Shen Linzhou quietly made a decision. He was willing to protect Xiao Mandong from a distance. Not disturbing her was the last shred of dignity he had left. From now on, he would stop entertaining those chaotic, inappropriate thoughts. This family was a swamp—he couldn’t drag anyone else into it.
In the rearview mirror, Xiao Ding cast a sympathetic glance at his commander. Having parents like that wasn’t the commander’s fault. After serving under Deputy Commander Shen for a year, he had realized that his commander treated Doctor Xiao differently from everyone else.
The jeep’s exhaust kicked up a cloud of dust that blew straight into Shen’s mother’s face. Only then did she realize that Shen Linzhou had already driven away.
What had that little bastard just called her? He had actually addressed her by name! How utterly disrespectful. She was going to make sure her younger son complained to the division commander and had Shen Linzhou’s commander removed from his post. How could someone so unfilial be qualified to lead troops?
The jeep was utterly silent. No one said a word. Of course, Sun Wenbin wanted to speak, but his mouth was gagged, so all he could do was keep whining.
Whenever his whining grew too loud, Zhou Qichuan would smack him over the head.
Sun Wenbin was still trying to figure out why he had been caught. He had operated undercover for six years without making a single mistake and had successfully completed countless missions. How had he ended up falling into the hands of this wretched woman?
Through the car window, Xiao Mandong watched the desolate road pass by. Her mind was filled with thoughts of what she should bring her family next time. At the moment, her family was all she could think about.
As soon as the vehicle entered the military compound, Shen Linzhou ordered his men to take Sun Wenbin to the interrogation room and keep him under guard.
Xiao Mandong, meanwhile, was taken aside to give her statement.
The Political Commissar personally presided over the questioning. He looked up at Xiao Mandong and said, “Comrade Xiao Mandong, tell us everything exactly as it happened—from the moment you obtained the pistol to the moment you fired it.”
Xiao Mandong sat up straight and answered steadily, “I felt that the old man’s movements as he climbed onto the bunk didn’t match his age, so I paid closer attention. By chance, I overheard him talking with the old woman. I thought his voice sounded like Old Kai’s, and I also learned where the pistol was hidden. So I found an opportunity to switch it out…”
Xiao Mandong repeated, word for word, the same account she had given at the Beijing Military Region.
The Political Commissar handed her a cup of water. “Take your time. There’s no rush. You’ve made a great contribution this time.”
He had never imagined that Xiao Mandong would render such an enormous service. His approval of her deepened considerably.
Xiao Mandong nodded and continued, “…Sun Wenbin said he knew where my family had been sent into exile. He threatened to harm both me and my family, and he tried to assault me. The situation was critical, so I fired. He has already set his sights on my family. I formally request that the army provide protection for them.”
“I suspect Sun Wenbin has accomplices. Otherwise, how could he have known where my family was sent?”
The Political Commissar had reached the same conclusion. He could even determine that the person helping Sun Wenbin possessed a certain amount of power.
He did not question Xiao Mandong about the pistol. There was no need. She had used it to protect herself.
“Political Commissar, once all the enemy agents have been captured, I’ll take you to retrieve those valuables. If we go now and someone with ulterior motives notices, I’m afraid…”
Xiao Mandong let her voice trail off, and the Political Commissar understood.
“All right. Don’t worry. The army will certainly protect your family.”
Meanwhile, the interrogation of Sun Wenbin was making little progress. He had received professional training and possessed an exceptionally strong mind. He knew that confessing meant certain death, so he admitted only to having improper intentions toward Xiao Mandong. As for everything else, he acted as though he knew nothing.
When questioned about how he had learned the location where the Xiao family had been sent, he denied ever saying anything of the sort.
Secretly, Sun Wenbin was congratulating himself. A few days earlier, Director Huang had bypassed Old Kai and contacted him directly. Ever since the plan to frame Xiao Mandong had failed, Director Huang had launched a covert investigation and eventually identified Sun Wenbin.
It was only through Director Huang that he had learned where the Xiao family had been sent.
He believed that Director Huang would certainly find a way to get him out.
An hour later, Xiao Mandong finally left the military compound. But she had been given another assignment: the Political Commissar wanted her to keep an eye on Wang Yuanyuan and see whether they could find any clues through her.
Xiao Mandong felt rather helpless. She couldn’t refuse. Her family would not truly be safe until they found the person who had leaked information about them.
The army was prepared to drive Xiao Mandong back to the village, but she declined. She wanted to stop by the supply cooperative to buy some meat and make dumplings for her family herself. She had escaped disaster the day before, so she wanted to celebrate her good fortune with a festive meal.
She had just reached the entrance of the supply cooperative when she spotted two familiar faces. They were Lin Wenhui and Liu Mengyao.
The two women were chatting and laughing, and they seemed to be getting along quite well.
“Mandong, long time no see.” Lin Wenhui hurried over and linked her arm through Xiao Mandong’s. “My mother was just saying today that I should go to the hospital and find you, then invite you to our home for the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
“Since we ran into you today, I won’t have to make a special trip to the hospital. What shift are you working that day? I’ll have my brother come pick you up.”
Before Xiao Mandong could answer, Liu Mengyao spoke first.
“That’s right, Doctor Xiao. What time will you finish work that day? I’ll have Guoan come pick you up. You can join us at our home for the reunion dinner.”
Xiao Mandong smiled faintly. She could hear the possessiveness in Liu Mengyao’s words. Liu Mengyao was making it clear that Lin Guoan belonged to her.
Xiao Mandong had always felt that the Lin family were decent people. Although she had no desire to meddle in anyone else’s affairs, she did not want a national asset like Lin Guoan to be manipulated by someone with ulterior motives.
Besides, Xiao Mandong felt that Director Huang could not be allowed to remain. He had to be dealt with as soon as possible, or he would become a source of endless trouble.
“All right. My schedule is fairly flexible. I’ll ask my director for leave. You can come pick me up at three in the afternoon.”
Since Liu Mengyao was pretending to be generous, Xiao Mandong decided to make her uncomfortable.
Liu Mengyao had never expected Xiao Mandong to actually agree. Wasn’t she supposed to say that she was busy and didn’t want to cause trouble? How could this woman be so shameless? Someone had invited her merely out of courtesy, and she had really accepted without a hint of restraint. She was truly infuriating.
Lin Wenhui, on the other hand, was delighted.
“Wonderful! My sister has been talking about you nonstop. Why don’t you come to our house for dinner tonight? My brother happens to be coming home, and he has a car. He can drive you back to the village after dinner.”
Before Xiao Mandong could respond, Liu Mengyao’s expression darkened, and she cut in.
“Tonight isn’t very convenient, is it? My uncle is coming over as well. We’re discussing my marriage to your brother, so it wouldn’t be appropriate to have an outsider there, would it?”
Liu Mengyao thought Lin Wenhui was out of her mind. She clearly knew that both families were meeting that evening to discuss the marriage, so how could she invite an outsider?
“Marriage? So soon?”
The words escaped Xiao Mandong before she could stop herself. She had never expected Liu Mengyao and Lin Guoan’s marriage to be settled so quickly. They had only known each other for a few days. It seemed Liu Mengyao had certainly put a great deal of effort into winning Lin Guoan over.
