boom--!
These words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly exploding in the quiet hospital corridor!
Gong Zhu suddenly looked up, staring at Ming Lang in shock! Make Ming Zhao divorce Huo Hua? Has he gone mad?!
Who is Howard? What is Mingzhao's current situation? Divorce? If this gets out...
Mingzhao's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
For the first time, turmoil was clearly reflected in those usually calm and undisturbed eyes.
Was it surprise? Confusion? Or... a hint of displeasure at having their rhythm disrupted?
Minglang ignored everything and stepped forward with his cane, reaching out to ruffle Mingzhao's hair as he did when they were children. But halfway through his hand, he saw Mingzhao's subconscious slight pull back and froze in mid-air.
The heartache in his eyes deepened, and his voice became hoarse with an almost pleading tone:
“Zhaozhao, I know you’ve been wronged! Commander Huo… he’s a good man, he’s my benefactor, and I’m grateful to him! But he’s a soldier after all, he has a lot of rules and a special status, and I can see that you feel uncomfortable around him!”
"You're still young, you shouldn't be trapped in a place like this! You shouldn't have to live at the mercy of others!"
"Come with me! I'll take care of you! I've been promoted now, and my salary is enough! I'll rent you a spacious apartment! You can read whenever you want, and tinker with your parts whenever you want! I'll never let anyone bully you again! I'll never let you suffer any more grievances!"
"I can afford to support you! I'll take care of you for the rest of your life!"
A clear voice echoed in the empty corridor, carrying a belated, almost tragic promise from an older brother and his determination to protect.
His eyes even welled up with tears, a mixture of long-suppressed guilt and heartache.
Gongzhu looked nervously at Mingzhao, then at Minglang, who was so excited he was almost out of control, her heart pounding in her throat.
Mingzhao stood there silently, watching Minglang, who was extremely excited and whose eyes were red.
She could feel that heartfelt, burning family affection.
It was a pure, unadulterated protective instinct, born from the bond of blood.
but……
In an instant, Huo Hua's face flashed through her mind. Although he always had a stern expression, he stood up for her without hesitation when she was being harassed by Aunt Gou. She also saw him sitting in his wheelchair, enduring the pain to shield her from Zhang Mingyuan's probing gaze.
He silently supported her insistence on working from home; he appeared before her eyes as the silent yet imposing figure in military green outside the courtyard gate.
It flashed past the heavy doors of the research institute and the countless scrutinizing eyes inside.
Then, a glimpse flashed through her room of the parts that were gradually taking shape, embodying Jiang Feng's hopes and concealing her greatest secret...
Divorce? Leaving Howard's protective umbrella?
Should she leave this environment where she had just begun to build her initial fortress?
Exposure to more unknown and potentially more dangerous gazes?
Before everything is finished, before her results are in?
No.
Absolutely not.
Minglang may not know much about the situation, but she is now under just as much suspicion as anyone else!
Howard has already been implicated, so there's no need to drag anyone else into it. If something happens to him, both Howard, his former guarantor, and Minglang's entire family will inevitably suffer.
"I won't get a divorce!"
"But……"
"No buts! I won't get a divorce!" Mingzhao didn't let Minglang continue.
Instead, he patted Minglang on the shoulder and said, "Brother, I have my own ideas. Don't interfere with me."
Minglang felt a pang of sadness and almost burst into tears!
Once upon a time, Mingzhao was also a little girl he would hold and play games with, but now she is telling him clearly, "Stop interfering!"
He was indeed late...
Unable to refute Mingzhao's words, Minglang lowered his head in dejection.
Seeing this, Gong Zhu couldn't bear it and said, "Mingzhao, how can you talk to your brother like that?"
"he……"
"Dr. Gong!"
Mingzhao interrupted her, calmly saying, "I'm married, in a military marriage. And my situation is sensitive; a divorce at this time would be detrimental to everyone!"
Gong Zhu's face turned pale. Things had been too peaceful lately, so much so that she had forgotten why Ming Zhao had married Huo Hua in the first place.
With a bright and reassuring smile, Chong Gongzhu turned to Mingzhao and said solemnly, "It's my fault for making Zhaozhao suffer! Let's do things according to Zhaozhao's wishes. If you need anything in the future, remember to ask your brother!"
Mingzhao nodded.
After dropping Minglang off at his dormitory building and finding out which room he lived in, Mingzhao went back.
The cement road in the military compound was scorching hot in the afternoon sun. Mingzhao walked home alone, her steps still carrying her unique, calculated, steady rhythm.
In her mind, her cousin Minglang's excited, reddened eyes and the words "I'll take care of you for the rest of my life" were like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirring up ripples, but they were quickly suppressed by her strong rational thinking.
Leaving Howard? That wasn't in her plans; the risk was too high.
Turning past a corner piled with honeycomb briquettes, two familiar figures came into view under the shade of a tree not far ahead: He Yuchun and Li Xiaocao.
He Yuchun affectionately linked arms with Li Xiaocao, leaning slightly towards her, his face plastered with an almost fawning smile, as he spoke animatedly, spittle flying everywhere.
Li Xiaocao seemed somewhat absent-minded, with a hint of embarrassment and helplessness on her face, occasionally nodding perfunctorily.
Mingzhao subconsciously slowed his pace.
She didn't approach; she simply watched calmly from a distance.
He Yuchun's attitude seemed strangely friendly.
This idea surfaced so clearly for the first time in Mingzhao's mind, which was usually focused only on technology and logic.
Why was He Yuchun so good to Li Xiaocao?
From the first time they met at the scrap metal recycling station, He Yuchun's excessive enthusiasm and deliberate flattery carried a sense of incongruity and jarring awkwardness.
The way she looked at Li Xiaocao didn't seem like she was treating a neighbor she had just met; it was more like... she was carefully worshipping something? Or rather, she was trying her best to grasp something.
Mingzhao's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He Yuchun's behavior pattern does not conform to the basic social logic of seeking advantage and avoiding harm that she observed in the present day.
There are other families in the residential compound with higher positions and better financial situations than Li Xiaocao's husband, so why is Li Xiaocao treated so specially?
Was it simply because they were from the same hometown? Or because Li Xiaocao had a good personality? Then why was she filled with inexplicable hostility towards him?
Insufficient information makes it impossible to establish an effective association model.
Mingzhao temporarily marked He Yuchun's abnormal behavior as a variable to be observed and stored it in the brain's unprocessed area.
She didn't think about it any further, withdrew her gaze, walked around the two people, and headed straight for her own courtyard.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, a rich, warm aroma, a blend of rice and stir-fried vegetables, wafted in, instantly dispelling the heat of the sun outside and the slight doubt I had just felt.
"You're back? Perfect timing for dinner!"
Howard had just finished setting out the bowls and chopsticks when he looked up and greeted Mingzhao.
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