Chapter 452

Lin Zhao had heard a little about the miserable state of the Du family. She didn't feel soft-hearted, thinking they were innocent; even if they were, they had benefited from the evil Du Sheng committed.

In the afternoon, Lin Zhao accompanied Lin Heling to the cemetery and stayed for half an hour.

Gu Chenghuai was busy with work, so the couple only stayed at the Lin house for one night, and the next evening they took the train back to the capital.

She hadn't slept well the night before, so Lin Zhao had a splitting headache and was drowsy after getting on the train.

"Lie down for a while?" Gu Chenghuai spread the sheets on the upper bunk, sat on the edge of the bed, hands supporting his body on both sides, looking at his wife.

Lin Zhao got up from the lower bunk, "Okay. You come down, I'll go up."

Gu Chenghuai jumped down and helped her climb to the upper bunk.

People came and went in the sleeper car. Ever since she saw someone fixing their feet on the sleeper once, Lin Zhao had a psychological shadow, so she carried sheets, pillowcases, and blankets with her. Only with these could she barely lie down; otherwise, her whole body would itch.

Gu Chenghuai had been very restless at night, Lin Zhao had slept for less than five hours, and she had gotten up early the next day. Now that she was finally free, she was so sleepy she couldn't open her eyes.

A few minutes after her head hit the pillow, her breathing became steady.

Gu Chenghuai sat on the lower bunk and took out a book to read.

His educational background wasn't high, but he had been recommended by the military to study at a military academy, which made up for his shortcomings.

He knew the importance of knowledge.

In the future, the struggle between countries would depend on technology and advanced weapons, far from what it was before. He had to keep learning to avoid being eliminated.

Gu Chenghuai knew this well and never gave up learning.

He had read many books and would continue to arm his mind with knowledge in the future so as not to be eliminated by society.

Zhaozhao's personality was somewhat inclined toward the strong; he had to remain strong forever so that her gaze would always be on him.

Gu Chenghuai found that the outside world was becoming more and more colorful, gradually losing its former purity, and things that attracted attention were springing up like mushrooms. He had to be vigilant.

Determination appeared in the man's eyes, and he settled his mind and began to read the book seriously.

The orderly: Chief Gu's reason for insisting on learning is actually so simple? So... unexpected.

Lin Zhao didn't know her man's thoughts, just felt that this person had suddenly become clingy, spending more time with her, which was strange.

She didn't ask for the reason. Although she was independent, she was also happy that Gu Chenghuai was with her.

During this time, their relationship as a couple had become even better, and there was even a sense of returning to the deep affection they had when they first got married.

It was already late at night when Lin Zhao woke up.

A loud snoring sound came from somewhere, everyone in the carriage was asleep, and the lights in the train dimmed.

She opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling of the carriage with a blank expression, not moving, still a bit dazed from sleep.

Gu Chenghuai noticed something, stood up and took a look, and was charmed by his wife's cuteness, a low, muffled laugh escaping his mouth.

Hearing the sound, Lin Zhao turned her head and met Gu Chenghuai's deep, smiling eyes across the railing.

Her thoughts returned, and she asked in a soft, hoarse voice, "What are you laughing at?"

Gu Chenghuai reached out to touch her cheek; it was warm, so she hadn't frozen. He also lowered his voice, "Nothing, are you hungry?"

"I'm okay, I want to drink water." Lin Zhao sat up and moved toward the edge of the bed.

Then she stepped on the footrest and came down.

It was dark outside, but there were lights on the train, so it didn't affect her vision.

Gu Chenghuai unscrewed the lid of the thermos and handed it to Lin Zhao, "Drink, the temperature should be just right."

Afraid his wife would be thirsty, he had fetched hot water long ago and let it cool, only putting the lid on when the temperature was suitable for drinking.

Lin Zhao took the thermos and drank the water. Her slightly dry lips were nourished by the water and became moist, and her brow immediately relaxed.

Speaking of which, this thermos was a couple's cup Yaobao bought in Haicheng, one for Dad and one for Mom.

When he first received it, Gu Chenghuai showed it off for a long time. During that time, the leaders of the military region were annoyed whenever they saw him, but they couldn't just give him a hard time. Who didn't know this person was petty and ruthless when it came to revenge?

Everyone could only curse in their hearts:

——Just because he has a good daughter, what's there to show off.

——The daughter will be someone else's sooner or later. When Yaobao gets married, that guy Gu Chenghuai will cry to death.

——His daughter gave him a few pairs of insoles, did he show them off?

——Most annoyed by people without boundaries!

——Pah.

Gu Chenghuai knew his comrades were gossiping behind his back, but he didn't care at all. Whatever they thought, he was happy.

"How much longer until we arrive?" Lin Zhao asked.

The air in the train didn't smell good, and it was cold, so they couldn't open the windows. Staying inside for a long time was really agonizing.

"We've only gone halfway, why don't you sleep again," Gu Chenghuai said.

They were on a direct express train. This train departed in the afternoon and arrived the next morning, a total of nearly seventeen hours.

Lin Zhao didn't have any sleepiness for the moment, so she sat on the lower bunk, leaning against her husband, looking out the window.

"Why does time pass so slowly?"

Gu Chenghuai laughed, "You don't want to take a plane. If you take a plane, it only takes two hours."

There were few flight schedules, and the ticket prices were high, but they could afford it; it was just that Zhaozhao didn't want to take one.

"I'm scared," Lin Zhao shook her husband's arm.

For so many years, she rarely had arguments with Gu Chenghuai. In the few times they did, the man would quickly find her to talk openly, not dwelling on right or wrong, just to avoid arguing next time.

He never let her go to sleep angry.

He would always consider her feelings.

There were no unpleasant things in life, so Lin Zhao had hardly changed in all these years.

If there was a change, it was that she dressed more fashionably and looked even more bright and moving.

"If you're scared, then don't take it," Gu Chenghuai's gaze was gentle, "But if you go to a farther place, will you still take the train? The time will be even longer, you won't be able to stand it."

Lin Zhao's answer was silence.

Like an ostrich, she buried her head in Gu Chenghuai's chest.

Future things can be discussed in the future.

The smile in Gu Chenghuai's eyes deepened, and he said in her ear, "Tell me when you want to take one, I'll accompany you."

Even with someone accompanying me, I'll still panic.

Lin Zhao thought to herself.

She liked the feeling of being grounded. Hanging ten thousand meters in the air, just thinking about it made her panic.

Lin Zhao continued to play the quail.

A low, teasing laugh spilled from Gu Chenghuai's lips, and he indulged her, "Let's not mention it. If you don't want to take it, we won't. Besides planes, there will be faster transportation than trains in the future."

There definitely will be.

Lin Zhao believed this firmly.

She would rather wait for that than take a plane; if asked, the answer is fear.

The couple talked in low voices for a while, and feeling tired, they each went to sleep.

After dawn, the voices of other passengers rang out, and Lin Zhao woke up.

At noon, the train arrived at its destination.

Under Gu Chenghuai's escort, Lin Zhao got off the train in a daze.

Just after leaving the station, she saw Gu Zhihang driving to pick them up.

"Dad, Mom, over here."

Lin Zhao's expression brightened, and she felt a bit more spirited, "Why did you come? That's great, no need to take a taxi."

Gu Zhihang took the luggage from his father's hand, put it in the trunk, saw his parents get in the car, and then sat in the driver's seat.

"I just happened to be free, so I came to pick you up," Gu Zhihang replied.

He looked back and asked, "Mom, where are we going back to?"

"The military region, I guess," Lin Zhao said.

Yesterday, Gu Chenghuai had received a call from the military region urging him. If they went back to the city, he would have to go back there again, which was inconvenient.

Gu Chenghuai held his wife's hand, circling it in his palm, his bottomless eyes incredibly gentle.

Zhaozhao is really good to him.

Lin Zhao smiled at him.

In Yaobao's senior year, there was going to be a grand military parade for National Day. Gu Chenghuai became busy and was often nowhere to be seen.

Afraid his wife would be unhappy, he told Lin Zhao: he would take her to the scene to watch it on the day of the grand parade.

Lin Zhao was coaxed into a wide grin and hurriedly agreed, "Okay, okay, you go do your work, don't worry about me, I'll wait for you to pick me up."

Gu Chenghuai rubbed Lin Zhao's head, kissed her cheek, took a long stride, and left like a gust of wind.

In the following days, the man would only return when Lin Zhao was asleep, and he would leave again before she woke up. Later, afraid his wife wouldn't sleep well, Gu Chenghuai simply slept in the office.

The entire military region became tense, and all the family members could feel that tense yet joyful atmosphere.

Lin Zhao was infected by this atmosphere and was happy all day long.

Gu Chenghuai was busy, but Gu Zhihang suddenly became free, and the time he spent at home increased.

This day.

Gu Zhihang got home from work, hung up his suit jacket, washed his hands and face, changed into some clothes, and then sat next to Lin Zhao, who was wearing loungewear.

"Mom, do you know that Jiang Rong is getting married?"

Lin Zhao: "!!!"

What? The male lead is getting married?

Then... then, then, then, the bride must definitely be the female lead, right?

Her eyes shone, and she asked, "Is the woman Baozhen?"

Gu Zhihang adjusted his posture to make himself lie more comfortably.

Seeing Yaobao also looking over, he said slowly, "That's for sure."

He wasn't surprised at all that these two were getting married.

"Did the Jiang family agree?" Lin Zhao continued to ask, "Didn't they say Jiang Rong's mother really dislikes Lu Baozhen?"

Saying she disliked her was a euphemism; in reality, it was disgust, the kind of disgust that went to the bone.

"I don't know about that," Gu Zhihang indicated he didn't know, "Jiang Rong didn't say. He only invited me to attend the wedding."

"Mom, if you want to know, call Aunt Jin; she'd be very happy to share gossip with you."

His father had asked him to take good care of his mother, not to let her be bored, and not to let people with ulterior motives get close to her, and for this, he didn't hesitate to use benefits to lure him.

Benefits or whatever weren't important; maintaining family stability was the responsibility of every family member, and he wouldn't decline.

"That's true," Lin Zhao nodded.

Just as she was about to head to the phone, she turned her head to look at Gu Zhihang, "Are you going?"

Gu Zhihang shrugged, "Depends on the situation. If I'm busy, I won't go; if I'm free, I will."

Jiang Rong wasn't a very important person to him, just a childhood playmate.

"Fine, you decide. If you go, keep your wits about you," Lin Zhao was never quite at ease with Lu Baozhen's character.

Although she hadn't been in contact with Lu Baozhen for many years, she knew quite a few of her "glorious deeds."

Lu Baozhen was capable of doing things that harmed others without benefiting herself.

"I know," Gu Zhihang had known his mother didn't like Lu Baozhen since he was five.

He didn't like her either, and even felt an endless disgust from the bottom of his heart, as if this person had once hurt him, which was really strange.

And the weirdness about Lu Baozhen that year—thinking back after growing up, he clearly knew it wasn't normal, it wasn't within the scope of science, as if it were some kind of supernatural phenomenon.

He had asked his eldest brother, and his eldest brother remembered it very clearly, so it wasn't his illusion. There was indeed something weird about Lu Baozhen, and she had once harbored ill intentions toward him and his eldest brother.

Looking at it this way.

It wasn't strange that he disliked Lu Baozhen.

No one would like someone who wanted to scheme against them.

"Hmm, as long as you have a count of it," Lin Zhao looked at the protective red rope on her son's wrist, and only then felt relieved.

It was strange to say, but the protective red ropes on the four cubs grew larger as they grew up. The ropes still had a luster, and they were different from ordinary red ropes, looking like fashion items.

The four cubs hadn't asked, and Lin Zhao didn't need to find a reason to explain. The family tacitly skipped this topic.

Lin Zhao dialed the phone.

For the convenience of making calls, Gu Zhiqian had someone reinstall it before the New Year, moving the phone to the side of the sofa.

Now one could answer and make calls while sitting on the sofa.

"Hello!! Lin Meizi!! Is that Lin Meizi?" Aunt Jin's loud voice rang out.

Jin Lixin had made a lot of money over the years, and for the convenience of contacting business partners, he had installed a phone at home.

Commander Jin and Aunt Jin said it was a waste, but in reality, their shoulders were held straight, and their pride was evident in their expressions.

Lin Zhao laughed, "It's me, Aunt Jin."

Aunt Jin slapped her thigh, "Oh my, you busy person actually has time to call me. Lin Meizi, how are you? Is everything okay at home?"

"Good, good, good, everything is good," Lin Zhao answered with a smile.

After the old neighbors exchanged a few pleasantries, the sense of strangeness vanished, and the soul of gossip in Aunt Jin burned with a raging flame.

"Lin Meizi, do you know about the Jiang and Lu family situation?" Her tone was tinged with a hint of excitement.

"I don't know, what happened to the Jiang and Lu families again?" Lin Zhao asked casually.

Aunt Jin's eyes shone, and her excited voice changed pitch, "Hey, you don't know? Come, come, come, I'll tell you."

"You've heard that Jiang Rong and Lu Baozhen are getting married, right?"

Lin Zhao nodded, then realized Aunt Jin couldn't see, and said, "I heard, Zhihang said so. Jiang Rong invited him to attend the wedding."

Aunt Jin: Hmm?

What's the situation? Isn't the Jiang Rong kid unwilling? Why is he actively inviting people to his wedding? Is he willing or unwilling? It's really confusing.

"What the heck, he even invited Zhihang to his wedding?" Aunt Jin expressed complete surprise.

"He's not willing to get married at all, why would he actively invite people?"

"... Could it be for the gift money? The Jiang family isn't short of money, it's really puzzling."

Aunt Jin complained.

Lin Zhao's expression paused slightly, "He's not willing to get married?"

"Yeah, Jiang Rong was schemed against. He wasn't willing and made a scene for more than half a month," Aunt Jin didn't understand either.

"How was he schemed against?" Lin Zhao pressed.

For some reason, she didn't feel surprised.

This was something Lu Baozhen could do.

To live a good life, she was capable of doing anything, even murder and arson.

Wasn't she like that in the original book? It's just that she had a golden finger. All the bad things were done by others, she was always pure and flawless, and there was always someone willing to give everything for her.

Her halo was huge.

"Scheming against someone isn't simple? Just let people see them hugging, and Lu Baozhen cries a bit more miserably, and the matter is done," Aunt Jin said.

"I think she's very skilled. If I didn't know she hadn't done this before, I would have thought she was a repeat offender."

"I heard people say that Jiang Rong's face turned green at the time! He asked Lu Baozhen to speak and explain clearly to everyone, but Lu Baozhen was like a mute, only knowing how to cry, not saying a word. If it weren't for Jiang Rong's father, he would have almost been taken in... The final result was that the two hurriedly got engaged."

Actually, everyone knew Lu Baozhen used the crime of hooliganism to scheme against Jiang Rong, but she, the "victim," bit Jiang Rong hard. To protect Jiang Rong's future, the Jiang family had to accept their fate.

Lin Zhao: "..."

Still not surprised.

Jiang Rong's saint-like nature would sooner or later fall into Lu Baozhen's web.

"... So that's how it is."

Surprised, yet not surprised.

The male and female leads, they still ended up together.