Chapter 1199 The Thoughts of Three Women...

noon

Night Market in Ye Province, Qinghe Gathering Place, Family Compound of the Ye Province Management Committee, Gu Family.

Sunlight streamed through the clean glass windows into the quiet living room. Gu Jianguo and Wen Wan usually ate lunch at the company cafeteria, leaving only Du Wanying, Yang Xueli, and Lin Miaomiao at home.

Unlike their usual lazy afternoons when they occasionally come back for a nap, today the three women sat on the sofa, their expressions a mixture of excitement and contemplation.

Several glasses of warm water were placed on the coffee table in front of them, but no one touched them.

"Sister Wanying, Sister Xueli..." Lin Miaomiao was the first to burst out, her voice filled with cautious excitement and disbelief:

"The radio said...the committee...the four war zones...have really united! My brother...is he the chairman now?"

Despite having confirmed the news repeatedly, the sense of unreality still lingers every time it's mentioned.

Du Wanying was much more composed than Lin Miaomiao, but at this moment her eyes were also sparkling with a bright light.

She took a soft breath, trying to keep her voice calm, but it still trembled slightly.

"The committee has been established, and the chairman... This means that what my elder brother now controls is not just the Central Plains War Zone, but most of the remaining official military forces of Zhou Bang!"

Yang Xueli leaned back on the sofa, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes. This former business elite could not hide her shock at this moment.

"I can hardly believe it... How long has it been? When the apocalypse broke out, we all thought it was all over, civilization was collapsing, and just being alive was a luxury."

"But now... my elder brother... he has actually stepped on the ruins and ascended to the highest position in the entire Zhou Kingdom!"

Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if recalling the fear of the early days of the apocalypse, or perhaps trying to comprehend this earth-shattering change:

"Chairman... in the pre-apocalyptic world, this would be equivalent to... equivalent to the Grand Secretary who holds the reins of power! No, perhaps even more powerful, after all, this is a period of military rule..."

Lin Miaomiao nodded vigorously, a blush of admiration spreading across her face: "Big brother is amazing! I always thought that high-ranking officials were... well, very old people. But big brother is only in his twenties! This is simply... something that only happens in myths!"

Du Wanying picked up her water glass, took a small sip, and tried to suppress the surging emotions in her heart. She understood the system better than Yang Xueli and Lin Miaomiao, and she was more aware of its significance.

The Du family has trudged on thin ice for four generations, working tirelessly to develop to this point, and only his father has a slight chance of even glimpsing the threshold of becoming a quasi-emperor (of the Fu Kingdom)... while she, through a fortuitous encounter in the apocalypse, has somehow managed to climb the social ladder and join the Heavenly Emperor's family?

This...this was truly baffling to her...so what exactly did it mean that her father, after three generations of hard work, was still stuck at the vice-ministerial level?

Compared to Yang Xueli and Lin Miaomiao, Du Wanying was clearly much, much, much more shocked by Gu Chengyuan's appointment as chairman!

It's like the layman watching the spectacle, while the expert appreciates the details.

In the eyes of ordinary people, a county magistrate might not seem like a very high-ranking official. After all, in many films and television dramas, county magistrates are usually referred to as "sesame seed officials" and are always portrayed as obsequious and obsequious figures...

Only those within the system truly understand that, let alone a high-ranking official position, even an ordinary person who spends their entire life retiring as a deputy section chief is considered an exceptional individual in a county of hundreds of thousands of people—a person respected wherever they go...

The Du family wouldn't even dare to dream of attaining the Heavenly Emperor's position...

"We...we are so lucky."

Du Wanying's feeble sigh contained both respect for Gu Chengyuan and a hint of lingering fear and relief at being unharmed despite being in the eye of the storm.

There was a moment of silence in the living room, with only the faint sounds of a construction site coming from outside the window.

Suddenly, Yang Xueli sat up straight, her eyes sharpening, revealing her usual seriousness at work:

"The establishment of the committee and the joint command of the four war zones mean that information channels and resource mobilization capabilities will undergo earth-shattering changes! Things we dared not imagine or could not do before, are now... possible?"

Her words instantly revealed the thought that was swirling in the minds of the three of them—to find their family!

Du Wanying tightened her grip on the water glass, her nails turning slightly white. She looked at Yang Xueli, then at Lin Miaomiao, whose eyes had also lit up, and slowly nodded.

“That’s right. Before, we were powerless and could barely protect ourselves. Trying to inquire about news from thousands of miles away was nothing short of a pipe dream. But things are different now…”

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear—now, they were the Chairman's family.

Of course, this wasn't them trying to make themselves look good, but rather that Gu Chengyuan was indeed very kind to them. Although he was usually busy and they rarely saw each other, whenever there was something good, Gu Chengyuan would have it sent to their home, and they would always get a share.

These everyday interactions subtly gave them a bit of confidence; otherwise, they would never have dared to act as family in the presence of the powerful Gu Chengyuan...

At this point, Lin Miaomiao excitedly grabbed Du Wanying's arm: "Sister Wanying, then can we... can we try to find our family members? The committee has such a wide sphere of influence, maybe... maybe we can find out some information?"

Du Wanying gently patted Lin Miaomiao's hand in return, her tone calm yet carrying an unprecedented confidence:

"Miaomiao, don't rush. We can't be reckless about this, and we certainly can't cause trouble for our older brother. But... this is indeed an unprecedented opportunity."

She looked at Yang Xueli: "Xueli, what do you think?"

Yang Xueli took a deep breath; her business acumen led her to habitually analyze the pros and cons.

"The opportunity certainly exists. But we must be clear about our position. We are where we are today because of our elder brother."

“No action can harm the elder brother’s reputation or the committee’s interests. The search for relatives is a private matter and must be put after official business, and it must be carried out in the safest and most inconspicuous way.”

She looked at Du Wanying, and a consensus was reached in their exchange: "We'd better talk to our eldest brother first, to avoid any problems that might embarrass him..."

Du Wanying nodded in agreement: "Yes, that's right. Everything we have now is thanks to our eldest brother."

"It is precisely at times like these that we must be careful with our words and actions, and not tarnish our elder brother's reputation. As for the matter of finding our relatives, let's take our time and get our elder brother's consent first!"

"How about going through a carrier? After all, my brother's status is different now; it might not be appropriate for us to approach him directly..."

By the end, Du Wanying's tone had noticeably weakened, carrying a hint of lack of confidence.

Gu Chengyuan was usually quite nice to them. Although they didn't communicate much during their limited time together, he never put on airs. But... the title of Chairman of the Zhou Bang's Post-Apocalyptic Emergency Military Committee was simply too great... too great for them to be instinctively afraid of...

"Yeah! That's it!"

"It just so happens that Cheng Yun is going home from military academy to rest tomorrow!"

Du Wanying's suggestion was quickly approved by both Yang Xueli and Lin Miaomiao.

Compared to confronting her older brother, who's like a scorching sun overhead, it's much easier to talk to her own husband...

The establishment of the committee and Gu Chengyuan's ascension to the pinnacle of power indeed gave them an unparalleled sense of security, and even more so, the confidence and possibility to find their lost relatives, something they had never dared to hope for before.

But they cherished this extraordinary opportunity in the apocalypse even more, and became increasingly cautious in their actions...