I have veto power.
"What hardships did you endure to get here?" Xu Tangmian didn't know whether to laugh or cry upon hearing this.
What is this? Is it just belated heartache?
She snorted coldly, her eyes filled with disappointment: "Do you think only your family deserves your respect and care? Do you even know that coming here means suffering?"
“That’s different.” Xu Zhilian turned his back to them and shook his head slightly, his eyes becoming much clearer. He stared blankly at the ground, as if he was thinking about something.
Li Youlan couldn't sit still any longer, so she got up and took Xu Tangmian's arm, asking her earnestly, "What exactly happened? We've already had a hard time accepting what happened to Alin, how could this... how could this be?"
"I know you won't believe it," Xu Tangmian said helplessly, spreading her hands. "But that's the truth."
“Didn’t she correctly predict the Spring Festival Gala program before? And make the printing factory a fortune.” Yu Chunsheng reminded everyone, “She does know a lot about the future, and I have no doubt that she comes from the future.”
He didn't doubt it, but... Liu Xingyao pulled Yu Chunsheng aside, secretly glancing in Xu Tangmian's direction and lowering his voice, he said, "Then you knew she was Xu Zhilian's granddaughter, yet you still..." He still married her and had a child with her...
Xu Tangmian wasn't stupid; she could sense how others viewed her. As for what Liu Xingyao and Yu Chunsheng would say, she knew perfectly well—it would be something like how the two of them could still get along because of Xu Zhilian.
Unexpectedly, before she could say anything, Xu Zhilian jumped out first.
He suddenly rushed to Xu Tangmian's side, pointed at the trio, and said righteously as if he were the one who had suffered a loss: "So what if she is my granddaughter? It's his good fortune to be able to establish a relationship with me with his current status."
"Shut up." Xu Tangmian had no liking for this younger version of her grandfather, especially after witnessing a series of outrageous things he had done. She could hardly tolerate his words.
She stared directly at Xu Zhilian, her eyes devoid of any longing for a long-awaited reunion with her loved ones, only showing indifference towards someone who did not share her views: "I was just telling a bizarre story. Right now, only Xu Tangmian is here, not your granddaughter."
Xu Zhilian acted as if he hadn't heard her, walked to the side and forcefully pulled Yu Chunsheng over, saying aggressively, "You knew all along that she was my granddaughter? Don't you think you're despicable?"
Yu Chunsheng frowned, then suddenly waved his hand to break free from his grasp, straightened his collar, and said confidently, "I don't think so."
He bypassed Xu Zhilian and walked to Xu Tangmian, separating the two. "I think it's really disgusting that you, in your current state, are calling a woman in her twenties your granddaughter."
"Thanks to you." Yu Chunsheng dusted off the sleeve that Xu Zhilian had just pulled. "I'm still very young, and I think we're at least a good match in terms of appearance."
Xu Zhilian knew he was in the wrong, so he pursed his lips and remained silent, but his puffed-out cheeks betrayed his less-than-pleasant mood.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he said with a smile, "Are you going back with him or coming back to Beiping with me? I think you're old enough to make your own judgment. Your parents raised you, and you know how Xiaofen and I have treated you."
Xu Tangmian was taken aback, and scenes of her family's happy times immediately flashed through her mind.
Seeing her like this, Yu Chunsheng felt a chill in his heart. His brows furrowed, and a hint of disappointment appeared in his eyes, as if he had returned to the time when they first met, when she was determined to go to Beiping.
His throat tightened; he desperately wanted to call out to her, to beg her not to abandon him again. But somehow, the name he usually called so easily now seemed like a taboo, and he couldn't utter it.
Xu Zhilian was very pleased with Yu Chunsheng's lowered head.
He was too stubborn. In his previous life, the only time he bowed his head to him was when he was lifted down from the rope. After being reincarnated, he had become the director, while the other was just a small printing factory manager who still dared to look at him arrogantly.
"Oh, what a wonderful granddaughter!" Xu Zhilian chuckled, confidently putting his arm around Xu Tangmian's shoulder, and said affectionately, "I can buy you a house in the best location in Beiping, so you and the child can move there. Let's forget about all the unhappy things from before, and from now on, we'll be a family..."
"Who's family with you?" Xu Tangmian suddenly turned around and shook him off.
Yu Chunsheng suddenly raised his head, his eyes lighting up.
He asked impatiently, "You still chose me, didn't you? I'm your family, aren't I?"
Xu Tangmian smiled at him, pinched his cheek as he leaned in, and said with unwavering determination, "Of course!"
"Xu Tangmian!" Xu Zhilian suddenly changed his expression, pointing his finger at her nose and cursing, "Are you blinded by beauty? I've investigated you two. You got your marriage certificate only two years ago. You haven't known each other for more than three years."
"For a man you've known for less than three years, you're not even trusting the family that raised you? Do you even know his character?"
“I don’t know his character, but I know yours,” Xu Tangmian retorted sharply, her gaze unwavering.
"Stop trying to lure me with those empty promises. This isn't 2000 years from now; it's 1987. There's no Xu Zhilian granddaughter here, only Yu Chunsheng's wife."
“I will not become your weapon to hurt him, nor will I abandon him to return to Beiping with you. In fact, if there were evidence in front of me that could expose you completely, I would not hesitate to stand up and expose you!”
"You!" Xu Zhilian's pupils shrank suddenly, and he was so shocked that he took a few steps back and fell to the ground.
He took a few quick breaths, then suddenly remembered something, and turned around! His gaze fell on the tiny baby on the single bed in the corner.
Little autumn fruit!
Fearing a repeat of the same mistake, Yu Chunsheng strode forward and blocked the bedside.
"Xu Zhilian, don't even think about hurting them again!" Li Youlan, who had been silent in the corner, also walked towards the young couple and said with a pained expression, "Even if it's a huge hatred, you should be satisfied with Xiaolin's death once, right? Besides, he treated you well!"
Liu Xingyao chimed in, "Why be so aggressive? If Madam Xu knew that Ah Lin was still alive, knew what happened back then..."
"Shut up!" Xu Zhilian suddenly roared at him, "You dare!"
"What do I have to be afraid of?" Liu Xingyao was not afraid at all, and retorted sharply, "Just like you said, we used to abide by the gentlemanly rules, which is why a villain like you was able to take advantage of the situation."
"If you don't stop, don't blame us for being petty!"
"Hahahaha!" Xu Zhilian laughed arrogantly, "Fine! You've all forced me! You've all ganged up on me!"
Yu Chunsheng: "?"
At the same time, as if the couple had an unspoken understanding, Xu Tangmian said what Yu Chunsheng hadn't said: "No one invited you here."
"Okay." Xu Zhilian calmly dusted himself off, regaining the composure he had shown when they met in Beiping, and looked at Xu Tangmian with a forced smile.
"He is truly a good child of the Xu family." He clasped his hands together and let them hang naturally in front of him, as if he were giving an important speech.
“I’m not here to get entangled with you. I’ll just pretend I know nothing about this granddaughter. I don’t want to get involved with such a traitor.”
Xu Zhilian straightened the red badge on his chest. "Brother Lin, with your personality, you should know that Yilin City is going to build a cable-stayed bridge."
“You’re part of the inspection team,” Yu Chunsheng said casually, understanding the situation.
“Yes, that’s me.” Xu Zhilian walked to the window, looked at the birds flying across the blue sky, and said with a sense of ease, “Do you remember? In the year you left, there was a site under construction 500 meters away from where the cable-stayed bridge is located now.”
“Before your accident, the construction team was already working hard and the project was expected to be completed by the end of the year and open to traffic the following year.”
"Later, a letter from Team 4 of Huaifeng Town, Yilin City, was delivered to the provincial expert mailbox. Oh no! It was originally meant to be delivered to the expert mailbox."
“A Peking University architecture student, who boasted of having studied for several years, offered his opinions to the experts. He claimed that the foundation depth and material type of the bridge were substandard and requested the expert group to intervene to ensure production quality.”
Yu Chunsheng's forehead was beaded with sweat, a vague sense of foreboding creeping in, yet he still feigned composure and asked, "What do you want to say?"
Xu Tangmian felt that Xu Zhilian would never bring up something unrelated for no reason, especially since she seemed to remember Yu Chunsheng mentioning that he had switched from a certain major to architecture. Could the Peking University student Xu Zhilian was talking about be the Kong Lin from her past life?
Xu Zhilian rested his hands on the windowsill, smiled and said "casually," "After you got into trouble, there are some things you probably don't know. It's okay, as friends, I'll tell you."
"Later, the letter was intercepted by another group of people who accused the Yilin City leadership of being incompetent and sabotaging the construction, and ordered the project to be halted. In order to promote development, the local government ordered the construction team to complete the work quickly before the deadline for stopping work."
"This hasty action led to trouble."
As Xu Zhilian spoke, he observed Yu Chunsheng's reaction. He saw that Yu Chunsheng's face was pale, but his eyes and brows were full of joy.
"Brother Lin," he called him so affectionately again, "do you know what I've been thinking every time I've seen the development report of Yilin City over the past twenty years?"
"What are you thinking about?" Yu Chunsheng rarely spoke, and his voice trembled slightly.
"I was thinking how well this Peking University student wrote his letter. No wonder he later became the director of the printing plant; he was born to work with words."
Xu Tangmian suddenly looked at Yu Chunsheng, his face was deathly pale, his body was trembling, and he was gradually squatting down.
"Shut up!" she almost instinctively snapped at Xu Zhilian. "Get out! You're not welcome here!"
"Fine." Xu Zhilian looked at her coldly. "I'll only say one last thing."
"This letter resulted in a bridge, seventeen lives, and Yilin City being labeled a 'typical engineering accident' for twenty years. Brother Lin, you're amazing!"
Xu Zhilian laughed and walked towards the door, waving his hand behind his back. "I have veto power over this cable-stayed bridge construction project. Your train ticket back to Beiping is for 9 a.m. the day after tomorrow. I won't give you much time."
"Think it over before you come to me. I'm at a guesthouse next to the city government, and I'm not always available."
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