Chapter 746: Chapter 645

Enduring a stream of harassing phone calls, Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man stayed in the military family compound and managed to enjoy two days in a world of their own.

Gu Qiming and Zhou Hui Lan were there too, but the two "third wheels" kept a low profile. Aside from having one talk with his son and taking a walk around the military district together, Gu Qiming let the young couple have their freedom the rest of the time. Even at banquets with his colleagues, he would only bring his wife, and the couple would make excuses for their son’s absence.

Zhou Hui Lan was mindful that her son and future daughter-in-law had been apart for a long time. Worried they might not be able to control their passions, she privately warned Gu Shaojun not to go too far. "No matter how much you like each other, you must exercise restraint. Manman is still a student, so you have to be considerate of her. Don’t anger her grandparents, and whatever you do, don’t provoke her father, Mr. Tang. He’s usually very easygoing, but when he’s not, it’s a serious matter. I’ve also come to realize that her mother, Mrs. Hao, likely has the exact same temper."

"I know the rules, Mom. Don’t worry." Gu Shaojun felt resigned. ’I’m twenty-seven years old. Is it easy for me to finally be in a relationship? And I still have my parents worrying about me, with so many people watching.’

However, when two people in love are together, all troubles, big and small, vanish into thin air, leaving only endless joy and sweetness.

Xiao Man finally found out what "surprise" Gu Shaojun had wanted to tell her. Although the information wasn’t exactly breaking news anymore, it was new to her, and she was genuinely thrilled.

"So, you’re saying that you rendered great service, got promoted again and again, and now you’re being transferred back to Beijing? Are you going to be staying in Beijing for good?"

"I can’t say for sure if I’ll be in Beijing for good. But starting next year, I’ll be based in Beijing for at least two or three years, moving between the National Defense University and the new military base. I’ll still have to go back to the South to check on things every now and then."

"That’s wonderful! Then we can... for our wedding..." Xiao Man trailed off, realizing a moment too late that she sounded even more eager than he did. She stole a shy glance at Gu Shaojun.

Gu Shaojun smiled and gave her a kiss. "That’s right. We can take our time with the preparations, have a grand, beautiful wedding, and maybe even go on a honeymoon!"

Xiao Man’s face flushed with excitement. "Really? Don’t just say that to get my hopes up. If we can’t go when the time comes, I’m holding you accountable!"

"I’ll remember. We’ll definitely go on a honeymoon." Gu Shaojun hugged his young fiancée, his own face filled with anticipation. "I can’t travel abroad without authorization, but it wouldn’t be hard to arrange if we really wanted to. I just don’t have the free time right now. We’ll have a chance in the future. Besides, our Huaxia is a vast country, with beautiful landscapes and scenic spots everywhere. Even if we can’t take a whole month off, whenever I get leave, we can just pack our bags and go. I’ll take you wherever you want—east, south, west, or north. Just the two of us."

"Well, duh. Who ever heard of a three-person honeymoon?"

"Uh, well, after we’re married, we’ll have children. What if one of them wants to tag along? We’d have to avoid them, wouldn’t we?"

"I’ll only be twenty when we get married. Who wants to have kids that early?"

"But don’t you like children? If you get pregnant, we’ll have the baby. It will be the fruit of our love, and we’ll love them together!"

Xiao Man: "..."

’How did the conversation veer off in this direction? We haven’t even finished planning the honeymoon yet.’

But she let it go. Right now, no topic felt out of place. Whatever came to mind, they would discuss it with earnest relish.

Xiao Man had thought that after Gu Shaojun left this time, she would have to wait until next year to see him again. But then he said, "I’ll be back at the end of September and can probably stay for half a month."

"Why is that? This is wonderful news," Xiao Man said, pleasantly surprised.

"Of course. Haven’t you heard of the military parade?"

"Of course I have! The big National Day military parade. It’s been in the papers, and everyone in the family, young and old, is talking about it. But what does that have to do with you? Don’t tell me you’re in the parade? That’s impossible. I heard the participants went into closed training a long time ago."

"I won’t be in the formation, but I can stand on either side of the main rostrum."

"You mean it’s true?"

"Of course!"

"The end of September... That’s so soon! I’ll get to see you again! Hehe!"

Gu Shaojun: "..."

’Well, his girl’s way of thinking was certainly pure and unique. Her focus was always on something different from everyone else’s.’

After returning from the military compound, it was time for Xiao Man to go back to school. Since it was still break, she didn’t have to stay in the dorms, so Gu Shaojun would pick her up and drop her off every day. Sometimes Xiao Man would even leave school early to spend more time with him, and they would have fun out on the town before she went home. In the last few days of his leave, Gu Shaojun took her to see two movies, met up with friends, and went shopping and exploring. All in all, they had a very happy and satisfying time.

Tang Haocheng, on the other hand, was not happy at all. It was a rare occasion for him to be back in the country, yet his sister couldn’t spend any time with him. She was being lured away by his prospective brother-in-law every day. He felt a strong urge to play a few pranks and make trouble for the man, but seeing his sister’s look of utter infatuation, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He could only swallow his anger.

’Fortunately, Gu Shaojun has to leave soon,’ Tang Haocheng thought. ’I’ll just put up with it for a few more days.’

The Wu Family and Wu Xiaowen had been contacting him nonstop, but Tang Haocheng was determined to ignore them. ’At first, for Wu Xiaowen’s sake, I was willing to look into the situation and lend a hand if I could. But then they started making all sorts of demands, acting as if it were my natural and unalterable duty to take care of it. They made it seem like I’d be a terrible person if I didn’t. So, I decided to just wash my hands of it completely. There’s no reason for criminals to act more entitled than I do.’

’He could see it with perfect clarity now. His sister was right: his mother was nothing more than a bargaining chip to the Wu Family, used from beginning to end by Lin Aizhen to make all sorts of deals.’

’The worst part was that his mother not only went along with it willingly, but she also took it upon herself to improvise, thinking she was being clever. She made one terrible mistake after another, yet she felt no remorse and refused to admit her faults. Raised by Lin Aizhen from a young age, her worldview was deeply ingrained and impossible to change. To stop her from committing more foolish acts that would only harm herself and others, his only choice as her son was to take her away with him.’

After Gu Shaojun left Beijing, Xiao Man spent a few days with Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin. Sometimes they even brought the three little cuties along when they went out. Watching Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin being run ragged by their younger siblings, waiting on them hand and foot, Xiao Man thought about their aloof, unapproachable "male god" personas from her past life and let out a mischievous smile.

The three of them also made a trip to the city where Tang Qingyun worked. Xiao Man was reluctant to go, but Tang Haocheng and Gu Shaoqin dragged her along. Then she had a change of heart, remembering that the city had many historical sites and beautiful scenery, all still preserved in their original condition in this day and age. Gu Shaoqin was heading there with his camera specifically for the views, so she decided to tag along.

Tang Qingyun was overjoyed. He took a rare full day off work to show them around and even accepted his colleagues’ offer to host a banquet in their honor. He was, however, discreet enough not to introduce Xiao Man as his daughter, nor did he specify which of them were his biological children. He simply announced vaguely, "They’re all my kids, all three of them!"

As a result, when the three siblings were about to leave, they each received a gift: jewelry and ornaments made from a precious gemstone found only in that region. The gemstone was becoming rarer and rarer, making the gifts particularly valuable. Tang Haocheng asked Tang Qingyun, "Dad, won’t you be suspected of accepting bribes for this?"

Tang Qingyun laughed. "Just take the gifts. They really are meaningful souvenirs. I hadn’t even thought of getting you something like this, and I wouldn’t have had the time anyway, so their timing is perfect. Don’t worry, I know the propriety of it. I’ll be sure to pay them back for the cost."

Tang Haocheng and the others knew that ever since Tang Qingyun’s divorce, Grandma Tang had started favoring her younger son again, unconditionally giving him all sorts of benefits, including a generous annual allowance that only ever went up. Since their father wasn’t short on cash, they didn’t refuse the gifts. They simply reminded him to make sure he paid for them.

「In late August」

Tang Haocheng said goodbye to his family and friends, then boarded a plane with Wu Xiaowen and left the country.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.