Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

This was Wang Jianguo's wife, Li Mujing. She wore a light purple dress. As she took excellent care of herself, her skin was fair and soft, and her long, black hair fell straight to her lower back. Combined with her natural beauty, she had an incredibly elegant air.

She glanced at the people on the sofa and gave a perfunctory nod. "Brother Zhao, Sister Cuimei. It's been a while."

After saying this, she went to the kitchen and brought out a kettle to pour water for everyone. Then, without another word, she returned to her bedroom. Her face remained smileless the entire time, her displeasure with the Zhao family's visit perfectly clear.

Wang Han also rolled her eyes at Zhao Dong before following Li Mujing into the bedroom.

Wang Jianguo was instantly mortified. He called out to the two in the room, his voice tight with displeasure, "Mujing, you and Xiao Han get out here! What kind of example are you setting, hiding in the room when we have guests?"

Wang Han shot back immediately, "I'm not coming out! Just looking at Zhao Dong makes me angry!"

Before her voice could fade, Li Mujing emerged, her face cold as ice. She had been vehemently against the Zhao family's visit from the start, as she had always looked down on them. The fact that she hadn't already blown up over Wang Jianguo inviting them was a testament to her restraint.

Now, hearing him call her out, she could no longer hold back. She strode out and said coldly, "Wang Jianguo, just say what you want!"

Wang Jianguo's face darkened. "Mujing, Xiao Han is just a child, but don't you know any better? This is Brother Zhao and Sister Cuimei. Have you forgotten? Back when our family was so poor we couldn't even afford to eat, it was Sister Cuimei who scrimped and saved to help us. Have you forgotten all of that?"

"Don't bring that up," Li Mujing said coldly. "That was the past. Why did you invite this family of paupers here now? What are they going to do, help you with your business?"

Wang Jianguo's vision swam with rage. "Shut your mouth! Have you no conscience?"

"Conscience?" Li Mujing glanced disdainfully at the gifts by the door. "If they had any conscience, they wouldn't have brought such cheap things to try and fob us off. I wouldn't want them!"

Hearing this, Zhao Kangyou's face flushed crimson. Zhang Cuimei clutched the hem of her clothes, her face a mask of humiliation as a wave of misery washed over her. In their eyes, the fruit and milk they had brought were quite nice—things they never bought for themselves. The elderly couple barely had any money and hadn't dared to touch the funds their son had given them. This was the greatest sincerity they could offer from their meager means, and yet, it was met with such scorn.

Li Mujing walked over to the pile of things, her eyes sweeping over them. When she noticed the items Zhao Dong had brought, she said, "Oh, and what are these? The packaging is quite a show. Is this pile of junk worth even two hundred yuan?"

"Li Mujing, you shut your mouth!" Wang Jianguo roared. "Who's in charge of this house, you or me?!"

Li Mujing shot him a sullen glare and said no more, sitting off to the side to stew in her anger.

Wang Jianguo shook his head and sighed deeply. He offered a cigarette to Zhao Kangyou and lit one for himself before slowly beginning to speak.

"Brother Zhao, let's just ignore her. Let's talk about us. You know I won the lottery. Everyone said I got arrogant and started flaunting my wealth, but that wasn't it at all! When the news got out, I can't tell you how many relatives came knocking to borrow money! And that was the least of it! I was even robbed once. They held a knife to my throat and made me hand over 500,000 yuan!"

Zhao Kangyou was shocked. "That really happened? You never said anything."

"Sigh! There's a lot I never said. I moved later because I couldn't stand the constant harassment. I thought that would be the end of it, but then a gang of thugs found one of my cousins. They kidnapped him and demanded 200,000 yuan, or they'd kill him and dispose of the body!"

"Did you give them the money?"

"I did. What else could I do? If I had called the police, they would have killed him. Besides, I really didn't want to get on their bad side."

A look of helplessness crossed Wang Jianguo's face as he continued, "When you called out to me on that crowded street, I had no choice but to tell you to get lost and pretend I didn't know you. You don't know if any of those thugs were in the crowd. If I had acted like we were brothers, they definitely would have gone after your family!"

Wang Jianguo sighed again. "Brother Zhao, we've known each other for decades. You know what kind of man I am. Did you really think I'd just forget my friends because I won the lottery and got rich? You think too little of me, Wang Jianguo. After that day, I was eaten up with guilt. I wanted to find you and explain in private, but you never gave me the chance. It's been weighing on me for these past two years as well, brother!"

Zhao Dong watched Wang Jianguo closely and saw that he was speaking from the heart. Hearing this, Zhao Dong's own resentment faded. He recalled the advice Wang Jianguo had given him in the past; he truly didn't seem like an ungrateful person.

Zhao Kangyou also let out a heavy sigh. "Jianguo, I misjudged you."

Wang Jianguo grasped his friend's hand, moved. "It's all right, as long as this misunderstanding is cleared up! Now that Xiao Dong is back, this is the perfect chance for us to get together."

With the misunderstanding between them completely resolved, a smile returned to Zhao Kangyou's face. At his side, Zhang Cuimei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Jianguo turned to Zhao Dong with a smile. "Xiao Dong, your uncle didn't know you'd been discharged from the army. It was thanks to Xiao Han telling me when she came back last time. She also said you hit Zhou Chongming, is that right?"

Zhao Dong scratched his head, laughing sheepishly. "Uncle Wang, let's not talk about that."

"Hahaha, I don't mind. Even though Xiao Han was mad, I know you were just looking out for her. After all, you two go way back. By the way, have you found a job yet?"

"Not yet," Zhao Dong said, making an excuse. "But it's fine. I plan to strike out on my own."

"Striking out on your own is tough. Look, your uncle has a company now. You can come work there!" At this, Wang Jianguo slapped his thigh. "No, that won't work. My company is going through a rough patch and we're laying a lot of people off. It would just be a dead end for you. How about this... Xiao Han, come out for a second!"

An irritated voice came from the bedroom. "Now what?"

"Just get out here!"

Wang Han emerged, looking grouchy. Wang Jianguo said cheerfully, "Xiao Han, ask Zhou Chongming if his company is hiring. Xiao Dong just got back and hasn't found a job yet. Have Chongming arrange a good position for him. He's a capable young man."

Without a second's thought, Wang Han sneered. "Get him a job? Dream on! How could a mere soldier get into Chongming's company? Their annual revenue is in the tens of millions, and they're a supplier for the Zhang Family, one of the Four Great Families of East Sea. What right does Zhao Dong have to work there? Oh, wait, I guess he could… as a security guard."

"You brat! What nonsense are you spouting?! You tell Zhou Chongming about this, and you tell him it's my request! Otherwise, he can forget about ever setting foot in this house again!"

"Dad, why... why are you so biased towards Zhao Dong?" Wang Han asked, her voice thick with jealousy.

"Because Xiao Dong is a good kid!" Wang Jianguo waved his hand dismissively. "All right, it's about time. I've booked a table at the East Sea Grand Hotel. Let's all head over. Xiao Dong, you're having some drinks with your uncle tonight."

A smile appeared on Zhao Dong's face. When people treated him with sincerity, he naturally responded in kind. With this thought, he walked to the door and picked up the gifts Zhang Longbo had brought. "Uncle Wang, I brought you some gifts. Please, have a look."

Wang Jianguo took the items and opened them, his eyes widening in surprise. "This tea cake... it looks extraordinary! And this painting, it can't be real, can it? And this bracelet... Xiao Dong, don't scare your uncle. If these things are genuine, they must be worth a fortune, right?"

Zhao Dong smiled. "They're worth a little something, yes."

Wang Han and Li Mujing were also looking over, intrigued. Li Mujing curiously picked up the bracelet and remarked, "I must say, this fake is quite well made. It could almost pass for the real thing."

Zhao Dong said calmly, "Auntie Li, that bracelet is worth around a million yuan. It's not a fake. The tea cake is Da Hong Pao, and the painting is an authentic masterpiece. They're each worth around a million as well."

"A-Around a million?!?!"

The living room was suddenly plunged into silence as every head whipped around to stare at Zhao Dong.