RMM – Chapter 71 Some Rejoice, Some Grieve

“Lu Yue?” Duan Wei exclaimed in surprise.

“You came out drinking without calling me? How boring to drink alone.”

Lu Yue walked over and sat down beside Duan Wei. After giving her a casual smile, he turned to the bartender and said, “A glass of whiskey.”

Lu Yue’s slightly flippant attitude made Mo Qi frown even more deeply. He had seen Lu Yue a few times before. In fact, he didn’t like most of Duan Wei’s friends.

“You’re her friend, so how can you let her drink excessively?”

Mo Qi’s tone was somewhat reproachful—sure enough, these second-generation rich kids and officials all lived such decadent lives.

“This is called excessive drinking? Then on regular days, wouldn’t we be swimming in wine and meat? Let me tell you something—this is called tasting.”

Lu Yue’s tone was full of disdain.

It was no secret in their circle that Duan Wei liked Mo Qi, and even more so, it was no secret that Lu Yue had always had deep feelings for Duan Wei. Now seeing Mo Qi, Lu Yue’s jealousy naturally flared up.

Mo Qi was caught off guard by that response. He turned to look at Duan Wei, who was quietly sitting beside them. Normally, she’d stand up for her friends if someone was rude to them, but today she remained unusually silent, as if none of this had anything to do with her.

Seeing this, Lu Yue let out a cold snort, stopped paying attention to Mo Qi, and turned to Duan Wei: “So, what do you say? Shall we continue?”

Lu Yue had been bored that evening, aimlessly driving around. When he passed by this bar, he instinctively stopped the car. He had been here with Weiwei a few times before.

Since he had nothing else to do, he figured he might as well go in and have a couple of drinks.

He never expected to see such a scene the moment he stepped inside. The joy in his heart at seeing Duan Wei was instantly shattered by the presence of the man next to her.

Damn it! Why was this guy always lingering around like a ghost? He was everywhere!

As he approached, he happened to hear Mo Qi lecturing. A surge of anger immediately flared up in his chest. Who did this guy think he was? Acting all bossy. Since when did Weiwei need you meddling in her affairs?

Duan Wei downed the last of her drink before finally speaking. “Of course we’ll continue.” She glanced at Mo Qi, who was still standing there, then frowned. “But let’s go somewhere else.”

Perfect! Lu Yue praised the moment inwardly.

“Sure, I’ll take you to a great place.” He put down his glass with a smile. Drinking here in front of this guy, he was worried he might choke.

Duan Wei stood as if she were about to leave, not even sparing Mo Qi a single glance.

Mo Qi had never been treated so coldly by Duan Wei before. An indescribable feeling welled up inside him—it was deeply unpleasant.

“Duan Wei.” He couldn’t help but call out to her.

“What is it?” Duan Wei tidied her hair, her tone calm and distant.

“Don’t go drinking anymore, it’s bad for your health. Go home.”

Goddamn it! You think I don’t know drinking is bad for my health? Who needs you preaching? Lu Yue was cursing Mo Qi to hell and back in his heart, but in front of Duan Wei, he didn’t dare show it. He could only shoot him a vicious glare.

“Thanks for your concern, but I don’t need it, Mr. Mo.” Duan Wei walked straight out the bar without looking back.

Lu Yue didn’t even have time to glance at Mo Qi and immediately chased after her.

Mo Qi stood rooted to the spot, swaying slightly. Mr. Mo… Had things between them grown so distant?

Duan Wei collapsed into the passenger seat of Lu Yue’s car as if all her strength had been drained away. She slumped in the chair, staring out the window in silence.

Lu Yue was naturally worried seeing her like this, but what could he do? He could only stay silent and not disturb her.

Duan Wei’s heart ached bitterly. The more she pretended to be strong on the outside, the deeper her wounds ran. She had decided to forget him—so why did they have to meet again? How could she possibly move on now?

From the beginning, the two of them were never from the same world.

“You’re really pretty. Can we be friends?”

The speaker was a little girl in a frilly pink dress, her hair tied in two pigtails. In front of her stood a boy in a plaid shirt, his features delicate and cute.

“No, I don’t want to play with you,” the boy replied stubbornly.

“If you play with me, I’ll give you chocolate. It’s really good—my uncle brought it from abroad!” The little girl smiled sweetly. He was so handsome—she really wanted to be his friend.

“I don’t want it! I don’t want to be friends with rich kids. Take your stupid chocolate away!” the little boy shouted as he slapped the chocolate from her hand and ran off. He’d seen her get out of a fancy car—she was rich. And rich people were all bad. They always bullied him!

The little girl stood frozen for a moment before bursting into tears. She felt so wronged that the adults rushed over to comfort her, but no one could calm her down. Her eyes stared blankly in the direction the boy had run, her tiny hand tightly clutching a piece of chocolate.

That was Duan Wei and Mo Qi’s first meeting as children.

That night, lights sparkled in ten thousand homes—some basked in joy, others steeped in sorrow.

When Su Ruo woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She rubbed her eyes and tried to get up, but groaned and collapsed back down. Her whole body ached!

She glared around, wanting to confront the culprit, only to realize she was alone. Then she remembered—this was the military base, and Xi Yuechen had probably already left.

From the window, she could hear distant shouts of drills. Su Ruo sighed in frustration and lay back down like a corpse.

Unable to find the culprit, Su Ruo was filled with intense “morning grumpiness.” Every time they slept together, she couldn’t get out of bed the next day. The man was an absolute beast!

Sure, she had teased him first last night, even tugging there—but that didn’t mean he had to go into full heat in the bathroom! And for so long, too! Cold walls were nothing like a bed. No wonder she felt half-dead now.

Brute! Beast!

Su Ruo realized that the longer she stayed with Xi Yuechen, the more her impression of him changed—he had completely shattered the aloof, refined image from their first meeting. Now he was nothing more than a common mortal!

Just as Su Ruo was stewing in her frustration, her phone on the nightstand rang. She reached over, wondering who it could be.

Tsk. Speak of the devil. She grunted and answered the call.

“What do you want?”

Xi Yuechen heard her clearly disgruntled voice over the phone—there was even a hint of fire in it—and the corners of his lips curved up slightly.

“You’re awake?” he asked, suppressing his laughter.

“Hmph, not really. I can’t get up.” Su Ruo was thoroughly annoyed. Her back was about to snap!

Knowing he was in the wrong, Xi Yuechen felt a little guilty at her tone. He cleared his throat and said, “Why don’t you rest a bit longer? I’ll have Wang Ze bring you something to eat, okay?” Wisely, he didn’t mention last night again.

Wang Ze? Su Ruo remembered that sunny-looking young soldier. But having him bring food to her… was that really okay?

“No. That’s embarrassing!” Maybe Xi Yuechen didn’t care, but she was still a woman. Staying in bed while someone delivered food to her—how humiliating!

“Stop fussing. You can’t use your hand right now. That’s it—Wang Ze will bring it over soon.”

Xi Yuechen didn’t give her a chance to object. In her condition, there was no point worrying about pride. Eating properly was what mattered.

Without another word, he hung up. He had a commendation ceremony to attend that afternoon—his schedule was packed.

Su Ruo stared at her phone, gritting her teeth. “Tyrant! Reincarnated turtle!” So overbearing!

She cursed him out loud, but her body didn’t dare slack off. Who knew how soon Wang Ze might show up? If he found her still lying in bed, she might as well never show her face again.

Ouch… her waist really hurt. Her legs were so sore too. Su Ruo gently rubbed her lower back and slowly got out of bed.

She limped her way into the bathroom. To her surprise, everything—towel, toothbrush—was already laid out. She only had to add water to wash up.

Her heart softened instantly. Though she snorted on the surface, her inner complaints evaporated in an instant.

After washing up and waiting a while, the doorbell finally rang. Su Ruo went to the door, took a deep breath, straightened her posture and face, determined not to let anyone see through her.

“Sister-in-law, good morning!” Wang Ze’s enthusiastic greeting startled her the moment she opened the door.

“Ah, hello Wang Ze.” Though surprised, Su Ruo quickly returned the smile.

“The commander said you injured your hand, so I brought you some food. Got it from the mess hall—I hope it’s to your liking,” Wang Ze said, beaming. He was quite pleased she remembered his name.

“Not at all, it looks great. Last night’s food was delicious too. Thank you for going out of your way again.” Su Ruo smiled apologetically. At least Xi Yuechen used a reasonable excuse—saved her some embarrassment.

“Don’t mention it, sister-in-law. It’s an honor to serve you! Well, I’ll be heading back to training now.”

As he handed over the lunchbox, he noticed the wound on her palm. His heart tightened—such a serious injury? Poor thing must be in pain. No wonder the commander was being so careful.

After Wang Ze left, Su Ruo finally let out a long breath and relaxed her stiff back. She was dying.

The food wasn’t fancy—just rice with two side dishes—but it tasted good, and Su Ruo ate with gusto.

After she finished, she stared at the dishes on the table with a frown. Should she clean them herself or wait for Xi Yuechen?

While she was still deliberating, her phone rang again.

Seriously… does he have a radar? She had just finished eating.

“Hello, Commander.”

Just from her tone, Xi Yuechen could tell her anger had mostly cooled.

“Done eating?”

“Yeah, just finished.”

Su Ruo eyed the dirty dishes, wondering if that was what he’d mention next.

“Just leave the dishes. Don’t touch water.”

Bingo. Su Ruo’s lips curled into a smug little smile. “Okay.”

“Good. Get some more rest. The commendation ceremony is in the afternoon—I’ll call you later.”

After hanging up, Su Ruo sighed contentedly. So proactive—fine, I’ll grant you the honor of cleaning the dishes, Commander Xi.

She hobbled slowly back to the bedroom, clutching her sore back. What should I wear later? It has to be something proper and elegant… and my hair? Should I style it?

But then she thought: With a body this drained from indulgence, is it really appropriate to attend such a solemn ceremony? She sighed speechlessly.