The old man was especially satisfied with Qin Nancheng. His eyes never left him as he slightly turned his head and whispered conspiratorially to his granddaughter:
“Dashing and imposing, a real man, isn’t he? You little girl—before meeting him you were still resistant to Nancheng. Well? Satisfied now?”
Lin Xiwei’s cheeks warmed a little as she murmured shyly, “Oh! Grandpa…”
The old man beamed so widely he couldn’t close his mouth. “Nancheng is a bomber pilot—the crew commander of our nation’s strategic weapon. If one day a nuclear bomb needs to be dropped on the enemy, Nancheng will be the one leading the mission. Now you know what a true dragon among men is, right?”
“Mhm, mhm.” Lin Xiwei could do nothing but nod.
There was a saying: you’re not afraid of Sixth Master carrying a lot—you’re afraid of Sixth Master carrying just one.
“Sixth Master” referred to the bomber [H-6], which could carry either conventional bombs or nuclear bombs.
The nation’s first successful atomic bomb test had been delivered by the [H-6A].
To the country, Sixth Master was a national stabilizing weapon; to outsiders, a nation-destroying weapon.
The old man led Lin Xiwei toward Qin Nancheng, who also strode over with a smile.
Lin Yulan suddenly stepped in to block him. “Brother Nancheng, it’s me, Yulan. We’ve always been writing letters to each other.”
Qin Nancheng didn’t say a word. His identity as a soldier of the people meant he wouldn’t use force against civilians.
So he sidestepped slightly and walked straight toward the old man and Lin Xiwei.
That subtle move did not escape the eyes of those around them, instantly drawing looks of varying meaning.
Having been publicly snubbed by Qin Nancheng, Lin Yulan stood there dumbfounded, at a loss. Her gaze drifted toward Lin Chengyou, who had just gotten out from the other side of the Jeep, seeking help.
Sixty-year-old Lin Chengyou, his hair slicked and face powdered, was busy paving the way for his son Lin Haojie and fawning over Qin Nancheng, with no time at all to pay attention to Lin Yulan.
Qin Nancheng strode up to Old Master Lin Weixin, clicked his heels together, stood tall and straight, and saluted.
That head-on aura of iron-blooded soldiery made Lin Xiwei’s heart pound uncontrollably.
The old man was even happier. “Good boy, good boy!”
Lin Weixin belonged to the category of people’s representatives; in terms of administrative rank, he was higher than Qin Nancheng.
“A few days ago I was invited to Kyoto to watch the grand military parade from the city tower. Nancheng led the bomber crew in the parade—oh my, when our domestically produced bombers flew overhead, that sense of national pride, huh? Completely irreplaceable!”
The old man spared no effort in promoting Qin Nancheng to his granddaughter, afraid she might not like him.
Qin Nancheng lowered his gaze with a faint, unreadable smile and looked at Lin Xiwei, saying nothing, waiting for a response.
Lin Xiwei was wearing small high heels and already stood over 1.7 meters tall, yet she still had to look up at him.
“Brother Nancheng, I’m Xiwei. We don’t usually exchange letters.”
…
Lin Xiwei cracked a not-too-big, not-too-small joke, making the corner of Qin Nancheng’s mouth twitch despite himself.
The old man clicked his tongue. “Hey! Lin Xiwei!!!”
Lin Xiwei smiled playfully, her brows curved like a waxing moon. Though she looked up at Qin Nancheng, her presence was not the least bit weaker.
“Brother Nancheng doesn’t need to keep things confidential. You can still be ‘in constant correspondence’ with other people.”
She teased him, her beautiful eyes slowly glancing toward the approaching Lin Yulan.
As smart as Qin Nancheng was, he understood instantly—
Except for mission requirements, Qin Nancheng never wrote letters to anyone. If he did, it meant he was heading into battle—writing a farewell letter.
So Lin Yulan’s claim of having always exchanged letters with Qin Nancheng was false, pure fabrication.
Between smart people, a hint was enough.
Qin Nancheng’s sharp phoenix eyes, lids half lowered, fixed on her without blinking. His lowered voice was a perfect deep baritone:
“Xiwei-meimei has been… sharp-tongued since she was one year old.”
The remark carried double meaning—teasing her for her quick tongue, and also hinting at how she had grabbed Qin Nancheng and slobbered all over him during her first-birthday grab.
Lin Xiwei’s ears burned red. Her eyes flickered as she flusteredly turned away. “Hmph! 【emoji】(【emoji】^【emoji】)【emoji】”
Qin Nancheng couldn’t help letting a trace of amusement show in his gaze. He found the girl sweet and clever, quite interesting.
The old man wore a kindly, benevolent smile. He was more than happy to see the two of them bantering and flirting, and he turned slightly to invite them in:
“Don’t just stand around in the courtyard. Come inside. Nancheng is a rare guest in our home—a truly rare guest…”
Lin Chengyou stood to the side with a face full of ingratiating smiles and corrected him, “Ah, ‘rare guest’ doesn’t quite show Nancheng’s status, does it? We should say ‘distinguished guest’!”
The old man felt a lump form in his chest. The smile on his face faded a little—why lower yourself for no reason? Useless!
Turning his head, he saw Lin Xiwei standing there neither servile nor overbearing, and his mood instantly brightened again.
My granddaughter is the most promising after all~ o(￣︶￣)o~
…
The old man led Lin Xiwei and Qin Nancheng back into the house.
Having been rebuffed again and again, Lin Chengyou and his daughter deliberately lagged a few steps behind.
“Yulan, come here.” Lin Chengyou’s expression changed in an instant; the sycophantic look from earlier vanished completely.
“The distinguished guest has arrived—where are your mother, your sister, and your brother? And why is Lin Xiwei downstairs?”
According to his original plan, Lin Xiwei should have been ruined by Fu Xinghan. After that, Fu Cuilian was supposed to rush upstairs, catch them in the act, and then drag Qin Nancheng along to witness the spectacle.
Lin Yulan smiled ingratiatingly and answered carefully,
“Dad, Grandpa dotes on Lin Xiwei beyond measure. He went inside first, and we didn’t get any chance to do anything. Cousin has already… already died.”
Every sentence she spoke was chosen to benefit herself.
“What?!” Lin Chengyou’s vision went black. He instinctively raised his hand to strike Lin Yulan.
But with so many people around, he could only force himself to stop and ask in a lowered voice, “Fu Xinghan is dead?”
The most crucial link in their plan had actually died just like that.
“How did he die? Who killed him?”
Lin Yulan played a game of selective editing with her father, splicing together fragments of truth:
“I’m not sure exactly how he died. I only saw him fall from a tall ladder. At that time he didn’t look dead. Later my mom was at the scene and told me to hurry back inside, change clothes, dress up nicely, and try to leave a good impression on Brother Nancheng.”
Lin Chengyou was successfully reminded by his daughter:
“Winning over Qin Nancheng is the top priority. I still need to pave the way for Haojie to enter the army. As for the rest, I’ll ask your mother later… Right, where is your mother?”
Lin Yulan subconsciously took two steps back, putting some safe distance between herself and Lin Chengyou, and replied timidly,
“She—she was taken away by the police…”
Lin Chengyou again raised his hand out of habit, but his arm fell short and couldn’t reach Lin Yulan. He could only stop resentfully.
“Useless at accomplishing anything, excellent at ruining things. A country woman really can’t rise to the occasion. Later at the dinner table, perform properly—suppress Lin Xiwei and make her slip up and embarrass herself, and at the same time win Qin Nancheng’s favor. Understood?”
“Yes! Yes, I… I understand.” Lin Yulan nodded repeatedly.
Lin Chengyou forcing her to curry favor with Qin Nancheng was nothing more than paving the way for Lin Haojie to join the army. That prized son, Lin Haojie, was practically Lin Chengyou’s lifeline.
As for Lin Yulan herself, she wasn’t resistant to pleasing Qin Nancheng at all. On the contrary, she was quite satisfied with him—love at first sight.
As for what she had said earlier about exchanging letters with Qin Nancheng, there actually was such a thing. There truly was someone calling himself Qin Nancheng who had been writing intimately with her for the past two years.
In Lin Yulan’s understanding, as long as she latched onto a high-ranking figure like Qin Nancheng, she would surely be able to escape the control of her rotten father.
Breaking free from this thoroughly rotten family was Lin Yulan’s most important goal at this stage.
Even if it meant scheming against Lin Xiwei, she would not hesitate!
They were both granddaughters of the Lin family—why should Lin Xiwei be the one to enjoy wealth and honor and be with someone as outstanding as Qin Nancheng?
And she, Lin Yulan—why shouldn’t she enjoy the treatment due to a Lin family daughter as well?