Hearing this, Zhou Yi felt a chill run through his entire body.
Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead and slid down his cheeks.
When Jiang Cheng had spoken to him earlier, he hadn't taken it seriously.
In his heart, he had secretly mocked Jiang Cheng for being nothing more than an uneducated Second-generation rich.
So what if Jiang Cheng knew he was violating regulations?
At most, he would be reprimanded for a few sentences; it wasn't something to take to heart.
But now, Zhou Yi knew that Jiang Cheng was definitely not a simple Second-generation rich.
If he were just a Second-generation rich, Wang Houliang would never have adopted such a posture.
Zhou Yi's expression became exceptionally ugly.
It was so ashen that it looked as if it could drip water.
He swallowed hard and stammered, "N-no, I have civilian clothes, I just..."
"Major Zhou, violating regulations by wearing your uniform to show off during your leave, and even spouting nonsense here? Who is your Brigade Commander? I'll ask him personally later if his subordinates have become so undisciplined now?!"
Faced with Director Wang's stern reprimand, Major Zhou's face turned pale with fear.
He said tremblingly.
"Director Wang, Young Master Jiang, I know I was wrong. Please be magnanimous and don't lower yourselves to my level. I'll go change out of these clothes right away."
Wang Houliang smiled slightly.
"Your name is Zhou Yi, right? Well, it's a good name... Defending the country is a very honorable thing, but you must always remember that the uniform you are wearing represents not just you as an individual, but the image and honor of the entire army."
"You cannot commit acts that disgrace the team just for a moment of vanity. Flaunting this uniform is not something someone of your status should do. In this vast Kyoto, who do you think you can suppress just by wearing this uniform? Hmm?"
Wang Houliang paused before continuing, "You must have put in a lot of effort to reach where you are today. However, you should also think more about yourself and your family. Don't ruin your future over a momentary impulse. Tuck that wagging tail of yours away, be a decent person, and do your job properly. Do you understand?"
Just a moment ago, he had been desperate for Wang Houliang to remember his name.
But now that Wang Houliang had called him by name, he only felt cold sweat pouring down his back.
Wearing this uniform during his leave was a minor violation.
Normally, it would be a small issue.
But if Wang Houliang wanted to seize upon this problem... it would be enough to give him a very hard time.
Zhou Yi's face was deathly pale, his lips trembled, and his throat felt as if it were being squeezed; he couldn't utter a single word.
It was over... all over... The promotion he had just received would probably be stripped away completely today!
"You are right, I understand. I'll go change out of these clothes as soon as I get back. I will definitely remember the teachings of Young Master Jiang and Director Wang."
Seeing Zhou Yi trembling in fear, Jiang Cheng didn't say anything more.
"Stop while you're ahead"—this was the phrase Old Jiang said to him the most.
As Wang Houliang said, the vast Kyoto was a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
Unless one intended to uproot the opponent's family entirely, leaving them no chance to counterattack.
Otherwise, for some matters, giving them a couple of slaps to make them take a detour the next time they see you is enough.
What else could one do? Chase after them and keep biting?
As the saying goes, even a cornered dog will jump over a wall.
To be honest, this matter hadn't reached the point of targeting the opponent's family.
Jiang Cheng added airily, "Old Wang, forget it. It's the Lunar New Year; don't let it ruin the mood."
The logic Jiang Cheng understood, Wang Houliang naturally understood as well.
He immediately suppressed his anger and nodded in agreement. "Young Master Jiang is right."
Then, he swept a cold glance at Zhou Yi. "Get out. Don't be an eyesore here."
Zhou Yi felt as if he had been granted a massive amnesty.
Nodding and bowing, he scrambled toward the door.
He kept mumbling, "Yes, yes, yes, I'm leaving right now, leaving right now. I definitely won't disturb you anymore. I'll take my leave then..."
Perhaps because he was too flustered, while he was backing away...
...he accidentally stepped on the threshold.
With a dull "thud," he fell like a sack of grain being pushed over.
He fell straight onto the ground; the scene was as pathetic as it could be.
To make matters worse, because the fall was so violent...
...the epaulets on Zhou Yi's shoulders were knocked off.
Zhou Yi scrambled up from the ground, and after picking up the epaulets...
...he immediately ran out in a sorry state.
His appearance was even more miserable than a stray dog.
Qiu Yihe finally couldn't help but let out a "pfft" and started laughing.
Shen An and the other two turned red from holding back their laughter.
In their hearts, they roared wildly, "That was so damn satisfying!"
After a few polite words, Wang Houliang also left.
Seeing Wang Houliang leave, Qiu Yihe said somewhat apologetically to Shen An and the others, "I'm sorry. I only intended to come over and say hello; I didn't expect him to follow me and say those things. It ruined your mood. I'm truly sorry."
There were no other people left in the private room.
Shen An and the other two also relaxed.
"Sister-in-law, you're being too formal saying that."
After Fu Yang finished, Shen An added, "I wanted to give you a thumbs up for what you said to shut him down earlier."
Lü Chengwen chimed in, "Brother Cheng, I finally understand what 'Dimensionality reduction strike' means. Luckily you were here today; otherwise, the three of us would probably have had to swallow our pride and suffer in silence."
Qiu Yihe had become somewhat accustomed to them calling her "Sister-in-law."
Amused by them, she looked at Jiang Cheng with curved eyes. "You didn't see him bragging to me in the inner room earlier, saying things like 'there's no prominent family in Kyoto I don't know,' yet he didn't even know who Jiang Cheng was."
Jiang Cheng leaned back lazily against the chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the teacup, a smile on his lips. "You can't blame him. In Kyoto, truly not many people know me."
Shen An and the others misunderstood Jiang Cheng's meaning.
They thought Jiang Cheng was mocking himself, saying he was just an insignificant little character.
The three of them immediately let out a wail, "Brother Cheng! How can you say that!"
"Brother Cheng, you're trying to perform a Dimensionality reduction strike on us too..."
"Exactly! We were already feeling bad enough just now. Are we going to have to go through it a second time??"
Seeing that they misunderstood him, Jiang Cheng had no intention of explaining.
"Haha, that's not what I meant. Forget it, let's not talk about that. Drink tea, drink tea..."
At nine o'clock in the evening, Jiang Cheng finally drove away with Qiu Yihe.
The streetlights were just coming on, and the light inside the car was somewhat dim.
The faint blue glow of the dashboard flickered in the night.
Jiang Cheng's gaze shifted slightly from the road ahead and landed on Qiu Yihe.
He saw her hands tightly twisting her skirt, and her originally fair earlobes now had a suspicious flush.
Finally, as if gathering a great deal of courage...
...she turned her head, her gaze meeting Jiang Cheng's, and took the initiative to speak.
"When Zhou Yi went to my Uncle's house to pay New Year's greetings today, he kept trying to set us up to go out. There were many elders present at the time, so..."
Qiu Yihe's voice grew softer and softer, as if she found it difficult to speak.
"Are you... explaining this to me? Afraid I'll be jealous?"
Jiang Cheng's tone carried a hint of playfulness, causing Qiu Yihe's face to instantly turn beet red.
"No!" Qiu Yihe retorted somewhat flusteredly.
She turned her head sharply, only to collide with Jiang Cheng's smiling eyes.
Jiang Cheng's eyes were deep and bright, and he was looking at her with a half-smile.
Qiu Yihe's heart couldn't help but race.
She took a deep breath and steadied herself.
Looking at Jiang Cheng, she said, "I just wanted to ask you... could you do me a favor?"
"What is it??"
"Pretend to be my boyfriend."