Before Zhao Yunxiang could finish her words, General Zhou had already spotted Zhou Yuanyuan approaching the door and quickly called out, "Come here, my dear great-granddaughter! I haven't seen you for a few days, and Grandpa has missed you so much."
When General Zhou spoke, he glanced at Zhao Yunxiang, and Zhao Yunxiang swallowed the rest of her words.
Zhao Yunxiang never dared to speak in front of General Zhou. General Zhou's aura was so overwhelming that Zhao Yunxiang couldn't help but become timid in front of him. It wasn't just Zhao Yunxiang; Zhou Zhixin was the same. In front of General Zhou, Zhou Zhixin sat like a kindergarten kid, straight and motionless.
"Dad, Mom, aren't you going to work today? Great-grandfather, what are you talking about? You look so happy? Tell me about it!" Zhou Yuanyuan would put away her domineering attitude and turn into a good girl in a few seconds when she returned home. In just a few words, she took care of the elders present.
"Mom's on vacation. She starts today and won't be back until the eighth day of the Lunar New Year," Zhao Yunxiang replied with a smile. Her daughter is so good. She's always thinking about her, unlike that brat Jiasheng. It's almost Chinese New Year, and he hasn't even called. I wonder if he's staying at his research institute for the holidays. Ugh! That brat has such a poor memory. Should I give him a call later to remind him? It's fine on normal days, but not even coming home for Chinese New Year is a bit too much.
"I don't have anything to do today, so I can go to the army later." Zhou Zhixin looked at Zhou Yuanyuan with a smile on his face, and was as cheerful as General Zhou.
There was no way around it. Zhou Yuanyuan had disliked Zhou Zhixin as a child and had always been cold towards him. Even when she wasn't being sarcastic, her expression wasn't particularly pleasant. Zhou Zhixin, realizing his negligence had caused Zhao Yunxiang and her son to suffer so much in Zhoujia Village, had spent the past few years trying to make amends. Even in front of his two children, Zhou Zhixin never acted like a father.
Zhou Zhixin could feel that Zhou Yuanyuan's attitude towards him had become much softer in recent years. Although he could not be a father admired by his children, he was still proud to be a father respected by them.
Zhou Zhixin knew Zhou Yuanyuan's abilities. Two years ago, Zhou Yuanyuan had performed a magic trick in front of him while investigating Wen Ziqing's disappearance. Only then did Zhou Zhixin realize that his daughter, though seemingly soft and adorable, was actually quite capable. Zhou Yuanyuan had lived up to his expectations, and her accomplishments in the Special Operations Team over the years were documented in black and white in the team's files. As the team's chief, Zhou Zhixin was very proud of her.
But Zhou Zhixin also had concerns. Zhou Yuanyuan was powerful, but also had a rather aloof temperament. He'd heard people complain more than once about her domineering aura. She'd simply stand there wherever she was, even if she didn't say a word. She gave people an overbearing vibe.
After not seeing each other for six months, Zhou Zhixin noticed that Zhou Yuanyuan's aura had subsided considerably, and naturally, he was happy. As a father, Zhou Zhixin certainly didn't want his daughter to spend her days fighting and killing. He had already considered this: after the Lunar New Year, he suggested that Zhou Yuanyuan temporarily withdraw from the Special Operations Team and focus on enjoying her high school life. Yuanyuan had been working so hard over the years, running around so many times at such a young age. It was all because of his incompetence as a father!
Zhou Zhixin knew full well that without General Zhou's prestige and Zhou Yuanyuan's tireless support, he wouldn't have secured his position so quickly. Zhou Yuanyuan had led the Special Operations Team through the most challenging and arduous missions of the past few years. After all, the Special Operations Team was a specialized unit. If Zhou Zhixin failed to manage it effectively, the top leadership might suspect that his ability was far inferior to General Zhou's, which would undoubtedly be detrimental to his future.
Seeing his cute little daughter transformed into what some people call a "deadly demon," Zhou Zhixin felt very sad. He really missed the Zhou Yuanyuan who would hold his calf and call "Dad" in her soft voice when she was little.
Unbeknownst to Zhou Zhixin, as Zhou Yuanyuan's cultivation level increased, her aura would become increasingly restrained, no longer as intimidating as it had been when she first reached the Golden Core stage. To put it simply, Zhou Yuanyuan used to be like a newly unsheathed sword, brimming with brilliance. Now, she was like a sheathed sword, its edge contained within. This didn't mean her lethality had diminished, but rather that she was able to control her aura effectively, becoming stronger against the strong and weaker against the weak.
Today was the second time Zhou Zhixin had seen Zhou Yuanyuan in six months. During that time, Zhou Zhixin had been so busy with military affairs that he only returned home once or twice a month. Zhou Yuanyuan, however, was even busier than him. When Zhou Zhixin returned home to rest, she was either out on a mission or at Zhao Qingshan's house. All in all, today's gathering of the four of them was the most their families had gathered together this year. Unfortunately, Jiasheng, that brat, was missing. Zhou Zhixin felt a little regretful.
Zhao Yunxiang and Zhou Zhixin both blamed Zhou Jiasheng. Zhou Jiasheng, who was far away in a secret research institute, couldn't help but sneeze loudly after hearing this.
"Director Zhou, today is the 26th day of the lunar year. Aren't you going home for the New Year?" Secretary Mi couldn't help but remind Zhou Jiasheng.
Sister Mi, a woman in her forties with a master's degree, was a well-known figure in her field. When Zhou Jiasheng's research institute was first established two years ago, he offered her a position. Seeing Zhou Jiasheng's considerable expertise and the research topics he was pursuing, Sister Mi was drawn to her lifelong dream. So, she gave up her relatively well-paid job and joined Zhou Jiasheng's research team.
Sister Mi knew Zhou Jiasheng was a workaholic, never minding day or night when it came to research. The staff on their team had a love-hate relationship with him. They loved him because his research had yielded rich rewards over the past two years, but they hated him because whenever he started working, he became completely detached, even automatically ignoring traditional Chinese festivals.
This project started in April, and the team has been working continuously at the institute for over six months. They've made good progress so far, and believe that with another month of hard work, the project will be perfectly completed. The institute staff really want to take advantage of the Spring Festival to go home and reunite with their families!
"It's Chinese New Year so soon?" Zhou Jiasheng was surprised. When Sister Mi reminded him, Zhou Jiasheng remembered that he hadn't been home for almost a year.
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