When she saw Gu Zheng's disgusting face, she felt even less emotional. If she had been doubtful just a moment ago, she was now certain that this was definitely related to her. This woman didn't just not understand love, she was downright insane!
“If you leave him now, with the power of the Gu family, they can definitely protect him.” Gu Zheng held a woman’s cigarette between her fingers, slowly took a puff, and exhaled smoke toward her.
Ling Ruoke struggled to remain calm, managing not to tear her face apart. Even with Gu Zhenzhen back then, she had never felt such disgust. "If you were truly capable, why would you even appear before me? Do you think doing all this will force him back to you? He'll only drift further away, and in his eyes you'll be nothing, even a prostitute is superior to you. Gu Zheng, you're truly pathetic!"
"You—" Gu Zheng was provoked by the word "prostitute." She suddenly stood up and raised her hand to slap her.
Ling Ruoke grabbed her hand and pushed her away slightly, causing her to stagger backward and almost fall to the ground. "Don't try to hit me. Just because you're an arrogant and shameless mistress doesn't mean I should be weak and let you bully me. I'm not not hitting you because I'm afraid, it's just that I'm not as rude as you."
Gu Zheng glared at her fiercely, then smiled coldly after a while. "Ling Ruoke, words are useless. With the power of my Gu family, crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant. I just don't bother to do it. I originally thought you loved Huo Qingfeng so much, but now it seems you're nothing special. Do you think he would still treat you the same way if he knew your hypocrisy?"
Ling Ruoke was certain that this person's personality had become twisted. "Then why don't you try and see if you can do whatever you want? Let me give you a piece of advice: if you walk in the dark too often, you'll see ghosts. Don't think that your Gu family can really control everything."
"What power represents is something someone of your lowly birth will never understand. Whether my Gu family can control everything is unimportant, but what Gu Zheng wants, no one can take away from her. A woman like you, without power, influence, money, or even looks, shouldn't even dream about it!"
From childhood to adulthood, almost no one had ever dared to oppose her like Ling Ruoke, so the ruthlessness that stemmed from this is understandable. She was a high and mighty princess; how could she tolerate a lowly commoner challenging her or even trying to take something from her? Therefore, even if she didn't love Huo Qingfeng, she was determined to have him just to spite him!
Ling Ruoke was speechless. This woman had become a psychopath. She was truly speechless when faced with a psychopath. "You're hopeless! I suggest you go see a psychiatrist to prevent your condition from worsening beyond cure."
Ling Ruoke didn't even glance at her before turning and walking away. If she stayed any longer, she couldn't guarantee she wouldn't resort to violence.
"Ling Ruoke, one day I'll make sure you can't be arrogant anymore!"
Ling Ruoke stopped, turned around, and coldly replied, "The arrogant ones are always those women who are proud to be mistresses, so I'm never arrogant. Reason doesn't lie in raising your voice, don't you know that?"
After being teased by the guzheng, Ling Ruoke's mood worsened. Not wanting to work, she simply drove to Tan Peishi's house to play with the children.
"Aren't you at work? Why are you out here?" Tan Peishi opened the door herself and was surprised to see her.
Ling Ruoke didn't answer, turning to look for the child. "Where's my godson?"
“My mom’s putting him to sleep. Come here.” Tan Peishi knew her well and could tell at a glance that something was wrong. She pulled her to sit down on the sofa. “What happened?”
Ling Ruoke shook her head. "I don't know what happened either. I'm still confused. It all comes down to that disgusting woman, Guzheng. She actually plotted against Qingfeng to get him. She even came to my door just now to provoke me and tell me to leave. Can you believe there are such twisted people in this world! I...I...I really want to punch her!"
She angrily made a "beat her to death" gesture.
Based on Tan Peishi's understanding of Ruoke, she was the kind of person who could remain calm unless things went particularly wrong. Judging from this, this Guzheng must be a perverted woman! "Don't get angry, it's not worth getting angry over a pervert."
"I can't hold it in," Ling Ruoke exhaled forcefully. It felt like a lump of air was stuck in her chest, making her extremely uncomfortable. She was already anxious because she couldn't get in touch with the colonel.
Tan Peishi put her arm around her shoulder, letting her lean on her shoulder. "Rest for a while, you'll feel better after a while. Have you had lunch yet?"
"No." Ling Ruoke snuggled against her shoulder and replied in a muffled voice.
This was clearly a pouty act, and Tan Peishi smiled. "You're acting like a child, not even eating. Watch some TV, and I'll go make you something to eat."
Ling Ruoke panicked. "No. You're still in your postpartum period, go back to bed and lie down. Talk to me, you'll feel better in a while."
"Then you need to eat something. Or I can sit here and you can go make some noodles. Or you can have dumplings, there are dumplings in the fridge."
Ling Ruoke couldn't refuse her, so she went and cooked a bowl of dumplings. The dumplings were ready-made, so cooking them was easy. After they were cooked, she ran to Tan Peishi's side, put them on the coffee table, and sat down on the floor to eat. After finishing, she leaned against Tan Peishi's legs, resting her head on her knees, without saying a word.
Tan Peishi played with her hair, no longer comforting her, but quietly staying with her.
The two of them left the TV on, neither watching what was playing, lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until Tan's mother and child woke up that they snapped out of their reverie.
Ling Ruoke went home before dinner because Yang Ziyun called to say she had come to Z City.
After leaving Tan Peishi's house, Ling Ruoke drove straight to the villa. Upon arrival, she was surprised to find that not only Yang Ziyun had arrived, but also the General and her grandfather. Of course, several bodyguards were also present.
Ling Ruoke counted and found there were eight guards, all of whom were unfamiliar faces. She was a little puzzled, but didn't think much of it. The two elders of the Ying family held high military ranks, so it wasn't surprising that they would change guards or bring more.
"Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt," Ling Ruoke greeted them with a smile, somewhat puzzled as to what they were here for. Was it also about the 10 million? Were they here to interrogate her?
Grandpa chuckled and said, "Girl, it's been a long time since you played chess with Grandpa. You have to play with Grandpa tonight until you're completely satisfied. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and my heart and hands are itching to play."
"Okay, as long as Grandpa isn't tired, I'll stay up all night with him." Ling Ruoke said with a smile. Since Grandpa didn't give her any trouble, she wasn't afraid anymore.
"It's a deal!" The old man waved his hand, seemingly quite satisfied with the proposal.
"Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, please come in and have a cup of tea to rest." Ling Ruoke smiled and ushered them in, quickly brewing and pouring tea.
Once everyone was seated and drinking tea, Ling Ruoke dared to sit down. "Grandpa, why did you all suddenly come to Z City?"
Before Grandpa could answer, Yang Ziyun spoke for him. "Such a big thing happened, Grandpa was worried that his granddaughter-in-law would be frightened, so he hurriedly brought us here. You can ask them if you don't believe me." She pointed to several guards.
Several guards were called out by name, and they nodded with honest smiles.
Looking at the old man, Ling Ruoke felt a warmth in her heart. "Grandpa..." she called out, but didn't know what to say.
In truth, Ling Ruo didn't understand that Huo Qingfeng's suspicion of colluding with drug lords wasn't just his problem. His family and friends were also under military surveillance. If the Huo family hadn't been so powerful, they would never have been able to arrive in Z City at this time.
The old man waved his hand, stopping her from continuing. "Enough with the formalities. We're all family now, no need for formalities. By the way, girl, were you frightened?"
"I was quite scared at first, but when I saw Grandpa, I wasn't scared anymore." Ling Ruoke said this sincerely. The old man's calm and composed demeanor was more convincing to her than anything else.
"What's there to be afraid of? Qingfeng would never do such a thing. Grandpa knows him best. He doesn't understand how important money is at all, so why would he risk everything for a mere 10 million? The person who framed him definitely doesn't understand his personality. Girl, don't worry, our Huo family isn't so easy to bully." The old man chuckled, as if this were truly a trivial matter, and he wasn't worried at all.
"I know, Grandpa." Ling Ruoke was truly relieved.
"By the way, where's Huo Fu'an? Kindergarten is about to end, shouldn't we go pick him up?" Grandpa looked around, searching for a particular child.
Ling Ruoke's heart immediately jumped. "Grandpa, Fu'an was taken to another place by his mother. Recently, Qingfeng and I were both attacked. Qingfeng was worried about the safety of the little guy and his mother. And his mother wanted to take him to live in another city, so... I'm sorry, I haven't been able to get used to it since they left. I was in a bad mood, so I didn't tell you."
Ling Ruoke didn't dare look them in the eye, waiting for a storm to break out.
"Girl," the old man called out to her.
"Huh?" Ling Ruoke looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Heads up, chests out!" the old man shouted two commands. "What's the big deal? Why are you acting like the world is about to change? It's not like we're selling out my great-grandson, what's the big deal?"
Looking at the old man, Ling Ruoke felt she had been narrow-minded. She was about to apologize, but swallowed her words and simply smiled. "Then I won't say it again. I just felt we should have reported this to you first; we forgot and didn't do a good job."
"That's true." Huo Zhenbang looked at her and felt that this girl was sensible and just what he wanted.
Looking at the time, it was almost five o'clock, so she quickly stood up. "Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, I'm going to buy groceries and cook. You can watch TV for a while."
Ling Ruoke then took out some snacks to fill her stomach, along with fruit, and placed them on the table. She also filled a teacup and placed it aside.
"If you'd like, I'll go with you. I've had enough of flying and driving; it'll be good to stretch my muscles." Yang Ziyun followed her as she was leaving. She even called two guards to help carry her things.
Ling Ruoke couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to lead her to the market.
Two guards followed behind them at a distance, without saying a word.
After walking for a while, Yang Ziyun said, "Do you always walk like this when you go out with your elders?" As she spoke, she gestured with her eyes to her arm.
Ling Ruoke understood and hesitantly took her arm. Her relationship with Yang Ziyun had only recently improved, so such intimate actions were naturally not within her consideration. The two were not far apart in height, and walking arm in arm like this, they looked more like mother and daughter.
The two walked in silence for a while.
"You called Qingfeng but no one answered. You must have been terrified, right?" Yang Ziyun turned around and asked her.
Ling Ruoke honestly hummed in agreement; she was indeed startled. However, facing such a kind and gentle Yang Ziyun, she still felt very uncomfortable, even a little embarrassed. To be more precise, she was flattered. It was like having a crush on someone for a long time, but they already had someone else in their heart, and you had given up hope. But suddenly one day, they showed great affection for you, even taking the initiative to get close to you; you would definitely be flattered.
Yang Ziyun patted her hand and said gently, "I was terrified the first time I faced something like this. But after experiencing it more often, I naturally became calmer. The higher you go, the higher the chance of this happening. If you panic every time, you'll give yourself a heart attack, won't you? Don't worry, Qingfeng will be fine."
"Yeah. He didn't do anything, he'll definitely be fine." But that's how people are; even if they know things will get better, they can't stay calm until they see the results.
“That’s right, as long as you trust him, that’s all that matters.” Yang Ziyun wasn’t worried at all, perhaps because she had been through so much.
Hearing her say that, Ling Ruoke felt much more at ease. "Yes. Auntie, has Uncle encountered anything like this before?"
"Huh?" Yang Ziyun didn't answer, but stopped and looked at her, saying, "Why are you calling me 'Auntie' all of a sudden?"
Ling Ruoke was immediately embarrassed and didn't know where to look. She couldn't bring herself to call the general "Dad," so she addressed Yang Ziyun as "Auntie" as well. Otherwise, having a mother and an uncle would be too strange. "I..."
"What, you're still not happy?" Yang Ziyun said with a stern face, seemingly about to get angry.
Ling Ruoke hurriedly waved her hand and explained hastily, "No, it's just that Qingfeng and I aren't married yet, so..." It turned out that Yang Ziyun had misunderstood, which was why she was being asked to call her "Mom."
Yang Ziyun gestured for her to take her arm, and said with some emotion as they walked, "Let's not talk about the past, no matter who was right or wrong. I've come to terms with it now. Since Qingfeng has made up his mind about you, and Grandpa likes you so much, why should I be the bad guy? In short, you're going to be a member of the Huo family from now on. As long as your feelings for Qingfeng remain unchanged, that won't change."
Once a person gets stuck in a dead end, they can't figure it out. But once they get out, nothing seems to matter anymore. Yang Ziyun was in that situation.
"Yes, I understand." Ling Ruoke felt her eyes getting hot. Yang Ziyun's words weren't exactly flattering, but they truly showed that the couple had accepted her as their daughter-in-law.
Ling Ruoke was genuinely worried that the Huo family would blame her for Qingfeng's accident, since the 10 million yuan was definitely in her account. On her way back, she had already prepared herself for a storm.
Because of Yang Ziyun's previous prejudice against her, Ling Ruoke had always envied women whose husbands' families could become their support. Now, it seemed she had that kind of luck too. At least before, she never dared to imagine that she could walk arm in arm with Yang Ziyun and chat intimately as they went.
After the rain, the sky will always clear up.
Because there were quite a few people, and they all had huge appetites, Ling Ruoke needed to buy a lot of groceries. She was worried the market was too dirty and that sewage might splash on Yang Ziyun, so she had her wait outside while she went in to buy the groceries, accompanied by a bodyguard.
After buying everything, the two guards divided the goods in half, one for each of them.
Ling Ruoke went to the restroom to wash her hands before taking Yang Ziyun's hand and returning home easily.
Dinner was a big undertaking, but fortunately, Ling Ruoke was already quite experienced in hosting Qingfeng's soldiers.
Yang Ziyun insisted on helping, and Ling Ruoke had no choice but to let her help pick and wash the vegetables.
The two chatted as they worked, neither feeling bored or tired. Ling Ruo had never dared to imagine such a harmonious scene between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She suddenly felt that perhaps all the storms would soon pass, and that life would be peaceful and happy from now on.
Around seven o'clock, a large table of dishes was finally prepared and served. The dining table at home is an oval marble table, quite wide, but it was still filled with food.
"See that? When you're going to marry, you should marry someone like Ruoke, gentle and capable." The old man was very happy and praised his granddaughter-in-law as soon as the meal started.
Several guards quickly responded; they also thought the commander's daughter-in-law/granddaughter-in-law was truly wonderful. Such a large table of dishes, prepared in such a short time, and so beautifully presented and delicious—this woman was at least someone who knew how to manage a household and made a man feel he had a home!
Ling Ruoke blushed and was too embarrassed to look up. But the old man's constant protection warmed her heart.
Yang Ziyun smiled and chimed in, "Dad's right. Ruoke in our family is the kind of woman who's good in both the living room and the kitchen. Ruoke, let me tell you, your grandpa praises his granddaughter-in-law to everyone he meets. If you don't believe me, next time you go back to B City, just grab anyone in the neighborhood and ask them."
Ling Ruoke blushed and smiled, completely at a loss for words. Yang Ziyun's words, "Our Ruoke," still made her feel like she was dreaming.
In a daze, she seemed to be back at the Xing family home. Her parents looked at her with loving smiles, calling her "our Ruoke" repeatedly. Her mother loved to say things like, "My Ruoke is getting prettier and prettier," and her laughter and tone of voice were still clearly ringing in her ears…
If her parents hadn't passed away, such a joyful scene would never have been absent. She could be spoiled, throw a little tantrum, act silly... she could do whatever she wanted.
Many things aren't forgotten, but rather, they're dared not recall. Because every time she does, tears stream down her face. Some wounds are too deep to heal in a very long time; they cannot be touched until the scab has formed and faded. The pain of losing her parents has never truly healed in Ling Ruoke's heart; she has simply deliberately tried to forget it.
At that moment, she lowered her head, chopsticks in her mouth, unaware that tears were streaming down her face.
"Ruo Ke, what's wrong?"
"Ruoke, why are you crying?"
"..."
Ling Ruoke covered her mouth and simply shook her head. Her blurry vision revealed the concerned faces of everyone, making her feel even more heartbroken.
Tears streamed down her face, falling like rain. Not wanting to prevent everyone from eating, she spoke through sobs.
"I'm sorry... I... I just remembered... I remembered my mom and dad..."
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