Chapter 182: Chapter 181: By Luck, Not Giving Up

Guo Peng and Shao Guoqing both widened their eyes, faces full of disbelief.

But no matter what, Ling Chengyan’s first place was already set in stone, and no one could change it.

Zhou Lixin also arrived, followed by the person who had just eliminated Geng Wei, the deputy captain of the second anti-smuggling squadron, Tang Guohui.

Seeing the two of them arrive, as captain, Guo Peng immediately asked deputy captain Tang Guohui, “You were eliminated too?”

Tang Guohui didn’t speak, just turned around to show the white marks on his body — among the people in the car, he had the most marks, but none were fatal.

“You, passed?” Guo Peng asked.

Tang Guohui nodded, “By luck.”

Turning to Ling Chengyan and Zhou Lixin, he said, “Thank you both for going easy on me.”

As soon as he said this, Geng Wei snorted and turned his head away.

Both had their hands disabled, yet he was unfortunate to encounter Tang Guohui, who eliminated him. Tang Guohui, despite having his own hands disabled, managed to pass. Such a slight difference determined the outcome.

Zhou Lixin, the most relaxed of them all, smirked and said, “You just got lucky; otherwise, I would’ve definitely shot another round.”

He hadn’t intended to spare anyone, but unfortunately, he ran out of bullets.

As for Ling Chengyan, he felt a bit puzzled: when their arms were disabled, he thought it was because Ling Chengyan’s shooting wasn’t accurate enough. It wasn’t until it happened with Tang Guohui that he realized Ling Chengyan didn’t actually want to eliminate anyone; he just disabled their arms on purpose.

He was curious about why Ling Chengyan did this but would never attribute it to a woman’s soft heart.

As they chatted back and forth, Ling Chengyan had already finished eating, took a few sips of water, and leaned on the car compartment’s board to close her eyes.

Zhou Lixin quickly gestured to Guo Peng, about to speak, “Aren’t you tired? I’m almost dead tired, need to rest first.”

The top three had emerged, but those behind them were still unknown.

The waiting time was a bit long, and after two hours, with the sun starting to set, the remaining six people returned one after another. Four had been eliminated, two survived but were doomed to fail.

Ling Chengyan slept for two hours, regaining much of her strength and energy.

After a brief summary, they each got into their cars for the return journey. When they arrived back in Huicheng, it was almost 9 p.m.

The children washed up and went to their rooms. Wang Liansheng had just put little Shi Tou to sleep, checked the time, and went to the front gate with a flashlight to wait.

From dozens of steps away, Ling Chengyan could already see the person standing at the gate.

Wang Liansheng also saw his wife, quickly stepped forward, and took Ling Chengyan’s backpack.

Ling Chengyan asked, “Are the kids asleep?”

“They are. Xiao Xing and Shi Tou were talking about you before bed.” Liansheng nodded and then asked, “What place did you get?”

Ling Chengyan suddenly tilted her head and blinked, “Take a guess?”

Wang Liansheng’s heart skipped a beat with his steps, then broke into a wide smile, “I’m guessing you definitely took first place!”

Ling Chengyan smiled without saying a word and stepped into the house.

Wang Liansheng didn’t ask further, chuckling, “I boiled some water for you. Go wash up, take a bath, and I’ll bring your clothes over.”

Three days and two nights, traversing the mountain forest and wading through waters, Ling Chengyan knew she must have an odor. She showed no sign of it outside, but at home, she couldn’t bear her untidy appearance for even a moment. So, following Wang Liansheng’s suggestion, she went into the bathroom.

After washing, changing into fresh tank tops and shorts, Ling Chengyan let out a light sigh, feeling all the fatigue and soreness melt away, leaving her refreshed and comfortable.

Wang Liansheng had already heated up the food and set it on a small table in the yard for Ling Chengyan.

Ling Chengyan sat down, first taking a bowl of warm mung bean soup, then started eating with chopsticks.

“So, was there any danger?” Wang Liansheng sat beside her, waving a palm leaf fan to drive away mosquitoes for his wife.

“No real danger,” Ling Chengyan replied cheerfully, then added with some regret, “Ran into a herd of wild boars, if not for the mission, a good hunt could have stocked us for half a year.”

Wang Liansheng paused, then chuckled, “Wild boars are not easy to take down. Better to be careful if you’re up against them alone; meat isn’t a necessity.”

Turning around, Ling Chengyan met Wang Liansheng’s concerned and worried gaze, making her inexplicably feel a bit guilty and she turned her head away.

With special training selections over, before results were announced and personnel adjustments were made, Ling Chengyan continued to report regularly at the Automobile Company for exercises and tasks.

Coincidentally, these days there were no long-distance trips, only short-distance tasks within the province, allowing Ling Chengyan to be home before dark almost every day.

It hadn’t been many relaxed days before Ling Chengyan returned a bit late one day, arriving home at dusk when the streetlights were already on.

As soon as she stepped inside, she sensed something unusual.

Wang Lianfa and Zheng Xiaotian, along with their little child Qi Bai, had also come over. Qi Bai, four months old, well-fed, looked like a chubby porcelain doll.

After washing her hands and face, Ling Chengyan went to play with Qi Bai in Zheng Xiaotian’s arms. The little one was very cheerful, laughing happily with hands and feet waving the moment someone played with him, not shy one bit.

Compared to the child’s laughter, the expressions of the adults were somewhat strained.

Ling Chengyan didn’t rush to ask, waiting until the children finished eating and went to watch TV, before inquiring, “Having trouble with the second brother’s business?”

“No, no, the business is doing great. We’ve got our license and are legally operating as self-employed,” Wang Lianfa quickly said.

Ling Chengyan watched him, waiting for him to continue.

As expected, Wang Lianfa’s smile completely faltered and fell apart.

Surprisingly, it was Wang Liansheng who remained relatively calm, speaking up, “It’s the eldest brother, there’s a bit of trouble on his end.”

“The projects at the communal office were going well, and the county supply and marketing cooperative planned to construct a building. Originally, they favored the eldest brother’s construction team, it was almost set. But unexpectedly, another group emerged out of nowhere, intercepting the deal…”

Zheng Xiaotian, seeing the two men unable to get to the point, simply cut in, “The one who snatched the eldest brother’s project is the person Wang Lianhua remarried to.”

Ling Chengyan frowned slightly, “Wasn’t it said they were in Huicheng? How did they end up back in the county snatching the eldest brother’s project?”

This time it was Wang Lianfa who spoke, “Recently, there’s been a strict crackdown on illegal operations and unscrupulous trading. They couldn’t stay in Huicheng and fled back to the county. Unexpectedly, as soon as they returned, they stole the eldest brother’s project.”

Setting up stalls and trading goods was considered dishonest trading, but doing hard labor building houses was not.

Liu San, Gou Zi, and others, having frequent contact with these people, knew some insider information. Those people were not just selling goods honestly but involved in many activities. It was said they were linked to theft and robbery, but Liu San and Gou Zi, with their early established presence, had managed to hold their ground. After several provocations leading nowhere, those people dared not instigate further.

Ling Chengyan pondered, “A temporary loss is not a big deal, just find other projects afterward. There is no shortage of house and road building jobs now, so finding work shouldn’t be a problem.”

Wang Lianfa, however, gulped down half a tea bowl of wine, sighing, “Just afraid they won’t let it rest.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep