Yes, or no?
This was a difficult choice.
Lin Xiaohe and Fang Tu’nan stared at each other. The shared dilemma in their eyes created a moment of strange understanding.
Fang Tu’nan’s heart was wailing. Heaven had no eyes! How could the mission target be Lin Xiaohe?!
Lin Xiaohe was so guilty she felt panicky. She had swindled at least 4 million from Dong Yuxuan. Now that his family had come knocking, what should she do?
Did the Central Military Academy have political background checks? Could she be denied admission because of fraud?!
“Heh, heheh. I think I’ve come to the wrong place,” Fang Tu’nan said, crying stormily inside.
He was the captain of Broken Blade, Team A of the Deep Sky Barrier!
He had once bombarded space pirates and trampled candidates from the Third Star Ring Military Academy.
His formidable reputation shook the four directions!
But once a mecha pilot is without a mecha, they’re like a phoenix fallen to earth—lesser than a chicken!
Under the eager gaze of his team members, Fang Tu’nan sent a message to the eldest Dong son: [We cannot accept this commission.]
The other side seemed shocked: [Cannot, or will not?]
Life is hard enough! Don’t expose it!
Take back those words, and we can still be friends.
Fang Tu’nan was already miserable enough. Did he have to admit out loud that he didn’t dare to move against someone from the Sixth Star Ring?
[……]
The eldest Dong son was confused. What did this punctuation mark mean?
On the other end, Lin Xiaohe had Xin Bao secretly monitor Fang Tu’nan’s group until they had completely left Hengshan Village. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
That was terrifying!
Lin Xiaohe touched her back; she was scared into a cold sweat.
She decided to be good to herself. She spent 200 starcoins to buy two liters of purified water and used it to wipe her face and body.
By the time she finished cleaning up, Dad Lin and the others had returned.
“Xiaohe, the debts are cleared, you got into military academy, and our family is all together and well. Three happy events at once! Worth celebrating!” Lin Chiyang, like he was presenting a treasure, pulled out seven tubes of strawberry-flavored nutrient fluid from his chest.
“Ta-da! Are you happy?”
Lin Xiaohe was stunned. Meeting five pairs of expectant eyes, she nodded emphatically. “Wow! It’s the new StarGlow Life nutrient fluid! I absolutely love it! Thank you, Big Brother, Dad, Second Sister, Grandpa, Granny!”
Seeing Lin Xiaohe’s delight, the Lin family was overjoyed.
The family gathered around the dining table, savoring the expensively bought strawberry nutrient fluid.
Granny Lin took small sips, afraid to miss the taste of any drop. “The more expensive nutrient fluid really is different, huh? Smooth going down, and sweet.”
Lin Xiaohe slurped hers down in a few gulps. The strawberry flavor was a bit like a strawberry milkshake, but without strawberry bits or such a strong milky taste.
“Granny, when I graduate from university and start earning money, I’ll buy you whatever flavor you want to drink.”
Hearing this, Granny Lin grinned from ear to ear. “Good, good. I’ll wait for Xiaohe to buy it for me.”
Thinking of the relatively bright future, Lin Xiaohe couldn’t help making promises all around. “Old Hei said the Second Star Ring can cure Mom’s and Big Brother’s illnesses. When I make money, I’ll take you there.”
Lin Xiaohe turned to her second sister. “Their medical technology is definitely more advanced than ours. The minor issues with Dad and Sister can be treated there too.”
Lin Xiaohe grew more and more excited as she spoke. The future was promising!
The Lin family played along enthusiastically, offering plenty of emotional support.
“As expected of our Xiaohe. We’re benefiting from you.”
“Xiaohe works so hard; we can’t hold her back. You get us treatment, and we’ll work hard to earn money to buy you a big house!”
Lin Chiyang looked on eagerly. “Xiaohe, can we buy a small house with a yard? To plant some flowers and grass, and put up a swing. Just thinking about it feels so comfortable.”
“Of course! With a small yard, Xin Bao, Dou Dou, and Sweetie will have a place to sunbathe too.”
Lin Xiaohe got so excited she started gesturing animatedly. “We should buy a three-story villa with a garage. Our whole family will still live together, never separating.”
The Lin family watched her with smiling eyes. Still just a child, unwilling to part from her family.
They nodded indulgently in agreement. “Mhm, absolutely no separating. A family should be complete and together.”
Thinking of the beautiful days to come, Lin Xiaohe was filled with motivation. She absolutely must get into the Federation Central Military Academy!
Just as the family was enjoying this harmonious moment, Admissions Director Chen called.
All the Lins stopped talking and fell silent.
Lin Xiaohe answered the call, her smile as bright as sunshine. “Director Chen, hello.”
Director Chen wasn’t doing too well. His gaze drifted, not daring to meet Lin Xiaohe’s eyes.
Lin Xiaohe’s heart tightened. She probed, “Director Chen, is there something you need to tell me?”
Director Chen looked left, then right. His lips moved but then closed.
The smiles on the Lin family’s faces slowly faded. Their hearts kept sinking.
Director Chen let out a long sigh and had to speak gravely. “There are a few bad pieces of news I have to tell you.”
Lin Xiaohe didn’t make a sound, just quietly watched Director Chen.
Director Chen felt awful. “The first thing: that 1 million reward application has been rejected.”
Lin Xiaohe forced a smile. “It’s okay. It didn’t quite follow procedure anyway. Sorry to trouble you, Director Chen.”
Director Chen lowered his gaze, his spine bending slightly. “The second thing: the Patrol Equipment Division is conducting an inventory of decommissioned weapons. Equipment cannot be lent out.”
Lin Xiaohe’s heart felt heavy, but she still mustered her spirits. “Director Chen, please don’t feel guilty. Faced with this situation, no one can do anything. I can only say my luck is bad.”
Director Chen suddenly looked up, speaking solemnly. “It’s not bad luck. Someone is obstructing things from within! For this Sixth Star Ring practical exam, you must be careful, careful, and more careful.”
His position was too low to access more confidential information. He only knew someone intended to tamper with the practical exam.
Lin Xiaohe’s smile vanished completely. Her eyes turned icy cold, like cold iron, giving off an endless chill.
There are always wretched subjects plotting against Your Majesty!
The call ended, and the Lin household fell into a deathly silence.
The beautiful future they had just been envisioning moments ago, in this moment, was like a mirror smashed by a giant rock, shattered into pieces.
Lin Xiaohe radiated a cold aura. On her frosty face, a pair of pitch-black eyes were deep and unfathomable.
Am I not worthy of happiness?!
Are my family and I not worthy of a prosperous life?!
Anger, a violent desire to tear everything damnable to shreds, converged into a whirlpool threatening to swallow her whole.
Suddenly, Lin Xiaohe felt a warm, sweet-scented embrace wrap tightly around her.
A dry, warm hand landed on top of her head.
Lin Chiyang’s lips curved into a domineering smile. “Little Sister, what’s there to fear? Whoever bullies us, we fight back! We’ll beat them to death!”
Lin Xiaohe turned her head and met Lin Jingqiu’s gentle gaze. She was holding Lin Xiaohe, as if saying, [Don’t be afraid. We are all here.]
