1970s: Hot wife accompanies the army, cold-faced rough man is not easy to tease

Chapter 241 A Mother with a Criminal Record (Combined Chapter)
Du Guanghan sat alone for half an hour before finally making up his mind.

As the saying goes, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back; giving up halfway will only make things worse.

He called the bald man over again: "Contact the professor at Ocean University and have him approach Lu Youyou under the guise of academic discussion and persuade her to back down."

The bald man readily agreed, saying the professor was an old friend of his and these things were easy to discuss.

Soon Du Shuang also learned the results of the inquiry, and was naturally very dissatisfied. She talked to Du Guanghan again, forcing him to continue to think of a solution.

She returned home that evening, full of resentment, and froze on the spot the moment she stepped inside.

Gu Bohuai, whom I hadn't seen for three days, sat on the sofa with a cup of tea in front of him, which wasn't even steaming. I had no idea how long he had been sitting there.

Du Shuang's irritated expression froze on her face, and her guilt gradually surfaced. She clenched her fists, and her suddenly accelerated heartbeat made her forget what to say.

Having lived together for so many years, Du Shuang was still very sensitive to Gu Bohuai's emotions; at least she could sense that the atmosphere was not peaceful at the moment.

She composed herself, and while changing her shoes, she carefully prepared her words before speaking as usual.

"You're back. Have you eaten? There are dumplings at home, do you want me to cook some for you?"

A simple greeting should receive a similarly simple response; most of the time, you'll hear, "It's too late, I'm not eating."

But today Gu Bohuai didn't say anything, just sat there watching Du Shuang approach step by step.

Du Shuang realized something was wrong as her body grew increasingly stiff, but she could only grit her teeth and bear it.

She tried to control her wrist so it wouldn't tremble, but several drops still splashed out when she poured the tea.

Gu Bohuai remained silent, and Du Shuang didn't even dare to pick up her cup, clasping her hands together to hide the trembling in her fingertips.

"What's wrong? Don't you want dumplings? How about noodles with soybean paste? I still have some hand-pulled noodles I made this morning."

Du Shuang silently prayed a thousand times that it couldn't be that matter, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. Gu Bohuai's first words dashed her hopes.

"I had no idea you had such a long reach. You even made the decisions about Xiaowen's education."

Du Shuang's mind went blank for a second, and her heart instantly jumped to her throat.

She no longer had the energy to manage her expression, and could only force a smile as she replied, "What are you saying? How could I possibly concern myself with Xiaowen's upbringing?"

Gu Bohuai smiled and said, "Is that so? What grudge does Du Guanghan have against Lu Youyou that would warrant such a false accusation against her?"

"Lu Youyou? What happened to her? We've barely exchanged a few words, how could she be related to me and my older brother?" Du Shuang couldn't possibly admit it.

"You do not know?"

Gu Bohuai's voice was still refined and magnetic, but to Du Shuang, it sounded like a death knell.

Du Shuang suddenly looked up, trying to glean more information from Gu Bohuai's eyes.

She was certain she hadn't revealed anything, and since Gu Bohuai hadn't returned, he shouldn't know about this.

Du Guanghan did not personally participate; Jiang Yu was the one who was on the stage from beginning to end. This person had nothing to do with them, so it was impossible to blame her older brother.

"Is there some mistake? I know you want to reunite with that child. It's only natural for family members to reunite. I haven't said anything. I even tried to build a good relationship with them, but unfortunately they don't want to see me."

After saying that, Du Shuang added self-deprecatingly, "As for Hong Ying, she has always wanted to learn from Xiao Gu, but I guess she was implicated by me."

She went so far as to bring up her daughter to corroborate her statement, hoping that Gu Bohuai only had suspicions and no evidence.

Seeing that she kept changing the subject, Gu Bohuai stopped beating around the bush.

"Xiaowen Yu thought he could manipulate Lu Youyou by so-called plagiarism. You're telling me Du Guanghan knew nothing about it? You planned it very carefully, even scheming against the Sun family. Little did you know that too much coincidence is no coincidence at all."

With her fig leaf torn away, Du Shuang could barely keep up the act. She managed to straighten her back and not collapse with sheer willpower: "Old Gu, just tell me straight, what exactly happened? What plagiarism?"

Seeing that she was stubborn, Gu Bohuai simply pulled a document out of his handbag: "Take a look."

Du Shuang didn't want to accept, but the current situation left her no choice but to accept.

Her fears came true. The document laid out the whole story in chronological order, recording the relationship between the two newspapers and the Sun family, the date the reporter received the field assignment, the first draft, and the final draft—all of it was included.

There wasn't a single word explicitly stating that the matter was related to the Du family, but the implication was clear throughout the text.

Du Shuang wasn't that foolish; she knew perfectly well what Gu Bohuai meant by presenting such a document.

But how could she accept that?

If Lu Youyou isn't convicted, Gu Qingye will be completely unharmed, but she herself might end up in trouble. That's absolutely unacceptable.

"We've been married for years, don't you have even the slightest bit of trust in me? Does the fact that Lu Youyou got into trouble mean it must be my doing?"

Her eyes reddened, and the corners of her eyes were wet; her face was full of grievance.

“I know everyone thinks stepmothers and stepsons are naturally at odds, but am I so blind to the bigger picture? What good would it do me if the Gu family’s reputation were damaged?”

Gu Bohuai remained silent, and Du Shuang grew anxious, so she could only continue to shirk responsibility.

“My brother isn’t in charge of approving the funds, so how would he know? If someone complains, just say it’s related to him, right?”

Then there's the Sun family. They really do have a deep grudge against Lu Youyou. Sun Jinhai's maternal grandfather only had one grandson, so it's not impossible that he would stand up for the younger generation.

For so many years, I've focused solely on taking care of my family and haven't concerned myself with anything outside the home. I'm not afraid to belittle myself, but do you really think I have that much ability?

Gu Bohuai said, "You interfered in official business for your own selfish reasons, and you're sure you won't be implicated? What about your brother? Does he not care either?"

Du Shuang was speechless. She had already thought about it. The worst outcome would be that the investigation would lead to Du Guanghan. As long as she didn't admit it, no one could do anything to her.

Gu Bohuai seemed to have seen through her plan and sneered, "Du Shuang, sometimes evidence is very important, and sometimes evidence is not important at all."

Upon suddenly hearing her own name, Du Shuang's heart tightened, and she subconsciously looked at Gu Bohuai.

Years ago, she dreamed every day of those calm, ocean-like eyes, but now, beneath the calm surface, towering waves are hidden.

Du Shuang dared not think too deeply about what it meant that no evidence was needed to convict her, or... that even a divorce was not needed?
"What do you mean?" She stared intently into Gu Bohuai's eyes.

Gu Bohuai, however, was no longer willing to play along with her and issued an ultimatum.

"Don't forget who you are. You have two children. Hongying and Yuanzheng don't need a mother with a criminal record."

Du Shuang finally couldn't sit still any longer. She couldn't believe that things were getting out of control. She didn't even dare to listen to Gu Bohuai's answer, afraid of hearing the two words she least wanted to hear.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know what the Sun family did. As for my brother, there must be some misunderstanding. You know him, he's just a marginal figure in this place."

Du Shuang hurriedly stood up: "I'm tired, I'm going back to my room first." She didn't want to stay a second longer; she was afraid she would break down on the spot if she continued.

Gu Bohuai didn't stop them. The things that needed to be confirmed had already been answered. If the Du siblings didn't stop, then that last sentence wouldn't just be empty words.

Du Shuang locked herself in her room and heard the sound of a door closing downstairs, then the car lights came on and the engine vibration gradually faded away.

She never imagined that one day she would be hoping that Gu Bohuai would not come home. How did her life become like this!
Why did Song Jinshu oppose her when he was alive, and even after he died, he left behind an illegitimate child that would never let her have peace?
Du Shuang swept everything in front of her to the ground like a madwoman, leaving shards of porcelain scattered everywhere, as if mocking her life on the verge of collapse.

Her hands trembled as she picked up the phone, unsure whether it was more anger or fear.

"Hey, wait for me at home, I'm coming to find you now!"

Du Guanghan, completely bewildered, put down the receiver. His wife, Lu Yanping, asked, "Is that Du Shuang? Why are you coming over at this hour? Is something urgent?"

Du Guanghan shook his head: "How should I know? Don't worry about it. I'll take her out to talk to her later. By the way, keep an eye on Lanlan. Girls shouldn't be out all the time. She's getting too wild!"

Lu Yanping was immediately displeased: "How can you talk to your own daughter like that? It's just having dinner with friends, what kind of talk is that?"

"You know what kind of friends they are, male or female. Don't cause any trouble and then you'll regret it."

Du Guanghan thought of Du Shuang again. His younger sister was born late, and for a long time, Du Shuang was the only girl in the family, which fostered her spoiled nature. If she hadn't been so headstrong back then, none of this would have happened.

Du Shuang arrived quickly, absentmindedly greeted Lu Yanping, and then left with Du Guanghan.

It was still the same outer courtyard, and the young woman showed no surprise at the two people who had come unexpectedly.

They quietly served tea and snacks, then left as if the person had never been in the room.

Du Shuang had never paid much attention to young women, but compared to Lu Yanping, who asked all sorts of questions, this woman was undoubtedly more comforting.

Seeing that she looked unwell, Du Guanghan asked anxiously, "What happened?"

Du Shuang didn't want to say a word and simply pushed the document over.

When Gu Bohuai left, he left this thing on the coffee table. She only saw it when she came downstairs, and she immediately pinched her palm until it bled.

What did he mean by using this document to warn her?
How could she accept that her marriage of over twenty years couldn't compare to Gu Qingye, who came along halfway through their lives?!
Don't think she doesn't know that Gu Qingye hasn't acknowledged his family yet; otherwise, Gu Bohuai wouldn't have remained completely silent for so long.

Even if she was unwilling to admit it, Gu Bohuai and Song Jinshu were legally married back then. If Gu Bohuai had acknowledged Gu Qingye, there would have been no need to hide it. If word got out, people would only congratulate him on having another promising son.

He kept quiet, which could only mean that the "good son" wouldn't admit it.

Du Shuang didn't know the specific reason, but she wished that Gu Qingye would remain aloof forever, so that no one would compete with Gu Yuanzheng.

Her mind was a jumbled mess when she was suddenly startled awake by the sound of a teacup hitting the ground.

Du Guanghan winced as he was burned, but he didn't care. He looked at Du Shuang with a panicked expression, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"Little sister, don't scare me! What is this? What is this...?"

Du Shuang was furious: "Can't you read? Do you want me to read it to you?"

What a useless person, getting scared like this before anything even happened!

Du Guanghan actually wished he were illiterate.

The letter had no heading or signature, making its origin unclear. But he wasn't stupid; the only person who could make Du Shuang come to his door overnight was Gu Bohuai.

This is tantamount to a nuclear bomb hitting you right in the head.

Although he was the elder brother-in-law, he had always been afraid of his brother-in-law. He was already terrified about making a move against Lu Youyou, and now he was told that Gu Bohuai already knew, and knew such details...

Du Guanghan's mind went blank, and he couldn't utter a single word as he looked at Du Shuang.

What should he do? Is it too late to stop now?

Jun Zhengwen is indeed from two different systems, but would he dare to gamble his own official position on Gu Bohuai's methods?
If he dared, he wouldn't have clung to Du Shuang's coattails for so many years.

Du Shuang was completely bewildered by Du Guanghan's appearance. How could she have such a brother!
"I asked you what to do, why are you spacing out?"

"I……"

Du Guanghan's heart was still in his throat. His only thought was to stop as soon as possible and pretend that nothing had happened.

Jiang Yu quickly sent people abroad, accepting the loss, but he couldn't leave any evidence against them.

As for the Sun family, he had only asked Lu Yanping to mention it briefly; whether they were willing to take the bait had nothing to do with him.

He laid out all his thoughts, fearing that if he spoke too slowly, Gu Bohuai would suddenly appear out of nowhere to cause him trouble.

"It's worthless!"

Du Shuang couldn't hold back any longer. She slammed her hand on the table and finally said what she had been holding back for so long.

Du Guanghan was stunned, and a surge of anger rose within him.

Who is he going to all this trouble for? Du Shuang didn't even say thank you, all she does is complain. If she's so capable, she shouldn't be with him!

Now that he's been dragged into this, he hasn't even said a word of protest, and she's already started cursing him!
Du Guanghan hesitated for a moment, then swallowed back the words he was about to say. Now was not the time to argue; the important thing was to solve the problem.

“Now that your brother-in-law knows, this matter can’t continue. He’s already saved face by giving you this instead of taking action directly. You have to accept this way out.”

Even if Du Shuang disagrees, he won't continue. The matter has already been made clear, and he can't afford to fight a losing battle.

Du Shuang knew this all too well, but she couldn't swallow her anger.

She stubbornly remained silent, and Du Guanghan, though holding his nose, had to continue persuading her.

“Take my advice. If you stop now, you can at least maintain a semblance of peace. Your brother-in-law found out so quickly because he must have already set his sights on that couple.”

Du Shuang grew angrier as she listened. Ha, she'd put her mind to something? How so? Was she keeping an eye on them, or monitoring her?
Seeing that she remained unmoved, Du Guanghan had no choice but to escalate the situation.

"There's something I haven't told you yet. Lu Youyou's calmness is abnormal. Either she still has evidence, or she has something to rely on, or even... both."

Du Shuang finally raised her head: "Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

Du Guanghan choked for a moment: "I..."

"Speak up! Why didn't you say so sooner?!" Du Shuang roared.

Du Guanghan didn't want to deal with it anymore and simply gave up.

"I'm just thinking of taking it one step at a time. Even if I can't bring her down, I can at least ruin her reputation. Even if she still has evidence, as long as I can't expose Jiang Yu, I can't completely clear her name."