RMM -Chapter 179 The Ugly Make More Trouble

“Chief!”

Only after hearing Su Ruo call him “Chief” did Xi Yuechen’s heart finally settle. He smiled faintly and hummed in response.

The delight in Su Ruo’s voice didn’t escape him.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Hearing that, Su Ruo subconsciously glanced at the time and said oddly, “It’s still pretty early, isn’t it?”

Xi Yuechen suddenly didn’t know what to say. Just moments ago, it felt like there were so many things he wanted to tell Su Ruo, yet now he fell silent.

“Chief, are you okay?”
Su Ruo asked tentatively. Something seemed off about his mood—had something happened?

“I’m fine.” Xi Yuechen leaned all the way back against the sofa. The cold, stern look he’d had earlier finally softened a little. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

…Faced with this sudden bit of romance, Su Ruo didn’t know whether to feel touched or puzzled. Instead, she became even more convinced that something must have happened to Xi Yuechen—he was acting far too strange.

After weighing it for a moment, Su Ruo decided not to ask what exactly had happened. That block of ice had finally said something bordering on sentimental—she really shouldn’t ruin the moment. What if he got embarrassed and angry?

Even though she was genuinely curious about what had made him act so unusually.

“Are things going okay over there? Have you been very busy lately?” Su Ruo asked lazily, leaning against the headboard. Since the Chief wanted to hear her voice, she’d just talk—she had plenty to say anyway.

Still, the question made her worry a little. He’d said he’d been busy recently—was he off on another mission? So busy that he couldn’t even make phone calls? What kind of mission was it, to be this demanding?

Xi Yuechen didn’t say much, but Su Ruo could hear the heaviness in his voice. She had never felt his negative emotions this directly before, which made her uneasy. As a result, she didn’t dwell on that slightly intimate remark he’d just made. Instead, she tried to talk more about other things, hoping to distract him.

Even so, she secretly felt a little pleased by that line—her lips curled up high at the corners.

The two of them chatted on and off like that, and it wasn’t until nearly half an hour later that they finally hung up.

Humming softly, Su Ruo turned off her phone and got out of bed to pour herself a glass of water. During that call, she’d done most of the talking; Xi Yuechen only responded with the occasional “mm” or a short sentence. Yet both of them liked it that way—Xi Yuechen wasn’t talkative to begin with, and Su Ruo was happy to ramble on. Just like that, they’d talked for a full half hour.

Only after hanging up did Su Ruo realize how thirsty she was. If Xi Yuechen hadn’t insisted on ending the call, she would’ve kept talking.

“Sigh… baby, when do you think your dad will finally come back to see the two of us? You’re almost ready to be born.”

Lying back down, Su Ruo suddenly felt a bit sad. She gently stroked her belly and whispered to the little life inside, her expression tinged with loneliness.

During the day it wasn’t so obvious—there were always people around to keep her company and cheer her up. But at night, alone in the bedroom, with no way to call Xi Yuechen, the solitude felt especially hard to bear.

Yes, the melon was almost ripe, yet the one who’d planted it was still thousands of miles away. That left the colonel’s wife feeling quite desolate—though she dared not show it, afraid others might think she was being unreasonable or ungrateful.

These days, Su Ruo was truly counting down the days, wholeheartedly planning to rush to Xi Yuechen’s unit the moment she gave birth and become a steadfast, steel-willed army wife accompanying the troops.

She was utterly sick of this long-distance separation.

Meanwhile, on the other end—the “melon planter” who occupied Su Ruo’s every thought—Xi Yuechen felt his mood lighten noticeably after hanging up. The negative emotions Liu Qi had brought him had largely dissipated.

After a moment of silence, he picked up his phone again and called Gao Yunxiao, briskly convening a meeting about the apology banquet.

Success or failure hinged on this move. Their task force was spearheading this operation, playing a crucial role. If they succeeded, the subsequent “net-closing operations” by the other teams would proceed smoothly. If they failed, all the preparatory work done by every department beforehand would be wasted.

Originally, their plan hadn’t envisioned things developing this way. But since circumstances had changed, the plan had to change with them.

Their first target had been Yanmen precisely because they wanted to use it as a breakthrough—disrupting the drug-trafficking forces in D Province and then eliminating the remaining factions one by one.

As a rising star in D Province’s underworld, Yanmen wielded immense influence and power. If something happened to Yanmen, it would cause serious upheaval across the entire drug trade in D Province. And if Yanmen were wiped out completely?

The consequences were easy to imagine. Even if it didn’t trigger a full butterfly effect, it would still catch every faction off guard, plunging them all into panic. By the time they tried to defend themselves or counterattack, it would already be too late.

Sending Xi Yuechen to infiltrate Yanmen in the first place wasn’t just about eliminating it at minimal cost through surprise—it was also about using the opportunity to gather intelligence on other factions. As long as Xi Yuechen gained Bai Xiong’s trust, any opportunity would just be a matter of time.

But the world was unpredictable. Everyone had been prepared for a long, drawn-out battle when suddenly, an excellent opportunity dropped straight from the sky.

Yes—so long as they seized the chance presented by the apology banquet, nearly all the major forces in D Province could be caught in one sweep. That meant the task force’s mission could be successfully completed ahead of schedule—and most importantly, everyone could finally go home.

That alone became Xi Yuechen’s strongest source of motivation. If the mission ended in a few days, he’d have the chance—and the time—to be with his little woman when she gave birth. Because of that, he had to be even more cautious about the upcoming apology banquet.

From every angle, this operation had to succeed. Failure was not an option.

—

The next day, after lunch, Su Ruo got dressed and prepared to head out.

She’d already agreed with He Wen the day before to go shopping. If she dared to slack off and not go today, He Wen would absolutely storm into the military compound to drag her out.

They called it shopping, but with Su Ruo in her current condition, what shopping could she really do? He Wen was just using it as an excuse to get her out for some fresh air.

As her belly grew larger and heavier, Su Ruo—already made lazier by pregnancy—became even more indolent. All she wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep. Unless someone pushed her, she wouldn’t voluntarily exercise at all.

At Zhengjia Courtyard, she behaved herself a bit more and listened to Shen Liang. But back in the military compound, she had no such restraint—she did whatever she pleased.

Su Feng was in the army practically all day, and Su Ruo was hardly afraid of Zhang Huaqing, so in the compound she lived entirely at ease.

It made Zhang Huaqing grind her teeth in frustration. How had she ended up with such a daughter? If not for the sake of her unborn grandchild, she would’ve kicked Su Ruo out long ago—just to spare her own eyes.

“Alright, alright, Mom. It’s not that cold. Don’t worry, I won’t freeze. Oh—no, your precious grandson definitely won’t freeze.”

Su Ruo stuffed the down jacket Zhang Huaqing had pulled out back into the wardrobe. She’d worn enough down jackets all winter, thank you very much. Every time she went out, she was bundled up like a ball—forget looking good, it wasn’t even convenient to move.

Now that the weather was finally warming up, how could she possibly still wear those? She’d long since grown sick of the cotton coats and down jackets in her closet—she’d only endured them for the sake of the little one in her belly.

“Wearing more is never wrong. If you get hot, you can always take off the outer layer,” Zhang Huaqing said coolly, her attitude firm.

Su Ruo was just about to argue her case—about how, in her current state, if she dressed so sloppily, it would be a disgrace to womanhood.

Sure, Xi Yuechen wasn’t around and no one else would see her even if she dressed up, but sometimes she still wanted to tidy herself up on a whim. If the Chief wasn’t here, she could at least dress nicely for herself.

Before she could say anything, though, Zhang Huaqing had already guessed her thoughts. She scrutinized Su Ruo from head to toe with an extremely critical gaze, then snorted coldly.

“With the way you look right now, even if the nation’s top image designer came, it would be useless. Stop thinking nonsense and just go.”

…Su Ruo was completely speechless.

Zhang Huaqing’s expression was one of undisguised disdain, making Su Ruo feel an acute sense of tragic self-awareness—like an ugly person making extra trouble.

What kind of mother talks about her own daughter like that? Su Ruo shot Zhang Huaqing a resentful look as she continued picking clothes, anger simmering but unspoken.

She was afraid that if she said another word, Zhang Huaqing would unleash even sharper remarks. Fine, fine—cotton coat it is. With her belly this big, it really wasn’t going to look good anyway.

Still, when she saw the final outfit Zhang Huaqing chose, Su Ruo couldn’t help but snicker to herself. Such an awkward old lady.

At least she wouldn’t have to wear a bulky down jacket anymore, which made Su Ruo quite happy. She didn’t tease Zhang Huaqing about her words not matching her actions—better not provoke the Empress Dowager into embarrassed fury.

Only after repeatedly reminding Su Ruo not to wander around and to come home early did Zhang Huaqing finally let her leave with He Wen.

Back in the living room, Zhang Huaqing was still grumbling to herself about how Su Ruo never gave anyone peace of mind—so lazy, never moving around, yet still hoping for a natural birth.

“One more month and the baby will finally be born. Tsk, tsk—do you know how many people you’ve made wait in eager anticipation?”

Stopped at a red light, He Wen reached over and rubbed Su Ruo’s belly, waggling her eyebrows.

“Hey, stop it. Be careful the traffic police make an example of you in the newspapers,” Su Ruo said with a laugh, lightly pushing He Wen’s head away.

“That’d be great! I’d finally be famous. You think you’ll ever make the papers in your lifetime?” He Wen straightened her head and hummed smugly.

“Tch, what kind of values are those? Careful—your dad might lock you up and properly ‘re-educate’ your twisted personality.”

Su Ruo tilted her head, grinning mischievously as she teased He Wen. She feared nothing and no one, a little tyrant at home—but only her father could keep her in check.

Sure enough, He Wen shot her a glare. “Don’t get cocky.”

Su Ruo just shook her head, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

“Oh right—I haven’t seen Zhou Yunzhen in ages. No idea what she’s been busy with.”

Su Ruo suddenly thought of Zhou Yunzhen. Ever since they’d met at Starbucks last time, she hadn’t seen her again. Even now that she was living in the compound, Zhou Yunzhen was nowhere to be found.

He Wen raised an eyebrow when Su Ruo mentioned her. “How would I know?”