RMM – Chapter 3 Xi Yuechen Returns

Xi Yuechen was summoned back to his unit on his wedding night.

Every year, the southern regions experienced continuous rainfall during the monsoon season, but this year, the situation was even worse. Thus, just as Xi Yuechen was getting married, a sudden flood disaster struck, disrupting countless lives.

As the flood worsened, the military command issued a direct order for the Reinforcement Regiment to rush to the disaster zone and provide aid, sparing no effort to protect the people’s interests. Being one of the most elite and renowned units in the military region, the Reinforcement Regiment immediately set off for the rescue operation the moment they received the order—its commander, Xi Yuechen, included, despite it being his wedding night.

When the regiment arrived at the disaster zone, the rain was still pouring heavily. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but raging floodwaters and terrified, displaced civilians. The devastation was shocking.

Without hesitation, Xi Yuechen led his team straight into the rescue efforts. For days, the Reinforcement Regiment remained at the forefront of the relief operations, spending over a dozen hours each day on the water. They evacuated civilians, reinforced riverbanks, and cleared waterways—wherever disaster struck, their presence could be found. They truly lived up to their reputation of being “fearless and unstoppable.”

“Commander! Another civilian has been found!” A soldier, covered in mud and barely recognizable, rushed to the rescue command tent, shouting at the top of his lungs.

At that moment, Xi Yuechen had just been forcibly dragged back from the embankment reinforcement team by the regiment’s field medic. The medic had insisted that he eat something, take his medicine, and get some rest.

Xi Yuechen had a chronic stomach condition that frequently acted up. Over the past few days, he had been tirelessly working on the front lines as if wound up like a clock, never pausing even for a moment. He often skipped meals, and even the strongest body couldn’t endure such strain, let alone someone with a weak stomach like him.

The medic had noticed Xi Yuechen occasionally pressing a hand against his abdomen with a slight frown—an unmistakable sign that his stomach pain had flared up again. That was why he had forcibly pulled him back to eat and take his medication. But just as Xi Yuechen finally sat down to rest, another emergency arose.

Hearing the panicked shouting of the soldier, Xi Yuechen set down his bowl, frowned, and reprimanded in a deep voice, “Why are you running here to shout? Go rescue them!”

“But… but…” The soldier bit his lip, hesitating.

“Speak!” Xi Yuechen shot him a sharp glance.

“All the inflatable rafts for the rescue operations were taken by Captain Wang to transport relief supplies.”

At this, Xi Yuechen was momentarily speechless with frustration—so much so that he couldn’t even get angry.

That reckless fool Wang Zhi! Who gave him the authority to issue such a brainless order?!

“Let’s go, lead the way.” Xi Yuechen said, his face dark, following the soldier out, ignoring the medic calling after him to take his medicine.

The medic helplessly watched the steaming bowl of porridge and the untouched medicine on the table, sighing and shaking his head.

Xi Yuechen furrowed his brow, looking in the direction the soldier pointed to. Sure enough, on the roof of the half-submerged house, there was a figure waving their arm.

Looking around, he realized there was nothing useful he could utilize, and that the house was precariously swaying in the water, unable to wait for the raft meant to transport supplies. He turned to the soldier in front of him and said, “Wait here.” He took off his clothes and jumped into the water.

The soldier stared, dumbfounded, as he watched the commander swiftly swim toward the stranded civilian, his heart racing in panic. He hadn’t called for the commander to risk his life by jumping into the water to save someone. What if something happened to the commander… He didn’t dare think any further.

As Xi Yuechen swam to the middle of the water, his stomach pain grew worse. The cramps in his stomach were so intense it made him feel weak. Gritting his teeth, he reached the roof of the house and saw a boy, around fifteen or sixteen, sitting there.

Struggling to climb onto the roof, Xi Yuechen’s expression darkened as he asked, “The civilians have all been evacuated. Why are you still here?”

The boy, nervously meeting Xi Yuechen’s emotionless gaze, lowered his head and said, “Uncle, I was evacuated to a safe area, but I forgot something important. So, I secretly swam back to get it…” The boy quickly noticed that Xi Yuechen’s expression was darkening with each word, so he hastily explained, “Uncle, I’m a good swimmer. I’m always first in my village, but this time… this time… I accidentally hit a rock and sprained my ankle, so I got stuck here…”

Xi Yuechen listened to the boy in silence, glancing at the photo album tightly clutched in his hands. He looked around at the still-raging floodwaters and asked the boy, “Can you still swim?”

“No, I can’t…” The boy lowered his head, his face filled with shame.

Xi Yuechen frowned, pressing on his stomach, then squatted down and said in a deep voice, “Get on.”

The boy was startled, staring at Xi Yuechen’s crouching figure. After a moment, he climbed onto Xi Yuechen’s back, one hand gripping his shoulder tightly while the other held the photo album high above, afraid it would get wet.

Seeing the boy’s actions, Xi Yuechen parted his lips but didn’t speak, enduring the growing weakness in his body as he gritted his teeth and began swimming.

“Just now, I thought I was going to drown. I had almost lost all hope when you found me and came to save me.” The boy’s voice slowly drifted past Xi Yuechen’s ear.

Xi Yuechen didn’t have the energy to reply, his arms laboring in the water, sweat soaking his forehead—though it was unclear whether it was from the water or cold sweat.

“My dad also drowned… Four years ago. I was eleven. I saw the raging flood and froze, unable to do anything. My dad tried to save me… This album contains the few remaining photos of him. Without it, there will be no trace of my dad in this world.” The boy’s voice trembled as he spoke. “So no matter what, I have to get it back.”

As the boy spoke, Xi Yuechen felt a few hot tears drop onto his neck, quickly disappearing.

Xi Yuechen was moved, but he didn’t have the strength to say anything.

By the time they neared the shore, the soldier who had called for Xi Yuechen earlier had brought a few people to help. After handing the boy over to them, Xi Yuechen exhaled deeply, only to feel darkness take over, losing consciousness in an instant.

Back in the hospital room, Su Ruo had finally figured out what the term “newlywed husband” meant, thanks to Zhuang Huaqing and Su Heng.

Su Heng couldn’t hide his excitement and admiration as he said, “Sis, brother-in-law is amazing. He’s a big shot in the military, one of the most prominent figures in several military districts. At just thirty-five, he’s already a colonel! He’s really young and promising, and has a bright future. You’re really lucky.”

Zhuang Huaqing spoke with a sense of pride, “It’s all thanks to my sharp eye back then. I recognized his potential when he was just a kid and made sure he was set for you early on. Ruo Ruo, he’s truly the perfect match for you. You have to cherish him.”

Su Ruo felt speechless. “Young and promising?” Thirty-five is young? She was only twenty-five herself! Even if you consider her real age, she’s still seven years younger than him! What does being a colonel even mean? It just sounds like an old man going after a young woman. How could they arrange a marriage for her like that? Parents these days really don’t care about their children’s happiness…

And a perfect match? She’d been in the hospital for so long and he still hasn’t shown up. Could it be that they had already gone their separate ways right after their wedding?

Regarding this issue, Zhuang Huaqing stammered and sighed deeply, unable to explain clearly.

In the end, it was Su Heng, with an excited expression, who explained to Su Ruo: “Brother-in-law went to the south to help with flood relief. He left the night of your wedding. The military district specifically ordered his reinforcement team to go assist in the rescue. Brother-in-law is truly a great man, putting the country and the people first, sacrificing his family for everyone.”

Seeing Su Heng’s impassioned look, Su Ruo barely managed to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She quickly pulled the blanket over her head and loudly exclaimed, “Go out, go out! I need to rest!”

Su Heng, not understanding, truly thought she was just tired. He quietly walked out to the other room to play his game. For a moment, the hospital room was silent.

Wrapped in the blanket, Su Ruo soon felt it hard to breathe. She gently lifted a corner of the blanket and took a long breath.

Right now, Su Ruo felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness, as if she were tangled in a mess she couldn’t unravel. What kind of chaos had the real Su Ruo left for her? And why was there suddenly talk of a “great man”?

Husband, husband… Now, she was indeed a married woman…

Su Ruo suddenly realized that the future wouldn’t be any easier than before. Everything had to start over again. Facing everything she didn’t understand, how was she supposed to navigate this path?

These past few days, Zhuang Huaqing had noticed that her daughter seemed unusual. The normally indifferent Su Ruo, who would usually ignore everything around her, had been staring blankly at the newspaper or TV. At first, Zhuang Huaqing thought her daughter had a headache again and anxiously looked for some medicine. However, something still felt off. After some careful thought, she quickly pinpointed the issue.

After noticing once again that her daughter was staring intently at news about the floods in the south and the frantic rescue teams, Zhuang Huaqing didn’t disturb her. Instead, she smiled to herself and quietly stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She then took out her phone.

“Shen Liang, good news! I’m telling you, Ruo Ruo’s been worrying about Xiaochen. It’s a good sign.”

Zhuang Huaqing listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, her face filled with satisfaction as she laughed and replied, “How could it be wrong? I know my daughter. These past few days, every time she sees news about the south, she just zones out and becomes absent-minded. She’s definitely thinking about Xiaochen!”

As she listened to the voice on the phone, Zhuang Huaqing’s smile grew even wider. She lowered her voice and said, “Ruo Ruo can’t remember much right now, but the fact that she remembers Xiaochen is a good start. Once Xiaochen is back, they can spend some time together and surely develop feelings for each other.”

“Exactly, exactly. Take it slow…”

Since the day they visited Su Ruo in the hospital, Mr. and Mrs. Xi Jianan had not been able to come back. Xi Jianan was busy with government affairs, especially with the southern flood crisis, which had him nearly overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Shen Liang had to attend an overseas event, so they had been in contact through phone calls.

Shen Liang only had two sons and no daughters, which had always been her regret. She really liked Su Ruo, and since the two families had a good relationship and frequently interacted, she had let Su Ruo call her “godmother” when Su Ruo was young. Otherwise, the misunderstanding about the arranged marriage wouldn’t have happened.

Now that she had finally seen Su Ruo marry into their family, she hadn’t even had time to be happy before things went wrong. No one had expected that Xi Yuechen would go to the disaster area on their wedding night, leaving without a word. Even more unexpectedly, Su Ruo had fallen down the stairs and nearly didn’t regain consciousness. What should have been a joyous occasion ended up chaotic, with everyone panicking.

However, fortunately, nothing serious happened, and it was just a false alarm.