After Awakening, She Tore Apart Her Enemies and Joined the Army on an Island - Chapter 45

Fingers silently twirled around that long strand of hair, her mood relaxed, and her entire aura unconsciously softened considerably.

As she raised her eyes, she unexpectedly met Wang Qinglin’s peeking gaze in the rearview mirror.

Huo Zhenhua’s long arm reached over the seat, tapping Wang Qinglin’s head with just the right amount of force.

“Eyes on the road!”

Hearing this, Su Meng turned around in surprise, looking at Huo Zhenhua with confusion. “What did you say?”

Was he trying to control everything, even where she looked?

Hmph!

So full of himself!

Huo Zhenhua was momentarily taken aback but decided to play along, a smirk curling at the corner of his lips as a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. “Is this your first time here? You look like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden.”

Su Meng: “…”

She turned away angrily.

This man never had anything nice to say.

Just moments ago, she had noticed familiar street names, and comparing them with the book, she realized those were the very streets where the female protagonist, Zhong Wanrou, had seized the opportunities of the reform and opening-up era to earn bucket after bucket of gold.

Hah! Now that she had disrupted the storyline, she wondered if Zhong Wanrou would still make a triumphant return as described in the book.

“Regiment Commander Huo, may I ask if those sent down to labor farms for reformation still have a chance to leave the farms?”

Huo Zhenhua raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes shimmering with a gentle amusement. “Are you asking about your second grandfather or your stepsister?”

Su Meng pouted. “What’s the difference?”

“Your second grandfather has offended too many people; I’m afraid he won’t be able to leave. But as for your stepsister, if she’s lucky enough to marry into a well-connected family that has been wrongfully accused, she might be able to leave along with those who are rehabilitated.”

This was the first time Huo Zhenhua had spoken to Su Meng so calmly, startling her into a daze. She couldn’t help but glance at him curiously, again and again.

This man… actually had a normal side to him!

“She should focus on reforming herself properly at the farm.” Su Meng rested her chin on her hand, recalling the Zhong Wanrou from the book, the one who had murdered her own parents and pushed her into the river. Her fingers tightened slightly.

It would be even better if she could just disappear.

But what Su Meng didn’t know was that Zhong Wanrou, with memories of her past life, not only knew in advance about the flood in Zhou City but also knew that Nie Ronghua from the Southeast Military Region would be sent there for disaster relief.

She wanted to escape and find Nie Ronghua to start a new life.

Su Meng lowered her gaze, her thoughts unreadable to Huo Zhenhua. But seeing her troubled expression, he silently took note of the people at the labor farm.

After getting out of the jeep, Huo Zhenhua made a quick stop at the Guangzhou Armed Forces Department to make a phone call before hurriedly leading them back to the train station.

“Are we going to Zhou City?” Su Meng looked at the train ticket in her hand, frowning as she asked Huo Zhenhua, “Didn’t you say you were sending me back? My home is in Shanghai. I’m not going to Zhou City.”

Zhou City was located south of Shanghai, still a few stops away.

She couldn’t understand why Huo Zhenhua had given her a ticket to Zhou City.

Huo Zhenhua maintained a serious expression, showing no guilt as he spoke with unwavering confidence. “Our Division Commander Tang wants to meet you.”

It was only then that he belatedly realized the misunderstanding in their earlier conversation, and to his surprise, he felt a hint of secret delight.

If he had to trick her into coming back with him, so be it, the outcome was what he wanted, after all.

“You finally get to meet the division commander as you wished. Are you happy?”

Su Meng also realized the misunderstanding. After a moment of stunned silence, her face turned pale with anger as she retorted, “Why would I be happy? I’ll transfer to another train as soon as we reach Zhou City.”

“I want to go home, to find my father and younger brother. I don’t know how they’re doing.”

Punishing her enemies and protecting her family’s wealth, this was the first step she had taken since her awakening. It was also the most crucial step in changing her own destiny.

Next, she wanted to find her father and younger brother so the family could reunite.

As for the Su family’s businesses, most had been donated, and the rest had been sold off by Shen Wuyang. As someone who knew nothing about business, she couldn’t restore the Su family’s former glory as the wealthiest clan overnight. She could only take it one step at a time, slowly and steadily.

“Do you have any leads on them?”

Huo Zhenhua turned his head to look directly at her, a flicker of heartache passing through his eyes. His gaze softened considerably as he spoke gently, “Perhaps I can help.”

He didn’t argue with Su Meng about where she intended to go, only hoping that she might change her mind before they reached Zhou City. Or perhaps she could wait a little, he would find time to accompany her back to Shanghai.

He wasn’t comfortable with the idea of Su Meng returning alone.

He had witnessed firsthand how Su Meng had gradually exposed Zhong Cuilin and Shen Wuyang’s true faces, step by step, and skillfully brought them to justice. Thinking back to that time when they were both trapped together, just the two of them, she had remained calm and composed, turning the situation around against all odds.

She was an intelligent and resilient woman, so strong it made his heart ache.

He wanted to help her.

Su Meng frowned, looking at the man who seemed to have transformed before her eyes, and asked bluntly without hesitation, “Since when are you so kind-hearted?”

But she had clearly heard his inner thoughts, he genuinely wanted to help her.

A person’s inner voice doesn’t lie.

Hadn’t he always been suspicious and guarded around her? Why the sudden change in attitude?

Considering how young he was to have already become a regiment commander, his mind was surely deeper than the Pacific Ocean. It was possible that beneath his calm and kind exterior, he was using Division Commander Tang’s summons as bait to confirm his suspicions.

Hah! Such a suspicious man!

“Thank you, but no.”

She really had no interest in talking to someone who was constantly on guard against her. So, she took out a book and began reading as if no one else was around.

Hearing this, Huo Zhenhua once again swallowed his words in frustration. He let out a heavy sigh. This petty woman was definitely holding a grudge against him. But that small misunderstanding in their conversation hadn’t been intentional, why couldn’t she understand that?

Ah! Should he try to coax her? How could he make her trust him? How could he make her see… his sincerity?

Huo Zhenhua stole glance after glance at the young woman on the adjacent berth, hesitating to speak.

“Hey, Su Meng, I’m telling the truth.”

Su Meng glanced at him briefly before returning her attention to her book.

Huo Zhenhua: “…”

Ah! This is exhausting!

If he had known she would be this petty, he would have thought twice before speaking.

His sighs came one after another, making Wang Qinglin unable to hold back his laughter. He awkwardly tried to change the subject, “Regiment Commander, who did you meet at the Guangzhou Armed Forces Department?”

Huo Zhenhua, feeling gloomy, didn’t want to talk.

He had originally gone to the Guangzhou Armed Forces Department to see an acquaintance, someone who, during a mission, had been knocked out and sent to the local armed forces department.

Hahaha!

Who would have thought that fool would first be mistaken for an accomplice of enemy spies and then get knocked out again? What a joke of the century! Utterly humiliating.

But then Division Commander Tang’s sudden phone call had forced him to speed up his schedule and return early to lead his team in disaster relief.

Before heading out on the mission, he wanted to ensure Su Meng was safely delivered to the military district.

Wang Qinglin was positioned above Huo Zhenhua and diagonally above Su Meng.

Seeing that Huo Zhenhua ignored him, he turned his gaze toward Su Meng.

Noticing the illustration on Su Meng’s book page, his eyes lit up, and he made an apologetic request: “Comrade Su, may I borrow your book for a moment?”