An argument had broken out in Shao Jingshan’s home, but he did not pick a side. In his heart, he was fine with whatever it was as long as his son was happy.

Shao Jingshan decided to remain neutral and did not try to express his opinions on the matters. Unfortunately, this angered Jiao Shuzhen.

Jiao Shuzhen was a woman who was used to being pampered by her husband and son. She had never been inconvenienced like this. She felt that her husband and son were disrespecting her. She was so furious that she cried and sobbed.

Shao Jingshan had no alternative but to console his wife and reprimand his son for making excessive demands when they tried to compromise with him. “Silence! Look at how you’ve upset your mother.”

Shao Yibai was annoyed, but he did not kick up a big fuss with his parents. Instead, he dead-panned, “You married the woman you loved, and I simply want to do the same. What’s wrong with that?”

Shao Jingshan was speechless.

Shao Yibai turned to his mother and continued, “I remembered that grandmother was against your marriage in the beginning because father was initially pursuing Yuan Xuan’s mother!”

Jiao Shuzhen and Shao Jingshan were so stunned they could not think of a reply.

“After that, eldest aunt introduced you to father. However, grandmother was worried this romantic affair would result in a fight between you and your sister.

“Nonetheless, you decided to marry father without your parents’ approval because you loved him. Grandmother was forced to give in when you got pregnant with me. Only then did she agree to let you marry my father. For many years, you couldn’t understand grandmother’s actions at that time, and you resented her for them.

“Now that you’re a mother, you’re trying to stop me instead. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t persevered in the past. I’m your biological son, so it’s natural that I learned to be as persevering as my mother…”

A sly smile appeared on Shao Yibai’s face as he said this. Shao Jingshan realized that his son was being perfectly reasonable. It was impossible for him to defend his wife now.

Jiao Shuzhen was both annoyed and amused at the same time. This young man had actually exposed her previous misdeeds.

This little brat was using her past to silence her!

The woman would never give in so easily. She would not be happy unless she stated her side of the story.

“At least your father and I were an appropriate match for each other. The Jiao Family could be considered as influential then. We had an abundance of financial resources and our social standing was quite high as well. Meanwhile, your father had a good background and impressive military achievements. Our marriage was a union between two powerhouses.

“Our marriage lasted for many years because we spoke the same language. This allowed us to have strong feelings for each other as husband and wife. Do you and that girl from the mountains even speak the same language? You’re going to spend a lot of time with each other when you’re a married couple…”

Jiao Shuzhen was an expert at manipulating people’s emotions, but she could also use logic to reason with them.

She was being honest with him. After all, the Shao Family had raised Shao Yibai with the best resources out there.

Their son was not a scholar, but he had numerous other achievements that he could be proud of. In the future, he would not always be serving in the special forces unit. Once he transferred out of the armed services, he would be properly recognized as a public official.

How could a man of his status marry an uneducated woman who was nothing but a pretty face?

Shao Yibai sat on the sofa. He had wanted to keep a safe distance between Jiao Shuzhen and himself, but he moved closer to her now with a large smile on his face. He massaged his mother’s shoulders with both of his hands.

“I’m an adult now, so I don’t have to form a powerful union with my wife’s family. I’ll be a person who she can rely on!

“As for sharing the same language, you don’t have to worry about that because Xiaodai speaks excellent Mandarin. She’s also learned the dialect of Capital City. If you don’t believe me, why don’t I bring her here in a few days to meet you?”

Shao Yibai had finally stopped beating around the bush.

If he brought Xiaodai over to meet his parents, they would have to accept the truth even if they were unhappy about it.

When Jiao Shuzhen heard this, she realized that Shao Yibai was avoiding important matters by focusing on trivial things.

She would not fall for his trap.

Jiao Shuzhen had planned for this earlier on.

She had already considered the things that Wei Hongmian had said to her during the phone call.

The Wei Family’s daughter had an intricate mind. She was also a strong and independent thinker. She realized that it was more effective to work her way in from Su Qingcheng rather than Shao Yibai.

She probably assumed that it was alright for her to meet Su Qingcheng because she was not Shao Yibai’s legal spouse yet. After all, Shao Yibai had not made any promises to her.

The circumstances would be different if she dragged Jiao Shuzhen with her. It would mean that Jiao Shuzhen had recognized Wei Hongmian as her rightful daughter-in-law.

Jiao Shuzhen was a little worried about the younger woman suggestion in the beginning. If Shao Yibai had discovered that she had gone and met Su Qingcheng with Wei Hongmian, he definitely would have gotten angry with her.

She realized right now that she had no choice but to start with that young woman after witnessing Shao Yibai’s attitude on this matter.

*

The sun looked as if it was on fire hanging in the July sky in Capital City.

Su Qingcheng was used to the humid weather back in the mountains, so she still felt miserable even though it was already her second summer in Capital City.

Worse still, the physical education classes at the police academy were not any shorter than the training sessions that Shao Yibai had put her through. It was fortunate that she had been prepared by Shao Yibai for them. Her training in Yan Zhou was not useless after all.

At least she was currently stronger than her peers in the physical training and skill training sessions.

Moreover, she was about to graduate soon. She just had to grit her teeth and endure the very last part of her training.

When today’s training session ended, several of Su Qingcheng’s young classmates patted her shoulder and sounded a little jealous when they said, “Little Su, how is it possible that you seemed to grow whiter the longer you spent under the sun? That’s so unfair!”

Su Qingcheng was puzzled as well. Everyone else had burnt their skin until it turned as dark as a piece of toast while her skin remained snow-white. Her skin continued to glimmer and seemed to grow all the more translucent.

“Maybe it has something to do with my body…” Su Qingcheng said with a smile.

The young people who were able to study here came from excellent families. Although she was able to enter through her personal connections, she did not slack any more than the others did during training.

“Don’t blame me if you guys get any darker…” Su Qingcheng giggled.

Everyone else laughed as well. They chatted while walking back to the dorms.

The class representative appeared suddenly in the dorms looking for Su Qingcheng. When she pushed the door open and saw that she was about to go and wash up, the girl yelled, “Little Su, the instructor wants to see you in her office.”

Su Qingcheng realized that she was still dressed in her camouflage training uniform, and her face was still covered in dirt. She said, “I’ll go over after I’ve washed up.”

The class representative thought about it for a moment before ushering her to get a move on. “Please hurry up!”

Su Qingcheng quickly showered and changed into a clean white t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

She had a slim waist and a pair of long legs that made her look beautiful no matter what she wore.

After training for more than a year, she did not look delicate or fragile anymore. Her exquisite little face and personality had changed. She was much more resolute and determined now. Her hair had grown as well, adding a touch of gentleness and beauty to her appearance.

The instructor’s office and the dorms were located very close to each other. Su Qingcheng jogged there because it was only a short distance away, but she had begun sweating unexpectedly.

“Reporting!” she yelled at the entrance and stopped at the doorway, wiping the sweat on her forehead with a piece of tissue paper.

“Come in!” The instructor was a woman in her forties who had been working in this field for over a decade. However, this was the first time she had received guests who were the family members of important individuals. She was rather excited about it.

Once she was inside, Su Qingcheng realized that there were two other women in the office. The instructor was interacting with them in a friendly manner. It was likely that none of the students in the department had seen her like this before.

“Ma’am, you were looking for me?” Su Qingcheng spoke in a loud voice with her back perfectly straight. Her eyes were clear and devoid of any unnecessary emotions.

The young woman was always full of energy, but she avoided appearing flamboyant by keeping a low profile instead. She had a simple kind of beauty. Wei Hongmian was sitting beside Jiao Shuzhen, and her heart trembled when she saw Su Qingcheng entering the room.

Even someone like Wei Hongmian who had been part of the high-end circle was forced to admit that the young woman before her was a breath of fresh air in comparison to the wealthy, aristocratic socialites like herself…