He was a disabled military officer who doted on his research work in the Northwest.

Military region office building. Duty room.

Chen Zhiyuan has been sleeping here all this time.

A cot and a military blanket.

There were files piled on the table.

It was past ten o'clock, and he was still writing a training report.

There was a knock on the door three times.

"Come in."

The door opened.

Mu Qinghan walked in, leaning on her cane.

Chen Zhiyuan immediately stood up: "Commander? So late—"

"Sit down." Mu Qinghan sat down on the chair opposite the cot and leaned his cane against the table.

Chen Zhiyuan noticed the calm on Mu Qinghan's face that only appeared before issuing an important order. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

He spoke first, "Zhiyuan."

"exist."

"I plan to return to Beijing, and I'd like to entrust you with the troupe's affairs in the future."

"Commander, this is too sudden." Chen Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment.

"Your leg is almost healed, isn't it? I don't want you to leave; the troupe can't function without you."

Mu Qinghan waved her hand. "Let me finish what I have to say. I've thought this through carefully. I'm not here to say goodbye. Zhiyuan, your ability, character, and prestige are impeccable in the troupe. I've carefully considered having you take over. But there's one thing I'm worried about."

"Liu Fang," Mu Qinghan's gaze fell on his face, "is not suitable for you."

Chen Zhiyuan's body stiffened slightly. "I..."

"You must have sensed it too, which is why you're hiding in the office and not going home, right?"

"Um..." Chen Zhiyuan lowered his head. "She's my fiancée. Everyone back home knows about our marriage; we just need that one piece of paperwork. But..."

Ever since the wine Liu Fang brought him last time seemed off, he's been hiding in his office, not wanting to see her.

But he didn't know what to do with the engagement.

Should we call off the engagement? After all, we've known each other for so long.

If he didn't back down, it felt like there was a thorn stuck in his heart.

"I don't know what happened between you two before, but wasn't it her who encouraged you to act rashly last time?"

Chen Zhiyuan clenched the fabric on his knees. "Commander, she's a woman, she doesn't understand anything."

"I can let bygones be bygones regarding what happened last time; I'll consider it her ignorance and lack of understanding of the rules. But there's something else you don't know."

Mu Qinghan looked at his clenched hands and slowly said, "You probably know that the vegetable garden in my yard was destroyed a while ago. We found out today. It was Liu Fang who instigated a child in the compound to water it with milk."

"What?" Chen Zhiyuan's expression changed. Of course he knew about what happened that time; it caused quite a stir in the compound. Shen Tang stopped talking about it, and many people went to see what was going on.

"She told the children that watering vegetables with pure milk would make them grow strong," Mu Qinghan said in a low voice, "but they all died."

"Could she... be mistaken?" He couldn't believe that Liu Fang would do such a despicable thing.

"Afterwards, she told the children not to tell anyone, saying that doing good deeds should not leave one's name."

Chen Zhiyuan opened his mouth, but could no longer speak.

He knew in his heart that if someone could say those words, then it wasn't a misunderstanding.

If they could drug him, it's not surprising that they would encourage the child to destroy the vegetable garden.

Mu Qinghan looked at him, "Zhiyuan, I came to see you today not to avenge Shen Tang. The vegetables can be replanted. Besides, Shen Tang herself isn't pursuing the matter anymore."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I came to find you—because you are my brother."

Chen Zhiyuan's throat tightened.

"This woman is wicked." Mu Qinghan said each word clearly.

"She encouraged you to act rashly, using your future as a bargaining chip. Destroying the vegetable garden was insidious. Instigating a six-year-old to do bad things is despicable and has no moral compass."

He looked into Chen Zhiyuan's eyes. "Having someone like that around—she'll ruin you sooner or later. You're my brother, and I can't bear to see you dragged down by her. I'm even more worried about leaving her in the military region."

The duty room remained quiet for a long time.

Only the sound of the wind outside the window.

Chen Zhiyuan sat on a cot, his hands supporting his knees, his head bowed.

He remembered many things.

When Liu Fang first appeared before him, she was gentle, considerate, and caring. He thought he had found a good woman.

Later, at some point, she began to hint that he should be more ambitious. "Zhiyuan, with your abilities, the position of regimental commander will be yours sooner or later."

Later, she started encouraging him to take risks. "If you can succeed in this mission—"

He almost got into trouble that time. He got a scolding from Mu Qinghan.

Wang Xiulian from the compound also gave him a heads-up; everyone else could see it. He still pretended to be an ostrich, deceiving himself.

At the time, he felt a thorn in his heart, but later he comforted himself, thinking that maybe Liu Fang just wanted to live a good life and was instigating her future husband to climb the social ladder. Although she was a bit mercenary, it wasn't a big crime.

But the yellow wine that day…

He only took one sip. He could tell the taste was off.

He didn't ask any further questions.

He chose to escape, living in the office and not going home.

It wasn't that he was afraid, but that he didn't know how to face it.

The woman who has always been by his side may not be the person he thought she was.

Now Mu Qinghan has laid everything out in front of him.

Reckless actions, destroying vegetable gardens, and instigating children.

The regimental commander was unaware that he had been drugged.

One pile, one piece.

Chen Zhiyuan closed his eyes.

"I understand." His voice was hoarse. "Commander, I'll handle it myself."

Mu Qinghan looked at him but didn't ask him how he would solve the problem.

"Alright." He stood up, picked up his cane, and said, "You decide for yourself."

He walked to the door and paused.

There was no turning back.

"Ambition."

"exist."

"I've already mentioned your succession to Commander Su. I'll be leaving soon. I'm at ease leaving the regiment in your care."

He paused for a moment.

"But the prerequisite is that your surroundings must be clean. Such a menace cannot be allowed to remain."

The door closed behind me.

Chen Zhiyuan sat in the duty room for a long time.

……

the next day.

Chen Zhiyuan then went home.

Liu Fang is cooking in the kitchen.

Hearing the door open, she turned around, and a gentle smile immediately bloomed on her face.

"Zhiyuan! You're back! I'll go buy groceries and cook your favorite dish right away—"

"Liu Fang, you don't need to bother anymore."

Chen Zhiyuan stood at the kitchen doorway.

His expression was calm and resolute, something Liu Fang had never seen before.

"Sit down. I have something to tell you."

Liu Fang's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over her, and her smile froze.

She slowly put down the spatula and sat down at the table.

Chen Zhiyuan took an envelope out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Liu Fang glanced at it; the envelope was bulging.

"There's three hundred yuan inside," Chen Zhiyuan said. "It's what I've saved up over the years. It's not much, but it's enough for you to settle down back in your hometown."

Liu Fang's face turned pale instantly.

"Zhiyuan—what do you mean?"

"Liu Fang, we're not a good match. Let's end it here."

Her voice was soft, but it was like a bucket of ice water being poured over her head.

Liu Fang felt dizzy and lightheaded. After a few seconds, she suddenly stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a loud thud.

"Why?! Tell me why! What's wrong with me? I've been waiting for you here for so long, taking care of the house for you—"

"Liu Fang," Chen Zhiyuan interrupted her, "you know what you've done."