A sharp glint flashed across Zhou Yunting’s stern brows.
He had the nagging feeling that he had overlooked something.
Meanwhile, far away in a two-story house in the capital…
The Wu family’s main hall was tightly shut.
“Father, the Zhou family is finished this time.
Even if the political climate eases in the future and they manage to return, they’ll never recover their former influence.
They’ll never be able to compete with the Wu family again.
As for the Liu family…”
Old Master Wu frowned, his expression grave.
“Are you certain?”
“I personally inspected their injuries before coming back. There’s no mistake.”
“The Liu family has no one left in the military. With the Zhou family gone, they pose no threat to us.
There’s no need to concern ourselves with them anymore.”
Naturally, Liu Zhixia knew nothing of the conversation taking place in the capital.
At the moment, all she could think about was how to make full use of the supplies in her space and bring them out openly without arousing suspicion.
She had assumed it would be easier to go out under the cover of darkness, but the moment she stepped outside, she ran straight into the novel’s original heroine.
Liu Zhixia’s gaze casually landed on the white-flour steamed bun in Zheng Chunli’s hand. Then she glanced inside the room before smiling mysteriously.
Combined with the maturity and world-weariness in Zheng Chunli’s eyes—completely out of place for someone her age—Liu Zhixia immediately understood.
So… she got tired of spending her previous life with the male lead and decided to switch partners in this one?
Oddly enough, that wasn’t too different from her own thoughts.
But why did it still leave such a sour feeling in her chest?
To be honest, although the novel’s male lead wasn’t exactly admirable, the heroine wasn’t much better.
Take the heroine’s storage space, for example.
It had originally belonged to her aunt’s daughter.
After her aunt died, however, Zheng Chunli claimed it for herself, helping the male lead rise to prominence.
She even justified it by saying,
“My aunt’s daughter disappeared long ago. Keeping it only brings sadness. It’s better to put it to good use.”
What a sanctimonious excuse.
The novel barely mentioned the aunt.
It only said she had fallen for the wrong man, become pregnant before marriage, and was ultimately driven to death by the harsh times.
Her daughter disappeared without a trace.
On her deathbed, the aunt’s only wish had been for the butterfly pendant in her possession to be returned to her daughter someday.
Who would have thought she had not only trusted the wrong man, but also entrusted the wrong people?
In the end, both the pendant and the storage space benefited Zheng Chunli and her mother.
The more Liu Zhixia thought about it, the more mocking her gaze became.
“Comrade Zheng, do you need something?”
For an instant, Zheng Chunli felt strangely uncomfortable.
It was as though every hidden thought in her heart had been laid bare beneath Liu Zhixia’s piercing eyes.
Steadying herself, she replied,
“I… I came to speak with Brother Zhou.”
Liu Zhixia inwardly clicked her tongue.
She’s awfully familiar.
The man’s actual wife was standing right here, yet Zheng Chunli was already calling him “Brother Zhou.”
Since Liu Zhixia was curious about what this delicate little white lotus intended to do, she casually stepped aside.
Unexpectedly, at that exact moment, both she and Zheng Chunli lost their balance and nearly fell.
Even Liu Zhixia was startled.
She knew her own abilities well.
Could it be that our auras simply repel each other?
A flicker of panic crossed Zheng Chunli’s face before she quickly recovered.
Fortunately, neither of them was injured.
What neither woman knew…
…was that their storage spaces had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Zheng Chunli’s space was rapidly shrinking.
At this rate, it would disappear completely within two days.
Meanwhile, beside the shopping mall inside Liu Zhixia’s space, the land was expanding at incredible speed.
Mountain peaks rose from the earth.
Lush forests spread across the landscape.
Golden rice fields swayed in the breeze.
Birdsong echoed through the valleys.
Her once lifeless space now seemed truly alive.
Overflowing with vibrant vitality.
When Zhou Yunting saw Zheng Chunli bringing over steamed buns, surprise briefly flashed across his face.
“Comrade, we’ve never met before. Thank you for your kindness.
But food is precious these days.
I can’t accept something I’ve done nothing to deserve.”
His meaning couldn’t have been clearer.
He wasn’t accepting food from a stranger.
Zheng Chunli’s almond-shaped eyes widened, mist gathering in them.
“Brother Zhou, don’t you remember me?
My father is the deputy director of the Second Food Factory in the capital. My older brother is Zheng Chuncheng.
I’ve gone to visit my brother before—we’ve met.”
Leaning casually against the doorway with her arms crossed, Liu Zhixia watched the entire scene with an amused smile.
She was planning to rely on Zhou Yunting’s family herself, and she hadn’t thought much beyond that.
Deep down, she believed Zhou Yunting could choose any woman he liked someday.
But Zheng Chunli…
Even if she was the novel’s original heroine, Liu Zhixia simply couldn’t respect someone with such character.
Then Zhou Yunting, being utterly straightforward, delivered a fatal blow.
“Zheng Chuncheng?”
He frowned thoughtfully.
“I don’t remember him.”
His voice wasn’t loud, but everyone in the room heard it clearly.
Who was Zhou Yunting?
The calculating look in Zheng Chunli’s eyes was obvious to him at first glance.
He couldn’t imagine that, in his current state, anyone genuinely had anything to gain from him.
But one thing was certain.
He absolutely couldn’t let the young woman beside him feel unhappy.
He had seen Liu Zhixia frown just moments ago.
Of course he remembered Zheng Chuncheng.
The man had once served as one of his company commanders.
But since Liu Zhixia seemed displeased…
Then naturally, he “couldn’t remember” who Zheng Chuncheng was.
If Zhou Yunting had known that Liu Zhixia wasn’t actually jealous—
She simply didn’t want him to be deceived by a white lotus like Zheng Chunli, and hoped he’d eventually find someone truly worthy—
Who knew what he would have thought?
Although thoroughly embarrassed, Zheng Chunli hadn’t forgotten why she’d come.
She was here to earn Zhou Yunting’s favor.
After all…
Liu Zhixia wouldn’t live much longer.
As long as she steadily accumulated enough goodwill, then once Liu Zhixia died, wouldn’t she naturally take her place?
She had patience.
She could wait.
Putting on what she believed to be a flawlessly gentle smile, she said,
“Brother Zhou, please keep the buns.
I have something else to do, so I’ll be going.”
Without giving the Zhou family a chance to refuse, she stuffed the buns down and hurried away.
Zhou Yunting awkwardly rubbed his nose.
Under the disapproving gaze of Commander Zhou and the furious glare of Old Master Zhou, he felt utterly wronged.
For some reason, he looked at Liu Zhixia with a hint of pitiful grievance.
Seeing the usually composed and elegant man wear such an expression, Liu Zhixia almost burst into laughter.
She barely managed to hold it in.
With a playful snort, she teased,
“Commander Zhou, having such a gentle, considerate young lady fussing over you…
Feeling pretty accomplished, are you?”
The moment she finished speaking…
Three pairs of eyes immediately locked onto Zhou Yunting like searchlights.
Despite having done absolutely nothing wrong, Zhou Yunting suddenly felt as though he had committed some unforgivable crime.
As if he were standing before a full family tribunal.
One wrong answer…
…and the consequences would be disastrous.
He abruptly sat upright.
Then, with a swift motion, he stood at attention and saluted Liu Zhixia.
His posture was perfectly straight.
“Comrade Liu Zhixia.
In the past, my loyalty belonged to the army and my country.
Now…
My loyalty belongs to my country, my army…
and to you.”
For once, Liu Zhixia blushed.
The man’s burning gaze remained fixed on her, unwavering.
Beside them, Commander Zhou and Old Master Zhou nodded with great satisfaction.
In truth, everyone in the room had seen through Zheng Chunli’s little scheme.
Rather than causing trouble, it had only become a catalyst that drew the young couple even closer together.
Commander Zhou and Old Master Zhou genuinely adored the current Liu Zhixia.
She was decisive.
Loyal.
Courageous.
If the Zhou family had never fallen from grace, she would have been more than worthy of marrying Zhou Yunting.
How could they possibly allow someone with such obvious ulterior motives to take advantage of the situation?