When in doubt, ask Mom.
Wesley was so angry he was pacing in circles around the suite: “Despicable! They actually use such despicable means to persecute a hero of the Federation.”
He pounded his head with his fist, regretting it deeply: “What a vile character! I used to admire that person, I must have been blind!”
He rushed over to Melina, like a pitiful little puppy: “Mom, I’m so sad. My savior, my idol, my goddess, is being treated unfairly. My heart is about to break. Is this still our great Federation?”
Melina placed her hand on Wesley’s head and comforted him: “Good child, don’t be sad. No one can take away a hero’s glory. Glory will only belong to Lin Xiaohe!”
Melina was a woman of her word, someone who kept her promises, an eagle-like woman.
With her promise, Wesley felt relieved: “Mom, should we tell Lin Xiaohe?”
Melina winked at him: “Silly child, of course we can’t tell her. How could we let such trashy matters disturb her good mood? She should enjoy this happy time to the fullest.”
“Okay, Mom.”
Melina was very efficient.
That very night, through her connections, she learned the full story of what had happened.
The military had originally planned to award Lin Xiaohe the rank of Captain, but it met with strong opposition from internal personnel.
They used the matter of the 500,000 star coins as a pretext, not only blocking the promotion but also demanding that the evaluation form include words like “moral flaw”.
Because of major internal disagreements, the Commander of the Fifth Star Ring Military Region made the final decision, requiring that opinions be sought from the individuals involved and their parents.
Simply put, Lin Xiaohe’s future and prospects were in the hands of the soldiers, the examinees, and their families.
Melina’s eyes turned icy cold, a hint of disdainful sneer appearing: “Sure enough, it’s exactly his usual style of doing things – insidious, underhanded.”
He didn’t even dare to confront things head-on, only resorting to petty tricks behind the scenes. No wonder his reputation was poor, looked down upon by those proud talents.
Melina’s counterattack was decisive and efficient.
She pulled all the involved parties, except Lin Xiaohe, into a group chat.
[I am Melina, Director of the Fourth Star Ring Education Bureau, and also the mother of examinee Wesley.]
She explained the situation about someone approaching Harrett, and then made a promise.
[Lin Xiaohe is Wesley’s savior, and also a genius with extremely high talent and strong ability. Her future should be bright, and she should not fall victim to the vile tricks of despicable people.]
[I promise in the name of my family: as long as everyone answers the military’s questions honestly, I will compensate everyone for the 500,000 from the exam scene and the 2 million star coins offered by the other party. If the other party has used means other than money, I will also solve the problems for everyone.]
Wesley sat beside Melina, holding two hundred unsigned savings cards, each worth 2.5 million.
If any examinee wanted a transfer, they could transfer directly; if they wanted an unsigned card, there were bodyguards specially assigned to deliver them.
Any problem that could be solved with money was simply not a problem.
Melina leaned back on the sofa, staring intently at the screen.
As the Education Bureau Director, she knew how difficult it was for commoner students to climb up.
She absolutely would not allow, within her sight, someone using family influence to try and clip the wings of a commoner genius over a trivial matter!
Moreover, this genius was also her son Wesley’s savior and idol!
Within seconds of her finishing her statement, the group was very quiet.
Then came the continuous, like bamboo shoots after spring rain, sound of message notifications.
[Barnett: What?! Someone actually tried to interfere with the military’s determination of military merit?! What do they take our soldiers’ faith and sacrifice for? If they dare show themselves in front of me, see if I don’t beat them up!]
[Aedusa: Madam Melina, please rest assured. Our family consists of honest and upright people, and we are sincerely grateful to Lin Xiaohe from the bottom of our hearts. We will not accept a single star coin from anyone.]
[Curry: 2 million star coins? Not even enough to buy my figurines. My admiration and gratitude for the big shot are priceless! No one can buy my feelings for her with money.]
[Harrett: That’s right. If Madam Melina needs it, I have video evidence and physical evidence of the other party attempting to bribe me to interfere with the military’s decision. I myself and my family are willing to testify in court.]
……
Messages kept scrolling non-stop, either expressing anger or firmly stating they would absolutely not accept the other party’s bribe.
Wesley tallied it up; everyone had stated their position, and no one asked him for compensation.
This result was beyond what the mother and son had expected. They had prepared the money, but couldn’t spend it.
Wesley’s nose tingled, and he said in a muffled voice: “Mom, Eber’s family is very poor. He told me his father only earns 800,000 star coins a year, and it has to cover his studies, buying a mech… Mom, maybe we should compensate him a little?”
Eber had strong self-esteem and didn’t like to show poverty to others.
Facing the temptation of several million, his family stayed true to their principles, which was truly rare.
Melina proactively called Harrett. After he heard her purpose, he firmly refused.
“Thank you for your kindness, Madam Melina, but I cannot accept this money.”
“Firstly, because financial transactions between us could easily be used by others to target Lin Xiaohe. Secondly, because Eber is my child, and in my heart, he is priceless. I want to use actions to tell him that judging whether a person is a coward is never about money or status, but about their moral character.”
“He made a choice, and this choice also proves he is not a coward, but an upright man. I am his father, so I must lead by example.”
These words deeply touched Melina.
She silently took note of Harrett’s family; if a suitable opportunity arose, she would be willing to give them a helping hand.
Melina felt the power of small streams converging into a great ocean, supporting her determination to stick to her choice.
[Thank you, everyone. Glory belongs to the hero, belongs to Lin Xiaohe!]
Everyone replied in unison: [Glory belongs to Lin Xiaohe!]
To minimize external interference as much as possible, the Commander of Gonggong Star strongly requested that the inquiry action be carried out as soon as possible.
Within a couple of days, military personnel began visiting each soldier and examinee.
In front of the lie detector, their eyes were so firm and powerful, their answers so resounding and forceful.
“There was absolutely nothing wrong with Lin Xiaohe’s actions. At the time, we ourselves had given up, but she braved the danger and saved us.”
“If I gave you 500,000, could you save me from the jaws of a Star-Eating Bird? You can’t do it, so why make things difficult for someone who can?! This money was given voluntarily, and I even think it was too little.”
“Even awarding Lin Xiaohe the rank of Major for her contribution wouldn’t be excessive. Using such a trivial matter to make things difficult for a hero chills the hearts of us Federation soldiers.”
“If you dare to steal her credit, I will sue you! Sue you all the way to the Fourth Star Ring, the Third Star Ring, sue you all the way to the Parliament!”
“Glory must belong to Lin Xiaohe!”
