However, Zhang Qiumei never expected that this “Aunt Zhou” would turn out to be so useless.
She hadn’t managed to kill them.
What’s more, that Aunt Zhou was actually from R Country, had been arrested, and had even exposed Zhang Qiumei’s involvement.
“So, I had no idea Aunt Zhou was from R Country.”
“She lied to me too.”
“I’m not a spy, really, I’m not!”
No one paid any attention to Zhang Qiumei’s frantic protests.
“Zhang Qiumei, whether or not you’re a spy is something we’ll continue to investigate. But hiring someone to murder the family members of military personnel is an indisputable fact. You’ll face the judgment of the law.”
What?!
Zhang Qiumei sat frozen in place.
“But they didn’t die, did they? They’re still alive!”
“Old Lin, save me, please save me!”
……
At that moment, Lin Chushi was indeed trying to find a way to rescue Zhang Qiumei.
Despite the way she had screamed at him when she was taken away, Lin Chushi’s love for Zhang Qiumei remained deep and unwavering.
Soon, he managed to gather some information through connections.
To his shock, the military had actually captured a group of disguised R Country operatives.
And Zhang Qiumei had been implicated with them, suspected of being part of their conspiracy.
Further digging revealed that Zhang Qiumei’s arrest was due to two reasons: her association with the R Country operatives and her involvement in directing them to harm Sheng Zexi’s two children.
Though the children had survived, it was only by sheer luck.
The fact that she had attempted to harm them was undeniable.
….
“Dad, you have to save Meimei.”
“She’s my wife.”
“And she’s carrying the bloodline of our Lin family!”
At home, Lin Chushi was pleading with his father to intervene.
Old Man Lin looked at his son with a complicated expression.
“Chushi, I thought you married that Zhang Qiumei because she was young and beautiful. I didn’t realize you truly cared for her.”
“Who would’ve thought our Lin family would produce such a romantic?”
“Chushi, do you remember what I said when I decided to groom you as the successor?”
Lin Chushi stiffened, distant memories resurfacing.
Of course, he remembered.
After all, it was after his elder brother’s death that he had been chosen as the heir. Everything from that time was etched into his mind.
His father had told him that as the successor of the Lin family, he could not afford to be ruled by emotions. What mattered was achieving goals and completing missions—everything else was secondary.
Lin Chushi had agreed back then.
Now, as those words echoed in his mind, his face darkened.
“Remember now? So, in a way, it’s good that Zhang Qiumei was arrested. Only with her gone can you truly…”
Old Man Lin didn’t finish, but Lin Chushi understood.
“Chushi, you can always find another wife. And don’t you already have a son? Chenghao is grown now.”
“So why cling to an unborn child, one that might not even survive?”
“Chushi, you must understand what truly matters to us.”
“Have you forgotten? You’ve already been handed a military reprimand over that typhoon incident.”
“Isn’t that enough? Do you want to throw away your future as well?”
The relentless questioning left Lin Chushi speechless and utterly defeated.
Because, for some reason, he felt his father was right.
Finally, Old Man Lin patted his shoulder and said, “Chushi, as long as you hold power, women and children will come to you.”
“Once you truly grasp authority, you’ll have the ability to save people, to act as you please—without having to beg others for help.”
“If you still need to beg me or anyone else, it’s because you haven’t climbed high enough yet.”
With that, Old Man Lin left, leaving Lin Chushi standing alone, lost in thought.
…
Meanwhile, after Zhang Qiumei’s arrest, Zhang Jianjun was also taken into custody.
“What? Zhang Jianjun was the one spreading those rumors—both times?”
At the hospital, Sheng Zexi was handling Gu Jianing’s discharge procedures.
Today was the fourth day after Gu Jianing’s delivery, and it was time for her to leave the hospital.
After completing the paperwork, Sheng Zexi returned to the ward and told her the news.
Gu Jianing was slightly surprised.
She knew Zhang Jianjun held a grudge against them, but she hadn’t expected him to be the one behind the rumors.
“Zhang Jianjun is such a self-serving man, so obsessed with his reputation—would he really do this himself?” Gu Jianing wondered.
Sheng Zexi packed up their belongings in the ward, then wrapped Gu Jianing tightly in a blanket and placed a hat on her head to shield her from the wind.
“But the evidence points to him.”
The source of the rumors had been traced back to Old Man Chen, and further investigation by Chen Han led straight to Zhang Jianjun.
Gu Jianing sighed. “Well, I guess we really clash with these siblings.”
Not just them—they seemed to clash with Huansha Island itself.
Gu Jianing remembered how peaceful life had been in the Northwest Military District. The military wives there had been easy to get along with.
But ever since coming to Huansha Island, trouble had followed them one incident after another—and Xingxing and Yueyue had nearly been killed.
Sheng Zexi gently stroked her head. “I can tell you don’t like Huansha Island much. But for now, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Just wait a few more months. Once I’m transferred to the capital, we won’t have to stay here anymore.”
“Mm.”
Just then, Sister Zhao arrived—Sheng Zexi had asked her to come and help.
She picked up Tuantuan while Sheng Zexi first loaded their luggage into the jeep.
Then, he carried Gu Jianing, still bundled up, all the way to the vehicle.
Huijuan watched the scene, thinking how wonderful it was to see such affection between Dr. Gu and Commander Sheng.
As Sheng Zexi carried his wife through the hospital, many onlookers turned their heads.
Seeing Sister Zhao following behind with the baby, they quickly understood.
“That new mother is so spoiled. She’s already given birth, and now she’s being carried out by her husband like some delicate flower.”
“So pampered.”
“Wrapped up like that—you can’t even tell who she is.”
“Back in my day, I was working in the fields the day after giving birth. Women these days are so fragile.”
“But I heard doctors say women need proper rest after childbirth and shouldn’t be exposed to wind. Otherwise, they’ll suffer health problems when they’re older.”
The gossiping woman fell silent.
Then, watching the retreating figures—the man cradling his heavily wrapped wife—she muttered, “Not every woman is so lucky.”
Only the fortunate ones receive such care and devotion from their husbands.
The unlucky ones? If their men don’t value them, they’re treated like livestock—worked to the bone, with no one to pity them.
Leave a Reply