Manman, where are you?
On her first night in Beijing, Manman had a dream.
Suddenly, it seemed like she heard his voice.
Startled, she climbed out of her bedding.
Chun Xia, who was sleeping beside her, murmured, “Having a nightmare?”
“No,” Manman said, climbing out of bed, took a sip of water to steady her nerves, and took out her cellphone to check.
Still, there were no messages from him.
She too wanted to ask, where was he now?
In reality, Jiang Yan was quite frustrated.
Having been called back by the military, he had asked his superiors if he could make a phone call.
To his dismay, someone watched him insist that he could only call his family.
This—clearly something was wrong.
Enduring, he made it to the day he could be transferred to the National Defense University for further studies.
Just having arrived at the university, he couldn’t rush to apply for leave, as that would make him suspicious to the leadership.
Jiang Yan used a bit of cunning and kept an eye out to see if anyone in his class was planning a group outing.
He intended to join in, and once outside, he would definitely call Manman.
The commander training and development class he had joined this term was filled with young officers, all about his age, and like him, they were mostly technical officers.
The army had been focusing on nurturing versatile talents and young key members.
The attendees of this class could be said to be the army’s hopeful stars of tomorrow.
Without some capability and background, one simply couldn’t get in.
Not unexpectedly, the class was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
The presence of Crown Princes was inevitable.
Speaking of class stratification in the red society, the first level featured the Crown Princes, addressed as ‘Your Highness’; the second level included those like Jiang Yan, red second-generation with a military family background, known as ‘Young Masters’; the third level, including people like Mo Wenyang, came from families with some background, not necessarily military, and were called ‘Young Lords’.
Below that, military personnel with some capabilities had to curry favor with the progeny of the first three levels to climb higher.
The military is a microcosm of society.
In terms of simplicity, it is rather straightforward, with soldiers receiving all sorts of red cultural indoctrination daily, leaning toward a clear-cut view of right and wrong.
But when it comes to complexity, it can get rather complex.
The personnel system in the military, tier upon tier, puts more emphasis on unblemished background than the wider society—it’s impossible to allow someone without red thought to be in charge of commanding troops, in case they turn rogue on the battlefield.
To prove one’s innocence and draw close to the red favorites valued by the organization is a very normal method.
When Jiang Yan and Mo Wenyang first joined the class, people came up to chat.
But it soon became evident that everyone preferred to hang around with the Jun Yes.
Mo Wenyang seemed eager but didn’t dare to bring this matter up casually with Jiang Yan.
He knew well that the temper of Jiang, the Young Master, was too proud to flatter or fawn.
Under normal circumstances, Jiang Yan wouldn’t join in such excitement, but for the sake of love and his career, he was very willing to bend his pride.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted among the Crown Prince’s followers—the school was letting out for the weekend, and they planned to help a certain Crown Prince pick out a gift to give his fiancée back home.
The opportunity had arrived.
Under Mo Wenyang’s astonished gaze, Jiang Yan rocketed into the crowd and joined the others in creating a ruckus.
His posture was somewhat reminiscent of the students in the May Fourth Movement, raising his fists high and cheering for the weekend outing, all the while thinking: I can call Manman now.
Perhaps he didn’t play the part convincingly, or maybe his sudden rebellion seemed suspicious to the leadership, but Jun Ye in the center, surrounded by stars, locked onto him with a sharp glance, like the aiming circle on a sniper rifle.
Jiang Yan quickly grabbed his military jacket collar and gave it three nonchalant shakes.
Jun Ye’s lips curled into a faint, coldly arrogant smile, as he seemed to guess the motive behind his feigned competence.
His gaze retreated, essentially granting him a favor.
This scene made Mo Wenyang, who was watching from a distance, tremble with fear.
As soon as Jiang Yan came back, Mo Wenyang immediately clapped him on the shoulder, “Do you know who Jun Ye’s fiancée is?”
Unsurprisingly, Jiang Yan retorted with an off-topic, “Who his fiancée is has nothing to do with me.”
Now, Jiang Yan’s heart was filled with only Manman.
“Jun Ye’s fiancée is Bai Lu, the number one beauty of the entire military!” Mo Wenyang said, frustrated, “She coaxed Jun Ye into buying a gift because she wanted to see the legendary number one beauty.
So why are you joining in this excitement?”
Jiang Yan, his lips curving, threw out a proud statement, “I’m going to see the number one beauty in my heart.
What?
The number one beauty has to be who you guys say and not who I think?”
It turns out he was thinking of Manman.
Pondering, Mo Wenyang had heard from his parents that Jiang’s parents had secretly visited the Wen Family, and it seemed they were not pleased.
But his own parents strictly warned him, he must not tell Jiang Yan.
The real-life Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, huh~
Mo Wenyang kindly patted Jiang Yan’s shoulder, “This weekend I’ll go out with you and help keep a lookout.”
Come the weekend, a group of cadets, riding on Jun Ye’s coattails, slipped out the school gate smoothly.
Arriving at the Department Store, someone like Jiang Yan, who was muddying the waters, sneaked away from the crowd into a public phone booth and quickly dialed Manman’s mobile number.
He knew Manman’s number by heart, but when he called, the phone’s rustling sound left his heart suspended.
Shouldn’t Manman be working in a quiet framing shop?
Manman, receiving the call amidst the hustle of transporting various artistic materials and canvases in the newly opened gallery that Du Yu and his friends had partnered in, rushed in and out, directing the workers with care.
With the street bustling with traffic, Manman had to raise her voice into the phone, “Who?
Who is this?!”
“Manman, it’s me!” Jiang Yan, equally agitated, gripped the military cap on his head to fan himself.
“Who are you?” Manman covered her other ear and listened again, as the phone displayed a strange number, and she also feared it might be a stranger trying to deceive her for money.
“Manman, it’s only been two weeks since we parted, you couldn’t have forgotten me, could you?” Jiang Yan, in a panic, started to complain like a wronged young wife.
In an instant, the entire world seemed to change color, and a thousand flowers bloomed, with spring mist wafting through the air.
Manman covered her mouth with her other hand, her long wait finally rewarded with this call from him.
“Manman, listen to me, I was banned from using the phone by the military.
Don’t be anxious, I will make time to visit you,” Jiang Yan said, thinking her silence was due to being upset over the lack of contact.
He repeatedly assured her, short of ripping his chest open to offer his heart.
“I know all that,” Manman’s lips slowly curved into a smile of joy.
Phew—pulling at his collar, it was only then that Jiang Yan realized he was sweating profoundly before she had spoken.
He relaxed and began to chat leisurely, for chatting could reveal each other’s interests and foster closeness, “Manman, where are you?
I hear rustling on your end; aren’t you at the company?”
Manman couldn’t help but feel a bit of guilty pleasure inside, smugly dropping a surprise bomb on him, “I’m in Beijing!”