Chapter 17: The Savings Book—Zhou Zhongshan’s Entire Fortune  

“I will take responsibility for you.”  

Zhou Zhongshan suddenly spoke this seemingly out-of-nowhere statement.  

Jiang Rou was momentarily stunned.  

She glanced down at the red mark on her wrist, then lifted her gaze to the man’s serious expression.  

Her thoughts paused for a moment.  

Then, with complete bewilderment, she responded,  

“This? This isn’t even a real injury. There’s no need to talk about responsibility or anything like that.”  

Zhou Zhongshan raised his eyes.  

His deep black gaze moved from Jiang Rou’s slender wrist to her fair, rosy face.  

Their eyes met.  

This time, the exchange of glances sparked a subtle yet profound emotion between them, something neither had ever felt before.  

Zhou Zhongshan remained just as serious, just as meticulous.  

On his rugged, deep-set face, there was an unprecedented solemnity.  

He repeated the words from earlier, this time with even greater earnestness.  

“Jiang Rou, I will take responsibility for you. When I return to the office this afternoon, I’ll submit a marriage report.”  

Marriage report!  

At the mention of those words, Jiang Rou’s heart felt as if it had lifted into the air.  

At the same time—  

It was also burning with warmth.

In the past, in order to tease Zhou Zhongshan, she had dared to grab the man’s collar and kiss him outright.  

Now, after finally waiting for his promise—  

Clearly, this was the moment she had been looking forward to the most all along.  

Yet, as a modern woman of the 21st century, Jiang Rou actually… actually…  

Actually started feeling shy!  

It seemed that what she had fallen for was not just this man’s tempting physique but Zhou Zhongshan himself.  

The man who, upon learning she was a stand-in bride, had been willing to cancel the engagement without hesitation.  

The man who, knowing she had nowhere to stay, had given up his own bedroom for her and gone to live in his office instead.  

The man who, upon suspecting she had been bullied, had rushed over without a second thought, standing protectively by her side.  

Jiang Rou’s heart lost control once more.  

And at the same time, it skipped a beat.  

Her face flushed red as she softly, lightly, uttered a barely audible “Mm.”  

Hearing Jiang Rou’s response—  

That single “Mm.” like a kitten’s tiny paw, lightly scratched at Zhou Zhongshan’s heart.  

It made even this steady and serious man feel a sudden warmth spreading across his face.

Especially his ears, which burned with a dark red hue.  

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple rolling, and said in a low voice,  

“After submitting the marriage report, we have to wait for approval. It will take a few days. During this time, you can stay here without worry. I… I will continue sleeping in the Military Camp office. As for the wedding arrangements, we will discuss them after the marriage report is approved.”  

Zhou Chongshan took the initiative to inform Jiang Rou about the situation.  

His tone and the rhythm of his words were like a military briefing.  

This was his professional habit, but also his sincerity.  

Since he regarded Jiang Rou as his other half, he informed her of everything in meticulous detail.  

Besides that—  

There was one more important matter.  

“The cabinet in the bedroom has my…”  

As he spoke, Zhou Chongshan glanced toward the bedroom.  

With that glance, he noticed that the bedroom door was slightly ajar, revealing two pairs of small eyes peeking through the gap.  

It was Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua.  

Earlier, when Yang Hongping and the other women had burst into the house, the sudden loud bang of the door startled the two children.  

Everything had happened too suddenly, leaving Jiang Rou no time to attend to them.  

Zhou Xiaochuan had immediately sprung up and grabbed Zhou Xiaohua, who had still been playing with a beanbag.  

Then, like a little wolf cub, he had darted into the bedroom.  

He had even stuffed Zhou Xiaohua under the bed.  

He repeatedly instructed Zhou Xiaohua,  

“Xiaohua, hide in there and don’t come out! No matter what you hear, do not come out! I’ll stay outside and stop the bad guys. I won’t let them hit you. Do you hear me? No matter what, don’t come out!”  

Zhou Xiaohua, with her head pressed down by her brother’s hands, had no choice but to nod.  

Zhou Xiaochuan had then used his small body to block the door, standing guard with every muscle tensed in vigilance.  

And then…

It had been an unexpected misunderstanding, but with Jiang Rou’s deft handling, she had effortlessly defused what could have been an explosive situation.  

Later, with Zhou Chongshan’s arrival, Zhou Xiaochuan’s tense emotions had gradually eased.  

He had crawled under the bed and pulled out Zhou Xiaohua, who had curled up into a ball.  

The two dirt-covered children had then crouched by the door, eavesdropping on the conversation between Zhou Chongshan and Jiang Rou through the gap.  

Zhou Xiaochuan was only six years old. Though he was mature for his age, there were still some things he did not fully understand.  

But he understood the words “marriage report.”  

This unfamiliar woman was going to marry his father!  

Zhou Xiaochuan’s brows furrowed tightly.  

His dark, shiny eyes locked onto Jiang Rou with even greater intensity.  

The little wolf cub seemed to be sharpening his claws.  

At this moment—  

Zhou Chongshan noticed the two children.  

Jiang Rou turned around and saw them as well.  

Zhou Chongshan frowned. “Where is Xu Chunxiang? Didn’t she come to take the children?”  

“Xu Chunxiang never came this morning. The children have been playing by themselves the whole time.” Jiang Rou answered honestly.  

She understood the situation even more clearly now.  

The misunderstanding that had played out in the courtyard today, along with the rumors about her being the daughter of a capitalist, had undoubtedly been spread and instigated by Xu Chunxiang behind the scenes.  

The reason Xu Chunxiang had not shown up today…

On one hand, Xu Chunxiang believed that Jiang Rou would soon be taken away.  

Once Jiang Rou was gone, she could step in as the victor—there was no rush.  

On the other hand, she wanted to avoid suspicion.  

By not being present when the other women arrived, she could make it seem as if she had nothing to do with the incident, ensuring that no one would suspect her involvement.  

However, Xu Chunxiang failed to realize—  

This very abnormal behavior confirmed Jiang Rou’s suspicion that she was the one scheming behind the scenes.  

Xu Chunxiang had neglected her duties.  

Zhou Chongshan took note of this but chose to set it aside for now.  

He walked over to Zhou Xiaochuan and Zhou Xiaohua, first asking if they had eaten breakfast. Then, he reached out and patted the dust off their clothes, gently ruffling their heads. In a low voice, he said,  

“Xiaochuan, take your sister to play in the courtyard for now. Don’t go far. Dad needs to talk to you alone later.”  

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaochuan immediately looked up and shot Jiang Rou a sharp, unfriendly glance.  

But with Zhou Chongshan standing right in front of him—  

He had no choice but to nod.  

“Dad, I understand.”  

Holding Zhou Xiaohua’s hand, Zhou Xiaochuan obediently walked toward the courtyard.  

…  

Inside the house, only Zhou Chongshan and Jiang Rou remained.  

The two of them stepped into the bedroom.  

Zhou Chongshan opened the wardrobe he had mentioned earlier.  

Then—

Jiang Rou watched as Zhou Chongshan pulled out a folding military knife.  

With a flick of his fingers, the knife unfolded, revealing its silver blade.  

The movement was smooth and fluid, as if it were an extension of his body.  

Jiang Rou was completely stunned in that moment.  

Then, she saw Zhou Chongshan press the sharp blade into a piece of wood inside the wardrobe.  

He applied a bit of force, then gently twisted it.  

To her amazement, what seemed like a solid piece of wood actually concealed a hidden compartment.  

What a secret mechanism.  

Jiang Rou couldn’t help but marvel.  

She thought to herself, if something important were hidden in such an inconspicuous place, it would definitely go unnoticed.  

But then—  

Wait!  

If it was such a secret place, why would Zhou Chongshan openly reveal it in front of her?  

Wasn’t he worried that she would find out?  

Jiang Rou didn’t have time to continue pondering.  

Because Zhou Chongshan had already pulled out a thick stack of items from the hidden compartment.  

Then, he shoved them all into her palm.  

Jiang Rou looked down, and what filled her eyes were… money and tickets!  

The denominations weren’t large—most were five or ten yuan, with some coins as small as one or two mao. At a glance, there must have been around a hundred yuan.

The money was plenty, various grain tickets, rice tickets, oil tickets, cloth tickets, and even bicycle tickets…

There were all sorts of tickets, everything one might need in daily life.

Some of them Jiang Rou knew about, while others she did not, and it was truly an eye-opener for her.

In addition to the money and tickets, there was also a… passbook.

Jiang Rou’s palm sank. She suddenly realized what all these things meant.

This was Zhou Chongshan’s entire fortune!

She raised her eyes, her gaze filled with surprise.

Zhou Chongshan, however, appeared calm: “It’s for you.”

“For me?”

Jiang Rou wasn’t sure and asked again.

Zhou Chongshan still nodded with ease, his face showing no signs of difficulty or hesitation.

The man explained carefully.

“Over the years, aside from the monthly allowance I sent back home, these are all my personal assets. Since we have decided to get married, from now on, these things will be under your control.”

Jiang Rou gasped in disbelief.

She had actually guessed it right.

It really was Zhou Chongshan’s entire fortune!

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