Cheng Ran didn't want to waste time since Zheng Yuan's debts hadn't been settled, as there were more pressing matters to attend to.
So he immediately went back to his unit to submit a leave request, but to his surprise, it was rejected.
“Cheng Ran, I know you love your wife, but it’s in our military nature to obey orders. You can’t always put her first. The Qingming Festival is coming soon, and there are so many things to be on guard in different places. As the commander-in-chief, you can’t run around during this time. You must be on standby at all times!”
"But Commander..."
"No buts, that's how it is. If your wife's family matters are not resolved after Qingming Festival, I will approve your leave again."
The commander raised his hand to stop him from saying what he was about to say.
Cheng Ran closed his eyes, feeling helpless, and could only go back for the time being.
Jiang Wanqing had already packed her things. He explained the reason to her, and she expressed her understanding.
"I'm sorry, I can't go back with you this time."
"It's okay, you focus on your work. I'll take care of things with my parents."
She didn't blame him; work and personal matters are absolutely not something that can be mixed up for people like them.
Even though she was open-minded, Cheng Ran still felt guilty, so much so that he gave her all the money in his pocket before getting on the bus.
"Take these, call me if you need more."
"How come there are so many..."
She twirled the wad of money; it looked to be close to ten thousand. When did he acquire so much money?
When she realized that he had gone to the state-run restaurant to find Zheng Yuan, she immediately understood. Just as she was about to say something, the train conductor urged her to board the train.
"The train is about to depart, passengers who need to board, hurry up!"
"Go ahead, I'll wait for you to come back."
Cheng Ran didn't say much, but escorted her to the boarding gate and let her board.
She bit her lip, stepped onto the stairs with one foot, then suddenly ran back down at the last moment and kissed him on the lips, her eyes sincere.
"Thanks."
After saying that, she quickly got into the car and waved goodbye to him.
The train gradually disappeared from sight, and Cheng Ran only returned after he could no longer hear it.
After Jiang Wanqing left, he returned to his old workaholic state, almost never seen during the day, until his parents brought Guo Xueyun to the military base...
The commander had some connections with his parents, so he was given a basic chance to save face and was given an hour to deal with his family.
Cheng Ran had just finished training, his face was still covered in sweat, and his clothes were soaked. When Cheng's mother saw him, she felt sorry for him and quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.
“What’s a little sweat to be afraid of? We’ve been through gunfire before, don’t spoil him!” Mr. Cheng said sternly.
This is the military base, not home. The fact that they were allowed in is already a special matter. It wouldn't be good if it interfered with my son's training, and it would be even worse for their own reputation. People who don't know better might think they're sending their son here to get some experience.
Besides the two elders, Guo Xueyun, who was much more reserved than usual, was also standing to the side. Of course, her resentment was no less, but for some reason, she was behaving obediently at this moment.
Avoiding his mother's handkerchief, Cheng Ran frowned: "What do you want with me?"
Guo Xueyun timidly raised her eyes, glanced at Cheng Ran without daring to speak, and then turned her gaze to Cheng's mother.
"Aunt……"
Cheng's mother put away her handkerchief, exclaimed "Ah!", and quickly said, "I just came to see you."
"Just looking at me?"
He frowned and asked in return, clearly indicating that this situation was not as simple as it seemed.
"Sigh, let me explain."
Mr. Cheng pushed his wife aside and said directly, "I can see you're genuine, and it's true that I need to talk to you about something. You probably already know about Xueyun's situation, right? Your wife has some ability and means. She admitted her mistakes, and from now on, she and Wanqing will keep to themselves. As for the work at the school... when do you think we should have Wanqing go to the school leaders to help explain things clearly? It's all a misunderstanding, let it go."
So that's what you came for. Cheng Ran narrowed his eyes, but didn't give an immediate reply, only scoffing.
"Adults should pay the price for their mistakes. Doesn't she understand this principle? Don't you two understand it either? It would be one thing if she made a tiny mistake, but she did something utterly immoral. Where is the misunderstanding?"
He had no intention of helping Jiang Wanqing back down, and when he made his point clear, Guo Xueyun's eyes immediately turned red.
"You...you shouldn't be so unreasonable. Xueyun has already been punished and learned her lesson. Wanqing doesn't need to be so unforgiving," Cheng's mother said, slightly guilty.
The relationship between the Guo and Cheng families is well-known in Beijing's social circles, and it's also common knowledge that Guo Xueyun's job was taken away by the Guo family's daughter-in-law, which is very embarrassing for them.
Although they knew Guo Xueyun deserved her punishment, that's how relationships are. The Guo family had come to them for help, so they couldn't just stand by and do nothing. They could only try to resolve the issue.
"Then why are you looking for me? This has nothing to do with me."
Cheng Ran felt no sympathy for Guo Xueyun. She was the kind of person who would never admit her mistakes and change her ways. Her current act of giving in was simply a sign that she had no other choice.
If she were to easily regain her former glory, she would likely only retaliate against Jiang Wanqing even more severely. In short, she would be asking for trouble!
"this……"
Cheng's parents were speechless, unsure of what to say. They could only give Guo Xueyun a meaningful look, telling her to fend for herself.
They knew their son's personality; he was a man of his word, and Jiang Wanqing was the only exception over the years.
Guo Xueyun suppressed her hatred and looked up with tears in her eyes.
"I really know I was wrong this time. Please, please ask Wanqing to help me. She has achieved both fame and fortune now, she should be content. I promise I will never offend her again!"
She held up four fingers to swear, but there was little sincerity in her eyes. Saying such a few meaningless words was no different from farting to her.
"Ha, all talk and no action. If you really knew you were wrong, you wouldn't be here to take a shortcut. Do I need to expose what you're thinking?"
Cheng Ran's eyes sharpened. If he agreed to Guo Xueyun's request, it would be betraying his own wife.
"I'm leaving now, there's still training to do, you guys get out of here!"
He spoke with absolute certainty, and his actions became even more resolute, leaving no room for compromise.
Just as he was about to leave, Cheng's mother gritted her teeth and called out to him.
"Alright! Then let Xueyun apologize to Jiang Wanqing in person. You can help make the match, okay? As a daughter-in-law of the Cheng family, you should have some magnanimity."
"Tolerance? Then why didn't you remind Wanqing, as a person of status, to have tolerance when Guo Xueyun bullied her?"
Even though the people in front of him were his parents, he didn't tolerate their unreasonable ideas at all and directly retorted.
He was heartless, and there was no room for negotiation. Guo Xueyun was also ruthless; she slapped herself hard across the face, tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry, I was terribly wrong. I hope you can forgive me and let me continue working. I promise I'll behave myself from now on!"
"I only know that a leopard can't change its spots."
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