Reborn in the 70s: Pampered by Regiment Commander
Chapter 190 - 146: Entanglement

Chapter 190: Chapter 146: Entanglement

"This..." For a moment, Lin Baohe couldn’t make up his mind either, hesitatingly looking at his eldest uncle and aunt, "Brother, sister-in-law, what do you think Regimental Commander Xiao Zhou means by this?"

"This..." Zhao Yushan ’this’ for a while without coming to any conclusion and then looked toward his son, "Qiliang, you are familiar with Commander Zhou, what do you think he means?"

"This..." Zhao Qiliang scratched his head, a whole forehead full of troubles. His knowledge about Commander Zhou was limited to his heroic deeds; how would he know about this kind of thing?

At this moment, everyone had ignored Chuxia. It seemed normal to them that she wouldn’t understand the implication. Frankly, they were still treating her like a child.

Since no one asked, Chuxia just sat aside, watching the five of them staring at each other with barely concealed amusement in her eyes.

Li Aiyuan was the first to notice Chuxia’s odd behavior and blinked in confusion, "Chuxia, did Regimental Commander Xiao Zhou say something else?"

"No."

"Then why are you so happy?"

"Seeing you all worried, that’s why I’m happy."

Li Aiyuan: "..." Is there such a person? They were worried about her, weren’t they?

"Dad, Mom, Uncle, Eldest maternal aunt, Brother..." Chuxia called out to each one before saying, "What he thinks, won’t we know the day after tomorrow? Let’s not speculate on his holy will here."

"What a way to speak!" Zhao Yulan exclaimed and quickly ran to the door, pressing her ear against it and then quietly cracked it open to peek outside, breathing a sigh of relief afterward.

Li Aiyuan also sternly warned, "Chuxia, you can’t say such things in the future. If someone reports you, I suppose your husband’s family wouldn’t have a good impression of you either."

Lin Baohe and Zhao Yushan didn’t say anything, but one look at their expressions made it clear they were extremely worried about Chuxia’s words.

In those times, wasn’t it all about ’speculating the holy will’... Chuxia smiled bitterly and assured the elders, "Okay, I will be careful in the future."

Chuxia, you really need to take this seriously; you really can’t talk like that in the future."

"Eldest maternal aunt, I know, I realize my mistake."

Chuxia, seeing your impatience, you don’t understand how serious this is, let your uncle explain to you..."

Ah, the people of this era... they were so easily frightened! Chuxia made a show of listening earnestly but inwardly mocked the elders’ fuss over trivia. Had she not later learned the consequences of saying the wrong thing firsthand, she might never have understood why the elders kept giving her these lectures on such a precious evening.

Considering her engagement the next day, Chuxia returned to her troop early in the morning to join the drill. Seeing her, Zeng Meili’s eyes flashed with appreciation and after she finished running, she quietly inquired, "I authorized a day and a half off for you. Why didn’t you spend more time with your parents?"

"I was afraid if I asked for leave again tomorrow, it would be difficult for you, Captain," Chuxia answered truthfully.

"Thank you."

"I should be thanking you, Captain..."

"Hey! Hey hey..."

Chuxia’s response was interrupted by Liu Meijun’s cry of alarm.

"Stop, what are you doing?" By then, Zeng Meili was already frowning and walking towards the two tangled up people, with Chuxia quickly following. "What happened?" she asked Luo Xiaoqiong softly.

The scuffle involved Class 3’s Sun Shangmei and Class 5’s Rao Xue, with Rao Xue clearly at a disadvantage, getting beaten up by Sun Shangmei without the ability to retaliate.

"Rao Xue spoke ill of our class and Sun Shangmei heard her," Luo Xiaoqiong said, reflexively rubbing her own face as she saw Sun Shangmei land a punch on Rao Xue’s cheek.

By that time, Rao Xue and Sun Shangmei had been pulled apart by Zeng Meili, "What do you two think you are doing? Do you think I’m too easygoing, that I’m dead or something? Daring to do this right before my eyes, what would you do if I weren’t here?" Zeng Meili asked with a stern face.

"She insulted Class 3!" Sun Shangmei pointed angrily at Rao Xue, her demeanor suggesting she would continue the fight if Zeng Meili hadn’t been standing between them.

"I only spoke the truth!" Rao Xue’s face swollen on one side, "I just think Captain favors Class 3."

"If you really think so, you could have confronted me directly. Talking about it in front of your teammates, do you think you are right?" Zeng Meili said, then turned to Sun Shangmei, "And you, do you think fists can solve everything? Can’t things be communicated properly? Your fists should be for striking enemies, not comrades!"

Sun Shangmei stiffened her neck but didn’t say a word.

"Both of you write a thousand-word reflection, to be handed in before dinner."

Upon hearing Zeng Meili instruct them to write reflections, Sun Shangmei panicked, "Captain, can I hand it in tomorrow? My song... I haven’t practiced my song well."

"Can you eat tomorrow instead?"

Sun Shangmei instantly deflated; she could indeed eat the next day, but then, she probably wouldn’t have the energy to perform...

...

"Jing Zhe, have some ambition!"

"Jing Zhe, don’t let personal issues affect official matters!"

"Jing Zhe, don’t let me lose respect for you!"

"Jing Zhe, perk up and go to class!"

Jing Zhe heaved a long sigh, talking to himself in the mirror for quite a while. He picked up his book and marched towards the door. When he put his hand on the door handle, he suddenly lost his nerve and returned to the mirror to pep-talk himself again...

If his mom saw him like this now, she would definitely be furious!

He yanked at his short, almost unruly hair, took a deep breath, and again tried to hold his head up and puff out his chest as he moved forward..., then he turned back...

"So spineless!"

Just as he was about to slap himself, he stopped just in time. What if it left a mark? How could he face anyone then?

Alas, the emotions he had stewed over all of yesterday—how had they dissipated so suddenly now? Could it be that a change of heart really led to a different outcome?

It was all his mom’s fault. Otherwise, why would he ever have thought this way?

Suddenly, the image of that beautiful face popped into his mind, especially those bright, luminous eyes, so clear, as if they could peer right into someone’s deepest secrets... Or maybe, his constant praising of her when he was home was just a subconscious act?

Alas, they were to be engaged tomorrow, and here he was harboring such thoughts—what was he thinking?

Deep breath... deep breath... deep breath...

Just when he felt his heartbeat returning to normal, the door was suddenly flung open. Zeng Meili stood there with a smile, "Director Jing, the team is waiting for you to start the class."

"Right away... right away..." Jing Zhe hurriedly grabbed his books and scurried out.

"What’s wrong with you?" Zeng Meili eyed him suspiciously, "You look pale; are you not feeling well?"

"No." Jing Zhe shook his head and rushed toward the classroom as if fleeing.

"What is he up to?" Zeng Meili muttered under her breath and walked to Zhou Mikang’s office, "Great Regimental Commander Zhou, the engagement is tomorrow. Why are you still sitting here?"

"Where else would I sit?" Zhou Mikang tossed a notebook to her, "Just in time. Take this to Hanliang for me, tell him he can proceed with his plan now."

"Brother, I’m not here to run errands for you." Although she murmured discontentedly, Zeng Meili still picked up the notebook and went next door. Normally too casual, this time she pushed the door open as usual.

In the room, two people who were tightly embracing swiftly separated. "Sorry, sorry..." Zeng Meili, her face red, quickly retreated and, seeing the notebook still in her hand, hesitated, unsure of what to do.

"Did you need something?" Zhou Hanliang appeared at the door.

"This..." Zeng Meili hurriedly handed him the notebook, "The Commander asked me to give this to you, said you can proceed with it." Saying this, she dashed back to Zhou Mikang’s office.

Zhou Mikang gave her a curious glance and then continued with his business.

It wasn’t until he had almost cleared the work on his desk and noticed Zeng Meili still sitting there silently that Zhou Mikang realized something was amiss, "What’s wrong?"

"It’s nothing." Zeng Meili’s voice was feeble, as though she has taken a big blow.

"Speak up if something’s the matter, don’t play coy."

"Big brother..." Zeng Meili bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed, "Big brother, have you completely forgotten Ye Meiru?"

Zhou Mikang’s brows instantly furrowed deeply, "Why bring this up now?"

"I just saw Instructor Zhou and a woman tightly embracing. He just broke up a few days ago, how could he... how could he start a new relationship so quickly?"

"Embracing means lovers?" Zhou Mikang stared at her expressionlessly, "You concluded this without even knowing who she was?"

"Does big brother know who that woman was?" Zeng Meili’s tone lightened instantly, her eyes brightening as she looked at Zhou Mikang.

"That’s Hanliang’s sister, Zhou Hanying."

"His real sister?"

"Yes."

"Then why embrace each other?"

"Isn’t it normal to embrace your brother when you’re upset?"

"I don’t have a brother."

"You can imagine you have a real brother."

"Having a real brother would be great." Zeng Meili sighed deeply, "If I had a real brother, Guan Jie would not dare to bully me!"

"Are you implying I haven’t stood up for you?" Zhou Mikang gave her a flat glance, "Still hung up on this?"

"Brother, haven’t you also been unable to let go for five years?" Zeng Meili forced a smile, "Brother, I’m not uncovering your scars. I don’t know why, but whenever I see men changing hearts, I feel particularly upset, and it reminds me of my own experiences. Maybe it’s true that we yearn for what we can’t have?"

"We don’t discuss personal matters during work hours. Aren’t you free today, given it’s the anniversary performance?"

"You’re too unsympathetic!" Zeng Meili wiped her eyes and stormed out.

Once she left, a hint of concern showed in Zhou Mikang’s eyes. Tonight... well, perhaps it was good for her to see everything after all.

(To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote and support it on Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)