What's the difference between him and me? What gives him the right to lecture me so arrogantly?
Liu Dekai was already furious about failing to get promoted, and now that he's been ridiculed and mocked by Qiao Shouyan, he's even angrier.
Feeling frustrated and unable to vent, he simply went to the training field and started running laps.
Mo Cheng had reminded him that promotion might be difficult in the near future, so he needed to perform well, seize every opportunity, and strive to be promoted to battalion commander next time.
Liu Dekai has been very depressed during this period.
In the army, apart from training, he didn't talk to many people. He would come, do his own thing, and go home after he finished.
When he got home, he always had a gloomy face. When Mo Youyou and Zhang Cuihua talked to him, he would respond with a word or two. When no one spoke to him, he would stay alone, as if he had shut down his five senses.
Mo Youyou was furious at his deadpan face.
She later heard about the promotion ceremony.
I can understand Liu Dekai's feelings, but a grown man should be able to get over a two or three-day period of disappointment. Does he have to be so discouraged by one failure?
Before this, Mo Youyou had told him that even with Mo Cheng's help behind the scenes, this matter was not a sure thing.
Liu Dekai should have prepared himself mentally beforehand, instead of staying home with a deadpan expression every day.
Who is this trying to annoy?
"Liu Dekai, can't you act like a man? So what if you failed to get promoted? You'll have other chances. Is it really necessary to act like this?" Mo Youyou said irritably, feeling that Liu Dekai's state of mind was affecting her mood.
Jiang Rongmei had told her that women should not be upset during their postpartum period, and their mood is very important.
"Will there be another chance in the future?" Liu Dekai smiled bitterly and shook his head, seemingly not quite believing this statement.
His emotions have been quite turbulent lately.
On one hand, while in the army, I trained hard and actively sought opportunities, thinking that my father-in-law was right, there was still a chance, and I had to prepare for the future.
On the other hand, he felt that everything was over, that he would never succeed again, that no matter what efforts he made, it would be useless, that those people would join forces to pull him down again, and that he would never be promoted again...
Torn between these two diametrically opposed emotions, he was torn in two, suffering immense pain and torment.
"It's impossible, it's impossible... This time, Qiao Shouyan has already been deliberately sent away, but it still didn't work. What's next? Does Dad have to send him away again? Impossible..."
"Do you know what? I ran into Qiao Shouyan that day, and he even came over to mock me. He knew Dad had deliberately sent me away, but even so, I still didn't get promoted, and there's no way I'll ever get one! It's impossible!"
Liu Dekai became increasingly distraught as he spoke, sitting on the sofa, clutching his head in obvious pain.
"Son, don't be like this..." Zhang Cuihua was anxious and heartbroken, but she couldn't help at all. At this moment, she felt particularly helpless and could only turn to Mo Youyou for help.
“Youyou, Dekai also wants a promotion and a better life for you and the child. This… your dad…” Zhang Cuihua’s meaning was clear: she wanted Mo Youyou to put in a little more effort and give him a push.
"Liu Dekai, you're brought down by a few sarcastic remarks? What good is Qiao Shouyan? He and Su Yueya's family are all bad people. Why do you care about what he said?"
“You’re still young, you have plenty of opportunities. If you give up after just one or two times, aren’t you just giving them what they want? Are you willing to accept that?!” Mo Youyou asked.
On this matter, she and Zhang Cuihua were of the same mind. She didn't need the mother and son to speak up for her; she would speak up for Liu Dekai herself at her parents' home, since it was a matter of face for her.
“You don’t understand, you don’t understand at all…” Liu Dekai murmured.
No matter how much Mo Youyou and Zhang Cuihua tried to persuade him, he remained stubbornly unchanged.
This continued until Jiang Rongmei visited her daughter again. She not only brought a lot of tonics, but also some good news.
"Really?" Mo Youyou's eyes lit up as she asked, "Did Dad really say that? Is it certain?"
“Of course! You can’t just make things up like this. If your dad said that, then he must have confirmed it. You two can rest assured!” Jiang Rongmei said.
"That's great!" Mo Youyou exclaimed excitedly.
These past few days, Liu Dekai has been looking dejected as soon as he gets home, creating a particularly gloomy atmosphere at home, which makes Mo Youyou feel uneasy as well.
Now that she finally has some definite news, she thinks that once she tells Liu Dekai, he'll be able to pull himself together.
“Dekai’s promotion is a good thing for you and for our family. How could your father not care? Tell Dekai to relax, he’s sure to succeed this time!” Jiang Rongmei said.
Mo Cheng also has a sense of shame. He has pushed his son-in-law to the top position time and time again, and he has already made it so obvious. If he fails again, where will he put his face?
Therefore, it's no longer just Liu Dekai's problem; Mo Cheng is also in a precarious position.
"I know, how could Dad not think of me?"
As expected of a child who was spoiled by her parents since childhood, Mo Youyou is always confident in this kind of thing.
That evening, after Liu Dekai returned home, Zhang Cuihua told him that there was good news.
"Don't rush, Youyou will tell you!" Zhang Cuihua deliberately kept everyone in suspense.
Liu Dekai kept asking throughout the conversation, but Mo Youyou didn't answer.
It wasn't until she went to bed that night that she told Jiang Rongmei that she had come to see her that day.
"Mom also brought a message."
"What news?"
“Aren’t you always worried about promotion? Don’t worry, there’s still a chance! Around the end of this year, several people with higher positions than you will retire, and you’ll definitely be selected then!” Mo Youyou said.
"retire?"
Sure enough, Liu Dekai's face lit up with joy upon hearing this.
How could he have forgotten about this?
That's right, there are indeed several officers in the military who are approaching retirement age.
He was so devastated by the promotion ceremony that he forgot something so important.
Now that Mo Youyou mentioned it, he immediately remembered it.
"That's right, Deputy Brigade Commander Zhao and Regiment Commander Shen, they should both be retiring, right?" Liu Dekai quickly calculated in his mind.
If they retire and are replaced by someone parachuted in, then there's no chance for him. But if they aren't parachuted in and are promoted through a competition among their subordinates, then a new battalion commander position will likely become vacant, and then wouldn't he have a chance?
It's unlikely that two people will be parachuted in consecutively; at the very least, he should have one promotion opportunity.
Liu Dekai is back in full force.
"Not only Zhao Sheng and Shen Daqing, but also two others, Deputy Brigade Commander Dong Jianye and Battalion Commander Ma Junyi, so a total of four people will be retiring, giving you four opportunities for promotion!"
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