Reborn in the 70s: Pampered by Regiment Commander-Chapter 481 - 331: Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

It was the second watch of the night.

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"Liu Lianbao, I will not be privy to your feelings," Zhou Mikang said, staring at Liu Lianbao with earnest emphasis.

"I never thought about letting the regimental commander know my feelings. I just act according to my heart," Liu Lianbao said seriously, "I promise, what I’m about to do is truly what I want to do!"

Waiting outside, Zhong Hongying was beginning to have some second thoughts. Was the regimental commander mixing public affairs with personal grudges? She had lied to him, saying that she came for help on behalf of Chuxia, but wasn’t that a private matter after all?

Approaching the door, she suddenly stepped back hesitantly... If she went in to argue, would things become even more unmanageable?

Liu Lianbao had already agreed to marry her after returning from the mission. If... "Zhong Hongying, what are you doing here?" The loud voice of inquiry startled Zhong Hongying into shivering, and as she looked up, she saw Yue Lianying, the female soldiers’ company commander quickly standing at attention and saluting, "Commander Yue, hello!"

Yue Lianying, about one meter seventy in height, robust and with a dark complexion, could easily be mistaken for a man if she didn’t speak.

Liu Lianbao came out, smiled at Yue Lianying, "The regimental commander wants you to go in." Then he turned to Zhong Hongying, "Let’s go."

"Lianbao..." After walking a short distance, Zhong Hongying began hesitantly, "Is the regimental commander acting out of personal vendetta?"

"Do you still want to make a scene?" Liu Lianbao frowned deeply, "If you want to make trouble, I won’t stop you."

"No, no..." Zhong Hongying waved her hands repeatedly, "I don’t want to make a scene. I just can’t make sense of this. If I wanted to make trouble, I would have barged in just now."

Hearing the grievance in her voice, Liu Lianbao let out a heavy sigh, "Do you feel that you’ve been wronged?"

"A little bit. I just want to live a good life without being the laughing stock of others. Why do things always go awry?

You might not like hearing me talking about Lin Chuxia’s flaws, but I honestly feel that way. Back in our hometown, she and I were opposites.

But why, all of a sudden, have she and I become people from two different worlds? If she made it on her own merits, I wouldn’t say a word, but the thing is, she was the laziest and the least hardworking."

You can ask around our village about what I’ve said. If there’s even half a word of slander against her, may I never marry in my life!"

Although he really disliked her talking about Chuxia like that, after hearing her grave oath, Liu Lianbao sighed inwardly, realizing how deeply she was stuck in her ways.

"What does it mean to have ability? You tell me?"

"Hardworking, filial, always ready to take the lead. At least these qualities, right?"

"Is Lin Chuxia not filial?"

"She wasn’t in the past."

"Don’t talk about the past; we’re talking about now."

"Filial."

"Isn’t she hardworking?"

"She wasn’t in the past. I don’t know about now."

That’s the end of it then. If you don’t know, why deny her? She was young in the past, her ways of doing things must be different from now.

As for you, being several years older than her, you naturally continued to view her through the lens of a child, just as I view you.

Otherwise, with the mistake you made this time, I wouldn’t possibly forgive you, nor would I agree to marry you upon my return.

Zhong Hongying, I’ve said before, I don’t like your vanity the most. It’s normal to care about face, but if you care too much about it, you’re making it hard for yourself and for others.

You’re just jealous of Lin Chuxia, to put it bluntly. You think you’re better than her in every way, but the current you compared to the current her, are worlds apart.

But in fact, where are you better than her? As far as I know, although Lin Chuxia isn’t exceptionally strong physically, she excels in academics and courage.

When she was still a medical trainee, if it hadn’t been for her quick thinking in the cafeteria when a comrade choked and nearly suffocated while eating, he might have needed an emergency tracheotomy.

Judging whether someone is capable is not just about physical strength. She is a medic, and her ability should be judged based on whether she has the talent for medicine, as well as the courage and quick wits of a doctor.

As for the past back in your hometown, that you were superior to her in every aspect, that’s just from your perspective. Or maybe you say others think so too, but that’s because everyone judges from the perspective of physical labor, which just happens to be her weakness. Comparing her weakness to your strength, isn’t it obvious that you are better than her?

As for other aspects, I won’t comment further, but the regimental commander is a man of great experience, and I trust he won’t misjudge people.

Your actions today have touched on his taboo, so, even though the deceitful thing you did is a private matter, it represents a problem with your character.

If you still can’t understand and insist on being stubborn, then in the end, it is definitely you who will be hurt. Don’t say I didn’t warn you."

At this moment, in the office, Yue Lianying was extremely shocked by Zhou Mikang’s decision. Suppressing her fear of Zhou Mikang, she asked, "Commander, what did Zhong Hongying do wrong? Her training performance is very good. I was even considering promoting her to squad leader."

Zhou Mikang glanced at her indifferently: "Is her character equally good?"

"Character?" Yue Lianying paused, unable to speak. Because she was planning on promoting Zhong Hongying, she had indeed talked to several comrades, but not one had anything good to say about her.

Originally, she thought it was just jealousy. But now, with Zhou Mikang asking like this, she was not so sure. The regimental commander, with his vast experience in judging people, would not wrong someone, right?

Zhou Mikang simply waved his hand: "Just do as I said."

"Yes!" Yue Lianying responded promptly and quickly left the office.

Zhong Hongying’s discharge procedures were processed very quickly. An hour and a half later, she was already at the train station, sent off by Liu Lianbao, who had also bought her train ticket.

Clutching the stiff piece of cardboard, tears rolled down Zhong Hongying’s face like pearls slipping off a string. Zhou Mikang had considered her dignity, merely ordering her to be discharged without disciplining her on record. Her file would not be tainted.

The official reason given for her discharge was "failure to meet standards during the new recruit period." This situation was very common, so whether she was returning because she failed the training or because she was expelled for a mistake, as long as she, Lin Chuxia, and Luo Xiaoqiong didn’t divulge it, the villagers wouldn’t know.—She believed Zhou Mikang would definitely tell Lin Chuxia, and Lin Chuxia would definitely tell Luo Xiaoqiong.

Given her current relationship with Lin Chuxia and Luo Xiaoqiong, she reckoned it was improbable to ask them to keep a secret. So, when she would become the village’s laughing stock, she was not certain...

...

"You say your brother likes Zhang Erniu, and Zhang Erniu likes your brother too?" Luo Xiaoqiong returned to the hospital that afternoon and immediately went to see Chuxia, reporting to her the latest news she had learned. This left Chuxia with eyes wide open in disbelief, repeating the information several times.

"It’s my brother, do you think I’d joke about this?" Luo Xiaoqiong was displeased after being verified over and over by Chuxia, "Do you think so little of me that I can’t even discern such a small matter?"

Chuxia smiled apologetically, "It’s not that I don’t trust you; I just can’t believe your brother would move on so quickly. I thought at the very least, he would need a year or two to recover."

"Between you and Zhang Erniu, who do you think my brother finds more attractive?" Thinking about her brother’s taste, Luo Xiaoqiong couldn’t stop laughing.

"Are you serious?" Chuxia poked her, "Of course, he must find Erniu more attractive, otherwise, why would he fall for her so quickly?

Look, ever since we were little, he always looked at me unfavorably, rolling his eyes at me for no reason. If he really found me attractive, would he treat me like that?"

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder..." While saying this, the image of Zhao Qiyan flashed across Luo Xiaoqiong’s mind. Thinking of Zhao Qiyan’s vanity, she suddenly had an epiphany, "Chuxia, I finally get the meaning of ’beauty is in the eye of the beholder.’ See, Zhao Qiyan always thinks she’s beautiful, which means she likes people who look like her.

I finally figured it out. I’ve always been puzzled about where her confidence came from. Turns out, that’s the reason. But wait, that’s not right, you and my brother don’t look alike, do we? So, does that mean he doesn’t like me, and I don’t like him, and we’ll eventually split up and find our own preferred partners?"

Chuxia looked at her with a face full of exasperation, "Are you suggesting that I look like Zhou Mikang?"(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I invite you to vote for it at Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

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