Chapter 441: Male Virtue Top Student

Gu Chenghuai was naturally both surprised and awed.

Lin Zhao drove the car straight to the military district and parked it in front of her own gate.

Cars were still rare in those days; even owning a bicycle counted as a sign of good family means.

When residents of the compound saw a car pull in, they all came out to gawk.

Lin Zhao opened the door, stepped out calmly, and shut the door behind her.

“Comrade Lin?” said her neighbor, her face full of shock. “You can drive? Where did you get this car?! You didn’t buy it, did you?!”

If it were anyone else, no one would think that—but it was Lin Zhao, the one who couldn’t bear even a speck of hardship. For her to buy a car… wasn’t that actually normal?!

Everyone else: “...”

What’s not strange?! This is a CAR!!

Only high-ranking officers get cars. How dare a woman like Lin Zhao have one?

“It’s not mine,” Lin Zhao said calmly.

Before anyone could even exhale, she added: “It was given to me by my family.”

“What?!” blurted out the impatient one. “How much does a car cost?! Who would give you something so precious?!”

The woman looked utterly unconvinced.

Lin Zhao didn’t care. She smiled. “What can I say? My family is very generous with me.”

Mostly because they had money.

Gu Chenghuai, hearing from his guard that Zhaozhao had returned, hurried home.

From afar, seeing his wife’s figure, the man’s deep, dark eyes softened with tender amusement.

His steps grew lighter.

The guard watched the smile flowing across the commander’s brow, blinked in surprise, then smiled too.

The commander never said it aloud, but he missed his wife terribly.

Ever since she left, his aura changed—he used to be like a block of ice, chilling to look at.

“Zhaozhao,” Gu Chenghuai called out as he reached her side.

Lin Zhao had first returned to the sihe courtyard, taken a bath, and changed into clean clothes.

She wore a bright yellow strapless dress underneath, over it a light beige knit sweater, a dark gray skirt reaching her ankles, and white cloth shoes.

Her black curls fell loose, held in place by a hairband matching the dress, a string of pearls around her neck, matching earrings, pale skin, and lips painted cherry-red.

She looked no older than twenty-five.

“Gu Chenghuai, I’m back!” Lin Zhao was delighted to see her husband, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she pulled him toward the house. “I drove myself back!” she added, voice light, tinged with pride.

“Didn’t I tell you? My auntie was going to give me a car. It’s here—the one parked outside. We have a car now. Aren’t you happy?”

Gu Chenghuai, a high-ranking commander in the military district, had an official car assigned to him, but it was public property—not as convenient as one of their own.

“Happy,” Gu Chenghuai said, pouring his wife a glass of water to moisten her throat, then pulling her down beside him, never letting go of her hand.

He looked at her. “You drove back alone?”

“No, I came back with Second Brother. He left early for something urgent. I missed you, so I came straight here.” Lin Zhao set down her glass, shifted closer, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Gu Chenghuai had been alone for months, his mood sinking day by day. Hearing his wife’s gentle words, he instantly felt soothed.

He pulled her into his arms, tightening them slightly. “I thought you’d forgotten me. Heartless thing.”

“Who’s heartless?” Lin Zhao murmured. “I didn’t rest at all—I came straight to you. You’re the heartless one.”

“Fine, fine, you’re the one with a heart. I spoke foolishly,” Gu Chenghuai conceded, his tone full of indulgence.

Lin Zhao let it go and changed the subject. “Are you free later? Let’s go pick up Yaobao from school together.”

“I’m free. Sure, let’s go get her,” Gu Chenghuai said at once.

Lin Zhao’s eyes lit up.

She hadn’t picked up Yaobao in a while. Today, using their own car, her daughter would surely be delighted to see her.

“Zhaozhao, when you were away, Jin Saozi called the house. She said she had something to discuss with you,” Gu Chenghuai remembered and told his wife.

“...Jin Saozi?” Lin Zhao murmured. “Did she say what it was about?”

“No,” Gu Chenghuai shook his head.

He rarely smiled outwardly, spoke little, and hardly ever talked to women. A model of male virtue.

“Oh, I’ll call her back. When I’m done, shall we go?” Lin Zhao asked with a questioning look.

“Fine.”

While Lin Zhao was on the phone, Gu Chenghuai went to the guard and told him they’d be picking up the child later—anyone looking for him should come back tomorrow.

The guard nodded and left.

Lin Zhao dialed Jin Saozi’s number.

Jin Saozi answered with her familiar loud voice: “Lin Meizi? Is that you, Lin Meizi?”

Lin Zhao smiled warmly. “It’s me, Jin Saozi.”

“Oh my goodness, it really is you! I’ve finally reached you!” Jin Saozi exclaimed enthusiastically.

“Yes, I was in Haicheng for a while, away from home. What did you need?” Lin Zhao gave a brief explanation and steered the conversation back on track.

Jin Saozi said: “It’s not urgent. I just wanted to call and thank you personally.”

“Thank me? For what?!” Lin Zhao was puzzled.

“For Lixin. Because of Lixin.” Jin Saozi didn’t beat around the bush. “Zhihang took Lixin into business with him and brought back a lot of money. Thank you for letting Zhihang take Lixin along.”

Lin Zhao finally understood what had happened.

“Oh, that,” she smiled. “I never interfere in the children’s affairs. No thanks needed. Besides, it’s not like Zhihang ‘took’ Lixin—they’re partners. They teamed up because their personalities matched. Zhihang told me Lixin is capable and quick-witted—a great partner. With Lixin’s help, he saves himself a lot of trouble. The money Lixin brought back? He earned it with his own ability. Don’t overthink it, and don’t thank me.”

Jin Saozi said: “Still, we owe you thanks. If you hadn’t told me and Lao Jin about the prosthetic eye, Lixin wouldn’t have recovered so quickly. We wouldn’t have known how to make up for our son. If it weren’t for Zhiyu and Zhihang taking Lixin out and keeping him company, he’d never have become cheerful, never mind getting into university. We really do owe you!”

“Lin Meizi, having your family as neighbors is wonderful.”

She didn’t just say it—she’d sent a thank-you gift, including a hundred-year-old ginseng root bought with money Lixin had sent home.

After graduating from university, Jin Lixin saw the vast world beyond and slowly let go of his resentment toward his parents. He realized hatred took energy—and hating them was really just hurting himself.

He wanted to move toward a better life, no longer clinging to the past.

It was only after he came to the military district that his parents and siblings treated him with extraordinary kindness—and his heart softened.

“You’re a great neighbor too,” Lin Zhao smiled back. “I like you a lot.”

Jin Saozi beamed, her face lined with years, radiating warmth.

“Lin Meizi, are you busy? If you’re not, I’ll tell you some gossip from the compound.” She spoke with infectious enthusiasm.

“...Sure,” Lin Zhao said, thinking she had time.

Seeing Lin Zhao take so long, Gu Chenghuai brought over a stool, placed a soft cushion on it, then warmed a cup of milk and brought it over.

Lin Zhao smiled at the man and pinched his fingernail.

“And then?” she pressed for more, giving Jin Saozi all the encouragement she needed to keep talking.

“What else? Lu Baozhen didn’t even finish high school. Jiang Saozi naturally didn’t approve of her chasing after her own son. Because of this, she went to Lu’s house and had a screaming match with Su Meizi. The scene was wild—so many people came to watch. Guess who won?” Jin Saozi made sure Lin Zhao joined in.

“Both sides lost?” Lin Zhao guessed uncertainly.

She didn’t think such things had winners or losers.

“You’re right! It really was a draw!” Jin Saozi instantly felt Lin Zhao was sharp—she guessed right from afar, reading people perfectly.

“Normally, women’s squabbles shouldn’t affect the men—but this time was different. When higher-ups came for inspection, Jiang Saozi and Su Meizi made such a scene that their own husbands got punished.”

Lin Zhao: How unfortunate.

Actually, Lu Yizhou had good luck—he’d never been cut during any military downsizing. Such fortune… no wonder he was the biological father of the original heroine.

“There’s another thing I heard—this rumor might not be true,” Jin Saozi said in a hushed, mysterious tone.

Before Lin Zhao could ask, she rushed on: “I heard Baozhen’s father—that is, Colonel Lu—is going to leave the military.”

Lin Zhao was curious. “Where did you hear that?”

“I don’t know the source,” Jin Saozi said. “Lots of people are saying it, and they’re so specific—I think this time it’s real.”

“...”

It had been “real” several times already. Not very credible.

“Just treat it as gossip. Don’t spread it. Whether he leaves or not doesn’t concern us,” Lin Zhao warned, fearing Jin Saozi might say too much and get herself into trouble.

“I know. I’m just telling you,” Jin Saozi understood what to say and what to keep quiet.

Besides,

She had few close friends in the compound. After Lixin’s incident, many looked down on her, spreading rumors about her and her husband. She knew she deserved it—but being so ostracized made it impossible to return to how things used to be.

A few days ago, Lixin rode his motorcycle home. Everyone knew her eldest son had made it big. One after another, women came to her door, eager to arrange marriages for him, acting as if they’d always been close.

She couldn’t stand it.

Back then, they’d said her son was blind, would never find even a gatekeeper job, and would only marry a cripple or a mute…

They’d left no room for dignity.

Jin Saozi didn’t hold back—she turned them all down, saying her son would decide his own future.

That was her true feeling.

She had failed her eldest son. All she wanted now was for him to live a fulfilling life—whether he married or not, who he chose, it was entirely his decision.

The women who came to propose got angry, accusing Jin Saozi of looking down on them now that she was rich, and began spreading rumors about her.

Jin Saozi didn’t care.

As long as they didn’t say it to her face, she could pretend it didn’t exist.

But Jin Lixin learned of it from his furious little brother. Without hesitation, the next day he took the whole family into town and bought Jin Saozi a thick gold bracelet, and plenty of long-desired gifts for his younger siblings.

Jin Saozi walked out wearing a gold bracelet, and the rumors about her vanished instantly, replaced by talk that she was truly blessed—her son had just graduated and bought her a gold bracelet.

“...We were just talking about the Jiang and Lu families, and now we’ve gone off track again. After Jiang Saozi and Su Mei zi finished their fight, Jiang Rong and Baozhen didn’t cut ties—they still occasionally go out to watch movies together, looking like a young couple in love. Jiang Saozi was furious and sent Jiang Rong to her grandparents’. I heard Jiang Rong’s grandparents live in the capital—have you seen them?” Jin Saozi spoke fast and dense; only someone who hadn’t spent years in a melon patch could match her speed.

Lin Zhao laughed and sighed, “I haven’t seen them. The capital’s so big—what are the odds...”

Sometimes things really are that coincidental.

That afternoon, Lin Zhao saw the young male lead at Yaobao’s school gate.

Gu Chenghuai, with his former reconnaissance soldier’s gaze, spotted a yellow-haired boy loitering near his daughter’s side—and his eyes instantly turned cold.

He didn’t curse, but Lin Zhao felt he was mentally hurling curses far worse than ordinary ones.

Gu Chenghuai took Lin Zhao’s hand and crossed the street toward Yaobao.

“Yaobao.” A cool voice rang out.

Gu Zhiyao turned toward the sound, saw Gu Chenghuai and Lin Zhao, and her beautiful face lit up like a blooming flower.

“Dad! Mom!”

Gu Chenghuai seized his daughter’s arm and pulled her protectively to his side, his piercing gaze locking onto the young man across from them.

He sized him up from head to toe, utterly disdainful of every inch of him.

“Who is that guy? Do you know him?!” he asked Yaobao.

Gu Chenghuai genuinely didn’t recognize Jiang Rong. Back then, there were too many kids in the military compound, he had too much on his plate, was constantly swamped, and all his spare time went to his wife and children—outsiders left no trace in his mind.

“He’s Jiang Rong, a friend of my brothers. We used to live in the same compound. Dad, don’t you remember?” Yaobao said calmly.

Jiang Rong had suddenly come up to talk to her, and she didn’t want to talk to him—thankfully, her parents had arrived.

At that moment, Jiang Rong walked over, accompanied by a delicate little girl.

The girl looked curiously at Lin Zhao’s family, her gaze clean and innocent—not at all unpleasant.

“Uncle Gu, Auntie Lin, I’m Jiang Rong.” Jiang Rong bowed politely to Gu Chenghuai and Lin Zhao, smiling with just the right balance of warmth and restraint. “I came to pick up my cousin. I didn’t expect to see Yaobao—it’s truly fate.”

Lin Zhao: This fate is terrifying.

Gu Chenghuai: Who the hell has fate with you? Stay away from my daughter, you yellow-haired brat.

Yaobao stood silently beside her father.

“Mm, go ahead, we’re leaving.” Gu Chenghuai wrapped one arm around his wife’s shoulders and grabbed Yaobao’s hand with the other; the three of them walked toward the sedan parked across the street.

“Mom, is that car over there ours? Is this real?” Yaobao’s voice rose with excitement.

Jiang Rong heard this and his eyes flickered—had the Gu family reached this level already? Could they even afford a sedan?

Sedans were hard to get back then—not just a matter of money, you needed overseas connections. The Gu family...

“Big Brother Rong, how do you know Gu Zhiyao?”

Jiang Rong pulled his gaze away. “We used to live in the same compound.”

The girl nodded knowingly, then sighed with admiration. “Gu Zhiyao is just perfect—top grades, great personality, beautiful dancer, plays piano too. Today’s the first time I’ve met her parents. Her dad is so imposing, her mom is stunning—she looks like a Hong Kong movie star. I heard she has three older brothers who adore her. What a life—so enviable.”

Jiang Rong, for reasons unknown, said: “Yaobao has four uncles too. Her grandparents and uncles all treat her wonderfully.”

The girl, still full of admiration, turned to her cousin with a strange expression.

Big Brother Rong knows a lot—kinda weird.

Could it be...