Chapter 181: Old Master

Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Old Master

"You don’t have to take this mission. They could assign someone else to the surveillance. Since you can relay the information to the higher-ups, it would work just the same with another person," Su Wan said, her voice muffled with frustration.

’She knew marrying a soldier meant they would often be apart, but Lu Zhengchuan was clearly much busier than most—and he was the one choosing to do it.’

She was sure that if Lu Zhengchuan requested a replacement, his superiors would assign another soldier to take over.

Lu Zhengchuan was rendered speechless by her question. He had indeed volunteered for this case.

"Wanwan, don’t be angry. After I finish this case, I can take my leave later. I’ll still be able to spend time with you and the children."

"Why are you so insistent on taking this mission?" Su Wan wasn’t being petulant; she was genuinely curious.

Lu Zhengchuan rubbed the tip of his nose and stole a glance at her. Realizing he couldn’t hide it any longer, he confessed, "...Because I’m helping Qi Hao. He’s the one who discovered this case. If he successfully closes this major case, a promotion is a sure thing."

"Qi Hao doesn’t trust anyone else. By working with him, I can earn military honors as well. It’s too good an opportunity to pass up."

As he spoke, he watched her nervously, afraid she would get angry.

He didn’t even understand why he was so worried himself.

Perhaps it was because he cared so much about Su Wan now.

"...If you want to do it, go ahead. I only have one condition." Su Wan didn’t try to talk him out of prioritizing his career. She was an ambitious person herself.

So she understood his desire to climb the ranks.

"Wanwan, tell me," Lu Zhengchuan said, grasping her hand. He felt he could never get enough of her touch, and his eyes roamed her face, never wanting to look away.

"If I have another dream that you’re in danger, I need you to take it seriously, immediately."

After Su Wan had saved his life several times, Lu Zhengchuan had come to believe in her dreams without a shadow of a doubt.

"Wanwan, don’t worry, I’ll definitely believe you. It’s just that my current superior is Commander Zhang. He’s never worked with you, so he might not believe you, and he might not even contact me."

"Then what should we do?" Su Wan frowned. She hadn’t even considered that problem until Lu Zhengchuan brought it up.

Lu Zhengchuan thought for a moment. "How about this: you contact Master Ji, and he can contact the Commander for you."

As long as there was someone she could contact, Su Wan wouldn’t have to fear knowing Lu Zhengchuan was in danger but being unable to save him.

"Alright," Su Wan nodded.

"Wanwan, don’t worry about me. I need this promotion to protect you and the children. I’ll come back safe," Lu Zhengchuan said, kissing her lips again and again.

Su Wan felt flushed, but her heart was still heavy with worry for Lu Zhengchuan, so she didn’t push him away. The intimate contact was the only thing that managed to suppress her anxiety.

Seeing that she wasn’t rejecting him, Lu Zhengchuan’s actions grew bolder.

Su Wan watched him take off his clothes, then pressed a hand against his chest. "Are you planning to go out and clean up afterward? If not, once you’re gone, Mom and Aunt Zhao will definitely notice something’s off in the room tomorrow morning."

Lu Zhengchuan seemed to deflate, collapsing on top of Su Wan. His chest rose and fell as he said in a muffled voice, "...Otherwise, Wanwan, what if we go get a hotel room?"

Su Wan simply turned her back to him, making her feelings perfectly clear.

"Sigh..."

With a sigh, Lu Zhengchuan obediently put his clothes back on. He had impressive self-control; despite his discomfort, he insisted on just holding Su Wan as he slept.

Su Wan was so flustered by his occasional movements that she barely slept all night.

She had no idea when Lu Zhengchuan had left; when she woke up in the morning, she was alone in the bed.

Feeling a bit unsteady on her feet, Su Wan finished washing up and sat down at the table for breakfast.

Second Sister-in-law Su, who was holding Nuannuan and feeding her rice cereal, couldn’t help but give her an extra glance. "Wanwan, did you not sleep well last night?" she asked with concern.

"...Yeah."

"Don’t worry, he’ll be fine." Only Su Wan and Zhang Yun, who were also there, understood the meaning behind Second Sister-in-law Su’s words.

Su Wan knew she was mistaken, but she didn’t bother to explain.

Zhang Yun glanced at her a few times, looking like she wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

After breakfast, Zhang Yun exchanged a few words with the Su Family and then left.

She walked out of the alley and headed straight for the restaurant where she was supposed to meet Xu Rongrong.

Zhang Yun had been waiting inside for less than ten minutes when Xu Rongrong arrived, dressed in vibrant clothes.

"Miss Xu, I can’t agree to what you’ve asked of me." Zhang Yun pursed her lips, eager to state her position the moment the other woman sat down.

Hearing this, Xu Rongrong didn’t seem concerned.

She casually picked up her teacup and took a sip, her expression still confident. "Are you sure you want to turn down the fortune that’s within your grasp?"

Zhang Yun clutched her own teacup, saying nothing.

"You might not want a life of luxury, but what about your boyfriend? He doesn’t have a job right now, does he? All you have to do is go to Mr. Lu and establish your connection. It would be incredibly easy for him to find your boyfriend a job. He’s the Director of the National Museum, after all."

"He’s my cousin’s relative, not mine," Zhang Yun retorted. "Even if I go, they won’t acknowledge me."

"Besides, even if my cousin is missing, my sister-in-law should be the one to go. It’s not my place."

Xu Rongrong raised an eyebrow. "Just tell me this: are you Lu Zhengchuan’s cousin or not? Did your parents raise Lu Zhengchuan from when he was little? Even though he joined the army in his teens, your parents were the ones who raised him as a child, right?"

"...So what if they did?"

"Now that Lu Zhengchuan is missing, and Mr. Lu is old and gravely ill, he’ll definitely want to connect with his grandson’s family. You go explain the situation to him. At his age, even if he gets out of the hospital this time, who knows how much longer he has. He’ll certainly want to thank your family on Lu Zhengchuan’s behalf. It would be completely normal for him to leave you a small inheritance or arrange a job for you."

"Are you sure you want to turn that down?"

Zhang Yun was tempted.

Xu Rongrong pressed on. "Besides, you want to marry Zhao Yuan, right? If you had a job, the Zhao family would definitely see you in a better light. Let’s be honest, you’re from the countryside. Your family background doesn’t really measure up to his."

"After you marry him, do you want his family to look down on you? Do you want his relatives to laugh at him for marrying a good-for-nothing country girl?"

"I don’t want that... I’ll go." Zhang Yun couldn’t bear to imagine it.

’Her plan was simple. When she saw Mr. Lu, she would talk about her cousin, but she would also mention her sister-in-law. That way, if Mr. Lu wanted to see her, it wouldn’t be like she had deliberately hidden anything.’

"You’ll be glad you made this decision."

Xu Rongrong stood up and, with a smile, led her to a sedan.

Zhang Yun couldn’t resist reaching out to touch the sedan. It was beautiful. Though not as large and imposing as a military jeep, she’d heard that sedans were something civilians could buy, but they were incredibly expensive. A car like this had to cost at least twenty thousand yuan.

Xu Rongrong led Zhang Yun into a state-run convalescent home.

In the hospital room, she saw the gravely ill Mr. Lu lying in bed, hooked up to a respirator.

"Grandpa Lu, it’s me, Xu Rongrong! I heard you were looking for Lu Zhengchuan’s family, so I brought her. This is Zhang Yun. Lu Zhengchuan was raised on her mother’s milk. She is Lu Zhengchuan’s most important relative."