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

"What, still keeping your sister under wraps?"

As the others teased him, Jiang Chen’s brow smoothed over. He smiled and explained, "I’m not the one hiding her away. Minister Jiang is."

He directly passed the buck to his father.

"So who’s the kid next to her?"

Jiang Chen tilted his head. After a moment of thought, he said, "I think he’s the child of a neighbor from the Northwest. He’s never been to Beijing, so she’s taking advantage of her time off to let him see the sights."

As the Capital, Beijing was a city countless people dreamed of visiting.

"Then how does your sister know Captain Xu from the Fourth Division, Second Regiment?"

"Captain Xu?" Jiang Chen searched his memory for a moment. "Xu Wen?"

"That’s right. The same Xu Wen your dad’s been so impressed with lately."

Everyone in the barracks knew the outstanding officers, especially the ones earmarked for promotion by the top brass.

They would gossip about it privately, of course.

"I don’t know." Jiang Chen shook his head.

He suddenly recalled the scene at home—Wen Ci bringing a strange child home. Thinking about it now, she must have been asking their father for some kind of favor.

What kind of favor would require Xu Wen?

Just as Jiang Chen was thinking, Wen Ci walked by, leading Xiao Chuan by the hand. The comrade next to him nudged him with an elbow. "Your sister’s leaving. Aren’t you going to say hello?"

At that, Jiang Chen dropped his chopsticks, chased out of the mess hall, and called out to her, "Wen Ci, wait."

Wen Ci stopped and looked back at him. "What is it?"

"I’m sorry."

Jiang Chen’s apology was sincere. He knew he shouldn’t have so casually slandered a young woman’s reputation, especially when she was his own biological sister.

When Wen Ci didn’t say anything, Jiang Chen continued his apology. "I wasn’t thinking straight. I misspoke."

Wen Ci was silent for a moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was glacial. "You don’t actually think an apology means I have to forgive you, do you?" she said slowly.

Even though Jiang Chen apologized, she would not forgive him. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

There was a story about a cherry tree and some nails. Though no one in this era knew it yet, the words Jiang Chen had spoken in his ’moment of weakness’ were like nails hammered into that cherry tree.

Even if an apology later removed the nails, the holes remained. Those scars would stay on the tree forever.

Jiang Chen’s face turned pale at her words. He swallowed hard and, trying to save face, said, "I don’t expect you to forgive me. Apologizing was just what I had to do."

After Jiang Chen left, Wen Ci remembered Xiao Chuan. She forced a smile and said, "How about I tell you a story?"

"Mm-hmm."

She told Xiao Chuan the whole story about the cherry tree and the nails. "Xiao Chuan, did you learn anything from that story?"

Xiao Chuan was already seven, old enough for elementary school. Su City was in a province known for its excellent education, so she trusted he had been taught how to comprehend stories.

Xiao Chuan tilted his head. "You should think about the consequences before you do something. The little boy hammered in the nails, and even though he pulled them out in the end, the cherry tree was still hurt."

Wen Ci nodded. "That’s a good way to put it. Words can be like those nails, too. You have to think about the consequences before you speak. You can’t just say things carelessly, understand?"

"Got it!"

Wen Ci was teaching Xiao Chuan a life lesson.

·

They had just gotten home.

The landline in the living room started ringing. She walked over and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Miss Jiang, there’s a couple here at the main gate of the military region who say they’re looking for you."

"Looking for me?"

Wen Ci frowned. A thought immediately came to her mind:

’Could it be that Huo Jingyuan’s parents heard he was severely injured and came back to Beijing?’

The thought made Wen Ci’s heart race. A daughter-in-law has to meet the in-laws sooner or later, but without Huo Jingyuan there to act as a buffer, she couldn’t imagine how awkward it would be.

"Miss Jiang, should we let them in, or will you come get them?"

Wen Ci thought for a moment. "I’ll come get them."

Whether the couple was Huo Jingyuan’s parents or not, she ought to go to the gate and see who it was. A personal welcome was a sign of respect.

Wen Ci put the phone back in its cradle, looked at Xiao Chuan, and instructed, "Xiao Chuan, you be good and stay home. Watch TV or take a nap, but don’t mess with any of the appliances or anything, okay?"

Seven- or eight-year-old boys are at their most mischievous age.

"Okay." Xiao Chuan nodded obediently.

·

Meanwhile, outside the Beijing Military Region, Mrs. Wen of the Wen family nervously watched the soldier on guard. "Do you think Wen Ci will agree to see us?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"We raised her for over twenty years, at least!"

The soldier who had made the call emerged from the guardhouse. With a stern expression, he said slowly, "Wait here. Miss Jiang is on her way."

Hearing this, Mr. Wen raised his chin arrogantly. "See? What did I tell you? She’s even coming to the gate to get us personally. That means the damn girl is still the same as before."

Mrs. Wen also smiled.

She had been worried Wen Ci would resent them.

Still, looking at the uniformed soldier, she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of fear. After all, when Jiang Zhenjun had found out his biological daughter was the victim of an intentional swap, he had personally led a team of his men to the countryside to drag them away.

Before long, Wen Ci arrived at the entrance to the family compound. She looked left and right but didn’t see any sign of Huo Jingyuan’s parents.

Although she had never met Huo Jingyuan’s parents.

But from Huo Jingyuan’s description, she knew his parents were researchers.

In Wen Ci’s mind, she pictured his parents as scholarly types—well-mannered, gentle, and refined.

Wen Ci went back to the guardhouse and asked with a polite smile, "I’m the one you just called. Where is the couple that was asking for me?"

"There."

The soldier on duty pointed to a couple squatting by the side of the road.

Wen Ci followed his finger and looked. The Wen couple was squatting shiftily on the ground. She tilted her head. ’Those are Huo Jingyuan’s parents?’

A moment later, Wen Ci dismissed the idea.

’This couldn’t possibly be Huo Jingyuan’s parents.’

Suddenly, Wen Ci remembered. The shifty couple in front of her were Jiang Ye’s biological parents—and the adoptive parents who’d "raised" her for twenty years.

Mrs. Wen saw Wen Ci standing at the guardhouse, got up from the ground, smiled kindly, and waved. "Daughter, your dad and I are over here."

Wen Ci glanced coldly at the Wen couple.

She was curious to see what business this couple had, coming all the way from the countryside to the Beijing Military Region to find her. "You were looking for me?" she asked, her voice flat.

Mrs. Wen tugged on her husband’s sleeve and whispered, "Why do I feel like Wen Ci is different from before? She never would have looked at us like that in the past."

"So what?"

As he spoke, Mr. Wen stepped forward, his eyes welling with tears. "We finally get to see you again, daughter. Have you been well during your days away from home?"

Seeing the tears welling in Mr. Wen’s eyes, Wen Ci lowered her head and a smirk played on her lips.

’So that’s why Jiang Ye’s acting is so good.’

’She must have inherited it from the old man.’

’Tears that could be summoned on command—the kind you’d see in a soap opera. With such masterful skill, he could have a career in show business.’