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

"If you ask me, it's just that people's fates are different!"

A shrill female voice rang out again, the sourness in her tone detectable even from dozens of meters away.

"In this courtyard, whose child isn't from a respectable family? But look at her, who else has such good fortune?"

"First, she was treated like a daughter by Political Commissar Lu and his wife, and now she's a guest of honor at the Gu family in Beijing! I think this little girl is quite something; she's got a lot of tricks up her sleeve!"

"Exactly!" another gruff voice immediately chimed in. "A five-year-old child, where do they get so many tricks up their sleeve? First, selling candied hawthorns, then beating the little devil from Commander Li's family in a chess game, and now they've got the Gu family wrapped around their little finger. If you ask me, this isn't a child at all, it's a little imp!"

"Exactly! I don't know what Political Commissar Lu and Zhou Yayun were thinking. They don't dote on their own son, but instead treat this girl of unknown origin like a treasure! I think they'll be fooled by this girl sooner or later!"

The gossiping of those women downstairs was becoming increasingly unbearable.

They deliberately raised their voices, and their words, filled with malicious speculation and jealousy, were like invisible knives, each one aimed at Lu Nianci's heart.

Any real five-year-old child who heard such vicious words would probably have already hidden away and cried in fear.

But Lu Nianci just listened quietly.

Her young face was expressionless, and her clear eyes were as still as a deep well.

In her past life, in that highly competitive top hospital, she had heard rumors that were ten or even a hundred times more vicious than these.

Some people were jealous of her talent and said that she was able to become the youngest head of surgery by means of improper relationships with men.

Some people were envious of her achievements and spread rumors behind her back that her surgery had resulted in a major medical accident, which she suppressed with money and power.

She never bothered to explain herself to these things.

Because she knew that explanations were the most powerless thing in the world.

You can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep, and you can never shut up a mouth that wants to spread rumors.

The best way to deal with rumors is not to be angry or to make excuses, but to ignore them.

Then, with absolute power, crush those clowns under your feet, so that they don't even have the right to look up to you!

Lu Nianci slowly closed the window.

The jarring chatter was shut out through the window.

Her world returned to silence.

But she knew it was only temporary.

The arrival of the Gu family was like a boulder, completely shattering the seemingly calm surface of the military compound.

She was thrust into the eye of the storm.

Envy, jealousy, speculation, malice...

These things will follow her like a shadow for a long time to come.

She must become strong as soon as possible!

It wasn't just because of that promise to go to the capital.

It is also to give myself enough power to fight against all the malice in this world!

……

In the days that followed, Lu Nianci's life became unusually regular and simple.

She still goes to school every day.

But she was no longer satisfied with the knowledge in the textbooks.

She spent more of her time on the "treasures" that her teacher, Gu Jiusi, had left her.

During the day, she plays the role of a quiet, genius student at school.

At night, she would lock herself in her room, like a greedy sponge, frantically absorbing knowledge that was ahead of its time.

Physics, chemistry, medicine, cryptography, micro-expression analysis...

What seemed dull and boring to outsiders was full of endless fun in her eyes.

And just as she had predicted, the rumors circulating in the compound intensified.

She became the topic that all the family members couldn't avoid when chatting.

Some people say she is "lucky" and a born "blessing".

Some say she "knows how to climb the social ladder," and that at such a young age she already knows how to use her advantages to gain the greatest benefit.

Some people even linked her to Lu Xingzhou, fabricating all sorts of disgusting "stories".

It is said that she used seductive tricks to seduce the Lu family's own son, which made the usually cold and ruthless company commander look at her differently.

These words naturally reached the ears of Zhou Yayun and Lu Zhenguo.

Zhou Yayun was so angry that she couldn't eat for several days. Several times she wanted to rush out and argue with those gossipy women, but Lu Zhenguo stopped her each time.

"People can say whatever they want, what can you do about it?" Although Lu Zhenguo was also furious, he was more composed than Zhou Yayun. "If you rush out and argue with them now, you'll only make things worse, which is exactly what they want!"

"Then... what should we do? Should we just let them bully our Nianci like this?" Zhou Yayun was so anxious that tears were about to fall.

"Bully them?" Lu Zhenguo sneered. "They don't even deserve it!"

He glanced at his daughter's profile, which, though silent, held an increasingly resolute gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Ignore it. Time will tell."

"We know exactly what kind of child Nianci is, and that's enough for us."

"One day, she'll shut everyone up!"

As Lu Nianci listened to her father's words, which were full of trust and protection, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

Yes.

She doesn't need to prove herself to anyone.

All she needs to do is be herself.

That afternoon, Lu Nianci returned from school and, as soon as she entered the compound, she encountered several women who had just returned from buying things at the military cooperative.

The woman in charge was none other than Wang Cuifen, the notorious gossip of the compound—Zhang's wife.

The moment Wang Cuifen saw Lu Nianci, her triangular eyes lit up.

She deliberately blocked Lu Nianci's path, then said sarcastically to the women beside her, "Oh my, isn't this our big celebrity, the Lu family's little princess!"

"Did you just get back from school?"

"Look at that fair and delicate face, and that pretty outfit! Tsk tsk, she's just so different! Unlike our wild child, who's always running around outside, getting covered in mud!"

Her words drew laughter and agreement from several women nearby.

Lu Nianci stopped, looked up, and calmly looked at her.

She did not speak.

But those clear, emotionless eyes made Wang Cuifen feel inexplicably uneasy.

"What...what are you looking at?!" Wang Cuifen was somewhat embarrassed and angry at being stared at, and her voice rose eight octaves. "You're not happy about me saying a few words to you? What? You want your father, the political commissar, to come and arrest me?!"

"Let me tell you," she shouted to those around her, as if she had found an outlet for her anger, "don't be fooled by her current swagger! It's all an act!"

"I've heard that ever since her younger brother left, she's been crying at home every day! She won't even eat! I think she's not really sad about losing her brother; she's afraid that if the Gu family, that big tree, falls, she'll have nowhere to rely on anymore!"

"she……"

Wang Cuifen wanted to continue speaking, but a cold, emotionless voice suddenly rang out from behind her.

"Have you said enough?"

The voice wasn't loud, but it was like a cold, sharp blade, sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.

Wang Cuifen turned around stiffly.

When she saw the face of the person behind her, her arrogant expression instantly turned ashen.

It's Lu Xingzhou!

He had somehow appeared behind her!

He was dressed in a crisp military uniform, his posture upright like a pine tree.

His handsome face was expressionless, but a terrifying murderous intent surged in his deep eyes!

"I...I..." Wang Cuifen was so frightened that her tongue was tied, and she couldn't say a word.

"My younger sister from the Lu family," Lu Xingzhou strode forward, walking step by step to her.

His tall figure cast a shadow, enveloping Wang Cuifen entirely.

He looked down at her and said, enunciating each word clearly, "Since when has it become your place, an outsider, to speak out of turn?"

The tone, filled with intimidation and disdain, made Wang Cuifen's cheeks burn with shame, as if she had been slapped in public.