“You’re in Pengcheng?”
Xia Xiaolan could now contact Tang Hongen directly, at least Secretary Peng wouldn’t intercept the calls and would immediately inform Tang Hongen. After spending considerable time in Beijing, Tang Hongen returned to Pengcheng and was caught up in official business. When Xia Xiaolan called, Tang Hongen realized she must be on winter break.
“Uncle Tang, I need your help with something. Could I meet with you?”
Some things weren’t suitable to discuss over the phone, especially since Xia Xiaolan’s request involved bending rules. Of course, she couldn’t leave “evidence” on the phone – not for her sake, but for Tang Hongen’s.
Tang Hongen made time to have a meal with Xia Xiaolan.
“You came to Pengcheng for your break? Your mother didn’t object?”
Xia Xiaolan almost choked on her food. She and Grandma Yu weren’t just feeling overly confident – Tang Hongen’s attention to her mother was indeed somewhat inappropriate. Even with Xia Xiaolan’s thick skin and calculating nature, she found it awkward. She truly wasn’t good at handling relationship matters, whether her own or others’.
“It’s fine, I’ll return to Shangdu for New Year’s. After the Spring Festival, my mother will also go to Beijing. We’ll have plenty of time together in the future. Uncle Tang, earlier when the young master of the Cheng Rong Group went north to donate to several universities in Beijing, he came to see me…”
Xia Xiaolan smoothly changed the subject, mentioning Du Chengrong’s visit to Huaqing to see her.
Du Chengrong’s development in Pengcheng needed Mayor Tang Hongen’s support and approval. Xia Xiaolan was telling Tang Hongen this to give him a heads-up – Pengcheng wasn’t small, but she feared being unlucky enough to run into the presumptuous young Master Du again.
Tang Hongen’s brow furrowed upon hearing that Du Zhaohui wanted Xia Xiaolan to film in Hong Kong. The world was truly too small.
“You say your birth father works for Du Zhaohui? Then I must have seen him once.”
When Tang Hongen had encountered Du Zhaohui at Baiyun Airport, a burly man had been following the young master. At the time, he naturally hadn’t paid much attention to Du Zhaohui’s followers, but with Xia Xiaolan’s mention, the memory resurfaced.
It was hard to forget – during that meeting at Baiyun Airport, Du Zhaohui had returned with him to Pengcheng for negotiations. Both sides were quite sincere about cooperation, but within two days, Du Zhaohui was ambushed on his way to Baiyun Airport. The driver died, and his bodyguard was severely injured.
All this was relayed by Secretary Peng.
Du Zhaohui had been furious in Yangcheng because the severely injured bodyguard was the young master’s confidant.
“I’ll have Little Peng come over to inquire.”
Secretary Peng was well-informed about the specifics and arrived quickly.
“Leader, I’ve brought the files from the Yangcheng Public Security Bureau.”
The police had taken a statement from the injured man – Xia Dajun, from Anqing, Yunan. Tang Hongen was correct. Xia Xiaolan was speechless looking at the documents, “No wonder Young Master Du was so enthusiastically persistent!”
This was Xia Dajun’s dumb luck. Xia Xiaolan believed in equality between people – how could nobility be predetermined? Everyone had the potential to change their fate. Sometimes through wisdom and intelligence, through pure luck – Xia Dajun fell into the latter category… though the price he paid was steep. Secretary Peng mentioned that Xia Dajun had injured his spine, and when Yangcheng’s hospitals couldn’t handle it properly, Young Master Du sent him to Hong Kong for treatment.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Secretary Peng left as quickly as he had arrived.
With the dishes cleared away, Tang Hongen asked Xia Xiaolan, “What do you plan to do?”
“I’ve already told Young Master Du my thoughts. I don’t want to acknowledge Comrade Xia Dajun as my father. No matter how successful he’s become, I have no plans to live with him.”
Tang Hongen roughly understood the grievances between Xia Xiaolan and the Xia family. He wouldn’t stand on the sidelines telling her it didn’t hurt, trying to persuade her to forgive Xia Dajun.
Xia Dajun truly wasn’t a qualified father, failing in his responsibilities to both Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan.
Of course, Tang Hongen himself wasn’t qualified either. Although his divorce from Ji Ya was due to the special era, and Ji Yangyuan was taken away by Ji Ya, preventing him from seeing his son for over a decade – Tang Hongen wouldn’t push all his failures onto Ji Ya. He had sacrificed his family for the greater good, while Xia Dajun was foolishly filial and partial. Both had failed in their duties!
The difference was that Tang Hongen acknowledged his mistakes and hadn’t expected Ji Yangyuan’s forgiveness, let alone trying to gain his son’s sympathy through illness to make Ji Yangyuan care for him.
Ji Yangyuan hadn’t lived with him for years, nor had he provided for his upbringing – what right did he have to expect care?
The “blood relation” excuse wasn’t all-powerful!
Xia Xiaolan’s situation was even more complicated. Not only was her relationship with Xia Dajun distant, but she deeply resented everything he had done before. Tang Hongen refrained from casually judging her choices.
“You came to see me just to tell me this? Well, I understand, and I’ll mention it to Du Zhaohui when I have the chance.”
Xia Xiaolan felt quite embarrassed, “Thank you, Uncle Tang, but that’s not why I came to see you.”
Tang Hongen hadn’t expected Xia Xiaolan to immediately ask him to “abuse his power,” for such a matter.
Tang Hongen knew Zhou Cheng’s whereabouts. He pondered for a moment:
“Stay in Pengcheng for a couple of days, and I’ll make sure you two meet.”
Xia Xiaolan expressed her gratitude repeatedly. Tang Hongen couldn’t help but smile wryly – only at times like this did he feel Xia Xiaolan was truly a young girl her age, rather than an old hand who had been in society for years.
…
“Zhou Cheng, come out for a moment.”
After the isolation investigation ended, Zhou Cheng’s worries proved unnecessary. Not only had the unit not sidelined him, but they had even made him deputy team leader, which was quite surprising. Zhou Cheng cherished the opportunity, performing well in several missions.
Since he hadn’t colluded with smugglers, what he displayed now was purely his ability.
This kind of ability wasn’t necessarily related to length of service – intelligence was innate. Instructor Lu had observed everything, concluding that Zhou Cheng was born for this work.
Due to Zhou Cheng’s performance, the negative effects of the previous isolation investigation gradually disappeared. Though it wasn’t yet time for rewards and recognition, they could give Zhou Cheng some slack.
The instructor called Zhou Cheng out from their station. While Zhou Cheng was still wondering what it could be about, he looked up to see the figure he’d been dreaming of day and night standing there.
“Xiaolan?”
He saw his wife – how was this possible? Was his mind playing tricks on him?
The instructor shooed him along like swatting a fly, “Hurry up, I’m taking a risk letting you two meet.”
The instructor envied Zhou Cheng. His girlfriend had rushed to Jibei Province in vain, then came to Pengcheng to see him. She must have gone to great lengths to get the rules bent even slightly for Zhou Cheng!
It was Xiaolan, not his eyes playing tricks.
Zhou Cheng rubbed his face – the sea winds had roughened his skin, and the southern sun had tanned him, even the winter sun was strong here, completely unlike Beijing.
If only the instructor had told him Xiaolan was coming, he would have at least changed clothes. Would his wife find him slovenly?
He couldn’t help it – living by the sea for so long left one smelling like salted fish.
As Zhou Cheng’s thoughts wandered chaotically, Xia Xiaolan stepped forward:
“Don’t want to see me?”