RMM – Chapter 38 Indispensable Contributions

After the military exercise concluded, Xi Yuechen and his team couldn’t leave right away. Although the thrilling drills had ended, there were still a slew of follow-up tasks to handle. Even if they weren’t as intense as the drills, they were just as demanding.

As expected, the Red Army emerged victorious. The entire unit was immersed in celebration, especially Xi Yuechen’s enhanced regiment, which had played a critical role in the success. Their contributions to the Red Army’s victory were indispensable.

Xi Yuechen and his team had just returned to the base today. A general debriefing meeting was held, and he was designated to give the report. Clearly, the higher-ups were very pleased with Xi Yuechen’s performance—he was certainly in line for a significant commendation once things wrapped up.

When Su Heng called Su Ruo, she was practicing yoga on the balcony. She calmly finished her routine before stepping off the thick cashmere rug and picking up the constantly ringing phone from the lounge chair.

“If you’re bored, go bother someone else. Don’t keep nagging me like a ghost.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel as she spoke to Su Heng on the other end.

“Me? Bored? You really don’t know a good thing when you see one. You think I’d call just to pass the time? Hmph, do you know what news I just got?”

Even over the phone, Su Ruo could clearly sense Su Heng’s undisguised excitement.

“What is it? You found your future sister-in-law? Well, that’s a huge deal.”

“Oh, come on! Can you be normal for once? Even if I wanted to find a wife, I’d wait until my little nephew is born. If you care so much, why don’t you put more effort into your own baby-making plans? Don’t you see how many of us are eagerly waiting?”

Su Ruo snorted, “If you’re so desperate, go have a baby yourself. Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’m hanging up. I don’t have time to chat nonsense.”

Make a baby? You need a man for that, right? It’s been more than twenty days with no news—who knows where he even is?

“Hey, don’t hang up! I actually have good news for you.” Knowing that any more nonsense would get him hung up on, Su Heng hurried to change the subject.

“Talk. I’m busy,” Su Ruo said casually as she turned on the TV.

Hearing the obvious TV sounds through the receiver, Su Heng’s face twitched… Busy? Was he really that unwelcome?

“I’ve got news about your man.”

Su Ruo froze for a moment before reacting, “How is he? Has the military exercise ended?”

“It has. They just got back to their unit today. Let me tell you, my brother-in-law is amazing. A complete victory and major contributions—his reputation has skyrocketed!”

“Is he okay? He didn’t get injured or anything, right?” Su Ruo seemed to ignore all the praise about Xi Yuechen.

“That… how would I know? But logically, if he’s back at base, he should be reachable now. Why don’t you call and ask? You might even strengthen your relationship.”

Call him?

“If that’s all you’ve got, I’m hanging up,” Su Ruo said and pretended to end the call.

“Fine, hang up. I just wanted to let you know so you could be at ease. Ah, Sis, my brother-in-law really is something this time, don’t you…”

Before Su Heng could finish, he frowned at his already disconnected call. He pouted—so heartless! Got the news and cut him off like a used bridge. Still, if this prompted Su Ruo to call Xi Yuechen and show some concern, that was a win in itself. Their relationship was going well now, and if it went a bit further… wouldn’t that long-awaited little bun of his finally be on the way?

After hanging up, Su Ruo had no interest in continuing her yoga. The TV noise was irritating too, so she turned it off and sat with her phone in hand, lost in thought. Should she call and ask? Would he find it annoying?

Whatever—just call. Who knows when he’ll be back?

The phone rang several times without an answer. Just when Su Ruo was about to hang up in disappointment, the call was suddenly picked up.

“Hello, our commander is currently in a meeting. Is there something I can help you with?” Wang Ze was waiting outside Xi Yuechen’s office to report something. Hearing the phone ring didn’t surprise him. The commander never kept his phone with him or left it on during meetings. At first, he planned to ignore it, but when it kept ringing with no sign of stopping, he wondered if it was a family emergency and decided to answer.

“Ah… oh, it’s nothing important. I’ll just hang up,” Su Ruo replied, clearly disappointed.

Wang Ze found the voice familiar. Glancing at the caller ID—Su Ruo—he suddenly remembered the commander had once called her “Sister-in-law Ruo Ruo.”

“Wait! Are you the commander’s wife?” he asked cautiously.

“Uh, yes. If he’s busy, I won’t disturb him.” Su Ruo sounded puzzled. How did he know who she was?

“Ah, don’t hang up! I’ll give the phone to the commander right away. Please wait a moment.”

“No, don’t—hello?” Su Ruo’s voice turned urgent, but Wang Ze wasn’t listening anymore.

The commander’s wife was calling—how could he not pass the phone along? She wasn’t just anyone. Wang Ze felt quite pleased with his decision.

At that moment, Xi Yuechen was talking to Li Lijian and a few other battalion and platoon leaders, preparing for the upcoming report meeting. Just then, Wang Ze’s voice came from outside, requesting to enter.

Xi Yuechen frowned—hadn’t he told him to wait? The others could tell from his expression that he was displeased. Their commander hated being interrupted while working. Hopefully, Wang Ze really had something important to report.

“Come in.”

Hearing the tone, Wang Ze knew the commander wasn’t happy. He entered nervously, eyes lowered, not daring to look up. “Commander, it’s your wife on the phone.”

Time to take a gamble. Worst case, he’d get scolded. But he couldn’t delay something between the commander and his wife.

At the mention of his wife, the displeasure in Xi Yuechen’s eyes vanished instantly. In fact, there was even a hint of pleased surprise, though no one dared look directly at him. That little woman actually called him?

Everyone watched in stunned silence as Xi Yuechen stood, walked over, took the phone from Wang Ze’s lowered hands, and headed outside—calm and even smiling slightly.

Was this real? Their commander wasn’t angry about being interrupted and even looked… happy? Was this a miracle?

Who exactly was their commander’s wife, to have such power over him?

“Hello, Ruo Ruo?”

Hearing Xi Yuechen’s deep voice through the phone, Su Ruo’s heart skipped a beat, her cheeks turning red. Had she known he was so busy, she wouldn’t have called!

“Mm, Commander.”

“I was just in a meeting. Did you need something?” Xi Yuechen walked to the base of the office building and stood beneath a tree, squinting at the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

“It’s nothing, really. I just heard from Su Heng that your military exercise ended… and that you won a big victory and earned great merit,” Su Ruo said while fiddling with a cushion on the sofa.

“Mm, we just got back to base today.”

“I’m glad you won. So… how have you been lately? You didn’t get hurt, did you?” She finally asked the question on her mind.

Holding a leaf in his hand, Xi Yuechen softened his voice. “I’m fine. We still have a report meeting later. But after a few days, I’ll be able to come out for a bit.”

This unexpected news stunned Su Ruo. He was coming home in a few days? Surprise gave way to a smile she couldn’t suppress.

“Oh, then go handle your business. Don’t forget to eat on time. I’ll hang up now.” Worried he might hear something off in her tone, Su Ruo quickly ended the call. She didn’t want to interrupt his work, after all.

“Mm.” After Su Ruo hung up, Xi Yuechen didn’t go back upstairs right away. He remained under the tree for a while, gazing at the sun-dappled light filtering through the leaves, his mind replaying her radiant, sunny smile.

Back in her own home, Su Ruo was clearly in a much better mood. After sitting for a bit, she picked up the phone again and dialed.

“Hello, Mom? Are you home?”

“Yes.”

“I’m coming by today. I have something I want to ask you about.”