Chapter 263: Severing Ties
Political Commissar Xie glanced back at Sheng Wanyan, who was standing behind Grandpa and Grandma Sheng, her eyes still rimmed with red.
Wiping the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes, Sheng Wanyan stepped forward to clarify exactly what had transpired.
“Political Commissar… I struck her because she repeatedly accused me of stealing Gu Tingxiao. Tingxiao is my lawful husband; how could he possibly belong to her?” Her voice trembled slightly, but her gaze remained firm. “She even went so far as to call the baby in my belly a bastard. I am a mother. My child is the fruit of my marriage to Tingxiao. How can I allow his name to be tarnished before he is even born?”
She gestured down toward the large Labrador resting at her side. “As for Maodou, he only acted because Comrade Liang Qian lunged forward to push me. She was trying to harm my child! Edamame rushed out purely to protect his mistress.”
Sheng Wanyan’s tone was laced with a delicate mix of vulnerability and maternal fierce strength. The surrounding crowd was instantly moved by her words.
“She’s absolutely right! If anyone dared call my child a bastard, I’d fight them to the bitter end!”
“A single slap from Captain Gu’s wife was far too lenient.”
“Liang Qian is truly vicious, trying to assault a pregnant woman. That could have cost two lives!”
Hearing the crowd’s outcry, Political Commissar Xie turned a cold, unyielding gaze back onto Chief of Staff Liang and his daughter. This time, Liang Qian had lost every shred of leverage, and her face drained of all color.
“Political Commissar, Comrade Liang Qian also threatened that she would have Chief of Staff Liang kill me,” Sheng Wanyan added softly, her voice dropping to a frightened whisper. “I’m terrified… I think I need to call my father-in-law’s office directly.”
A cold spike of adrenaline shot through Political Commissar Xie. If Commander-in-Chief Gu found out that his pregnant daughter-in-law was being threatened with death inside the regiment’s own compound, Chief of Staff Liang’s career would be dismantled by nightfall.
Looking at Liang Qian, the political commissar saw that despite her pale face, her expression held absolutely no remorse. Rage flooded his features, the blood rushing to his brow.
“Excellent. Truly excellent!” the commissar barked. “I had no idea Comrade Liang Qian was so practiced in issuing death threats!”
“Political Commissar, I…” Chief of Staff Liang stammered, looking at his daughter with profound disappointment.
When had she become so utterly unhinged? He had spent his entire life serving the country and the people, and his sons were actively contributing to the military, yet he had completely failed to discipline his own daughter. Every action she took brought nothing but deep public humiliation to his name.
He had ordered her not to marry Captain Du, yet she had thrown a tantrum until she got her way. He had told her to abandon her delusions regarding Gu Tingxiao, yet she carried them into another man’s home. Now, she was openly abusing his rank and disrupting the peace of the regiment. He had sacrificed so much for his career, yet this was the child he had raised.
“Someone! Bring me a sheet of paper and a fountain pen!” Chief of Staff Liang bellowed to his guards.
“Dad?!” Liang Qian gasped.
Beside her, Captain Du’s jaw dropped in absolute disbelief. “Father!”
“Dad, you can’t disown me!” Liang Qian shrieked.
“Watch me!”
Chief of Staff Liang’s personal guard sprinted back with the writing materials. Without a single moment of hesitation, Chief of Staff Liang pressed the paper against a nearby wall and signed his name with a harsh, decisive flourish. “From this day forward, Liang Qian is no longer a member of the Liang family. Our ties are completely severed!”
“Dad! You can’t abandon me! Ahhhh! Sheng Wanyan, this is all your fault!”
Liang Qian lost her mind entirely, attempting to break free to fling herself at Sheng Wanyan. Political Commissar Xie immediately signaled his men.
“Take Liang Qian away! Place her in the detention block and let the higher-ups determine her disciplinary action!”
“Commissar! Please don’t lock me up!” she wailed as the guards seized her arms. “I was wrong! I promise I’ll never approach Sheng Wanyan again! Dad! Save me! Lao Du, do something!”
Sheng Wanyan watched in silence as Liang Qian was dragged down the lane. She knew the military tribunal wouldn’t keep her incarcerated indefinitely. After all, no actual physical harm had been inflicted; at most, Liang Qian would face a period of strict detention and mandatory ideological re-education.
Chief of Staff Liang exhaled a heavy, ragged breath, casting a long, complex glance at Sheng Wanyan. Sheng Wanyan offered no response, turning quietly to guide Grandpa and Grandma Sheng back toward their courtyard. Political Commissar Xie had already departed to handle the paperwork, and aside from Pan Yue’s father, she wasn’t particularly close to any of the remaining officers. Standing around would serve no purpose.
In truth, it was a stroke of genius that Chief of Staff Liang had signed that severance agreement on the spot. While a legal document couldn’t truly dissolve the biological bond, his swift public action had effectively shielded his sons and his own position from being dragged down by her trial. Sheng Wanyan was far too pragmatic to push the Liang family into a corner they couldn’t escape; letting them sever ties was the cleanest resolution for everyone.
Supported by Grandma Sheng and Pan Yue, Sheng Wanyan finally stepped through her front door, leaving the lingering crowd and the grim-faced officers behind in the snow.
The moment the front door clicked shut, the tearful, fragile look on Sheng Wanyan’s face vanished instantly.
“Yan’er, are you alright?” Pan Yue asked, hovering over her anxiously.
Sheng Wanyan shook her head with a light chuckle. “I’m perfectly fine, Sister-in-law. I was just putting on a show for the crowd.”
Grandpa Sheng, Grandma Sheng, and Pan Yue let out a collective, massive sigh of relief. Grandma Sheng, however, swatted her arm in fond irritation. “You scared the absolute life out of me, you wicked girl!” The old woman patted her chest, having genuinely believed her granddaughter had been broken by Liang Qian’s cruelty. Who would have thought she was just playing a part?
“Grandma, I had Edamame guarding me the entire time. There was nothing to fear.”
“Woof!”
Sheng Wanyan bent down to scratch the Labrador behind the ears. Maodou immediately lifted his chin, puffing his chest out with an air of immense, comical pride.
“Woof~”
The dog strutted around the living room like a victorious general, his high-stepping, arrogant gait making the entire family burst into laughter.
“Maodou truly is a spectacular dog,” Pan Yue marveled, watching him. “He knows exactly how to protect his home.”
She hadn’t expected the Labrador to be so profoundly perceptive. In the past, when Sheng Wanze had offered to bring a retired working dog home from the unit, she had firmly refused. She had worried a large animal might accidentally bite the baby, and feeding a large dog required extra rations. In an era where most households struggled to keep fine grains on the table, wasting food on a pet seemed irresponsible.
But seeing how incredibly loyal and protective Maodou was, Pan Yue found herself reconsidering. Having a trained animal around to guard the courtyard and watch over the children was an immense comfort. She resolved to speak with Sheng Wanze the moment he returned from his mission, asking him to look into adopting a puppy from the military canine unit. Raised alongside little Huzi for a year or two, the animal would become the perfect companion. That way, even when Huzi grew old enough to play outside, no bully in the compound would ever dare cross him.
The more Pan Yue stared at Maodou, the more her affection grew. “Our Edamame is simply magnificent!”
Grandma Sheng reached down to ruffle the dog’s fur in amusement. Finding himself showered with praise from every corner, Maodou turned and marched back to his bed with a proud, almost feline elegance.
“Yan’er, Liang Qian may be locked up for now, but Chief of Staff Liang is bound to feel some lingering resentment over the fallout,” Grandma Sheng noted, her tone turning serious.
“I know, Grandma,” Sheng Wanyan replied calmly.
Chief of Staff Liang’s public display had been an act of pure survival. He needed to detach his name from his daughter’s crimes to protect his own rank and, more importantly, the military careers of his sons. A daughter’s reckless behavior could not be allowed to demolish the family’s lineage. Had he not signed that paper under the eyes of the political commissar, the entire Liang household would have been placed under administrative investigation by noon.
“Liang Qian won’t dare risk any further schemes after this,” Sheng Wanyan mused. “The Liang family will remain quiet to protect their positions. But… Captain Du’s mother is a different story. She might very well try to march over here and cause a scene.”
Grandma Sheng’s eyes narrowed, a fierce look crossing her elderly features. “Let her try. If that old crone dares cross your threshold, I’ll personally thrash the living daylights out of her!” The old woman found herself missing Mother Sheng terribly in that moment; if her daughter-in-law were still here, they would have already driven Aunt Du out of the lane with a broom.
Sheng Wanyan smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Grandma. If she attempts anything, Political Commissar Xie won’t let Captain Du hear the end of it.”
Her assessment was entirely correct. Across the lane, behind the closed doors of the Du courtyard, a furious storm was already brewing.
