"Ah, is that Company Commander Pei?"
"Who’s the pretty girl he’s holding hands with?"
"Is that his wife?"
...
All along the way, Pei Zhengnian and Shen Nanchu drew countless curious glances. Shen Nanchu remained poised and even flashed a sweet smile at the young soldiers sneaking looks. Pei Zhengnian, on the other hand, kept his face stern, eyes fixed straight ahead—though his heart pounded like a drum.
When they finally reached Pei Zhengnian’s single dormitory,
Bang!
He slammed the door shut, cutting off the prying eyes outside.
Shen Nanchu took a quick glance around the room. A desk, a chair, a cabinet, and a neatly made single bed with a perfectly folded "tofu block" military blanket.
Pretty tidy.
She sat down on the chair, looking amused.
"Well?"
"How do you plan to lecture me?"
Pei Zhengnian, who had just turned around after closing the door, felt his forgotten anger flare up again.
"Who told you to drive?"
"Your son’s mother did."
Shen Nanchu’s reply short-circuited Pei Zhengnian’s brain for a second.
"Be serious."
"Am I not being serious?"
Shen Nanchu blinked her beautiful eyes in confusion, then glanced down at her clothes.
Pei Zhengnian realized she had a real talent for driving him up the wall.
But he chose her—no point getting mad.
Suppressing his temper, he said, "You’re pregnant. What if something happened while driving that fast?"
"Nothing would’ve happened," Shen Nanchu said confidently. "Not driving would’ve been the real disaster."
Pei Zhengnian frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The fuel line was clogged. I had to improvise to get the car to the military base."
She added,
"If you don’t believe me, go check. The car’s probably still at the gate—they won’t be able to move it."
A flicker of understanding crossed Pei Zhengnian’s face. No wonder the car kept breaking down lately.
Military vehicles were scarce strategic assets—they couldn’t afford malfunctions.
"Stay here and rest. I’ll go check the car and bring your luggage back later."
"Fine."
Shen Nanchu yawned. After all that commotion, she really was exhausted.
The moment Pei Zhengnian left, she locked the door, pulled out an air conditioner from her system, and flopped onto the bed to sleep.
Pei Zhengnian reached the gate and, just as Shen Nanchu had said,
The car had stalled again.
They were already preparing to tow it.
Xiong Lei spotted Pei Zhengnian like a drowning man seeing a lifeline. "Company Commander, the car’s acting up again."
"I know."
Pei Zhengnian climbed into the driver’s seat and tried starting it—no luck.
He turned to Xiong Lei, who had slid into the passenger seat.
"Remember how your sister-in-law got it running earlier?"
Xiong Lei, who had been sitting right beside her, recalled vividly.
"She floored the gas pedal first, then turned the ignition."
Just thinking about it made him shudder.
"At first, I thought she didn’t know how to drive, but then..."
Yeah, but then...
Following Shen Nanchu’s method, Pei Zhengnian revved the engine—the car roared to life and shot forward instantly.
Xiong Lei was thrown back into his seat, gripping the handle for dear life.
These two are cut from the same cloth!
Couldn’t they at least warn a guy before flooring it? Thank goodness he was a nimble little chubby guy with quick reflexes.
Pei Zhengnian drove the car to the military repair shop.
The young mechanic on duty grimaced the moment he saw him.
His mentor was away at a technical exchange conference, and this jeep had been his personal nightmare.
He’d inspected it at least three times, fixed everything he could, yet it kept stalling like it had a grudge against him.
Unbelievable.
"Check if the fuel line’s clogged."
"Fuel line?"
That hadn’t occurred to him before.
Now that Company Commander Pei mentioned it, it did make sense.
With Xiong Lei’s help, the mechanic drained the fuel tank and examined the line.
Sure enough, it was half-blocked, with only a tiny opening left.
No wonder the car kept dying.
"Company Commander, you’re amazing!"
"None of us thought of that."
"As expected of you, sir!"
The praise made Pei Zhengnian unusually flustered.
"Your sister-in-law was the one who figured it out."
Dead silence.
Xiong Lei gulped. "As expected of sister-in-law."
"Finish up here."
With the problem solved, Pei Zhengnian decided not to dwell on Shen Nanchu’s reckless driving anymore.
How could he?
If she could diagnose car trouble that accurately, she must know vehicles inside out.
He felt like he’d been trying to show off his sword skills in front of Guan Yu.
Still, Pei Zhengnian resolved to scold her later.
She was about to be a mother—how could she drive like that without a care in the world?
Even if she was an expert, it wasn’t acceptable.
He’d have a proper talk with her when he got back.
After wrapping things up, Pei Zhengnian hurried back to the dorm.
Shen Nanchu woke up halfway, sweating.
Her system, detecting Pei Zhengnian’s return, had discreetly stashed the air conditioner away.
She had just woken up when Pei Zhengnian reached the door.
He tried pushing it—still locked. Without knocking, he set her luggage aside and waited patiently outside.
Only when Shen Nanchu drowsily opened the door did Pei Zhengnian carry the luggage inside.
By then, it was mealtime.
"Let’s head to the canteen."
"Sure."
After a quick wash, redoing her hair, and changing clothes, Shen Nanchu followed Pei Zhengnian to the mess hall.
Pei Zhengnian marched ahead in his crisp uniform, military-perfect stride, with Shen Nanchu trailing behind.
"Company Commander Pei!"
Soldiers saluted as they passed.
Pei Zhengnian nodded in acknowledgment.
Something felt off today—why was everyone blushing when they looked at him?
When the next group greeted him, he finally noticed the real reason.
Those little rascals were pretending to address him while sneaking glances behind him.
Who was behind him?
Shen Nanchu, of course.
Pei Zhengnian returned their salutes sternly, only to catch them avoiding eye contact, ears turning red.
He turned around.
Shen Nanchu was smiling at them, her fair face unfairly radiant.
"What are you all staring at?"
Pei Zhengnian’s sudden bark nearly made the young soldiers jump out of their boots.
"Reporting, sir! We were looking at how pretty sister-in-law is!"
One bold soldier shouted it outright.
That left Pei Zhengnian momentarily speechless.
Shen Nanchu burst out laughing. "Thank you, little comrade."
She shot Pei Zhengnian a teasing glance and added, "Don’t worry, you’ll find a wife as lovely as your company commander’s one day."
Now it wasn’t just the soldiers blushing—Pei Zhengnian’s face burned too.
"Enough, go eat."
"But do you agree with me or not?"
Shen Nanchu pressed playfully.
"Yes, yes, yes."
Pei Zhengnian quickened his pace toward the cafeteria, his face burning red.
Behind him, the muffled laughter of the soldiers only made his cheeks grow hotter.
A smug glint flashed in Shen Nanchu's eyes.
"Think you can escape me? Please, I’ve got you wrapped around my finger."
...
