80 village women marry military officers; it was supposed to be a fake marriage.

When Chang's parents received the news from Chang Jinxiang, they were overjoyed. Later, when they heard that he was picking someone up from the hospital, they learned that Lin Yue had injured her leg, and they were heartbroken.

Chang Jinxiang briefly explained the cause and effect of the matter, which angered his mother so much that she almost came back to kill him. Chang Jinxiang managed to coax her back after much persuasion.

Mother Chang was still shaken and said indignantly, "Come back quickly and leave that hateful place. Just thinking about it makes me angry. Xiaoyue has really suffered. Jingxiang, you can't let Xiaoyue be bullied again."

They quickly sent a car to pick her up directly from the hospital, and Lin Yue said goodbye to the nurse.

Lin Yue had no friends, and it was a rare treat to meet someone she clicked with, so she was a little reluctant to part with him.

The young nurse showed no sadness whatsoever, and said in a serious tone, "I won't tell anyone where you went. If we're destined to meet again, we will."

Lin Yue was infected by her carefree attitude, and the two chatted and laughed for a while, which made her feel less heavy-hearted.

In the afternoon, Lin's mother went to the ward to find Lin Yue, hoping that she could use her connections to arrange a job for Lin Mei. She thought that having a job would make her marriage more respectable and prevent her from being looked down upon by her in-laws.

She was still thinking about the things that Shen's parents had given to Lin Yue and how she could get them back. When she entered the ward, she didn't notice and bumped into someone else.

Lin's mother was knocked to the ground, rubbing her backside and gritting her teeth as she said, "Ouch, you almost killed me! Don't you have eyes?"

The other person was a middle-aged man with wide, bulging eyes and a cold tone, "You're really unreasonable. You bumped into me yourself."

Lin's mother had a bullying mentality, and seeing that the other party didn't seem easy to mess with, she didn't dare to say anything more.

Lin's mother thought she had gone to the wrong ward, so she stood up, dusted herself off, and went out.

After wandering around the corridor for ages, I finally arrived at the same ward, muttering to myself, "I didn't go to the wrong place."

Lying on the hospital bed was a middle-aged woman with a cast on her leg, screaming in pain. Her husband, the one Lin's mother had bumped into earlier, was impatiently peeling an apple, saying, "Eat, eat, all you know is eating. You can eat anytime."

When he saw Lin's mother come in again, he assumed she was there to cause trouble, and his face was even colder than before. "Why are you here again? Trying to extort money from me again?"

Lin's mother said in a fawning tone, "No, comrade, you've misunderstood. I'm looking for my daughter. She used to stay in this ward."

The man was visibly more relaxed. "She was discharged from the hospital, and we moved in as soon as her bed became available."

Lin's mother's expression stiffened, and she said awkwardly, "Discharged from the hospital?"

The man glanced at her. "Your daughter's been discharged from the hospital, and you, her mother, didn't even know?"

Lin's mother didn't reply. She went straight out of the ward to ask the nurse. She knew that Lin Yue and the nurse were on good terms. When she saw her, she immediately asked, "When was Lin Yue discharged from the hospital? Why didn't you tell me?"

The young nurse raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, saying in a cold tone, "I have so many patients here, I don't have time to meddle in your family's affairs."

Lin's mother turned ashen-faced after being rebuked. Before she could say anything more, the nurse took the IV bag and left.

Lin's mother spat at her retreating figure and returned to Lin Mei's ward angrily, still cursing Lin Yue, "That wretched girl, she didn't even say she was being discharged, causing me to fall down for no reason."

"Lin Yue has been discharged from the hospital?" Lin Mei's voice was shrill. She suddenly grabbed Lin's mother's arm and used force, causing Lin's mother's face to contort in pain. She then slapped Lin Mei's hand hard.

"You're going to strangle me!" She rolled up her sleeve, saw the bruises on her arm, and slapped Lin Mei's arm hard again.

Lin Mei quickly apologized, "Mother, I didn't mean to, I was just momentarily distracted. Her leg isn't healed yet, so why was she discharged?"

Lin's mother rolled her eyes at her and said irritably, "How should I know? Maybe Chang Jinxiang is just afraid of spending money."

Hearing this, Lin Mei was overjoyed. Chang Jinxiang was reluctant to spend money on her, but the Shen family covered all her hospital expenses and even brought her chicken soup every day to help her recover. She was sure that she would have a better life than Lin Yue in the future.

Then she remembered what she had said to Lin Yue's neighbor, Wang Xiuyun, before: "It's good that she went back. There's bound to be a good show for her. Maybe she'll be kicked out soon."

Lin's mother looked at her suspiciously, "What do you mean by that? Why is she being kicked out?"

Lin Mei told her what had happened before, and the two of them immediately beamed with joy. "Serves her right. Who told her to treat us badly? When she comes begging us to take her in, you go find a matchmaker and marry her off to the old man in the village. I'll make her suffer for the rest of her life."

The resentment in her eyes startled Lin's mother for a moment. Lin Mei realized her mistake and immediately changed her expression. "Mother, it's her fault for being disrespectful to you. I just wanted to vent my anger for you."

Lin's mother didn't take it seriously and nodded in agreement, "I'll go ask around and see if anyone offers a higher price, so we can at least get some money back."

The two were engrossed in their calculations, unaware that Lin Yue was already thousands of miles away, someone they couldn't even see if they wanted to.

Chang Jinxiang was worried that the military vehicle would be bumpy on the road, so he put a thick blanket under Lin Yue's legs and told the driver to go slower.

What should have been a half-day journey took a full day and night. The driver was so sleepy he kept yawning, so Chang Jinxiang told him to take a nap and drove himself.

It was Lin Yue's first time riding in a car, and she looked around excitedly. When she saw Chang Jinxiang driving, her eyes widened. "You can drive?"

Chang Jinxiang smiled as he looked at her in the rearview mirror, his voice so gentle it was almost dripping with tenderness, "I learned this when I was in the army. It's actually quite simple. I'll teach you how to do it once your leg is healed."

The driver in the passenger seat was also from Chang Jinxiang's unit. He was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped. Was this still the same Company Commander Chang?

Chang Jinxiang used to be serious and never smiled. During training, he always had a stern face. Apart from his few brothers who grew up with him, no one dared to joke with him, and no one had ever seen him speak to anyone so gently. The driver couldn't help but secretly look at Lin Yue in the rearview mirror.

"Really? I've never seen a girl drive before." Lin Yue couldn't even imagine it.

Chang Jinxiang nodded indulgently, "You can study whatever you want, there will be more opportunities in Beijing."

The car drove into the military compound in the early hours of the morning, where Mr. and Mrs. Chang were already waiting.

When Chang's mother saw Lin Yue, her eyes reddened. She tenderly stroked Lin Yue's head and said, "My poor child, you've suffered so much. If we had known this would happen, we should have brought you back with us when we came back."

Lin Yue stared blankly at Chang's mother, overwhelmed with emotion and grievance, unable to speak, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Seeing this, Chang's mother felt even more sorry for her. "Don't be afraid, Mom will protect you from now on. Let's see who dares to bully you."

Lin Yue burst into laughter through her tears, her voice hoarse, "Thank you, Mom."