The Provincial Party Committee Compound.
Guan Weiping was organizing documents in the outer room of Secretary Fang Hongda's office. Southeast Province was a large province, with frequent daily exchanges of official documents between its dozen or so prefecture-level cities. The documents requiring upward and downward communication piled up, all converging on Guan Weiping's desk. One of his important tasks was to sift through this chaotic mess, prioritizing those that absolutely needed Fang Hongda's review, while less important documents were forwarded to the relevant departments.
Otherwise, even if Secretary Fang Hongda didn't eat or sleep, he couldn't possibly keep up with all the documents.
Guan Weiping meticulously organized the stack of documents, arranging them according to their importance and urgency. He thought for a moment, then pulled out a thin sheet of paper and placed it on top. Then he stood up and gently knocked on Fang Hongda's office door.
"Secretary, some information about Chen Yang has been gathered," Guan Weiping said softly, placing the document on Fang Hongda's desk and pointing to the top sheet of paper.
As the provincial party secretary, Guan Weiping had a wide network of connections, so gathering this kind of information was naturally easy for him. In just a few days, he subtly used his personal connections to learn everything about Chen Yang from childhood to adulthood, including his family relationships, education, and social connections. He even uncovered the ambiguous relationships between Chen Yang and Su He and Ning Qiaoqian.
Fang Hongda was revising a report. Hearing this, he gently put down his pen, glanced at the document, and nodded slightly to indicate that he understood.
Guan Weiping refilled Fang Hongda's teacup and then quietly closed the door and left the office.
Fang Hongda pushed the report aside, picked up the document, and began to read it carefully. When he saw one line, his eyes narrowed.
Mother: Han Xuehua.
It was this line that made Fang Hongda pause, and then he was lost in memories of the past.
"Han Xuehua, Han Xiaohua…" Fang Hongda walked to the window, lit a cigarette, and murmured.
The documents contained a photo of Chen Yang's mother, Han Xuehua. Fang Hongda could vaguely see the shadow of the little girl with two braids who used to call him "Third Brother" all the time.
"So I was completely wrong… Chen Yang is actually Xiaohua's child!" Fang Hongda muttered to himself.
Back then, both Grandpa Fang and Grandpa Han worked in the General Office of the Military Commission, and their families lived in the same compound. Although the two old men didn't get along, and the Fang family children disliked the Han family children, forming two factions in the compound, Grandpa Han's youngest daughter, Han Xiaohua, was an exception.
From a young age, she was rebellious. Her brothers disliked the Fang family children, but she preferred to play with them. Especially Fang Hongda, who was only three years older than her; Han Xiaohua loved to stick by his side all the time. As a child, Han Xiaohua was as pretty as a doll, very endearing, so Fang Hongda and his brothers didn't mind her presence and would always take this little follower along for anything new and exciting.
Han Xiaohua was considered an oddity in the military compound back then.
However, later, due to job transfers, both families moved out of the compound, and their contact decreased. After graduating from university, Fang Hongda studied in the Soviet Union for two years. Upon returning, he heard that Han Xiaohua had had a falling out with her family and run away from home, disappearing without a trace.
Fang Hongda felt sorry for her for quite some time.
However, given the relationship between the Fang and Han families at the time, Fang Hongda couldn't easily launch a large-scale search. Moreover, the Han family was very secretive about the reasons for Han Xiaohua's departure, so Fang Hongda naturally didn't want to pry too much, as it was a family matter and he didn't want to cause any misunderstandings.
Two or three decades passed in the blink of an eye.
Fang Hongda had gradually forgotten about the matter, but Guan Weiping's document completely awakened the long-buried past. When Fang Hongda saw that the document stated Chen Yang's mother made a living by growing vegetables in the suburbs of Nanpu County, a small county in northern Southeast Province, raising her son alone, he could hardly believe his eyes. Was this still the pampered, spoiled little princess from back then?
Fang Hongda had initially assumed Chen Yang was the illegitimate son of Han Lingfei, the eldest son of the Han family, and that he had instructed Guan Weiping to investigate Chen Yang's situation for the sake of political maneuvering. He never expected the outcome to be so far beyond his expectations.
Fang Hongda smoked a cigarette, lost in thought.
After some time, Guan Weiping's knocking on the door startled Fang Hongda. He gently pushed the door open and said,
"Secretary, Secretary Liang from Ludao City has arrived."
Fang Hongda's daily work was always packed, leaving him with very little free time. Secretary Liang from Ludao City coming to report on work was a pre-arranged event.
"Hmm… let him in!" Fang Hongda mumbled.
"Okay." Guan Weiping nodded, and just as he was about to turn and leave, Fang Hongda called him back.
"Weiping!" Fang Hongda said, "Find Chen Yang when you have some time and invite him to my house for a casual meal… um, let's set it for tomorrow night!"
Guan Weiping glanced at Fang Hongda with a hint of surprise, but quickly replied calmly:
"Yes, Secretary!"
He then strode out the door. Xiamen was a vice-ministerial level city, and Secretary Liang was a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee; it wouldn't be polite to keep him waiting too long in the outer room.
…
Rongda Hospital.
In a clean and tidy ward, Liu Xinyao lay quietly on the bed, breathing evenly, her expression calm.
Just now, in the records room, Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao had suddenly fainted, startling Chen Yang. He carried Liu Xinyao and ran all the way to the nearest university hospital.
Fortunately, the doctor said her condition wasn't serious; it was just fainting due to anemia and overexertion. With Chen Yang's help, the hospital quickly arranged a room for Liu Xinyao to receive an IV drip. The doctor said she should wake up soon.
Since Liu Xinyao had no one to care for her, Chen Yang didn't dare leave. He had already made an appointment to view the room, but had to call and reschedule for the afternoon. After settling Liu Xinyao in, Chen Yang realized the IV drip wouldn't finish quickly, so he went to the hospital entrance and bought some fruit.
Chen Yang sat by the bedside, diligently peeling an apple. In his previous life, he had once enjoyed this immensely and had even mastered the skill of peeling an apple without the peel sticking to the surface.
Chen Yang had just successfully peeled an apple, secretly pleased with himself as he looked at the continuous strip of peel. At that moment, Liu Xinyao's hand trembled, her long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Chen Yang quickly pulled a piece of paper from the bedside table, placed the apple on it, and then asked with concern, "Liu Xinyao, how are you feeling?"
Liu Xinyao frowned slightly and asked weakly, "Where am I?"
Chen Yang looked at Liu Xinyao with a hint of reproach and said, "You still have the nerve to say that! You fainted in the records room just now, and I brought you to the hospital! The doctor said you're anemic and you need to rest more. Have you been staying up late a lot these past few days? Why don't you take care of your health?"
Seeing the anxious look in Chen Yang's eyes, Liu Xinyao felt a surge of warmth in her heart. However, she then thought of the ambiguous MMS message she had just seen in the records room, and the slight good impression she had formed of Chen Yang crumbled in an instant, her face turning cold.
Chen Yang, unaware of Liu Xinyao's inner thoughts, assumed that he had said something too harsh and angered her when she remained silent. Chen Yang thought for a moment, then picked up the apple he had just peeled and handed it to her, saying,
"Have an apple! The doctor said you need to take more vitamins!"
Liu Xinyao turned her face slightly away and said coldly,
"You eat it yourself! I don't want to!"
"How can you be so willful!" Chen Yang said sternly, "The doctor specifically told you to take vitamins, and I even went downstairs to buy this fruit. Now it's peeled and you're not even eating it! Don't you care about your health at all?"
Liu Xinyao glanced at the large bag of fruit on the bedside table, then looked at Chen Yang's indignant face. Her heart softened inexplicably. No matter what, Chen Yang was the one who brought her to the hospital after she fainted; she had to be grateful for that. Besides, Chen Yang had run up and down the stairs to buy fruit, and he still hadn't had time to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Regardless of his character, at least he had helped her in this matter. Thinking about this, Liu Xinyao felt she had been a bit too harsh on Chen Yang. She opened her mouth, about to speak, but Chen Yang couldn't help but speak first.
"You don't want to eat it? Fine! I'll eat it!" Chen Yang said, bringing the apple to his lips and taking a big bite. While chewing, he deliberately mumbled, "This apple is so sweet!"
"You…" Liu Xinyao's soft words were swallowed back by Chen Yang's actions. She snorted coldly, rolled over, and turned her head away, sulking alone.
"Xinyao! Are you alright!" Just as Chen Yang was concentrating on finishing his apple, the hospital room door was pushed open with a bang, and a girl rushed in, making a ruckus.
"Yang Xiaoxian?" Liu Xinyao turned around at the sound of the voice and exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the person.
Chen Yang glanced at the girl who rushed in. She was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and canvas shoes, carrying a large shoulder bag. Her features were quite delicate, but her short hair gave her a somewhat tomboyish look.
"A typical tomboy!" Chen Yang thought to himself. Her name was Xiao Xian? Her parents really had no foresight. Judging from her appearance, she was definitely not someone who could be described as "gentle and quiet."
"I just heard Xiao Lei say he saw a man carrying you towards the hospital. I didn't believe it at first, but then I came to check, and here you are!" Yang Xiao Xian spoke quickly, like a machine gun. "Xin Yao, what's wrong with you? I noticed you looked unwell the other day, and I told you not to stay up so late, but you wouldn't listen! Is that damn thesis so important? You don't even care about your health!"
"And you!" After scolding Liu Xin Yao, Yang Xiao Xian turned her attention to Chen Yang. "You're a grown man, and instead of taking care of the patient lying there, you..." "You're already eating fruit! How can you be so shameless?"
Chen Yang gave a helpless smile, shrugged at Liu Xinyao, and said,
"Since your friend is here, I'll be going now. Remember to eat plenty of fruit!"
"Oh, right!" Chen Yang was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, turned back, took out the bill from his pocket and placed it on the bedside table, saying, "This is the medical bill I paid for you. The receipt is here. I'm leaving now!"
Chen Yang didn't look at Yang Xiaoxian once throughout, and went straight out the door.
"Stop! I haven't finished speaking!" Yang Xiaoxian shouted after Chen Yang, "Are you even a man?! You have the nerve to ask Xinyao for such a small amount of money? Hey! You stingy bastard! Stop right there!"