I closed my eyes and reached for the phone on the bedside table. Xie Nana rolled over and hugged me, murmuring something in her sleep.
I forced my eyes open and glanced at the phone screen. It was an unfamiliar number, a satellite phone number.
My first thought was that the shipment had a problem. It was so late, only a problem with the cargo would warrant such urgency.
But if there was a problem with the cargo, Senior should have called me. They wouldn't use a satellite phone directly, and certainly not to Li Hua's phone.
I wondered who would call so late on a satellite phone. It could only be Brother Qing or Bo Gang.
Hesitantly, I answered the call. It was indeed Bo Gang.
He said breathlessly, "Li Hua, there's been a coup here. Opposition forces have attacked the government army headquarters. Both sides are in a stalemate, it's been over a day. Can you contact General Wu and ask him to send a unit to ambush the rebel army from behind? The government forces can then counter-encircle and annihilate them. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If it succeeds, that matter will be settled, I guarantee it."
I said, "You're asking so suddenly, I can't guarantee the General will deploy troops. Don't get your hopes up too high."
Bo Gang replied, "I understand, I understand. I know the logic. No one can guarantee he'll deploy troops. This will increase animosity between factions, and he might not want to get involved in this mess. But I can't think of any other way, so I had to resort to this."
I said, "I'll try. I don't know if he'll agree, but I'll do my best to explain the situation clearly."
He urged me to call quickly, saying the situation was very critical and they could be overrun at any moment.
Bo Gang hung up. I checked the time. It was two in the morning. This was prime sleeping time. Making a call to the General at this hour felt like a huge transgression.
But Bo Gang was in such a hurry, I couldn't just ignore it.
I hesitated as I dialed the number. I glanced at Xie Nana. After our strenuous activity earlier, she was exhausted and sleeping soundly.
I got out of bed and went to the sofa opposite to take the call.
The phone rang and rang until the last few rings before I heard a "hello" from the other end.
I quickly said, "General, it's Li Hua. I'm so sorry to bother you so late. The government forces are in a desperate situation, so I had to call."
He replied, "It's alright, tell me what's going on. I know about the fighting on the government side. I heard the enemy is very fierce and intends to wipe them out."
I said, "Yes, they can't hold on. So, Bo Gang called to ask for your help."
The General said, "My young friend, I have some difficulties with this matter. Military command is not entirely in my hands. There are dozens to a hundred men cooperating with your side, so it's rather difficult for me to take action."
I knew his current predicament. The only forces he could mobilize were the few hundred men under Old Third, some of whom were on the border, and the rest were with me. In the tri-border region, he was essentially an empty shell.
I said, "General, this is a rare opportunity. We must take a gamble. If we win, the reorganization will be a foregone conclusion. If we fail, we can explore other avenues. At least there's a fifty percent chance of success. I have an idea, I don't know if it's mature enough. I want to move all the troops from the interior and the border to the government army building, launch a surprise attack, and coordinate an inside-outside pincer to help the besieged government forces break out. We'll strike and leave, so it won't affect matters in the interior. Besides, the Black Organization has been dismantled by me, and Brother Hui has returned to the provincial capital. It's safe here for now."
The General said, "If you can manage the deployment, that would be best. Then you and Old Third can make the arrangements. I have no problem with it."
I hung up and called Senior. I told him about Bo Gang's situation and my plan.
Senior pondered for a moment and said, "This is indeed an opportunity. If we're going to strike, it must be tomorrow night. Call Bo Gang now and tell them to hold on until tomorrow morning."
I said, "Okay, I'll call him right away."
At this moment, Xie Nana sat up groggily and asked in surprise what I was doing.
I said I was handling some work and told her to go back to sleep.
She said she needed to use the restroom, grabbed a nightgown, put it on, and stumbled towards the bathroom.
As soon as I heard the bathroom door close, I quickly dialed Bo Gang's number.
Bo Gang answered quickly, indicating how dire the situation was.
I said, "Can you hold on until tomorrow morning?"
It was almost three in the morning, still twenty-one hours until tomorrow morning.
Bo Gang hesitated and said, "We'll try our best. If they don't act today, we can get through today. They usually don't move during the day. If you guarantee you'll arrive by tomorrow morning, we'll fight with all our might to hold the line."
I said, "Alright. I'll signal you then, and we'll act in unison."
Just as I finished speaking, Xie Nana came out of the bathroom. She didn't go back to bed but came straight to me.
I quickly hung up and reached out to hug her.
Xie Nana nestled in my arms like a little kitten. Da Feng Novel Network
She didn't ask why I had to make calls in the middle of the night, nor who the call was to.
She was simply enjoying the intimacy.
I picked her up and said, "Let's go back to bed. We haven't finished what we started."
She immediately perked up and said loudly, "You want to again?"
I said, "Yes, are you scared?"
She arched her back and said, "Bring it on, you think I'm scared?"
They say youth is invincible. Those who have been through it will understand that what I'm saying is true.
There's also the saying, "A hero never boasts of past glories," and when you say that, you're already old.
Xie Nana didn't get out of bed all morning. I went to the restaurant to eat breakfast by myself. Today I needed Xie Nana to accompany me to see the Young Master, so I asked a waitress to call her and get her up quickly.
I had already finished eating and come out when Xie Nana lazily came downstairs.
I said, "Eat your breakfast quickly. We're going to visit a friend at the hospital later."
Xie Nana said, "I don't want to eat. Let's go."
I said, "It's not good to skip breakfast. Eat a little, we'll go to Father's factory at noon."
Xie Nana reluctantly sat at the dining table and picked up a pastry.
I asked the waiter to bring her some freshly made steamed eggs and a glass of warm milk, placing them in front of her.
She had used too much energy and needed to replenish her nutrients.
Just then, Wen Siqiang called, saying he and Qian Fugui had arrived at the entrance.
I didn't rush Xie Nana. I watched her finish her last bite, then stood up, took her hand, and we walked outside.
Wen Siqiang and Qian Fugui saw us coming out and quickly opened the car doors for us to get in.
Wen Siqiang asked, "Where are we going?"
I said, "To see Young Master Kang. Do you know which hospital he's in?"
Wen Siqiang replied, "Back to Mr. Sheng, he's at the Central Hospital. Should we go directly?"
I said yes, and to stop at the hospital entrance to buy a bouquet of flowers.
Although sending flowers carries a somewhat schadenfreude connotation, it's not appropriate to bring anything else. Flowers are still the best option, no matter what they think.