First Night with the Army: The Stoic Big Shot Is Done Pretending

Xu Wen looked utterly speechless.

But this was a little kid, after all. Xu Wen figured he couldn’t understand much. Noticing the boy’s fine clothes, he asked, "Well, can you draw?"

Xiao Chuan tilted his head. "My mom taught me when I was little." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

A look of delight spread across Xu Wen’s face. He immediately called for a subordinate to bring paper and a pen, then said gently, "Xiao Chuan, do you want to help catch the bad people who took you?"

"I do!"

"If you can draw the people who took you, I’ll help you catch them. Then they won’t be able to do bad things to anyone ever again."

A subordinate brought over paper and a pen, which Xiao Chuan took. He carefully recalled the faces of the wicked couple, then, after a long moment of concentration, began to draw.

Wen Ci had been waiting outside for a long time. Unable to wait any longer, she knocked on the conference room door, then walked over to stand behind Xiao Chuan. She stopped in her tracks, her eyes suddenly widening in surprise.

Xiao Chuan’s artistic skill was incredible.

You could actually recognize distinct features in his drawing. It was nothing like what you’d expect from a seven-year-old.

Xu Wen couldn’t help but praise him. "Your drawing is absolutely incredible!"

’He had initially thought the kid was a bit of a simpleton, spouting nonsense like "two eyes and a mouth." Now, it was clear he’d had a good upbringing.’

Once Xiao Chuan finished the portrait, Wen Ci asked curiously, "Xiao Chuan, have you studied art before?"

"Uh-huh. My grandpa used to teach me."

Wen Ci lowered her gaze. ’It seems Xiao Chuan’s family was a scholarly one. It was rare for someone of his grandfather’s generation to have learned to paint. What a pity all his elders are gone.’

Xu Wen’s gaze fell on Wen Ci. "And you are?"

"The one who found him."

"Let him stay here at the barracks for now. Once this is all over, I’ll personally take him to the orphanage."

Xiao Chuan looked at Wen Ci anxiously. "Big Sister..."

Wen Ci thought for a moment, then lowered her gaze and asked quietly, "Could Xiao Chuan stay with me for now? I live here in the military district."

"You can, but I’ll need your unit number. We might need Xiao Chuan to identify the suspects at any moment. If so, we’ll come to the family courtyard to get him."

"Building 001," Wen Ci replied.

The residences in the Beijing Military District Family Courtyard were categorized by building number. The first ten were standalone houses with their own courtyards and no unit numbers. Buildings ten through fifty were duplexes, with two units per building.

The ones after that had ten units per building.

"Which one did you say?" Xu Wen’s eyes widened, thinking he must have misheard. His gaze toward Wen Ci now held a newfound respect. "Did you say Building 001?"

"Yes. The previous resident was..."

Wen Ci froze midsentence. She didn’t actually know the full name of Huo Jingyuan’s maternal grandfather; she had only ever heard others refer to him respectfully as Old Commander Huo.

"Old Commander Huo! Then you must be Minister Jiang’s daughter!"

The fact that Minister Jiang’s daughter had married Old Commander Huo’s grandson was practically common knowledge throughout the Beijing Military Region. Just the month before last, many of the region’s top brass had attended their wedding banquet.

Xu Wen finally understood why Minister Jiang would summon so many high-ranking officials for a meeting over what seemed like a minor issue. It turned out the person who found the kidnapped child was his own daughter.

Wen Ci couldn’t very well deny that Minister Jiang was her biological father; she was clearly benefiting from the connection. Otherwise, why would a man of his stature, a minister of the military region, summon so many people over a single case?

「It was nearly noon.」

Xiao Chuan’s stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly.

Xu Wen smiled. "Miss Jiang, would you care to try the food in the barracks’ mess hall? I believe today’s special is sweet and sour pork ribs. My treat."

The Beijing Military Region was a large place with a great number of personnel, so the barracks and the family courtyard had separate mess halls to save the soldiers from having to go too far.