Chapter 132 The Japanese army suddenly launched a large-scale attack...
They had barely settled in Jincheng when news of Du Xinmin's death arrived; he had been shot dead in the street.
Lu Lin's lips curled up in a cold smile: "He got off easy!"
She anxiously tugged at his arm; it was such a coincidence, many people would probably suspect Lu Lin.
He patted Shen Rong's hand, reassuring her, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"
Du Xinmin's death shocked many people, and they focused their attention on Lu Lin. However, they had no evidence, and since Lu Lin was already in Jincheng when Du Xinmin died, they could only harbor suspicions.
When Shen Rong went out for social events, she was often tested by people, but she always pretended to be stupid and fooled them.
After arranging her husband's funeral, Mrs. Du went straight to Jincheng to cause trouble for Lu Lin. She went to the official residence many times to cry to Madam Wen, insisting that Lu Lin was the murderer. However, even Madam Wen could not convict someone based on a relative's words.
Moreover, Lu Lin had helped her before and had made contributions in the Northwest affairs, so she could only give him a few words of advice.
Even if Lu Lin was the one who did it, it would take a lot of effort to deal with him now, as he can't be imprisoned with just a few words.
“But he’s a communist sympathizer. His brother is a communist spy.” Mrs. Du knew what these people were most sensitive about; they would take anything involving the Communist Party seriously.
Unexpectedly, this tactic is no longer effective. Madam Wen, Lian Shan, flashed a hint of impatience: "These are all your guesses. Where is the evidence? The government issued you an order to arrest Lu Chang, but your husband has been found out. Do you know that we are also at a loss? How are we going to appease them? It's not just that you lost your husband; their family has also lost a relative!"
Mrs. Du's eyes widened slightly, deeply shocked: "But Xinmin was utterly loyal! Everything he did was for the Party and the country..."
Madam Wen said impatiently, "I know, and the Chairman knows too. We have never doubted his loyalty, which is why we dared to entrust him with important matters in Shanghai. He offended Lu Lin, and he was worried, so we transferred Lu Lin back to Jincheng. But what was the result..."
He still died, just like that, beaten to death. It can only be said that he was too careless!
Mrs. Du's lips twitched. If the lady didn't doubt his loyalty, then she was implying that her husband was incompetent!
Seeing her like this, Madam Wen felt a little sorry for her and softened her tone, patting her hand: "However, we have taken what you said to heart. After all, Lu Lin is the most suspicious. If he is really so audacious, the Chairman will not let him off lightly."
Although there was no evidence, Du Xinmin was dead after all. He was a confidant of the Wen family. Even if they couldn't convict him, they had to give him a warning. So, although Lu Lin entered the Ministry of Military Affairs, he was always sidelined and not given important positions.
He'll definitely be sitting on the sidelines for a while, and he'll need to be tempered and his arrogance worn down. Young people are like that; if a knife isn't sharpened properly, it's easy for it to hurt its master.
"Alright, stop looking so gloomy. There are a lot of people at the ball today. Go and socialize with them. Director Du is gone, and you still have children. Aren't you going to think about them?" Madam Wen saw Shen Rong approaching out of the corner of her eye and spoke with a hint of admonition.
Thinking of her children's future, Mrs. Du could only force a smile.
"Madam." Shen Rong came over to greet them, smiling and nodding at Mrs. Du, "Mrs. Du, I heard about Director Du's situation. Please accept my condolences!"
Mrs. Du couldn't control her gaze and stared at her hatefully: "Mrs. Lu, why pretend to be so sympathetic? The murderer is still at large, how can I possibly grieve?"
Shen Rong's smile remained unchanged as she put down her wine glass: "Mrs. Du's words are interesting. We understand that you are heartbroken over the loss of your husband and it is harmless for you to say some nonsense. Why did you bring it up in front of Madam? Actually, I have wanted to remind Mrs. Du for a long time that you should stop targeting our family just because you feel guilty. Has Director Du offended anyone else?"
She turned to look at Madam Wen and said with a smile, "Actually, I've always had something I wanted to tell Mrs. Du, but I was afraid she would misunderstand, since our Lu Chang still has some lingering suspicions."
Mrs. Wen asked curiously, "What are you thinking?"
Shen Rong said, "Director Du has ruthless methods. He once arrested more than a hundred people in just a few days, claiming they were communist spies. Do you think some of them might retaliate?"
Mrs. Wen paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mrs. Lu is overthinking it." Seeing that Mrs. Du's expression was not good, she made an excuse to send her away.
He changed the subject and chatted with Shen Rong, asking if she was settling in well in Jincheng, if there was anything inconvenient, and if she needed anything.
Shen Rong smiled and thanked her, "It's fine. I stayed in Jincheng for a while before, and this time we're staying at my parents' house again, so I don't have to worry about anything."
The Shen family is wealthy, so naturally they wouldn't mistreat their daughter and son-in-law. Madam Wen smiled and asked about Lu Lin's situation, as if explaining why he was left idle.
"After all, the matter has caused quite a stir in the city. This is for his own good. Once the storm has passed, there will be many opportunities to rely on him."
Shen Rong smiled, indicating her understanding, and said that Lu Lin was quite good, saying that it was rare for him to have more time to spend with his family.
“He comes home earlier these days, and he takes care of the kids’ homework, which makes things much easier for me. My son is also much more obedient. I wish he could have more free time,” Shen Rong joked in a low voice.
Madam Wen smiled, though it was unclear whether she believed that this was her true feeling.
However, Lu Lin accepted it well and even talked about having a second child, saying that he would take advantage of the time to have another daughter.
Of course, he was thoroughly scolded by Shen Rong; people really shouldn't be too idle.
After the ball ended, Lu Lin came to pick her up, and Shen Rong mentioned the things that everyone had asked him about at the ball.
When he didn't attend, everyone assumed he had lost face and was too embarrassed to come out to socialize, and they even conveyed their regret to Shen Rong in a subtle or gloating way.
Everyone thought he had made a great contribution and would rise to prominence upon his return, but who knew that he would get involved with Du Xinmin and ruin his future? Everyone felt it was a pity.
They keep saying they're still young and don't need to rush, and to focus on their work, but who doesn't understand that opportunities are unpredictable, and once missed, they're gone forever?
Shen Rong winked at him.
Lu Lin gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, and sneered, "I'm not as free as they are. The Japanese are eyeing us from the north, yet they still have the leisure to throw parties, indulging in song and dance, living a life of extravagance!" Do they really only realize what danger means when the enemy is at the gates?
"Is it news from Pingcheng?" Shen Rong could tell he was furious.
Lu Lin hummed in agreement. Han Xiwen and Feng Qing had both sent him telegrams. The frontline sentries reported that the Japanese army had been moving around frequently recently. He recalled the unusual behavior of the Japanese in Shanghai and instinctively felt that they were heading south.
He submitted a report on these analyses and deductions, but it was like throwing a stone into the sea. Thinking of this, Lu Lin gritted his teeth and frowned.
Shen Rong reached out to smooth his forehead and sighed, "If you hadn't been sidelined, would they have paid more attention to you?"
Lu Lin took her hand and sneered, "They're not unaware of the seriousness of the problem. Do you think I'm the only smart person in the entire Ministry of Military Affairs? They're just pretending to be stupid and hoping for the best. Just wait and see. When things get really bad, they'll panic."
His brow had been furrowed ever since he arrived in Jincheng. Shen Rong patted his arm to soothe him: "Don't be angry anymore. What are your plans now?"
What plans could he possibly have? He could continue submitting reports, but given his current cold reception, it would probably be pointless: "I'll visit a few more elders tomorrow."
Let's see if we can think of other solutions.
Shen Rong withdrew her hand, letting him concentrate on driving: "If Du Xinmin had had an accident a little later, would things have been different?"
There were people on the road. Lu Lin honked the horn, turned his head to look at her, and laughed, "Du Xinmin is definitely going to die."
Moreover, Jin Cheng was just using this opportunity to suppress him. Although he handled the Northwest affairs well, it was an undeniable fact that he was close to Dou Wenliang. Furthermore, his prestige in Dou's army was too high, and Jin Cheng was afraid that he would become the second Dou Wenliang.
“If Du Xinmin doesn’t die, it will be very dangerous for Sheng Ruyue to stay in Shencheng.” She is too close to Lu Chang. In the past, with him around, Du Xinmin’s men didn’t dare to touch her rashly, but if he leaves Shencheng, it’s hard to say.
Sheng Ruyue was impulsive, and she hated Du Xinmin to the core. If someone set a trap for her, she would probably fall into it. She might expose Wu Xinbai's bookstore and Du Xinmin would trace it back to Lu Lin.
Shen Rong bit her lip and lowered her head: "I should have gone to the bookstore myself back then."
Lu Lin chuckled and freed one hand to pat her head: "What nonsense are you talking about? What difference does it make if you go or I go?"
Shen Rong was comforted by these words and reached out to slap his hand away: "Don't mess up my hairstyle."
Lu Lin took advantage of her inattention and roughly touched her a couple more times: "I told you not to go to that ball, but you still insisted on going. Did anyone make things difficult for you?"
I honked the horn twice, and the doorman rushed over to open the door.
The car stopped, and Shen Rong got out. She tightened her cloak. Although it was spring, it was still a bit chilly at night, so Lu Lin covered her with his own clothes.
Shen Rong covered her mouth and glared at him playfully: "If you don't go, I won't go either. People will really think you don't know what's good for you."
Madam Wen sent out invitations specifically to see how Lu Lin would react, and what people would think if he didn't attend.
Lu Lin nodded softly: "It's about the lady's diplomacy." His tone was somewhat sarcastic.
Shen Rong gently punched him, speaking carefully.
"Aren't you two cold? Can't you talk inside?" Shen Jiashi asked curiously, leaning against a pillar with a cup of hot tea in his hand.
"Why are you back so early?" Shen Rong asked curiously.
Shen Jiashi tightened his clothes and sighed, "You've been such a derelict sister. Your brother didn't even go, and you didn't even notice?"
Shen Rong chuckled awkwardly. It was true, he hadn't gone to the ball to join in the fun.
Shen Jiashi looked hurt and pounded his shoulder: "Who can compare to you? I'm busy! Look, you've come back all in style, while I haven't even finished my work yet. I just took the opportunity to come out and relax."
"The old man will be urging me soon."
It seemed that Shen's father was also working overtime: "What happened?" Shen Rong asked with concern.
Shen Jiashi comforted her with a relaxed expression: "You don't understand business matters. Go to sleep first. I'll ask my brother-in-law something."
Lu Linchao nodded to her, and she went back to her room first. After washing up, she went to see her son.
Lu Zhan was young when he left Jincheng, and now that he's back, he has to readjust to the new environment. I don't know if he'll get along well with his classmates at the new school.
Every time I asked him, he would raise his chin and say, "It's great, they all like me very much."
Shen Rong sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her son's sleeping face, and couldn't help but touch it: "You little rascal, you've grown up."
In the past, they would come back and tell their mother about even the smallest things. Lu Chang's death made them sad, and even the children seemed to have suddenly become sensible after experiencing this.
The door was pushed open, letting in light and shadow. Lu Lin came over and sat down next to her. The couple watched their son silently.
Shen Rong suddenly chuckled and said in a low voice, "This is so strange of us!"
The atmosphere was both warm and heavy.
Lu Lin took her hand and said, "Let's go, don't wake him." He has to get up early for school tomorrow!
The door was gently closed, and Shen Rong gripped his arm tightly, leaning against him listlessly.
"What's wrong?"
Shen Rong: "Feeling a little out of sorts? I wonder how Ruyue is doing in Shanghai?"
After staying in one place for a long time, you really miss it. My home used to be so lively, but now that I'm back at my parents' house, it still feels empty.
Sheng Ruyue chose to continue Lu Chang's unfinished wish, and as her family, they couldn't stop her. They just hoped that nothing bad would happen to her.
"Wu Xinbai is taking care of things, nothing will happen."
Wu Xinbai shocked Shen Rong once again; she never expected him to be an underground party member who had taken over Lu Chang's work.
However… Shen Rong turned to look at him: “He’s exposed himself so much, aren’t you afraid you’ll accidentally tell others?”
Lu Lin smiled and nodded: "Maybe they trust me!"
To glorify herself, she preferred to believe that they believed in Lu Chang, and therefore believed in Lu Chang's brother: "You're just benefiting from this."
She then asked what Shen Jiashi had wanted to talk to him about, and Lu Lin replied calmly, "He just asked about the situation in Shanghai."
Shen Rong asked in surprise, "Is it related to their business?"
Lu Lin nodded: "Your brother said that many companies in Shanghai now have the shadow of Japanese conglomerates behind them, and he thinks that there may be another war."
The two fell silent. If even a businessman like Shen's father could see this, how could those government think tanks not know? How long will they keep covering up their compromises?
Shen Rong sighed, and Lu Lin patted her head: "You don't need to worry about these things. Just take good care of the family."
Back in the room, she suddenly remembered something: "Did we have any guests today?"
Lu Lin paused in taking off his clothes, then turned to look at her helplessly: "How do you know everything?"
Shen Rong smiled and took out an opened tin of tea: "You don't like Tieguanyin tea, why would you touch it if it wasn't for entertaining guests?"
Lu Lin took the tea canister from her and put it back in its place: "You should become a detective."
"That's because I'm the one who cleaned the room, so of course I know where things have been touched," Shen Rong snorted.
Shen Rong asked him curiously what kind of guest he was.
Lu Lin said vaguely, "A friend I met by chance, it's not important."
He didn't say anything, and Shen Rong didn't press him for details. She yawned and went to bed.
In the days that followed, Lu Lin went out every day, but when he came back, he looked unwell and his brows were furrowed. Even Lu Zhan noticed that his father seemed to be in a bad mood and dared not cause any trouble.
Lu Lin's worries were not unfounded. Three months later, the Japanese army suddenly launched a large-scale attack!
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