That night, Zhuang Liuyun and his brother settled down in Shanghai.
After nightfall, it was freezing cold outside, but the house was warm as spring with the water heater on.
A maidservant, about seventeen or eighteen years old, came in with a plate of cakes and whispered, "Miss, Master, these are what Commander Chen just dropped by on his way. He asked if there's anything missing from your home. If there's anything missing, please write a list and he'll send someone to buy it tomorrow."
Zhuang Liuyun naturally knew who Commander Chen was.
When she was at her lowest point in her previous life, Officer Chen Xuanting came to give her money many times, but she drove him away every time.
At the time, she was so proud that she thought she would starve to death outside rather than take a penny from the Chi family, because taking it would be an insult to herself. But after living a new life, she realized that throwing others' kindness on the ground and trampling on it was the most hurtful and dishonorable thing to do.
"Thank you, I understand. There is nothing missing at home for the time being. I will tell Commander Chen when he comes next time. You can go back and rest." Zhuang Liuyun smiled and waved his hand.
The maid left the living room carrying the empty plate.
Zhuang Liuyun immediately picked up a piece of cake, gently touched his brother's lips, and imitated Chi Ming's tone to coax him: "Xiaobao, come and have a bite, this is sweet."
Zhuang Li took the pastry, ate a bite himself, pinched the rest into small pieces, and held it in his palm to feed the cat.
Little Orange was not afraid of strangers at all. He wagged his tail and meowed for a while, then squatted on Zhuang Li's lap and started eating with relish.
Zhuang Liuyun looked at them contentedly. Suddenly, he remembered something and his expression gradually turned sad. He sighed, "Xiaobao, Brother Chi Ming is a good man. He helped me so much in my past life. I have to find a way to save him. The governments in both the north and south are weak and incompetent, avoiding war. Only Brother Chi is advocating for resistance against Japan. He's not a traitor as others claim. He's a great hero."
Zhuang Li seemed to be concentrating on feeding the cat, but in fact his ears were perked up.
"How did Chi Ming lose the battle?" he asked in his heart.
Each small world has its own history, and he has no way of judging the development of this world based on the history books of the previous world.
7480 flipped through the script and shook his head, saying, "The Lord God didn't write the specific reasons, only that Chi Ming was defeated and died in battle, and finally Shanghai was captured by the Japanese army.
"This sentence is actually just a background introduction, without any details. The Lord God spent a lot of space describing how Ding Ning became a big star under such circumstances.
"She was incredibly charming, with high-ranking generals from Britain, France, Japan, Germany, and other countries all in her service. She lived a more beautiful life than anyone else in those troubled times, eventually immigrating to the United States and making a name for herself in Hollywood, ultimately becoming a Hollywood superstar. She died at the age of 98, adorned with honors.
"Oh, right, Chi Cheng is the one who made her famous. In this era when you can buy a used car for a hundred yuan, Chi Cheng actually invested a hundred thousand yuan in her to make a movie. She became famous because of this movie.
"After Chi Ming died in battle, she returned the 100,000 yuan to Chi Cheng without missing a cent, and also helped Chi Cheng immigrate to the UK. So Chi Cheng could never forget her until his death. She was the white moonlight of a generation."
Zhuang Li gently stroked Xiaoju's round head without saying a word.
After a long pause, he sneered, "The more important the plot, the more your Lord God leaves it out. Does he think that by setting this world up to his imagination, everything will develop according to his wishes? From today on, I will ensure that every battle Chi Ming fights is a victory."
7480 didn't dare to say a word, but it knew that the host was not lying and he had the ability.
"Master, how can you save him when you live outside? You can't even grasp his basic situation." 7480 held it in for a long time before whispering a reminder.
Zhuang Li held the well-fed Xiaoju in his arms, slowly closed his eyes, and seemed to be about to fall asleep.
7480 waited for a while, but seeing that he never answered, he didn't dare to ask again.
Just at this moment, there was a rustling sound suddenly coming from upstairs, and then several flower pots fell from the balcony on the second floor and hit the yard with loud bangs, which scared the maids and old women into screaming.
Zhuang Li opened his eyes and chuckled, "Didn't you just ask me why I live out there? Listen, the people who invited me back to Chi's house are here."
7480 showed an expectant expression.
From outside came the old man guarding the door shouting angrily, "Who is it?"
A hoarse voice rang out: "I'm just passing by, why are you making such a fuss? Stay out of my business!"
Then there was a long silence, and the inexplicable passer-by seemed to have disappeared.
Zhuang Liuyun walked quickly to the window and looked out nervously through the gap in the curtains, holding a small knife in his hand.
The old man knocked on the door three times and said politely, "Miss, Master, it was a thief who was passing through our house. He is fine now. It's getting late, you can go to sleep peacefully."
"I understand. Thank you, Uncle Fu." Zhuang Liuyun said loudly.
7480: "...That's it? That's it?" It thought Chi Ming would make a grand appearance and then take the host back in a sedan chair carried by eight people.
After being stunned for a few seconds, it said with a suppressed laugh: "Master, you guessed wrong. That was a thief just now. No one asked you to go back!"
Zhuang Li closed his eyes again and sighed slowly, "You little idiot, you really are a little idiot."
Zhuang Liuyun did not dare to relax his guard and kept his eyes fixed on the outside.
In her previous life, she knew this was a chaotic world, a time when a nation was on the verge of collapse and bandits were rampant. She had seen bandits beat people to death in the streets, witnessed fierce gunfights, and knew how much evil this city harbored after dark.
Because the northern and southern governments were busy fighting for power and completely ignored the people's livelihood and national affairs, the city's security became worse day by day.
The police spent all day arresting revolutionaries and ignored other cases, which led to the robbers and bandits becoming more and more arrogant. At night, they would brazenly break into people's homes and rob them in groups.
Situations like tonight's are commonplace.
In her previous life, Zhuang Liuyun's entire possessions consisted of only a few copper coins and a set of clothes, so she wasn't afraid of being robbed. But now, things were different. She was a single woman with a brother who knew nothing, living in such a luxurious mansion. Any thieves scouting the area would surely target them!
It would be fine if they just robbed the things and left, but I was afraid that they would stay and do something bad to me and my brother.
The more Zhuang Liuyun thought about it, the more panicked she became. She quickly ran to her brother and whispered, "Xiaobao, don't sleep on the second floor tonight. I'm worried. I'll make a bed for you on the floor in the living room. Sleep next to me."
She locked all the doors, brought in a few thick quilts, spread them on the floor, and coaxed her brother to lie down in them. She did not help her brother take off his outer clothes, shoes and socks to make it easier for him to escape.
Zhuang Li held Xiaoju in his arms, lay down safely, patted the place beside him, and looked at Zhuang Liuyun intently with his dark eyes.
Zhuang Liuyun asked in surprise, "Xiaobao, are you asking me to sleep with you?"
Zhuang Li didn't answer, just looked at her quietly.
Zhuang Liuyun lay down in his clothes, his face, pale with fear just now, now flushed with excitement. Xiaobao was finally responding to the outside world. He began to see the people around him and knew how to express himself. Dad was right. Xiaobao would return to normal one day.
Zhuang Liuyun held her brother with one hand and held the knife tightly with the other. The fear in her heart turned into courage. She was no longer alone in this life, so she had to live well.
That night, Zhuang Li slept soundly, but Zhuang Liuyun stayed awake until dawn. The knife was soaked several times by the cold sweat on her palm, but she never used it.
Hearing the sounds of maids and servants moving around outside, Zhuang Liuyun forced himself to get up, wash his brother's face and brush his teeth, and feed him water and food.
Chen Xuanting arrived early in the morning, wearing a neat military coat, black boots, and a leather belt around his waist, which showed off his slender waist. Although he was not as tall as Chi Ming, he was 185 cm tall and looked very handsome and tall.
He was more handsome than Chi Cheng, with long eyebrows slanting down into his temples, revealing a bit of romantic spirit, but his pupils were extremely deep, even concealing a hint of sinisterness.
The maids, old women, and doormen were all very afraid of him. When they saw him come in, they kept bowing and greeting with timid looks on their faces.
"Miss Zhuang, the family next door to you was robbed last night." He strode into the living room and said worriedly, "I'm afraid this place is no longer habitable. You should take Young Master Zhuang with you and return to the Marshal's Mansion with me. It's the safest place in Shanghai. If not yourself, you have to think about Young Master Zhuang. He knows nothing. He won't run away or resist when thieves come. How can a weak woman like you protect him?"
Zhuang Li was Zhuang Liuyun's weak spot. Thinking of the danger last night, she only considered it for half a minute before agreeing.
"Will it disturb Brother Chi?" This was her only concern.
"No, the Marshal also heard about the thieves in this area, so he asked me to come and take you back."
Zhuang Liuyun no longer hesitated and nodded, "Okay, I'll pack up and go with you right away."
Chen Xuanting waved his hand, and the maids and servants immediately ran in to help Zhuang Liuyun pack his things.
"The Marshal sent me to Baoding to help you get back the Zhuang family's property. Do you have a list so I can count it?" Chen Xuanting naturally took the wicker box from Zhuang Liuyun.
Zhuang Liuyun quickly thanked him and looked at his brother, who was walking beside him with Xiaoju in his arms. He said carefully, "I have a book here that lists all of my father's books. These books are my father's treasures and my brother's lifeblood. I'd like to trouble Officer Chen to bring them back for me. I don't know what other valuables he has, as my father never allowed me to get involved in family matters."
Her eyes reddened slightly, and she bent down and said, "Commander Chen, thank you for your help. As long as we can get the book back, Xiaobao and I will be satisfied."
Chen Xuanting supported her arm, then quickly let go and asked seriously, "Those books are your father and your brother's treasures. What about yours? Just tell me, and I'll bring them back for you."
Zhuang Liuyun shook his head and said, "I don't have any treasure."
Chen Xuanting opened the car door for her and said gently, "Everyone has their own favorite things. It's their uncontrollable nature. Tell me what you cherish, what you like, and what you want. You are you. You are not someone else's daughter, nor someone else's sister, nor someone else's fiancée. You are Zhuang Liuyun, and Zhuang Liuyun should have your own life."
Zhuang Liuyun was stunned when he heard this. He felt slightly touched, but he didn't understand where this feeling came from.
Zhuang Li, who was already sitting in the car, raised his head and looked at Chen Xuanting deeply.
"This person is very interesting." He chuckled in his heart.
7480: "What's interesting about that?"
Zhuang Li rubbed Xiaoju's round head from time to time and stopped talking.
7480 belatedly realized and shouted, "Master, I finally understand what you said last night! That thief was arranged by Chi Ming, right? In this case, your sister will take you back without his persuasion!"
Zhuang Li shook his head, too lazy to pay attention to this idiot.
Zhuang Liuyun finally understood what Chen Xuanting meant and blushed as she said, "Can I get my embroidery paintings back? Ever since I started learning embroidery at the age of six, I've carefully embroidered one every year. I've completed twelve so far. My embroidery skills are average, and those paintings aren't great, but I can't bear to part with them."
Chen Xuanting turned back from the driver's seat and made a solemn promise: "Of course, I will bring back all of Miss Zhuang's embroidery paintings. Twelve pieces, not one less."
"Thank you." Zhuang Liuyun smiled happily, with bright stars twinkling in his misty eyes.
Chen Xuanting looked at her steadily, then curled his lips and started the engine.
Zhuang Li observed Chen Xuanting's eyes, which were filled with a gentle smile, through the rearview mirror, and said to himself with certainty, "This man will be my brother-in-law in the future."
7480: "...Master, you should switch to fortune-telling."
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