☆ 24. Difficulties

“Dad, it’s really you, you’re back! You came back to see Qiuqiu!”

Qiuqiu ran to Su Cheng, who bent down to pick her up. The little girl gently touched her father’s cold, stern face to confirm it was real and couldn’t control her tears as she began to cry.

“Dad, you didn’t sacrifice yourself, you didn’t die, right? Uncle Zhu said you sacrificed yourself, but Qiuqiu knows now that sacrificing means dying and never coming back. You’re back now, which means you didn’t die, right?”

“Qiuqiu still has her dad, right?”

Her tearful words tugged at Su Cheng’s heart, making him feel even more pain. He softened his gaze, stroked his daughter’s head, and gently reassured her.

“Yes, Qiuqiu still has her dad.”

“Dad didn’t die, Dad is back. I’m sorry, Qiuqiu, Dad came back late…”

“Sansan, come out!”

Ji Meng was staring intently at the tall, handsome man not far away. Her gaze scanned his striking features inch by inch, confirming that he looked exactly like the photo of her deceased husband that they had been keeping at home. She pinched her thigh, keeping a straight face, and called out to the system, Sansan.

“Explain!”

‘Explain why the man who had died nearly two months ago suddenly appeared alive.’

“Didn’t you say that it was impossible for him to be alive? So what am I seeing now? A ghost?”

【Host, host, Sansan doesn’t know either!】 Sansan logged in after canceling the offline mode, looking at the situation in front of it, even more confused, with the connection buzzing with static.

“You don’t know?” Ji Meng sneered.

“Aren’t you supposed to know everything? Isn’t there nothing you can’t find out? You didn’t even know that Qiuqiu’s dad, the dad of your mission target, is alive?”

What is this?

The dead person is still here.

He is alive.

What’s going on in the novel?

Why hasn’t this living person reached out to Qiuqiu, causing her to suffer so much, enduring so many grievances, that she eventually had to jump off a high building in despair, that her brain splattered everywhere…

The cold, emotionless words from the novel flashed through Ji Meng’s mind like a tidal wave of anger rising higher and higher. She slowly clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes filled with coldness.

【Host, don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Sansan still has some energy. I’ll check this out, just wait a moment…】 Sansan hurriedly said upon sensing Ji Meng’s low pressure and imminent explosion.

A few minutes later.

【Host, I found out that there is an unknown deviation between the novel world and the real world. Sansan has checked all the hidden plots, and Su Cheng did indeed die. His body fell into the sea, and his bones were washed ashore years later.】

【However, in this current world, due to some magnetic field effects, a deviation occurred, allowing Su Cheng to miraculously survive.】

【However, it was a narrow escape for him. He was shot three times and fell into the sea, landing on a piece of driftwood and being carried to a desolate shore. A miracle happened, he suddenly woke up, and with incredible willpower, he retrieved the first aid kit from his back to remove the bullet… Later, after a lot of hardship, he contacted his unit, but he got seriously injured again while retrieving something…】

【Host, Sansan’s energy is insufficient and can only capture the important parts. The rest is missing. Oh, by the way! He underwent a life-threatening surgery just a few days ago!】

【So, does that mean his injuries still haven’t healed? Oh no, if his injuries haven’t healed, how can he hold Qiuqiu? It might pull at his wounds!】

She misunderstood it.

Ji Meng’s gaze flickered as she looked up again at the man not far away. Qiuqiu’s cries had quieted down, though she still couldn’t quite believe that her father had really returned. Her small hands clung tightly to the man’s neck, unwilling to let go. He indulged her, using his strong hand to gently pat and comfort her.

Noticing Ji Meng’s gaze, Su Cheng paused and walked over with his daughter in his arms.

“Sorry…”

“Mengmeng, why are you standing here? Were you waiting for us?”

As Su Cheng stood in front of Ji Meng, about to speak, the voice of Fu Junyan echoed from the alley.

He approached, holding his nephew Fu Junye, and noticed Su Cheng holding Qiuqiu in front of Ji Meng. A strange feeling settled in his heart, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

“Mengmeng, who is this?”

“Uncle Fu, this is Qiuqiu’s dad. Qiuqiu’s dad didn’t sacrifice himself, he’s still alive. He came back to find Qiuqiu!”

Nearby, Qiuqiu replied to Fu Junyan while calling out to Fu Junye, “Brother Junye, Qiuqiu has a dad now!”

“What did you say?”

In an instant, it felt as if the sky had fallen, a crack seemed to appear in Fu Junyan’s eyes.

He looked in disbelief at Su Cheng, who was holding Qiuqiu, then turned to Ji Meng, his gaze dimmed with despair for a moment.

The son-in-law who had died had suddenly returned.

It was the same day that Ji Qinghe had arranged for their daughter to meet someone, and both families were still present.

Ji Qinghe was momentarily stunned, staring at the tall Su Cheng standing in the living room, blocking the light. For a long while, he couldn’t respond, his expression was dazed.

“Is this the person who was reported a while back to have died but miraculously survived and earned a first-class merit?”

Fu Yuanshan had seen a lot in his life, but he didn’t expect today’s situation. He looked Su Cheng over with a complicated expression and asked, “Is that you?”

“Yes.” Su Cheng stood at attention and returned a military salute.

He recognized Fu Yuanshan the moment he walked in, he was his superior’s superior, and they had crossed paths once before.

“Since we’re at home, there’s no need for military formalities.”

Fu Yuanshan waved his hand and glanced at Su Cheng again, saying:

To be honest, a young man like him would be admirable in any other situation or identity.

But the current circumstances are rather awkward. At least they can be thankful that neither family has made any commitments yet…

As Fu Yuanshan thought of this, a thought suddenly crossed his mind. His expression became serious as he glanced at Su Cheng.

“I remember this was reported in the military a month ago. Why haven’t Mengmeng and the others received any news about you being alive until now?”

As soon as Fu Yuanshan finished speaking, everyone in the living room turned their gaze toward Su Cheng.

Ji Meng was no exception.

Su Cheng’s expression remained relatively calm as he replied, “… At that time, I still had a mission to complete and couldn’t inform my family. Later, there was a critical surgery at the hospital. I was afraid of an accident that would cause my family to feel joy for nothing, so I concealed the fact that I was still alive.”

This wasn’t the answer they had expected.

Fu Yuanshan was momentarily taken aback, as a soldier, he understood Su Cheng’s feelings in an instant.

At this point, the Fu family felt no need to linger. Such an excellent and responsible young man deserved Mengmeng, and that was enough.

Even without a marital bond, the relationship between the Fu and Ji families would remain unaffected.

Thinking of this, Fu Yuanshan’s expression softened, and his gaze toward Su Cheng became gentler.

“You just had surgery, so make sure to rest well. Young man, there will be many opportunities, the most important thing is to take care of your health.”

After saying this, Fu Yuanshan looked at Ji Qinghe and added, “Old Ji, your son-in-law is impressive. Since this is your first meeting, I won’t disturb you further today. I’ll come back another day for tea.”

“This is indeed a joyful occasion. I’m happy for Mengmeng and you. In addition, Mengmeng has been married for so many years without a proper ceremony on this side. You should consider whether you want to hold a banquet to make up for it. I’ll have Qiyan and Junyan come over to send off their sister when the time comes!”

In this situation, acknowledging Ji Meng as a sister to the two sons is the best response.

After years of interaction, Ji Qinghe quickly understood Fu Yuanshan’s intentions. He nodded in agreement, saying, “Alright, then I won’t keep you and Junyan here today.”

“Keep what? Let’s go, we can meet again another day.”

Fu Yuanshan waved his hand and said this before greeting Ji Meng. He then took his grandson Fu Junye’s hand and called over the absent-minded Fu Junyan to leave.

Once Fu Yuanshan and Fu Junyan left, the living room fell into a brief silence.

Ji Qinghe, having seen them off, looked at his son-in-law, who was tall and handsome. Though he was not sure of how to interact with him at the moment, he felt somewhat satisfied.

He sat down on a wooden chair by the coffee table and gestured for Su Cheng to sit on a nearby low stool.

Su Cheng sat down accordingly, but his long legs made it difficult to stretch out on the half-meter-high stool, forcing him to bend his knees.

At this time, Qiuqiu was very clingy toward Su Cheng. Wherever he went, she followed, so he simply picked her up and sat her on his lap.

Since Ji Meng entered the living room, she hadn’t spoken much, but with everyone seated, she couldn’t stand, so she pulled another low stool to sit opposite from Su Cheng.

Her mind was currently in a mess.

Suddenly having a husband would throw anyone off balance.

If she could, she would want a divorce.

But military marriages are hard to end, especially since he had just returned from life and death. Bringing up a divorce now would likely lead to people from the neighborhood and military coming to inquire and persuade.

The key was seeing how dependent Qiuqiu was on Su Cheng, if she suggested a divorce, Qiuqiu would surely struggle to accept it and would suffer significant harm.

Moreover, children from divorced families have a hard time growing up emotionally and physically.

Qiuqiu was sensitive, making it even more difficult.

So what should she do now?

Maintain the status quo?

The problem was that she had no memories of how the original body interacted with Su Cheng. What if Su Cheng, being a military man, noticed her differences and realized she wasn’t the original?

“So what should I do now? Sansan, stop playing dead and give me a solution.”

After a few seconds of silence, Sansan finally spoke up: 【Host, you don’t need to worry. Su Cheng won’t find out. I didn’t transfer the memories of his interactions with the original body to you because they were minimal and unnecessary.】

【Even when accompanying the military, Su Cheng had little time with the original body. He was very busy and often returned just to see Qiuqiu. Besides sending living expenses, he rarely talked—almost like strangers.】

【You can treat him as a stranger and gradually become familiar with him. If he suspects a drastic change in your personality, don’t worry, it’s normal to grow after everything you’ve experienced recently.】

【Host, cheer up! It’s not as bad as it seems. Since Su Cheng came back, Qiuqiu’s darkening value has stabilized, and her happiness level has increased to 65. I feel that if this continues, her happiness value will reach 85 soon, and then I can transfer all the original body’s memories to you.】

Mentioning the darkening value excited Sansan, 【This means Qiuqiu still needs her dad!】

Seeing Ji Meng remain silent, Sansan suppressed her excitement and continued to reassure her: 【Actually, if you take a good look at Su Cheng, he perfectly matches your ideal type! Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and he’s incredibly handsome—truly a rare beauty!】

“You know my ideal type too?” Ji Meng scoffed, glancing at Su Cheng.

The Ji family’s living room wasn’t large, about 20 square meters, with lime-painted walls. In the center was a portrait of a great figure, flanked by two cabinets, a large round table in the middle, and a wooden tea table and chairs on the left side upon entering—the brightest spot in the room.

Su Cheng sat in a position that caught the light perfectly.

The thin sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating him, his fair, stern face appeared even more striking, with clearly defined features. His superior brow and perfect bone structure conveyed both beauty and heroism, making him truly a remarkable sight.

He sat upright while holding Qiuqiu, with his military uniform buttons fastened neatly up to the top button, just resting below his Adam’s apple. His lips, not too thin or too thick, were gently pursed, revealing a hint of the Cupid’s bow.

Ji Meng’s gaze shifted from his lips to his prominent, sexy Adam’s apple, and her slender white fingers twitched slightly.

Alright, he was indeed her type.

But that didn’t mean she could easily accept the fact that she had a cheap husband now.

“You just had surgery? What kind of surgery? How is the recovery? What did the doctor say?”