Zhou Cheng expected his request would be denied.
After all, it hadn’t been a month yet.
Surprisingly, his request was approved.
“You have only 2 minutes for the call, hurry!”
Zhou Cheng understood then – this wasn’t just not a drill, but a dangerous mission. Only at such times would the academy be especially lenient, worried the trainees might leave with regrets.
Zhou Cheng didn’t dare waste time. He had experienced too many dangerous situations – even if shells exploded in front of him, as long as they didn’t kill him, he could get up and continue fighting.
He was just puzzled about what mission required this term’s academy students – there weren’t just frontline veterans like him, but also administrative officials.
With only half an hour until departure, if he called Xiaolan, the time would run out before she could even answer.
So Zhou Cheng called home.
His parents weren’t home, but Sister Zeng should be there. She always bought groceries early in the morning, kept a regular schedule, and should be cleaning at this time.
Luckily, the line wasn’t busy today and connected within minutes.
“Hello?”
It was Guan Hui’e answering – even better!
“Mom, it’s me. I’m not supposed to be able to make calls yet, so I’ll be brief. Please look after Xiaolan lately – someone’s been bullying your future daughter-in-law… Going to her school and making meaningless threats. You haven’t even done such things, what right do they have to do this?”
Zhou Cheng spoke hurriedly, clearly pressed for time.
Guan Hui’e didn’t even have time to be angry with her heartless son, whose first call was to his mother about Xia Xiaolan. Guan Hui’e blushed slightly – she had done similar things before. Was Zhou Cheng subtly criticizing her?
They said two minutes, and they meant exactly that – not a second more before cutting off.
Zhou Cheng hadn’t mentioned the mission. His mother would just worry sleepless if she knew.
The chances of going to the frontline were very small. The officials and trainees at Lu Academy came from all over, from different units with different roles. Getting orders to send an entire squadron to the frontline would be complicated.
But Zhou Cheng couldn’t guess what the mission was, so he simply didn’t mention it to Guan Hui’e.
Though Zhou Cheng hadn’t said much, Guan Hui’e’s mind was in turmoil.
Should she get involved?
If so, how?
Deep down, she didn’t want to get involved, as she hadn’t agreed to Xia Xiaolan continuing with Zhou Cheng!
But Guan Hui’e’s disapproval didn’t matter – as long as Zhou Cheng hadn’t broken up with her, Xia Xiaolan was his girlfriend. If they didn’t handle this, letting Xia Xiaolan get bullied would make the Zhou family lose face. The Zhou family didn’t start trouble, but they weren’t afraid of it either – even if she wasn’t Zhou Cheng’s girlfriend, did a young woman from another province, working hard and earnestly at life, deserve to be bullied?
Guan Hui’e wasn’t a bad person.
She couldn’t right all the world’s wrongs, but for matters that came to her attention, she couldn’t harden her heart.
Setting aside whether Xia Xiaolan was suitable for Zhou Cheng, Xia Xiaolan herself was admirable. If Guan Hui’e encountered such situations in life, even a junior colleague newly assigned to her unit, she would lend a hand. And Xia Xiaolan wasn’t just a junior colleague, but her son’s girlfriend!
When Zhou Guobin returned from work, Guan Hui’e told him everything:
“This is too much bullying! How old are they to be feuding with a young girl!”
The Zhou family had no connection with the Ji family. They were completely different circles – a family of rough folks couldn’t possibly associate with education luminaries. But Zhou Guobin had heard of Old Master Ji.
Zhou Guobin wondered if he was hearing a joke:
“Their old master has barely been buried.”
With Old Ji barely gone, the Ji family was already acting so overbearing, truly trampling on Old Ji’s lifelong reputation.
This didn’t bring honor to the Ji family – it was embarrassing to even mention.
The Zhou family might be rough folks, but they would never handle things this way. If Zhou Cheng hadn’t brought Xia Xiaolan home, neither he nor Guan Hui’e would have gone to her house demanding she leave!
“We can’t let this slide. Go ask Xiaolan – she’s young and inexperienced, and might have been frightened by the Ji family.”
Guan Hui’e would handle this, though her heart was soft and her words sharp:
“Her? Get frightened?”
Guan Hui’e remembered when she confronted Xia Xiaolan, the girl had argued systematically, hardly seeming frightened.
She had reasonably countered her opinions, and still hadn’t broken up with Zhou Cheng – weren’t they still doing well?
Why wasn’t she frightened when Guan Hui’e confronted her, but would be frightened by whoever from the Ji family?
How foolish – couldn’t they tell who was more important?
No, this matter couldn’t end like this.
Zhou Guobin added unhelpfully: “You should invite that child home for meals more often. She left her hometown to study in the capital, half for your son. Our family can’t be heartless. Take her out to more occasions in the future, then situations like the Ji family’s won’t happen again.”
Not many knew about Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng’s relationship – besides the Zhou family, only Ran Shuyu had happened to witness it.
But publicly taking her out meant something different – was this approving of Xia Xiaolan and Zhou Cheng’s future?
Guan Hui’e rolled her eyes several times, fuming – why were Zhou men so fickle?
Between Zhou Cheng’s call and Zhou Guobin’s emphasis, Guan Hui’e took this matter to heart. After work, she deliberately didn’t go home, having the driver detour to Hua Qing University. The last time she came to the school was to ask Xia Xiaolan to leave Zhou Cheng… Guan Hui’e’s cheeks burned. She had done the same thing, blinded by anger then. Now that someone named Ji had done the same while despising them, she also reflected on the impropriety of her own past actions.
What right did she have to interfere with other people’s children?
If she should manage anyone, it should be Zhou Cheng, her son.
She couldn’t even manage Zhou Cheng well, and couldn’t bear to force her son, so what use was coming to school to tell Xia Xiaolan to break up?
Guan Hui’e had the driver stop far from the school gates, seeing a crowd gathered there, clamoring about something unknown.
Guan Hui’e had no interest in such commotion, but through a gap in the crowd, wasn’t that person inside looking like Xia Xiaolan?
Xia Xiaolan’s face was too distinctive – even the most face-blind person couldn’t mistake it.
Guan Hui’e heard the anger in Xia Xiaolan’s voice:
“Auntie, if you’re ill, take your medicine. I have a boyfriend and have nothing to do with your son – even if your family has mountains of gold and silver, I’m not interested! Whoever you want to accompany your son abroad, go ask them – it won’t be me! If I want to go abroad, I’ll rely on my abilities!”
Guan Hui’e frowned.
Not because of what Xia Xiaolan was saying, but how she was saying it.
With such a small voice, did she even know how to argue?!