With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

After the Song family saw off Zhang Jisheng and Zhong Changqing and their entourage, the afternoon sun shone warmly on the red brick road of the military compound, the shadows of the trees swayed, and a gentle breeze blew.

Everything seemed so ordinary.

It was just a few elders visiting, and a few heartfelt gifts—in the compound, this kind of social interaction was nothing out of the ordinary.

What no one expected was that, in just half an hour, the rumors spread rapidly along every road in the compound to every household.

﹉﹉

At this moment, the atmosphere inside the Lin family home was oppressive and somber.

A delicate enamel basin was half-filled with water, and a white towel was crumpled and wrinkled. Lin Qingqing sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes red from crying, her shoulders still trembling slightly. Her suppressed sobs were intermittent, full of resentment and grievance.

Who is Lin Qingqing?

A prodigy girl who was pampered and spoiled since childhood in the military compound. She was beautiful, tall, and as upright as a poplar tree. She was always the top student in school, and after adulthood, she went directly to the military's cultural troupe, where she became the most popular and outstanding performer.

From childhood to adulthood, she has never lacked admiration and praise.

She looked down on all the young men her age in the compound. She disdained those from ordinary families and despised those with frivolous and unruly personalities.

However, she didn't particularly like Song Yanzhou, but when talking to people around her, she would tell them that only Song Yanzhou was worthy of her.

Because Song Yanzhou was the most outstanding person in this compound, worthy of her dazzling brilliance. And they were a perfect match in terms of social standing and family background; standing together, they were a match made in heaven—she had long since accepted that Song Yanzhou would be hers sooner or later.

But who would have thought that when Song Yanzhou returned this time, he brought back a helpless, unknown girl from out of town—Jiang Zhiyu.

In just a few days, the two were inseparable, and the entire compound tacitly accepted their relationship.

It completely shattered all her pride and plans.

Although she didn't reveal her thoughts publicly within the compound, her close friends and elders knew what she meant.

---

"Alright, Qingqing, stop crying. Your eyes are all swollen. You have to go to the performing arts troupe for rehearsal this afternoon."

Lin's mother sat beside her daughter, gently patting her back, her voice full of heartache.

"She's just a girl. Yanzhou is a cold-hearted boy; he might not really settle down."

Lin's father also chimed in, "You're just too stubborn. You and Song Yanzhou have barely met since you were little, so you don't really understand each other's personalities. He was a notorious bully in our compound when he was young, with a stubborn and headstrong temper. You're both proud people, so even if you get together, there will inevitably be conflicts in the future."

A young man was standing to the side.

With gentle and refined features, and dressed in a clean Zhongshan suit, he exuded the calm and scholarly air unique to intellectuals.

He is Lin Qingqing's brother, Lin Qingci.

He carried a glass of warm water, walked slowly to the bedside, handed the water to his younger sister, and said softly, "Qingqing, drink some water to calm down."

Looking at her younger sister's red and swollen eyes, Lin Qingci felt helpless.

He knew his younger sister all too well.

She never felt she absolutely needed Song Yanzhou; she simply couldn't accept that the "optimal solution" she believed belonged to her was being taken away by a suddenly appearing outsider.

She was proud and confident, and had never lost a game in her life. So this defeat left her completely unable to let go.

---

Lin Qingci had seen Jiang Zhiyu from afar two days prior.

It was just a glance from afar, across half a courtyard, yet he still can't forget that figure.

The sun shone brightly that day, and the young girl stood quietly downstairs at the Song family's house. Her posture was upright and composed, her eyes clear and indifferent. She hadn't done anything; she was just standing there quietly, yet she exuded an aura that made her unapproachable to others.

She doesn't try to be flamboyant or eye-catching, yet everyone in the crowd unconsciously looks at her.

It was a composure and confidence etched into one's very being, a serenity tempered by the trials and tribulations of life. His aura was cool and distant, making one feel from the bottom of their heart—this person was to be admired from afar, not to be profaned.

At that moment, he understood.

My own sister has absolutely no chance of winning.

He also saw how Song Yanzhou acted when facing Jiang Zhiyu—his eyes were full of caution and probing. Even such a proud person had that attitude when facing that girl.

How could his sister possibly have any chance of winning?

It wasn't their appearance or family background, but rather the difference in their inherent character and temperament that was like heaven and earth.

Therefore, he sat down on the edge of the bed, patiently and meticulously explaining and persuading me, word by word:

"Qingqing, I know you're unwilling to accept this. But you must understand, marriage is never about choosing the most presentable piece of jewelry, nor is it about whether the other person comes from a good family or is good-looking, just because they are suitable to spend your life with them."

"You've never liked Song Yanzhou as a person, only his dazzling status and impressive resume. You don't understand his temperament, you don't know his preferences, and you have absolutely no affinity for each other. Forcing yourselves to be together will only lead to mutual torment."

He looked at his sister's profile and lowered his voice even further:

"Life is short. When looking for a partner, you should ultimately find someone who understands you and is comfortable to be with, not someone who satisfies your vanity."

---

Lin Qingqing lowered her eyes, her fingertips tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, and her sobs gradually subsided.

She knew in her heart that what her family said was the truth.

From childhood, she had always lived in the praise of others, indulging in pride and rarely causing her family worry or sadness. Now, seeing the worried expressions on her parents' faces and her brother's patient and gentle advice, she felt a pang of guilt.

But that sense of resentment still lingered in my heart.

On what grounds?

Why should the person she had chosen long ago, the perfect match she had set her sights on, be taken away by an outsider who appeared out of nowhere?

That day, she only caught a glimpse of Jiang Zhiyu's back at the gate of the compound—the night was dark, and she could only make out that the other person was tall and slender, with an aura that emanated from her. But she still couldn't believe that the outsider could be more beautiful than herself, who was radiant and admired by everyone.

Moreover, her family and Song Yanzhou's family had a good relationship, making them a truly well-matched couple. Marriage these days is all about matching family backgrounds, so what right did this outsider with no connections have to compare to her?

But seeing the worried looks in her family's eyes, she sniffed, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and whispered:

"I understand. I won't think about Song Yanzhou anymore."

Mr. and Mrs. Lin breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the matter was over.

Lin Qingci wasn't completely at ease. He knew his sister too well—she agreed readily, but her inner obsession might not have truly dissipated.

But he didn't say anything more, he just gently patted his sister's shoulder.

---

But this sense of relief only lasted for half a day.

In the afternoon, the rumors circulating in the compound seemed to have grown legs and reached Lin Qingqing's ears.

"...Zhang Jisheng gifted a thirty-year-old spirit jade, Zhong Changqing gifted a twenty-year-old agarwood, and Song Bingzheng auctioned off four land deeds on the spot..."

"...Just a ginseng root and a small bottle of water, and they got so many good things in return..."

"...That little girl is probably not someone important..."

Lin Qingqing's tears, which she had already wiped away, welled up again.

But this time, she didn't cry.

She gripped the towel tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

A ginseng root? A small bottle of water? Can you really exchange that much for it?

What methods did that outsider woman use?

And then there are people like Zhang Jisheng and Zhong Changqing, who are usually arrogant and don't even respect the generals in the compound. Why would they be so attentive to a girl of unknown origin?

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.

Then I thought of Song Yanzhou's cautious attitude towards Jiang Zhiyu, and the rumors circulating throughout the compound about them being a "perfect couple"—

The resentment in my heart did not dissipate; instead, it burned even brighter, like a fire doused with oil.

When has Lin Qingqing ever lost a game since she was a child?

A rootless, outsider woman—on what grounds?

Lin Qingqing slowly put down the towel, looked at her swollen eyes in the mirror, and took a deep breath.

She felt that her opportunity had come again.