Too Slim a Waist! Locked in the Single Officers' Dorm by a Rough-and-Tough Division Commander

In the late summer of 1988, Jiang Li, a young woman from a rural village, fled a forced marriage on her wedding day. Her stepmother, Wang Guifen, had sold her to Zhu Dachang, a bald factory director in his fifties known for torturing his wives to death, in exchange for a three-thousand-yuan bride price. Barefoot and wearing a soaked red wedding dress, Jiang Li ran through a storm-lashed forest to escape the pursuing dogs and her stepmother’s curses. She stumbled into a restricted military zone and climbed into the second-floor window of a dormitory, collapsing inside just as the shower stopped behind a frosted glass door.

The occupant was Huo Yan, the youngest division commander in the military region, a man known as the "Living Yama" for his cold, lethal demeanor. He emerged from the bathroom bare-chested, a long scar slashing across his chest, and immediately detected the intruder. Suspecting a spy or a honey trap sent by rival factions, Huo Yan pointed a loaded pistol at Jiang Li. When his guard, Zhao Gang, knocked urgently at the door reporting a woman in red had been seen entering the restricted area, Jiang Li clutched Huo Yan’s leg in desperation. Huo Yan silenced his guard, claiming no one was there, and locked Jiang Li in his room to await identity verification, threatening to shoot her if she ran.

As the storm raged outside, Jiang Li changed out of her wet dress into Huo Yan’s oversized white shirt. When Huo Yan returned from an emergency call regarding a collapsed air-raid shelter, he discovered her sleeping naked under his blankets. The visual impact stirred a primal reaction in him, but his suspicion remained high. Later, Political Commissar Liu Jianguo visited unexpectedly, forcing Huo Yan to hide Jiang Li in his wardrobe. During the visit, Liu warned Huo Yan about a crackdown on hooliganism and discipline violations, which carried severe penalties including execution. Jiang Li, overhearing this from the dark wardrobe, fell into a fever-induced coma due to terror and hypoxia. Huo Yan cared for her through the night, wiping her fever down and comforting her nightmares, a shift that softened his rigid exterior.

By morning, Huo Yan had already dispatched Zhao Gang to investigate Wang Guifen and Zhu Dachang for human trafficking and coercion. When Jiang Li woke, she feared repatriation, but Huo Yan revealed he intended to crush her abusers. He assigned her menial tasks, like washing his clothes, to give her a sense of purpose and keep her hidden. While Jiang Li was washing Huo Yan’s underwear, a commotion erupted at the gate. Wang Guifen and Zhu Dachang had arrived, creating a public scene and accusing the military of kidnapping. Huo Yan arrived at the gate, confronting the pair with lethal authority. He pressed a pistol to Wang Guifen’s forehead, silencing her accusations and signaling his intent to handle the matter with extreme prejudice, protecting the girl who had sought refuge in his territory.