"I won't reply," he replied stubbornly.

What are we going back for?

He didn't want to see either Mo Youyou's face or Liu Shengrui's face right now. He just felt endlessly upset and wanted to escape as much as possible.

"So what do you want?" Zhang Cuihua asked in a low voice.

This was, after all, a family scandal, and there were people everywhere in the army. It wouldn't be good if other soldiers heard or saw it, so it had to be dealt with quietly.

“Son, you need to think this through. Do you really want to fall out with Youyou over this?” Zhang Cuihua asked.

Liu Dekai remained silent. After so many days of separation and calming down, he still couldn't figure things out. He was just holding back his anger and didn't want to go back, but he still retained a sliver of rationality.

"Think about it, your father-in-law doesn't know about this yet. What will he think if he finds out you're living in the dormitory? If he doesn't help you then, what will you do in the army?"

"This opportunity is already gone, don't you want any more opportunities in the future?"

"Dekai, listen to your mother's advice. Don't dwell on this one thing. Besides, it's not really Youyou's fault. If you keep arguing like this, life will never be the same!"

Liu Dekai: "..."

Zhang Cuihua's words gave Liu Dekai a way out.

Indeed, life can't just stop going on.

"Okay, let's go back."

In the end, Liu Dekai had to back down. He really couldn't bear to give up Mo Cheng, who was his help, nor could he really let things get to the point of no return with Mo Youyou.

Knowing Mo Youyou as he did, he knew she wouldn't try to persuade him, so he might as well take advantage of his mother's presence and back down.

"That's right!" Zhang Cuihua breathed a sigh of relief.

And so, the mother and son returned home.

Although Mo Youyou, who had always maintained a haughty demeanor, spoke so forcefully, she stopped being sarcastic when she actually saw the person return. Her attitude was just a bit cold, even deliberately distant.

The two seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding: they would not mention unresolved conflicts from the past, nor would they discuss what to do in the future; they would just continue living like this for the time being.

At least Liu Dekai has moved back to his family home. To outsiders, the family seems harmonious and there are no apparent problems. But only the parties involved know the true situation.

The thorns have always been there; they have never disappeared.

The task was completed in less than a month.

Brigade Commander Yang has not yet stepped down, but after the purge is over, Lu Zhengjun's promotion to brigade commander and the announcement of his mission execution were released ahead of schedule.

The undercover mission was not publicized within the military; it was known only to a select few and circulated internally.

Fortunately, all the criminals have been apprehended, so they will not pose a significant threat to Lu Zhengjun's safety.

"Zhengjun, Commander Liao called me today and said he wants you to go to the military base when you have some free time. Your promotion has been approved," Liu Yuying said, sharing the good news with him as soon as she returned.

“Okay, Mom, I understand.” Lu Zhengjun nodded.

The next day, the military announced that Lu Zhengjun had been promoted to brigade commander, and the promotion certificate was handed to him.

"I'm not urging you to come back. You can take your full vacation or come back early if you want; it's up to you," Commander Liao said.

During the three years that Lu Zhengjun was undercover, he had a child. Several army commanders were aware of this and knew how much he had sacrificed for the mission, so they understood that.

"Thank you, Commander Liao. I plan to spend more time with my child," Lu Zhengjun said.

He won't take all his vacation days, as that would take too long, but he doesn't plan to return for the time being, since his two little ones at home are very attached to him.

Let's wait until this clingy phase passes before making any decisions.

Commander Liao fully agreed.

"Spend more time with your children. They change every day. You have indeed missed a lot of their time, but a father's image is very important to them. When they grow up and know what you have done, they will respect you even more," Commander Liao said, speaking from experience.

"Yes, Commander!"

Soon, the news that Lu Zhengjun had been promoted from regimental commander to brigade commander spread throughout the army.

People are speculating that someone saw Lu Zhengjun during the mission, and that Lu Zhengjun was the most important undercover agent in this mission, which is why she was able to be promoted to brigade commander so smoothly.

In short, everyone increasingly admired and respected Lu Zhengjun.

"I knew it! How could a top soldier like him possibly die in that situation? Turns out it was intentional, he was going undercover! No wonder he's my idol!"

"Regimental Commander Lu is amazing! Oh wait, no, he's not Regimental Commander Lu anymore, he's Brigade Commander Lu now!"

"Such a young brigade commander, he must be the first of his kind, right? Brigade Commander Lu is simply a role model for us all. I can only look up to him for the rest of my life."

"It's a blessing to be able to look up to Brigade Commander Lu, okay? My brother is in the next unit, and he really admires Brigade Commander Lu!"

After this battle, Lu Zhengjun's reputation soared, and she gained even more loyal supporters.

Of course, this news also reached the ears of Mo Youyou and Liu Dekai.

When Mo Youyou heard the news in the office, she thought she had misheard. She rushed into the middle of Sister Luo and several other people who were chatting, and repeatedly confirmed it.

"What did you just say? Lu Zhengjun has been promoted to brigade commander?" Mo Youyou asked in shock, wishing they could give her a negative answer.

Unfortunately, reality does not change according to her will.

"Yes, the notice has been issued. It turns out that he didn't die back then; he went on a secret mission. He deserves a promotion. Being an undercover agent is so dangerous. He even disguised himself and worked as an undercover agent for three years. It must have been so tough."

"That's why he's a top soldier! If he weren't so capable, they wouldn't have let him carry out such an important mission!"

"I really envy Dr. Su. How did she have such good taste to be with the King of Soldiers?"

"Is it just a matter of taste? Ask around in this unit, how many female soldiers haven't had feelings for him? It's a pity that Brigade Commander Lu never gave anyone a second glance before! Take Xiao Mo for example—"

The conversation flowed casually, and naturally the topic of Mo Youyou's past pursuit of Lu Zhengjun came up.

But now that they have all found their own paths, this topic is really inappropriate, so they quickly shut up and looked at Mo Youyou with a slight apology.

Normally, Mo Youyou would have already lost her temper, and might even have rushed up to fight the people who were talking nonsense. But today, she stared blankly at a spot on the ground, her eyes devoid of any light, as if she hadn't heard their jokes at all.

"Youyou, what's wrong?"