“Zhi Ting, is what your sister saying true?” the mother-in-law asked, sitting down on a chair, looking tired, no longer speaking loudly to argue but in a very calm and slow tone.
“Yes!” Leng Zhi Ting nodded decisively. “Actually, I knew this matter couldn’t be kept from you all. After all, the results will come out in half a month, and I’ll have to confess to you then. So, I’ll admit it now!”
“Becoming a soldier, a pilot, and specifically a fighter jet pilot, has always been my absolute dream. If I have the opportunity in the future, I also hope to become an astronaut. That’s why I signed up for the flight recruitment.”
“And to be honest, after the recruitment, I called my brother-in-law and told him everything, hoping he would help me become a pilot. My brother-in-law is very supportive of my wish. He inquired for me and said my physical condition is perfectly suitable. Although there might be some other aspects that aren’t quite met, where there’s a will, there’s a way. As long as I’m willing to work hard, I can become a qualified pilot.”
“Well, in short, I asked my brother-in-law to pull some strings, and it’s pretty much a done deal that I can become a pilot. And as soon as high school ends, I can report to the aviation academy directly in September. I don’t have to endure another year of senior high; I can enlist right away!” Leng Zhi Ting was indeed honest, spilling out all the details.
“Pilot…” The mother-in-law fell silent. She instinctively wanted to object. It wasn’t that she thought being a pilot was a bad job, but rather she felt flying in the sky was too dangerous. Who knew when a separation of life and death might occur? She couldn’t bear such an outcome.
In fact, even though the mother-in-law had scolded her so fiercely earlier, accusing Leng Zhi Ting of lacking ambition, her own future life plans for her daughter…
She also planned for her daughter to immediately join Jiangnan Group after graduating from university, start at the grassroots level for three to five years, and then have her daughter directly arranged into a management position. Eventually, she would become a senior executive in the company, helping her elder sister manage the business.
After all, they were family, sisters, which was better than outsiders.
Zhi Ruo and Zhi Meng were already internationally renowned entrepreneurs, and Zhi Wen had become a world-famous celebrity. Each of them was very capable, which made the mother-in-law very proud. She also wanted her fifth daughter to replicate a similar life. However, this one actually wanted to be a pilot.
Once enlisted, especially in a job like a pilot, at least twenty to thirty years of her life would be invested. During this time, she might find it difficult to even see them during Lunar New Year. How could a mother bear to let go?
Therefore, the mother-in-law hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to pick up the phone and call her second, third, and fourth daughters to discuss it, leaving Leng Zhi Ting alone in the living room.
“Why did you sell me out?” After the mother-in-law left, Leng Zhi Ting glared at Leng Zhi Yuan, very angrily.
“When did I promise not to tell Mom about this?” Leng Zhi Yuan replied while seriously looking at her textbook. “This kind of thing shouldn’t be kept from Mom. It’s not a bad thing, so why act like you’re guilty of something?”
“Fine, you have the sharpest tongue among us sisters. I can’t argue with you. Do you think Mom will finally agree to me becoming a pilot?” Leng Zhi Ting asked cautiously.
“A 98.2% chance, you can make your dream come true!” Leng Zhi Yuan said.
“How did you calculate that probability?”
“It’s simple. Mom must have asked the elder sisters, and they must have asked the brother-in-law. Since the brother-in-law has already agreed to help you pull strings, how could he possibly disagree?” Leng Zhi Yuan sighed.
“Then where does this 1.8% chance of failure come from?” Leng Zhi Ting asked nervously.
“That mainly comes from our unreliable fourth sister,” Leng Zhi Yuan said. “If she accidentally says something thoughtlessly, you still have a chance to continue the struggle. But as I said, becoming a pilot is not a bad thing. On the contrary, it’s a good thing that benefits the nation and the country. As long as you persist, Mom cannot refuse your request!”
As expected, as soon as Leng Zhi Yuan finished speaking, the mother-in-law walked back with heavy steps, staring at Leng Zhi Ting. After making the energetic girl almost go crazy, she slowly said, “Your brother-in-law just called me proactively and talked with me for a long time. I couldn’t argue with him. Since you want to go to the sky, then go to the sky!”
“Thank you, Mom, I love you the most!” Leng Zhi Ting hugged her mother and kissed her fiercely several times, her excitement evident.
“Alas, your brother-in-law is right. It’s a great thing for you, this troublemaker, to be trained in the army. It will be very beneficial for your future.”
“As for your elder sisters… alas…” The mother-in-law stopped short, probably feeling that some things were not suitable to be told to these children, so she retracted her words, tidied up some housework, and returned to her room.
“What do you think Mom was trying to say just now?” Leng Zhi Ting jumped to her sister’s side again, asking curiously.
“What else could she say? It’s the same old topic, the issue of our long-awaited nephew or niece!” Leng Zhi Yuan continued to answer every question.
“You can guess that?” Leng Zhi Ting was shocked.
“It’s not hard to guess. Mom’s mind is entirely focused on us sisters. And all of us sisters are completely provided for, or rather, we can do whatever we want for the rest of our lives. There’s nothing in this world that money can buy to worry Mom anymore. What’s left is what money can’t buy.”
“In that case, it only leaves our little nephew!” Leng Zhi Yuan said.
“Zhi Yuan, why don’t you be my Zhuge Liang in the future? I’ll lead the cosmic fleet and wreak havoc in the galaxy, establishing a powerful Galactic Empire!” Leng Zhi Ting said excitedly. Leng Zhi Yuan remained expressionless, having long been accustomed to her sister’s various erratic thoughts and behaviors.
“But speaking of this issue, is it really not about us sisters? The problem might be with the brother-in-law himself. He might have a constitution that prevents him from having children!” Leng Zhi Ting suddenly began to worry about her two elder sisters again, trying to analyze the situation.
“That’s not possible. Brother-in-law actually already has a son,” Leng Zhi Yuan said.
“Oh, then Brother-in-law indeed… Wait, what did you say?” Leng Zhi Ting suddenly jumped up, looking at her sister in disbelief. “You can’t just spout nonsense about such things. We sisters see each other several times a month. Their bellies can’t possibly hide from my eyes!”
“You only look at their bellies, but you don’t look at their shoes. Haven’t you noticed that the shoulders of their clothes are always a little wet when the sisters come home?” Leng Zhi Yuan said.
“Ah… why would I look at their shoulders?” Leng Zhi Ting was bewildered.
“Alas, this is a clear sign that they’ve been holding children. They hold the child upright against them, resting their chin on their shoulders. And infants are very prone to spitting up milk or drooling, so the shoulder area often has wet marks from liquid.”
“I guess they must have been holding children frequently recently, and not just politely holding other people’s children, but holding their own children for extended periods. Otherwise, such large wet marks wouldn’t be left behind. Also, this child is likely being raised nearby, possibly at brother-in-law’s villa, but since brother-in-law isn’t home, we never thought to go and check there.”
“Wait, my head is a bit confused… Second Sister and Third Sister never had big bellies, but they often hold children, and this child is being raised in brother-in-law’s house. Could it be that…” At this point, Leng Zhi Ting shivered. “Fourth Sister finally made a move on Brother-in-law and even had a child with him?”
“…” Even the formidable Leng Zhi Yuan couldn’t help but roll her eyes and then say helplessly, “Sister, please use your brain. Which month have you not snuck over to Fourth Sister’s place to play games? Would you not have seen her belly?”
“Ah… then could it be an outside woman!” Leng Zhi Ting finally understood.
“Yes, it’s definitely an outside woman. And if nothing unexpected happened, it’s probably that secretary named Hu Jing. She’s been with Brother-in-law for 5 years. She doesn’t have a boyfriend and isn’t married. It’s almost impossible for nothing to happen between them over such a long time!”
“About a year or so ago, this woman suddenly disappeared mysteriously. She used to accompany Brother-in-law when he visited us, but then she disappeared. Later, Second Sister became Brother-in-law’s secretary again. Don’t you find that very strange?”
“And recently I watched a report and interview about our brother-in-law on CCTV, and that woman appeared in the footage again, seemingly returned to her secretarial position. Meanwhile, our Second Sister has become the Vice Chairman of the Group on the official website, and her title of secretary has disappeared.”
“So the answer is obvious. During the period she disappeared, this Hu Jing must have been pregnant and awaiting childbirth, and then raising the child. Only when our little nephew was almost a year old and could be separated from his mother did she return to her work position to continue serving as Brother-in-law’s secretary!”
“What, such a thing happened!” Leng Zhi Ting was immediately agitated. “No, I have to tell Second Sister and Third Sister this secret so they can teach Brother-in-law a good lesson!”
“Alas…” Leng Zhi Yuan sighed again. “Please, my silly sister, I told you Second Sister and Third Sister often hold the child, so how could they not know about this child’s existence? And from what I know of Brother-in-law, he’s sensible enough about such matters and wouldn’t keep it from his two sisters.”
“So I think the three of them must have reached an understanding.”
“Then… no, I have to tell Mom…”
“No!” Leng Zhi Yuan stopped her sister again.
“Why? Do we still have to hide this from Mom?”
“Of course, we have to hide it. Otherwise, Fourth Sister will be in big trouble!” Leng Zhi Yuan said with a wry smile, unaware that, just a wall away behind them, the mother-in-law had heard her precious daughter’s entire analysis.
The mother-in-law swore to the heavens that she had only come to urge the two of them to finish their homework.
Afterwards, the mother-in-law pondered for a long time and finally called Leng Zhi Meng. “Can you come back? Mom has something to ask of you!”