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

They knew Huo Jingyuan was married and that the young woman beside him was his new wife, so they continued to tease, "This young lady is quite the cook."

Wen Ci grew shy.

Huo Jingyuan introduced them to Wen Ci. "This is Mr. Meng, Director Zhou, and Mr. Xie." His gaze then shifted to the gruff men as he said flatly,

"My wife, Wen Ci."

Meng Ran’s eyes widened. He stared at Huo Jingyuan, his face a mask of confusion. "Isn’t your wife Minister Jiang from Beijing’s daughter? How come her surname is Wen?"

’Wen Ci hadn’t expected to find someone in the Northwest Military Region who knew her biological parents.’

Before Wen Ci could speak, Huo Jingyuan calmly explained, "She took her mother’s surname."

Meng Ran frowned. ’As I recall, Minister Jiang’s wife in Beijing doesn’t have the surname Wen either, does she?’

But when he saw Huo Jingyuan’s stone-cold expression, he didn’t press the issue.

Wen Ci changed the subject. "I can’t cook. This was all made by Sister Jing, the new head chef in the mess hall."

"No wonder. I was just remarking how today’s lunch was so different from the last few days. It’s because the previous Chef Zhu is on leave."

As commanders, they had all been present for the discussion about putting Zhu Jing on a trial basis as head chef. They’d been eating in the mess hall every day since the switch.

Wen Ci’s eyes crinkled in a smile.

The other commanders looked slightly older than him, their skin tanned dark by the Northwest climate. Huo Jingyuan was a bit fairer in comparison.

Huo Jingyuan’s gaze fell upon them. With his eyes slightly hooded, he spoke in a calm, even voice that somehow felt like he was shooing them away. "Aren’t you all going to take a nap now that you’re done eating?"

The men took the hint. They even helped close the door on their way out.

In the hallway, Meng Ran suddenly remembered the name of Minister Jiang’s wife—Su Guilan.

Her given name, Gui Lan, contained ’Lan,’ just like his own mother’s. The two women even knew each other.

"What’s wrong?" Zhou Xun asked from beside him.

Meng Ran shook his head. "It’s nothing."

「In the office」

Wen Ci urged Huo Jingyuan, "Mr. Huo, what are you spacing out for? The food’s going to get cold if you don’t eat."

Huo Jingyuan’s gaze lingered on Wen Ci as he began to eat.

The quiet hallway was suddenly filled with the sound of several pairs of brisk footsteps. Wen Ci’s ears twitched, and she spoke slowly, "I should get going."

She paused. "Are you coming back tonight?"

"I am." Huo Jingyuan’s ink-dark eyes met hers, a dangerous glint within them. A slight smirk touched his lips. "I’m on leave tomorrow. We’ll see if Ah Ci is still so defiant then."

The man’s voice was low, and his words implied, between the lines, that he was going to狠狠 ’teach her a lesson’ tonight.

Wen Ci lowered her head.

Huo Jingyuan deliberately leaned close to her ear. "Until tomorrow morning."

Wen Ci was speechless.

’That damn man was deliberately throwing her own words back at her.’

The man continued, "Don’t worry, I know my limits."

The office door was pushed open. Wen Ci jumped up from her seat and shot Huo Jingyuan a huge eye-roll.

"Wash the dishes after you eat, and bring the container back when you get off work."

With that, Wen Ci fled the office, her face flushed red, brushing past several commanders on her way out.

"Is that your wife?" someone asked.

"Mm." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Sounds like she has a bit of a temper."

"Not at all." A slight curve appeared on Huo Jingyuan’s lips as he explained with a faint smile, "I just said a few suggestive things to her, and she got flustered."

"You’re really something else, kid!"

They had watched Huo Jingyuan grow from a boy into a pillar of a man out here in the Northwest, yet he’d stayed single for so many years.

They had even started to wonder if he wasn’t capable.