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

Claiming to be Huo Jingyuan’s childhood sweetheart, Su Wanqing boldly made her way into the officers’ building. When Xue Li saw her in the hallway, dressed in a floral-print skirt...

He couldn’t help but frown. Remembering that Brother Huo was changing in his room, he stepped forward to stop her, his expression turning serious.

"Doctor Su, this is a restricted military area. Please leave immediately."

This building was where all the officers of the Northwest Military Region worked. Non-military personnel had to register and be escorted by a soldier ranked captain or higher to go upstairs.

Su Wanqing looked at Xue Li with pleading eyes. "I’m here to see Brother Huo."

"It doesn’t matter who you’re looking for. Leave now."

Just as he finished speaking, the wooden door creaked open. Huo Jingyuan, dressed in a dark green training uniform, slowly walked out. The uniform perfectly accentuated his physique.

A broad back, a narrow waist, and long, powerful legs.

The leather belt around his waist seemed to be the only thing restraining his powerful frame. If he were to unbuckle it and take off his shirt, a set of perfectly sculpted abs would be revealed.

"Who let you come up here?"

Huo Jingyuan’s voice was low, and his flat, indifferent tone carried an undercurrent of authority.

Xue Li’s throat tightened, and he sighed inwardly.

’The guards on duty today are going to get reamed out.’

Su Wanqing looked at Huo Jingyuan with timid eyes. In her memory, Brother Huo had always been a quiet but very polite boy.

But now, he was being unbelievably cold.

Su Wanqing lowered her gaze, an immense sense of grievance welling up inside her. She had come back from abroad, traveling thousands of miles from the Southern region to this poor, remote Northwest.

"Brother Huo."

Huo Jingyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He said slowly, "This is a restricted military area. If you have something to discuss, you can wait until I’m off duty. For now, leave immediately."

"Okay..."

Huo Jingyuan stood in the hallway and watched Su Wanqing leave. His expression hardened, and he said in a cool, detached tone, "Whoever was on duty today—after their shift, a ten-kilometer loaded run."

Xue Li frowned slightly. "Isn’t a ten-kilometer loaded run a bit harsh? How about just five kilometers?"

A ten-kilometer loaded run meant sprinting for ten kilometers while carrying a pack weighing nearly ninety pounds, with no breaks allowed.

Normally, the entire unit only did that run during Devil’s Week.

"Hm?" Huo Jingyuan glanced at Xue Li, his gaze pausing for a moment before he spoke unhurriedly, "Say one more word, and you’ll run with them."

Xue Li snapped his mouth shut.

"You were saying something about an emergency?"

Xue Li acted as if he hadn’t heard, keeping his lips sealed and making only muffled, noncommittal sounds.

Huo Jingyuan was speechless.

-

「Elsewhere.」

Wen Ci had just finished giving injections and setting up IV drips. As she was heading back to the duty room, she saw a man in a wheelchair in the hallway. When she walked over, she realized it was the soldier she had seen the day before.

It was Zhang Mu, the one who had injured his leg during grenade training.

Zhang Mu was looking around as if searching for someone. Just as he drooped his head in disappointment and prepared to turn around, he heard a voice as warm as a small sun:

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Looking up, Zhang Mu met Wen Ci’s incredibly gentle eyes. A blush uncontrollably spread across his face. "Dr.... Dr. Wen."

Wen Ci smiled. "I’m not a doctor, I’m just a nurse."

"Nur-Nurse Wen." Zhang Mu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He didn’t dare to look directly at Wen Ci, and his stuttering seemed to betray his inner nervousness.

After a moment of inner turmoil, he finally began, "Nurse Wen, do you have..."

Suddenly, someone called Wen Ci’s name from a short distance away.

Wen Ci said, "If you need anything, just call for one of the nurses."

「After work.」

At the entrance to the family courtyard, Wen Ci ran into Sister Jing’s son, a little rascal. She waved at him and said, "Little Rascal, are you heading home all by yourself?"

The little rascal grinned and walked over to Wen Ci’s side, tilting his head up and saying obediently, "Hello, pretty sister! My mom went to work at the cafeteria, and my dad is still on base, so I came back by myself."

The Northwest Military Region had a defensive perimeter, so there was no danger of child abduction. When school got out, parents either picked up their children, or the kids went home by themselves.

The parents in the family courtyard weren’t worried.

Wen Ci reached out and ruffled the little rascal’s hair. Remembering she had candy at home, she said with a grin, "Do you want to come to Auntie’s house for some candy?"

"Yes!"

The little rascal agreed immediately.

’Besides, my mom and dad won’t be home for a long time anyway.’

Wen Ci took the little rascal’s small hand. He was a bit grubby, probably from playing wildly with his friends at school. They walked into the courtyard.

The little rascal’s eyes went wide. He looked all around, left and right. The yard was only a little smaller than his school’s playground. "Pretty sister, is this your house?"

Wen Ci’s eyes curved into crescents. "Mhm."

They had their own way of addressing each other; he called her ’pretty sister,’ while she referred to herself as ’Auntie.’ You couldn’t mess with generational etiquette, after all.

Wen Ci first had the little rascal wash his hands, then gave him a few pieces of candy. Her eyes twinkled as she put on a serious expression and said, "You can’t eat them all at once. Only one per day, or else you’ll get cavities, and they’re really painful."

Hearing those two words, the little rascal instinctively covered his mouth, handed all the candy back to Wen Ci, and said, "Then I don’t want candy anymore! I don’t want to get cavities. I’m scared of pain."

Wen Ci doubled over with laughter.

She finally understood the joy of teasing a child.

’It’s too much fun.’

She tucked the candy back into the little rascal’s hand and said with a laugh, "Well, you can also share the candy with the other little boys and girls."

Sister Jing’s son was the oldest, followed by Sister Qin’s twins, and then Sister Li’s son, who was the youngest and had just reached kindergarten age.

"Mhm."

Suddenly, the little rascal noticed the large television in the living room. TVs from the eighties were huge. He pointed at it and asked, "Pretty sister, what’s that?"

"A television."

As she spoke, Wen Ci used the remote to turn on the TV. She remembered there was a cartoon on at this time. A colorful image filled the screen, and a small deer glowing with seven-colored light appeared.

Wen Ci recognized it as *The Seven-colored Deer*.

The little rascal was captivated by the seven colors, his eyes glued to the screen.

The candy was wedding candy that Huo Jingyuan had bought after they submitted their marriage application. He hadn’t announced their marriage widely; only a few of his comrades-in-arms knew.

The candy was meant to share their joy with them, and the rest had been left next to the television.

Wen Ci said slowly, "Little Rascal, you can sit on the sofa to watch. It’s bad for your eyes to be too close."

"Okay."

-

Huo Jingyuan had intended to go to the hospital that morning to explain his relationship with Su Wanqing to Wen Ci, but he had been held up by a visit from his superiors and other matters in the regiment.

After work, he rushed to the hospital at the first opportunity, only to learn that Wen Ci had already gone home.

When Huo Jingyuan heard the sound of the television playing in the living room, his eyes couldn’t help but soften. He strode eagerly toward the inner room.

Just as he reached the steps to the inner room, he peeked through the slightly ajar door and saw a little kid sitting on the sofa, completely engrossed in the TV.

Huo Jingyuan’s brows furrowed.