Chapter 33 Grandfather's Strategic Moves

He still didn't react at all. I sat in the passenger seat, feeling frustrated. If he wasn't driving, I would have dragged him in front of me and shaken his head vigorously. Why wouldn't he speak? I wonder if he was like this before he died, or if he became this way after his death.

Our car arrived at the place where I lived, but at that corner, he suddenly slammed on the brakes. Thankfully, we weren't going fast, so I didn't hit anything. It just startled me, and I asked, "What's wrong?"

"My grandfather's car!" Su Haicheng gestured for me to look at the military license plate car parked at the entrance of the building.

My heart skipped a beat. We had just sent off Su's mother yesterday, and now Su's grandfather appeared. Just then, the soldier appeared. He got out of his car and glanced at our vehicle. I quickly lowered my head, looked at Su Haicheng, and whispered, "Does he recognize you?"

"I don't know. He often comes to our house, so he must have seen my pictures." As he spoke, Su Haicheng reversed the car. After we were blocked from view, I quickly jumped out of the car and said, "I'll handle him. You stay hidden and don't come out." It was someone different every day, and I was genuinely worried that one day I wouldn't be able to handle the pressure, and everything would be over.

I jogged around a building before slowing down and walked over, creating the illusion that I had come from a different direction.

The soldier was still asking the elderly lady on the second floor of our building where I lived. The old lady pointed upstairs to the fourth floor, and I had already appeared.

The soldier thanked the old lady, and the old lady jokingly said, "You're welcome, military and civilians working together like one big family."

He was just asking for directions, after all.

I forced a smile, making myself appear like I was laughing, but inside, I was too nervous to smile. "Hello, I didn't expect to run into you here."

The soldier was polite, "Miss Chen, the General asked me to pick you up."

"I just came back from class, and I'm a bit tired. I don't think I can handle a long-distance trip right now." As I spoke, I gently placed my hand on my abdomen. This was my way of telling him that I was pregnant and not to force me.

"The General is in D city. He came to meet a few old comrades. He said he wants to talk to you before dinner. He arranged for me to pick you up. He knows that you wouldn't be comfortable eating with those old folks, so the plan is for him to talk to you for about ten minutes, then I'll accompany you for dinner and bring you back. Is that okay?"

This really seemed like the military style, even specifying the exact duration of ten minutes. He was smiling at me, but I didn't think I had the right to refuse. I obediently got into his car, and he drove me away from the residential area. In the car, neither of us spoke. However, I kept thinking to myself that Su's mother had come, likely concerned about this child. She probably reported my situation to Grandfather yesterday. So what did it mean for Grandfather to come today? Perhaps... I had a daring hypothesis in my mind. Su Haicheng's military district belonged to D city, and most of his superiors were based here. Grandfather was an old general, and his appearance at this time to visit old comrades might indicate that he came to investigate Su Haicheng's situation.

With this hypothesis in mind, I let out a sigh of relief. We weren't fighting this battle alone; we had Su's mother and grandfather helping us. It would be even better if they weren't so concerned about the child in my belly, as it wouldn't even exist.

I didn't dare to imagine what would happen when things couldn't be concealed anymore in a few months. How disappointed would they be? What would they do to me?

The car brought me to a luxurious hotel. Following the soldier, I went upstairs and entered a lavish private room on the twenty-ninth floor's restaurant. There, I once again saw the old man leaning on a cane.

He sat at the table, with no dishes served yet, and there was a sofa and a television nearby, both untouched. He just sat there.

I walked over and softly called out, "Grandfather."

Grandfather looked up and nodded at me. "Take a seat, don't worry, I'll just talk to you for a bit."

After sitting down, I quickly spoke first, "Grandfather, that day I was wrong. I shouldn't have hung up on your call. I..."

"Suyun told me. It was one of Haicheng's comrades who brought you out. Siyi, perhaps you can't understand my feelings. Haicheng's father was my only son, and he sacrificed himself so young. Now Haicheng is the same. My hope of living as an old man rests in your belly. If anything happens to you, what meaning is there for me to continue living?"

"Grandfather, don't say that." My heart skipped a beat. If he found out later that I wasn't actually pregnant, would... I couldn't bear to think further.

He took out a bank statement from his pocket as he continued, "I know you care about Haicheng, and we care about him too. But he's no longer here. You should stay here safely and take care of yourself. If something happens to you, I really don't know what I can rely on anymore."

I received the bank statement in confusion, and it turned out to be Su Haicheng's credit card statement that I had been holding onto. It had the items I purchased with the card listed on it—things like tents, outdoor sportswear, engineering shovels, military knives...

"Um, these things, they are all from before, right? Before, didn't I come back well? Haha," I laughed foolishly. Fortunately, this time I'm using the boss's money to buy diving equipment, so my credit card hasn't generated a bill. Otherwise, if the old man sees things like diving equipment and alcohol burners, would he get even angrier and lock me up?

"I hope it's like that, don't deceive this old man. I called you here today to give you a reminder. Xiao Qi, don't challenge Grandpa's bottom line. Grandpa allows you to live on your own now, allows you to have your own circle of friends, but Grandpa also has the ability to lock you up and support you."

My heart tightened a bit. If that's the case, it would be like calling out to the heavens without any response. I immediately nodded obediently, "Yes, I understand. I will take good care of the child."

The old man's eyes turned red. "If Haicheng were still here, that would be good."

"Grandpa, what if..." I hesitated for a moment and asked, "I mean, what if he comes back?"

The old man didn't answer me, he just waved his hand, signaling the soldier to take me away.

The soldier politely led me out of the private room and then sat me down in the lobby. The waiter immediately brought the dishes, probably the ones I had ordered earlier.

I sat down somewhat awkwardly, and the soldier sat opposite me, his posture straight, looking quite serious. He said, "Don't be nervous, you can eat by yourself, I'll leave for a while. You should enjoy your meal. Leader Su Haicheng called yesterday to inquire about this child's situation, everyone is concerned. If you two were already married, maybe there wouldn't be so much awkwardness."

After saying that, he stood up and was about to leave. I quickly waved to him to sit down, thinking that since he could talk to me about this, maybe he could provide some information. "Um, handsome guy, please sit."

"Just call me Xiaozhong."

"Okay, Xiaozhong, do you know why the old man came this time? To meet some old comrades?"

"It's Su Haicheng's leader," he glanced at his watch, "they will arrive in twenty minutes. They will discuss the car you left in that forest."

"Can I get the car back?" My eyes widened as I listened. I mean, the car is mine, it's mine. Even if I've only seen it for half an hour. I know I must look greedy right now. I'm just fixated on my car.

Xiaozhong smiled, "When the old man takes action, it will definitely happen. It should be within these few days. Someone will deliver it to you."

Hmm, can I pick it up myself? When it's delivered, if I happen to run into Su Haicheng again like today, then it's likely that I'll really know the person.

"Um, then, among the people who came today, is there anyone whose last name starts with the letter 'Q'?" In general, we use the first letter of the last name as an abbreviation. Military personnel, in particular, should prefer using their last names rather than their first names.

Xiaozhong didn't smile, he leaned in closer, lowered his voice and said, "You've asked a question you shouldn't have. Just enjoy your meal. To quote General Lao, you're really not simple."

Indeed, they are well-trained. I can't get anything out of him. I just know that the old man is making plans, and my car is about to be returned. I could only smile in response to his ambiguous remark and start eating. When someone treats you to such a high-end hotel meal, there's no need to be polite.