Chapter 944

That day, the Beijing Hotel was bustling; military-green Jeeps lined the streets outside, and most of those coming and going were cadres in their forties or fifties, dressed in uniforms and leather shoes. Some were even in their sixties or older.

Hao Shuwen’s father was a senior officer in the Beijing Military Region, so naturally everyone he knew was from the military—whether other senior officers or junior officers, nearly all were military personnel. Of course, there were some from government agencies, but they were comparatively few.

As for Wang Yan himself, the people he personally invited were far fewer, but they were all from the military. He had summoned the first batch of forty-nine members of his special forces unit, along with civilian staff and researchers from the Equipment Department, as well as editors and chief editors from the PLA’s cultural and People’s Literature circles, and some from the General Political Department’s Song and Dance Troupe.

Of course, some higher-ranking officers couldn’t come themselves, so they sent secretaries or clerks to attend—still showing great respect.

Of course, Xiao Suizi, Lin Dingding, and Liu Feng and He Xiaoping were also there.

As previously mentioned, there was no ceremony—just a simple meal. Wang Yan and Hao Shuwen accompanied her father as he introduced them to everyone.

Xiao Suizi’s feelings were naturally complex; Lin Dingding, sitting at the same table, had even more thoughts swirling inside her. She had long known the truth, but when this moment finally arrived, she couldn’t help feeling a pang of pain.

“Congratulations,” Xiao Suizi said, clinking glasses with Wang Yan and Hao Shuwen, sipping her drink.

“Yes, truly congratulations,” Lin Dingding said, blinking her eyes as she flirted with Wang Yan, sending subtle signals.

Relatively speaking, she held a psychological advantage. Ever since she had secretly pursued Wang Yan, avoiding Hao Shuwen and Xiao Suizi, she had felt that edge. Now that she had actually slept with him, and Hao Shuwen and Xiao Suizi didn’t know, it carried a certain thrill.

Hao Shuwen laughed happily, drinking with them and Buwang greeting Liu Feng and He Xiaoping, who sat at the same table.

Thus, they toasted, made introductions, and enjoyed the lively atmosphere—perfectly seeing through the wedding banquet.

As for the special forces soldiers, they couldn’t drink; their presence was mainly to show participation. Two trucks arrived, and upon arrival, they simply ate. Wang Yan and Hao Shuwen went around toasting; the soldiers drank soft drinks, thus fulfilling their introduction. Once full, they piled back onto the trucks and returned to the suburban barracks to resume training.

The Beijing Military Region was currently holding a reconnaissance troop competition, with events designed by Wang Yan: physical fitness, strength, marksmanship, memory, learning ability, and more—selecting fifty men from across the entire region. Relatively speaking, these were the true elite, of higher quality than the thirty remaining official special forces members.

But veterans are veterans. Although the first batch of forty-nine weren’t up to par, they would serve as evaluators and still hold certain positions in the future expanded special forces.

Of course, Wang Yan would never let incompetent or underqualified men hold key posts, but these were professional soldiers who could serve until retirement, so proper care was still necessary. On another level, the bond forged fighting alongside him in Vietnam remained strong—they had all served under him, so he couldn’t mistreat these warriors.

In fact, these soldiers were all quite capable, and with Wang Yan personally giving them ideological and political lessons, their morale was very high…

After the wedding banquet ended, they spent a little time at Hao Shuwen’s home. By the time Wang Yan and Hao Shuwen returned to their Beihai courtyard, night had fallen.

The courtyard had now been decorated. Red double happiness characters were pasted on the gate, paper cutouts adorned the windows, the bedding was red embroidered with mandarin ducks, and thermoses and other items had all been replaced with red ones. All this was arranged by Hao Shuwen’s mother and sister-in-law—simple decorations, just for the sake of festivity.

Hao Shuwen sat on the edge of the bed, nervously twisting her hands, unsure what to do.

Wang Yan smiled and asked, “Hungry?”

“Not too bad.”

“That means you’re hungry. You didn’t eat much all day. Wait a moment—I still have some dishes at home. I’ll cook two, and we’ll eat together.”

“Let me help you.”

“No need. Cooking two dishes won’t take long. You rest.”

Wang Yan, ever considerate, waved his hand and went out to get to work.

Hao Shuwen ultimately didn’t stay inside to rest; she followed him out, helping him sit on the stone bench and pick vegetables at the stone table.

After a moment of silence, she said, “You don’t blame me, do you?”

Wang Yan chuckled and shook his head. “What nonsense are you talking? A beautiful woman like you married me—my ancestors are smoking incense. Where’s the blame?”

“What about Suizi…”

“She proposed, and you agreed—it wasn’t easy. It’s not about whether I blame you, but whether you two can forgive me and still treat me like this. If you truly accept me as your landlord, my ancestors aren’t just sending up a few wisps of smoke—they’re belching out thicker smoke than our stove. Don’t overthink it. Just relax and put your heart at ease.”

“You’re exaggerating,” Hao Shuwen laughed. “But you really are a bastard.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“What if we hadn’t cleared things up? What would you have done?”

“Ask more directly: Do you like me more or her?” Wang Yan lit a cigarette, drew a pensive drag, and sighed. “If we could clearly choose, why would we have dragged this out for so many years? Because we both liked each other. We both couldn’t let go.”

Hao Shuwen sighed too: “Sometimes I think—I didn’t really feel anything for you at first. Then rumors spread through the troupe that we were together. Later, I saw how close you and Suizi were, and slowly, I started liking you. I asked Suizi about it, and she said when you comforted her in the storage room, she thought you were a good person. Then, during the field exercise performance, when you two walked together behind everyone, she fell for you.

If we count it that way, then it’s still…”

“That kind of counting is pointless.”

Wang Yan cut her off. “Liking someone is a vague, indescribable feeling. Who can say exactly when it started? You say it was later—but why not from the beginning? How can you pinpoint the exact moment? Liking is liking. Not liking is not liking. It’s that simple. Don’t overthink it. We’ve got a long life ahead.”

“A long life?” Hao Shuwen grumbled. “When are you leaving?”

“Leave right after the wedding? That’d be bad. Wait until the end of this month—I’ll spend more time with you. I said I had to go, but now that I’m married, I don’t really want to. The book? Whether I write it or not doesn’t matter. But I already made big promises—I have to deliver.”

Wang Yan spoke half-truthfully, but his reasoning was sound. He absolutely would write the book—the real difference lay in whether he did it willingly. Clearly, he was willing; he was just comforting Hao Shuwen.

In truth, he hated trouble—but he also never feared it. The difference lay entirely in whether he was willing. Many things, he was willing to put effort into.

“You won’t come back in between?”

“How could I not? Every six months, I’ll definitely come back to visit. Writing the book isn’t the priority—training soldiers and handling Equipment Department matters are more urgent. I must pay close attention, especially to soldier training. Can’t afford to delay their progress.”

“You say we’ve got a long life ahead…” Hao Shuwen pouted.

“After this year passes, I’ll stay in Beijing permanently.”

They talked like this. Over the years, their private time together had always been so scarce. But from now on, it should increase…

After dinner, Hao Shuwen specifically went to brush her teeth and dragged Wang Yan along. Then, just as before, she sat on the bed, at a loss.

“You’re never like this normally.”

“It’s annoying.”

Wang Yan chuckled and sat beside her, helping her take off her clothes.

Hao Shuwen stiffened. “Suizi said it hurts a lot?”

“Everyone’s different. Only your feeling matters.”

“You’re lying—it really hurts～”

“It’ll be fine soon. Tomorrow I’ll stew you some old hen soup—didn’t you see I bought the chicken? It’s my family’s secret recipe—extremely nourishing.”

…

Wang Yan kept his word—he spent a full month with his new bride, balancing his time with Xiao Suizi and Lin Dingding. He gave lessons to the fifty new special forces recruits, left a six-month training plan, and held meetings with the Equipment Department to plan their research projects and goals. Once everything was arranged, he boarded a train south in late October to continue his unfinished work.

His performances this time followed the same pattern as before: two shows per regimental headquarters, to reach every soldier and officer. Depicting a war clearly couldn’t focus only on frontline troops—it wouldn’t be comprehensive or authoritative. While praising the soldiers’ fierce fighting, one must not forget the commanders’ decisions. After all, decisions came first; the soldiers fought afterward.

Wang Yan was already popular in the military and well-connected at the top. In Beijing, he had discussed combat matters with senior officers of the Central Military Commission. Now on the ground, wherever he went, he encountered various officers. These officers, knowing him as an insider and a well-known figure, were open with him—since many matters were already settled, they even discussed lessons learned and their own meeting reflections with him.

He traveled from place to place, gathering information, gaining a deep understanding of history. The depth and density of the information he accessed were impossible to obtain later. For him, it was also an expansion of knowledge—he had never served in the military before, so his prior understanding was insufficient. This time, he finally grasped it thoroughly.

He even gained new insights into the Korean War battles, since many current officers had once been frontline soldiers.

For Wang Yan, it was a rewarding journey. Though the rewards were all stories of soldiers’ bloody battles—not exactly joyful—war was always like this…

Of course, while touring, Wang Yan didn’t forget to call Hao Shuwen, Xiao Suizi, and Lin Dingding regularly, expressing his longing and catching up on their lives.

An unpleasant event occurred as expected: Wang Yan’s marriage became known to Xiao Suizi’s parents.

This was perfectly normal. Wang Yan was already highly famous, and his wedding was truly grand. In this era, he had rented the Beijing Hotel for a banquet, with only military personnel attending, Jeeps parked outside, and armed guards on duty. Even dozens of soldiers in camouflage, wearing tactical boots and sun-darkened skin, arrived by truck.

The spectacle made people think something major had happened—not just a wedding. The news spread rapidly.

As senior cadres, Hao Shuwen’s parents were well-informed. In fact, they heard about Wang Yan’s wedding within days. It became a hot topic among colleagues, casually discussed during idle chatter.

At first, they didn’t believe it. But as others described it in vivid detail, they had no choice but to accept it. When they tried to confirm with Xiao Suizi, they couldn’t find her—then they knew it was true.

She confirmed it to him in person in November, after he left Beijing. She didn’t want to cause him trouble. On the phone, she only joked that her parents planned to report him.

But they never reported him. That was Xiao Suizi’s sacrifice—and Wang Yan understood.

This hurdle had to be crossed. Wang Yan had plenty of experience handling such situations—from initial guilt to later indifference, he had genuinely undergone an emotional journey.

When he returned to Beijing, he would have to visit Xiao Suizi’s parents. It was easy to imagine the visit wouldn’t be pleasant. But if you’ve already done shameless things, you can’t care about face—it’s the simplest truth, and Wang Yan understood it deeply…

Also, his book “Youth Plateau” was published and received well. His reputation was already established; many readers, seeing it was his new book, bought it without even flipping through the pages—this was strong recognition. After all, his books were long and expensive; to buy them without hesitation was a major show of support.

But Wang Yan didn’t write so many words out of necessity—he had tried to keep it concise. His subjects were large: “11th Army,” “14th Army,” and now “Youth Plateau,” which featured many characters.

Although one person could represent a group, just as he often cursed Feng Kuzi, he couldn’t simplify them so easily. Each soldier had his own story—ordinary yet great—and he did his best to honor them.