Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Vice Minister Zheng waved his hand: "Alright, alright, I told you there must be a special reason behind this. I know Commander Li's character; he must have his reasons for doing this. Luckily, Lili, you didn't cause any major trouble today, otherwise you would have tarnished the reputation of this meritorious official."

Don't bring up the housing allocation issue again. Now that things are clear, everyone should stop spreading rumors. Okay, let's leave it at that. I don't want to hear any more gossip about this.

Wang Lili murmured, "No—" Wait, let her think of another way; there must be a solution here.

Just then, a military jeep drove by and stopped.

Everyone looked over, and there was Uncle Ding jumping out of the car. Uncle Ding was so happy that he couldn't stop grinning. He looked at so many people and wondered what was going on, but when he saw Su Wanqing, he quickly ran over with a bunch of things in his arms.

Immediately afterwards, another person got off the car—his long, straight legs stretched out, and then Zhou Yanshen appeared in everyone's sight.

His military uniform, which he was originally wearing, was now torn in many places and had faint bloodstains. But even though he was a bit disheveled, it couldn't erase his cold and handsome appearance. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a pine-like figure, and a face with distinct features. Even though one of his hands was hanging unnaturally at his side, it did not diminish his cold and heroic spirit in the slightest.

The way he stood there was like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath, making people afraid to look him in the eye.

The man's icy aura softened slightly upon seeing Su Wanqing. He turned to the driver and said, "Xiao Sun, you can go back now."

Su Wanqing waved to the two of them: "Uncle, Yanshen, what are you two doing in the same car? Uncle, why did you go out? Yanshen, are you injured?"

Zhou Yanshen first waved to Su Wanqing, then frowned at the two familiar women in the crowd—are they here to cause trouble again?

Before Uncle Ding could even realize what was happening, he rattled off the story: "Hey, I was fighting in the house this afternoon when a young soldier ran up to me and asked me to pick up Yan Shen's promotion papers. He also said that Yan Shen was injured and went to the hospital."

When I heard this, I was so scared that I wanted to go to the hospital too. But the young soldier said that Yan Shen was fine; he had just been injured in an accident during a mission, and then performed a major merit, so the organization rewarded Yan Shen with a promotion on the spot.

Uncle Ding recounted what happened that afternoon—he first helped complete the various procedures for Yan Shen's promotion to deputy division commander, then went to the hospital to see Zhou Yan Shen and treat his wounds, which is why he came back so late.

Su Wanqing immediately looked at Zhou Yanshen.

Zhou Yanshen stood upright with his tall frame and walked normally, except for one hand hanging down with his fingertips slightly white.

He strode over, gently pulled Su Wanqing into his arms with his uninjured hand, and gave her a light hug. A faint smell of disinfectant wafted over, before he quickly returned to a proper distance.

"Wanqing, don't worry, I'm fine. I just had a minor injury and needed some stitches, it's nothing serious." He then looked at the crowd around him and frowned. "What's going on? Why are you all gathered here?"

In public, Zhou Yanshen generally doesn't hold Su Wanqing or do anything indecent, especially in broad daylight.

As for being at home, so be it... no one will see it anyway.

In short, Zhou Yanshen is quite traditional and sensitive about his image; he generally wouldn't kiss her cheek as a greeting in front of other military families.

Vice Minister Zheng came over and shook hands with Zhou Yanshen: "Hello, Comrade Zhou, first of all, congratulations on your promotion. We'll discuss the specifics later."

Then he gave a brief explanation, speaking tactfully and with considerable skill. However, Zhou Yanshen still caught on and glanced at Wang Lili and Chen Yuchun.

At this moment, Aunt Xie chimed in from the side:

"Comrade Zhou, it was these two women who reported this afternoon that your family was occupying public land. They even called so many people from the logistics department, and they slandered Dr. Su, saying she came from the countryside and had no connections to return to the city. They also said her background was unclean and said some really nasty things! If these two women hadn't made such a fuss and called so many people, no one would have known about these things. They also said that you, a regimental commander, must have used connections to live here, and they even talked about my son." Aunt Xie rattled off a string of complaints.

Su Wanqing silently gave Aunt Xie a thumbs up, then gently stroked her belly and delicately held Zhou Yanshen's hand.

Zhou Yan took a deep breath, his face ashen, and in front of everyone, he put one arm around Su Wanqing's waist, looking at Wang Lili and the other person:

"Indiscriminate slander, spreading rumors, and malicious defamation are serious violations of discipline. Tomorrow I will report your actions to the organization truthfully."

Chen Yuchun's heart melted as she watched Zhou Yanshen walk towards her so handsomely—she had never seen such a restrained man. The previous times she had seen Zhou Yanshen without his military uniform, but today, in it, he looked both incredibly handsome and dashing.

But seeing him holding Su Wanqing and saying such cold and heartless words, she felt her heart was breaking.

Wang Lili pointed at Zhou Yanshen incredulously: "You...aren't you the regimental commander? How did you get promoted to deputy division commander? Are you kidding me? How could you be promoted again just a few days after being promoted to regimental commander?"

Zhou Yanshen kept a straight face and didn't say anything, disdainful of explaining.

Uncle Ding, however, immediately produced the relevant appointment documents and scoffed, "What's so special about that? This morning, Yan Shen apprehended a hidden spy during a mission. The spy was carrying documents meant to steal state secrets and was also armed with a knife and a gun. If Yan Shen hadn't single-handedly intercepted seven or eight people and beaten them to the ground, our secret would have been exposed long ago. Isn't that enough for a promotion?"

Wang Lili's eyes widened: "Even catching a spy shouldn't warrant such a huge achievement, right?"

At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out: "What if it's a state secret? This achievement is enough to warrant a promotion, as it involves national security."

Suddenly, Division Commander Li walked over; he knew about the incident. He shook hands with Zhou Yanshen and said, "Thanks to you today, we were able to salvage the country's losses. Good lad, you're truly remarkable."

Zhou Yanshen only said one sentence: "It's my duty."

Su Wanqing watched Zhou Yanshen from the side and also felt that it was a bit outrageous, but when she thought of the original plot—the male lead was promoted to army commander in half a year after returning to the city—she knew that this was not outrageous.

Zhou Yanshen is back in the city now, and his path to rapid advancement is about to begin. Buckle up, Zhou Yanshen is about to undergo a rocket-like upgrade!

Just then, Aunt Xie saw her son arrive and muttered a few words to Commander Li, feeling aggrieved.

Commander Li then looked at Wang Lili and Chen Yuchun: "You two have seriously slandered meritorious officials and spread false rumors, with extremely negative consequences. How to handle this matter is up to Comrade Zhou Yanshen. I think he's right; we still need to report this to the organization!"