EIP 59

Zhou Jun mumbled, almost to himself, “War has broken out?”

The clerk, hands tucked into his sleeves, saw Zhou Jun’s shocked expression and nodded. “Yeah, it’s all over the news. My brother-in-law is an important figure in the military. Orders from above have been coming down these past few days. Take a look around the streets, they’re full of soldiers.”

Before he could finish, Zhou Jun quickly turned and ran out of the pharmacy, so fast that he tripped over the pharmacy’s threshold. The clerk called out, “Hey, your medicine.” He managed to chase after the customer for a few steps, but the man had already vanished. Scratching his head in confusion, he went back inside. Thankfully, the customer had already paid the bill. He decided to wait for the man to return and pick it up later.

Zhou Jun ran to the street, looking around in confusion. His heart was pounding wildly. Military trucks were driving by, their engines roaring, crushing the road beneath them. Cars, bicycles, and pedestrians quickly moved aside, with a few muttering complaints. He stood very close to the road, anxiously trying to hail a cab, but not a single one appeared. Just then, a bicycle passed by him from behind. The rider, seemingly inexperienced, wobbled and knocked into Zhou Jun.

The military truck was about to pass, and Zhou Jun was pushed forward by the impact. At the last possible moment, someone grabbed his arm and yanked him sharply backward. Zhou Jun fell to the ground as the truck’s tires screeched, narrowly missing his shoes. The cyclist crashed to the ground, the bike’s wheels spinning rapidly. The series of events caught the attention of pedestrians around them, while the truck driver, without getting out, rolled down the window and shouted at Zhou Jun before driving off.

Zhou Jun looked back, hoping to see who had saved him, but he could no longer find the person, only a crowd of onlookers. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling, whether it was his own vanity or just an intuition, that it was Yong Jin. He had done similar things in the past, helping people in the shadows without letting them know, disappearing without a trace afterward. It must have been him, trying to remain unnoticed while still watching over him.

Zhou Jun’s hand was scratched, and blood slowly stained the dusty stone pavement. He ignored the cyclist who was trying to apologize and pushed through the gathering crowd, heading back. Only then did he remember the medicine he had yet to collect and his older brother at home. Governor Yong and his elder brother are cooperating, but Yong Jin had long since parted ways with him.

At this moment, inside the busy headquarters of the Ninth Army, Deputy Chen hurried through the corridor and headed straight for the conference room. Telegrams were being delivered urgently, like falling snow, with the decoding team working nonstop. Yong Jin, along with several military officers, had been in the conference room for a long time and hadn’t come out. Deputy Chen asked the soldier standing outside the door for an update and was told that they would not be coming out for the time being. He nodded and acknowledged the information.

Returning to his office, Deputy Chen picked up the phone and said to the person on the other end, “As long as he didn’t see your face clearly, just keep watching him.”

There was a reply on the other end, and Deputy Chen, sounding impatient, said, “At a time like this, do I still need to teach you? As long as nothing goes wrong, don’t contact me.” Just as he hung up the phone, it rang again. This time, it was the butler from the Yong residence calling, saying that Mr. Zhou had suddenly shown up at their door, and they were unsure whether to let him in.

Deputy Chen helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose. “Politely send him away, tell him the major is not home and to come back another day.” After the butler hung up the phone, he stepped outside and realized it had started to snow. He turned back to grab an umbrella. The snow grew heavier and heavier, soon blanketing everything in a thick white cover.

Zhou Jun’s tall and slender figure stood in the midst of it, his back straight, hands in his pockets, wearing little and his ears turning red from the cold. After the butler relayed the message, he thought Zhou Jun would persist, but to his surprise, he merely nodded and began to turn away.

At that moment, a rickshaw arrived, and the butler saw Mu Liqing step out. Initially intending to offer his umbrella to Mr. Zhou, he now realized that the major’s life-saving benefactor had arrived. Forgetting his previous intentions, the butler quickly ran over to shield Mu Liqing from the falling snow. “Mr. Mu, your health hasn’t fully recovered, why have you come out? Please, come inside quickly.”

The butler’s enthusiasm only earned a soft smile from Mu Liqing, who didn’t move and instead turned back to speak to Zhou Jun. True to his fame as a popular actor, Mu Liqing’s voice was captivating, the ending of his sentence lingering as he asked, “Mr. Zhou, are you here to see the major?” Zhou Jun casually looked at him and nodded.

Mu Liqing then turned to ask the butler, “Old Lin, is the major at the residence?” The butler shook his head.

Zhou Jun took his hand out of his pocket and wiped his face with a handkerchief. The snow had fallen heavily, sticking to his eyelashes. At that moment, he heard Mu Liqing kindly offer, “Is Mr. Zhou here for something urgent with the major? I can relay your message.” Zhou Jun politely shook his head. “No need, it’s not that urgent. I’ll contact him myself. Thank you, though.”

Seeing the two men exchanging polite words and parting ways amicably, the butler sighed in relief. He knew both of them had some unclear connection to the young major. While Major Yong was known for his charm, the butler, being a servant, couldn’t speak too much on the matter. But seeing the two meet, he was still somewhat apprehensive, worried about things getting out of hand and making it difficult for him to handle.

Luckily, both of them were dignified people. After exchanging their pleasantries, they nodded to each other and parted ways as if simply bidding farewell to friends. Zhou Jun casually stuffed the handkerchief into his suit pocket, turned, and walked away. The white snow covered his steps, the sound of his footsteps harsh and cold, as if it seeped into his very soul. Remembering Deputy Chen’s instructions to send him away, the butler quickly called out, “Mr. Zhou, would you like me to get you an umbrella?”

Zhou Jun paused and turned to glance at the rickshaw that had brought Mu Liqing. “No, it’s fine. There’s a rickshaw here.”

The rickshaw driver, seemingly hired by Mu Liqing, had been waiting nearby. Hearing Zhou Jun’s words, the driver first shook his head, looking toward Mu Liqing.

Mu Liqing said, “It’s fine. You can send Mr. Zhou back. There’s no need to refund the money, just consider it Mr. Zhou’s fare.” Zhou Jun laughed and said, “I can’t accept that.” Mu Liqing didn’t insist further and simply gestured for Zhou Jun to get in the rickshaw. Zhou Jun didn’t refuse again, settling into the carriage and giving the driver his address. As the windscreen was put up, Zhou Jun’s expression turned cold.

He could have taken a different route, but he didn’t know how long it would take to find another carriage. He certainly didn’t want to risk falling ill again. With his elder brother bedridden, if he fell sick too, the Zhou family would truly be left without any capable hands. Whether Mu Liqing stayed at the Yong residence or waited for Yong Jin to send him back, Zhou Jun didn’t want to bother with that. Just now, he had been disoriented after hearing that the war was about to break out and that Yong Jin might be heading to the frontlines. In his confusion, he had dropped off the medicine at the pharmacy and rushed to find Yong Jin to ask him directly.

He stared at the ring Yong Jin had given him. For the last time, he wanted to wear it. He pulled out the hand he had kept hidden in his pocket, and the ring quietly settled on his finger. The warmth of his skin gradually matched the coldness of the ring, which had made him shiver when he first put it on.

After a moment, Zhou Jun took off the ring and thought to himself that he had truly agreed to the breakup. It wasn’t a rash decision, nor was it a case of saying one thing and meaning another. He had truly agreed, and no matter what Yong Jin’s real reasons were, from now on, it probably wouldn’t concern him anymore. He tossed the ring out of the rickshaw, watching as the red flash quickly vanished from sight. The carriage swayed, leaving only two wheel marks on the long snow-covered road.

When Zhou Jun arrived home, he removed his wet coat and drank the ginger tea the servant handed him. He asked if his elder brother had woken up, and upon hearing that he had, Zhou Jun quickly made his way to his brother’s room. Halfway there, he slowed down, carefully approaching the door. It wasn’t fully closed, and inside, he saw his brother holding his wife, gently stroking her hair, speaking to her in a soothing voice.

Zhou Jun didn’t dare to enter. He sat down on the wooden railing in the hallway and lit a cigarette for himself. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a sharp dryness that was hard to bear.