Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

"The delicious noodles are ready!"

Wang Jing turned around, bowl in hand, only to see Zhao Dong standing in the doorway, watching her with adoring eyes.

Wang Jing's lovely face flushed red. "Why... why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you're more delicious than the noodles."

Zhao Dong smiled, stepping forward to embrace her.

"You smooth-talker," Wang Jing said, playfully pushing him away. Yet, her eyes were filled with happiness.

"I'm only speaking the truth. Haven't you ever heard the saying that beauty is a feast for the eyes?" Zhao Dong's hands gradually began to wander.

"Stop right there!" Wang Jing immediately pushed him away again, saying coquettishly, "Eat your noodles first."

"Alright!" Zhao Dong would not let her kindness go to waste.

In the dining room, as he ate the steaming hot noodles, he felt an indescribable happiness swell in his heart. Just then, Wang Jing walked out from the inner room.

Zhao Dong looked up, and his pupils suddenly constricted.

He saw Wang Jing emerge wearing a strapless, hip-hugging black silk dress. With her face blushing and her gaze shifting shyly, she was the very picture of flirtatious charm!

"You wicked woman! You're tempting me to make a mistake!" Zhao Dong chuckled, putting down his bowl and chopsticks to walk slowly toward her.

The long night stretched on, filled with burgeoning love. It wasn't until dawn that Wang Jing finally snuggled into Zhao Dong's arms and drifted into a blissful sleep.

「The next day.」

Zhao Dong was woken by a call from Huo Hongyan.

"Miss Huo, what's up?"

"Mr. Zhao certainly has a short memory. Did you forget that you promised to help me inspect the medicinal herbs last night?" Huo Hongyan's voice was polite but carried a hint of reproach.

Zhao Dong slapped his forehead in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, I really did forget."

"Send me the address. I'm on my way now."

After he hung up, Wang Jing had already risen and brought him his clothes.

"I was hoping you could spend the day with me, you busy man," Wang Jing said, sounding a little downcast.

Zhao Dong replied awkwardly, "I promised a friend yesterday. It's really hard to back out of it. Don't worry, once I finish what I'm working on, I'll definitely come back to be with you."

"Hee hee... Alright, look at how serious you are. I was just teasing you." Wang Jing smiled gracefully and gently helped him dress, her voice soft. "I've said before that I won't disturb your life. As long as you come to see me when you're free, I'll be more than content."

"Jingjing..." A wave of emotion surged through Zhao Dong's heart.

Wang Jing leaned in and gently kissed his forehead, urging, "Hurry and go. Business is important."

"Mm, thank you," Zhao Dong nodded lightly, reaching out to ruffle her hair.

SLAM.

The door closed.

Watching the closed door, a dazed look flickered in Zhao Dong's eyes. For a moment, a sense of weariness and reluctance washed over him. The simple happiness he felt with Wang Jing was incredibly relaxing.

If it weren't for all the mishaps, would he have married Wang Jing sooner and lived an ordinary life? No glory or wealth, just the simple necessities of life. A life without great waves, but filled with steady happiness.

However, it was all just a fantasy in the end.

Zhao Dong took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator.

Leaning against the door from the inside, Wang Jing heard his footsteps receding, and a tear slid from the corner of her eye.

Zhao Dong, you mustn't feel burdened. Our fate can only be this...

「The Huo Family Villa.」

In the luxuriously decorated hall, a mountain of medicinal herbs was placed incongruously in the center of the living room. On a nearby sofa sat the members of the Huo Family, all of them wearing unpleasant expressions.

"Hongyan, why have you moved all the herbs from the store to our home?" an elder with a full head of white hair but a spirited demeanor asked with a frown.

This was none other than Huo Hongyan's grandfather, the head of the Huo Family, Huo Tiexia.

Huo Hongyan stood up respectfully. "Grandfather, here's what happened. A few days ago, a counterfeit item appeared in our store. After I conducted an inventory check, I found quite a few more. This new batch of herbs arrived today. I'm not sure if there are more counterfeits among them, so I wanted to test them first."

"Nonsense!" a slender young man about five-foot-seven spoke up in protest. Pointing at the herbs, he said with displeasure, "These incoming herbs have all been strictly vetted by professionals. How could there be any fakes?

"What's more, the person in charge of procurement is your fiancé. All the herbs pass through his hands personally, so how could the counterfeits be related to our supply source?

"I heard about the fake goods in the store. It's clearly a problem with the staff, absolutely unrelated to the supplier!"

This man was Huo Hongyan's cousin, Huo Gang.

"We're all very busy," Huo Gang continued to complain. "If you called us here just for this, then we're leaving!"

As he spoke, he got up to go, but Huo Hongyan stepped in his path. "I wouldn't be so sure!" she said coldly.

"What do you mean by that?" Huo Gang's tone was icy.

"Heh, what do I mean?" Huo Hongyan sneered. "As the saying goes, you can never know what's in a person's heart. The profits from these herbs might not be much to the Huo Family, but to an individual, it's a significant amount!

"Who's to say someone here doesn't have a guilty conscience and is colluding with the supplier to embezzle money from our family!"

At these words, Huo Gang's expression changed drastically, and a flash of panic crossed his eyes. However, the panic was fleeting.

He took a step back, pointed a finger at Huo Hongyan's nose, and raged, "Huo Hongyan! If you have something to say, say it plainly! What do you mean 'someone here has a guilty conscience'? Who are you taking a shot at!?"

"I'm not taking a shot at anyone, nor do I want to!" Huo Hongyan looked at the herbs and said coldly. "The problems at the store are a fact, and of course, I don't want to discover that one of our own is responsible.

"But no matter what, there must be an accounting for this matter!"

"Some accounting! The employee was fired, what more do you want?" Huo Gang fumed, enraged and embarrassed. "I think you just have it out for me and are deliberately looking for trouble!"

"Huo Gang! Don't you—"

"Both of you, shut up!"

Just as Huo Hongyan and Huo Gang were about to start shouting, a thunderous roar from Huo Tiexia instantly silenced them both.

"Grandfather, Huo Hongyan is clearly making a mess of things! You can't let her run wild!" Huo Gang complained to Huo Tiexia with an aggrieved look.

Huo Tiexia waved his hand. "Everyone be quiet. This is the Huo Family home, not a public market. If you want to argue, take it outside!"

Hearing this, Huo Gang, though visibly displeased, could only shut his mouth in frustration.

Huo Tiexia sighed and turned to his granddaughter. "Hongyan is right. It's a fact that there's a problem at the store. But how could a few mere employees have the guts to tamper with the Huo Family's herbs?

"Medicinal herbs worth millions may not be a huge sum to our family, but if this damages the Huo Family's reputation, that's a loss that hundreds of millions couldn't recoup!

"Therefore, I believe any point of suspicion should be investigated."