After ordering takeout, Qiao Zhen went to the bathroom to take a shower. About half an hour later, the delivery guy called. She casually put on a knee-length trench coat over her nightgown, then changed her shoes and prepared to go out.
She opened the door and found Xu Li leaning against the threshold, resting with his eyes closed. He looked very tired.
Qiao Zhen hesitated, trying to put aside the fact that Xu Li was the target of her mission. He was now a famous lieutenant general in this world, and any woman would be better than her, a heartless and incompetent woman. But Xu Li was condescending to treat her, a heartless and incompetent woman, with such contempt.
I doubt any woman wouldn't be moved.
Xu Li suddenly opened her eyes and looked at Qiao Zhen, as if a heavy hammer had struck her already fragile heart.
Qiao Zhen exhaled, turning her head to hide her panicked expression. "Seeing how pitiful you are, I'll reluctantly let you stay for one night. I have to go out, remember to close the door."
She finished speaking hastily and then tried to leave.
Xu Li looked at Qiao Zhen's thin clothes and reached out to grab her arm. "I'll go with you."
With her exceptional mental fortitude (and incredibly thick skin), Qiao Zhen calmed her previously chaotic emotions and said, "Alright then."
The two walked one after the other. Xu Li's hand, which was holding Qiao Zhen's arm, slowly slid down and then intertwined with Qiao Zhen's fingers.
Xu Li couldn't help but feel a little smug. He slowed down and walked with Qiao Zhen in the neighborhood with a serious expression.
Qiao Zhen looked up at his straight back and his unwavering gaze, then looked down at his slow, tortoise-like pace. She couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile, and after a moment, she said impatiently, "Hurry up! The delivery guy is getting impatient. And do you want me to eat cold food?"
Xu Li held Qiao Zhen's hand and quickened their pace as they went to the security office to pick up their takeout.
After Qiao Zhen and Xu Li finished their takeout, they fell silent.
The couple upstairs seemed to be providing divine assistance; they were arguing loudly in the stairwell, with pots and pans clattering and crashing. Listening to the woman's shrill screams and the child's pitiful cries, Xu Li calmly got up and went out.
Qiao Zhen also got up and followed him to the stairwell. The flying cauldron hit Qiao Zhen right in the face.
Xu Li quickly pulled Qiao Zhen behind him to protect her, and the iron pot bounced back after hitting the wall.
Qiao Zhen tried to dodge, but Xu Li's outstretched hand grabbed her, and the crack in the iron pot hit the back of Qiao Zhen's head. She stared at Xu Li with wide eyes, but before she could even curse, everything went black.
Qiao Zhen: [Cold, desolate, and melancholy.]
Chu Chu: [What goes around comes around.]
Xiao Ling: [Serves her right! You scumbag!]
[Teleported one minute before death—Teleportation successful.]
Qiao Zhen saw the iron pot flying towards her, grabbed Xu Li's arm tightly, and then spun around to shield him.
The cracked iron pot that bounced back slammed into Xu Li's back with a "thud," but Xu Li didn't care about the pain in his back. He just looked at Qiao Zhen with a grateful expression.
Qiao Zhen felt a pang of heartache as she touched the spot where Xu Li had been hit. "Are you alright?"
Qiao Zhen: [Why didn't he just die from the pain?!]
Xiao Ling: [Pah! You scumbag!]
Chu Chu: [I'm almost in Z country, let's see how you explain this to Xu Li! Hmph.]
Qiao Zhen: [I'll just strangle you and destroy the evidence.]
Chu Chu: [I won't die, hehehe.]
Qiao Zhen stopped listening to Chu Chu's gloating. She glared at the couple in the stairwell with eyes blazing with anger. "Do you have any morals? Did you buy the stairwell? Look at this mess! You don't even care about your kids!"
The woman pointed at Qiao Zhen and yelled, "What's it to you? Mind your own business!"
Qiao Zhen rolled up her sleeves, ready to start the fight, but Xu Li stopped her, saying, "Let me do it, don't tire your hands out."
Xu Li went up the stairs and punched the man to the ground. He looked at the woman casually and said, "I don't have any virtues of not hitting women here. If I wasn't afraid of scaring my girlfriend, I would have hit you too. Take your child and your man back and don't try to cause trouble for my girlfriend. You can't afford to be charged with harassing military families."
Qiao Zhen looked at Xu Li, who exuded boyfriend-like strength, her narrow eyes almost sparkling with admiration. He was just so incredibly reassuring. She looked up at Xu Li's tall figure and said, "Alright, let's go back. Let me check on the injury on your back."
Xu Li was pleased with Qiao Zhen's adoring gaze. He coughed lightly, maintaining a composed demeanor, and then looked down at the man lying on the ground, saying, "Teach your woman a lesson."
Upon hearing Xu Li's ambiguous remark, Qiao Zhen suppressed a laugh, but after returning to her apartment and closing the door, she teased, "Oh, General Xu, haven't you been disciplining your woman properly?"
Xu Li's ears burned, and his eyes were somewhat unfocused. "Only a useless man would discipline his woman. A capable man like Lieutenant General Ben would only pamper his wife."
Qiao Zhen remembered that Chu Chu was about to arrive in Z country, and she needed to finalize her relationship with Xu Li as soon as possible. So she brushed a strand of hair from the side of her face and glanced at Xu Li, "Then I wonder if I will have the honor of becoming a woman pampered by Lieutenant General Xu?"
Xu Li's cheeks and ears instantly flushed red. He said somewhat nervously, "Of course, only you are qualified to become Lieutenant General Xu Li's wife."
Seeing Xu Li hesitant to take control, Qiao Zhen decided to unleash her full power. She stood on tiptoe and pinned Xu Li against the wall, saying, "If you like me too, let's get our marriage certificate tomorrow. If you don't like me, let's break up today. I, Qiao Zhen, don't have two years to waste!"
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
