The woman was dressed quite elegantly, and her expression now showed clear surprise as she looked at them.
Si Nian raised an eyebrow and glanced at Zhou Yueshen beside her.
Zhou Yueshen, however, remained indifferent. "You are?"
The woman seemed to recognize him and exclaimed excitedly, "It really is you! I’m Zhu Tao, from the cultural troupe back then. Don’t you remember?"
Zhou Yueshen paused. He had been in the military, and the cultural troupe often performed shows, but he’d never been interested. Besides, so many years had passed—how could he possibly remember her?
"My apologies."
Zhu Tao hadn’t expected him to genuinely forget her. Anxious, she pressed, "If you don’t remember me, surely you remember Yang Yujie? Back when we went for field training, you were the one who saved us."
Yang Yujie?
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
Si Nian instinctively looked at Zhou Yueshen, only to see his brows furrow slightly. Clearly, the name had struck a chord with him too.
She suddenly recalled—hadn’t Zhou Tingting mentioned this person before? She’d even said her brother refused to marry because of her?
Oh?
A white moonlight or a crimson stain?
The last time she’d heard about it, Si Nian hadn’t paid it any mind. Back then, she’d even thought, What’s so strange about a man having a white moonlight?
But the current Si Nian: Hmph.
Zhou Yueshen: "..."
The atmosphere abruptly turned awkward.
Only then did Zhu Tao notice Si Nian standing beside Zhou Yueshen. She was momentarily stunned by the younger woman’s beauty. "Comrade Zhou, is this your sister? She’s absolutely stunning."
Given Si Nian’s youthful appearance, she assumed she must be Zhou Yueshen’s sister. She’d heard before that Zhou had an older sister and a younger sister—she just hadn’t expected her to be this pretty.
Zhu Tao had retired from the military after Zhou Yueshen. She knew he was from this area—specifically Xingfu Village, which was over an hour’s walk from their town.
In all these years since her discharge, she’d never run into him. She’d always found it a shame.
Never had she imagined bumping into him here today.
She was thrilled.
There had been occasional rumors that Zhou Yueshen had gone into business and made money, but she’d never confirmed it.
Now, as she studied him, she noted that despite being past thirty, his looks and physique remained largely unchanged. Only his aura was different—more restrained, lacking the cold, intimidating edge he’d had in the military. He seemed much more approachable now.
Her gaze soon landed on the watch adorning his wrist.
Her eyes gleamed.
Recently divorced and with a child in tow, she’d been at a loss for what to do.
Zhou Yueshen’s sudden appearance felt like a stroke of luck.
Back in the day, Yang Yujie had overshadowed her in the cultural troupe, yet even she hadn’t won Zhou Yueshen’s heart.
But things were different now. She was divorced, but still young.
Zhou Yueshen’s circumstances matched hers perfectly.
Perhaps...
Zhu Tao grew excited.
"You’re still unmarried, right? I heard you took in your sister’s children to raise. I’ve been back for a few years now—since we’re old comrades, how about we grab a meal together? My treat," she offered proactively.
Zhou Yueshen frowned, about to respond, when Si Nian suddenly clung to his arm with exaggerated sweetness.
In a voice he’d never heard from her before—soft, coquettish—she asked, "Brother-in-law, who’s this~?"
Zhou Yueshen: "?"
Zhu Tao’s smile froze.
"You’re married?"
Si Nian continued in that sickly sweet tone, "If you go out to eat with her, will sister get mad?"
"Oh, and brother-in-law, when are you divorcing sister again? Didn’t you say you’d marry me after?"
Zhu Tao: "!"
Zhou Yueshen: "..."
Suddenly, he understood why his old comrades used to say, Better to offend a villain than a woman.
"Brother-in-law~ why aren’t you saying anything~?" Si Nian shook his arm theatrically. "Are you regretting taking me to the hotel earlier? Don’t worry, I won’t tell sister."
Zhou Yueshen’s throat moved as he replied in a low voice, "Si Nian, stop fooling around."
Zhu Tao’s jaw dropped.
"Sorry, auntie," Si Nian said sweetly. "Brother-in-law promised to have dinner with me tonight, so he won’t have time to catch up. Right, brother-in-law? You said you’d take me home tonight."
A vein throbbed at Zhou Yueshen’s temple. "Si Nian."
Zhu Tao’s face flushed crimson. She never could’ve imagined that Zhou Yueshen—the cold-faced, disciplined, untouchable "Grim Reaper" of their battalion—would turn out to be like this in private!
Not only was he married, but he was also entangled with his sister-in-law?!
This... this was insane!
She hastily waved her hands, desperate to escape.
"I—I just remembered I have something to do. Let’s talk another time!"
With that, she grabbed her child and scurried off, even forgetting to buy the kid a candy figurine.
......
"Did you have fun?" Zhou Yueshen asked dryly once she was gone, eyeing the woman beside him.
Si Nian blinked innocently. "Brother-in-law, what do you mean? I don’t understand."
Tsk. She was really getting into it now.
Zhou Yueshen took a deep breath, massaging his throbbing temples. Under the candy seller’s odd stare, he paid and pulled Si Nian away.
Si Nian had absolutely done it on purpose. She just felt... irritated.
She’d always sensed something off about Zhou Yueshen’s behavior toward her. He treated her well, yet there was always a distance.
Now, she thought she understood—he must have someone else in his heart.
Just like that, her rose-tinted view of him shattered.
She was simply... unhappy.
When they reached the bicycle, Zhou Yueshen handed her the candy figurine. She scoffed and refused to take it.
Thinking she was upset about Zhu Tao’s invitation, he explained, "I don’t know that woman."
"During a field training exercise back then, the cultural troupe had an accident. Our unit was sent to rescue them. That’s all."
He’d saved so many people—how could he possibly remember every single one?
Si Nian: "Oh."
Who cared about Zhu Tao? What she wanted to know was... Yang Yujie.
But her pride wouldn’t let her admit it. In Si Nian’s book, the one who bowed first in a relationship lost.
So even if she was fuming inside, she wouldn’t say it. She’d make Zhou Yueshen guess—because when it came to love, she was all bark and no bite.
Zhou Yueshen: "..."
—The humble author begs for your support~
