The rain outside had been pattering softly all morning, a cool breeze carrying droplets that tapped against the transparent glass, forming tiny rivulets that trickled slowly downward.  

Xiuzhu had been sleeping heavily in her room when the sound of knocking at the door roused her from a pleasant dream.  

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she slowly opened her large, dewy eyes, her gaze still hazy with drowsiness.  

After a moment, she sat up, rubbing her eyes with her hands, and called out to the person outside in a grumbling tone, “Lin Yaowen, this had better be important.”  

Outside, Lin Yaowen, having knocked for so long, was now a little impatient himself.  

With deliberate loudness, he shouted downstairs, “Well, I don’t know if Grandpa coming back counts as important to you, Comrade Lin.”  

Instantly, Xiuzhu’s eyes cleared, and with a swift kick, she threw off the covers, planted her feet on the floor, slipped into a pair of slippers, and hurried toward the door.  

The series of movements was smooth and swift, completely devoid of the earlier grogginess and sluggishness.  

Her voice brimmed with urgency. “When did Grandpa get back? Is he downstairs now?”  

Without waiting for a reply, she dashed downstairs.  

In the living room, the elderly man stood tall and straight, the corners of his eyes bearing traces of time’s passage.  

A warm smile graced his face as he chatted with the children. With the rain keeping everyone indoors, the whole family was gathered together.  

Hearing the commotion from upstairs, his smile grew even more affectionate. “Haha, Xiuzhu, slow down—be careful not to trip!”  

Xiuzhu threw herself into her grandfather’s arms, snuggling against him. “Grandpa, I missed you so much!”  

Grandpa Lin gently stroked his granddaughter’s head and replied tenderly, “Grandpa missed our Xiuzhu too.”  

The two settled onto the sofa, where Xiuzhu continued to express her longing for her grandfather without restraint, her smile growing ever brighter as she shared snippets of her recent life.  

The Lin family, accustomed to this, sat around the living room sipping tea and chatting, occasionally chiming in.  

Ling Luochuan sat silently in the living room, watching the harmonious interactions of the Lin family with a pang of envy.  

Seeing them gathered together, their faces alight with happy smiles, he couldn’t help but feel out of place.  

This kind of familial warmth stirred a longing in his heart, and he found himself wondering—why couldn’t his own family be like this?  

But he quickly snapped out of it. The Ling family would never see such a scene, no matter the time or place. Yet… his future life didn’t necessarily have to be the same.  

His gaze drifted unconsciously toward Xiuzhu.  

Ever since the first time he saw that girl running toward Lin Yaoyu, he couldn’t help but pay attention to her.  

Her demeanor and movements exuded an indescribable liveliness and charm.  

Her eyes were clear and bright, her smile so radiant and pure that it seemed to dispel all the gloom in his heart in an instant.  

Right now, she was laughing, her lips curving into a perfect arc, her peach-blossom eyes crinkling into crescents.  

That vivacity and sweetness made him yearn to draw closer, to claim it for himself.  

He wanted to return to the Ling family—to fight for himself, just once.  

*  

After dinner, Xiuzhu tiptoed into Grandpa Lin’s room, which was furnished simply and with an old-fashioned elegance.  

Grandpa Lin was sitting at his desk brewing tea. Seeing his little granddaughter enter, his expression softened with affection. “Xiuzhu, is something on your mind?”  

Xiuzhu walked over to him and asked quietly, “Grandpa, I’ve been having restless dreams lately. I’m worried something bad might happen to our family.”  

Grandpa Lin looked at her, his heart aching for his granddaughter, and reassured her gently, “It’s just nightmares. Dreams are the opposite of reality—there’s nothing to fear.”  

“As for our Lin family, with your uncle and your father here, nothing will go wrong.”  

Grandpa Lin assumed his granddaughter had simply had a bad dream. In his youth, he had fought alongside high-ranking officers, and though he had retired early due to poor health years ago,  

his two sons had both achieved respectable positions—one as a division commander and the other as a deputy division commander.  

Though the current situation was tense, the Lin family had always conducted themselves with integrity, and he truly couldn’t imagine anything that might threaten them.  

As for his second son’s wife, though her background had once been questionable, his son had resolved the issue back then. As long as they didn’t offend those in power, there was no reason for it to be dredged up again.  

Hearing her grandfather echo her father’s reassurances, Xiuzhu felt helpless. There was no way she could simply come out and say what was truly on her mind.  

But her purpose in coming here now wasn’t to convince her family to believe in her dreams. No matter how much they doted on her, they would never accept such fanciful notions.  

She had sought out her grandfather to gather information about the various factions in the capital. She had noticed that the names of the current high-ranking officials didn’t match those from her past life, and even the names of the provinces were different.  

This led her to suspect that the world she now lived in was a parallel version of the 1960s from her previous life.  

Xiuzhu nodded obediently, then asked with a sweet smile, “Grandpa, I understand. But I’d like to know—if our family ever faces trouble, who could help us?”

Grandpa Lin was surprised by his granddaughter’s question.  

These were matters typically discussed among the men of the Lin family. The women were simply expected to live carefree, happy lives, shielded from such concerns.  

But as he looked at Xiuzhu’s strikingly beautiful face, a trace of worry flickered in his heart. An ordinary family might not be able to protect her.  

Since he needed to review the current state of affairs in the capital anyway, he decided it wouldn’t hurt to let her listen in.  

When discussing serious matters, Grandpa Lin’s expression turned solemn and focused, his eyes gleaming with depth, his words measured and deliberate.  

“The military compound in the capital is divided into East City and West City. If we categorize the power structure into three tiers, our West City belongs to the outermost layer.”

“East City mostly occupies the middle tier—but within it lies the innermost core of power.” 

“In truth, there are only eight families in that core.” 

“If the Lin family were ever unfortunate enough to cross those eight, no one could save us.”

**…**  

Xiuzhu’s lips pressed into a tight line, her face instantly paling. Her eyes widened, brimming with fear and unease.  

Seeing how frightened she was, Grandpa Lin quickly reassured her, “Don’t be scared, Xiuzhu. I haven’t finished yet. Those eight families are far beyond our reach—they wouldn’t bother with us.”

Xiuzhu raised a hand to pat her chest. “Grandpa, don’t say it like that! You scared me!”

Her mind wasn’t particularly sharp—having memories from a past life didn’t make her any smarter. Complex matters still eluded her. All she understood was that there were eight supremely powerful families.  

Eagerly, she pressed, “Grandpa, tell me about those eight families!”

Grandpa Lin stroked his chin with his rough hand. “Well, I only know about two of them.”  

Curious, she clung to his arm. “Which two, Grandpa?”

“The Ling family and the Gu family in East City. The Ling family—that’s the family of your brother’s comrade. The head of the household is his paternal grandfather.” Grandpa Lin’s throat felt dry, so he paused to take a sip of tea.  

A flush of excitement spread across Xiuzhu’s cheeks, her hands unconsciously clenching into fists.  

*The Gu family—could it be Gu Yu’s family?!*  

She suddenly remembered—her eldest brother had mentioned yesterday that Gu Yu was also from East City.  

Her lips parted slightly in shock, and it took her a moment to regain her composure. “Grandpa, what is Gu Yu’s relation to this Gu family?”  

Grandpa Lin took another sip of tea, soothing his throat before answering. He was surprised Xiuzhu had brought up Gu Yu.  

“Xiuzhu, how do you know Gu Yu? He’s the youngest grandson of Old Master Gu.”

Xiuzhu felt her heart pound so hard it might leap out of her chest. Steadying herself, she avoided mentioning their romantic involvement and instead told her grandfather only about how Gu Yu had once saved her.  

Grandpa Lin listened thoughtfully.  

*So my granddaughter has this kind of connection with the Gu family’s youngest heir…*