That girl was lucky, living the high life.
For a while, she had been incredibly envious of her.
Song Yao completely forgot her current predicament and blurted out, "Comrade, what’s your name? Are you seeing anyone?"
The moment the words left her mouth, the eyes of the people around them nearly popped out of their heads.
Mr. Shen: "..."
’Is there something wrong with my brain?’
’If someone said this Song Yao was a saboteur sent to cause trouble, he’d be more inclined to believe she was here for comic relief.’
The comrade was stunned for a moment but didn’t take the bait.
"Please come with me."
His voice was quite pleasant to the ear.
Song Yao knew when to stop and didn’t press the matter.
She had acted on impulse just now.
Now that she had calmed down, she understood it wasn’t the right time or place.
She obediently followed behind him.
「The office.」
A desk lamp was lit in the room. The window was shut tight, muffling the sound of the wind outside.
Several files were on the desk, along with a cup of tea that had already gone cold.
"That’s the long and short of it, sir. Every word we’ve said is true, without a single lie."
Aunt Zhang sat across from him, her hands on her knees, speaking earnestly.
It had been over an hour.
Aunt Zhang and the others from the logistics department who had dealt with Song Yao had finally told them everything they knew.
Their stories basically matched what Song Yao had said earlier.
What Mr. Shen was truly interested in were the small details of their interactions with her.
It was from these fragments that he could piece together her true character.
"Reporting!"
A shout from the doorway shattered the silence in the room.
Mr. Shen looked up.
"What is it?"
Zhang Jianwei entered reluctantly, a pained look on his face.
He was clutching a slip of paper, his knuckles white.
"News just came in. The vehicle you had us investigate was re-examined. We discovered the outer paint is fresh. It isn’t the military-grade kind, but ordinary green paint you can buy at any market. It was probably bought commercially. The soldiers below don’t know much about cars, so they didn’t spot anything fishy a few days ago."
At these words, Mr. Shen’s head snapped up.
"What did you say?!"
Sweat beaded on Zhang Jianwei’s forehead, and his fingers nervously fiddled with the hem of his clothes.
"Sir, I only just found out myself... Here’s what happened. The discovery was made just a short while ago. A vendor at the market identified Song Yao. She apparently bought several cans of paint the evening before last, claiming it was to repair an old car at home. But our people investigated and found that the vehicle wasn’t damaged at all, let alone in need of a new paint job."
"Upon closer inspection, we realized she bought the paint to cover up a scratch on the side of the vehicle. No one noticed it at the time. She handled it privately and falsified the vehicle’s condition, which is how she passed the routine inspection..."
"BANG!"
Mr. Shen slammed his palm on the desk, and the wooden table shook from the impact.
His face was ashen. His vision swam, and his mind was filled with the look the girl had given him at noon.
’If she really is innocent...’
’Then she could very well be... his own daughter...’
’But what had he done?’
’He’d sent her to solitary confinement!’
Mr. Shen’s finger trembled as he pointed at Zhang Jianwei.
"What have you people been doing all day? You can’t even investigate something this simple! A soldier’s daily movements, any unusual behavior—shouldn’t that have been discovered sooner? Did you have to wait until something went wrong to report it?"
Zhang Jianwei tried to explain with a pained expression, sweat rolling down his forehead.
"Sir, please calm down. We just received word that Song Yao was taken for emergency medical treatment. Her condition isn’t good. Do you want to go see her?"
The color drained from Mr. Shen’s face.
"What? I only told Xiao Li to take her to solitary. I gave explicit orders that there was to be no corporal punishment, and absolutely no hitting! I didn’t authorize anyone to lay a hand on her!"
"I don’t know! Xiao Li took her to the cell and even arranged for a meal, telling her to rest first. But not long after, Xiao Li came out carrying her. He said she’d fainted, was limp as a noodle, and wouldn’t wake up no matter how much he called to her... Hey, Sir!"
Before he could finish, Mr. Shen had already stormed out the door.
"Sir, you’re going the wrong way! Song Yao is in the infirmary now!"
Aunt Zhang, who was still in the room, hastily called out, clutching a corner of her apron.
"Let’s go take a look, too. That child, Xiao Song, has really been through a lot! Such a frail little girl, always volunteering for work and never complaining. Who would have thought she was suffering so much behind the scenes?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. Someone said in a low voice, "Yeah, she never even dared to take an extra scoop of food. She always waited for everyone else to get their share first."
"I heard she sends her entire stipend back home, leaving almost nothing for herself."
"No wonder her body gave out..."
"Come on, let’s go see her."
...
「In the base’s infirmary.」
The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant, and the lights in the corridor cast a pallid glow.
The door was shoved open, and Mr. Shen strode in.
"How is Song Yao now?"
The words had barely left his lips when he saw the person on the hospital bed.
The young woman’s face was as white as a sheet. Her eyes were closed, and she lay completely still.
An IV tube was connected to her arm, the fluid dripping down slowly, drop by drop.
Before long, Doctor Guo Yun approached Mr. Shen with a chart to report on her condition.
"She has severe anemia, and chronic malnutrition from not eating enough. She also has numerous old injuries—some are old external wounds, while others are recent bruises that haven’t faded. Sir, Comrade Song Yao’s physical condition is at its limit. If this goes on any longer, something serious will happen."
Doctor Guo’s expression was grave as she spoke.
Mr. Shen stared at the emaciated figure on the bed, his fists slowly clenching.
"Guo Yun, I want you to draw up a recovery plan for her immediately. You must get all her levels back to normal as soon as possible."
He didn’t turn around, his eyes fixed on the person in the bed.
"Make sure she gets proper nutrition. Give her whatever she’s lacking. I don’t care what it takes."
Doctor Guo acknowledged the order. "I’ll go prescribe the medication now."
Her footsteps hurried as she pulled open the door and left.
Once she was gone, only Mr. Shen, his aide Xiao Li, and the unconscious Song Yao on the bed remained in the room.
Xiao Li stood with his hands at his sides, his gaze fixed on the floor.
Mr. Shen stood by the bed for a long time before asking in a low, hoarse voice, "Xiao Li, what exactly happened earlier? Tell me again."
Xiao Li stood ramrod straight and recounted every detail. "Not long after Comrade Song Yao entered solitary confinement, she started having trouble breathing. She said her chest felt tight and uncomfortable..."
He paused, his voice dropping even lower.
"At first, she managed to stay on her feet. Then she was leaning against the wall, and finally, she slid to the floor. I didn’t hear her call for help, but I saw through the observation window that her face was turning blue and her lips purple, so I immediately hit the emergency button."
Time passed, drop by drop. Her eyelids suddenly fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Her eyes shifted, her vision remaining blurry for a while before gradually coming into focus.
Before Song Yao could figure out where she was, a voice reached her ears.
"You’re awake? How are you feeling? Still in pain?"
It was Mr. Shen’s voice, a little softer than usual.
She was dazed for a few seconds before her mind started working again.
Her memory came back in pieces.
Solitary confinement, darkness, the feeling of suffocation, and the iron door that wouldn’t open.
She glanced to the side and saw Mr. Shen standing there.
Although she had expected him to be here, she still felt incredibly weary.