The ringing of the telephone on the desk pulled Qin Fengwu’s thoughts back to reality.
Qin Fengwu frowned slightly.
It was so late, who would call him?
Ever since he was demoted to the border, his friends had one by one distanced themselves from him, fearing any contact might lead to punishment from Chen Jinzhao.
The incoming call was undoubtedly not well-intentioned.
"Hello?"
"This is the Governor's Residence of Dongying. Who is this?" Qin Fengwu asked patiently. A series of setbacks had smoothed his edges, leaving him with none of his former sharpness.
"Heh heh, you don't even remember me?" A familiar voice came from the other end of the line. Qin Fengwu was slightly stunned. "Chen Jinzhao, is that you?"
Chen Jinzhao chuckled faintly. "If not me, then who?"
Qin Fengwu chuckled. "I didn't expect you to call so late. Do you want to know about the situation in Dongying? I'll send you the information later."
"I'm already aware of the situation in Dongying, and with you in charge, I'm very at ease." Chen Jinzhao's words deeply touched Qin Fengwu.
Perhaps this was true trust.
Qin Fengwu then shared his thoughts with Chen Jinzhao. He wanted to transform Dongying into the world's largest military exclusion zone, an unsinkable super-warship, to counter any potential global war in the future.
Chen Jinzhao smiled and said it was unnecessary.
"Why?" Qin Fengwu frowned.
"Mitelian is still lurking, and we absolutely cannot let our guard down. This is definitely not the time for soft-heartedness."
Chen Jinzhao continued, "They did not directly participate in this war and have completely lost the ability to suppress our rise. From now on, the tables will turn, and the time left for them will be increasingly short. Do you think they still have the courage to launch a large-scale war?"
Qin Fengwu could not answer.
Mitelian's best chance to curb Hua Guo's rise was the war between Hua Guo and Dongying. If they missed this opportune moment, there would be no second chance.
"I understand," Qin Fengwu nodded.
"Let's not talk about this. These topics are too heavy and not suitable for late-night discussion. Let's talk about something cheerful," Chen Jinzhao changed the subject and then said with a smile, "Qian Sui gave me a son this afternoon. You were accepting the surrender documents from the Dongying royal family at the time, quite a coincidence, wasn't it?"
"I've named this child Chen Po Xiao, what do you think?"
Qin Fengwu genuinely congratulated Chen Jinzhao and repeatedly praised the name, even proposing to become Chen Po Xiao's adoptive father.
"I truly worry you might corrupt my son. If you had asked me this just a few years ago, I would have taken a knife to you," Chen Jinzhao joked.
They both laughed heartily.
The past grievances between them vanished into thin air.
The night grew deeper.
Chen Jinzhao suddenly said, "Oh, right, your ex-wife came to see me this afternoon and asked me to help arrange her transfer to Dongying. I wanted to ask for your opinion."
Qin Fengwu had been married before.
His former wife was the daughter of a prominent family, but compared to the Qin family, she was still somewhat inferior. However, in general, it was considered a suitable match.
But later, when Qin Fengwu fell on hard times, his ex-wife left him, throwing a divorce decree at him and making him a common laughingstock.
Qin Fengwu forced a smile. "If you truly consider me a friend, you should know what to do, instead of deliberately asking me and putting me in an awkward position."
"I've already refused," Chen Jinzhao added.
"That's more like it. Sometimes I really envy you because you have a very virtuous wife. Whether you are down on your luck or prosperous, alive or dead, she will never leave you. In contrast, I wasn't so lucky. I can only blame myself for being too arrogant back then and now suffering the consequences." Qin Fengwu mocked himself.
Chen Jinzhao gave a dry cough. "You can just tell me these things, after all..."
"Chen Jinzhao, shut up!"
"If you continue, we'll break off our friendship, and that will be the end of it. You decide!"
Qin Fengwu felt dizzy, realizing Chen Jinzhao was boasting about the women around him, any one of whom was an object of envy.
Comparing oneself to others could be fatal.
"Alright, alright, I won't say it. You're still quite young, won't you consider it again?" Chen Jinzhao asked. Qin Fengwu was only in his early forties, the prime of a man's life.
Qin Fengwu shook his head. "Let's talk about it later. There's no one suitable."
Chen Jinzhao said solemnly, "It's not that there's no one suitable, but you're unwilling to accept it."
"If nothing unexpected happens, you want to be my brother-in-law?" Qin Fengwu retorted.
"This is a long story. Back then, she took meticulous care of me, and she didn't leave even during my lowest point. However, do you think I'm worthy of her? And she's so young. I'm already forty, it seems a bit inappropriate no matter how you look at it."
Chen Jinzhao knew that feelings couldn't be forced. "Think whatever you want. She'll be in Dongying tomorrow."
"You..." Qin Fengwu was furious.
If Chen Jinzhao hadn't given his consent, Wu Lingyun definitely wouldn't have been able to come to Dongying.
Chen Jinzhao said with a smile, "It's getting late, and I need to rest. Remember to pick her up at Kyoto International Airport tomorrow."
"That's all."
Beep—
Qin Fengwu wanted to say more, but Chen Jinzhao had already hung up.
Facing the imminent arrival of Wu Lingyun, Qin Fengwu felt a hint of nervousness, something he hadn't experienced in a long time.
It was truly strange.
Across the vast ocean, in the capital of Hua Guo.
Amidst the myriad of lights, Chen Jinzhao, after coaxing his son and Yamaoka Chiho to sleep, came to the window to smoke.
A graceful figure appeared beside Chen Jinzhao.
Yu Mengzhi asked softly, "What are you thinking about? It's so late, aren't you going to sleep?"
Chen Jinzhao pulled Yu Mengzhi into his embrace and said hesitantly, "When I wasn't around back then, you must have had a very hard time. And the longing. I, as a father, haven't spent many proper days by her side. Will she resent me when she grows up?"
"How can you think that? If you think like this again, I'll be angry!" Yu Mengzhi said indignantly.
Chen Jinzhao shook his head.
When it came to handling personal relationships, his greatest fear was neglecting one thing while attending to another.
So he said earnestly, "If I do anything wrong in the future, you must remind me promptly. Otherwise, being in the thick of it, I might not realize my mistakes, for I am not an omniscient deity."
Yu Mengzhi nodded.
They were silent for a moment, and she looked at Chen Jinzhao's profile. "Actually, it's not just this matter that's worrying you, is it? There's also Uncle Chen, and Tao Qi Yue, whose whereabouts are still unknown. Now that the battlefield in Dongying has been pacified, I think you can spare some time to search for them."
"I believe they are definitely still alive, in a corner we don't know about."
The worry on Chen Jinzhao's face deepened.
Whether it was his father or the girl in the white dress from his memory, they were among the most important people in his life.
He clenched his fist in secret.
As Yu Mengzhi had said, it was time to embark on the journey to find them.