Chapter 171: Meeting the Parents

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Meeting the Parents

"I’ll finish writing the mission report about what happened twenty years ago. As for what comes next, you can contact me anytime."

"Of course."

"However, to ensure the safety of Xiao Lu and his family, I hope that after you’ve decided on the next steps, you will temporarily protect their privacy, Mr. Lu."

Chief Zhang’s tone was serious. "After all, Xiao Lu isn’t just your son; he’s also a soldier of Hua Country. I’m sure you’re aware he just returned from the southern front."

"Chief Zhang, rest assured. There won’t be any problems on my end."

After hanging up, Chief Zhang let out a sigh of relief. He smiled at Lu Zhengchuan and patted his shoulder. "Xiao Lu, this has been tough on you. For now, there’s nothing else. We’ll call you again when we need your cooperation. Aren’t you on leave? Go on, enjoy it. When your leave is over, you’ll have to help out with administrative duties."

"Yes, sir." Lu Zhengchuan saluted before turning and leaving the office.

Other officers who knew him greeted him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the entire unit. It was clear that very few people knew about Lu Tingyan’s situation.

Qi Hao was waiting at the door. When he saw Lu Zhengchuan walk out, he immediately went up to him.

"Old Lu, what are you doing at the base?" Qi Hao asked with concern.

"I came to handle something. I’m still on leave and will report back in a week." Lu Zhengchuan wasn’t sure if his friend had guessed what was going on, but he didn’t say anything directly. Instead, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were here after I finished my guard duty, so I came to check on you."

"It’s good that you’re okay. We’ll be able to work together from now on. It’s been almost five or six years since we last worked together, not since we graduated from university."

Qi Hao patted his shoulder. "Come on, let’s get some lunch. My treat. Consider it a celebration for your promotion."

"I wanted to treat you before, but you turned me down, rushing home to see your wife and kids. You can’t refuse me today."

With Qi Hao putting it like that, Lu Zhengchuan couldn’t very well refuse again. Besides, Wanwan wasn’t home; she didn’t have enough time to come back for lunch and was resting in her dorm at the university.

The two kids were being looked after by Aunt Zhao and his second sister-in-law, so he certainly had time to have a meal with a good friend.

"Where are we eating?" Lu Zhengchuan asked, walking out alongside him.

"Let’s go to the state-owned restaurant outside. The base is full of people we know, so we won’t be able to eat in peace at the mess hall."

"Alright." Qi Hao made a call, and his guard drove the military vehicle over.

Lu Zhengchuan hopped in effortlessly and settled into the passenger seat.

"This is what you get for not letting me help and selling your car. Now you have to borrow a military vehicle just to get around. And you know it’s not easy to borrow a car from the unit. Even as a regiment commander in the Capital Military District, you only get assigned a vehicle for official business. You can’t just use one for personal matters."

"I just bought this car from overseas. It was during the outbreak of the war in the south. The country was ordering a batch of foreign goods, right? I took the opportunity to order one for myself."

Lu Zhengchuan chuckled. "As long as you like it. I’m not hung up on having a car. After all, my two children and Wanwan are safe and sound. Selling that car was worth it."

Hearing this, Qi Hao dropped the subject of the car.

"I heard Su Wan is quite the standout at her university. Several professors in the physics department think very highly of her."

Lu Zhengchuan was curious. He leaned his arm against the open car window. "How do you know?"

"My aunt is a professor at Capital University," Qi Hao explained. "She’s in the chemistry department, so she doesn’t teach Su Wan, but she’s heard of her."

The corners of Lu Zhengchuan’s mouth lifted. "Wanwan really is talented. I never realized just how incredible she was before. I just knew she was a good student. It’s clear I really hit the jackpot marrying her."

Seeing his friend so completely smitten, Qi Hao couldn’t help but click his tongue. He offered a well-intentioned warning, "She’s so good at physics, she’ll probably end up in a research institute."

"Definitely. If Wanwan doesn’t get into a research institute, no other student deserves to."

Seeing him still smiling, Qi Hao was a little exasperated. "Do you have any idea what joining a research institute means? They’re even busier than we are in the military."

"In the army, as long as the family lives on base, you can at least see each other every day, except when you’re on a mission and might be gone for half a year. But researchers? They can be gone for years at a time without a single visit, with very little phone contact. Are you sure you can handle that kind of long-term separation?"

The smile on Lu Zhengchuan’s face froze.

Back when they were newlyweds, he could have tolerated living in different places.

But now, the thought of being separated from Wanwan was truly hard for Lu Zhengchuan to accept.

He forced a smile. "If this is the future Wanwan wants to pursue, I definitely won’t stand in her way."

Seeing that his friend was unhappy, and feeling he’d made his point, Qi Hao decided not to press the annoying topic any further.

"Why don’t we eat somewhere near Capital University? We can ask Su Wan to join us. It’s good for you two to spend as much time together as you can now."

Lu Zhengchuan was a bit speechless. "The way you say that makes it sound like Wanwan and I will never see each other again."

Although he found Qi Hao’s way with words a bit tactless, he appreciated the sentiment.

"Fine, let’s eat near Capital University. I can also check on how my parents-in-law’s business is doing."

Qi Hao stepped on the gas, and they were soon outside Capital University.

Lu Zhengchuan got out of the car. He had intended to go see Mother Su and Father Su, but he saw that they were very busy in their shop. It was eleven o’clock, and with the university’s flexible class schedules, it was prime lunch time. He decided not to disturb them.

He then saw that in the shop next door, his second brother-in-law was even busier, working all by himself.

"Let’s go. We’ll head onto campus to get Wanwan."

Qi Hao glanced around, surprised to see a long street lined with storefronts, including many eateries.

After a moment’s thought, he still had his guard go and order a meal from the state-owned restaurant, feeling it was the proper way to show his sincerity in treating the couple.

Once on campus, Lu Zhengchuan headed straight for the building where Su Wan had her classes.

He had seen Su Wan’s schedule and knew she usually had all her classes in one building, so he went straight there to wait downstairs.

Su Wan, however, wasn’t in a classroom. She was in the science building, conducting an experiment with a professor.

At eleven-thirty, it was time for a break.

Professor Wang told the students to go get lunch on their own.

Su Wan cleaned up the lab equipment, put her experiment logbook away in a locker, and locked it before turning to leave the science building.

Just as she walked out of the building, she heard a familiar voice call her.

"Sister-in-law."

Su Wan looked in the direction of the voice and saw Zhang Yun.

"Zhang Yun?" Su Wan walked over, noticing she wasn’t alone. Standing beside her was a rather handsome young man.

"What are you doing in the Capital?" Su Wan asked, surprised. "I didn’t get a call from my aunt. Did you come by yourself?"

Zhang Yun shyly pulled the young man beside her forward. "Sister-in-law, this is my boyfriend, Zhao Yuan. I came to the Capital with him by train to meet his parents."