RMM – Chapter 67 Return to the Unit

That day, Hong Shirong was taken away by Su Heng and his group and only thrown back at his front door after a brutal beating.

When Father Hong saw the state his son was in, he was shocked, while Mother Hong cried hysterically, heartbroken and screaming, demanding to know which bastard had beaten her son up so badly.

It took two days of lying in the hospital before Hong Shirong finally came to, but he remained terrified.

Their methods had been terrifying—he didn’t even know how he’d survived. Even now, thinking back on it filled him with lingering fear and deep regret.

He was covered in injuries of all sizes. The visible wounds were bad enough, but they paled in comparison to the psychological ones he couldn’t show.

Seeing his son tortured into such a state, Father Hong was furious and kept demanding to know who had done it. Though he often scolded his son for being useless, that didn’t mean others could beat him up like this—he had nearly died! There was no way he could just let this go.

But how could Hong Shirong dare say it was Su Heng and his people? Never mind that he was in the wrong to begin with—their identities alone were enough to make him fear them. Even if his father found out, what could he possibly do?

How… how could she really be Su Heng’s sister, the Xi family’s daughter-in-law? Why hadn’t he listened? Why hadn’t he done his research? Now everything was ruined—completely ruined.

Unable to get anything out of him and seeing how anxious and dazed he still looked, the Hong parents didn’t have the heart to push. They decided to wait a few days until he was better before asking again.

But before Father Hong could get a proper explanation, his company was hit by a sudden string of problems. He ended up stuck in the office day and night, holding constant meetings, desperately trying to survive this baffling crisis.

He had a feeling this wasn’t a coincidence—someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. Every move seemed to target his company precisely. And to make matters worse, there seemed to be another force squeezing him from all sides. No matter how hard he tried, no help came, and his efforts remained fruitless.

Who was it? Who was determined to make things so hard for him?

Frowning deeply, Father Hong suddenly thought of his son still lying in the hospital. His eyes flashed coldly—could this be connected to what had happened to him?

Hmph, they want to make a move before he even lifted a finger? Did they think he was some pushover? He hadn’t gotten this far in the capital by being soft. Fine—he would meet this enemy head-on and see what they were really capable of. His son’s suffering would not go unanswered.

The ones targeting the Hong Corporation were none other than Xi Yuechen and Liang Bo’an.

Of course, Xi Yuechen knew Liang Bo’an had gotten involved, but he didn’t bother interfering. Since they’d already made things clear, as long as it didn’t go overboard, he didn’t care.

Xi Yuechen wasn’t very involved in business matters. He had never invested or interfered in commerce, so asking him to suppress the Hong Corporation through business means would have been difficult. Fortunately, Gu Jiawei was an all-rounder—he dabbled in many industries. Though not a business tycoon, he was more than capable of dealing with someone like the Hongs.

When Xi Yuechen was younger, he’d once saved Gu Jiawei by chance, and Gu had treated him as a lifelong brother ever since. They had stayed in touch for years, and Gu always helped him without reservation.

This time, Xi Yuechen handed the matter over to Gu Jiawei. He knew how Gu operated—there was no way the Hongs would come out of this comfortably.

As for Hong Shirong… well, they’d take their time with him.

Meanwhile, Su Ruo had been waking up late every day recently. Sure enough, when she opened her eyes today, it was another bright, sunny day.

Not only had she been waking up late, but she hadn’t even cooked. It was either takeout or food made by Xi Yuechen, who cooked more often than he ordered—he disliked how unhealthy takeout was.

So these past few days, Su Ruo had been living the life of a pampered house cat, carefree and content. The most exercise she got was wandering aimlessly around the house.

She stretched lazily before slowly getting out of bed. After wetting a towel to gently wipe her face, she squinted into the mirror.

Tsk tsk. She had to admit—her skin really was smooth and delicate, like egg whites. After admiring herself for a while, she finally picked up her toothbrush and started brushing.

Unlike her leisure, Xi Yuechen had been quietly tidying up the house, lips pressed tight as though contemplating something.

Though Xi Yuechen could be domineering, he wasn’t a chauvinist. He hadn’t let Su Ruo do anything around the house in the past few days—he handled it all himself.

He had applied for this leave himself. With the recent military exercises finished and no other tasks on hand, and the higher-ups pleased with his performance, he had been granted time off.

But today, another call came. The day after rescuing Su Ruo, he had already received the order to return. He had delayed, citing that there wasn’t much to do at the base. It was the first time in his life that he had delayed returning—technically a misuse of authority—but how could he leave when Su Ruo was in that state?

The order this time: return today.

The commendation ceremony was tomorrow. But what about Ruo Ruo?

As Su Ruo hummed her way out of the bedroom, she saw Xi Yuechen silently wiping down the table.

He looked… unhappy.

She could now vaguely sense his moods—at least she could tell if he was in a good or bad one.

What happened? Why’s he like this? She walked over and called softly, “Commander.”

Xi Yuechen snapped out of his thoughts, adjusted his expression, and turned back to her. “You’re up? Go eat.”

Su Ruo followed him to the dining room and sat down at the table, waiting for him to serve the food. Though she always woke up late, Xi Yuechen never ate without her.

“Commander, are you in a bad mood today?” she asked, nibbling her chopsticks.

He paused before answering, meeting her eyes. “The unit has a commendation ceremony tomorrow. Why don’t you come along? You wanted to see it, right?”

Su Ruo blinked in surprise. “Really? I can go too?”

Seeing her expression, Xi Yuechen’s mood lightened slightly. He nodded. “Family members can attend.”

“Then I’ll go. I want to see it!” she said happily.

The military base! She’d never been there. And a commendation ceremony no less—of course she had to go! She wanted to see him receiving his award.

“Alright. Pack your things later and we’ll head out,” he said calmly, picking up his chopsticks. Though his tone remained flat, there was a hint of warmth in his eyes.

“Eh? We’re leaving today?” she asked, surprised.

“Orders from the top—I have to return today. We’ll go together.” No way he’d leave her home alone again. That was the whole reason for his dilemma before.

But what about after tomorrow? He wouldn’t have time off again soon, and if he was reassigned to a different region, things would only get busier.

“But He Wen just called and said everyone wanted to meet up. Isn’t it rude not to go?”

Su Heng had returned her phone the day they went to the military compound, saying it was found in that guy Hong’s villa. Thankfully, it wasn’t damaged.

“Then let’s meet them after breakfast, then visit home. After that, we can head out.”

Xi Yuechen thought it over. They had to stop by both families anyway. If they squeezed everything into one day, it would still work.

As soon as she heard that, Su Ruo lost her appetite and jumped up to pack. She was stopped and made to eat a little before being let go.

Since they’d be staying at the base for a couple of days, she figured she needed to bring quite a few things. She dragged out her suitcase and stuffed it with skincare products, clothes, slippers, and pajamas.

When Xi Yuechen walked in and saw what she was packing, his expression darkened. Was she really bringing a pillow too?

“Leave the toothbrush and pillow. No need.”

Su Ruo was happily packing when he cut her off. She turned to him, confused. “Aren’t you living alone?”

Did that mean… there was another woman’s stuff there?

He could guess what she was thinking from her look. This woman…

“There’s a full set of new stuff there,” he said, taking the items from her hands and putting them back.

“Oh… okay, I won’t bring them then.” She flopped onto the bed and let him pack instead. Her hand still wasn’t fully healed, and she was slow anyway.

Meanwhile, He Wen called Liang Bo’an to ask if he’d be joining later. Liang declined.

Watching the two of them together had been painful enough before—he had no desire to torture himself again.

After what happened, Mu You had installed more surveillance equipment and hired a few skilled bodyguards to monitor the premises at all times, just in case trouble came knocking again.

When Su Ruo and Xi Yuechen arrived at Mu You, everyone else was already there. It was the first time they had seen her since the incident, and they had all been worried sick.

“Ruo Ruo, you’re finally here!”

As soon as she opened the door, she heard He Wen shout.

“Yeah, I’m here. What’s with all the drama? It’s not like I died,” she joked.

“Pfft! Don’t jinx it,” Duan Wei frowned. It was bad luck to say things like that after such a close call.

“I was just kidding! See? You all missed me so much. Good job,” Su Ruo said with a smile. She knew they had been worried, but here she was—safe and sound.

Seeing her like that, everyone in the room finally relaxed. They hadn’t been able to see her these past couple of days and had no idea how she was doing. Now that they saw her looking fine, they could breathe easy.

After she and Xi Yuechen sat down, He Wen called Su Ruo over to sit beside her.

She couldn’t bring herself to sit near Xi Yuechen again—just thinking about it made her feel awkward.

After telling him, Su Ruo moved over. As soon as she sat down, she was surrounded by the others.

Xi Yuechen and Xi Yuehui sat on the sofa, quietly watching her chat and laugh among the group, not disturbing her.

Xi Yuehui discreetly glanced at his older brother and noticed where his eyes were fixed. He chuckled to himself.

“Bro, when are you heading back to the base? It’s about time, right?”

Xi Yuechen withdrew his gaze and, without looking at his brother, said calmly, “Today.”

“Today? What about sis-in-law? Is she going home?”

“She’s coming with me.”

“What?!” Xi Yuehui blurted out in surprise.

“Problem?” Xi Yuechen shot him a look that made him shiver.

“No, no! Totally reasonable!” he quickly replied.

Only after his brother turned away did Xi Yuehui breathe a sigh of relief.

Sure, it was perfectly normal for a wife to follow her husband, but it still felt weird seeing his brother actually doing it…

Since they still had to visit Zhengjia Courtyard and the military compound, they didn’t stay long at Mu You. Before leaving, Su Ruo promised that once she came back from the base, they’d all meet again for a long, heartfelt catch-up.

Both families were fully supportive of Su Ruo going to the base. It would help her get used to Xi Yuechen’s lifestyle, which would be good if she was to join him as a military spouse in the future. Su Ruo, unaware of their true intentions, was simply excited and eager to go.

Only Shen Liang and Zhang Huaqing made a point of reminding her to go home afterward—don’t stay alone at Jingyue Mingdu. They were still shaken by what had happened last time.

And so, Su Ruo set off for the military base for the first time in her life.