Chapter 276: Tragic

Wang Yi looked satisfied at the fear in Hao Manru's eyes; as a man, there was nothing more fulfilling than subduing a woman.

Wang Yi reached out, firmly pinching Hao Manru's chin, and said: "So, if you can't kill me in one go, you'd better not act rashly, otherwise I will definitely make you endure even more brutal torture."

Hao Manru thought of last night's ordeal, her body trembling uncontrollably; she felt Wang Yi was even more terrifying than those who had bullied her.

Seeing Hao Manru silent, Wang Yi gripped her chin harder, forcing her to look at him, and angrily roared: "Did you hear what I said or not?"

Hao Manru's body shuddered, tears falling helplessly; she nodded desperately, indicating she understood.

Only then did Wang Yi reach out, ruffling Hao Manru's hair, saying: "All right, now you're behaving."

Hao Manru's trembling grew worse; she wanted to flee but dared not. She once thought Wang Yi would be her dog, but instead realized she was being trained by him like a dog.

"Your mother-in-law is leaving today; hurry and put on your clothes so we can go see her off together."

This time Hao Manru dared not have any other thoughts; she hurriedly got up to put on clothes, but any movement caused tearing pain all over her body.

Only then did Hao Manru discover that bruises covered every part of her body that couldn't be shown; all of it was inflicted by Wang Yi last night—he was nothing short of a devil.

But Wang Yi seemed unfazed, looking at Hao Manru as if admiring his own masterpiece.

Hao Manru dared not delay any longer; the clothes she had worn yesterday were already torn by Wang Yi, so she hurriedly grabbed another from the closet and put it on—now she only wanted to see her mother as soon as possible.

Wang Yi seemed not to notice her thoughts; seeing Hao Manru dressed, he locked the door and led her downstairs, and with each step her legs ached.

Yet Wang Yi acted as if nothing were wrong, greeting every neighbor they met—completely unlike how he had been the night before.

The family dormitory where they lived was some distance from the pier; fortunately Hao Manru had brought a bicycle as part of her dowry, so Wang Yi mounted it and rode with Hao Manru toward the pier.

The closer they got to the pier, the more anxious Hao Manru became, but Wang Yi seemed to be opposing her, riding the bicycle very slowly.

So anxious was Hao Manru that she wanted to endure the discomfort, get off the bike and walk, but she dared not; with Wang Yi she was genuinely afraid, afraid that if he grew angry he might do something crazy.

Thus, by the time Hao Manru and her party arrived, Mother Hao had already boarded the ship; seeing her mother standing at the bow, she wanted to say something, but Wang Yi gripped her hand tightly, with force as if to crush her bones.

"Don't forget what I told you!"

Meeting Wang Yi's warning gaze, Hao Manru swallowed the words she had been about to say.

Wang Yi then turned, putting on a harmless smile, and said to Mother Hao: "Mom, sorry we're late; rest assured I will take good care of Manru."

Mother Hao glanced at Wang Yi, then at her daughter beside him, wanting to say something, but the ship had already sailed away; she told herself: "Never mind, whether good or bad, it's my daughter's own choice; I've done all I can, and I only hope she will be all right in the future."

Meanwhile, on the shore, Hao Manru watched helplessly as the ship pulled away, her eyes filled with deep despair.

Only after everyone had left did Wang Yi say to Hao Manru: "Let's head back too."

Hao Manru's body shuddered; she didn't want to go back, but Wang Yi forcibly dragged her into the vehicle.

Next, Wang Yi had a seven-day leave, and he began a regimen of training Hao Manru as if she were a dog.

Wang Yi wanted to train Hao Manru to be like his former wife—a woman who knew only obedience.

Su Ruo had no idea what Hao Manru was going through, but she could easily guess that marrying into such a family would make Hao Manru's future life far from good.

With Hao Manru's marriage, the great stone in Song Jingyu's heart finally settled; he had long worried that Hao Manru would cause trouble for Su Ruo again.

Although Song Jingyu didn't think Hao Manru could harm Su Ruo, he believed that fewer complications were better, and after her marriage she would at least behave herself.

As the annual Military District Grand Competition drew nearer, Su Ruo grew busier each day, with many patients suffering from impact injuries.

Moreover, nearly every soldier had some old ailment; hearing from somewhere that Su Ruo's ointment worked, they flocked to her for treatment.

Su Ruo became so occupied that even Wu Dan had no time to gossip with her.

Su Ruo was relatively fine—her constitution was strong—but Chen Dan was exhausted, collapsing after work with no desire to move, and still having to watch Su Ruo and Song Jingyu stuff her mouth with dog food.

Chen Dan never expected that the seemingly aloof Regimental Commander Song would be so passionate when talking about love.

That day, after Su Ruo finished treating all her patients and rubbed her sore neck, she glanced at the clock—it was nine o'clock—changed her clothes, opened the door, and saw Song Jingyu already waiting outside.

"You must be tired!" Song Jingyu skillfully took the bag from Su Ruo's hand, then handed her a beautifully packaged box.

"These were specially brought back from Hai Shi on their business trip; supposedly girls like you all love them."

Su Ruo opened it and found chocolate; her eyes lit up instantly, and indeed eating a piece of chocolate when mentally and physically exhausted can relieve negative emotions and lift one's mood.

Su Ruo placed a piece in her mouth; the sweet sensation melted, and her mood improved instantly.

But she said with some concern: "Actually, you don't need to bring me things every day—I have everything I need." Su Ruo worried that if this continued, Song Jingyu's allowance might not be enough.

Knowing Su Ruo's concern, Song Jingyu smiled, reached out to ruffle her hair, and said: "Rest assured, my salary and bonuses from these years are more than enough."

Song Jingyu didn't tell Su Ruo that whenever he carried out a special mission—because it was so dangerous—he would receive a substantial reward upon success.

He had saved all that money, enough to support Su Ruo, but since it was earned at the risk of his life, he didn't want her to worry, so he kept it quiet.

Upon hearing Song Jingyu's words, Su Ruo relaxed, knowing he was an extremely calculating person who would never overreach or attempt anything beyond his abilities.

When Chen Dan came out, she saw Su Ruo and Song Jingyu together in this affectionate scene, and wondered what sin she had committed to be exhausted half-dead every day and still have to eat dog food after work.

Upon seeing Chen Dan, Su Ruo had intended to share some chocolate with her, but the girl bolted without looking back, giving Su Ruo no chance to speak; she could only shake her head helplessly and promise to give her some tomorrow.

After Chen Dan left, the huge hospital contained only Su Ruo and Song Jingyu; Su Ruo lifted her gaze to Song Jingyu's near-perfect profile, inexplicably wanting to do something mischievous—and in fact she did.