She lifted her face. Her eyes were sparkling, and her tone was exceptionally sincere.
"Thank you so much! This is my lifeline!"
She clutched the cloth bundle to her chest like a mother protecting her cub.
Aunt Zhang couldn’t help but lean in and ask, "Xiao Song, is this the token you always talk about, the one your birth parents left for you?"
Song Yao nodded slowly, the corners of her mouth drooping.
"Without this, I’ll never be able to find them."
Xiao Li hadn’t said a word, standing quietly to one side.
His gaze flickered between Song Yao and Aunt Zhang for a moment.
Only then did he silently turn, push the door open, and leave.
Catching his departing figure from the corner of her eye, Song Yao understood what was happening.
’Xiao Li wouldn’t deliver something for no reason, nor would he simply act as a messenger.’
’He’s Shen Zhenwu’s man. His actions must have come from a direct order.’
’This whole thing was clearly a test.’
’And my reaction just now will be reported back to the office, word for word.’
BANG!
In the office, Mr. Shen slammed his teacup down, his grip on the telephone receiver deathly tight.
He roared into the receiver, "How many times do I have to say it?! Do not arrange that marriage for the Shen Family! Don’t you understand?!"
On the other end of the line came a woman’s voice, simmering with anger.
"Shen Zhenwu, why are you yelling at me? You haven’t been around for years, leaving me to worry about our daughter all by myself! If I don’t arrange things for her, am I supposed to just let her end up alone?!"
Shen Zhenwu ran a hand through his hair, his voice heavy.
"When have I ever not cared about Shuangshuang? That situation is complicated. I don’t want her getting dragged into it."
The woman on the other end let out a cold laugh.
"Don’t give me that! You think I don’t know? You’ve been running around so much lately, supposedly on official missions, but aren’t you secretly looking for that wild child? Don’t think no one’s noticed. Every time you have a mission, you head south. You claim you’re tracking enemy agents, but everyone knows there are no leads in that area. You’re just using official business as a cover to ask around for information."
Shen Zhenwu’s brow twitched violently.
"Yu Zhen, what are you implying? Everything I do is arranged by the organization. My itinerary is recorded, and my actions are reported. What gives you the right to say I’m doing it for other reasons?"
"What am I implying?"
Yao Yuzhen sneered.
"Anyone with sharp ears has heard you muttering about finding your real daughter. Shen Zhenwu, I can turn a blind eye. I don’t care if you have someone on the side, or if you have an illegitimate daughter. But I’m telling you, if you dare bring that bastard from the outside into this house and harm a single hair on Shuangshuang’s head, I’ll make sure neither you nor she will have an easy time of it!"
BEEP. BEEP.
Just as Shen Zhenwu was about to speak, the receiver filled with a steady dial tone.
His face dark, he slowly placed the handset back in its cradle.
There were two knocks at the door behind him.
He immediately adopted his usual tone, deep and commanding.
"Come in."
Xiao Li pushed the door open and entered, holding a paper-wrapped package.
"Chief, this was sent over from Shen Shuangshuang. She said it’s a birthday gift. She sent it early and specifically instructed me to deliver it to you personally."
Shen Zhenwu stared at the package, not moving or speaking.
After a long moment, he suddenly asked, "Xiao Li, tell me, do Shuangshuang and I look alike?"
The question came so suddenly that Xiao Li froze for a second. He looked down, picturing the two of them standing together.
Xiao Li shook his head honestly. "Not really."
A bitter smile touched Shen Zhenwu’s lips.
"That’s what everyone says."
Xiao Li scratched his head and added,
"But... your wife and Shuangshuang look quite alike."
Shen Zhenwu fell silent for a moment.
"Yes, I’ve heard that many times as well."
The recent string of events had left him with scarcely a full night’s sleep.
He had to handle official business during the day and secretly monitor Song Yao’s condition at night.
"You’ve been by my side for two years. You should understand what I’m planning."
Xiao Li nodded, his hands hanging properly at his sides.
But lately, the chief’s gaze would often drift toward the infirmary.
Even without a word being said, Xiao Li could see how deep his concern ran.
"That girl, Song Yao... help me look out for her."
Shen Zhenwu retracted his gaze, his eyes landing on the base of the distant perimeter wall.
Just as Xiao Li was about to turn and leave, he saw the chief look up.
The chief’s brow furrowed slightly, his tone softening a little.
"What is it? Is there something else?"
Xiao Li pressed his lips together before finally speaking.
"Chief, when I returned the golden bracelet to her, she held on to it very tightly. She said... it was her last hope of finding her birth parents."
Shen Zhenwu froze, the hand holding his teacup stopping in mid-air.
The tea sloshed, a drop splashing onto the desktop.
"In her eyes, I’m the man who sent people to harm her."
Xiao Li lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper.
"She probably just wants a family that badly. Even if she thinks her own father wants to kill her, she still wants to ask him to his face, why."
At those words, Shen Zhenwu abruptly bowed his head.
The air seemed to stand still for a moment.
The distant shouts from the training ground and the rustle of leaves in the wind filled the silence.
Xiao Li stood his ground, his fingers unconsciously clenching and unclenching.
He had never seen the chief like this.
In his mind, the chief always stood with his back ramrod straight.
But at this moment, this man who was revered by all his subordinates looked like a helpless father.
Xiao Li didn’t dare to look. After a long hesitation, he spoke again.
"Chief, since you’re already sure in your heart that she’s your daughter, why don’t you just acknowledge her?"
After a long pause, Shen Zhenwu finally spoke, his voice hoarse.
"It’s not that I want to hide it. But right now... Yu Zhen can’t accept the truth. She’s convinced that Shuangshuang is our biological daughter. If I really brought Song Yao home, she would just think she’s my illegitimate daughter. It would hurt her, and it would hurt the child."
He gazed at the rising sun outside the window.
"Yu Zhen has sacrificed so much for this family. Now that she finally has something to hold on to, I can’t be the one to shatter it."
Seeing this iron-willed commander suddenly show such a vulnerable side, Xiao Li’s heart ached.
"Chief, you carry everyone else’s burdens, but you have it the hardest. Don’t worry about this. I’ll protect Miss Song Yao for you."
「Dawn was just breaking.」
On the training ground, slogans thundered as the soldiers were already drenched in sweat.
After getting up, Shen Zhenwu went to the cafeteria as usual to get a meal, intending to take it to Song Yao at the infirmary.
After fastening the lid on the food container, he carried it toward the infirmary.
Halfway there, Xiao Li came rushing toward him.
"Chief!"
He saluted, his tone grave.
"The young lady insists on leaving. I was just about to find you and report."
Shen Zhenwu’s heart sank.
"Leave? Her condition isn’t even stable yet. How can she leave?"
He understood Shen Zhenwu’s worry and knew that Song Yao’s current physical condition was completely unsuitable for activity.
But Song Yao was resolute, remaining unmoved no matter how Doctor Guo tried to persuade her.
Shen Zhenwu dropped the food container and rushed toward the infirmary.
Before he even reached the door, he saw Song Yao push it open and walk out.
The door slowly closed behind her, making a soft clicking sound.
Doctor Guo stomped her foot in frustration.
"Comrade Song Yao, you really can’t be discharged right now!"
She had already explained three times, covering everything from unstable blood pressure to an abnormal heart rate.
But the other woman hadn’t listened to a single word.
She had grabbed a coat as she chased after her, and now, panting, she held it out.