Chapter 252
Eight o'clock in the evening.
The night had already grown heavy, and the streetlights in the family compound cast a dim, yellow halo.
The courtyard door of the Qin family creaked open from the inside.
Pei Zhengnian stepped out with an unhurried pace. A hard-to-conceal pleasure rested on his face, the corners of his lips turning up slightly.
"Commander! You're finally out!"
From the shadows in the corner, Xiong Lei, whose legs had gone numb from squatting, suddenly jumped up, vigorously slapping the mosquito bites on his arms and neck.
"If you hadn't come out soon, these mosquitoes would have sucked me dry!"
Beside him, Sun Xuelin, who had also been feeding the mosquitoes, quickly stood up. He was more composed than Xiong Lei, but his face still showed urgency.
Studying Pei Zhengnian's expression under the streetlight, his heart leapt with joy. He lowered his voice, "Seeing the Commander looking so pleased, you must have gotten it!"
Pei Zhengnian shot them a good-humored glance. Without wasting words, he tossed the file folder—light in weight but heavy in consequence—straight to Sun Xuelin.
"That's right. We can make our move. Deploy immediately according to the original plan. Make sure nothing goes wrong."
Sun Xuelin caught the file and gripped it tightly. "Yes, sir! Rest assured, Commander!"
Pei Zhengnian also felt a surge of relief.
If Qin Gang hadn't taken the initiative to invite him over for dinner tonight, he wouldn't have found such an easy opportunity to infiltrate the Qin house and secure this crucial document containing evidence of his crimes.
That Qin Gang was truly cunning, hiding the item so well.
However, before he could fully let out his breath, a tearful female voice chased after him from behind.
"Brother Pei! Do... do you really not understand my feelings?"
Qin Rong ran out in a rush. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes red, as she stared infatuatedly at Pei Zhengnian's tall, straight back.
Xiong Lei and Sun Xuelin exchanged a glance, and with perfect tacit understanding, both took a large step backward, quickly putting distance between themselves and their commander.
Xiong Lei said, "Commander! Hold the line! You can't do anything that would let down our sister-in-law!" His tone was full of teasing, clearly ready to watch a good show.
Sun Xuelin added solemnly, "Commander, handle this well. After all, sister-in-law... is no ordinary woman."
He meant: Good luck to you. If the missus at home finds out about this, you won't hear the end of it.
Pei Zhengnian was speechless.
He glared at his two subordinates, who were clearly enjoying the drama, before turning around to face Qin Rong.
He didn't approach her. Instead, he deliberately took a few steps back to ensure a clear, safe distance between them, his expression returning to its usual sternness.
"Comrade Qin Rong," his voice was calm and aloof. "I think I made myself perfectly clear to you and Uncle Qin at the dinner table just now."
"I already have a like-minded revolutionary comrade, and we have established a deep, stable revolutionary friendship and family relationship."
He paused, his gaze sharp as he looked at Qin Rong. His tone grew heavier, carrying an unquestionable warning.
"Sabotaging a military marriage is a crime punishable by imprisonment. Please conduct yourself with dignity."
These words were no longer just a rejection; they held a severe, underlying threat.
Pei Zhengnian absolutely would not allow anyone or anything to ruin his marriage with Shen Nanchu.
Hearing Pei Zhengnian's blunt, even cruel words, Qin Rong was heartbroken. Tears welled up in her eyes, yet she stubbornly shook her head.
"No, it's impossible! You're lying to me!"
"Shen Nanchu... she personally told me before that you had a child, but she never said you had a wife!"
"Your wife must have passed away, and you're just making this up to reject me!"
The corner of Pei Zhengnian's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He snapped back, "You're the one who passed away! Shen Nanchu is my wife! My legally wedded wife!"
What?
These words struck Qin Rong like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.
She froze in place, her mouth agape and her eyes wide, staring at Pei Zhengnian in utter disbelief, as if she were listening to a fairy tale.
"No... that's absolutely impossible!" Qin Rong shook her head violently. "Shen Nanchu is your sister-in-law!"
"She had a wedding with your older brother, Pei Zhengwei! I even went to the banquet with my family back then! You... you must be lying to me! How could you possibly marry her?!"
Pei Zhengnian felt it was impossible to communicate with a woman who lived in her own delusions and couldn't understand human speech.
His patience was exhausted.
He turned to leave, feeling that staying even a second longer was a waste of time.
Seeing him about to leave again, Qin Rong panicked. She ran forward and spread her arms, blocking Pei Zhengnian's path. She questioned him tearfully,
"If you aren't interested in me, then why did you agree to come to my house for dinner? You clearly..."
Too lazy to waste any more breath on her, Pei Zhengnian furrowed his brows, turned sideways, and bypassed her without stopping his stride.
But Qin Rong was relentless. She trotted after him, her words becoming reckless.
"You must have been threatened by that bitch Shen Nanchu! Did she get some kind of leverage on you?"
"I knew it, Shen Nanchu is a promiscuous woman who flirts with everyone."
"She's already a widow, yet she still can't behave, not even letting her own brother-in-law off the hook!"
"Brother Pei, you..."
"Shut up!"
Pei Zhengnian stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes instantly turning as cold as ice.
He glanced at a dirt pit not far ahead. Instead of dodging her, he adjusted his direction and walked straight toward the edge of the pit.
Qin Rong was too busy staring at Pei Zhengnian's profile and venting her jealousy toward Shen Nanchu to notice the uneven ground beneath her feet.
"Don't worry, I..."
She kept chattering away.
"Ah—!"
Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly stepped into thin air and lost her balance!
Thud!
The next second, she tumbled hard into the dirt pit, falling flat on her face into the mud.
Pei Zhengnian stood at the edge of the pit, looking down from above at the wretched Qin Rong.
In the darkness of the night, his face was stern, and his eyes held not a trace of sympathy, only icy disgust.
"Calling her a bitch right to my face, badmouthing my wife."
Pei Zhengnian's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a terrifyingly oppressive weight.
"Qin Rong, do you think I won't hit you just because you're a woman?"
Qin Rong was dizzy from the fall. She finally managed to lift her head, only to meet Pei Zhengnian's gloomy, demon-like gaze. She trembled violently in fear.
"You... you... you..."
Terrified into incoherence, she scrambled backward on her hands and knees, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from this terrifying man as possible.
An undisguised flash of mockery crossed Pei Zhengnian's eyes.
"If I ever hear you speak ill of my wife again, it won't end with just a simple fall."
Qin Rong shivered in terror.
Too lazy to spare her another glance, Pei Zhengnian turned and strode toward the jeep parked nearby.
With a stretch of his long legs, he got into the driver's seat, started the engine, and drove off cleanly.
He sped away, leaving the sprawled Qin Rong with nothing but a face full of exhaust fumes.