Once home

  At 0:00, Wu Shulan finished the 12-hour surgery and left the finishing work to her assistant before walking out of the operating room. The patient's family members who had been anxiously waiting outside the door immediately surrounded her. Although Wu Shulan was already very tired, she still forced herself to smile and explained that the surgery was very successful, because she knew this was what the patient's family wanted to hear most. After saying a few words of caution, she left amidst the patient's family's excited thanks and returned to her office. The long surgery had taken its toll on her 55-year-old body, and as soon as she entered the room, she collapsed onto the sofa, closing her eyes to rest. After a while, the door opened, and her student, Mu Siqi, walked in, looking at his teacher's tired face with some heartache and softly calling out "Professor..."

  "Is everything settled?" Wu Shulan replied after a while.

  "It's all taken care of, she's already been sent back to the ICU ward." Mu Siqi walked over to the water dispenser and poured a cup of water for Wu Shulan, "I had the chef in the cafeteria make some chicken noodle soup, you should go eat and then head home to rest." Wu Shulan took the water and drank a sip, looking at Mu Siqi with a faint smile, "When Pei Pei is not around, you're the most considerate one."

  "I'm also no match for your daughter,"

  Mù Sī Qí followed with a gentle smile, and the light happened to shine on her slightly raised face, as if giving her face a layer of light.

  Wu Shulan looked at Mu Siqi in front of her and always felt like she was looking at her own daughter. Two people with extremely different personalities and appearances, yet they always gave her the feeling that they were one person. It was precisely this feeling that made her choose Mu Siqi as a graduate student from the very beginning. Of course, what also caught her eye was Mu Siqi's academic performance. The fact that a child who grew up in an orphanage could persevere and work hard to study touched her heart, and at the same time, it also brought a hint of sadness to her heart.

  Mu Siqi's face was very delicate, with small features, especially her bright and clear eyes, which shone like stars. Wu Shulan thought of her daughter, who also had a pair of clear eyes, but unlike Mu Siqi, her daughter's eyes were like a calm lake, making people feel innocent. It was this innocent look that made those who had been teased by her daughter speak well of her. Thinking of her daughter's past behavior, Wu Shulan's smile deepened.

  "Ah... Teacher, your smile, it's as if you're looking right through me at your daughter,"

  Mù Sī Qí saw Wu Shūlán's smile and whispered.

  "And I'm sure there are some things that will make you laugh and cry at the same time, right?"

  "Yes, that girl is the one who makes me feel most at ease and yet most worried. She went to France alone to study painting for 5 years, didn't let her father and I visit her, nor did she use the money we sent her, saying she wanted to be independent... but doesn't know how much her father and I worry about her and miss her. What a heartless little thing! Luckily, she's coming back soon... Oh, almost forgot, need to call her to ask when her flight is. You go eat first, I'll come in a bit." Wu Shulan said as she picked up the phone and dialed.

  "Alright then, I'll go and get it for you..." Mu Siqi smiled and walked out the door.

  France, Paris, late afternoon, a red glow enveloped half of the university town in its light. In a small apartment set up for students near the university town, Lin Peipei was packing up her last painting and preparing to put it with a stack of already packed frames. A beautiful harmonica tune came over, Lin Peipei moved one hand on the frame and picked up the phone with the other, seeing the caller ID number, the corners of her mouth rose into a subtle smile.

  "Dear old mom, can't wait for your lovely daughter to come back and think of me?"

  "You little scoundrel, have you packed everything? What time is your flight?"

  Although Wu Shulan was complaining with her mouth, the smile on her face absolutely showed that she was in a great mood at this time.

  "Don't worry, mom, I've packed everything up. There's nothing much to bring along, just some drafts. I'll have someone send them to my teacher's house and he'll help me find someone to sell them off. Mom, your daughter is now penniless and preparing to go back home to rely on you guys. Will you and dad accept me?"

  Lin Pei Pei was lying on the windowsill, gazing at the distant clouds and joking with her mother.

  "Just come back home, don't need to bring anything, if there's something missing, mom will buy new ones."

  "Alright then, I'll start relying on my parents from now on..."

  "If you can really support us in our old age, your father and I will burn incense to thank the heavens!"

  "Mom, you sound like you don't want me to get married... Wait, it should be midnight at home now, right? Are you working the night shift again? Just got off the operating table? Okay, hurry up and eat something and go home to sleep in, in 30 hours I'll be able to see my darling, I really don't want to see a haggard National Treasure Mom then."

  Wu Shulan was helplessly amused by her daughter's commanding tone, yet at the same time felt a pang of heartache for her daughter's cleverness.

  "What's up, finish packing and go eat early. I guess you're busy till now. Send your flight number to your brother, let him pick you up at the airport."

  "Alright mom, the watch I ordered should arrive tomorrow... no, it's today! Remember to remind my brother to help me pick it up..."

  Wu Shulan was hung up by her daughter after a few more words of instruction, then went to the dining room to finish eating the chicken noodle soup prepared by Mu Siqi before returning home.

  At 7:30 in the morning, Lin's home, now the residence of M Province Governor Lin Hongjiang, was as usual, with family members getting up, having breakfast and going to work.

  Lin Haotian, the eldest son of the Lin family (currently head of the Foreign Affairs Security Group of the National Security Bureau), opened the door on time and went downstairs to work, just as Wu Shulan was about to go downstairs for breakfast.

  "Mom, good morning, you came back so late last night, why didn't you sleep a bit longer?"

  "Woke up on time, can't sleep anymore."

  Wu Shulan smiled as she looked at her son who was a head taller than herself.

  "Peipei has sent you a message, and also remember to help her pick up goods at customs."

  "It's settled, just in time for me to pick her up tomorrow morning. Tomorrow afternoon I have a lecture at the special police unit... Peipei is really something, she said when she comes back I'll help her buy a watch as a gift, but she insists on buying it herself and won't even let me pay, making me lose face. As an older brother, I've never given her anything..."

  Lin Haotian complained to his mother with a resentful face about his younger sister.

  "Was it your first day knowing her? You're still unclear about her temper? Remember to help her get her stuff back, or else when Peipei scolds you, don't say mom won't help you..."

  Looking at her son's expression, Wu Shulan couldn't help but smile.

  "That's it, who made me have only one sister? Our family is the biggest for her, I've been aware of this for a long time... Dad, I'm going to work!"

  Lin Haotian shouted to Lin Hongjiang, who was reading the newspaper behind the door of the study, and then went out. Lin Hongjiang saw his wife enter the dining hall and also put down the newspaper and walked in.

  "Why don't you sleep for a while longer?"

  Looking at his wife's somewhat pale face, he said with a heartache.

  "Uh, can't sleep after a certain point. Thinking about the patient who had surgery yesterday. The surgery was very successful, but he's too old and I'm worried that he won't be able to hold on. Leaving those kids behind is unsettling, thinking of confirming it myself..."

  "You, don't just think of others, also take care of yourself. You're not young anymore, don't exhaust yourself..."

  Lin Hongjiang took over the soy milk pot handed over by the nanny, poured a cup for his wife and then poured another cup for himself.

  "That student you brought, Mu Siqi, isn't she quite good? From graduate school to now a Ph.D. student, she's really learned from you. If possible, let her try it out herself, after all, theory and practice go hand in hand..."

  "Alright, I'll listen to you."

  Wu Shulan gazed at her husband of 30 years, her heart filled with happy bubbles.

  "When Peipei comes back, I'm afraid my ears will be swollen..."

  Seeing her husband's puzzled gaze, she said again

  "You scold me and stop for a while, but when Peipei comes back, she will nag every day, won't my ears get calluses?"

  "That's our daughter, I've resigned myself to it, you should too." After that, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

  7:45, Lin Haotian arrived at the office and walked to the door marked "Group Leader's Room" through the communication room. He put a breakfast prepared by his nanny on Qin Feng's desk next to him and sat down at his own position with his own share, eating while checking today's schedule.

  He led the foreign affairs security team, which was mainly responsible for the security of diplomatic envoys from various countries and personnel from large multinational corporations who came to visit and inspect investment projects. He also oversaw the security work of national leaders during their stay in M Province. He was in charge of the overall work of the foreign affairs security team, while Qin Feng was responsible for setting up and implementing security details, with one focusing on internal and the other on external aspects.

  To distinguish between them, the subordinates called Lin Haotian "Head" and Qin Feng "Old Big", both of whom thought these two titles were not bad. The two men had been childhood friends since they were young, although they lost contact in the middle due to their studies and military service. When they reunited and started working together, they quickly regained their childhood friendship and tacit understanding, and their work went very smoothly. From being little brothers back then to becoming brothers now, these two titles have been passed down ever since.

  Five minutes later, Qin Feng strode into the office door.

  At 185 cm, Qin Feng's tall and lean figure was half a head higher than Lin Haotian. Although he was thin, he didn't look bony. The exposed forearm muscles and bone structure under the rolled-up sleeves were evenly distributed. The strict wild battlefield training camouflage uniform on him looked like it was worn by a model, and it even showed a bit of fashion sense. The outline of his face was clear, with a pair of single eyelid phoenix eyes, and the corners of his eyes were slightly raised, giving off a charming flavor no matter how you looked at it. Fortunately, the two thick eyebrows covered up that bit of femininity, and since Qin Feng's gaze when looking at people usually had a hint of cold indifference, nobody would carefully examine what his eyes looked like, and instead thought he resembled some kind of Korean celebrity composite, and standing next to Lin Haotian with his robust build made him look even more like an exquisite human model.

  Right in front of the door, Su Mei saw Qin Feng come in and immediately stood up to say "good morning" and handed over the breakfast in her hand to Qin Feng. Qin Feng responded with a "good morning", greeted other colleagues, walked past Su Mei as if he hadn't seen the outstretched hand or the breakfast being held, without even giving Su Mei an extra glance. Su Mei smiled wryly as usual, then calmly sat back down, as if nothing had happened just now.

  When Su Mei took the exam to enter military school at her father's request, Su's father found out that Qin Feng had also been admitted to the same school and asked his superior, Qin Feng's father, to take care of Su Mei in school. This was a subconscious concern for his daughter as a father, but when Su Mei saw Qin Feng, she immediately fell in love with him. At that time, Qin Feng was not as handsome as he is now, and his slender figure was slightly weak, and he liked to look at people with a cold gaze. Su Mei couldn't help but fall for him, ignoring her father's advice, and if it weren't for the military school's strict rules against romance between students, she would have confessed to Qin Feng long ago. She could only endure the pain and think about confessing after graduation, but before that, Qin Feng had already entered the special forces. She also wanted to follow him, but she wasn't cut out for it, and the special forces weren't a place where you could get in just because of connections. From then on, there was no news from Qin Feng.

  After graduation, Su's father again relied on his old comrade-in-arms to arrange for her to work as a small clerk in the National Security Agency. After losing contact with Qin Feng, she was really heartbroken and lost for a long time. For several years, she couldn't muster up the spirit to find a partner because every time she went on a blind date, she would compare the person to Qin Feng in her mind and end up looking down on them. As a result, she kept putting it off, worrying her mother sick until three years ago.

  Lin Haotian formed an external security group, and because she studied communication information engineering in military school at that time, she was recruited into the group. Unexpectedly, she found out that Qin Feng had returned and was working in the same group. Her heart, which had already turned to ashes, began to reignite again. When she learned that Qin Feng still didn't have a girlfriend until now, she became overjoyed, thinking that she still had hope. However, she was also afraid that if she confessed her feelings directly to Qin Feng, he might not accept them. So, she started showing up every day with loving breakfast gestures.

  At first, Qin Feng had refused her in person and explicitly stated that he had no interest in her. Su Mei's theory was that if you refuse my gift, I'll send it anyway, and as long as you persist, one day you'll be moved. This persistence lasted for 3 years.

  Qin Feng thought that since he had been admitted to the military academy, he should rely on his own abilities and not need others to take care of him. He believed that if he couldn't handle the hardships, he might as well attend a regular university. In his mind, he had labeled Su Mei as a "greenhouse flower" and didn't think much of her, let alone have any good feelings towards her. After joining the special forces before graduation and going abroad for further studies, he had almost forgotten that she existed, unaware that she had been thinking about him for so long.

  When Su Mei stood in front of him with a shy smile, bringing him breakfast, Qin Feng didn't feel surprised or delighted, but rather felt some disgust. His eyebrows furrowed involuntarily as he politely declined her offer and clearly told her that he had never thought of her as anything more than a classmate and colleague.

  I thought the conversation had already reached this point and Su Mei should have stopped, but unexpectedly, the little universe of the girl's family was so strong that after a night of repair, she continued to send love breakfast on the second day, her mood was not affected at all. After Qin Feng became indifferent, he directly ignored her.

  Su Mei's persistence had once made other members of the group look at Qin Feng with disdain, thinking he was too heartless. In their opinion, having an office romance was also a romantic thing, and even Lin Hao Tian advised Qin Feng to accept Su Mei's feelings just this once, considering she had been persisting for so long. Qin Feng expressionlessly retorted, "Why give hope when you know from the start it's impossible? That will only lead to more trouble. And this is a workplace, not a place for romance!"

  Lin Haotian was stunned for half a day, and after thinking about it, he decided not to say anything more. He also clearly stated that the office would no longer allow discussion of this matter or any further commotion. As time passed, team members discovered that this was indeed the goddess's intention, and they began to feel that Qin Feng's resolute attitude was more like a man's should be - love is love, and not loving is not loving. They started to ignore Su Mei's actions, which made her feel even more suffocated and begin to waver in her determination to continue.

  Qin Feng walked into the small room and greeted Lin Hao Tian before sitting down to eat breakfast. Lin Hao Tian had already finished eating, closed his schedule book and said to Qin Feng who was still eating "This morning I have a meeting at the provincial office, I'm afraid I'll be busy there until noon, do you have any plans for lunch?" As he spoke, he got up and walked to the closet behind the door to take out a suit, turned around and asked Qin Feng "How's this one?"

  "Deep blue suit... light-colored tie... nothing scheduled for noon, need me to help with something?"

  Qin Feng was eating something in his mouth while helping Lin Haotian match his clothes.

  "Uh, Peipei bought a watch in France and it arrived today. I didn't have time to pick it up this afternoon, and when I got back, I still had to communicate with the team. If I don't go get it now, I'll have to go tomorrow morning to meet her. If I don't deliver the goods on time, that little girl might get upset and say I don't care about her, which is a small matter, but if she doesn't acknowledge me as her brother, that's a big deal! Can you help me run an errand to customs? It's only half an hour by car and won't interfere with this afternoon's meeting."

  Lin Haotian went into the bathroom and changed into a suit. After coming out, he took out a delivery note from the drawer and handed it to Qin Feng.

  "Anyway, I'll go for a run at noon... Speaking of which, it's been over 10 years since I last saw Peipei, and I can hardly remember what she looks like now. The photo you showed me was taken 5 years ago, so she should be a big girl by now."

  "Is that right? When you left back then, she was only 6 years old. Does she still remember? On the day you left, she hugged you and refused to let go, crying and shouting that you were untrustworthy, saying you promised to marry her when she grew up but instead ran away first, what a bad person... Do you still have an impression of it?"

  Lin Haotian pointed with his finger and smiled at Qin Feng.

  "It seems... that's what happened, now that you mention it, I remember too. How do you recall so clearly? She was a crybaby since she was little, once she started crying, she wouldn't stop, and her body wasn't good, after crying for a long time, people would faint, it was scary, so everyone could only coax her,"

  Thinking of the crying face in his impression, Qin Feng couldn't help but laugh too.

  "Of course I have to remember, it's not often that I get to see you being cried at by her to the point of changing your expression, how can I forget?"

  Lin Haotian looked at Qin Feng with a mischievous grin.

  "And, by the way, what did you say to her that year, and she let go so easily? And after you left, she changed completely, not to mention crying less, but also learning taekwondo, painting, dancing... all at a high level. The year she went abroad, she even got a black belt in taekwondo! It's amazing, sometimes I'm not sure if I can beat her. My parents were guessing whether she would join the army or not, but she quietly got an interview notice from the French Art Academy and left for 5 years, only coming back once a year, and not even letting us visit her, saying she wanted to learn independence... well, she's independent now, but it's been tough on my parents... never mind, I won't argue with you anymore. When she comes back, you'll see for yourself... that's all, I'm leaving!"

  Lin Haotian picked up the file bag and went out, Qin Feng still hadn't reacted, woodenly responded with a "uh-huh", his mind searching through the impressions of what had happened that day, what exactly did he say to her?...seemed like he said...as long as she didn't act like a crybaby anymore, be strong like her brother, he would come back to find her...

  After a moment, Qin Feng shook his head and pulled himself back from his memories, feeling a little incredulous as he laughed at himself for being like this. He quickly composed himself and started the day's work.

  At noon, I went to the customs and casually ate some food outside. When I returned to the office, Lin Haotian had just arrived. As he took over the things, he made a relieved gesture, which amused Qin Feng as he looked at him.

  Digression

  Although it's my first time opening a document, this story has been brewing in Cang Lan's heart for a long time and has already come to an end in her mind. It won't just be a hole dug, the writing is a bit rough, I hope everyone doesn't mind. If you like Cang Lan's stories, please put them on your bookshelf, there will be more exciting ones later, let's listen to Cang Lan slowly tell...