Chapter 244: Return to the Army — Part 1
If Wang Chunmei truly pushed Sheng Wanyan to her limit one day, Wanyan might actually follow through and divorce Gu Tingxiao.
It had been no easy feat for the third brother to finally marry, let alone secure a wife as exceptional as Sheng Wanyan. Mother Gu had completely washed her hands of the fourth branch, but she absolutely refused to let their toxicity ruin the third brother’s happiness!
“Mom, I wasn’t just speaking out of anger,” Wanyan said quietly, her tone perfectly level. She wasn’t merely venting; she was voicing her exact, unyielding principles.
If Gu Tingxiao had let misplaced brotherly guilt override his judgment and actually agreed to adopt Gu Jingjing into their home, she would have filed the papers without a second thought. She had no intention of raising someone else’s child. If she did, how would she be any different from a stepmother caught in a web of family drama?
Furthermore, if Gu Tingxiao ever crossed a line or made a massive mistake in the future, she didn’t possess an endless reservoir of martyrdom to save everyone. She preferred to protect her own peace and boundaries, and she would never compromise her life for the sake of appearances.
Mother Gu: “…”
I know you are entirely serious, my girl, but please, let’s not break Lao San’s heart completely right now…
Mother Gu glanced over at Gu Tingxiao, and her chest tightened. The third brother looked ready to completely obliterate the fourth brother’s entire household.
Sensing the atmosphere was far too heavy, Gu Tingxiao stepped in to guide Wanyan back to their suite to rest. He was genuinely terrified that if his mother kept probing the issue, his wife might actually divorce him by tomorrow morning.
“Mom, we’re going to head back to our room first,” he said smoothly. Without giving Mother Gu a single fraction of a second to reply, he carefully steered Wanyan toward the staircase.
Mother Gu: “…”
Please, just grant me one more opportunity to smooth things over!
Downstairs, the remaining family members gathered around the old matriarch.
“What a spectacular disaster,” Grandma Gu sighed, rubbing her aching temples. She knew they could no longer permit the fourth daughter-in-law to linger around the main villa. If Wang Chunmei stayed, she would fracture the entire clan.
“From this day forward, ensure that woman is barred from hovering anywhere near the third boy’s wife,” Old Master Gu commanded, his voice deep and gravelly.
His bias was clear in the way he structured the command: one was referred to coldly as “that woman,” while Wanyan was elevated as “the third grandson’s wife.” The contrast was sharp and definitive.
“Once the fourth branch welcomes their newborn, if she dares to initiate a single dramatic scene again, order Tinghao to file for a formal divorce,” Grandma Gu added ruthlessly. She had completely lost patience with her fourth grandson’s wife. If Wang Chunmei continued to poison their dynamics, the family would splinter.
In truth, if Wang Chunmei weren’t currently heavily pregnant, her brazen act of plundering the family division capital and smuggling it back to the Wang estate would have been more than enough justification for Gu Tinghao to sever the marriage immediately. Regardless of the internal chaos, the descendants of the Gu line could never be left to be raised outside the family’s protection.
The moment the bedroom door clicked shut behind them, Gu Tingxiao became glued to Wanyan’s side. He wrapped his strong arms securely around her waist from behind, burying his face deep into the warm curve of her neck.
“Honey, please promise me you will never utter the word ‘divorce’ again, okay?” he rasped, his voice tight with raw anxiety. “We are never, ever getting a divorce.”
Gu Tingxiao was genuinely terrified. His wife was exceptionally independent—so fiercely independent, in fact, that she didn’t truly seem to need him to anchor her life. She could walk away from him the exact second her boundaries were violated, entirely unburdened by lingering sentimentality.
“If you ever dare to betray my trust or cheat on me, I will strip myself of the title of your wife instantly,” Wanyan replied, her voice soft but absolute. “And then there’s the issue of the children. I am only interested in raising our own biological flesh and blood.”
Gu Tingxiao tightened his embrace until there was no space between them. “I would never betray you, and I will never harbor another woman’s child. In this lifetime, the next lifetime, and every single existence that follows, my heart belongs exclusively to you. Everything will be dictated entirely by your parameters.”
Wanyan’s lips curved into a satisfied smile at his declaration, though as a pragmatic woman, she only ever permitted herself to believe three-quarters of what a man promised. She would judge Gu Tingxiao exclusively by his tangible, long-term actions; she enjoyed hearing sweet, devoted words, but she was entirely immune to romantic brainwashing.
“Then I shall keep a close eye on your performance,” she teased lightly.
“Deal. Just promise me the word ‘divorce’ is permanently banned from your vocabulary,” he pleaded, kissing her shoulder. “Honey, my chest physically aches the second those characters leave your lips.”
Wanyan offered a reassuring nod. She had only deployed the extreme threat today to establish her absolute, immovable boundary in front of the assembled Gu elders. For the senior patriarchs of the clan, fraternal brotherhood was a sacred, lifelong covenant, and she knew that down the line, they might occasionally expect the third branch to bend for the sake of family unity. By making her stance mercilessly clear today, she ensured that even if future complications arose, no one would ever possess the audacity to look to the third branch to absorb the fourth branch’s disasters.
But seeing how genuinely panicked Gu Tingxiao had become, she resolved never to weaponize the threat against him privately. Still, her point had been driven home to the rest of the Gu family flawlessly.
The following afternoon, Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao officially boarded the express train back to the northern city of Bing City.
Mother Gu and Liang Zhenna had deliberately cleared their demanding executive calendars for the day, spending their morning preparing a massive, luxurious cache of provisions to ensure the couple lacked nothing during their long journey. Given the freezing winter climate, the food would easily remain fresh for days, and since Wanyan was navigating her pregnancy, the family refused to let her endure a single drop of discomfort on the rails.
The massive hamper held fifteen hard-boiled eggs, three aluminum lunch boxes packed to the brim with braised meats and seasonal vegetables, and two containers of premium white rice. The remaining space was filled with fluffy, hand-made white flour buns and savory meat dumplings. If they somehow exhausted these supplies, they could easily purchase additional dishes from the train’s dining car—and while the transit meals were a bit more expensive, the Gu family didn’t care about a minor expense, and Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao cared even less. Under normal circumstances, Wanyan thoroughly pampered her own palate, and now that she was carrying a child, she was coddled twice as much.
“Tingxiao, you must exercise absolute, hyper-vigilant care in looking after Wanyan,” Mother Gu instructed anxiously as they stood on the crowded platform. “Keep a firm hand on her when navigating the crowded corridors. This specific parcel contains Wanyan’s prenatal supplements, and this heavy case is packed with specialty gifts for my in-laws. Ensure you don’t misplace them.”
Mother Gu had meticulously organized not only Wanyan’s supplies but a generous spread of luxury capital goods destined for the Sheng household.
“My leaves are formally approved for the first week of August, so I will arrive in Bing City well ahead of schedule,” she noted. “During this remaining interval, you must safeguard Wanyan’s health flawlessly. My in-laws are going to be working hard to support her, so you must demonstrate immense respect and consideration toward them. Whenever your official military duties force you to deploy on a mission, ensure your grandparents are fully briefed so they can watch over Wanyan.”
Mother Gu harbored an immense sense of gratitude toward the Sheng family, particularly the elder grandparents. The nature of the third brother’s elite military posting meant he could be pulled into high-security field operations at a moment’s notice, leaving Wanyan isolated at home. Having her maternal grandparents residing right within the military base provided an ironclad layer of security; it meant she would always have an experienced family support system if any emergency manifested.
Gu Tingxiao nodded, lifting the heavy parcels into his strong grip. “Understood, Mom. You and Sister-in-law should head back inside out of the cold.”
Mother Gu and Liang Zhenna offered their final, affectionate waves, watching the couple step into the carriage before finally turning back toward the station gates.
Noticing the heavy reluctance clouding her mother-in-law’s expression, Liang Zhenna offered a soothing smile. “Don’t be sad, Mom. By the time we see the third brother and sister-in-law again, their little one will probably be crawling around.”
“And once your summer leave initiates, you’ll be living right alongside them at the base to manage the confinement. Six months will fly past in the blink of an eye.”
Hearing her eldest daughter-in-law’s practical reassurance, Mother Gu’s spirits instantly rebounded. Liang Zhenna was entirely correct; they would be reunited before the year waned.
“We must immediately begin archiving high-quality resources and infant tokens for the third branch’s child,” Mother Gu declared, a new burst of energy vibrating in her voice. “I wonder if a beautiful grandson or a precious granddaughter will emerge.”
Liang Zhenna smiled, sharing her excitement. After all, this was the first child born to the third branch. “It matters entirely less whether a boy or a girl arrives, Mom; both of them are bound to be brilliant, loyal children who cherish our family values.”
“I need to start hoarding clothing coupons and textile vouchers immediately,” Mother Gu planned happily. “Infants grow at an astronomical rate, meaning the child will require an endless rotation of seasonal garments. A newborn’s skin is remarkably delicate, so I must secure only the finest, premium cottons to ship out to the base.”
Having anchored herself to a fresh domestic mission, the matriarch was completely re-energized. Liang Zhenna let out a quiet sigh of relief, thrilled to see her mother-in-law’s bright demeanor fully restored.
“Let’s march over to the Overseas Chinese Store right now to see if they’ve unboxed any premium imported textiles,” Liang Zhenna suggested.
The two women navigated back toward the luxury department store, though because Wanyan’s previous shopping spree had virtually cleared out their family’s foreign exchange vouchers, they could only secure a few choice items. Mother Gu resolved to trade resources with her social circle to build her stash, and if that fell short, she would simply direct Father Gu to tap his military comrades to secure additional high-end coupons.
Meanwhile, Gu Tingxiao guided Wanyan through the densely packed corridors of the train, shielding her from the bustling passengers until they successfully located their designated compartment.
At this specific station milestone, their private box remained entirely vacant. Because her advanced pregnancy made scaling the metal ladders highly dangerous and inconvenient, Wanyan naturally laid claim to the spacious lower bunk. Gu Tingxiao established his base on the lower berth directly opposite her, positioning his broad frame to act as an unyielding line of defense to secure her safety throughout the long transit.
The temporary absence of any traveling companions granted the couple a wonderful, unburdened privacy.
Gu Tingxiao retrieved their heavy aluminum travel kettle, preparing to journey down the corridor to fill it with boiling water. Before stepping through the threshold, he turned to Wanyan, his voice dropping into a firm, protective command.
“Honey, I’m going to step out to secure our hot water supply. Slide the interior deadbolt shut the exact second I step through the frame, and do not disengage the lock for anyone until you hear my voice.”
