Wu Yuekai held the receiver, nodding continuously, his expression growing increasingly serious, while Beisitian’s heart sank. "Alright, I understand." Wu Yuekai put down the phone and remained silent for a long time. Beisitian stood up, "How is the old man...?" Wu Yuekai looked at Beisitian and sighed, "Girl, you need to prepare yourself mentally..." There wasn’t much expression on Beisitian’s face, but her right hand suddenly clenched. At that moment, many scenes of her interactions with Luo Xudong unconsciously appeared in her mind: the scene when they first met, the times they chatted freely about everything under the sun, and most vividly, the time in the mountains when he saved her from a pack of wolves, carried her into a cave, caught fish with her, and finally accompanied her out of the mountains. His knowledge, his insight, his talents, his gentle smile, all turned to bubbles and vanished at this moment. Beisitian felt a dull pain in her chest, a feeling so unfamiliar to her! Googlᴇ search 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 "Where is he now?" Beisitian asked in a deep voice. "On the way back," Wu Yuekai replied. On the way back, could it be that he’s already... Beisitian thought, even if there’s just one last breath left, she must give it a try! "He should arrive the day after tomorrow, so you should prepare a feast in advance," Wu Yuekai’s heavy expression suddenly changed, and he raised an eyebrow and said. "What?" Beisitian was taken aback. "Returning triumphantly, aren’t you going to prepare a banquet! Ah ha ha ha ha~" Wu Yuekai laughed heartily. Seeing Wu Yuekai’s expression, if she still didn’t realize she had been played, she might as well have been living in vain. In the courtyard, Li Xuejun was carrying freshly boiled water back, when he suddenly saw the door of the commander’s study open, and Beisitian walked out with a blank expression. "Girl, don’t be angry, the old man was just joking with you!" Li Xuejun saw the commander follow her with leisurely steps, speaking while walking, with a very peculiar expression on his face, one that was joyous yet conflicted, seemingly holding back laughter. Seeing Li Xuejun, Beisitian stopped and turned her head, saying faintly: "The old man can’t drink recently, not a drop, remember that!" Normally, when Beisitian prepared medicine for the old man, she would remind him of related precautions, and the prohibition against alcohol and smoking was something she often reiterated, so Li Xuejun had no doubts. "Rest assured, Comrade Xiao Bei, I’ll keep a close eye on the commander!" Li Xuejun patted his chest and said. Hearing this, Wu Yuekai could no longer laugh, "No, no, girl, the old man was really just joking with you, you didn’t prepare medicine for me, how can you not let me drink, Xiao Li, don’t listen to the girl!" Li Xuejun was accustomed to the commander’s ways, smiled at him, turned his head and left, saying as he walked, "One pot of hot water isn’t enough, better go fetch another." Seeing Li Xuejun act as if he hadn’t heard, Wu Yuekai was so exasperated he almost jumped, questioning whom this orderly was really serving! Looking again at Beisitian, she had already walked out of the inner yard’s gate. Watching Beisitian’s departing figure, Wu Yuekai restrained his playful demeanor, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. Actually, he wasn’t entirely joking with Beisitian; he also used this opportunity to test whether Beisitian had feelings for Luo Xudong. Didn’t the test reveal it? This little girl probably realized it herself too! Luo Xudong had been undercover for nearly six years, and this time he directly hit the enemy’s lair, crushing them in one blow, helping to resolve a major worry within the country! The Jishi Pharmacy where Luo Xudong was undercover was indeed a company set up by overseas individuals under the guise of policy, but those people used the company as a cover to steal military intelligence and repeatedly attempted to intercept encrypted military signals. The only regret is that these people were stateless individuals, all connected solely in single lines, and their capture would not implicate the nations or forces behind them. But no matter how you look at it, capturing this group quietly demonstrated the nation’s strength and resolved a deeply rooted cancer. Luo Xudong completed the mission perfectly and was awarded first-class merit! "Today is a good day, let’s go back and have some drinks!" Wu Yuekai happily walked back, but behind him came Li Xuejun’s calm voice. "Comrade Xiao Bei said you can’t drink, Commander!" Wu Yuekai’s figure stiffened. On her way back, Beisitian felt a complex mix of emotions; on one hand, she was happy that Luo Xudong had returned safely from the mission, while on the other, she was conflicted by the pain she had just felt. When she got home, Mrs. Qin had already prepared the meal, and Luo Anguo and Luo Anping returned together as well. Seeing the faintly wistful expressions on their faces, Beisitian thought it should be better to let them know in advance. Just in time, the banquet day after tomorrow also required hosting the workers. Just in time for Luo Xudong’s return, why not invite family and friends as well. "Mom." Beisitian helped serve the dishes onto the heated brick bed table. Mrs. Qin’s mood was somewhat downcast; Beisitian knew she was partly the reason for it too. At the dinner table, Mrs. Qin and Luo Anguo ate a little before putting down their chopsticks, Beisitian remained unhurried, only Luo Anping kept stuffing food into his mouth, being in his growth spurt phase. After the meal, Beisitian looked at the two people sitting around the heated brick bed table and said, "You’ve always wanted to know where I went, and what I did before, didn’t you?" Hearing these words, the couple turned to look at her; before, no matter how much they asked, she never answered, but today she spoke up all of a sudden. "Luo Xudong is still alive." Beisitian softly opened her lips and dropped a bombshell! Sure enough, Mrs. Qin and Luo Anguo were stunned on the spot, clearly unable to believe their ears, Luo Xudong... is still alive! "Little Tian’er, you... what are you saying?" Mrs. Qin’s voice trembled a bit. Beisitian could understand their feelings and said slowly, "Luo Xudong didn’t die, he just went on a mission. This mission likely required no identity, so he feigned death, and perhaps to confuse the enemy, he was labeled as a defector." These were Beisitian’s guesses, but she believed she was not far off, as there was no other explanation. The couple sat dazed on the brick bed, listening to Beisitian’s words, which didn’t seem quite real! Beisitian gave them time to process, first clearing away the bowls and chopsticks from the table. As they stepped out of the room, the couple supported each other and followed in a rush. "Little Tian’er, is what you’re saying true?" Mrs. Qin’s eyes were already red. "It’s true." Beisitian replied earnestly. "Then... where is he now?" Luo Anguo asked excitedly. "On the way back, he’ll be here the day after tomorrow." Hearing this, the couple couldn’t control their emotions any longer, kneeling and hugging each other, crying bitterly. In the years Luo Xudong was gone, the bitterness and hardships they endured, who could understand it! Beisitian gently patted Luo Anping’s head, thinking that at this moment, they should just let them cry it out.