Chapter 213: Sense of Crisis
“Hello, comrade. Is there anything I can help you with?” Ning Xiyue put down her cup and looked curiously at the young soldier who had suddenly appeared, asking politely.
Following his sister’s gaze, Ning Qingyuan also looked over — and the moment he saw the young soldier’s expression, he knew something was off.
His eyes grew cautious as he guardedly watched the soldier standing next to his sister. Thinking of Comrade Ji’s authority in the unit, he decided to borrow that reputation a little.
“Comrade, what business do you have with us? Did Company Commander Ji send you to give us a message? Or is it something else?”
The young soldier had just enlisted, and Ji Yanming was his drill instructor — a man who had put him through countless rounds of hellish training and harsh discipline.
Now, the moment he heard Ji’s name, images of the cold, stern face of Instructor Ji pushing him into extra drills flashed in his mind. His body instinctively tensed up and started trembling. He waved his hands frantically and shook his head hard, his face flushing red.
“N–No… I…”
Ning Xiyue stared at the young soldier, watching him shiver just because of something her second brother had said.
He had originally been a little shy and stuttered, but now, terrified, his stammer had gotten even worse. After a long while, he’d only managed to squeeze out three words. She couldn’t even understand what he was trying to say — he couldn’t form a single complete sentence.
Was she the scary one here? Or was Comrade Ji really that intimidating? Just hearing his name made the poor guy shake like that? Surely not.
Lately, Comrade Ji often wore a smile on his face — he didn’t look scary anymore, did he?
Ning Qingyuan felt pleased and proud of himself — Brother Ji’s reputation really was useful. Ha! That should keep this guy in check. He better not even think about making a move on his sister.
Seeing the young soldier standing there, anxious and helpless, not knowing what to do, Ning Xiyue pointed at the sunflower seeds and candy placed on the empty seat nearby, trying to ease his nerves:
“Comrade, there’s no rush. Why don’t you sit down, have some seeds, and rest a bit before talking?”
“Yueyue, here’s the hot water — where’s your cup? Give it to me.”
At some point, Comrade Ji had returned, holding a thermos. He smiled at Ning Xiyue as he spoke, while simultaneously shooting a cold, meaningful look at the young soldier, letting him figure out the rest himself.
“Zhao Xiaochun.”
“Here!”
The young soldier, who hadn’t even sat down yet, immediately stood up ramrod straight on instinct. But as soon as he received that look from the “Great Demon King,” the fear and dread that had just barely subsided surged back again.
With the real person now right in front of him, the pressure felt even more overwhelming. Images of the previous torturous training flashed uncontrollably in his mind. His legs trembled, and he wanted nothing more than to run away. With his head lowered, he croaked out, “H–Hello, Instructor Ji.”
Ji Yanming half-squinted at the soldier in front of him — who, it seemed, had come to compete for someone — and parted his thin lips to say coldly:
“Zhao Xiaochun, they need you over there to help receive the families of the newlyweds.”
“Yes, Instructor!”
The moment Zhao Xiaochun heard those words, he was overjoyed and quickly saluted before running off. Whatever he had originally come here for completely slipped his mind — all he cared about was that the Great Demon King wasn’t mad at him.
Ning Xiyue watched the young soldier dart away like a monkey, vanishing in the blink of an eye, and blinked in surprise.
He really was terrified of Comrade Ji. But wow — that running speed, no wonder he’s a soldier.
Seeing the young soldier run off, Ning Qingyuan finally felt half-relieved — the other half still depended on Comrade Ji’s next move.
As for Ji Yanming, who had successfully gotten rid of the “threat,” he was in a much better mood. He opened the thermos and poured water into Ning Xiyue’s cup, then filled Ning Qingyuan’s cup as well.
“The water’s ready — careful, it’s hot. Just boiled.”
After that warm reminder, he casually sat down right in the spot where the young soldier had intended to sit earlier. With a bright smile, he began chatting with the siblings about today’s collective wedding.
The young soldier, now passing out candy, accidentally glanced over and jumped again. His heart was filled with dread.
Since when did the Great Demon King smile so cheerfully? Was he plotting something again?
Oh no, oh no, he shouldn’t have let others talk him into coming over in the first place. Now he was doomed. The more the Demon King smiled, the harsher he’d probably be with him later!
No, he had to work harder, do more, and prove himself worthy of forgiveness. He didn’t want to be the only one suffering under the Demon King’s training.
The poor kid would never know the truth — and so, he threw himself into serving the wedding with all his heart, taking on every task he could, growing even happier the more he did.
Meanwhile, the “Great Demon King” he so feared was sitting there trying to win a girl’s heart.
That young soldier’s sudden appearance had stirred a strong sense of crisis in Ji Yanming’s heart. There were too many “wolves” around here — he had to stay put and keep watch. And he needed to do something to feel secure.
Since Ning Xiyue was interested in the collective wedding, Ji began explaining the ceremony process to her, along with stories from the preparations.
The siblings had already been fascinated by the idea of a military wedding, and since Comrade Ji had helped organize many of them, he knew the process inside out.
As he explained, the two listened with rapt attention. Whenever they had questions, they asked for details, and he cleared up many of their doubts, giving them deeper insight into military weddings and broadening their horizons.
They also felt newfound respect for military marriages.
Whether it was the soldiers themselves or their families, they were all remarkable. The siblings had truly come to understand that after their elder brother’s recent injury.
When Ji finished, Ning Qingyuan raised his cup gratefully. “Brother Ji, thank you for all your hard work organizing my big brother’s wedding.”
“Thank you so much,” Ning Xiyue echoed, also raising her cup.
“It’s my duty,” Ji replied, lifting his own cup to clink glasses with them.
The three continued chatting on other topics.
But this time, Ji Yanming wasn’t just making small talk — he had a purpose.
He shared funny stories he’d experienced, deliberately revealed bits about his background and career that he could talk about, and guided the siblings to share about themselves too. This helped them learn more about each other and strengthened their bond.
After getting the information he wanted, Ji skillfully steered the conversation toward topics that interested Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan. Whatever the subject, he had something to say — his opinions often aligned with theirs, and they found they had a lot in common.
The conversation was productive — a meaningful exchange that brought them closer and more familiar with one another. All three genuinely enjoyed it.
This made Ning Qingyuan think highly of Comrade Ji. He suddenly felt that Ji liking his sister wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. But since she was still young and had gone through that awful situation with Zhang Yuan, he would have to watch closely and protect her carefully.
Ning Xiyue was amazed to discover how much Comrade Ji really knew. He was intelligent, quick-thinking, and could even keep up with her fast, jumpy thoughts shaped by the modern era of big data — truly impressive.
She couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. When she first met him, he spoke little, his face was dark and cold — he was the embodiment of a grim-faced Yama King.
Who would’ve thought that, once she got to know him, she’d find that he was actually talkative, knowledgeable, witty, and often smiling — his face even looked brighter and friendlier. He’d gone from being a “Black-Faced Yama” to the approachable, helpful “big brother next door.”
She truly admired and respected Comrade Ji. It was no wonder that he had already become a company commander at only twenty-one.
Her older brother’s recent promotion was proof enough — Ji Yanming, as the person in charge, must have earned significant merit, though perhaps his young age had delayed further promotions.
His future was limitless.
Among all the peers she had met — apart from her family — he was by far the most outstanding. Who knew how much effort he had put in to get here.
She was glad to have such an excellent friend.
Ji Yanming, meanwhile, was even happier. He had learned a lot about Ning Xiyue’s interests and could clearly feel that her attitude toward him was shifting — the emotional distance between them had shrunk considerably.
And Ning Qingyuan’s attitude toward him had softened slightly too. All of these were promising signs.
It was worth pulling out his top-notch information-gathering skills just for this conversation.
Ji glanced at his watch — it was time for the wedding ceremony. The newlyweds were ready at the entrance. He motioned for the siblings to look.
“The ceremony is about to begin.”
