Chapter 1

In the early morning, the sun shone brightly, and the air was fresh.

Seven years had passed, and under the influence of the reform and opening-up, this old capital city began to exude new vitality.

The buildings were taller, the roads wider, the traffic denser, and there were more people.

As the only open lake in the city, the changes around Shichahai were undoubtedly significant.

A large courtyard adjacent to Houhai had been transformed into a towering complex, with the four giant golden characters "Shengshi Huaju" (Prosperous Residence) standing out prominently, shining brightly in the morning sun.

It was now 1994, and the housing reform wave in the People's Republic had just begun. Shengshi Huaju, a flagship project by Shengshi Real Estate, was the most dazzling crown in this initial wave of reform.

And the three-story villa complex, Huaju Chunshui'an, adjacent to Houhai, was the pearl on this crown.

At this moment, in a room on the second floor of a villa right by the lake, a boy of about seven years old was lying on a hard bed, sleeping soundly.

One would think that anyone who could live here would be a wealthy merchant or a high-ranking official, and the interior should be luxurious. However, this room was extremely simple, with the few pieces of furniture arranged as neatly as in a military camp.

Ding ling ling, a pleasant ringing sound echoed, and the boy frowned, reaching under his pillow to grab a small, pink, palm-sized device that looked like a girl's toy.

It was 1994, and the time of the "big brother" mobile phones was in full swing.

Where did this come from? It turned out that the device in the boy's hand was a prototype developed by Shengshi Communications Laboratory, equipped with satellite communication, capable of only single-number calls, essentially a walkie-talkie.

Without looking at the screen, the boy, still half-asleep, pressed the talk button and complained in a tender voice, "Sis, be good, don't make a fuss, let big brother sleep."

Immediately, a soft and pleasant voice came from the other end of the line, "Big brother, are you still sleeping? The sun is shining on your butt. I'm at Mom's island, and I found out that you're on summer break too. Come quickly, let's go on a big boat to catch sharks."

The little girl on the other end was jumping with excitement.

"Are there really sharks?"

The boy finally opened his eyes and sighed, "I can't come. Dad said I have to stay with Uncle Kang for a month. How about letting Siqing come instead?"

"No, I don't want to play with that snot-nosed kid. He's too annoying. Last time, he made my dream castle all dirty. I want to play with big brother. Big brother, come quickly. Waa, if you don't come, I'll be bored... waa..."

The little girl's voice turned to sobs over the phone.

"Okay, okay, don't cry. I'll talk to Dad after my military training."

The boy tried to comfort her.

"You're lying. You're most afraid of Dad, you wouldn't dare to say!"

"It's not fear, it's respect and love!"

The boy's eyes sparkled.

"Alright. Dad is really amazing. Last time, he caught a huge shark and put it in the aquarium on the island. Big brother, come, I'll show you. Come, come..."

The little girl started to pester him.

The boy had no choice but to hold the phone and keep soothing her.

After a while, the little girl suddenly perked up, "Ah, I have an idea. Big brother, wait for me."

The call ended abruptly.

The boy shook his head, checked the time, and saw it was nearly 6:30. He got up, dressed, made the bed, and tidied the already neat room. Then he went to the kitchen, fried an egg, put it between two slices of bread, and had breakfast with a cup of hot milk.

While he was cleaning up in the kitchen, a powerful sound of tires screeching came from outside. Soon, a young woman opened the kitchen's glass door.

The woman, around twenty years old, had short, neat hair that framed her porcelain-like face. She wore a stylish military-style outfit and large leather boots, exuding a dynamic and powerful presence. Her small, delicate face was like a work of art, making her both strikingly beautiful and commanding.

"Ah, Little Meatball, what are you doing here?"

The woman was shocked.

"Auntie, why are you back?"

The boy's face lit up, but he instinctively shrank back.

"Don't hide, don't hide. After a few months, you're still shy. Poor kid."

The woman was displeased, pulling the boy into her arms, petting his head and pinching his cheeks, making him blush. She seemed delighted, as if she had found a wonderful toy.

"Auntie, I'm still cleaning the pot."

The boy finally protested.

This reminder made the woman remember something. She let him go and called out, "Aunt Wu, Aunt Wu..." Her voice was clear and melodious, but no one answered.

The woman turned to the boy, "Where's your mom?"

"She's on a business trip in Europe."

"Where's Aunt Wu?"

"..."

"Where's Aunt Wu? Is there no one else at home?" The woman's voice changed.

The boy shook his head, and the woman nodded, but the boy couldn't bear her intense gaze and looked away.

"Schwartz, Schwartz, you big liar! You deliberately told me to stay at school, saying no one was home, but you're here, and your wife is in Europe. How dare you leave my dear Little Meatball alone at home!"

The woman shouted angrily.

By now, their identities were clear.

The beautiful young woman was none other than the once troublesome little girl, Xiao Xue. Seven years had passed, and Xiao Xue was now twenty-two, following in Xiaowan's footsteps to enter the graduate school of Peking University. The former little monster had grown into a strikingly beautiful young woman.

The boy and the girl, along with the snot-nosed kid, were the children born after Xue Xiang stopped practicing his cultivation.

The boy was the eldest, born to Xue Xiang and Su Meiren, named Xue Sizhe, and was seven years old.

The girl was the second, the beloved daughter of President Liu, named Liu Siyuan, also seven, but three months younger than Xue Sizhe.

The snot-nosed kid was born during Xue Xiang's tenure in Wuzhou, when he met Wei Meiren again. Their long-standing relationship finally blossomed, and they had a son named Wei Siqing, who was only four and a half years old.

The three siblings, despite their mothers rarely seeing each other, had grown up together and had a close bond. They would always meet overseas during the holidays and had a strong relationship.

Notably, due to Xue Xiang's unique constitution, his two sons and one daughter were all exceptionally healthy and intelligent from birth.

Especially Xue Sizhe, who had grown up with Xue Xiang, had a temperament very similar to his father and was very mature for his age.

Xue Xiang, being a special person, treated him with special care and had very strict requirements.

Since Xue Xiang took up his post in Jianghan, Xue Sizhe had stayed in the capital to attend elementary school.

The Xue family had a high social status and many guards, but Xue Xiang didn't want Xue Sizhe to develop a sense of privilege, so they moved into Shengshi Huaju.

Coincidentally, Su Meiren was on a business trip to Europe on behalf of the Foreign Affairs Department.

Xue Xiang wanted to cultivate Xue Sizhe's independence, so he had him stay at school.

However, this plan of independence was quickly shattered by a phone call from Xue Siyuan.

Earlier, Xue Siyuan had pestered Xue Sizhe to go out to sea with her, but he refused.

Xue Siyuan, not daring to ask her father, turned to her favorite but annoying aunt.

The little girl, though young, remembered that no matter how powerful her father was, he couldn't handle her aunt.

So, she called her aunt, using all her charm and tricks, and quickly won her over.

Xiao Xue, driven by the call, rushed home, only to find this situation.

Seeing her dear nephew, the poor little meatball, making breakfast alone in the kitchen, her "demon" side fully emerged.

After a fit of rage, Xiao Xue's gaze locked onto the phone on the coffee table, and she lunged for it.

"Auntie, don't call Dad. I volunteered. I don't like being taken care of, and I'm about to go to Uncle Kang for training."

The boy moved quickly, reaching the phone first and pressing it down.

"Nonsense! At your age, you should be playing and having fun, not going for some training. Ask your dad, what mischievous things didn't he do when he was young?"

Xiao Xue gave the boy a light pat on the bottom, pulled him into her arms, and dialed the phone.

As soon as the call connected, Xiao Xue started shouting, "Xue, if you dare to torture my little meatball, I won't let you off. Do you think I won't tell Grandpa Xue..."

"Are you Comrade Xue Shi?"

A young male voice came from the other end, "The leader is in a meeting."

"I'm Xue Shi. Sorry! Are you Comrade Wu Tianming? Please give me the phone to my brother. I have an urgent matter to discuss."

Even without her "demon" side, Xiao Xue was still furious.

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

Wu Tianming, wiping his sweat, had been with the leader for almost two years. He had met all the leader's close relatives, who were all exceptional, but the most special was Comrade Xue Shi.

The leader was incredibly wise and powerful, breaking the local faction's resistance in just half a year in Huanghe and gaining control. Then, the central government sent someone to Huanghe.

The situation quickly deteriorated, and the leader's orders were barely being followed.

The new person had the support of the provincial party secretary and countless followers, making it seem like the leader would be transferred away.

However, over a year and a half, the leader, through various ingenious strategies, managed to turn the tide.

Such prowess left Wu Tianming in awe.

Yet, even this powerful leader had to yield to Comrade Xue Shi on the phone, agreeing to everything.

Now, with Comrade Xue Shi urgently needing to speak to the leader, Wu Tianming dared not delay.

Originally, I wanted to write a long story, but time is limited, and I need to update my new book. So, I'll write 3,000 words for now.

In the future, I'll try to finish a story and post it in a 6,000 to 7,000-word chapter, aiming for a weekly update.

Brothers, friends, "Guandao" has ended, and "Chunyang" has just begun. Trust me, this is not a casual follow-the-trend work.

The new book is still in its early stages, and I humbly request your support. Please add it to your collection, click, and give it your valuable recommendations. Thank you.