The VIP private hover car of the Osloe Grand Hotel successfully picked up Lin Xiaohe and her family.
The hover car driver was a real chatterbox. From the moment Lin Xiaohe got into the car, he showered her with all kinds of compliments, talking a mile a minute without giving the Lin family any chance to catch up with each other.
The Lin family exchanged glances and could only smile helplessly.
The driver leaned in mysteriously. “Let me tell you a secret. It’s all over Gonggong Star. Word is, some mysterious big shot dropped into the Casoro Grand Canyon and single-handedly held off an entire army group of the insurgents.”
The Lins all gasped in unison.
Lin Chiyang’s eyes were practically sparkling with stars. “Really? There’s actually such an amazing big shot?! What’s her name?”
The driver sighed admirably, lost in thought. “No idea. Everyone’s just guessing. Maybe once they announce the award for that big shot, the military will release the combat footage.”
Lin’s father quickly raised his hand to add the driver to his contacts. “Let’s be friends. If there’s any latest news, make sure to let me know, okay?”
“Sure, no problem. Lieutenant Lin, when you were on Gonggong Star, did you ever see that big shot?” the driver asked, full of anticipation.
“Nope, never saw them.”
The driver looked a bit disappointed, wondering who that mysterious powerhouse really was. Could they have been transferred from the First Star Ring?
The VIP hover car was fast. The Lin family was back at the Osloe Hotel before the crowd at the port had even dispersed.
As soon as Lin Xiaohe entered the suite, she collapsed onto the sofa like she had no bones.
Her second sister, Lin Jingqiu, thoughtfully took her shoulder bag. The four little ones happily popped out on their own, ready to soak up the praise and treats from the Lin family.
Xinbao waved its little leaf, pointing at the 80-inch display screen.
Grandma Lin smiled adoringly. “Aiya, Xinbao has grown up, wanting to watch TV now. You’re still little, though, so you can’t watch for too long, okay?”
As soon as the screen lit up, Xinbao connected to the internet and projected the footage it had secretly filmed of Lin Xiaohe’s heroic performance on the battlefield.
On the screen, Lin Xiaohe was radiating heroism, utterly invincible, conquering all before her.
Tiantian, Doudou, and Fanfan coordinated perfectly, looking like absolute gods of war, completely different from their current cute and cuddly selves.
Xinbao’s little leaf pointed at itself, its stalk standing perfectly straight.
These were its treasured collections, filmed by itself, and it hadn’t even sent them to headquarters.
Grandpa Lin gave Xinbao a thumbs-up. “Our Xinbao is both amazing and thoughtful. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have been able to see such spectacular scenes!”
Xinbao felt proud, bursting with pride!
The other little treasures also got their fill of sweet talk from the Lin family.
Doudou was feeling dizzy from all the praise. Did the Lin family have some kind of special skill? Why did everything they say sound so nice?
Fanfan, its tomatoes completely depleted, looked a bit down, its leaves drooping.
In the blink of an eye, Lin’s father appeared in front of it with a plate of mutated beast meat, saying lovingly, “Fanfan, you’ve worked hard. Eat some meat, replenish your strength.”
This meat was something Lin’s father bought at a high price from the Osloe Hotel. This small plate, less than 10 jin, even with a 50% discount, still cost over ten thousand star coins.
Lin Xiaohe pouted. Not happy!
She was jealous.
Lin Xiaohe stood up, hands in her pockets, planted one foot on the sofa, tilted her chin up, and said proudly, “I am the mysterious big shot from the Casoro Grand Canyon!”
The Lin family was momentarily stunned, then erupted into thunderous applause.
“So my little sister is the big shot! Sis, please accept my knee!”
Lin’s father was beaming. “Our Xiaohe is now the most successful person in the whole family.”
Grandma Lin shot him a look and corrected, “The entire Wasteland Star hasn’t produced anyone as remarkable as Xiaohe!”
Lin Jingqiu gave Lin Xiaohe a thumbs-up.
Lin Xiaohe grinned from ear to ear, completely satisfied.
Seizing the moment, Lin’s father mentioned he wanted to go visit some old friends and asked if everyone would like to go with him.
Lin Xiaohe understood instantly. When a kid does well on an exam, parents are happy to take them out to show off.
Back in China, that’s what a lot of her classmates’ parents did. Only for Lin Xiaohe, doing badly on an exam meant getting beaten, and doing well meant being ignored.
“Let’s go! Dad, we’ll all go with you.” Lin Xiaohe was eager, really wanting to experience what it felt like to be wildly praised by her parents in front of other people.
…
The exam candidates and their parents gradually returned to the Osloe Hotel.
When Eber found out Lin Xiaohe was also staying there, he wanted to drop by and bond with his idol.
“Alright, Eber. We need to give your idol and her family some time,” Eber’s mother advised with a smile.
She had never seen her son admire someone so much, like a star-struck teenager.
Eber reluctantly went back to the sofa. “Mom, Dad, Lin Xiaohe is seriously amazing. I’ve never met a young person more incredible than her! She’ll definitely get into the Central Military Academy and become the most shining star in Federation history!”
“Mm-hmm, that’s right,” the couple agreed, exchanging a glance, and decided to buy some gifts tomorrow to express their gratitude to Lin Xiaohe and also apologize to her family.
Remembering the awful things they had said before made their faces burn with shame.
Just as the family was discussing what gifts to buy, there was a knock on the door.
Outside stood a man in a suit and tie. He first showed his credentials – he was from the Metello Commission Company.
He handed over a bank card and got straight to the point. “Mr. Harret, this is a non-registered savings card with 2 million star coins. All you need to do is answer some questions truthfully, and this savings card is yours.”
“What do you mean?” Harret asked cautiously, subtly blocking his wife and son.
The suited man said meaningfully, “As we understand it, your family’s annual income is 800,000 star coins. When Lin Xiaohe saved your son, she accepted a fee of 500,000 star coins. That’s not a small amount of money for you. Presumably, it caused you and your family considerable distress and resentment.”
Harret didn’t move, just stared calmly at the man opposite him.
There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
The suited man continued, “In the next few days, some military personnel will likely ask you what you think about that 500,000 star coins. We hope you will truthfully express your dissatisfaction and resentment.”
“I understand.” Harret accepted the bank card and slammed the door shut.
Eber stared at his father like an injured, angry lion cub. “Dad, how could you do that?! I voluntarily offered the 500,000 star coins!”
His expression grave, Harret patted Eber on the shoulder. “Lin Xiaohe is our savior. Of course, I won’t set her up. The question now is, what does the person behind this want to do to her? Besides us, who else have they approached?”
By accepting the 2 million, Harret hoped to prevent whoever was pulling the strings from approaching other candidates.
He was confident in his own family, but not so much in others.
Human nature was the thing that most easily crumbled under pressure.
Still, unease gnawed at him. What if the person behind this had money to burn? What if, besides him, they had already approached others?
Eber calmed down. He knew his family didn’t have the power to stop anyone from harming Lin Xiaohe.
But he could find someone who did!
Eber contacted Wesley and told him the whole story from beginning to end.
Wesley flew into a rage and roared, “What a colossal nerve! What are they trying to do to my idol?!”
