In the blink of an eye, two weeks passed by without any incident. That is until today…
Today, a thorough inspection of every nook and cranny in the military base is being conducted. And as it progressed, not surprisingly, Gu Wei Ting and Sun Jingwei's rooms became the main focus of the inspection. It seems that the Ministry of Supervision[1] has stumbled upon a peculiar situation while inspecting their rooms. However, instead of recording their findings (or rather, because they couldn't dare record what they found), the Ministry has decided to send two supervising soldiers back to the military base to discreetly make further inquiries regarding the situation.
"What?" Sun Jingwei asked with a surprised look. "There's been a breach of security inside my room?"
The supervising soldier carefully nodded his head before cautiously speaking again. "That's what the monitoring equipment is showing. It's a Level 2 Danger."
"What?! Level 2 Danger?!!" Sun Jingwei's voice quickly rose along with his temper. "Are you saying that I'm keeping something illegal inside my room?"
"No, no, no. It's not like that at all." The supervising soldier hurriedly waved his hands. "There are many types of risk factors that leads to a Level 2 Danger. It doesn't necessarily mean that you're secretly stashing weapons or items that could be threatening. In some cases, when the structure of the building is altered, the equipment used to monitor these changes will also indicate a Level 2 Danger."
"How can that be? I've never even so much as moved the furniture in the 45 years that I've lived here."
The supervising soldier started to laugh awkwardly when he heard those words. "We understand," he said. "Believe us, we trust in you. But this is our job. If a problem is detected, we have to try our best to eliminate it before it escalates. We hope you understand our position."
Sun Jingwei suddenly let out a hearty laugh. "I've been a soldier for so many years, do you think I don't understand your difficulties? Being overcautious is a good quality, especially when it comes to our security. It's only natural that you have to be very careful. Even the slightest negligence could cause a large mess. The earlier you discover the problem, the earlier you can eliminate it, the better."
As the two soldiers walked back to the center of the room, the equipment started to produce the same loud and high-pitched sound. It reverberated throughout the enclosed space.
There was no denying it. The problem had something to do with that area of the room.
The two inspecting soldiers crouched down to have a better look at the floor. It did not take long before they found a small crack on its surface. Shock spread across their faces. They glanced at each other—disbelief clearly painted on their faces.
One of the soldiers looked to the cavalry scout who was standing near the entrance of the room. Immediately, the scout walked to the side and took a thin iron bar which he passed to the inspecting officer. They used it to lightly lift the floor upward.
With very little effort, the floor opened revealing a huge gaping hole before their eyes.
"A secret path?!" Sweat rolled down the side of the cavalry soldier's forehead when he saw the tunnel.
At the same time, an expression of disbelief painted itself on Sun Jingwei's face. "I've lived here for 45 years, and I was never aware that this tunnel exists."
The cavalry scout made a move to go down the tunnel but Sun Jingwei pulled him back. "Wait a minute. I'll use a lighter to test it out first. This path could be a hundred years old from ancient times. There might be poisonous gas inside."
The cavalry soldier rubbed the soil at the mouth of the tunnel. With an awkward expression, he began to speak, "There's no need to trouble yourself, sir. I've touched it just now. The soil here is still new. I reckon it's only been a few days since it was dug."
"Ah…" Sun Jingwei was speechless. "How is that possible? I've been here the entire time. No one would dare come here without my permission. Besides, what use would I have in digging a tunnel?"
The cavalry scout stood up and patted Sun Jingwei's shoulder, "First, there's no need for you to worry. I won't report this to the higher ups for the time being."
How can Sun Jingwei not be anxious? His eyebrows wrinkled together into a tight knot as he incessantly pondered about the situation.
Could it be… that someone wants to harm me?
—
On the other side of the wall, a similar situation was taking place.
A dark and gloomy aura filled the room as Gu Wei Ting's stern expression beckoned all to not approach him.
Which immoral bastard wants to frame me and make me lose my dignity?
—
Sun Jingwei was lost at his own thoughts as he continued to stare at the tunnel. He searched for reasons behind the purpose of this opening inside his room.
"I have to go down for a look," he finally said.
The cavalry soldier blocked him, "It's better if I do it. My limbs are still more agile than yours. In case there's something dangerous down there, I can escape faster."
"There's no need to." Sun Jingwei waved his hand. With swift movements, he quickly went inside.
Inside Gu Wei Ting's room, the cavalry soldier was attempting to stop the general from doing the same thing that his friend just did.
"General!" shouted the soldier. He was afraid that something bad might happen to Gu Wei Ting. "Please, let me take care of this dangerous task!!"
Without another word, Gu Wei Ting simply and quickly made his way in. Needless to say, the two miserable old men found themselves looking at each other inside the mysterious tunnel.
Gu Wei Ting emerged from the tunnel wearing a severely stern expression. He was accompanied by Sun Jingwei. The appearance of these two senior officers made the temperature inside Gu Wei Ting's room drop several degrees. The aura he emitted forced everyone on their feet.
"General, who do you think dug this tunnel?" asked Sun Jingwei.
Gu Wei Ting merely snorted at those words, "Who do you think? Who else stayed in these rooms aside from the two of us?"
"It can't be?" Sun Jingwei was immediately overwhelmed with shock and amazement. "How could the two of them dig out this long tunnel within such a short period of time?"
"Do you think they did it themselves? There are so many soldiers in the army. They could've easily found a few to help them out. With that many people, this tunnel would appear in no time." Gu Wei Ting walked towards a table with a tea set placed on it. He took a sip from one of the cups.
As he took his tea, Gu Wei Ting's face was riddled with confusion and annoyance. The combination of these two expressions made it impossible to tell how he truly feels.
"Even if others helped them, it's still impossible to not leave a trace of this mess behind! Think about it, digging a tunnel is a rather huge project. Where did the shovels come from? Where did the extracted soil go? How was it possible that the guards on duty were all unable to notice such an activity? It's just……a lot of things don't make sense!"
In all honesty, Gu Wei Ting was just as curious as Sun Jingwei as to how his son was able to accomplish this task.
"Bring the surveillance video to me." Gu Wei Ting quickly said. His voice gave no clue regarding the current state of his mind.
In less than an hour, Sun Jingwei was back in the room. Along with him was a recording of the surveillance camera from both their rooms. The two old men moved closer to the screen as they watched the video from Gu Wei Ting's room with full attention.
They couldn't believe how the entire process played out. As the video progressed, so did the expressions on their faces. Both their eyes and mouths grew larger and larger with every minute spent watching the men dig through the floor of their rooms.
Gu Wei Ting thought that the whole thing was so preposterous and conniving that he couldn't stop his hands from trembling. Years spent inside the military, yet no one has ever made him fume with such rage before.
"Tell me, was I wrong when I told you that you'll never meet such an unusual breed like him even in a hundred years?"
Hearing those words once again made Sun Jingwei admire Gu Hai. It was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself from acknowledging this emotion. "From the way I see it, Xiao Hai's courage and insight is quite marvelous. His ability to organize and bring his plan to fruition is nothing short of amazing. He definitely exceeded my expectations. There's no doubt about it. He'll definitely be a talented person in the future!"
"You still have the nerve to talk for him?!!" Gu Wei Ting's violent and thunderous roar filled the room.
Sun Jingwei immediately stood up. Even after all these years, Gu Wei Ting still frightens him so much. He held his breath as he waits for the next words his friend will speak.
Gu Wei Ting paced around the room with an expression that can easily scare the life out of anyone within eyesight.
"A talented person…a talented person?!! All I see is a hoodlum! Being bold and having guts does not make him a talented person! Having the capacity to plan and organize does not make him a talented person! If this kid takes a wrong turn…even the slightest, he'll definitely be a cancer of society! And you still want me to just let him be? If I were to leave him alone, I assure you, within seven to eight years, he will make the Gu family's ancestors lose their dignity completely!!!"
Those harsh accusations struck a chord in Sun Jingwei's chest, causing him to reply angrily. "Nowadays, isn't it just a matter of taking it all in regardless of whether something is right or wrong?"
"Just look. What do you think this means?" Gu Wei Ting's anger continues to rise. So much so that he had the urge to immediately raise his fist and beat Sun Jingwei up. "If someone takes all the right and wrong, then that's just a trick to deceive themselves and others. But what is he? He completely lacks principle! He's utterly despicable and shameless!"
Sun Jingwei did not utter another word. He stood still. Eyes fixed at nothing.
Still fuming, Gu Wei Ting dropped on the sofa. His gaze was consumed by hate and regret. "To think that I felt sorry for him that night. I really believed that he went inside the wardrobe to sleep by himself. After causing a commotion for half the day, it turns out he was just inside the tunnel…and he hid in the cabinet. How dare he trick me?!"
"Eh…" Sun Jingwei couldn't stop himself from reacting to those words.
Gu Wei Ting leaned back against the sofa. He closed his eyes and used his fingers to massage the bridge of his nose. After a while, he stopped. His eyes shot open then narrowed.
"Bring me the surveillance record from your room."
Sun Jingwei's heart tightened. He started to speak but sounded unstable. "Perhaps they just thought it was fun to dig a tunnel. Isn't it natural for kids today to be a bit rebellious?"
"I asked you to bring the recording!" Gu Wei Ting roared.
A sense of panic rushed into Sun Jingwei's head. He had no choice but to oblige. He brought the laptop to Gu Wei Ting and stood to the side with frozen limbs.
For the first few minutes, the screen showed nothing—it was almost completely dark. The only thing they could make out was two elongated shadows moving. It wasn't clear what they were doing, though Sun Jingwei has his suspicions.
He felt uneasy. He began to silently pray for some sort of divine intervention as he hoped that the lighting in the room would remain dark as it was now until the recording ends.
Then the inevitable happened.
Like a heavy rainstorm on a beautiful spring morning, tragedy stroke. Merely seconds after Gu Wei Ting decided to fast forward the video, the figure of the two boys emerging from the bathroom naked appeared. Without switching the lights off, the two went straight to the bed and started to cling lovingly and touch each other.
Sun Jingwei walked out of the room. He did not have the heart to look at the scene unfolding before his eyes, especially with Gu Wei Ting beside him. Roughly around half an hour later, he returned to the room. The computer was already turned off and Gu Wei Ting was still sitting on the same spot on the sofa.
The only difference between when he walked out and now was that this time Gu Wei Ting's eyes were closed. There was no distinguishable expression painted on his face. In fact, he looked really calm. Not an ounce of anger can be seen either on his face or his posture. And that was the scary thing about it.
Sun Jing Wei knew, without a doubt, that the two boys are finished.
"Last time, didn't you say not to judge them as I've only seen them hugging?" Gu Wei Ting coldly said while laughing. "This time, I saw everything."
For some unknown reason, Gu Wei Ting's laughter really upset Sun Jingwei. So much so that his face turned colorless after hearing it.
Gu Wei Ting was not able to sleep that night.
Early the next morning, he sent someone to bring Bai Han Qi, Jiang Yuan and Aunt Zou together for a meeting. For the first time, the four of them sat together around a table.
Aunt Zou was extremely nervous. Her palms continued to perspire heavily as she tries her best to fix her hair and straighten her clothes. Not only was it her first time being in such a luxurious place, it was also her first time meeting such an important person.
Bai Han Qi, on the other hand, seemed rather calm. This composed demeanor, however, is just a front. Inside, his mind is racing. From the moment the military car picked them up from their home, a storm has started to rage inside Bai Han Qi's head.
What did Gu Hai's father call the two of us here for? Gu Hai said that his father is not getting involved in this matter anymore. Is it possible that he invited us here for a drink in preparation for a wedding?
It was Jiang Yuan who broke the silence around the table. "Lao[2] Gu, what did you call the three of us here for?"
Gu Wei Ting looked at everyone with a rather solemn expression. His eyes moved around the table once. As he was about to speak, Aunt Zou's hands started to tremble uncontrollably.
"I want to speak with you all about something." Gu Wei Ting casted a grave glance at Bai Han Qi, who was sitting in front of him. "In nature, this is an extremely serious matter. I hope you all can prepare your hearts well."
Bai Han Qi looked at Gu Wei Ting straight in the eye and simply nodded his head. Aunt Zou immediately nodded as well.
Jiang Yuan couldn't believe what she was seeing. She's used to Gu Wei Ting wearing a stern expression, but the one he's wearing today was different. It was dark and cold; silent and powerful.
Seeing her husband like this brought on a new feeling to Jiang Yuan. Perhaps, the information that he wanted to impart on her—on them—was more than what she was ready to hear. At this time, she couldn't help but to well up with nervousness.
"Lao Gu, what exactly happened?"
Choosing not to beat around the bush, Gu Wei Ting announced with a cold face, "Gu Hai and Bai Luo Yin have an abnormal relationship."
"An abnormal relationship?" Jiang Yuan's expression immediately changed. More than anything, she felt confused. "What kind of an abnormal relationship?"
Gu Wei Ting looked at everyone's faces before he spoke again. He stressed out every word to make sure everyone understood him, "Same-sex-love."
Jiang Yuan turned pale. She knew that her husband was not joking. Meanwhile, Bai Han Qi and Aunt Zou showed no particular reaction at all.
"How can that be?" Jiang Yuan's once rosy lips were now white as snow. "Lao Gu, who did you hear this from?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
Jiang Yuan was so shocked that no other words left her mouth. She simply sat there, eyes and mouth wide open.
Actually, Gu Wei Ting did not care much for Jiang Yuan's feelings or reactions. What he was most concerned about was Bai Han Qi's thoughts, who—being Bai Luo Yin's father—stood on the same ground he was standing on.
To his surprise though, Bai Han Qi only laughed awkwardly, "You asked us to come all the way here just to tell us this matter?"
Gu Wei Ting sincerely admired Bai Han Qi's calm expression. "I want to hear your opinion."
Bai Han Qi looked at Gu Wei Ting's cold and harsh face before cautiously asking, "How should I address you?"
"Lao Gu is fine."
"That won't do." Bai Han Qi replied rather politely, "You're older than me, I will call you Gu Lao Ge[1]."
These words proved to Gu Wei Ting that his impression of Bai Han Qi was correct. It was clear that before him sat a genuinely honest person.
"Gu Lao Ge, thank you for your sincerity in inviting us here today. Regarding the problem concerning the two boys…how should I say it? We, husband and wife, share a unanimous opinion about it and that is to let nature take its course."
He pauses then adds, "You can put your worries aside now. There's no need to worry that we will make things difficult for the two of them. We are not the kind of parents that are not open-minded. Even more so, I especially like Da Hai. If he were to really enter our family in the future, we will treat him as our real son. Hahaha……"
Translator's Note:
[1] Ministry of Supervision (MOS) *of the People's Republic of China – responsible for the supervision of law enforcement around the country, including efforts to tackle corruption. It is also responsible for ensuring the effectiveness of the State Council and the people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central people's government.
[2] Lao – means 'old' and is a prefix used before the surname of a person to indicate affection or familiarity.
[3] Lao Ge – Older brother
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