Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

Chapter 20 An Unintentional Success

The next morning, General Zhang Dajiang was dressed and ready to leave, his briefcase already in his hand, when he heard his daughter, Zhang Xueying, call out from the dining room, "Dad, wait a minute!"

Zhang Dajiang turned around and saw his daughter wearing pajamas, her hair loosely tied up, looking like she had just woken up. He glanced at his watch: "What's up? I have a meeting at eight."

Zhang Xueying walked over, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face: "Dad, I have a question for you. In your army... are there any lieutenant colonels in their twenties?"

The question seemed abrupt, and Zhang Dajiang was taken aback: "A lieutenant colonel in his twenties? Why are you asking that?"

"Just asking." Zhang Xueying's eyes darted around. "I met one on the plane yesterday. He looked really handsome in his military uniform, maybe twenty-five years old at most. He had two bars and two stars on his shoulder insignia. I was just curious, how can someone so young become a lieutenant colonel?"

Wang Hui, who was reading a newspaper nearby, put it down and glanced at her daughter with keen insight. As a mother, she knew her daughter all too well—this girl had grown up in a military compound and had seen countless officers, but she had never seen her care for any of them so much before.

"Yingying, have you taken a liking to him?" Wang Hui asked with a smile.

"Mom!" Zhang Xueying blushed. "I was just asking out of curiosity!"

Zhang Dajiang laughed too: "A lieutenant colonel in his twenties? Girl, do you think lieutenant colonels are as common as cabbages? Let me do the math for you: Generally, you graduate from military academy at twenty-two or twenty-three and are commissioned as a second lieutenant. After four years, you become a first lieutenant, then another four years as a captain, then another four years as a major... How many years is that? To get promoted normally, you'd have to be at least thirty-five or thirty-six to become a lieutenant colonel!"

He paused for a moment: "Unless there are exceptional contributions or major military achievements, they will be promoted without regard to seniority. But such cases may only occur once every few decades."

"So there really is one?" Zhang Xueying's eyes lit up. "I really saw her yesterday, on the plane, on the same flight back from the southwest as us. She was incredibly young, maybe twenty-five at most!"

Zhang Dajiang was about to retort when he suddenly stopped. His daughter had returned from the Southwest yesterday...the Southwest...the young lieutenant colonel...

A figure flashed through his mind.

"The Southwest Military Region?" Zhang Dajiang's expression became subtle. "Are you sure it's the Southwest Military Region?"

"I don't know, but he boarded the plane from the southwest, and he was picked up by two people from the General Armaments Department," Zhang Xueying recalled. "They were wearing military uniforms, and their posture was exceptionally upright; they sat there with their backs straight. And..."

Her face flushed again: "And he has a really great figure, you can feel his muscles even through his clothes..."

"Alright, alright, you're getting more and more absurd," Wang Hui interrupted her daughter with a smile, then turned to her husband, "Old Zhang, judging from Yingying's description, do you know who it is?"

Zhang Dajiang put down his briefcase, walked to the sofa, sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "If Yingying hasn't misread the age and rank, then I do know someone."

"Who?" the mother and daughter asked in unison.

Zhang Dajiang deliberately kept his daughter in suspense, looking at her and asking, "Tell me first, do you like him?"

"Dad!" Zhang Xueying stamped her foot. "I'm just curious!"

"Since it's just curiosity, it doesn't matter whether you know or not." Zhang Dajiang made a move to get up. "I have to go to my meeting..."

"Oh, Dad!" Zhang Xueying quickly grabbed her father. "Tell me!"

Wang Hui chimed in, "Old Zhang, stop teasing the child, tell us already."

Zhang Dajiang then sat down again and cleared his throat: "If I'm not mistaken, Yingying should have met Lin Zhe, the deputy captain of the Southwest Military Region's Hunter Blade Special Forces, a lieutenant colonel, who is... twenty-one years old this year."

"Twenty-one?" Zhang Xueying's eyes widened. "Three years younger than me?"

"Yes, twenty-one." Zhang Dajiang nodded. "As for his looks... he's over six feet tall, broad-shouldered, slim-waisted, with regular features and particularly bright eyes, right?"

"It's him!" Zhang Xueying exclaimed excitedly. "Dad, you know him?"

"It's more than just knowing him." Zhang Dajiang took a sip of tea. "This kid is a treasure of the Southwest Military Region. No, it should be said that he's a treasure of the entire army."

Wang Hui became interested: "Wow, that's amazing! Old Zhang, tell me more about it."

"I can't say too much about the specifics, it's classified." Zhang Dajiang put down his teacup. "But I can tell you, this kid is twenty-one years old and has already earned three first-class merits. He single-handedly took down more than fifty armed men in the border defense forces, and he has never failed in a mission with the special forces. That's not all, he's also a technical genius. The technical reports he's submitted to the General Armaments Department could fill a whole table, and every single one of them represents a major breakthrough."

He looked at his daughter with a meaningful gaze: "Let me put it this way, there's no one else like him in the entire army. He has military achievements, technical skills, good looks... and his family background is also good. His grandfather was my former superior, and his father is Lin Guodong, the mayor of Jinghua City."

Zhang Xueying was stunned. Yesterday, she only thought the officer was handsome and young; she never imagined he had such a remarkable backstory.

Wang Hui's eyes brightened: "Old Zhang, you mean... Lin Weiguo's grandson? Lin Guodong's son?"

"Yes." Zhang Dajiang nodded. "I spoke privately with Old Chen, that is, Chen Jianfeng, the commander of the Southwest Military Region. He said that Lin Zhe was personally sent to the Southwest by General Lin for training. Originally, we thought he was just going there to get some experience, but we didn't expect him to actually improve and make such a big splash."

He paused, looked at his daughter, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Yingying, if you really like him, Dad can help you find someone. A son-in-law like this is hard to find even with a lantern."

"Dad! What did you say!" Zhang Xueying blushed and clung to Wang Hui's arm, pouting, "Mom, look at Dad!"

Wang Hui patted her daughter's hand with a smile, but said to her husband, "Old Zhang, are you serious? This child... doesn't have a boyfriend yet, right?"

"How would I know?" Zhang Dajiang stood up, picked up his briefcase again, "But I can ask Lao Chen. Alright, I really have to go, I'm going to be late."

Before leaving, he turned back to look at his daughter one last time: "Yingying, think it over carefully. If it's really something, Dad will help you."

The door closed, and Zhang Xueying remained sitting on the sofa, her face flushed. Wang Hui hugged her daughter and asked softly, "Tell Mom the truth, are you really falling for her?"

"Mom..." Zhang Xueying's voice trailed off, "I just feel... he's very special. He's different from any other officer I've ever met. It's not just that he's handsome, it's that... aura, so steady, so reassuring."

"That's right." Wang Hui smiled. "Your dad has a good eye for people. If he says it's good, then it can't be wrong. Besides, we know the Lin family very well. General Lin's character is impeccable, and Lin Guodong has a good reputation in political circles. If it really works out, Mom will support you."

"Oh dear, it's not even close to being a done deal yet!" Zhang Xueying said, but her heart was pounding.

In the military region office, Zhang Dajiang was somewhat distracted throughout the morning's meeting. He had only mentioned his daughter's situation casually, but the more he thought about it, the more reliable it seemed!

Lin Zhe, that kid, has the ability, the background, and the looks. His daughter is twenty-four; it's time to talk about marriage. If they could really arrange this marriage...

He became more and more excited, and before he could even finish his lunch, he dialed Chen Jianfeng's number as soon as he got back to his office.

"Old Chen, it's me, Zhang Dajiang."

Chen Jianfeng's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone: "Old Zhang, what brings you to call me? Trying to steal my girlfriend again? Let me tell you, Lin Zhe, don't even think about it!"

Zhang Dajiang laughed: "It's not about poaching someone, it's something else. Old Chen, does Lin Zhe... have a girlfriend?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Chen Jianfeng's surprised voice: "Old Zhang, why are you asking this? Don't tell me... you want to play matchmaker for him?"

"You guessed right." Zhang Dajiang didn't mince words. "My daughter, Yingying, ran into Lin Zhe on the plane yesterday. She came back and asked me about it. I think that girl has fallen for him."

Chen Jianfeng chuckled on the other end of the phone: "Good for you, Lao Zhang, you have a sharp eye! But this matter... I need to ask Lin Zhe himself first. You know, this kid's mind is entirely on the military, he doesn't seem to have figured out when it comes to relationships yet."

"That's why I need your help," Zhang Dajiang said. "How about this, you ask Lin Zhe what he thinks. If he doesn't object, arrange for the two kids to meet next time he comes to Beijing. Or... shall we go see the old commander together and bring this up while we're at it?"

Chen Jianfeng thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll ask him when I have a chance. But Lao Zhang, let me make this clear first, whether this works out or not depends on the kids themselves. We can't force them."

"Of course!" Zhang Dajiang laughed. "It's just a matchmaker; whether it works out or not depends on fate."

Hanging up the phone, Zhang Dajiang was in a great mood. He walked to the window, looking at the training ground in the military compound, and his mind was already filled with thoughts of how wonderful it would be if Lin Zhe really became his son-in-law!

Meanwhile, in the Southwest Military Region, Chen Jianfeng put down the phone, shook his head, and chuckled. That old Zhang, quick on the uptake. But thinking about it, it makes sense; what elder wouldn't like a young man like Lin Zhe?

He called his secretary over: "How's Lin Zhe's work at the General Armaments Department going?"

"Reporting to the Commander, Director Li called this morning and said that Lin Zhe has solved the core technical problem and will be able to complete all the work today."

"Okay." Chen Jianfeng nodded. "When he comes back, have him come to see me."

At the General Armament Department Research Institute, Lin Zhe was completely unaware that he was being "targeted." He spent the entire morning in the laboratory, resolving the last few issues with the Type 03 individual soldier system.

"Professor Lin, you're amazing!" A young researcher looked at him with admiration. "We've been working on this for half a month without any progress, and you finished it all in one morning!"

"After all, I wrote the technical report." Lin Zhe wiped his hands. "Director Li, all the problems have been solved. Just follow the procedures for subsequent testing. If there are any further issues, please contact me anytime."

Director Li held Lin Zhe's hand, reluctant to let go: "Lin Zhe, are you really not considering coming to the General Armament Department? Our conditions here are excellent; we can provide whatever equipment you need, and assign whatever personnel you require..."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Director Li, but I still prefer being in the military." Lin Zhe smiled. "Equipment is for soldiers; only on the front lines do you know what soldiers truly need."

"Sigh, I knew you'd say that," Director Li sighed. "Alright, I won't force you. The car's already arranged. Where do you want to go?"

"No need, I'll just take a taxi," Lin Zhe declined. "I want to go home and spend time with my parents. I'll go back to the Southwest tomorrow."

After leaving the General Assembly Department, Lin Zhe took a taxi home. On the way, he received a call from Qin Feng.

"Lin Zhe, is everything done?"

"It's all done. I'll go back tomorrow."

"No rush," Qin Feng chuckled on the phone. "The commander wants you to stay a couple more days and spend time with your family. Also... he seems to have something to discuss with you; we'll talk about it when you get back."

"What is it?" Lin Zhe asked.

"I don't know either, it's all so mysterious." Qin Feng paused, "But Lin Zhe, there's something I need to remind you—you're in high demand right now, everyone's watching you. You should probably start thinking about your personal life too."

Lin Zhe was taken aback: "What personal problem?"

"It's... a girlfriend!" Qin Feng laughed. "You're twenty-one already, it's time you started dating. The female soldiers in our team have been asking about you a lot behind your back."

Lin Zhe was both amused and exasperated: "Captain Qin, please stop joking. I'm not thinking about this right now."

"I know, I know, you're completely focused on the military," Qin Feng said. "But you still have to think things through. Alright, that's enough for now, we'll talk again when we get back."

Hanging up the phone, Lin Zhe shook his head. Love? It was too far removed from his life. He'd never been in a relationship by age thirty-five in his previous life, and in this one he was only twenty-one—what was the rush?

The taxi stopped in front of the villa. Lin Zhe got out of the car, and looking at his familiar home, a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

Unbeknownst to him, at that very moment, in a villa within the military compound, Zhang Xueying was holding her phone, looking through photos she had secretly taken of Lin Zhe's profile yesterday—though blurry, that tall and imposing figure was etched into her heart.

Meanwhile, the commanders of the two military regions are preparing to "connect the dots".

Fate is a fickle thing; it can happen unexpectedly. What seems like a chance encounter might actually lead to something wonderful.