Huo Qingshan was caught red-handed on the training field by Chief of Staff Lu.

Lu Ming’s face was dark with anger, his eyes sharp with both fury and undeniable authority.

“Huo Qingshan, this is absolute nonsense!”

His anger was unmistakable.

“You’re injured, yet you’re not going to the infirmary to change your dressing on time—and you even dared to ignore medical advice and resume training on your own? Do you even care about your body or military discipline? Just because people call you a ‘soldier king,’ do you really think your body is made of steel?”

As he scolded him, Lu Ming pointed toward the southwest corner of the training ground.

“I’m ordering you—right now—go to the infirmary and get your wound treated! If I see you on the training field again in the next few days, I won’t go easy on you!”

His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

But Huo Qingshan remained unmoved.

Straightening his neck, he replied calmly, “Chief of Staff, I know my own body. They’re just minor injuries. I can still train.”

Seeing his stubbornness, Lu Ming’s anger flared again.

“You little brat, do you want me to kick you before you behave?!”

At that moment, Zhong Heng quickly sensed that things were getting serious.

He rushed forward, grabbed Huo Qingshan, and whispered urgently, “Commander, stop being stubborn. The chief is really angry. Let’s just go get your dressing changed first—don’t make things worse.”

Then he turned to Lu Ming, stood at attention, and saluted.

“Chief of Staff, don’t worry. I’ll take Battalion Commander Huo to the infirmary right now and make sure he gets treated properly. I guarantee the task will be completed.”

Without waiting for a response, Zhong Heng half-pulled, half-dragged Huo Qingshan away from the training ground.

In the infirmary…

Chu Yao stood by the duty room window, glancing outside from time to time, a trace of anxiety visible on her face.

Half an hour earlier, she had deliberately found an excuse to go to the office building and “coincidentally” run into Lu Ming. Through subtle hints, she revealed that Huo Qingshan hadn’t come to change his dressing these past few days.

She knew Lu Ming’s personality well.

He would definitely force Huo Qingshan to come to the infirmary.

Her goal was simple—

To create a reasonable and continuous opportunity for herself to spend time with him.

Three days ago, Chu Yao had been shocked to discover that she had been reborn.

And the tragic experiences of her previous life still lingered vividly in her memory.

In her past life, her younger brother, Chu Yaozu, was useless yet always meddling in things beyond his ability. He dropped out of school to start a business, only to rack up a huge debt within a year.

After learning about it, Liu Xiuying cried every day, lamenting her miserable fate.

“I’ve worked so hard my whole life, finally got my eldest daughter through technical school, thought we could finally live comfortably… and now this disaster happens!”

As she spoke, she pretended to hit Chu Yaozu.

“You unfilial child! Always fooling around outside—now you’ve caused such a mess. Who do you think will clean up after you?”

But the force of her slap wasn’t even one-fifth of what she used when beating Chu Yao in the past.

Chu Daqing sat in the corner, smoking and sighing heavily.

During that time, the household felt like it was shrouded in dark clouds.

Meanwhile, Chu Yaozu pulled Chu Yao aside and whispered:

“Sis, you’re the only one who can save me now. Boss Xu is still single. After seeing your photo, he’s very satisfied—he fell for you at first sight. He said if you marry him, our family’s debt will be cleared, and he’ll even give us a generous bride price.”

His tone turned pitiful.

“Please, sis, save me. I’m still young—I don’t want to go to prison. You can’t just watch your own brother die, can you?”

Hearing him call her “sis” again and again, full of emotion, Chu Yao couldn’t help but feel shaken.

In the end, under pressure from her parents and her brother’s desperate pleading, she agreed to the marriage.

At the time, she didn’t even know her true identity.

Bound by what she thought was blood ties, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Her parents and brother kept persuading her—

That Boss Xu owned factories, had a transport company, was wealthy, honest, gentle—a good man.

“Marry him, and you’ll live a good life.”

Under their relentless persuasion and sweet talk, she finally gave in.

But after marrying him, she discovered—

She was his fourth wife.

The previous three had all died.

After marriage, the man revealed his true nature—violent, unpredictable, frequently cheating, and often beating her when drunk.

Whenever she complained to her parents, they dismissed her:

“No marriage is perfect. There will always be conflicts. If you just spend more time adjusting, things will get better.”

They acted as if it had nothing to do with them.

The guilt they once showed had completely disappeared.

At first, Chu Yao felt heartbroken.

Eventually—

She stopped asking for help altogether.

But she couldn’t understand—

How could her own parents treat her, their “daughter,” with such indifference?

Favoring her brother was one thing—

But now, she seemed less important than a stranger.

Until one day—

After refusing to quit her job, Xu Penggang beat her again.

When she resisted, he grabbed a kitchen knife and attacked her.

She ended up in the hospital, receiving thirty-five stitches.

She lay there for over half a month—

Not a single member of the Chu family came to see her.

After recovering, she finally made up her mind—

She would divorce him.

But when she returned home—

Before she even entered, she overheard their conversation.

“Boss Xu said if she doesn’t return within three days, I have to repay the debt—or go to prison forever,” Chu Yaozu said nervously.

Chu Daqing replied coldly,

“Don’t panic. If persuasion doesn’t work, we’ll drug her soup and send her back by force if we have to.”

Liu Xiuying agreed immediately:

“That’s right. She was abandoned by her real parents anyway. If we hadn’t taken her in, she would’ve frozen to death. We raised her, educated her—now it’s time for her to repay us.”

Standing outside, Chu Yao felt her entire body turn cold.

The truth shattered her world in an instant.

Her mind went blank.

Pain surged through her chest.

Was she shocked? Heartbroken? Disappointed?

It was far beyond disappointment.

All these years—

She had given everything to this family.

Working in the fields after school.

Cooking meals while still too short to reach the stove.

Massaging her mother’s shoulders.

Using her first paycheck to buy her father cigarettes.

Standing in front of her brother when he was bullied—

And yet…

This was how they treated her.

So—

She had never been their daughter at all.

No wonder everything finally made sense.

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