(This afternoon, CCTV Channel 6 was showing The Truman Show. I watched it again and wasted a lot of time. However, my writing is much smoother now. This chapter is 7000 words long, which is more than enough to complete the mission. Tomorrow, I will do something big.
I have watched this movie so many times, but it still makes me feel cold … Good, good. I wrote Xu Le because I wanted to write about a different person, a person who should only be preaching. I hope I can do it. Amen, Amen.)
…
…
"I hope you are not deliberately trying to embarrass your father." Xu Le lowered his head and cut the synthetic beef on his plate.
"I am not interested in playing with these things." Zou Yu took a sip of red wine and looked at him with a complicated expression. "I just want to make the pregnancy a real reality … My father is a very standard soldier. I can't rely on you or scratch my face to fight against him to the end … If the entire capital special district knows that I am pregnant, maybe things will be easier."
"I don't want to talk about me anymore." Zou Yu put down the wine glass and looked at him. She said softly, "Tell me about your days at the research institute. I am more curious about this. Why did you get off work so late today?"
Xu Le's fork stopped on the porcelain plate. He thought about it silently for a while. He picked out the things that happened in the laboratory today that did not involve the confidentiality regulations and gave a simple explanation.
Zou Yu lowered her eyes slightly and suddenly said, "I heard you say before that the Nutshell engineering department seemed to want to recruit you from the beginning, but you chose the research institute … If that is the case, why did you take this opportunity to go to the engineering department this time?"
"If I go directly to the engineering department, I can only start from the bottom. I won't be able to touch the things I want to touch. If I can help the engineering department solve their current problems in the research institute, then I can at least make my requests in the engineering department in the future. "Xu Le started his hand again and answered vaguely with his head lowered.
"Is it a mecha?" Zou Yu suddenly looked at him slyly.
"It's a secret." Xu Le didn't even raise his head.
Zou Yu looked at the boy in front of her thoughtfully and said, "I've been with you for almost twenty days, and I've never seen anyone who cherishes their time more than you. Every night after washing the dishes, you study in your room until late at night. I don't understand. What exactly are you chasing? Or perhaps … what exactly do you want to do? "
"Don't tell me it's because you want to stand out. If it's because of these things, with your relationship with Brother Crown Prince, the Tai family can pave a golden path for you at any time."
Xu Le's fingers stiffened. He never thought that Zou Yu would ask such a direct question. After a moment of silence, he forked a piece of synthetic beef into his mouth and slowly chewed. His brows furrowed tighter and tighter. He drank a mouthful of water and raised his head to look at her seriously.
"The synthetic beef here is all wild beef."
Xu Le said, "I really hate the Wildlife Protection Act. I once went to the black market to buy meat. But the average citizen of the Federation can only use this method to secretly taste the meat. But this restaurant can openly sell it, and it even says on the menu that it's synthetic beef.
"This is your life. You take more resources, and you're always so hypocritical.
"Normal people will never know what methods you're using to encroach on their benefits. To be honest, I don't really understand these things, but I know you're doing it."
Zou Yu's expression gradually became serious. She carefully listened to Xu Le's rare speech.
Xu Le glanced at the men and women in the Linyuan Restaurant. They were dressed in luxurious clothes and had extraordinary auras. He said with a trace of loneliness, "The people of Donglin can imagine what kind of life the people of the capital ring lead. But the people of the middle and lower levels of the Federation will never know what kind of life people like you lead. A meal here is equivalent to half a year's worth of relief given by the Federation government to the people of Donglin."
"But you're still eating," Zou Yu said sharply.
"Yes, I feel like I can become one of you at any time now, and enjoy more wealth, resources, and status." Xu Le lightly patted the military cap on the table, shook his head, and said, "You just asked me what I want to do. Actually, I just want to make myself stronger."
"Stronger?" Zou Yu did not understand this sentence, but she was very sensitive to the fact that the young man in front of her seemed to have some secrets in his heart. "Why?"
"I'm not Superman of Justice, and it's impossible for me to change all the injustices in this society. But if such injustices befall me, or my family, or if I happen to see it … I really want to fight against such injustices." Xu Le said with a serious attitude that she had never seen before, "So first, I need to have the ability to fight against such injustices."
Zou Yu looked at him quietly for a very long time. Ever since the conversation last night, she had developed a sense of respect for Xu Le. She knew that this seemingly ordinary young man in front of her had a strong will. This strength did not refer to his willpower, but to his stubbornness in his heart. People like this in the Federation were almost extinct, so she believed that what Xu Le said now was the truth.
"Perhaps … that kind of injustices has already happened." Zou Yu gently touched the gauze on her face. She looked at Xu Le quietly and said, "So you're making the best use of your time. Why do you need to make preparations?"
Xu Le was silent. He knew that he had already said too much. As for his thoughts, no one in the Federation knew. He only opened his eyes wide to see the ups and downs of this society, to strengthen himself at all costs. If this society could not give him justice, then he would find it himself.
Zou Yu did not pay attention to his silence. She looked at him with a strange gaze and suddenly said softly, "Are you a follower of George Carlin?"
"No, but I feel that the things he said are not wrong."
"You're always talking about people like us. I'm indeed not a good person, but I believe that in the class of vested interests, there will always be people who meet your moral standards."
"So what I'm targeting is not class, but fairness."
"The problem is that society is unfair to begin with. If you want to fight against this kind of unfairness, then you have to fight against society. And the power of one person will never be able to fight, unless you're that old man who lives by the lake."
"You're talking about the Lees of Philadelphia?"
"Yes."
Xu Le smiled slightly. He thought to himself that in the entire history of the Federation, there was only one such military god who was able to rely on his own power to pilot a mecha and assassinate the Emperor of the Empire. Perhaps in the future history of the Federation, such a person would never appear again. However, he immediately thought of another languid and weathered figure. That uncle who wandered around the mecha like a demon …
"To Zhang Xiaomeng." Zou Yu raised her cup.
Xu Le, who had his head lowered, a glint of vigilance and surprise flashed through his eyes. He had never thought that this young miss from the Zou family would actually be able to hit the nail on the head. Perhaps she was just guessing, but to be able to guess this point was already very impressive.
He calmed his breathing, raised the cup of clear water, and said, "To Shi Qinghai."
…
…
Zou Yu's expression became somewhat unsightly. She paused for a moment, then suddenly opened her mouth to say, "Can you tell me … what kind of person is that hooligan?"
Xu Le was slightly taken aback. He quietly watched the trace of unerasable sadness on Zou Yu's delicate and beautiful face. He suddenly remembered that she and Shi Qinghai had only had a one-night stand. She had no idea what kind of person Shi Qinghai was, and perhaps … in the future of her life, she would never have any sort of relationship with the father of her child.
From this perspective, the present Zou Yu was indeed worthy of pity. Xu Le even thought that he had only wanted Mr. Shi to leave behind his bloodline in the Federation. Was this in itself unfair to Zou Yu?
"Mr. Shi is an orphan. You must know by now that he is a spy for the anti-government forces, the most outstanding kind. As for why he became a spy for the anti-government forces, it all started from the unfairness of the Federation. His father … "
After a moment of silence, Xu Le began to explain everything about Shi Qinghai to Zou Yu, from his birth, to his glorious achievements in the First Military Academy, and his work in the Linhai Field Office.
Perhaps he wanted to make up for something to Zou Yu, or perhaps he wanted her to have a clearer understanding of Shi Qinghai, so that she would no longer be a blurry shadow. Xu Le was not as quiet as he usually was. He began to talk non-stop, and he presented everything he knew about Shi Qinghai in full, including his little tricks, his addiction to alcohol, his amazing capacity for alcohol, and the 27 glasses of wine he sang in a melancholy voice in the middle of the night after he got drunk …
"He combed his hair in a thirty-seven parting and smoked thirty-seven brand cigarettes.
"When he was drunk, he liked to say, 'I'm not drinking wine, I'm drinking loneliness' …"
Xu Le was immersed in his memories with Mr. Shi. He subconsciously took out a cigarette, but then he remembered that there was a pregnant woman in front of him, so he put it back in the cigarette box.
"Disgusting to the extreme," Zou Yu heard Xu Le's words, frowned deeply, and said softly.
She definitely did not like Shi Qinghai. On the snowy night after the Double Moon Festival dance party, it was only because of her complicated emotions that she fell into the irresistible eyes of that beautiful and bewitching man. However, as she listened to Xu Le's description, the man who was so beautiful that he didn't look like a normal person, who was so affectionate in bed, gradually became clear in front of her eyes.
Her right hand gently stroked the bulge on her abdomen, as if she could feel the growth of that little life. Zou Yu lowered her eyes slightly and thought to herself, So your father is actually a guy with a pitiful background, but also a hooligan …
Aside from his identity as an anti-government military spy, Shi Qinghai appeared to be very sincere in front of Xu Le. The two men drank a lot. Although Mr. Shi could not get drunk, Xu Le basically knew his friend's life very well, including what he did when he was young. That was why Xu Le could say so much at this time. However, thinking about this, he couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. He knew Shi Qinghai's childhood and Shi Qinghai's secret, but Shi Qinghai didn't know his.
There were not many VIPs eating in Linyuan Restaurant. They were scattered everywhere in twos and threes, and there was a suitable distance between each table. However, eyes could ignore this distance. From the moment Xu Le walked into the restaurant, he noticed that there were strange eyes around him. Although most of them looked away after a while, from time to time, he still felt that something was wrong.
These eyes were all directed at Zou Yu. Deputy Minister Zou's daughter was pregnant, and there was a piece of gauze on her face. This made many people have countless imaginations. Xu Le couldn't stop these eyes, and he was very impressed to find that Zou Yu didn't seem to care about them. He just watched all of this with vigilance.
Strangely enough, twenty days ago, Zou Yu's abdomen was not very obvious. However, perhaps it was because Xu Le had taken good care of her these days, and she had taken good care of herself in the apartment, the girl's lower abdomen had swelled up like a balloon. Now, she truly looked like a woman who was several months pregnant.
Xu Le put down the cup of water and turned his head. This was because he found that at the table that had been paying attention to him earlier, two young officers walked over, and he recognized one of them.
"Zou Yu, long time no see."
The young officer walking in front was about 25 or 26 years old. His facial features were deep, and his eyes were gloomy and calm. He casually stood in front of the table, but he gave off a different feeling. It was like the white cliffs behind Linyuan, leaving a deep and abrupt impression.
A trace of apology appeared on his face as he continued, "I'm sorry about last time. I didn't know about your physical condition and had a drinking bet with you. I hope you don't mind."
"With my current physical condition, it's naturally not easy for me to stand up," Zou Yu replied with a smile.
After these few words, Xu Le knew that this young officer with an extraordinary aura in front of him was the owner of the Silver Ghost that had raced with Zou Yu on Highway 2 that day. He frowned slightly, not knowing why this person had come to his table.
Zou Yu had told him before that this person seemed to be a direct descendant of the Li family, one of the seven great families. Xu Le's memory was very good. He remembered that this person was called Li Xiaotong. Did this person know that he was the one who had driven the black car to intercept people that day? Looking at the sincere expression on the other person's face, which did not reveal any trace of mockery or hostility toward Zou Yu, Xu Le could only wait and see.
Unexpectedly, after Li Xiaotong and Zou Yu finished greeting each other, he turned his head and politely extended his hand. "Li Xiaotong, nice to meet you."
Xu Le stood up and shook hands with the other person's extended hand. "Xu Le."
"I've heard a lot about you," Li Xiaotong looked at Xu Le with a faint smile in his eyes and said, "Let's get together some other time."
At this time, another young officer who came with Li Xiaotong also extended his hand to Xu Le. Xu Le looked at the blonde and handsome officer and said with a smile, "Hello."
Park Ji Ho nodded and did not say anything.
…
…
"The one who drove the black car that night was this Xu Le. I've investigated this person. He's a very rare and interesting guy."
Li Xiaotong and Park Ji Ho walked out of the Linyuan, followed by two subordinate officers. The smile on his face was very strange. When he saw Zou Yu and Xu Le walk in, he had already sent his subordinates to the Linyuan parking lot to take a look. He did not expect to really find that black car without a logo.
Park Ji Ho was slightly stunned. He did not expect that this noble young master would be interested in Xu Le and even sent someone to investigate him. Although Xu Le was in the limelight during the spring recruitment, Park Ji Ho did not think that a simple engineer could attract the attention of the second generation of the seven great families.
Guessing what his companion beside him was thinking, Li Xiaotong's lips curved into a slightly mocking smile. This second generation of the Li family did not have a good impression of the young master of the Tai family, who liked to pretend to be mysterious. However, this did not mean that the Li family did not value the only heir of the Tai family.
The Li family had always used money to pave the way. The relationship between Xu Le and the young master of the Tai family, as well as this person's stunning performance in the Linhai incident, could not be hidden from the seventh young master of the Li family who had deliberately investigated him.
That was why he said "I've heard so much about you." However, he did not plan to explain this to Park Ji Ho. He always thought that Park Ji Ho was a bit too confident. If this person was really stepped on by Xu Le in the future during the Linhai incident, perhaps it would be a kind of training for him.
"Who would have thought that Zou Yu was actually pregnant."
Li Xiaotong's eyebrows suddenly darkened at this moment. He had met Zou Yu last year. At first, he did not care about the daughter of this kind of nouveau riche. However, when he heard that the Lady Tai saw Zou Yu as her future daughter-in-law, he started to have some feelings for the red-clothed girl. In this world, the only thing that could not be touched was one's heart. Once it was touched, it could not be stopped. He actually started to like her …
That was why he had raced and gambled. However, he did not expect that before he could do anything, the red-clothed girl had already become an unmarried mother. Even with his shrewdness, he could not help but feel a bit confused.
After a moment of silence, Park Ji Ho said, "With your personality, I did not expect that you would leave immediately."
"I like women, but I do not like to offend others for women. Our family is a business, so we have to be more careful."
Park Ji Ho was silent. He thought that the Li family, one of the seven major families in the Federation, would not be afraid of offending others.
As if he had guessed what he was thinking, Li Xiaotong looked at him seriously and said, "I also want to beat that Xu Le up, but I don't know what kind of position he has in the eyes of the young master of the Tai family … And I always feel that this person is not simple. Since I am not willing to take the risk to step on him, maybe I will not be able to step on him in the future. If that is the case, why should I offend him at this time?"
Park Ji Ho was silent again. He could not understand why the seventh young master of the Li family would be so wary of an engineer in a research institute. Li Xiaotong looked at him and did not explain anymore. In the future, he would be the support of the Li family in the military. If he still could not understand why he took the initiative to be friendly, then he was equivalent to a useless person.
"I am not my big brother. He seems to be a playboy, but in fact, he can be angry for a woman."
Li Xiaotong closed his eyes and began to rest. He thought that if his big brother really got together with that national idol girl, it would not do him any good in the future.
"The little madman of the Li family is here." Park Ji Ho looked at the off-road car parked at the entrance of Linyuan and suddenly frowned.
Li Xiaotong did not open his eyes and shook his head. He thought that if he did not know that Madman Li was coming, he would definitely sit at that table for a while. He wanted to see the real relationship between the young master of the Tai family, Zou Yu, and that guy named Xu Le. At the very least, he wanted to know who the child in Zou Yu's belly was.
…
…
"I can see that the young master of the Li family was not lying." Zou Yu's eyes lit up. She looked at Xu Le and said, "Regarding the incident in Linhai, the madam, father, and brother did not tell me the details. I only know that the situation was very dangerous, and you happened to be there … Could it be that you played a very important role in it?"
Xu Le lowered his head and ate. He did not answer her. He used the power in his body in the afternoon, so he was very hungry now. The only thing that surprised him was that Li Xiaotong was so gentle. This was completely different from the mysterious image of the seven great families in the Federation.
"The seven great families in the Federation each occupy the most important areas in the society. They are very calculative, and their main area of control is the financial industry." Zou Yu did not care about Xu Le's silence. She gently stroked her belly and said, "In terms of wealth, no one in the Federation has more than the Li family. I just did not expect that this young master of the Li family also has a position in the military."
"What does the Zhong family in the West Woods rely on?" Xu Le suddenly asked. He had mixed feelings about the small watermelon family. On one hand, the uncle died under the main cannon of the Ancient Bell, but he did have a very close relationship with the small watermelon family.
"The military." Zou Yu frowned and said, "The fourth military region belongs to the Zhong family in the West Woods. It has been like this since before the constitutional era. There is an old saying, 'The high mountains are far away from the emperor.' The West Woods region is too far away from the capital ring. Furthermore, the Zhong family's reputation in the West Woods is too high. It is so high that the scholars and experts can't understand it … In addition, in the past few decades, the threat of the dynasty has been too great. The head of the Zhong family led the warriors of the fourth military region to fight alone, which made the Zhong family's position more and more stable."
"What about the Tai family?" Xu Le stopped eating and looked at Zou Yu curiously. Not long ago, the seven great families in the Federation were just legends to him. However, now that he could hear the true colors of these families, it was indeed very attractive.
"No one knows." Zou Yu smiled. "But I heard that the crystal mine consortium used to belong to the Tai family. Later on, there was a shortage of resources …"
Xu Le was slightly stunned and fell into deep thought. Crystal mines were undoubtedly the lifeline of the Federation's development. The Tai family, the descendant of the former royal family, was indeed a terrifying existence to be able to completely control the crystal mine consortium. However, with the decline of the East Woods region, there were fewer and fewer crystal mines that could be mined on the remaining seventy or so resource planets of the Federation. Presumably, the benefits in this area were not as good as before. Now that Tai Zhiyuan was going to come out from behind the scenes, could it be related to this trend?
"Li Xiaotong is the second heir of the Li family." Looking at Xu Le's slightly heavy expression, Zou Yu thought that he was worried about the previous scene. She lowered her head and said softly, "Although he has some bad habits, we can always get along well. He's not like his elder brother, who is recognized in the circle as the most beautiful man in the world, but has a heart that is colder and harder to corrupt than gold. "
"Is that young master of the Li family more beautiful than Mr. Shi?" Xu Le looked at Zou Yu and asked in disbelief.
Zou Yu frowned, as if she was unwilling to compare that man with the young master of the Li family. After a while, she said hesitantly, "More or less … but it feels different. I've only seen him once when I was having afternoon tea with Lady Tai."
Xu Le thought that even if the Zou family had a lot of power, it was far from being comparable to the seven major families that could influence the Federation. The reason why she could calmly talk about the top figures of the Federation in Linyuan was probably because Lady Tai liked to take her out. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Although he told Tai Zhiyuan the inside story at the beginning of the incident, Zou Yu was the daughter-in-law chosen by that lady. If that lady misunderstood something, how should he explain it?
"That young master Li … seemed to be interested in you before," Xu Le said.
"You really have sharp eyes. Li Xiaotong probably thought that he could hide it from you." Zou Yu lowered her head and gently forked the vegetables on her plate. She said coldly, "He's not the only one who has feelings for me."
Xu Le believed that with Zou Yu's beauty, she could definitely attract many young men. Moreover, although her family started out late, her father was already the deputy minister of the Ministry of Defense. It wasn't strange for her to match the second generation of the seven major families. What he didn't understand was that the people in that circle should know that Zou Yu was the daughter-in-law chosen by Lady Tai. Why would they still get close to her?
"My family background isn't worth mentioning in their eyes. The problem is that I'm the woman reserved by brother Crown Prince. This kind of identity is, without a doubt, a great attraction to them. They can't find brother Crown Prince, so they can only try to show off the feathers on their butts by pursuing me. "
Zou Yu's voice was a bit cold. There was a faint sorrow in her words. Even Xu Le felt a bit moved.
…
…
"I'm not that kind of person! Yuzi! I'm not that kind of person! "
A thunderous roar resounded throughout the dining hall of the Lin Yuan. Everyone's eardrums were slightly shaken by this sentence, and the floor-to-ceiling glass beside Xu Le's table actually started to buzz and tremble along with this violent roar.
Zou Yu immediately covered her ears. Her face was somewhat pale. Judging from the nimbleness of her movements, this definitely wasn't the first time that she had been attacked by this kind of sudden sound wave.
An angry officer had appeared beside the table at some unknown time. It was unknown how long he had been listening, and it was also unknown why he was so angry.
Xu Le looked in shock at this officer who had suddenly appeared beside the table. He immediately tightened his grip on the knife and fork in his hands and narrowed his eyes. Regardless of whether it was this person or that previous roar, they both made him feel an unprecedented sense of danger. Moreover, the other party had actually appeared beside him without him noticing at all. This was something that rarely happened ever since he began practicing with Uncle Feng Yu many years ago.
This officer looked very strange. The reason why he was called strange was because his face was clearly still very young. Regardless of whether it was his facial features or his eyes, they all revealed that his true age wasn't very old. However, this officer who should still be a youth had an extremely sturdy and tall figure. The body hidden under the military uniform seemed to be full of endless strength and could burst this uniform at any time.
A young face and a valiant body. This kind of intense contrast was extremely impactful. However, in Xu Le's eyes, what was even more impactful was the golden flower on this young officer's shoulder. When did such a young lieutenant colonel appear in the Federation?
At this time, Zou Yu finally put down her hands that were covering her ears. She looked at this young officer in shock. She never would have thought that he would actually be in the capital today, in Linyuan. Immediately after, she thought of another matter. Given this young man's temperament, Xu Le was probably going to suffer a calamity soon.
To be honest, it wasn't just her. Even the important figures of the seven great families felt a great headache when dealing with this young officer. This was because no matter who it was, if they encountered a madman who didn't follow the rules of the circle and had an astonishingly powerful backing, they would all feel incomparably troubled.
"Zou Yu! How did you get pregnant?! "
The young officer's eyes widened as if he had seen the most inconceivable scene in the world. He stared at Zou Yu's bulging stomach, and his expression immediately became incomparably terrifying. He gritted his teeth and said word by word, "Is it Tai Zhiyuan? Are you guys going to get married? If he dares to not want you, I will kill him! "
"Madman Li!" When Zou Yu heard this, she knew that the day was over. She was afraid that he would suddenly hurt someone. With a slightly pale face, she quickly said, "This matter has nothing to do with Brother Crown Prince."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
