Wen Ci curled her lips. “What do you think?”
Without another word, Huo Jingyuan flung aside the quilt covering him. His fox-like eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at her with a dark, unreadable expression, speaking deliberately:
“Should we take it off for a thorough inspection—see if there’s any damage?”
His tone carried an unmistakable edge.
As he spoke, he began removing his clothes.
Wen Ci, her smile unwavering, reached out to pull the quilt back over him, waving a hand dismissively. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just want you to recover properly, so your… performance doesn’t suffer long-term.”
Huo Jingyuan: “…”
“Are you mocking me?!”
Wen Ci shrugged. “I said so it doesn’t!”
Huo Jingyuan exhaled faintly. His injuries were concentrated on his upper body—nothing below the waist was affected. After a moment of silence, he lifted the quilt to glance at his abdomen.
Noticing this, Wen Ci blinked, tilting her head in confusion. “Wait… did you actually get hurt there?”
“I…” Huo Jingyuan swallowed, then grasped her slender, delicate hand. His deep eyes held a trace of pleading. “How about… you test it yourself?”
Wen Ci: ???
Her face was a canvas of question marks.
Test what?
No—how would she even test it?!
This was a public hospital room. Such reckless behavior—was it appropriate?
While Wen Ci was still lost in thought, (this segment was cut; imagine her hand being pulled under the quilt by a certain shameless man.)
Huo Jingyuan relaxed, his eyes crinkling with a languid smile. His voice was low and satisfied. “Seems perfectly functional. No issues with… timing either.”
Wen Ci’s ears burned crimson. Biting her lip, she glared at him. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
This absolute rogue had planned this all along!
Huo Jingyuan denied it outright: “I didn’t.”
“You absolutely did!”
Watching her flustered reaction, Huo Jingyuan’s eyes curved further, his lips quirking. “Whatever my wife says goes. Heaven’s vast, earth’s vast—but my wife is vaster.”
“Tch. Silver-tongued devil!”
Seizing the moment, Wen Ci pressed, “If you truly mean ‘wife is vaster,’ then you’ll stay in the capital to recover for six months before returning to the Northwest.”
The room fell into brief silence.
Wen Ci understood—he was worried about his subordinates stationed far away. But his health came first now.
If he left hidden injuries untreated, the regret would haunt them forever.
To break the tension, Wen Ci coughed lightly. “What, was ‘wife is vaster’ just empty words?”
“It’s not that I won’t listen…” Huo Jingyuan replied calmly.
“I know you’re concerned about your team, but you need to think of yourself too.” Wen Ci paused. “Not just for your sake, but for mine. For our future family.”
They’d only recently married. Now that they’d built a home together, they had to consider each other’s feelings.
Huo Jingyuan explained, “The doctor said I could be discharged soon. Staying idle in the capital…”
Suddenly, Wen Ci had an idea—a way to keep him in Beijing and occupied. “Once you’re discharged and rested for two weeks, you could transfer temporarily to the capital’s police bureau. A daily routine would keep you busy!”
In the 1980s, Beijing’s public security was robust, with military patrols everywhere. Police work was largely uneventful—a perfect low-stress role.
“Me? A temporary cop?”
“Mhm!”
…
Visiting hours ended. Wen Ci walked back to the military compound. Instead of heading straight to the canteen, she stopped by the barracks—she’d returned too late last night to fetch Xiao Chuan without disturbing Captain Xu.
Outside the barracks, she asked a guard to call Xu Wen.
After a short wait, Xu Wen emerged with Xiao Chuan, beaming. “Great news—the traffickers who took Xiao Chuan were caught, and his family’s been located.”
Wen Ci’s eyes widened. “This fast?”
Just one day, and not only were the criminals apprehended, but Xiao Chuan’s relatives found too? Efficiency at its finest.
She gave a thumbs-up. “Captain Xu, you’re incredible.”
Unused to praise from women, Xu Wen flushed, ducking his head with a smile. “We’ve verified his family’s identity. They’ll arrive from Shanghai in a few days.”
Xiao Chuan nodded eagerly. “It’s the uncle Mama talked about!”
“Uncle??”
Wen Ci inhaled sharply. An uncle was immediate family—why would Xiao Chuan phrase it as “Mama’s uncle”? Had they never met?
Xu Wen clarified, “Xiao Chuan’s mother cut ties with her family to marry his father. They’d had no contact since. But after learning of their daughter’s death, her family was devastated. The traffickers exploited loopholes in the paperwork to take Xiao Chuan.”
Wen Ci nodded.
“His uncle will come to Beijing soon.”
“Understood. When he arrives, have him pick up Xiao Chuan from our home.”
…
Wen Ci led Xiao Chuan away from the barracks.
The boy was buzzing with excitement, swinging their clasped hands wildly. “Sis, I’m going home soon!”
“Mhm!”
“I won’t be a homeless kid anymore! Uncle said he’ll take the first flight after finishing work!”
“Flight?” Wen Ci was briefly stunned. In this era, only the wealthy or influential could afford air travel.
“Yep! We talked on the phone!”
On their way to the family quarters, Wen Ci stopped by the canteen. Ruffling Xiao Chuan’s hair, she asked, “Have you eaten breakfast?”
“Uncle Xu took me already.”
Wen Ci laughed. She noticed Xiao Chuan called all men “uncle,” all women “sister,” and only white-haired ladies “auntie.”
She took two boiled eggs, eating hers on the walk back.
By the time they reached home, it was nearly 8 a.m.
Standing outside Wen Yaozu’s door, Wen Ci knocked. “The sun’s roasting your backside—still sleeping?”
Her plan for Wen Yaozu was simple: wake at 6:30 a.m., with daily incremental increases in running laps, followed by an hour of napping before study sessions.
Xiao Chuan peered curiously. “Sis, who’s here?”
“My younger brother.”
Wen Yaozu had been planning to laze longer, but the childish voice at the door made him bolt upright. He yanked the door open in one fluid motion:
“Sis, who’s this?!” he demanded.
Xiao Chuan looked up at the chubby boy, poking his round belly. “Brother, your tummy’s so squishy!”
“Who’s your brother?” Wen Yaozu grumbled.
But seeing how small and thin the boy was, his tone softened. Though he played the tyrant at school, he never bullied the weak without reason.
Those he targeted deserved it!
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