Wow~
Struck gold!
No business all day, then a windfall that beats a whole year’s earnings!
Gotta keep the momentum going.
(ง •_•)ง
Shen Nanchu opened her mouth, about to deliver another zinger—
Wahhh~~~
Jiang Shuyi suddenly burst into loud sobs and then ran off, heartbroken.
Standing in the wind, utterly bewildered for a good while,
Shen Nanchu muttered, "System, why did she run? I hadn’t even unleashed my ultimate move yet!"
The system replied, "Save it for next time, Host. You’ll obliterate the female lead."
Jiang Shuyi wiped her tears as she ran.
How could Pei Zhengnian treat her like this?
In her past life, she’d been married to him for nearly twenty years, and not once had she gotten a taste of meat.
What right did that Shen Nanchu have?!
Wahhh~~~
Wait.
Something’s off.
Jiang Shuyi abruptly stopped.
Having been married to Pei Zhengnian for over two decades, she knew he had severe mysophobia.
Hell, they’d even slept in separate beds.
Even if Pei Zhengnian hadn’t been injured down there by that explosion and was still… functional,
there was no way a man with such extreme cleanliness issues would lay a finger on his nominal sister-in-law—that vile Shen Nanchu!
No doubt about it—Shen Nanchu had deliberately bruised herself to make Jiang Shuyi give up on Pei Zhengnian.
Ugh, what a malicious woman.
Jiang Shuyi wiped her tears, clenched her jaw, dug her nails into her palms, and glared with venomous resolve.
Shen Nanchu, just you wait.
Your days of bliss are numbered.
……
At the entrance of the Pei residence.
With Jiang Shuyi gone, Shen Nanchu had no drama left to stir.
She shut the door and headed back inside for a nap.
Turning around—
Pei Zhengnian stood in the courtyard, watching her.
Their eyes met. Unfazed, Shen Nanchu walked past him.
As she brushed by, Pei Zhengnian grabbed her hand.
"You… seem particularly invested in this Jiang Shuyi?"
Invested?
Well, yeah—she was currently Shen Nanchu’s biggest source of loathing points.
Of course she was invested!
Seeing Shen Nanchu stay silent, Pei Zhengnian hurried to explain,
"She’s the one clinging to me. I backed off the second she got close."
Pei Zhengnian had the self-awareness of a devoted husband.
Shen Nanchu nodded.
Thanks to the system’s live feed, she’d seen it all.
Relieved that Shen Nanchu wasn’t angry, Pei Zhengnian’s expression turned serious.
"Don’t worry. Ours is a military marriage—it’s legally protected."
"Anyone who threatens it is breaking the law."
Shen Nanchu nodded again.
Then Pei Zhengnian nearly shattered her composure with his next words:
"If Comrade Jiang harasses me again, I’ll have her arrested."
If Jiang Shuyi got hauled off to the police station again, how would Shen Nanchu farm loathing points?
A cash cow like her didn’t grow on trees!
Shen Nanchu hastily intervened.
"No, no need for that."
"Let me handle it from now on."
"Comrade Jiang is still a woman—it wouldn’t be good for her to keep getting arrested."
Pei Zhengnian hesitated, then decided to come clean.
"Jiang Shuyi is the daughter of the Jiang family in Shencheng. They have some influence in the military."
"All the more reason not to arrest her!" Shen Nanchu feigned gravity.
"Why would Jiang Shuyi come to Wang Family Village as an educated youth? What’s the Jiang family’s agenda? We need to investigate."
"Leave it to me. I’ll get to the bottom of it."
Then, she deftly pivoted to a more pressing matter.
"Village Head Wang Jianshe is suspicious. I think he might be a spy."
What a masterful diversion.
Pei Zhengnian’s attention snapped to Wang Jianshe.
"What have you found?"
"It’s like this…"
Shen Nanchu summarized the situation (conveniently omitting her own scheming).
Pei Zhengnian’s face darkened.
A spy hiding in Wang Family Village for years? Whatever he was planning couldn’t be small.
"I need to report this. Tell the family I’m returning to base."
"Got it."
Shen Nanchu nodded vigorously.
Yes, please leave!
All he did here was warm the bed and cook—zero loathing points. The male lead could scram; the female lead was far more valuable.
Pei Zhengnian gazed at her, guilt flickering in his eyes.
"I took three days off to spend time with you, but now…"
"I’m sorry."
Shen Nanchu gave a saintly smile.
"It’s fine. Duty comes first."
"Call me if anything comes up."
"Will do."
The next second—
Thud.
A bear hug from Pei Zhengnian.
It lasted precisely 2.3 seconds before he dashed inside, grabbed his car keys, and left.
Vroom—
The army-green jeep sped off.
Then, ten seconds later—
Screech!
It reversed back to Shen Nanchu at breakneck speed.
Her head swarmed with question marks.
Pei Zhengnian, face beet red, shyly popped the trunk.
He pulled out a box and handed it to her, radiating awkward sweetness.
"This… is a gift for you."
Before she could react, he bolted. The jeep vanished in a cloud of dust.
What on earth had Pei Zhengnian given her?
Back inside, Shen Nanchu opened the box—
And froze.
Her jaw dropped.
Neatly arranged inside were rows upon rows of… military ration bars.
At least thirty or forty.
On top lay a handwritten note in bold, forceful strokes:
"When you’re hungry, chew one. It’ll keep you full—just like having me by your side!"
Shen Nanchu shuddered.
What kind of cringeworthy love confession was this?!
Since when did the male lead’s vibe get so… unhinged?
Nope. Nope. Nope.
She slammed the box shut.
This was beyond critique.
……
In the jeep,
Pei Zhengnian drove one-handed, left arm resting on the window, thoroughly pleased.
Imagining Shen Nanchu’s delighted face when she opened his gift, his stern features softened into a smile.
Back at base,
the regiment commander often brought home ration bars—his wife and kids loved them.
This time, Pei Zhengnian had traded for a whole box.
Shen Nanchu, with her bottomless appetite, would surely be overjoyed.
Damn, I’m good at gift-giving.
He clicked his tongue, smugness bubbling up.
……
