Neither of them spoke, and the room was quiet. After a long while, Mei Yanting finally spoke, tears streaming down her face.

"Sister Ximeng..." Mei Yanting only managed to call out once before tears streamed down her face. Like a child who had suffered much injustice and fright, she finally saw her loved one. Slowly, the tears turned into a wail.

Ling Ruoke pulled her close and pressed her head against her shoulder. She didn't offer any words of comfort, just let her wail. Her nerves were stretched too tight; she needed to release her emotions to relax.

Mei Yanting hugged her and cried like a child for a long time. She cried until Ling Ruoke's clothes were soaked and her own throat was hoarse before she slowly stopped.

Sniffling, he recounted what had happened.

"The night before you left, I got drunk while we were having dinner together. When I got home, I fell asleep without even taking a shower. I don't know how, but I slept straight through until the next night. When I woke up, I couldn't find Xu An. I looked for him everywhere, but his phone was off, and he was nowhere to be found. He hasn't appeared since that day..."

At this point, she couldn't help but start sobbing again.

Ling Ruoke hugged her, a huge boulder crashing into her heart. She had almost forgotten Xu An! Xu An had kidnapped her; she had been beaten and forced to drink chili water, and when she woke up, she was already with Cang Weiwo. Where was Xu An? Could it be that Cang Weiwo had...

Ling Ruoke suddenly felt a chill. With Cang Weiwo's methods, Xu An wouldn't have an easy time. Even if he didn't die, he would be living a life worse than death.

"I couldn't find him, and I didn't know where to look. Later, someone came to our door—it was a loan shark company—saying Xu An owed them money. The amount wasn't much, just over 3,000 yuan, but with interest, it ballooned to tens of thousands. Unable to find Xu An, they came to our place and forced me to repay the debt. My meager monthly salary, after rent and food, went entirely to the loan sharks. Later, two local college graduates came back from teacher training and became teachers. I didn't have the qualifications, so I lost my job… I couldn't repay the loan sharks, so they beat me and forced me to sell myself… I had no choice but to try to escape. I thought of you in Z City, so I took my last bit of money and came here to find you… But those loan sharks were watching me. I ran around everywhere, almost getting caught and taken back. I barely managed to escape…"

Tears streamed down her face; she could no longer make a sound, only coughing incessantly as if she were coughing up her lungs. She looked incredibly pitiful.

Ling Ruoke was also heartbroken, and hugged her tightly, saying repeatedly, "It's alright now, don't be afraid, it's alright..."

"I didn't dare take a plane or train directly, so I had to take a bus here and there, and then circle around to get here. When I got here, I didn't have your phone number, and I didn't know where you lived. I went to the police station, but the police couldn't find anyone. I only had enough money left after buying the bus ticket. I tried looking for work, but I couldn't find anything for the time being. I thought maybe you weren't here anymore, so I thought I'd try one last time. If I still can't find you, then...I don't know what to do..."

Ling Ruoke could imagine that she must have suffered a lot and endured unimaginable mental torment. "Alright, Yanting, don't think about anything. Go to bed and get some sleep. You'll feel better when you wake up."

Ling Ruoke led her to the guest room to sleep. When she was about to leave, Mei Yanting stopped her.

"Sister Ximeng, where are you going? Could you... could you stay here with me?" Her swollen eyes were filled with hope. Dark circles were visible beneath her eyes.

Ling Ruoke had no choice but to move her laptop and sit on the edge of the bed. "You go to sleep, I'll stay here."

Mei Yanting was really tired, so she held her hand and quickly fell asleep.

After confirming that she was fast asleep, Ling Ruoke gently placed her hand under the covers. She then left the guest room and returned to her bedroom to call Cang Weiwo.

"If it's alright?" There was a hint of barely perceptible surprise in Cang Weiwo's voice on the other end.

Ling Ruoke took a breath and asked, "Where's Xu An? What did you do to him?"

“Kill him. People with such twisted minds are only a menace if left alive.” And he never let anyone who threatened him go unpunished.

Ling Ruoke almost blurted out that his twisted mentality was also her fault. But she swallowed the words back. "I understand, goodbye."

Holding her phone, she leaned against the door, her mind in turmoil. She certainly didn't advocate killing indiscriminately, but Xu An's mind was indeed twisted; if he couldn't be corrected, he would continue to harm others, and he wasn't suitable to be with Mei Yanting.

However, seeing Mei Yanting so pitiful now, she felt a pang of guilt. No matter how bad Xu An was, he had still treated Mei Yanting relatively well. And she herself bore some responsibility for how he had become that way.

"Sigh—" She couldn't help but sigh, feeling a headache coming on. She slumped onto the bed, truly missing her colonel. But the scene she'd witnessed in the hospital and on the street made her conflicted.

We finally got to live a peaceful life, and now these things have to happen again!

I raised my hand to rub my temples, feeling a slight headache.

But after only a moment of hesitation, Ling Ruoke got up and went to the market to buy groceries. She prepared the ingredients first, then went to pick up the little one at the appointed time, and once she got back, the food would be ready to eat in no time.

She strolled around the market, buying a lot of fruit and snacks, before heading home. She never imagined that in such a short time, something like this would happen at home.

Although Mei Yanting was exhausted, she hadn't slept well due to the shock she'd endured over the past few days. Ling Ruoke woke up shortly after leaving. She searched upstairs and downstairs but couldn't find her. So, she hesitantly opened each room door one by one. Because the master bedroom would undoubtedly contain many important items, she opened it last.

As soon as she pushed open the door and went inside, the first thing she noticed was the two huge photos on the wall.

One is a wedding photo; Xi Meng is wearing a beautiful wedding dress, her smile as radiant as a flower. A tall man is embracing her, gazing down at her with deep affection; only her profile is visible.

The other painting depicts a man sitting on a ladder, dressed in a military uniform she rarely sees. He wears a black t-shirt-like top and camouflage pants, a darker shade than typical camouflage, bordering on black. He wears black military boots and a black hat. There are some kind of insignia on the chest of his top and on his hat, but the angle makes them obscured. A blade of grass dangles from his mouth, adding to his rebellious air. The figure is also only shown in profile, but the overall impression is one of powerful presence, unwavering integrity, and charisma that inspires admiration and respect at first glance.

It is obvious that the two photos are of the same man.

But Mei Yanting couldn't help but frown. Although the photo didn't show her face, she felt the man didn't look like her brother-in-law. Women's intuition is usually very sharp.

She couldn't resist moving closer, wanting to get a better look.

Just then, the colonel returned home. He had sharp ears and heard a noise coming from the room, so he silently went upstairs, thinking of giving his wife a surprise.

As he stealthily pounced on her from behind, he realized with a start that this wasn't his wife. The colonel's first reaction was to think she was a thief; he grabbed her arm, twisted it behind her back, and kicked her in the shin, forcing her to her knees.

"Ah—ah—" Mei Yanting let out two screams, accompanied by muffled groans of pain.

"What do you want?" the colonel asked coldly. Then he noticed the man was wearing his wife's clothes. Although Ruoke hadn't worn them for a while, the colonel recognized them immediately.

He frowned and released his grip. "Who let you in?"

As soon as he let go, Mei Yanting fell to the ground. Her arm was in excruciating pain from the twist, and her calf was also throbbing from the kick. Tears were already welling up in her eyes.

There was no way around it; the colonel's movements were never lacking in force. If she hadn't been a woman, she probably would have been crippled. In fact, he had already controlled his strength; it was relatively gentle.

Mei Yanting's arm was slightly dislocated from the strain, and the pain brought tears to her eyes. The man looked fierce and intimidating, so she dared not cry. She also didn't know how to answer his questions, because she didn't know who he was. At first, she thought the loan sharks had arrived.

"Speak!" The colonel frowned, and the cold aura emanating from him was frightening.

Mei Yanting was startled, and then a sudden realization struck her: he was the person in the photo! "You...you're Sister Ximeng's husband?" Her voice trembled slightly.

Huo Qingfeng narrowed his eyes slightly. He knew that Hua Ximeng was the identity Ruoke used in Y City. So she came from Y City and must have been brought in by Ruoke, because she was wearing Ruoke's clothes.

His expression softened. "Did my wife bring you in?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm!" Mei Yanting nodded vigorously, afraid that if she nodded too slowly he would break her arm again.

Huo Qingfeng frowned again and said, "Get up." He could tell that her arm was dislocated. So he reached out and grabbed her dislocated arm.

"What are you doing?" Mei Yanting's eyes widened suddenly, terrified.

Huo Qingfeng remained silent, raised his hand, and with a click, put it back in its place.

Mei Yanting let out a scream, then realized her arm didn't hurt anymore. Not daring to look at him, she lowered her head and said with a soft laugh, "Thank you."

"Come out!" Huo Qingfeng turned and walked out. He didn't like others entering their bedroom, so his tone was extremely cold.

Mei Yanting hurriedly ran out. She watched as he slammed the door shut.

Once in the living room, Colonel Huo took out some medicated wine and tossed it to her. "Use this to rub it in."

Mei Yanting didn't dare to utter a sound. She took the medicated wine, rolled up her trouser leg, and rubbed it on. The spot where she had been kicked was already bruised and black, and it hurt even to the touch, so she didn't dare to use any force. She said she was rubbing it, but really she was just touching it.

She's a woman, so Huo Qingfeng naturally wouldn't help her; that's a completely different matter from getting her arm back in place.

"Where did my wife go?" Huo Qingfeng glanced at his watch, his brow furrowed. He was pressed for time; he missed his wife terribly, so he rushed back. And now, time was running out.

Mei Yanting said, feeling wronged, "I don't know either. I fell asleep, and when I woke up, she was gone."

Just then, a sound came from outside.

Huo Qingfeng was overjoyed and hurriedly ran out. "Wife!"

Ling Ruoke had just closed the courtyard gate when she saw him and was taken aback for a moment. Then, she broke into a smile. "Why are you back?"

"I missed you, so I came back. I only have a little time; I have to go on a mission soon." He then snatched the things from her hands, put his arm around her, and pulled her inside, looking very eager. "Honey, did you miss me?"

Ling Ruoke looked at him, listened to his words, and recalled what had happened that day. But quickly, she banished the image from her mind. She needed to figure things out first, before torturing herself and the other person. "Of course I want to."

This is the true voice in my heart; there's nothing to hide.

Huo Qingfeng was very satisfied and lowered his head to nibble on his wife's delicate lips twice.

"Sister Ximeng," Mei Yanting called out, feeling wronged. She'd been beaten up for no reason, so it was no wonder.

Ling Ruoke noticed that Yanting was holding medicinal wine and hurried over to ask, "Yanting, what's wrong?"

"I kicked her," Huo Qingfeng hurriedly admitted. "She was in our bedroom, and I thought a thief had broken in."

"Yanting, I'm sorry. He's a soldier, it was just an instinctive reaction. Let me massage it for you, it'll help the bruising go away." Ling Ruoke took a shower and started massaging her.

Mei Yanting couldn't bear the pain; she screamed and howled, tears streaming down her face. It really hurt so much!

Ling Ruoke showed no mercy and kneaded the skin very forcefully.

After a while, Huo Qingfeng couldn't hold back any longer. He came over and grabbed her hand. "Alright, honey, that's enough. I have something to tell you."

Before he finished speaking, he grabbed her and ran upstairs to the bedroom.

"Yanting, there's something in the bag, take it out and eat it."

Once they turned the corner, Huo Qingfeng bent down, picked her up, and rushed into the bedroom. His target, of course, was the extra-large waterbed they had chosen together.

The next move was to knock the person down, press down on them, and start biting.

"No, let me wash my hands first." My hands smelled strange, like medicinal wine.

Huo Qingfeng let out a frustrated groan, picked her up, and placed her on the sink.

*****

The colonel quickly put on his clothes.

Ling Ruoke followed him out. "Be careful. The little one and I will wait for you to come home."

"Wait for me." Huo Qingfeng pulled her close, gave her a big kiss, and then jumped out of the window. He didn't forget to draw the curtains, making sure his wife wasn't exposed to any light.

Ling Ruoke peeked out from behind the curtains, watching him jump into the car and disappear. Even though he couldn't hear her anymore, she still managed to reply with a single word: "Okay!"

She suddenly smiled. It was just a love affair, and she knew then that her colonel hadn't changed. There must have been a reason for what she saw that day.

Many people say that when a husband cheats, the wife is always the last to know. Ling Ruo doesn't think so. If you pay enough attention, you will definitely be able to tell if he has changed. Because your heart belongs to him.

Ling Ruoke let out a breath, lay down on the bed, and closed her eyes as if she were still immersed in that love affair.

If Mei Yanting hadn't been waiting downstairs, she really wanted to take a nap. But she had no choice but to go into the bathroom and take a hot shower.

However, my mood has improved a lot, just like the bright sunshine outside.