Xia Zhe was going to return to the tent when he heard Zheng Yuan saying that she wanted him to have a taste of losing Qiao Mei. He stopped in his tracks.
Losing? Losing who? Was she referring to Qiao Mei?
Xia Zhe’s mind was buzzing with what Zheng Yuan said. Tonight, he had almost lost the person he loved deeply as well as their beloved baby. These were the things that Xia Zhe was most unwilling to have to face.
Xia Zhe suddenly turned around and rushed to Zheng Yuan. His rationality prevented him from doing anything to Zheng Yuan but he clenched his fists and looked at Zheng Yuan coldly. “I hope there won’t be a next time. Zheng Yuan. If anything happens to Qiao Mei, you will die too. Your entire family will be buried together with my wife. You’d better think carefully.”
After saying that, Xia Zhe turned around and left. As he walked off, he said, “Zhuang Hua, take her away. I’ll contact the superiors tomorrow.”
Zhuang Hua had no choice but to obey the order. After all, apart from being his good friend, Xia Zhe was also his superior. Soldiers must obey military orders. Furthermore, Zheng Yuan really needed to go back and have a good rest.
“Let’s go, Yuan Yuan. Let’s go back.” Zhuang Hua squatted down and looked at the dejected Zheng Yuan.
After Xia Zhe left, Zheng Yuan regretted what she had said and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. Zheng Yuan looked at Zhuang Hua helplessly and pointed at the tent in front of her with a trembling finger.
“Zhuang Hua, does that mean he will never look at me again?” Zheng Yuan’s eyes were filled with anticipation, as if she would immediately believe Zhuang Hua if he said that Xia Zhe would not mind what happened tonight.
Zhuang Hua could not bear to hurt her, but he could not say anything that was against his conscience. Zhuang Hua just fixed his eyes on Zheng Yuan quietly for a while and did not say anything else.
“Zhuang Hua! Say something! Tell me if he will still look at me and we can still be the same as before! Zhuang Hua! Tell me! Zhuang Hua!!!” Zheng Yuan grabbed Zhuang Hua’s shoulder tightly, hoping to see the answer she wanted in his eyes, but it was clearly just a false hope.
After Zheng Yuan got her answer, she loosened her grip in a helpless manner and dropped back down on the ground. Tears flowed down her good-looking face and she wept silently. She was already starting to regret it. She just wanted Xia Zhe not to fall in love with anyone else. Even if Xia Zhe would never marry in his life, she was willing to wait for him.
However, fate had played a trick on her. Now, Xia Zhe would no longer look at her. He treated her like an enemy and even wanted to punish her. This was not what she had intended to achieve.
“Yuan Yuan, get up. Let’s go. The ground is cold, let’s go back.” Zhuang Hua reached out to help Zheng Yuan up.
Zheng Yuan shook off Zhuang Hua’s hand and looked at him coldly. She could no longer feel her legs after sitting on the ground for a long time and the cold had seeped to her bones. She managed to stand up on her own with difficulty and then looked at the people around her.
Zheng Yuan slowly extended her hands and patted the dust off her body. She straightened her back and raised her head before saying to Zhuang Hua, “You should report what happened today truthfully. Tomorrow, I’ll send a report to the superiors myself. There’s no need for Commander Xia to do it. Please pass the message to him on my behalf.”
After saying that, she limped towards her tent with some difficulty. The soldiers in the vicinity did not know what to think of the current Deputy Commander Zheng. Was she pitiful? She was not. She deserved to be punished for her wrongdoings.
Everyone seemed to feel a sense of pity for her. Her career path was progressing smoothly, but she was blinded by love and did something wrong. In the end, she would be punished accordingly. Perhaps she would never have a military career again, or perhaps she would be demoted and transferred back to her original unit. What happened after this would depend on how the superiors dealt with it.
Zhuang Hua frowned as he watched Zheng Yuan leave. Zheng Yuan was still as arrogant as before and still chose to protect her dignity in the end. No one could tell what kind of punishment was awaiting her.
“Alright, stop looking! Don’t you have to do rescue work tomorrow! Go back, all of you!” Zhuang Hua shouted sternly.
The soldiers in the vicinity quickly rushed to return to their respective teams and did not dare to bother about this matter anymore. Qiao Mei could hear everything from inside the tent and she understood the cause of the whole incident. When she saw Xia Zhe entering, she did not say anything and just looked at him quietly.
Xia Zhe’s heart went out to Qiao Mei when he saw her sitting dutifully on the bed in the tent. He felt that he had not protected Qiao Mei and their child well.
