Chapter 75: Chapter 69: Not Presentable

Tang Mo lowered her head and thought for a moment. In the end, she relented.

It had been nearly three months since she left school. During that time, she’d been through Huacheng Base and Taoyuan Village, and had actually gained a great deal.

She had now obtained Taoyuan Village’s Spiritual Flower, so she really had no reason to stay any longer.

’It would be good to go home for a bit, anyway.’ The last time they had a video call, she’d seen that her mother’s belly was already showing. She really should go back and spend some time with her.

Cleaning up the battlefield was done quickly. In total, they dug out one Intermediate Power Crystal Core and eight Basic Crystal Cores of various colors from the wolf pack.

Tang Mo wanted to give them to Qin Ling to distribute among the men he brought, since they had, after all, made this trip especially for her.

But when the men heard her, they shook their heads frantically. They wouldn’t dare accept anything from their leader’s woman. Besides, they were Qin Ling’s Personal Guard Team, sworn to follow him through life and death; hardship was not a factor for them.

"Just keep them. It’s only a few things, and you’re already trying to give them away," Qin Ling teased, ruffling her hair.

Tang Mo glared at him but couldn’t lift her arm to hit him.

’Bullying an injured person, how outrageous!’

She took Qin Ling to the village chief’s home to say goodbye. When the chief’s family saw Qin Ling enter, they scrambled to their feet, completely flustered.

He was, after all, the leader of the Alliance—a figure equivalent to a head of state. How could they not be nervous?

Seeing how uncomfortable everyone was, Tang Mo shooed Qin Ling out and told him to wait for her outside.

Watching the man whose face graced the Alliance Daily every day walk out obediently with his head hung low and stand properly by the door, the hearts of the Shen father and son pounded with even greater panic...

"The crisis in Taoyuan Village has been resolved, and I have to leave now," Tang Mo said, bidding them farewell.

Everyone nodded in understanding, their eyes full of gratitude. Miss Tang was no ordinary person; they all knew she couldn’t possibly stay in Taoyuan Village for long.

"Qin Ling told me that people will be coming soon to help you repair the infrastructure in Taoyuan Village. You’ll also receive monthly supply drops on par with a small-scale base. But don’t worry, it’s just supplies. No one will come to bother you."

Qin Ling had proposed this himself as a token of gratitude for their care of Tang Mo.

The flower was, after all, the village’s most precious treasure. This would also help Tang Mo feel more at ease about having taken it.

It had to be said that both Tang Mo and Qin Ling were cut from the same cloth. They were principled people who always repaid their debts of gratitude.

"Th-this... thank you so, so much."

Shen Qing was so emotional that his eyes welled with tears. All this time, they in Taoyuan Village had just been scraping by. Now, with monthly supplies, their lives would be a little easier.

Finally, Tang Mo left some medicine for Tiegen and some milk powder and food for Aunt Lin and her family of three before following Qin Ling and his men onto the aircraft.

The flight to S Base would take an hour and a half. Tang Mo and Qin Ling sat on a small sofa, with the rest of the men seated behind them.

"Where is your family living now? I’ll have them all brought to S Base. That way, you can stay here without worrying."

Qin Ling was a very thoughtful person, but he also had a hidden motive: if he brought her family over, she would be content to stay at S Base. Even if she left in the future, she would come back often.

’Where is my family?’

Hearing Qin Ling’s words, Tang Mo suddenly remembered a very critical point.

’Uncle Wen and Qin Ling know each other! They might even have a somewhat competitive relationship.’

’I can’t let my family find out about me and Qin Ling. If it stirs up trouble, how much of a burden would that be for Mom?’

’Mom only remarried less than a year ago. If her stepdaughter immediately caused trouble for the family... I wouldn’t care, but I’m afraid Mom would be subjected to gossip and have a difficult time in that household.’

’Besides, Qin Ling’s hold on his position isn’t entirely stable yet; his power hasn’t been fully acknowledged by everyone.’

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’Announcing a relationship with the Wen Family’s stepdaughter at a time like this would definitely cause an uproar.’

’Anyone could figure it out. The Wen Family had originally teamed up with the Li Family to barely stand against the Qin Family. Now, if the Qin Family were to form a marriage alliance with the Wen Family, the Li Family would be cast aside.’

’That would definitely lead to huge problems!’

Tang Mo always thought things through with great foresight and caution.

"Qin Ling, I need to talk to you about something. Can we keep our relationship private for now?"

"Private? You mean I can’t tell anyone? Why? Are you ashamed of me?"

Qin Ling immediately bristled. He had waited so long for Tang Mo to finally be with him, and now they couldn’t even make it public? That would mean they’d have to sneak around. He refused.

The men nearby all turned red in the face, trying their best to hold back their laughter.

’To think their boss would see the day a girl was ashamed of him! If all the people lining up to pursue him found out, they’d probably hang themselves in despair.’

"No, that’s not it. Listen to me. You know my father passed away when I was very young," Tang Mo said, taking Qin Ling’s hand.

Hearing her mention this, Qin Ling quieted down and squeezed her hand tightly.

"My mom went through a lot to raise me on her own. She just got remarried this year, to Wen Jianshu."

The turn this conversation took was so abrupt it was hard to process...

"Wen Jianshu? You mean *the* Wen Jianshu?"

Qin Ling was shocked. He had always assumed Tang Mo was from an ordinary family; he never expected her to have such a significant background.

"The very same," Tang Mo confirmed with a nod.

This came as quite a shock to Qin Ling. Although the Qin Family was the top power in the Alliance, the strength of the Wen Family was not to be underestimated.

Wen Jianshu was the current head of the Wen Family. He was gentle and courteous on the surface, but at his core, he was extremely rational and intelligent.

He had dealt with Wen Jianshu a few times, and they held a mutual respect for one another.

Of course, Wen Jianshu was also famous for another trait: he was notoriously devoted to his wife.

He was one of the rare high-ranking figures who had no scandals or mistresses.

Qin Ling had never imagined that Mrs. Wen, the envy of countless women, was actually Tang Mo’s mother.

"Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. I don’t want you to suffer any grievance over this."

Qin Ling thought for a moment. He knew the situation was complicated, but not without a solution.

In fact, if handled correctly, it could even turn into a major boon for him—a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Of course, the most important thing was that he didn’t want to hide their relationship because of these complications; he was afraid Tang Mo would feel slighted.

"I don’t feel slighted, really. My mom is pregnant. Can we at least wait until after she has the baby to go public? Please?"

For the second time that day, Tang Mo played her trump card.

Qin Ling was instantly defeated. He could only nod in helpless agreement.

’Sigh. What could he do? He had absolutely no resistance when it came to her.’

’Sometimes he even wondered, had he really only known her for a year?’

’Often, an inexplicable tremor in his heart would tell him just how much he truly loved this woman, that he had to be with her always and never be apart.’

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