or ten or eight years, he would never grant her wish.

"Suit yourself, stay if you want. I'm just a lonely old man, why would I be afraid of a little girl like you?" Zhang Dayong sneered.

Then, he picked up the gourd ladle from the ground and continued watering the vegetables.

Xu Manzhi stroked Xiao Hei's fur while she was doing so.

She patrolled her territory like a cat, thoroughly checking every nook and cranny of the secluded courtyard.

So, one of them stayed behind on his own.

One ignored it completely and continued living his carefree life.

The two were like parallel lines that never intersect.

In the middle of the night, Zhang Dayong was half asleep when a thought suddenly popped into his head: Could it be that this girl thinks he left behind some medical books and is going to conduct a thorough search while he's asleep?

Thinking of this, he suddenly smiled.

Let her search.

He had suffered enough during those years, enduring relentless criticism and struggle sessions, and had long since given up on the idea.

Thinking about this, he fell asleep.