Before Tong Zhe left the office, he asked Gu Hai, "Are you not going home again?"
Gu Hai used a wooden expression to reply to Tong Zhe's question.
Since the day Bai Luo Yin left, Gu Hai had pretty much been living in the company. Adding it all up, it has been a week, and during that time, even Gu Hai himself didn't know how he had survived. His spirit was already on the verge of collapsing—since the two reconciled until now, the amount of time they had spent together was far less than their time apart. But even then… this was the first time Gu Hai experienced such an unbearable situation.
Although they had been separated in the past, at the very least they could remain in contact through their cell phones. This time around, Bai Luo Yin had disappeared completely. Gu Hai had exhausted all possible methods to get in contact with him, but it was all in vain. Without any news about Bai Luo Yin, and not knowing whether he was doing well or not, Gu Hai's heart ached every day. Aside from working himself half to death, the rest of the time was completely spent worrying about Bai Luo Yin.
By nine o'clock in the evening, the company had become an empty building.
Sitting alone in his office without the lights on, the only thing accompanying Gu Hai was the computer screen in front of him, which continuously flashed pictures of Bai Luo Yin. One by one, each picture reflected in Gu Hai's eyes, and the more he looked, the more painful the aching in his heart felt.
Once again, he called the Air Force's Vice Chief of Staff— Gu Hai had been refused entrance on more than one occasion.
"I'm telling you, Xiao Hai, it's not that Uncle doesn't want to help you, but I'm really unclear about that matter. How about giving Uncle Wei a call?"
What a bunch of bastards!
When they spoke, one was normally more courteous than the other. But when it actually involved requiring their assistant, each of their mouths were sealed tenaciously.
Gu Hai cruelly flung the cell phone on the office desk.
After taking a long and deep breath, he fished out a stick of cigarette and smoked it slowly while staring out into the starry night.
Seven to eight cigarettes later, not only were Gu Hai's emotions not liberated, he had become even more deeply worried instead.
Feeling helpless, Gu Hai had no other option but to give Jiang Yuan a call.
"Yin Zi's squadron is in a highly secluded training location, and he didn't take enough clothes with him before he left. You should send him some clothes," Gu Hai calmly explained.
Jiang Yuan hastily asked, "How do you know that? Did he give you a call?"
"He didn't since he forgot to bring his phone. An officer in his squadron told me."
"Okay, I got it. I'll send them to him in two days."
Gu Hai urged, "Send them to him tomorrow since the weather might undergo changes in the coming days. That way, he can be prepared for it."
Jiang Yuan was hesitant for a moment before she asked Gu Hai, "How come you're not bringing them to him?"
"I'm afraid that will interfere with his training."
Hearing those words, Jiang Yuan felt rather gratified. Xiao Hai has grown up a lot, he really knows how to care for people.
Once the call ended, Gu Hai took a deep breath, closed his eyes and let his heart sink into the dark and endless abyss.
When Gu Wei Ting returned home that evening, Jiang Yuan brought up that matter with him.
"Are you seriously joking around with me?" Gu Wei Ting said with a very harsh and overbearing tone. "The fact that you go to the military base to see him when he's there was already pushing it, but that could be overlooked. Now that he is training at a secluded location, where even I can't go in and out at will, you want to go see him? You should stop that wishful thinking!"
At first, Jiang Yuan did not want to argue with him since she too understood that Bai Luo Yin's training was of utmost importance, but his health took precedence over that. Therefore, upon Gu Wei Ting's harsh words over simply sending some clothes, she couldn't help but to become angry. "A secluded training is not a prison! Why can't I go see him?"
"I'm telling you, right now they are equal to high-level prisoners; the only difference are their missions and nothing else."[1]
At those words, Jiang Yuan became even more furious. "What did you say? My son is being treated as a prisoner in the military? If I had known that earlier, I would have let him change his profession. I even thought that being in the military would eventually offer him power and authority and that his days would be freer and more easygoing."
The more she talked, the more her heart ached. Seeing that tears were about to run down her face, Gu Wei Ting hurriedly said a few words to console her.
"Didn't I go through that for the last few years? How could it be as harsh as you think? It's only a bit tiring when their training sessions are implemented. Anyhow, what kind of job isn't tiring? Even the garbage collector has to work regardless of rain or wind. Do you think that reading the newspaper and drinking tea will bring both fame and fortune? Where in the world would there be such a wonderful thing?"
Jiang Yuan displeasingly said, "I don't care. I have to bring my son some clothes no matter what. I heard the weather will be undergoing some changes soon. I can't just let him catch a cold, right?"
"He's not in Beijing, so how can the change in the weather hinder him? Besides, he's 27 years old already. Do you think he will let himself freeze to death?" Gu Wei Ting remained unconcerned.
Jiang Yuan's anger heightened, "Your son is also 27 years old, and can cook pretty well. How come you're still sending food over to him, hmm?"
That one short yet powerful sentence caused Gu Wei Ting to choke.
After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke again, "How about this? I'll call the commander in charge over there and have him give Yin Zi some more clothes, alright?"
"That won't do." Jiang Yuan firmly bit her lips and stood her ground. "I want to personally bring them over. I know you men all too well. Your mouth may be quick to agree, but in less than a couple of minutes, you'll forget it and let it sit at the back of your mind to rot!"
Gu Wei Ting would not relent for the life of him. "During this secluded training mission, no one outside of the military is permitted to enter. It's best if you just completely get rid of that thought."
Jiang Yuan's face instantly became cold as she turned away and started to walk into another room, ignoring Gu Wei Ting.
That cold war persisted until they reached the bed, with Jiang Yuan's back facing Gu Wei Ting and her whole body emitting a cold aura.
General Gu[2] finally retreated one step.
"You can give the clothes to me. I'll take them to him tomorrow."
Jiang Yuan slowly turned around to look at Gu Wei Ting, "Really? You're not going to throw the clothes away, are you?"
"Am I that unreliable in your eyes?"
Having retained a stiffen face all day, Jiang Yuan at long last exposed a small smile. She quickly got off the bed, took the clothes that she had prepared in advance out of the cabinet, placed them on the bedside table, and repeatedly warned Gu Wei Ting.
"Don't forget them before you leave tomorrow!!"
In the early morning of the next day, Gu Hai hid himself around the vicinity of the military base where the villa was located and waited for Gu Wei Ting to emerge.
Around nine o'clock in the morning, Gu Wei Ting's car slowly drove out.
Gu Hai carefully trailed behind Gu Wei Ting for no less than four hours until they reached that secret military base, making sure to keep a safe distance as to avoid being discovered. In fact, it should not be considered a secret location since Gu Hai had actually been here with Gu Wei Ting when he was younger—the only thing was, he did not have a deep impression of it. Since twenty years had passed by in a flash, he could have never imagined that the base was still there, or that he would be able to recognize anyone who lived there at that moment and vice versa.
Although the car that Gu Hai drove was a military vehicle, he was nevertheless intercepted at the main entrance.
"Please show your identification."
Complying to the guard, Gu Hai took out his identity card and passed it over. The guard's eyes swept over the card, then he returned it to Gu Hai.
"You are General Gu's son?"
Gu Hai nodded.
"Okay, you can go in."
At first, he thought that once he entered through the gate he would be able to see his wife that he had been yearning for the nth day and night. But, after having only taken a few steps forward, he was once more unexpectedly blocked by an officer. "Sorry, you cannot go any further through here; ahead is the training ground and experimental area. If you're looking for someone, please wait in the reception room and we will help you relay the information."
The restrict supervision implemented here was more severe in comparison to an ordinary military base. Adding on the fact that Gu Hai was not a part of the military, it was only natural that he could not enter at will like Gu Wei Ting. However, he had no intention of entering. As long as he was able to see Bai Luo Yin and say a few words to him, Gu Hai would be perfectly content.
The waiting lasted for over two hours.
Originally, he was waiting in the reception room, but later he walked outside and looked up toward the sky. There were a few fighter jets gathering together in a perfect picture formation as they practiced large angle turns repeatedly.
Even though Gu Hai could not see the pilots, he could vaguely sense which fighter jet was being controlled by Bai Luo Yin.
"They always train like that every day." An officer behind him suddenly spoke.
Gu Hai didn't say anything as his gaze lingered on one particular fighter jet the entire time.
"I like to watch as they pull the smoke from behind like that. It's especially beautiful."
To others, those maneuvers were a type of performance, something that they could look at with pleasure. But for Gu Hai, those highly difficult movements clearly came from a strenuous training regime that took place day in and day out. The more marvelous the performance, the more exhausting and arduous the work that had been put to accomplish it, and the stronger the pain in Gu Hai's heart. In others' eyes, that 720 degrees continuous-spin maneuver was merely a kind of trick. However, that alone was over dozens of load factors[3]in Gu Hai's eyes, crushing him mercilessly.
Seeing that the first stage of the training had come to an end, the messenger soldier was finally able to say a few words to Bai Luo Yin.
"Battalion Commander Bai, someone is looking for you."
Bai Luo Yin drank a few big mouthfuls of water and asked, "Who?"
"Gu Hai."
Hearing that name, Bai Luo Yin nearly choked on the water in his mouth. He threw away the bottle in his hand and immediately replied, "I don't want to see him!"
Afterward, he climbed into his fighter jet again.
Originally, Bai Luo Yin did not have to participate in the second stage of the training session, but once he heard that Gu Hai had come, he suddenly couldn't stay still. While his rationale prevented him from going to see Gu Hai, he was also unable to control himself emotionally. With no other choice, Bai Luo Yin felt that he could only return to the cockpit. In that way, he could use the high demanding training mission to alleviate those unbearable feelings.
As the sky gradually darkened, Bai Luo Yin's fighter jet was the only one left in the air—but Gu Hai did not leave yet.
The messenger soldier came over again, "Battalion Commander Bai, Gu Hai has not left yet. Will you reconsider seeing him?"
Bai Luo Yin maintained an adamant attitude, "I said I don't want to see him means I don't want to see him!"
As he listened to the footsteps moving away into the distance, a stabbing pain raced into Bai Luo Yin's heart.
Not a moment later, the footsteps returned.
Gripping his fist ruthlessly, Bai Luo Yin angrily said, "Didn't I just say that I didn't want to see him?"
"It's not Gu Hai, it's General Gu. General Gu would like to see you."
Bai Luo Yin stared blankly for a while before he eventually nodded his head.
Translator's Note:
[1] "The only difference is their missions and nothing else." – meaning soldiers are there to train for their missions while prisons are well…there to pay for their wrongdoings.
[2] General Gu – Back in Book 2 – Chapter 9, Gu Wei Ting was mentioned to be a Regional Deputy Commander, and will become a Lt. General in less than two years, so I don't know why the author changed his ranking or downgraded his rank… it would make more sense that back in Book 1, he was a Lieutenant General (3 stars), then a General (4 stars – Book 2) since General ranks higher.
[3] Load factor – In aeronautics, the load factor is defined as the ratio of the lift of an aircraft to its weight and represents a global measure of the stress (“load”) to which the structure of the aircraft is subjected:
Since the load factor is the ratio of two forces, it is dimensionless. However, its units are traditionally referred to as g, because of the relation between load factor and apparent acceleration of gravity felt on board the aircraft. A load factor of one, or 1 g, represents conditions in straight and level flight, where the lift is equal to the weight. Load factors greater or less than one (or even negative) are the result of maneuvers or wind gusts.
g-load; g-force – a numerical ratio of any applied force to the gravitational force at the earth’s surface. This is a force that acts on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity and is described in units of acceleration equal to one G. For example, a 10 pounds object undergoing a G-force of 5 G experiences 50 pounds of force. The force of gravity on Earth is used as a baseline for measuring these forces of acceleration. As you pull more Gs, your weight increases accordingly.
The force of gravity when you are still (for example, when you sit, stand or lie down) is considered 1 G. Generally, during our normal activities we rarely experience anything other than 1 G. However sometimes in our everyday life we can experience G-forces stronger than 1 G. For example, a typical cough produces a G-force of 3.5 G, a sneeze results in about 3 G of acceleration. Humans can tolerate localized G forces in the range of 100 G for an instant. However, sustained G forces above 10 G can lead to permanent injury or even death.
Note: Keep the above information in mind as it relates more to another chapter.