Meng Xingzhiâs office was off-limits from morning until noon; no one dared to enter. The usually good-tempered man had been reading the newspaper for a solid hour, poring over the same few lines countless times.
Finally, he put down the newspaper and made a call to Su Jiang.
"Hello, I am Su Jiang!"
"I am Meng Xingzhi!"
"I know!" Su Jiang laughed a few times over the phone, "I can recognize your voice."
"If you know, then why are you introducing yourself? Do you think I canât recognize your voice?" Meng Xingzhi said irritably. They had known each other for many years, both friends and relatives, there was no need for such formalities.
"Youâre wrong!" Su Jiang corrected sternly, "Iâm not introducing myself because Iâm afraid you wonât recognize me, Iâm telling you that I am Su Jiang."
Meng Xingzhi was taken aback, and a sense of anger rose inexplicably within him. So this was his way of telling him that they were no longer relatives! Well done, Su Jiang, turning your back faster than flipping a book.
"You were indeed determined, directly announcing in the newspaper for everyone to see that Su Yun has been expelled from the family. Did it pain you at all when you made that decision?"
"Of course! The old man gave clear instructions, which I had been suppressing. Who knew Su Yun would become even more reckless." Su Jiangâs tone shifted, "Meng Xingzhi, you knew full well that indulging Su Yun would lead to this outcome, so why did you stay out of it? Is she your wife, or have you just been pretending to care for her all these years?"
"No, I do love her," Meng Xingzhi denied vehemently, "Otherwise, I wouldnât have married her in the first place."
"But she wasnât the first person you married," Su Jiang revealed the harsh truth without mercy. "Enough, I donât want to talk about this anymore. In the future, keep Su Yun in check and donât let her stir up trouble again. Otherwise, it wonât look good for both the Su and Meng families."
"Donât trouble yourself."
The two parted on bad terms, and Su Jiang was lost in thought after hanging up the phone until his subordinate came to find him, bringing him back to reality. Su Yunâs immature behavior was truly unbearable; he hoped this incident would serve as a lesson and make her more discerning.
"President, Deputy Director Qinâs satellite phone call is connected."
"Good!" Su Jiangâs spirits lifted, and he quickly headed to the communications room.
Inside, six or seven people were standingâall of them his trusted aides and the commanders of Qin Yueâs operation.
"President!"
"President."
Everyone greeted him as he arrived, but Su Jiang had no mind to respond. He walked straight to the phone, directing the communication officer to connect the satellite call and turn up the volume to its maximum.
"Hello! Greetings, leaders!" Qin Yueâs flippant voice came through the phone, causing a moment of awkward silence among the group.
"Qin Yue, report your situation," Su Jiang said sternly.
"Yes!" Qin Yueâs tone changed, becoming serious as he rapidly reported his current coordinates in latitude and longitude. Then he gave a detailed status report of the team members.
"I need to know about Xu Qigangâs situation." The rescued personnel had arrived in the Northern District this morning, confirming the reason why Xu Qigang hadnât returned.
Suddenly attacked, it was during a crucial moment that Xu Qigang stayed behind with Chen Yingjie and others to cover their retreat, allowing the rest to escape.
The last ones to remain were in the most danger. By rank, Xu Qigang was the highest and shouldnât have been the one to stay behind. The reason why that happened was not known.
"Qin Yue reporting, weâve now reached the location where the rescue team boarded their flight, and thereâs been intense fighting here. Based on the preliminary examination of the scene, we can determine there have been casualties, but weâre not sure whether theyâre from our side or the enemyâs. Preliminary observations of the scene suggest that, aside from our rescue comrades, there were people from S-country, M-country, and hired soldiers involved in the fight. When we arrived, the rescue operation had ended ten hours ago, and we are currently investigating and tracking at the scene."