RMM -Chapter 129 The Zhou Father and Daughter

“Really? That’s great! Hahaha—Xi Yuechen, you truly are something else!”

In the Zhou family’s living room, Zhou Tingzhang’s delighted laughter rang out, loud and hearty.

Zhou Yunzhen had just stepped out of her bedroom when she heard it and couldn’t help stopping in her tracks.

Xi Yuechen?

Her delicate brows lifted slightly, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips. She turned and headed downstairs.

“Very good, very good! Keep it up, keep it up—victory is just around the corner!”

What kind of good news could make her father this happy? Zhou Yunzhen wondered silently as she went downstairs.

What else could make Zhou Tingzhang so pleased? Naturally, it was the matter in Province D. Xi Yuechen had reported to him that he had already met Bai Xiong of the Yan Sect and had successfully gained his trust. How could that not make Zhou Tingzhang happy?

It had been half a year—finally, such major progress. They had at last become a “fixed business partner” of the Yan Sect, meaning transactions could now be carried out on a large scale.

Moreover, successfully earning Bai Xiong’s trust meant that Xi Yuechen had established direct contact with him. Given Xi Yuechen’s abilities, given time, he would surely become one of Bai Xiong’s trusted confidants. When that happened, it would be time to close the net.

It wasn’t suitable to go into too much detail over the phone, and Zhou Tingzhang was also mindful of being at home, so he didn’t let Xi Yuechen elaborate. He only told him he would call again later—these were top-level secrets and had to be discussed in the army to be safe.

Now, when Xi Yuechen reported on the situation, he basically contacted Zhou Tingzhang directly. Zhou Tingzhang would then organize the information Xi Yuechen provided and discuss it in meetings, striving to make the plan foolproof.

After reporting this matter, Xi Yuechen thought for a moment and did not mention his leave. He planned to talk about it after meeting Bai Xiong once more. Judging by Bai Xiong’s level of satisfaction with him that day, there would definitely be another meeting soon.

This line to Bai Xiong had to be held firmly—there could be no room for error.

After hanging up, Zhou Tingzhang let out a relieved sigh, hoping for success as soon as possible. Xiao Xi spent all day maneuvering within the Yan Sect—it was truly dangerous.

“Dad, what’s going on? You look so happy,” Zhou Yunzhen asked with a smile as she slowly walked over, only after seeing her father hang up.

Zhou Tingzhang chuckled. “Army business. Don’t poke around.”

“I’m in the army too, you know. Dad, you’re being overly cautious,” Zhou Yunzhen said with a bright smile as she sat beside him and poured him a cup of tea.

Zhou Tingzhang accepted the teacup from his daughter and smiled without saying anything.

Zhou Yunzhen knew that with this expression, her father wasn’t going to tell her anything. She had expected that and wasn’t particularly disappointed.

“Fine, I won’t ask.” Then she adjusted her expression slightly. “But… I think I just heard the name Xi Yuechen. That doesn’t count as leaking secrets, does it?”

“Why should I tell you?” Zhou Tingzhang wasn’t surprised. Hearing it was hearing it—it wasn’t anything critical. Still, he couldn’t help teasing his daughter.

“Dad, I’ve studied confidentiality regulations too, okay? It was Xi Yuechen—I definitely heard it,” Zhou Yunzhen said, pursing her lips as she looked at her father drinking tea. “I remember you said last time that Xi Yuechen is in Province D?”

Zhou Tingzhang finally found this a bit odd. He put down his teacup and turned to ask, “Why are you asking about this?”

“Nothing much. Don’t you praise him in front of me all the time? My ears have practically grown calluses. How could I not remember?” Zhou Yunzhen replied calmly.

Put that way, Zhou Tingzhang felt it did seem true—he had been mentioning Xi Yuechen a lot lately.

“Yes, he’s in Province D,” he answered casually after thinking it through.

Zhou Yunzhen blinked a few times, looking a little hesitant. “Actually, I’m asking because there’s something I want to discuss with you.”

“Don’t beat around the bush. Get to the point,” Zhou Tingzhang said, picking up a newspaper from the coffee table and flipping through it casually.

“I want to go to Province D,” Zhou Yunzhen replied bluntly.

“What? You want to go to Province D?” Zhou Tingzhang was shocked. What was his daughter planning now?

Smiling and shrugging, Zhou Yunzhen looked at her father seriously. “I’m currently at the PLA General Hospital, but there’s really nothing important to do all day. The patients I see are all leaders and such. I don’t want this kind of life. I studied military medicine to go where I’m truly needed. I want to be with the soldiers. There are plenty of good doctors here, but very few at the real grassroots level. So I want to go to the grassroots, to train myself and live a more meaningful life. Dad, isn’t this what you taught me from the beginning?”

Her words filled Zhou Tingzhang with gratification. Having such thoughts meant his daughter had grown up and matured—this was a good thing. But why did it have to be Province D?

As if sensing her father’s doubts, Zhou Yunzhen smiled lightly. “Because Province D is truly grassroots. I’ve thought it through carefully. If I go to the grassroots, I’ll definitely have to follow the troops. You often praise Xi Yuechen, don’t you? So I thought I could go to Province D, to where Xi Yuechen is. At least I’d know someone there, which would put me more at ease.”

Her reasoning sounded perfectly logical, but Zhou Tingzhang still shook his head. “There’s more than just Province D when it comes to grassroots work, and there’s more than just Xi Yuechen who could look after you. If you really want to go, pick another place—I’ll arrange it. Province D is too far, and the conditions are too harsh. No.”

“Dad, don’t you have great faith in Xi Yuechen? Your judgment can’t be wrong, right? Besides, if I’m going to the grassroots, shouldn’t I go somewhere tougher to train myself? I’m not going there to enjoy comfort. If Xi Yuechen can endure that hardship, why can’t I?”

Hearing his daughter’s lofty, ambitious words, Zhou Tingzhang laughed heartily. “Worthy of being my daughter, Zhou Tingzhang’s daughter—ambitious indeed. But as for Province D, give up on that idea. If you really want to toughen yourself up, I’ll arrange for you to go to the field army. That’ll be even more challenging than where Xi Yuechen is.”

How could Zhou Tingzhang possibly agree to let his daughter go to Province D? Leaving aside Xi Yuechen’s special mission—which meant he couldn’t take care of her at all—Zhou Tingzhang knew very well what kind of unit Xi Yuechen was in, deep in the mountains. He only had this one delicate daughter; how could he bear to let her suffer like that? The field army was hard too, but at least it was closer to him and much safer.

Besides, after so much interaction, how could he not see that Xi Yuechen had a personality like an iceberg? How could such a person take care of Yunzhen?

After thinking it over, Zhou Tingzhang never once considered the possibility that his daughter’s thoughts might be… off in another direction. He sincerely believed that he had simply talked too much about Xi Yuechen in front of her, which had planted this idea in her mind.

He’d have to be more careful in the future—talk less about such things around his daughter. Zhou Tingzhang silently reflected.

Seeing her father’s stance, Zhou Yunzhen knew there was no room for negotiation. She lowered her eyes and sighed quietly, feeling deeply disappointed.

Why wouldn’t he let her go? With them so far apart, how was she supposed to get close to Xi Yuechen? She couldn’t just let things stay like this forever.

Glancing at Zhou Tingzhang, Zhou Yunzhen couldn’t help complaining inwardly—he was really becoming more old-fashioned with age. It was just Province D. What was there to worry so much about?

“Fine, I won’t go then. And don’t arrange the field army for me either. I’ll just stay at the General Hospital.”

Hearing the low tone in his daughter’s voice, Zhou Tingzhang thought she was simply disappointed because he had rejected her. He didn’t think much of it. As long as she didn’t go to Province D, it was fine. The General Hospital was good too.

This child had been stubborn and competitive since she was little.

“Oh, right,” Zhou Tingzhang suddenly remembered something, his expression turning serious. “Didn’t you have dinner with that Liang family boy last time? Are you still in touch?”

Hearing her father bring this up, Zhou Yunzhen put aside her disappointment and smiled as she shook her head. “No. We haven’t been in contact since that dinner.”

Not just no contact—they hadn’t even exchanged phone numbers.

“What? No contact? Why not? That Liang Bo’an is one of the rare outstanding young men in the capital. You girl… sigh.” Zhou Tingzhang couldn’t help getting anxious. He had had his eye on Liang Bo’an for a long time. Why didn’t Yunzhen seize the opportunity? She wasn’t getting any younger—how much longer could he accompany her in life? He needed to see her settled properly to feel at ease.

If neither of them felt anything, why keep in contact? Zhou Yunzhen sighed helplessly. “Liang Bo’an wasn’t interested in me. How could I force something like that?”

“With such a beautiful and outstanding daughter like mine, how could Liang Bo’an possibly look down on you? Huh?” Zhou Tingzhang slapped the sofa angrily, clearly furious.

“Dad, look at you—where’s the demeanor of a general now?” Zhou Yunzhen said with a laugh, gently patting his back to calm him. “Feelings depend on fate; they can’t be forced.”

Naturally, in a father’s eyes, his daughter was perfect in every way—but others might not think the same. That day, Liang Bo’an had been clearly distracted and uninterested, barely looking at her the entire time. After dinner, they simply went their separate ways.

And that suited her just fine. She had no feelings for Liang Bo’an anyway and never planned to develop anything with him.

Right… Zhou Yunzhen suddenly thought of something, her expression turning hesitant. Should she take this chance to mention Xi Yuechen to her father? Maybe he could help her out a bit? Given how much he liked Xi Yuechen, he probably wouldn’t refuse.

The impulse was quickly suppressed. Not yet—this wasn’t the right time. She should wait a little longer, until she and Xi Yuechen had some proper contact first.

But in the current situation, she couldn’t even see Xi Yuechen in person—how could she talk about getting to know him better?

Thinking of this made Zhou Yunzhen feel gloomy. She had finally met someone she liked, yet why did it have to be so difficult?

Sigh… but that was okay. Since she liked him, she would go all out. Even if there were no conditions, she would create them herself. Happiness was never easy to come by—so long as she fought for it, she refused to believe she couldn’t win Xi Yuechen over.

One day, she, Zhou Yunzhen, would surely stand by Xi Yuechen’s side.