Chapter 41: Thoughts
August 17, Saturday.
Due to the reappearance of increasingly obvious strange sensations in her body, this time Jiang Yan and Jiang Yao had learned their lesson and took leave two days in advance to avoid causing discomfort to some male colleagues at the club.
Last night’s heavy rain finally brought a refreshing change to the high temperatures that had persisted for more than two months.
The old, charming alley usually had a nostalgic vibe, but last night it began accumulating water, and the households on both sides experienced varying degrees of difficulty in going out.
After breakfast, Jiang Yan took advantage of the rare cool outdoor weather to tend to the flowers, trees, and bonsai that had been neglected for over a month in the small courtyard. This elderly life made Jiang Yao unable to help but secretly complain.
“Hey, sis, look! Director Jiang, Grandma Jiang is on TV!”
A surprised shout from the living room prompted Jiang Yan to quickly remove her dirt-stained gloves and hurriedly walk back to the living room.
On the TV screen, the elderly Jiang Chunhua, with a head full of white hair, was leisurely interacting with the host, occasionally switching to blurred footage of disabled abandoned infants.
“…For every parent forced to abandon their disabled child, perhaps their pain and helplessness is something we cannot understand. But to Director Jiang, these children are angels that have come to this world. They are unique, and they are treasures of humanity.”
“…Alright, now for several little treasures at the W District Children’s Welfare Institute who urgently need surgeries, we welcome people from all walks of life to extend a helping hand and show your love. Below are specific conditions for each child, as well as dedicated donation accounts. Lastly, let us once again wish these little treasures health and happiness.”
On the screen, a beautiful female host delivered an emotional closing statement. The image then froze on several lines of information, lingering for nearly a minute accompanied by soothing music.
“Sis, if it weren’t for Grandma Jiang’s dire situation, she wouldn’t have turned to the media. Last time, she donated all our compensation funds and didn’t keep a single cent for herself… How about I ask Zhong Jing tomorrow to send some money to Grandma Jiang? I still have nearly 300,000 in my card!”
Jiang Yan quickly captured the scene on her phone, while Jiang Yao opened her mobile banking app, looking at a line of numbers with a proud smile.
“No, we sent money not long ago. I believe Dark Arrow already knows about our relationship with Grandma Jiang. They would likely suspect we were behind the last anonymous donation, so let’s not create more trouble for her… Or, we could spread it out. You can send money separately to the few children who need surgery.”
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yan decided to use a more dispersed method, indirectly easing Grandma Jiang’s burden while avoiding leaving any traces that Dark Arrow might trace back to them.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you, tomorrow is the C City comic exhibition. I have a date with Zhong Jing to go, and it’s a good opportunity for me to discuss the donation matter with him!”
Seeing Jiang Yan support her idea, Jiang Yao quickly pointed at her phone.
“Tomorrow is Sunday, didn’t we agree to volunteer at the welfare institute?”
Noticing Jiang Yao finding excuses to play, Jiang Yan frowned slightly.
“If we go on Sunday, we won’t see Grandma Jiang anyway. If we go on a regular day, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hide my feelings…” Jiang Yao lowered her head, her tone subdued. “I’m not like you, able to remain calm at all times… As long as I know she’s okay, that’s enough…”
Xiao Yao was right; whether to volunteer or not shouldn’t be forced. Her life, aside from being safe, shouldn’t be overly interfered with… With that thought, Jiang Yan could only nod.
…
…
Noon, Xuanjia Team’s base.
Meng Huai continued to refine the details of Han Xiao’s series of whimsical plans, racing against time.
Unlike Han Xiao’s various subjective or objective speculations, Meng Huai felt he didn’t need much evidence; he just had a premonition that Xia Yan and Gu Yao were definitely in C City. The feasibility of Han Xiao’s plan was quite high, after all, he was very familiar with Xia Yan’s character traits.
Ding ding ding, the internal line phone on his desk rang. Meng Huai instinctively grabbed it with his left hand and pressed it to his ear while continuing to write on the paper with his right.
“Xiao Meng, it’s me, Zhen Guangquan.”
“Yes, Chief of Staff.”
Meng Huai automatically straightened his body, his eyes staring straight ahead, and his pen stopped moving.
“I have your physical examination report. You think a paper revision is enough to fool anyone? What exactly are your plans?”
On the other end, Zhen Guangquan’s tone was calm, as if he had long anticipated that his subordinate would reach this point.
“I have no plans, just a phase two warning.”
Meng Huai answered nonchalantly, his gaze icy.
“I checked the corresponding values, several items are nearing phase three. Sigh… You’re not even thirty years old yet, and along with other leaders’ opinions, I’m giving you a two-month leave to recuperate in the capital headquarters. All your ongoing work will be handed over to Deputy Captain Zhao; the 430 task force will not be affected with Han Xiao and Han Jie Li in charge.”
“Chief, I’m fine right now; I know my own body.”
A hint of pain appeared in Meng Huai’s eyes, as if Zhen’s decision was stripping him of the power to capture Xia Yan himself.
“Ha, everyone says that at this point. I’ve been through it; do you think I don’t know what will happen when your body reaches phase two? You just haven’t truly experienced it yet!”
Hearing this, Meng Huai unconsciously released his wrist, glancing at the phone, as if making eye contact with the person on the line. “Chief, after I complete this operation, I will apply for leave.”
“Ah… Sigh, let me give you some bad news. Han Jiesheng, the elder son of Deputy Commander Han, was killed in Ba Nation yesterday. You should be familiar with him; he was in the same military school cohort as you. He was the captain of the special support team dispatched to Ba Nation…”
“In the recent period, you need to take care of Han Xiao. She doesn’t know this news yet. The Han family has had someone sacrificed in the front lines for several hundred years; both of Deputy Commander Han’s younger brothers also did, and now his only son has fallen. As your elder in the lineage, I hope you can be with Han Xiao.”
Zhen Guangquan’s voice was heavy and full of sorrow.
“Chief, is this considered an official task from the organization?”
Meng Huai was first shocked by the news of Han Jiesheng’s death, but his mood quickly darkened upon hearing the last part.
“What’s with your temper! Nowadays, it’s all about free love; I certainly can’t force you to get a marriage certificate. You and Han Xiao are both my students; especially you, you are my successor.”
“Since entering the Dark Arrow unit, I’ve known I could sacrifice at any moment, but I don’t want to see the Han family’s lineage end, and I don’t want anything irreversible happen to you. At least, you both need to leave yourselves a way out… Many kids more outstanding than you have lost their dreams like this…”
Perhaps it was the sadness of the moment, but Zhen Guangquan’s voice choked up.
“Chief, perhaps I’m not the one she likes… If something were to happen, given my current situation, I would likely sacrifice before her, which wouldn’t be fair to her.”
“Don’t say such ominous things! In the next operation, you’re not to inject the anti-blood invasion immunity agent, just stay back and command!”
Zhen Guangquan’s voice gradually grew more severe, leaving no room for negotiation.
Meng Huai gritted his teeth, closed his eyes tightly, and after a few seconds, he voluntarily hung up the phone.
Sitting in silence for a while, Meng Huai picked up the phone again, dialing a number. A few minutes later, Tao Qiao knocked on the office door.
“Did you tell Chief of Staff Zhen about my physical examination?”
Looking at the subordinate standing straight in front of him, Meng Huai’s expression remained unchanged.
“Meng team, you really should pay attention to your health.”
Tao Qiao bit her lip, showing her stubbornness in front of Meng Huai for the first time, “I still want… I still want you to break Chief of Staff Zhen’s record for longevity in service.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Meng Huai coldly replied, opening the drawer to take out a special document, tossing it in front of Tao Qiao: “If I remember correctly, next month, you will complete two years of service.”
“Yes…”
Tao Qiao felt a sudden jolt in her heart, a trace of panic inexplicably appearing.
“Good, then you meet the requirements.”
Meng Huai nodded, pointing at the document: “Fill it out yourself, then go submit it to Deputy Captain Zhao for archival. From now on, you will be the next candidate for the captain of the Xuanjia Team. This is a privilege of our legacy unit, no need for a year’s training and service time limit from headquarters.”
“Meng team… I can’t do it!”
Tao Qiao suddenly lowered her head, tears streaming down.
“Follow orders… You can leave now.”
With that, Meng Huai continued to focus on his work.
It was unclear when, but when Meng Huai lifted his head, he found himself alone in the office.
Opening a side cabinet, he pulled out a photo, which was taken last year when the Xuanjia Team received a collective second-class merit award — a group photo of all team members.
In the photo, standing next to Meng Huai was Xia Yan.
At that time, Xia Yan had just completed two years of service, and Meng Huai had appointed her as the next captain of the Xuanjia Team in the same manner, promoting her to the rank of lieutenant.
Looking quietly at each comrade in the photo, his gaze finally landed on the smiling Xia Yan, and the shadows of Han Xiao and her brother Han Jiesheng appeared in his mind.
If he had not been infected by blood, maybe now he would still have some courage to withdraw from the frontline and confidently hand over the Xuanjia Team to her… As he thought about it, Meng Huai felt a pang in his eye.
Maybe he should visit the place where Xia Yan grew up more often; perhaps soon it would all become non-existent, and Xia Yan would also arrive at the end of her fate…
