Chapter 370: The Plan

“Bao’er, don’t put your own husband down like that. In any case, it’s all fine now. But how many more days will you be busy at the company? I can see you’ve lost weight these past three days!” Li Xiu asked, his heart aching as he watched Zhou Lian, who had finished her work and was now tidying up her documents.

Setting down the files in her hands, Zhou Lian walked over to Li Xiu. She reached out, grabbed his collar, and when he obligingly bent down, she gave him a smiling kiss. Seeing him grin like a child, she said softly, “So, my Jin Chen is worried about me!”

“Yeah. Worried.”

As Zhou Lian watched Li Xiu turn off the lights and close the door, they walked hand in hand toward the bedroom. She said in a relaxed tone, “Don’t worry. Things will get better once this busy period is over. How are things on your end? How’s Ping Jing?”

“They’re fine. It’s nothing more than the usual backstabbing and conspiracies, and I can handle it. Ping Jing is doing okay, too. It’s just that reality is much harsher than he imagined, so he’s taken a bit of a hit,” Li Xiu said, sounding nonchalant. His face, hidden in the darkness, betrayed nothing.

With a small smile, Zhou Lian’s face took on a cynical expression that went unseen as she said softly, “You get used to the blows after a while. Jin Chen, you need to leave yourself an escape route in all this, just in case. After all, you can never truly know what’s in another person’s heart. Jin Chen, don’t make me worry.”

“Alright. I’ll come up with a foolproof plan,” Li Xiu promised solemnly after a brief pause. ‘How could I bear to make the person I hold dearest worry about me day and night? I would never get my priorities that backward!’

After they had both washed up and changed, they lay in bed. Li Xiu turned to his side and pulled Zhou Lian into his embrace, whispering, “Bao’er, regarding our hometown—for both the Li family and the Zhou family—we’ve done everything we can. Don’t keep worrying about them. If something truly happens in the future, we will certainly help if we are able. Huaitai and Yizhen now have secure futures, which I suppose repays the debt for how they protected you in our past life. Your brothers and sisters are all living very well now. Doing any more for them might not actually be helpful.”

“I understand, Jin Chen,” Zhou Lian said softly after a moment of thought. “You know, the saying that distance creates beauty isn’t just some random phrase. Huaitai and Yizhen will probably both stay in the Capital City, and I expect my parents will retire here as well. It’s just… Jin Chen, this won’t be good for your reputation.”

Li Xiu burst out laughing at her words. After a moment, he said gently, “Bao’er, you should know me better than that. Reputation? When you have money and power, your reputation is whatever you want it to be. Conversely, when you have neither, even the best reputation can sound bad. Besides, your parents have helped us by picking up the children and watching over our home all these years. It’s only right that we provide for them in their old age. More importantly, without them, I wouldn’t have you. For that reason alone, I can never be too filial or respectful toward them.”

“Mm, I get it. Well, it’s too early to be talking about this anyway. We’ll just see how things play out,” Zhou Lian said with a soft smile. “The medical facilities here in the Capital City are excellent. I doubt Grandma will be making a fuss to go back home anytime soon, so we should just let her stay here.”

Li Xiu gave Zhou Lian a tender look and said softly, “Nuonuo and Yanyan… I’m afraid things won’t be the same for them as they were in our last life. Bao’er, are you…”

“I’ll respect their choices. Different life experiences lead to different decisions. Their starting points are different, their horizons are different. If they still happen to make the same choices as in our last life, then perhaps it’s simply fate. Jin Chen, let’s not interfere. Let’s allow them to choose for themselves.” Zhou Lian had already considered this. Her son-in-law and daughter-in-law from their past life had been wonderful people, but that was no guarantee they would meet again in this life, let alone be destined to fall in love.

‘People talk about the butterfly effect. With two giant butterflies like herself and Li Xiu flapping their wings, the effect was probably on the scale of a tornado. Whether they meet or not would simply depend on if they were fated to be together.’

‘Never mind anything else, the changes to the Ping Family alone were probably enough to rewrite history. Elder Ping’s health, Ping’an’s political career, Ping Jing’s emergence, the Sun Family being crushed into the dust, the complete reshuffling of the top leadership… the resulting changes were far from minor. Look at the nation’s burgeoning strength and its increasingly renowned military might. Li Xiu’s intervention was like tossing a chili pepper into a wok of searing hot oil. And just like that, a wok of hot oil had turned into a wok of chili oil.’

‘Still, to be able to change some of the more regrettable events of the future… that was something both Li Xiu and she, Zhou Lian, were desperate to do. They both passionately loved the land that had nurtured them. It was just difficult for Li Xiu. He had to leak everything he knew, everything he understood, without leaving a single trace or giving anyone leverage over him. It was truly hard on him.’

“Bao’er, I’m glad you understand,” Li Xiu said, a worried note in his voice. “There are going to be some major moves in the next few years. If we succeed as planned, the changes won’t be minor. Also, Bao’er, during this time, when I might not be able to watch over you, you must protect yourself. Even though only a few people know about me, we can’t rule out the possibility of a leak. I’m afraid someone with malicious intent will try to use you.”

‘The information I’ve leaked, the blueprints I’ve sent out… they have the potential to advance social progress by a full thirty years. Elder Ping, Ping’an, and I have gone over the plans again and again. Even if they don’t succeed, there shouldn’t be any negative impact. But if they do, the achievement will be enormous. Not that I care about such credit, but having a few extra layers of protection wouldn’t be a bad thing.’

‘But if any of this were to endanger Zhou Lian, that’s a risk I’m not willing to take. I have to come up with a perfect plan to protect her before anything can happen. If Zhou Lian were to suffer even the slightest harm, I don’t know what I’d do. It’s better to be proactive and prevent it.’

Seeing his worried expression, Zhou Lian gave him a reassuring kiss and said breezily, “Jin Chen, if you don’t believe in me, don’t you at least believe in yourself? There’s no way you’d let me get even a little bit hurt. Jin Chen, don’t worry about things that haven’t happened yet. I trust that you won’t let any harm come to me.”

“Yeah… I will definitely protect you, Bao’er. It’s just… although I act without hesitation at the moment, afterward I always wonder if I’m doing the right thing. Am I being too rash, too focused on quick gains? I’m worried I might be pushing the original timeline down an unpredictable path.” It was rare for Li Xiu to be so hesitant.

Zhou Lian understood his turmoil. Li Xiu wasn’t doing any of this for fame or profit. He did it out of a deep-seated love for the land that had birthed and raised him. He wanted everything to turn out for the best, but he was also terrified of the changes his interference might cause. If everything went well, it would be a joyous outcome for all. But if even one thing went wrong, she knew this man would blame himself relentlessly.

“Jin Chen, you need to remember that your intentions were good from the very beginning. You’ve gone over the plans again and again with Elder Ping, Ping’an, and those old masters from the Imperial Palace. The plans have been vetted by experts in every field. From here on out, all we can do is our best. Jin Chen, you’re starting to lose your equilibrium.”