A young boy from the 1970s, separated from his family, fled famine and led his younger brother into

"Hurry...hurry up, don't keep the old man waiting."

Looking at his younger sister, whose face was flushed with excitement and whose eyes shone brightly, Lu Xingzhou swallowed hard and awkwardly squeezed out these words in a hoarse voice.

After saying that, he almost hurriedly stepped aside to make way for him.

His mind was in turmoil, completely in turmoil.

Just minutes earlier, when the logistics director handed Lu Nianci that exquisite wooden box and kraft paper file folder, he still held a scrutinizing attitude. He admitted that this young girl was very clever, even bordering on the monstrous. But in his view, all her previous actions had been driven by a strong sense of purpose—to survive, and to climb the social ladder by attaching herself to the powerful Gu family.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it. In desperate situations, no means are too much to ask for survival.

But he just didn't like it. He didn't like the feeling of being kept in the dark and manipulated by a five-year-old child.

Until she opened the file folder.

When the name "Gu Jiusi" and the rehabilitation document bearing the highest-level seal of the central government came into view, Lu Xingzhou felt a sudden jolt in his mind.

Gu Jiusi!

Of course he knows this person!

Not only because he was the teacher of his long-lost junior apprentice, Zhou Wenxuan. It was also because, after being transferred to the "Sharp Sword" special operations team, the first top-secret file he reviewed was related to this person!

Gu Jiusi, a once-in-a-century genius in Chinese physics, was once the youngest professor at Peking University. In that particular era, because of his research on cutting-edge weapons theory involving top-secret national secrets, he became the target of jealousy and was falsely accused of numerous crimes. Ultimately, he was relegated to this remote military library, where he worked as a janitor for a full ten years!

The mastermind behind his framing, all the clues subtly point in one direction—the traitor lurking in the highest levels like a ghost, the "Water Ghost"!

Why would a "water ghost" frame a physicist?

Because if Gu Jiusi's research succeeds, it will completely change the world's military landscape! It will be a Damocles' sword hanging over the heads of all enemies!

Lu Xingzhou originally thought that to exonerate such a national treasure-level scientist, it would be necessary to find conclusive evidence of the "water ghost," and to go through countless investigations and negotiations, which would be a long and difficult road.

But he never dreamed of this!

Lu Nianci, this little sister who is only five years old, actually did it so easily in a way that he could never have imagined!

She asked the Gu family for this enormous favor!

She didn't ask for a single penny for herself, nor for a pretty dress, nor did she fight for any real status in the family.

What she was seeking was justice for an elderly street sweeper who was a complete stranger to her and had been forgotten by the world, justice that was more than a decade overdue!

Such magnanimity!

This kindness!

This kindness and vision transcends personal gain!

Like a bolt of lightning, it instantly shattered the prejudice in Lu Xingzhou's heart!

He watched her, clutching the scalding hot document, run frantically toward the library. He watched her small figure disappear into the distance, her shoulders trembling slightly with joy and excitement.

For the first time, Lu Xingzhou's usually cold and hard face revealed an expression he himself didn't realize—a mixture of shock, shame, and a touch of tenderness.

He realized how ridiculous, how naive, how... how petty his previous suspicions and tests were.

He lost.

We lost completely and utterly, and we accept it wholeheartedly.

"Xingzhou? Xingzhou! What are you staring at?!"

His mother, Zhou Yayun's voice pulled him back from his great emotional turmoil.

He came to his senses and realized that the neighbors who had been watching the commotion in the courtyard had already dispersed. The logistics department staff had also driven away.

Only the parents remained, helplessly staring at the mountain of "gifts."

"What...what are we going to do?" Zhou Yayun looked at the two brand-new color televisions and the double-door refrigerator that was taller than her, her brows furrowed in worry. "These things are so valuable! If word gets out, what will people think of our family? Your father..."

In those days, the conduct of military region leaders was a matter of utmost importance. The sudden appearance of so many unheard-of luxury items in their home had a very negative impact.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Lu Zhenguo seemed quite calm. With his hands behind his back, he looked at the gifts representing the Gu family's utmost sincerity and said in a deep voice, "This is Old Master Gu's heartfelt gesture, and even more so, it's the merit that Nianci earned with her life! We accept it with a clear conscience!"

"Anyone who talks behind your back, let them try rescuing a child from human traffickers themselves, and try fleeing thousands of miles with a 'mute' younger brother!"

"Dad's right." Lu Xingzhou walked over, his voice regaining its usual calm. "Take the things, but they can't just sit here at home."

He glanced at the large refrigerator and said to Lu Zhenguo, "Dad, I remember that old, outdated medicine refrigerator in the military clinic should have been replaced a long time ago, right? Donate this one in your name."

He then pointed to the two color TVs: "One will be sent to the division headquarters' conference room for the officers to watch the news during their studies. The other will be sent to the military region's kindergarten for the children to watch cartoons."

As for food and clothing, those are even easier to handle.

"Have Mom distribute these things and send some to families in the compound that are struggling financially, or to families with orphans of martyrs. Just say it's... the Gu family's way of extending their condolences to all military families."

With just a few words, Lu Xingzhou handled this hot potato perfectly, saving face for the Gu family, earning goodwill and reputation for the Lu family, and silencing any potential gossip.

Lu Zhenguo and Zhou Yayun looked at their son, who had come up with such a thoughtful solution in an instant, and smiled with satisfaction.

"My son's mind works really fast!" Zhou Yayun said proudly.

Lu Xingzhou, however, did not laugh.

He simply said, "This isn't something I came up with."

"It is Nianci."

"If it were her, she would definitely do the same."

After saying that, he ignored his parents' surprised expressions and turned to go into his room.

He needs to be alone for a while.

Meanwhile, Lu Nianci had already run all the way to the familiar little building that exuded the fragrance of books and the smell of mildew.

Before she could even calm her heart, which was pounding wildly from running, she pushed open the half-closed door of the storage room!

"teacher!"

Holding up the document in her hand, she looked like a child eager to show off an award to her parents, her face beaming with the brightest and purest smile!

"Teacher! Look! Look what this is!"

In the storage room, an old man with white hair and beard was wearing reading glasses and, with the help of the faint daylight coming in from the window, was intently repairing a damaged ancient book.

Hearing that familiar, joyful voice, he slowly raised his head.

When he saw the heading of the document in Lu Nianci's hand and the bright red, unmistakable seal, his hand, which had never trembled even when holding needle and thread and had weathered countless storms, suddenly shook!

With a "click".

The needle and thread in her hand fell to the ground.

He took off his reading glasses in disbelief and rubbed his blurry eyes vigorously with the back of his hand.

He stood up shakily and walked step by step to Lu Nianci.

He reached out his hand, covered in age spots and calluses, to take the document, but hesitated to touch it, as if it weighed a ton.

"Child...this...this is..."

His voice was so hoarse that it was as if every word was being forced out of his already parched throat.

"It's true! Teacher! It's all true!" Lu Nianci shoved the documents into his hands, so excited she was almost incoherent. "You've been exonerated! You've been completely exonerated!"

"We invite you back to Beijing! To head the newly established Institute of High Energy Physics!"

"You're no longer just a janitor! You're the director! You're the most outstanding scientist in our country!"

Gu Jiusi lowered her head, staring at the black and white words on the paper, at the familiar yet unfamiliar phrases—"completely overthrow," "restore reputation," "director"...

Two streams of hot tears instantly welled up in his cloudy old eyes.

All the grievances, resentment, pain, and despair of the past ten years or so were transformed into silent tears, gushing out at this moment.

He didn't cry out loud.

He stood there like a statue, hot tears streaming down his deeply lined face, leaving a few water stains on the documents.

As Lu Nianci watched her teacher's violently trembling back, her eyes also reddened.

She knew what this document meant to the teacher.

It's not just about restoring one's reputation.

It is also a rebirth of his dignity and ideals as a scientist and an intellectual, which had been suppressed for more than a decade!

"Okay...okay..."

It took Gu Jiusi a long time to recover from the huge emotional turmoil.

He hastily wiped the tears from his face with his rough sleeve, then looked up. His eyes, which were unusually bright from the tears, were filled with boundless gratitude.

He looked at the child who had changed his destiny, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a single word.

In the end, he simply reached out and gently touched the top of her head with an unprecedented solemnity and affection.

All my gratitude is beyond words.

Just then, a soft, almost imperceptible footstep came from the doorway of the storage room.

Lu Nianci and Gu Jiusi turned around at the same time.

Lu Xingzhou was already standing at the door at some point.

He didn't come in; he just leaned quietly against the doorframe.

The last rays of the setting sun streamed in through the window behind him, casting a long shadow of him.

His usually cold and hard face now showed a hint of tenderness they had never seen before.