Chapter 223 Rule-breaking and promotion
Pan Lei received a phone call asking him to go to the barracks as soon as he purchased a mobile phone.
He's leaving while I'm still sick? Tian Yuan was a little unhappy and chased Pan Lei like a small tail with great zeal.
"I'm going to submit my application to the commanding officer, baby. I'll be relieved of my duties as captain of the operations squadron. I'll also request a marriage leave of absence. I'll come back later today."
Pan Lei changed into his formal suit, which was pine green with a light green shirt. Tian Yuan was assisting him with the necktie when he heard Pan Lei mention this, causing Pan Lei to hiss and nearly choke when he pulled it too tight. Pan Lei screamed bloody murder and questioned whether this wasn’t the same as strangling him.
Tian Yuan quickly loosened his tie for him. He was too agitated and had pulled hard on the tie. He quickly patted Pan Lei's chest to calm his breathing.
"Baby, if you don't want to marry me, just say so. There’s no need to do this."
"Are you sure about this? Don't make a foolish decision and wrong yourself. If you must go on a mission, go on a mission. It’s fine as long as you return safely. I really don’t think this is a good idea. An action lover like you will definitely be miserable with a desk job."
Pan Lei laughed heartily, then hugged and kissed him.
"There are other jobs in the special forces besides going on missions. I'll cook for you when I come back, so don’t even think about entering the kitchen. Go lie down."
Pan Lei proceeded to change his shoes.
"Since I'll be seeing him, I'll invite him to the wedding. Zhang Hui has repeatedly asked us to choose a date as soon as possible. Let’s do it this weekend. Seven days is enough time to prepare. We'll spend the last two days in the military compound, getting people to paint the walls. The housekeeper will clean up the room for us, paste some happiness characters[1], paper cuttings, rhyming couplets, and so on. Isn’t this more festive? Right! We need your parents to come over here as soon as possible."
"I seriously don't think we need to prepare anything. Isn't it enough to have a meal and then proclaim our marriage in front of all our relatives and friends?"
"I can't wrong you. You’re marrying me, and I want to give you a really proper identity. Wait for me, baby."
He stole a kiss and went downstairs while chuckling.
Fine, let’s go crazy. Pan Lei was high-profile, cocky, and a show-off, afraid that no one would know he was married. It's like a kid getting Transformers and wishing to make everyone else jealous.
Pan Lei never expected to be so pleasantly surprised.
He slapped the marriage application form on the table and sent a red bomb[2] after entering the CO's office.
"I'm getting married. As my superior, the commanding officer must join us. The superior's red envelope should not be less than 2,000 in order to show care for his subordinate."
"Scoundrel. You know we'll go, and you know you'll get your red envelopes."
The CO beamed, and Pan Lei, knowing he'd be getting a big red envelope, happily smiled back. You can have the wedding wine if you give a red envelope.
"It's only right to reward you as your wedding gift."
The CO handed him a red certificate, which Pan Lei did not even open. It had to be some sort of meritorious service certificate; he had a lot of them. This was not rare. It didn't matter if he saw it or not. He simply brushed it aside. The second reason he came was to request for a transfer. Transfer from the operations squadron to another unit to handle administration.
"Commander, I have something to say. I now have a husband and a family, and I will always provide a steady life for my spouse. I never want him to be afraid or on edge again. It's not that I'm not patriotic or don't want to serve my country. I've been a special forces operations captain for many years, and I'm becoming bored. Could you please change my post and transfer me? I can work in any department. It's fine even if you transfer me to the logistics department and I have to work with Chen Ze."
The CO froze for a moment.
"I'm afraid I can't."
"Why not? Will the operations squadron cease working without me? Let me tell you, the operations squadron is brimming with talents. Even ordinary soldiers are first-class experts. They are the best soldiers there are. I will resign from this post. Let a new person oversee it. I don't see the issue. And I'm not leaving the special forces, so I'll still be able to oversee these boys. Can't I have a stable life? Tell me why not!"
Slam! Pan Lei smashed his fist against the table. It was as if he was saying, "If you disagree, I'll kick your table over." He stared at the CO with wide eyes, ready to argue.
"Sigh, you husbands are very similar in temperament. You are both so rude and unreasonable, and you challenge me when you’re upset."
The CO was helpless. That gentle Dr. Tian had previously pointed at his nose and argued with him in the military compound.
"Damn old man, what's wrong with him being rude and unreasonable? That's how I pamper him. You’re welcome to talk to me if you have any opinions. Don't scold him. Please just answer my question!"
Pan Lei banged his fist against the table. Laozi pampered him, made him lawless. Not to mention you, I'd like to watch if he comes running to wreak havoc in your CO's Office.
The CO sighed and pushed the certificate towards him.
"See it clearly before you hammer my table. Ba$tard, I have to replace a table every year because you break mine. Take a look at it, and then we can discuss it."
"A lousy certificate of meritorious service is f*cking useless. If you don't agree, I’ll come to your office every day and kick your door and smash your desk."
Pan Lei snorted and opened the certificate book.
On it was clearly written the following.
The Special Forces Operations Squadron's collective second-class merit. Captain Pan Lei was promoted to Senior Colonel for his outstanding meritorious service.
Senior Colonel? They skipped Colonel and promoted him directly to Senior Colonel? Eldest Uncle was a lieutenant general, hence the only rank between him and Eldest Uncle was major general. Man, I got promoted. Good news from the delivery room[3]; he got a promotion!
The CO looked at him with mirth.
"It's a bad idea to send you as a logistics manager to the same place as Chen Ze. Even if you and Chen Ze don't fight, you’ll cause a mess. You can't leave the special forces. You will be promoted to a higher level, and you’ll be the commander-in-chief of the special forces. Your deputy instructor will be the captain of the operations squadron, who is also the new chief instructor. The squad leader will be promoted to the position of deputy instructor. With the new squad leader, you will handle the difficult overall work of the special forces. They made an exception for this appointment, but you're still dissatisfied? What do you want to do? Kick me out and make you the commanding officer?"
Being the commander-in-chief of the special forces and managing the whole special forces force. This was the position he thought he could only obtain when he was forty. At this rate, could he reach the same rank as his Eldest Uncle if he retired in his fifties?
Oh, yeah! This was incredible. He could also provide a steady life for his husband by managing the entire special forces. This little day was really beautiful, with a promotion, a pay raise, and a smooth and steady life.
Pan Lei gave the CO a big bear hug.
"You are simply too cute, old man."
He liked this appointment, and he liked this position even more. He'd be in charge of not only the operations squadron, but also the whole special forces. That meant he was now under (the command of) one man but over ten thousand people[4]. He’d been promoted to a Senior Colonel, moving from two stars to four stars on the parallel bars[5]. He was on cloud nine.
"After returning from your marital leave, you can take command of the special forces. Work hard, kid. When you reach your father's age, you will have the opportunity to achieve your father's level. You have a bright future; all you need to do is change your temper. Regardless, I am also your superior. You keep kicking my door and breaking my desk; enough is enough. To speak about you, the incident this time was so serious, but I'm obliged to turn a blind eye and let you go on a phony wedding leave? Then this is fine as well, kid."
This chap was asking for a marriage leave for the marriage of two men. He thought that the army belonged to the Pan family, right? Fortunately, the CO and Papa Pan had been friends for many years, and they were old subordinates, so they could downplay and brush the incident under the rug. If anyone else had caused such a ruckus, not getting expelled would have been the reward.
"I'll invite you to dinner and drinks. No, drinks aren’t enough. CO, you’re practically my benefactor. I was considering retiring from the army, but I hate the idea of leaving the army. But I can't let him constantly worry about me. This application for a transfer to an administrative position was my attempt at compromise. I never expected you to give me such a wedding gift."
He took the certificate in his hands and kissed it numerous times.
"I'll return in a month. Don't forget to enjoy the wedding wine. I also invited the entire operations squadron and promised them wedding wine."
He was in a rush to go back and tell his husband the good news, so he ignored the CO’s reaction and raced out with the certificate.
"Hey, hey, hey, kid, why don't you go to your operations squadron and announce this appointment?"
Pan Lei stepped on the gas and drifted beautifully.
"You go ahead and announce it! It'll be even more spectacular!"
Pan Lei eagerly returned home. He was leaping up the stairs, nearly climbing three steps in one jump. He had to tell his man the good news right away.
Tian Yuan, who was pouring water for tea when he returned, stared at the time with an odd expression when the door opened.
"I thought you said you'd be late? It's quite early. Have you requested wedding leave?"
Pan Lei nearly suffered from internal injuries. He sat on the sofa with his eyes downcast and unbuttoned his jacket without saying a word.
Tian Yuan had the impression that his mood was off. Was something wrong? Was it because his superior refused to grant him marriage leave, or because he failed to handle the matter of his transfer? He hadn't returned from a spat with the army's senior brass, had he?
Tian Yuan crouched beside him, held his knee, and inquired quietly.
"It didn’t go well? You were denied wedding leave? That's okay. It’ll be fine as long as you are at home on that particular day."
"The marriage leave request is not the problem. However, I asked to be transferred, but the CO refused."
"So be it. Just be careful when you go on missions. I support you. It's the same everywhere. You are the most energetic when you carry a gun. I know you also enjoy carrying a gun and leading soldiers to the front lines. I won't mind if you stay the captain of the operations squadron for the rest of your life as long as you return unscathed every time. Don't stress about it. Didn’t someone say ‘I’m just a brick, move me wherever you need’? You're needed in the squadron, so just stick around."
Pan Lei couldn't stop himself from laughing any longer. His husband was such a wonderful man. He could bear it all by himself, no matter how lonely, exhausting, or worrying it was, and all he wanted was that he was safe. His Tian’er was reassuring him even now. His baby was so nice that it was killing him. He was sweet and loved him.
Pan Lei drew him onto his lap and tightly hugged him. Tian Yuan patted him on the back.
"It's okay, it's okay. This sort of life is quite good. I’m used to it. Just work happily, don’t be angry."
"I've been promoted, baby. The CO refused to transfer me out of the special forces because I've become the battalion chief, the commander-in-chief of the special forces."
[2] A colloquial and humorous phrase for a red-colored wedding invitation card, which implies a loss of money for the receiver in the near future, from having to give a red packet upon attendance.
[3] This is not a mistranslation. Remember that PL was joking about TY's pregnancy. Yes, the joke is still on.
[4] Refers to a high-ranking official in a prominent position.
[5] This refers to the insignia on the shoulders and collar.
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| Lieutenant colonel shoulder insignia |
Their path is becoming smooth haha
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