This is going to be tricky. The male lead's luck isn't something to be taken lightly. When it comes to a life-or-death struggle, that luck becomes an invisible cheat code.
Of course, Lin Zhao also has a cheat code—Qiao Zhen. But Qiao Zhen doesn't really have much wisdom. If you ask her to gossip and matchmake couples brought together by the God of Love, she can complete the task in a simple and straightforward way. But if you ask her to use her brain, sorry, brainpower is a good thing, but unfortunately she doesn't have it.
Taking this opportunity, Qiao Zhen wanted to express her sincere heart for Lin Zhao and the Qiao family. "Dad, you don't need to consider me when you want to do what you want. No matter what, that man from the An family is not our Qiao family's son-in-law. I'm not really confused. I know which side to take."
"I'm very pleased that you think this way," Qiao Dashuai said, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. "Be careful lately; those from the An family are no good!"
"Okay, I know," Qiao Zhen said, rubbing her swollen ankle.
Commander Qiao was still busy with other matters, so he gave Qiao Zhen a few more instructions and then left.
Qiao Zhen wasn't in a hurry to cultivate a good relationship with Lin Zhao; she just needed to be the woman behind the powerful figure. Qiao Zhen worked at a newspaper, mainly responsible for the women's fashion section and translation, so she could use public opinion to promote Lin Zhao.
Putting all that aside for now, she needed to sneak into Commander Qiao's study to find some information; she was completely clueless about the current situation. As for Chu Chu, she could rely on herself rather than her.
"Where's Dad?" Qiao Zhen asked Zhang Sao, who was cleaning outside Qiao Dashuai's study.
Aunt Zhang replied, "The commander-in-chief has gone out."
Qiao Zhen pushed open the study door. "Let me know when Dad comes back. I need to talk to him."
Then he went into the study.
"Yes." Aunt Zhang looked at Qiao Zhen suspiciously. This young lady usually hated Lin Zhao and Commander Qiao's study the most. Why did she go in on her own today? But no matter how puzzled she was, she was just a servant and dared not say anything.
Qiao Zhen went in and closed the door. She immediately opened the desk drawer, which contained three documents. One of them might be real, or all three might be fake. With her intelligence, she couldn't tell the difference between them.
There was also a safe. She immediately searched her memory for the password, opened the safe, and found a photo of Qiao Zhen as an infant being held in Mrs. Qiao's arms, as well as a diagram of a firearm.
She put the things back exactly as they were, but then noticed a shadowy figure behind the curtains. It seemed someone had sneaked in before she arrived, most likely an inside man. She sat down casually in the chair behind the desk and murmured, "Father is really something. It would have been so much better if we had arranged a marriage with the An family. It would have been better than Lin Zhao, an outsider."
Qiao Zhen got up again to rummage through the documents on the bookshelf. She randomly picked up a red folder and pretended to mutter, "T-30 rifle construction data, this thing..."
A black figure suddenly darted out from behind the curtains. Qiao Zhen swept his leg and kicked him to the ground. Taking advantage of the moment, Qiao Zhen snatched the gun from his hand and kicked him in the eye.
The saying "speed is the only way to break through all defenses" still holds true. Qiao Zhen may have questionable intelligence, but she does possess martial arts skills. She pulled off a sock that smelled of medicine and stuffed it into the mouth of the person on the ground. "Tell me! Whose side are you on?"
Fearing he might suddenly attack, Qiao Zhen directly broke his arm. "I'm asking you, nod or shake your head, otherwise—ha! I hope you can think things through and not go against me. Are you sent by the An family?"
The people on the ground shook their heads.
"So you were sent by Lin Zhao?"
The person on the ground turned their head away and stopped speaking.
Qiao Zhen could tell that this was an amateur undercover agent, and still somewhat naive. She knew perfectly well that Lin Zhao couldn't possibly have planted an undercover agent in the Qiao family mansion. The second concubine was still in the Marshal's mansion; when Marshal Qiao grew old and frail, Lin Zhao would undoubtedly be the heir. This was common knowledge among Qiao Zhen, Marshal Qiao, Concubine Yun, and Lin Zhao. Lin Zhao was simply being foolish and wasting her time.
But knowing is one thing, and pretending to be someone else is another. Qiao Zhen narrowed her eyes dangerously, her gaze sharp as a knife cutting into the person on the ground. She heard the hurried footsteps outside getting closer and closer. "It seems your master is coming to finish you off."
Lin Zhao pushed open the door and saw Qiao Zhen holding a gun, as well as a servant whose arm was obviously deformed on the ground. "Since Miss is alright, please go back first."
Qiao Zhen retorted, "What, am I not allowed to participate in this? Or is it that Young Master Lin is afraid to let me participate?"
Lin Zhao made a hand gesture without saying a word, and immediately an officer came in, restrained the undercover agent, and took him away.
Qiao Zhen's hand trembled, and the gun fell to the ground. She hopped on one leg to the chair behind the desk, then plopped down with a sigh of relief. She had forgotten about her injured foot during the fight, and now it hurt so much she wanted to scream for her mother.
The physical pain brought tears to her eyes. She wiped away the saline solution from her eyes with her index finger, then proceeded to unleash a torrent of abuse on Lin Zhao. If he hadn't failed to catch her, she wouldn't have sprained her ankle, and if she hadn't sprained it, her foot wouldn't be in so much pain now.
Ultimately, it was Lin Zhao's fault! Qiao Zhen added another mistake to her notebook.
Lin Zhao bent down and picked up Qiao Zhen. He looked straight ahead, showing no other intention. "Since it hurts, don't go out and walk around unnecessarily."
After being easily lifted up, Qiao Zhen realized that the saying "even a starved camel is bigger than a horse" was quite true. Even though Lin Zhao looked much thinner than the rough-looking guy, he was already quite sturdy to Qiao Zhen. Qiao Zhen pressed her hand against the hard texture under her chest, then looked up to meet Lin Zhao's thoughtful gaze. She moved her hand away from Lin Zhao's chest. "Ahem, this is my home. I not only want to move around, but I also want to act a bit!"
Although eighteen-year-old Lin Zhao still had a youthful appearance, his every word and action revealed maturity and composure. In contrast, although Qiao Zhen was already twenty-eight years old, she was still very immature, whether she was Qiao Zhen or "Qiao Zhen".
Lin Zhao carried Qiao Zhen back to her bedroom, then their eyes met. "The undercover agent from the An family, I don't believe he didn't try to pin the blame on me. And this time you didn't question me, why?"
Qiao Zhen felt a little guilty because it wasn't the same person; how was she going to explain? But the more guilty she felt, the more assertive she had to be. She glared at Lin Zhao, "What makes you so sure he'd pin the blame on you?"
"Ha!" Lin Zhao sneered. "This is, after all, a tactic the An family is used to." He lifted Qiao Zhen's chin with his finger and said seriously, "You've changed again."
The word "again" sent chills down Qiao Zhen's spine. She retorted stubbornly, "Me? Of course I can change! Everyone changes. Do you dare say you're still exactly the same as that brat who only knew how to be arrogant towards me back then?"
Lin Zhao's eyes flickered, which gave Qiao Zhen a great sense of accomplishment. She pressed on, saying, "People should look forward and not always dwell on the past." So quickly treat all the bad things that the "Qiao Zhen" did in the past as garbage and forget about them in the recycling bin.
Lin Zhao took a half step back and straightened up. "Miss is right. One cannot always dwell on the past." Therefore, he wanted to do as Qiao Zhen wished and look back.
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