Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

Zhao Dong felt a surge of anger at the unpleasant words, and just as he was about to lose his temper, he thought better of it and let it go.

After all, he had known these neighbors for many years, and some were even friends with his parents.

Besides, these people were unsophisticated and had been gossiping behind others' backs for years—true frogs in a well.

Zhao Dong shook his head, refusing to stoop to their level, and turned to walk home.

Seeing Zhao Dong leave, the group immediately started whispering among themselves again.

"That kid from the Zhao family is really strange. We need to find out what he's really up to!"

"Exactly. I bet it's something illegal. If not that, then he must be some rich woman's boy toy, or maybe he's working as a male model. How else could he afford such a nice car?"

Just as they were speaking, a Mercedes sports car pulled up. The car stopped, and Wang Han got out.

After Zhao Dong had recovered the money for her family, their cash flow had improved, and their company had weathered the crisis.

Zhou Chongming had started clinging to Wang Han again, but she no longer felt that desperate need to be with him.

On the contrary, she often found her thoughts drifting unexpectedly to Zhao Dong.

When she got out of the car, the neighbors all recognized her. Knowing her family was wealthy, they crowded around to shower her with compliments.

"Han, you're back!"

"You've gotten even more beautiful after just a few days, Han!"

As the crowd praised her, Wang Han forced a smile and greeted some of the older women. Suddenly, her eyes fell upon the brand-new Bentley parked nearby, and she gasped.

Her family couldn't afford a car worth six or seven million. Who around here possibly could?

While she was wondering, Mrs. Sun, who lived next door to both families, spoke up.

"Han, you're back just in time. We wanted to ask you something."

Wang Han replied, "What is it, Mrs. Sun?"

Mrs. Sun pointed at the car. "Han, this car is very expensive, isn't it?"

Wang Han nodded. "Yes, very expensive. It costs several million!"

"What? Several million?"

The crowd was stunned. They could never earn that much money in their entire lives; their homes were only worth a few hundred thousand.

A single car worth millions?

Mrs. Sun immediately lowered her voice. "Han, guess who drove this car here?"

Puzzled, Wang Han asked, "Who, Mrs. Sun? Do we have someone that rich living here?"

Mrs. Sun whispered, "I'll tell you. It was your neighbor, Zhao Dong! He's the one who drove it back!"

"What?!"

Wang Han was taken aback. "Zhao Dong drove it back?"

"Yes! Isn't that strange? He just got discharged from the military and supposedly can't even find a job, yet he's driving a car like this. I suspect he's involved in some criminal activity, or maybe some woman is keeping him!"

Wang Han bit her lip, equally shocked. However, when she recalled that Zhao Dong knew General Manager Zhang from that company, she felt a flicker of understanding.

She said earnestly, "Mrs. Sun, that might not be true. You don't know what Zhao Dong does for a living, but I know a little. He knows some very powerful people... He could even be running his own business!"

Hearing this, the onlookers were dumbfounded. "I never would have guessed. So that Zhao Dong has it in him?"

"I find that hard to believe. Impossible," an old man huffed. "My son graduated from a prestigious university this year and still hasn't found a job. Zhao Dong didn't even finish college before he joined the army. On what grounds could he possibly be doing better than my son?"

Wang Han shook her head. She knew these people looked down on the poor and were jealous of the rich.

She said no more, gave a brief farewell to the group, and walked down the alley.

With every step, her heart beat faster. Zhao Dong was back. She hadn't seen him in days, so now was the perfect opportunity to see him.

But... why am I so nervous?

In the courtyard, Zhao Dong was chatting with his parents. He had already decided to return the apartment he'd recently bought.

After all, he had plenty of money now. It would be better to buy his parents a villa where they could tend to a garden. An apartment might feel too confining for them.

Just then, Wang Han walked in.

Zhao Dong looked up, his expression hardening. When he looked at his former childhood sweetheart, all he felt was disappointment and disgust.

The kind, sensible Wang Han he once knew was gone, replaced by a materialistic woman he wanted nothing to do with.

However, Zhao Kangyou and Zhang Cuimei's faces lit up with smiles. "Han's here! Come on in, have a seat."

Wang Han, wearing a long dress and high heels with her hair pinned up, bit her lip. She glanced at Zhao Dong, and seeing his cold indifference, her face flushed with embarrassment.

With a soft sigh, she said nothing, entered the room, and sat down, unsure of what to say.

Zhao Dong stubbed out his cigarette and said to his parents flatly, "Mom, Dad, start packing your things. As soon as the new house is ready, we'll move right over. I have some other matters to attend to, so I'm heading out."

Without another word, he turned and walked out.

Wang Han's mouth fell open, her face turning pale.

His parents sighed. Looking at Wang Han, Zhang Cuimei said softly, "Han, that's just how Zhao Dong is. Don't take it to heart..."

Wang Han bit her lip, bid farewell to his parents, and quickly followed after Zhao Dong.

She caught up to him just outside the courtyard. Sensing her behind him, Zhao Dong frowned, stopped, and turned around. "What is it?"

Wang Han looked at him, her beautiful face etched with an indescribable melancholy. A closer look revealed that her eyes were slightly red.

She asked, her pleasant voice slightly hoarse, "Zhao Dong, do you really hate me this much now?"

"Yes, I do," he replied bluntly. "What about it?"

Wang Han's body trembled as tears fell silently from her eyes. She dabbed at them, her voice choking with emotion.

"Zhao Dong... I don't know how to explain it. I... I don't even know why I treated you that way before."

Zhao Dong let out a scornful laugh. "You don't know? Well, I do. I'll never forget the disgusting look on your face when you saw I had no money."

Wang Han's lips trembled as tears streamed down her face. "Zhao Dong, you've really misunderstood me! Yes, I admit my attitude toward you was terrible, but that's because I hated you! I hated you for not writing back to me! I hated you because you knew how much I liked you, yet you never gave me a second glance! And I hated you most of all for forgetting everything about our past! Do you have any idea how much I thought about you, day and night, during all those years you were in the army? Oh, and I never told you this, but I went to visit you at your base. That place is so remote. I was on a train for two days and two nights just to get there. I made it to your unit's gate, but you weren't there! I waited nearby for a whole week! I wrote you so many letters and called you so many times. Did you ever reply to a single one? You don't know. You have no idea how much my heart ached. Even six months ago, when I decided to get together with Zhou Chongming, I wrote you one last letter. But you? You never replied, not once! Zhao Dong, I hate you!"

Zhao Dong stared at her, stunned. "You... you went to my unit? You knew where it was?"

Wang Han wiped her tears and murmured with her head lowered, "The northern border of Huaxia. Border City, Company 326... I had to pull so many strings and ask countless people just to find out where you were. But you... you never cared about me at all."

A jolt went through Zhao Dong's heart. His voice stammered, "You... you really went looking for me back then?"

Wang Han gave a bleak, ironic smile. "It seems if I hadn't brought this up, you would have gone your whole life without knowing. If you don't believe me, go ask a man named Zhang Zhonghan."

"Zhang Zhonghan?"

Zhao Dong was floored. That was indeed one of his commanding officers.

He stared at Wang Han, his mind filled with the image of her on a train for two days and two nights just to find him.

It was true. That place was extremely remote, accessible only by train. It was situated on the northern border of Huaxia, where the climate was brutal.

He pictured Wang Han waiting for him in the freezing wind, her figure so delicate and frail.

In that far northern land, the extreme weather was something even he could barely withstand, let alone a woman like her.

Wang Han had actually gone looking for him.

A storm of emotions churned within Zhao Dong. He stared at Wang Han, utterly at a loss for words.

With a tear-streaked face, Wang Han looked at him and said, "Zhao Dong... maybe you've forgotten the promise we made. When we were sixteen, you said you would marry me, and I said I would marry you. You even said we could never go back on our word... But I'm the only one still trapped in those memories... I never wanted to become this person, so why did you keep hurting me over and over... Zhao Dong, I hate you!"

As Wang Han's sobs grew louder, Zhao Dong sighed softly. "Wang Han, I..."

Wang Han wiped her tears, lifted her head, and gave him one last look with her red, swollen eyes. Then, without turning back, she walked away.

Watching her retreating figure, Zhao Dong sighed again, unable to name the complex feelings swirling in his heart.

He lit a cigarette, and just then, his phone rang. He answered, and Song Qingwan's voice came through the line.

"Hey, I'm here. Where are you?"

Only then did Zhao Dong remember he had arranged to meet with Song Qingwan. He hurried out of the alley and immediately spotted the white Maserati parked across the street.

He waved at the car, and Song Qingwan, seeing him, made a U-turn and pulled up beside him.

The window rolled down, revealing Song Qingwan in a pair of sunglasses. Her small face was beautiful, her red lips full and sexy. She smiled at him.

"Get in."

Zhao Dong scratched his head. "You can just give me my clothes back. You really don't have to do anything else."

Song Qingwan pushed her sunglasses up onto her head, her watery eyes holding a trace of reproach. "Is it really so hard to let me buy you some clothes?"

Zhao Dong gave a bitter smile and shook his head helplessly. Under Song Qingwan's reproachful gaze, he got into the car.

Not far away, Wang Han saw the entire scene. Her face instantly turned ashen, and she froze.

The next second, tears streamed from her eyes. She slammed her hand hard against the steering wheel, then slumped over it and began to cry her heart out.

"Zhao Dong, you bastard!"

In Song Qingwan's car, Zhao Dong sneezed as he sat in the passenger seat, taking a moment to look at her.

Today, she wore a black slip dress. Her long, slender legs were encased in a pair of thin, nude stockings that gave them an alluring sheen. On her feet were stiletto heels, and her delicate, pale toes had a charm all their own.

Zhao Dong looked for a moment before quickly averting his gaze. Damn it, why am I acting like such a pervert? But... it's not a big deal to just look, right?

Song Qingwan, as if by chance, glanced his way, her pretty face blushing slightly. She wasn't a fool; she had caught his stare.

Though she felt a little flustered, she also felt a flutter of sweetness in her heart. So my charms aren't so insignificant after all...

They soon arrived at the mall. After parking the car, Song Qingwan put her sunglasses back on to avoid being recognized.

Beside her, Zhao Dong smacked his lips. "Superstar Song, isn't this a bit much? We're just buying some clothes. Why did we have to come to a place like this?"

Before them stood East Sea's largest shopping mall, where every item of clothing was extravagantly priced.

Song Qingwan smiled. "What, trying to save me money? Don't worry, I have plenty of it."

Zhao Dong chuckled. Since she had put it that way, he couldn't very well refuse. The two of them walked into the mall together.