Chapter 779: Chapter 673: Triumph and Disgrace

The new school year began, and Xiao Man was busy again, running between school and the hospital. With her ever-increasing cultivation, growing spiritual power, and expanding sea of consciousness, her schoolwork was now a breeze. Even her hospital job didn’t tire her out. The only problem was that she couldn’t be in two places at once; there were too many things to do, and she was simply swamped.

Other things could wait. For now, Xiao Man’s priority was to finish renovating the courtyard house she’d bought for the Mo family of Gongdao Village. It had to be ready for them to move into by summer vacation. Jiang Junlin and Mo Xinghua had already registered their marriage and planned to come to Beijing for their "honeymoon" trip during the break. There was even a chance that Dazhuang, Dapeng, and Qiuyan might get excited and tag along, so she wanted them to have a comfortable place to stay.

The Gu family was also preparing to welcome a new bride. Since it was the marriage of the eldest grandson of the main family branch, the newlyweds were required to live in the old family estate for the first six months to a year. After that, they would be free to live wherever they wished. To that end, a separate new home had been prepared for them: a two-story, European-style garden villa.

Gu Shao Feng was to receive the same treatment. He and Wu Xiangyun were focusing on their health and were not in a hurry to have children, so they had decided to simply wait until after his brother’s wedding to hold their own.

On a sunny day in May, Gu Shaojun, newly promoted to Master Level, returned to Beijing. Dressed in the new Type 85 military uniform, he looked even more dashing and distinguished, a truly extraordinary figure. When he went to pick up Xiao Man from school, not only did she turn into a starry-eyed admirer, but all her classmates were left speechless. Even the male students stared, rooted to the spot. To put it in the words of a later generation: he was devastatingly handsome!

Gu Shaojun’s return to Beijing was for a new assignment: in September, he would begin teaching at the National Defense University. Unable to withstand Xiao Man’s relentless questioning, and knowing his fiancée wouldn’t carelessly spill the beans, Gu Shaojun revealed the classified details: he was to help establish and train a new type of combat unit.

’Xiao Man remembered from her past life that, officially, Gu Shao Feng had been the chief instructor. But Gu Shao Feng had frequently sought out Gu Shaojun, and many of the strategic directives had actually originated from him.’

Xiao Man hugged Gu Shaojun’s arm and joked, "So you’re personally taking the lead this time. Aren’t you stealing Gu Shao Feng’s thunder?"

Gu Shaojun laughed. "Shaofeng doesn’t mind. He’s having the time of his life with what he’s busy with!"

"What’s he busy with?"

"Shaofeng and his comrades are in the thick of a fight. They’re about to earn another commendation."

"That’s great!"

He had a three-day leave after returning. Beijing wasn’t like G Province; with their elders watching, the two of them couldn’t live together. They could only meet up for daily dates and meals. Fortunately, the last day of his leave was a Sunday. Using the excuse of checking on the renovations of their new house, Gu Shaojun took Xiao Man to Gu Shaozhen’s garden villa, where they could be affectionate for half the day. They then reserved two hours in the afternoon for a visit to the Wei Family.

Both of them had been tasked with something by Wei Zhenling. Gu Shaojun was to bring local specialties and visit Grandpa Wei, Grandma Wei, and Mrs. Wei on Wei Zhenling’s behalf. Xiao Man’s task, however, was a bit more awkward—Wei Zhenling was always giving her difficult assignments. He wanted her to lie to Grandpa Wei, Grandma Wei, and Mrs. Wei, telling them that he was actively pursuing a girl and would win her over soon. He just needed them to grant him an extension; another six months would be enough!

Xiao Man had initially refused to take on the task. But since she was going to the Wei Family’s home anyway, she figured she would play it by ear. ’If the mood is right and the elders are happy, I’ll give it a shot,’ she thought. ’Whether it works or not will all depend on Wei Zhenling’s luck.’

Gu Shaojun was quite annoyed when he found out Wei Zhenling had been frequently calling and pestering his fiancée, trying to pin the responsibility of finding a girlfriend on her. But then he remembered how Grandpa Wei was forcing Wei Zhenling into marriage, and the tearless, despairing look on his friend’s face while holding a photo of a plump girl. He couldn’t help but find it funny. So, for now, he would take pity on him and let it slide.

The two drove to the Wei Family’s street. They parked the car, and, carrying their gifts, had just reached the courtyard gate when it was suddenly yanked open from within. A man and a woman shot out of the doorway as if they had been shoved or chased out. Gu Shaojun quickly pulled Xiao Man aside, avoiding a collision.

Unable to stop their forward momentum, the couple stumbled hastily down the steps, nearly falling. Xiao Man glanced back for a better look and was surprised to see it was Mr. Wei and his mistress. The mistress was clutching a baby, while Mr. Wei carried a travel bag in each hand.

’They’ve already had a child, so they must have gotten their wish and are now husband and wife.’ But this couple looked nothing like they did when Xiao Man had seen them at West Mountain last year. Back then, they had been sweet and in love, glowing with youthful vitality. Now, only a year later, they both looked as if they had aged twenty years. Mr. Wei was unkempt, his salt-and-pepper hair greasy and dusty. The woman holding the baby was just as disheveled, her hair a mess and her clothes in disarray. Her skin was still fair, but she was painfully thin. With no makeup on, her face was a mask of misery, with deep, creased lines around her nose and mouth. It was obvious her postpartum confinement had been difficult. The woman looked so frail, one worried the baby might slip right out of her arms at any moment.

Seeing them in such a state, it wasn’t hard to guess what had happened.

The baby appeared to be asleep, utterly silent and still. The woman clutched the man’s sleeve, her hoarse voice on the verge of tears. "Darling, the baby is sick! He has a fever, and they won’t do anything? How cruel! How immoral! He’s the Wei Family’s grandson! What right does *she* have?"

Mr. Wei slammed his two travel bags onto the ground and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "What am I supposed to do? My father isn’t even home! Who knows where he’s gone!"

With that, he pointed a finger at the courtyard gate and shouted, "You viper! Don’t think I don’t know you’re responsible for this! You drove me to bankruptcy, are you satisfied now? This is the Wei Family home! I’m the master here! You’re just a divorced, washed-up woman! What gives you the right to throw me out?"

The gate, which had been about to swing shut, was quickly pulled open again. The person behind it had spotted Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man. They turned and yelled into the courtyard, "Big Sis! Big Sis! We have visitors! It’s Miss Manman from last time, and a man in a military uniform!"

"Oh, are they? Well then, quickly, invite them in!" As the voice trailed off, Mrs. Wei emerged from the doorway. She was dressed in an exquisitely tailored, aqua-blue velvet cheongsam. Her skin was like snow, her hair like ink, and her bearing was graceful and elegant. Her figure was full yet trim; she had clearly succeeded in managing her weight. Upon seeing Gu Shaojun and Xiao Man, her face broke into a radiant smile, her complexion rosy and glowing. She looked like one of those beautiful middle-aged actresses from the movies—except the actresses wore makeup, while Mrs. Wei’s face was completely bare. Compared to her, the mistress clutching the baby wasn’t even in the same league.

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