Chapter 42 My Daughter is Lost

Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Shock, disbelief, envy, awe...all kinds of complicated gazes focused on Gu Qiuyue as if they were real. The neighbors who were just discussing the rehabilitation of Gu's parents now looked at her with completely changed eyes, as if they were truly knowing this quiet and beautiful woman for the first time.

Gu Qiuyue herself was stunned for a moment, but quickly composed herself. She took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in her heart, and looked at Xie Shiyu. Their eyes met, no words needed. Xie Shiyu nodded slightly at her, his eyes steady and full of trust.

"Wait a moment." Gu Qiuyue turned around and walked quickly into the house, taking only a notebook and a pen - the confidential room naturally had special paper and pen. She quickly tidied her hair and walked out again, her steps calm and firm.

At the staff officer's side gesture, Gu Qiuyue faced countless burning gazes and walked towards the jeep that symbolized importance and honor. The staff officer personally opened the door for her. She nodded slightly in greeting and sat in with a generous attitude.

The car door was closed, blocking out the noise outside. The engine started and the jeep slowly drove away, leaving only a shallow track and flying dust on the muddy ground.

The crowd's discussions were like boiling water.

"Incredible! It's truly incredible!"

"Deputy Commander Xie's family is about to rise! The Yue family has been vindicated, and his wife is still valued so much by the division headquarters."

"I was really shortsighted before..."

Just as the exclamations had not yet completely died down and everyone's eyes were still following the receding car, the tightly closed gate of the Zhou family's courtyard was suddenly pulled open from the inside with a "clang". Zhou's mother rushed out like a mad female beast, her face distorted and ashen, her eyes staring at the direction where the jeep disappeared, and her chest heaving violently.

She could no longer suppress her anger and jealousy, and she spoke to the women nearby, who seemed to be quite familiar with her, in a voice so sharp it could pierce her eardrums, full of malicious speculation: "Bah! She's pretending, so arrogant, who knows what she's going to do? What kind of confidential mission can an ordinary propaganda department staff member carry out? What can a little girl do? Don't tell me... Don't tell me she's using the name of the mission to do something shady? Humph, I think..."

"Shut up!" A thunderous roar, like a thunder exploding above Zhou's mother's head, shook her whole body!

Everyone turned around in horror, only to see Zhou Sheng coming back with a frighteningly pale face and veins bulging on his forehead. Behind him were two guards with serious expressions.

Zhou Sheng rushed to his mother and said angrily, "Mom, I have packed your things for you. I will send you back home now."

"No! Why do you want to send me away, you unfilial thing..." Mother Zhou was shaking with anger, "Is it your wife who whispered in your ear? I said I didn't agree to your marriage at the beginning, but now look what happened. You married a troublemaker. Why is my life so miserable..." As she said that, she was about to sit on the ground.

Zhou Sheng's face turned pale. "It has nothing to do with Guifen. Don't scold her when you are unhappy. She is a good person. But you, do you want to listen to what you said just now?

Divisional headquarters has sent a car to pick up Officer Gu, and you're still here spreading rumors about her. Do you really want to strip me of my uniform?"

"How could it be?" Zhou's mother widened her eyes in horror and screamed, "That bitch is just a propaganda officer. What kind of confidential mission can she carry out? I don't believe it!" Her son is the most promising young man in the whole village, and she can't let him change his career.

"It's not up to you to decide whether to believe it or not. You should go back home first." Zhou Sheng gave the two guards behind him a tired look, "Excuse me, comrades."

Two guards immediately stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right, and unceremoniously "supported" Zhou's mother, who was still struggling and cursing, and almost half-dragged and half-carried her into a covered truck used for logistics nearby.

Zhou's mother's unwilling curses were isolated in the car. Zhou Sheng got on the passenger seat, and the truck started quickly, kicking up dust. In the eyes of everyone in the family compound, it drove away from the family compound in a dejected manner and disappeared at the end of the road.

The world seemed to be finally quiet.

A few days later, as dusk fell, the family compound gradually became quiet. The jeep with the division license plate drove back again and stopped quietly at the gate of the Xie family compound.

Gu Qiuyue opened the car door and got out, her face clearly fatigued but her eyes bright. The young staff officer followed closely behind, respectfully thanking her repeatedly. "Secretary Gu, thank you for your hard work. The commander asked me to convey his appreciation and gratitude for your work. Your translation is very important and has been a great help!"

Gu Qiuyue nodded slightly, her voice a little hoarse: "It's my duty. As long as the task is completed." She didn't say much.

The staff officer saluted again, turned around, got into the car and left.

Xie Shiyu had been waiting at the gate and immediately went over to her. He naturally took the light notebook from her hand and wrapped his warm palm around her slightly cold hand: "Are you tired? Come inside and rest."

Gu Qiuyue let him hold her hand, leaning on his strong arms. She hummed softly and returned to the house, where the warm light dispelled her fatigue. Xie Shiyu poured her a cup of warm water and handed it to her. He watched her sip it before whispering, "Is everything going well?"

Gu Qiuyue put down the cup and rubbed her swollen temples. "Well, the information is very professional. Some of the terms and parameter names are a bit obscure. I looked it up in the dictionary and finally figured it out. It's about..." She paused, remembering the confidentiality requirements, shook her head, and said vaguely, "Anyway, it's something very important, involving some... new international developments."

Xie Shiyu also knew the principle of confidentiality, so he stopped asking questions and patted her shoulders with concern: "Thank you for your hard work. As for mom and dad, wait until they're settled, we..."

Gu Qiuyue finally showed a genuine smile on her face and nodded: "Yes, I know."

The next day, Gu Qiuyue went to work at the Propaganda Department of the division headquarters as usual. The office was bright and clean, and the sun was shining brightly.

She had just sat down at her desk, taken out a pen, and was about to start dealing with the backlog of manuscripts on her desk when her colleague Sun Juan came over briskly with a teacup in hand and plopped down on the empty chair next to her.

Her face was filled with a mixture of fear and uncontrollable gossip excitement. She glanced around mysteriously and lowered her voice: "Qiuyue, Qiuyue, you are finally back. You took leave at home a few days ago, but you didn't know that a huge thing happened in our family compound. It scared me to death!"

Gu Qiuyue was intrigued by her nervous look. She put down her pen and turned sideways: "What's wrong? What happened? You look so panicked."

"It's Zheng Chuncao's house!" Sun Juan lowered her voice to a whisper, her eyes widening. "You still remember her, right?"

Seeing her nod, Sun Juan continued, "Her daughter is missing!"