The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 107

Six months later, Chen Che finally returned from his assignment.

By this time, little Yao Yao had already learned to say “Mama,” and she giggled at everyone she saw. Chen Che held her, playfully teasing his daughter, “Yao Yao, say ‘Dada’.” Little Yao Yao just babbled away, though no one knew exactly what she was saying.

After spending time with his daughter and waiting until Wang Yufen took her out for a walk, Song Mingyue opened her arms, her eyes filled with deep longing. Chen Che walked over and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Song Mingyue held onto his waist, turning her face away slightly. “You’ve tanned, and you’ve lost weight.”

Ever since they had left, he had been working day and night. Especially during the final phase of his research, his entire team had been working around the clock; it was no surprise he looked worn down. Chen Che ruffled her hair, his voice filled with pride. “But Yueyue, the data we researched this time—we are the third country in the world to achieve this, behind only the United States and the Soviet Union.”

Song Mingyue hugged him even tighter. She had known all along; decades later, she knew their nation’s lunar exploration program would be at the forefront of the world. Thinking of this, their time apart suddenly felt incredibly meaningful.

While Chen Che was shining in his field, Song Mingyue hadn’t been idle either. Recently, she had opened her third branch store in a neighboring city, with Zhang Jingjing acting as the lead manager. A month ago, Zhang Jingjing had finally finalized her divorce from Old Yu. Now that she was free, she not only knew how to dress with style, but she had also become quite a wealthy woman in her own right. Many elders had approached her with marriage proposals, but Zhang Jingjing declined them all. She had finally realized that nothing was more rewarding than building one’s own career. Seeing new stores open one after another and witnessing more people falling in love with her brand, Zhang Jingjing had finally found the meaning of life.

Consequently, Song Mingyue felt completely at ease handing the management of the new stores over to her. Not only that, she had established a garment processing factory. Sourcing clothes from others never yielded the highest profits, and she had long held the idea of starting her own factory. A few months ago, the city government, aiming to improve employment rates, had actively approached her, offering a site and full support for her venture. With such favorable conditions, Song Mingyue hadn’t hesitated to seize the opportunity. In addition to supplying their own stores, many department stores began sourcing from her factory, gradually forming a complete industrial chain. The bold ambitions Song Mingyue had once declared were steadily becoming a reality.

—

Chen Che stayed home for a day and realized just how busy she truly was. She left the house at the crack of dawn. First, she had to go to the factory; the garment designs—a core part of her business—were all completed by her alongside a team of designers. She spent nearly every day worrying about the next clothing line to launch. After design work, she had to head to the office to handle miscellaneous chores. However, she was a leader who knew how to delegate; unless it was something critical, she didn’t interfere with her subordinates’ work. Even so, she spent at least an hour a day on administrative tasks.

In the afternoon, she had to visit the stores to check in. The members who frequented her shop trusted Song Mingyue above all else, so she had to drop by from time to time to introduce new arrivals and styling tips. After leaving the stores, she would head back to the factory to inspect the garment samples. She worked until 5:00 PM, desperate to get home to her husband.

Unexpectedly, a department head at the factory stopped her. “Boss, the owner of the textile company is coming by tonight. He wants to talk to you about our next partnership.”

Oh, right. Song Mingyue had almost forgotten. It wasn’t a trivial matter; if the terms were negotiated well, it would save her a significant amount of money. But Chen Che had only returned last night, and she had promised him this morning that she would be home to eat dinner with him.

The manager, seeing her hesitation, asked considerately, “Is there a conflict?”

“It’s nothing major. My husband just returned from out of town, and I wanted to spend time with him. But never mind—work comes first. Give me the address; I’ll tell my husband and head straight there.”

The factory only knew that their boss’s husband was a soldier stationed out of town; they knew nothing else. Seeing that the couple rarely got to see each other, the manager quickly suggested, “You can bring your husband, too! I heard Mr. Shen is bringing his partner as well.”

Mr. Shen was the head of the textile company, and they had met once before. Song Mingyue still felt hesitant; Chen Che had just returned, and she wanted him to get some rest. But the manager had already called Mr. Shen to check. Mr. Shen emphasized over the phone that Song Mingyue must bring her husband. Song Mingyue eventually decided to leave it up to him; if Chen Che didn’t want to go, she wouldn’t force him.

Back at home, she proposed the idea, and Chen Che agreed immediately. He, too, wanted to see what her life was like.

“Alright,” Mingyue said. “Go change your clothes, and we’ll leave in twenty minutes.”

While Chen Che picked out his clothes, Song Mingyue went into her walk-in closet—which she had specially designed—to change into a dress and apply makeup. Chen Che’s clothes remained the same; he wasn’t used to suits and preferred simple jackets. But as he looked at Song Mingyue, she was no longer the country girl who had first arrived at the compound with him.

The weather had turned cold. She wore a dress underneath and draped a fur coat over her shoulders. With her exquisite makeup and every gesture radiating poise and elegance, she was transformed. Song Mingyue didn’t mind his plain attire. She smiled and linked her arm through his. “Let’s go.”

“Mom, Auntie Wang, I’ll leave little Yao Yao in your care.” Worried that her mother would be too tired from the housework, Song Mingyue had hired a high-paid nanny who happened to share her mother’s surname; she was very capable and efficient.

On the road, Song Mingyue shared her plans with Chen Che. “Jingjing is opening stores out of town, and the travel is quite inconvenient. I’m thinking of buying a car in a little while.”

“Driving requires a license.”

“That’s fine,” Mingyue replied nonchalantly. “I’ll just hire a driver. Otherwise, it’s too much trouble and a waste of time.” She actually knew how to drive, but she wasn’t sure how the cars of this era differed from the manual transmissions she was used to. Hiring a driver was the best option; she could afford it, anyway.

Chen Che remained silent. He should have been happy for her, yet a rare trace of inferiority stirred in his heart. He remembered when they first met; because he knew how to drive, she had been quite in awe of him. Now, she was already in a position to hire her own driver.

Song Mingyue slipped her hand into his pocket, her steps light and airy. Passing a street corner, they happened upon a little girl selling flowers. The girl called out to them, “Sir, would you like to buy a bouquet?”

Song Mingyue pulled him to a stop, her eyes sparkling with eager anticipation. “You’ve never bought me flowers before.”

Chen Che bought two bouquets. Song Mingyue held them, her heart blossoming just like the flowers. She lowered her head to sniff them—they were quite fragrant. Chen Che looked at her with a gentle smile. How could two bunches of flowers make her so happy?

They went to the best hotel in Mo City, where the staff recognized her. Even before Mingyue reached the door, a server stepped out to greet her. “Boss Song, welcome! Mr. Shen is already in the private room on the second floor.”

“Alright, thank you.” The server could feel that Boss Song was in a great mood today, especially with a handsome stranger standing by her side.

Song Mingyue handed the flowers to her. “Please keep these safe for me. I’ll come back for them after dinner.”

As they spoke, the owner of the restaurant came out to greet them personally. “Boss Song, you haven’t been here in a few days!”

“The factory has been too busy. I haven’t had the time to socialize.” The restaurant owner looked at Chen Che with curiosity. Song Mingyue quickly introduced them: “This is my husband, Chen Che. He just returned from out of town.”

“Boss Song’s husband is just as talented and handsome as you are—you’re a perfect match! I’ll give you a 20% discount tonight.”

Hearing others say she and Chen Che were a perfect match made her incredibly proud. She laughed and replied, “Let’s save that discount for next time. I’m not sure I’ll be the one paying tonight.”

Entering the private room, there were already eight or nine people inside. Besides Mr. Shen, there were others who wanted to partner with Song Mingyue but couldn’t get an appointment, so they used Mr. Shen as an excuse to meet her. When she pushed the door open, everyone stood up to welcome her. Upon hearing that Chen Che was her husband, they all offered polite compliments.

Chen Che could tell that these people probably hadn’t even looked at him properly; they were just saying what they thought Mingyue wanted to hear. The dinner table was lively. When a group of people needs to curry favor with you, you don’t really have to do anything. That was the treatment Song Mingyue received now.

Partway through the meal, Mr. Shen finally brought up Chen Che and asked what he did for a living. Chen Che was not at all suited for this kind of social setting—it was the complete opposite of his daily life. He had come only to understand Song Mingyue’s world, and he had seen her brilliance and her growth.

“I am a soldier,” Chen Che replied calmly.

They had heard rumors that Song Mingyue’s husband was a soldier, and Mr. Shen was merely asking what kind. To be honest, when the group first saw Chen Che, they had admired his looks and thought the couple looked like a perfect match. But after spending this short time together, seeing that he was quiet and seemed to know nothing of their world, they began to feel that he wasn’t good enough for the clever and sophisticated Boss Song.

Song Mingyue, however, blocked them on his behalf. “I’m still right here, you know. Don’t bully my husband. The military service he performs isn’t ordinary; it’s confidential. It’s not like us greedy merchants.” She added, “The future development of our country relies on them; we are merely enjoying the dividends of their sacrifice.”

So that’s it. They didn’t know what branch of the military Chen Che served in, but seeing how protective Boss Song was, they quickly stood up to toast him. Then, they realized that Boss Song’s husband was actually drinking soda. While it was a breach of traditional drinking culture, no one dared to pressure him to drink.

The dinner went reasonably well, and several agreements were signed verbally. When they left and headed home, it was already past nine o’clock. One of the guests, who had a car, offered to drive them, but Song Mingyue declined. She wanted to walk home with Chen Che.

The streets were quiet, and the night wind was quite strong—much colder than it had been during the day. Song Mingyue snuggled into his coat. Seeing that he hadn’t smiled all night, she asked, “Do you dislike these kinds of social events? We don’t have to go again.”

“I like them.”

“Oh? Then why hasn’t my Battalion Commander smiled even once?”

Chen Che gave her a smile and finally spoke his truth: “Yueyue, I’m sorry. Actually, I felt a little inferior, which is why I didn’t smile.” Perhaps it wasn’t inferiority, but the contrast between them. Without him noticing, his Yueyue had become so brilliant, while his work remained as dull and repetitive as ever.

Song Mingyue hadn’t expected him to think this way. It was time for a serious talk.

“Battalion Commander Chen, what do you have to be inferior about? You are greater than 95% of the people in this country, and of course, in my heart, you are ranked number one.”

“In many moments when I wanted to give up, it was your spirit that spurred me on. I always think to myself, ‘My husband is so incredible, how can I hold him back? I must reach the peak to meet him there.’ So, you must never feel inferior. At any time, you, Battalion Commander Chen, will always be number one in my heart. No one else can compare.”

The night was deep, and at the end of the road, the dim yellow streetlights glowed. Chen Che blocked the wind with his coat and kissed her deeply.

Yueyue, I love you.

She said they would meet at the peak; so, from now on, he had to work even harder.

He had to be worthy of her glory.

— End of Main Story —