Chapter 17 It’s easier to start if you have someone you know

Jiang Yuan took a few deep breaths before daring to look up at his daughter’s little face and said, “We’re not giving it to him! How could we give something that belongs to my daughter to someone else? Tomorrow, your mom will make you a big bowl of chicken noodle soup and fry an egg too!”

Only then did Jiang Qingrou smile. “As long as Daddy doesn’t blame me. But I don’t want to eat it alone—I want to eat with everyone!”

Hearing this made Jiang Yuan feel even more guilty toward his daughter. He waved his hand and said, “I won’t eat. I’m not worthy of it. You all eat.”

Maybe it was the alcohol, but his eyes turned red thinking about his precious daughter’s aggrieved expression earlier.

Jiang Qingrou realized this had gotten out of hand. She quickly walked over to comfort her emotional father. “Dad, you have to eat with us. If you don’t eat, how could I eat? Right?”

Jiang Yuan looked into Jiang Qingrou’s pure and innocent eyes and finally nodded, “Then Dad will just have a little bit.”

Jiang Qingrou smiled and swiftly changed the subject. After chatting for a while, sleepiness hit her and she went into her room first.

Only after she left did Qi Fang lower her voice and coldly say to her husband, “You better keep your brother in check from now on. Didn’t you see how close Rou Rou was to crying today? You can bear to hurt your own daughter but can’t bear to scold your brother?”

Jiang Yuan, seeing that the sons had also returned to their rooms, put his arm around his wife’s shoulder and apologized, “How could I? Next time, I’ll give him a proper scolding!”

“Fine.” Qi Fang softened slightly and suddenly said, “By the way, since your daughter got into the arts troupe, don’t you think you should get her something? You haven’t spent your pocket money these past few months, have you?”

Jiang Yuan broke out in a cold sweat. He suddenly remembered how yesterday Jiang Yi had cried in front of him about not having money for food, and he had promised to secretly give him some money in a few days. If it hadn’t just been the two of them there, he would have thought Qi Fang somehow knew about it and brought it up on purpose.

“Why aren’t you talking? Don’t tell me you’re out of money?” Qi Fang gave him a sharp look.

Jiang Yuan quickly waved his hands. “No, no! Of course I’ll prepare a big gift for Rou Rou. Just you wait and see.”

Even without today’s events, his daughter would still matter more than his brother. Let alone after all that had happened—he certainly wouldn’t use money meant for Rou Rou’s gift to support someone who upset her.

Only then did Qi Fang smile. “At least you know how to love your daughter.”

…

Jiang Fei wasn’t done being scolded until late into the night. After quickly eating a couple of coarse grain pancakes, she was told to turn off the lights and sleep. Since she lived on the balcony, she could only use the living room light. Once the family wanted to sleep, even if she hadn’t finished what she needed to do, she had no choice but to turn the lights off.

Sitting on the wooden plank bed, Jiang Fei did her best to shut the window tight to keep out the draft—it was the middle of winter. She hugged her knees on the bed. Her window directly faced Jiang Qingrou’s room.

Smelling the sweat on her body and still feeling the emptiness in her stomach, Jiang Fei finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and began to cry again. She bit her lip and thought, Why doesn’t Jiang Qingrou just drop dead?

It was all Jiang Qingrou’s fault that everything turned out like this. If she hadn’t messed with her in the dressing room, how could she have gone on stage without makeup and messed up her performance? If it weren’t for Jiang Qingrou, she wouldn’t have embarrassed herself in front of the dance troupe, and her parents wouldn’t have scolded her so harshly.

Jealousy and resentment tangled like vines in Jiang Fei’s mind, growing wildly.

No, there’s no way Jiang Qingrou could’ve earned that score on her own. She was going to ask Yu Siming the day after tomorrow. She had to get proof that Jiang Qingrou used connections. She had to report her! She had to make sure she got sent down to the countryside!

…

Early the next morning, He Wei rushed into the commander’s office with Jiang Qingrou’s file, a cheerful look on his face.

Commander Wei had started his day early as well, so he opened the door the moment he heard He Wei’s hurried footsteps.

Smiling, he asked, “You’ve got it all checked out?”

He had only assigned He Wei one task. Since the guy came running in so early and excited, there had to be results.

Seeing He Wei’s happy expression, Commander Wei also couldn’t help but smile. Looks like things were going well.

But He Wei didn’t speak right away. Instead, he asked curiously, “Commander, how’d you know it was me before I even knocked?”

Commander Wei gave a tight-lipped, sarcastic smile. “Who else could it be? I’ve been waiting for you.”

He patted He Wei on the shoulder like he was placing heavy expectations on him. Then his expression shifted slightly to helplessness.

Other people came to see him quietly and professionally. That was protocol. Even Cen Shi could appear without a sound and occasionally catch him off guard. Only He Wei would stomp down the hallway like he was going to smash through the floor. Who else could it be?

He Wei thought the commander was praising him and scratched his head sheepishly. “Doing work for the commander, I’d give my life for the cause!”

Then he paused, realizing something was off. This was for Cen Tuan Zhang’s (Commander Cen’s) marriage, and he was just a side character. Was it really that serious?

But seeing the commander’s face darken, he quickly handed over the file and grinned. “This Comrade Jiang Qingrou’s family background is pretty solid—actually matches our commander quite well.”

He added, “Especially her eldest and second brothers, both of whom are veterans. No wonder she said what she said last time. Turns out her whole family is full of patriotic youth!”

He Wei was recalling the words he had overheard outside the dressing room yesterday from Jiang Qingrou. To be honest, they had fired him up.

Commander Wei asked, “What did she say? You spoke to her?”

He Wei quickly waved his hands, “Of course not! Here’s what happened…” and he started to babble out the whole story again.

Commander Wei had initially felt irritated at He Wei’s rambling, but hearing the rest, his face also showed appreciation. “She’s a good girl.”

Then he opened the dossier and began reading. The more he read, the more satisfied he looked.

Though he’d always said that if Cen Shi liked someone, background didn’t matter—but deep down, he knew that wasn’t entirely true. Because a person’s family background greatly influences how they’re raised, their character, their values.

He Wei watched the commander’s expression grow increasingly pleased and felt a bit concerned: What if someone with a background this good had high standards and didn’t even like our commander? It wasn’t about status—but that girl… she was truly stunning.

When Commander Wei saw Jiang Qingrou’s photo at the end, his eyes lit up. “She and Cen Shi really are a match made in heaven!”

He Wei immediately echoed, “She is beautiful. But Commander, she’s even prettier in person!”

He had seen the photo—compared to her real self, it looked stiff and lacked the confident charm she had on stage.

Only when you saw her in person did you truly understand how stunning she was.

Commander Wei nodded repeatedly in satisfaction and then pulled out a particular record. “Her brother is Jiang Qingzhi?”

He’d skimmed that part earlier without noticing. Now that he paid attention, he realized it was a familiar name.

If there’s a familiar connection… then it’ll be much easier to take the next step.